Tesla isn't about to get a sympathetic ear from US regulators as it rolls out more semi-autonomous technology. New National Transportation Safety Board head Jennifer Homendy told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that Tesla needs to tackle "basic safety issues" before it expands features like Autopilot and Full Self Driving to more parts of the road. She also wasn't thrilled with Tesla beta-testing upgrades on public streets. Like other critics, the NTSB leader took issue with Tesla's naming schemes for its driver assists. The Full Self Driving label is "misleading and irresponsible," Homendy said, leading some to "misuse and abuse" it.

Aptiv isn't focused solely on self-driving cars -- it's also making semi-autonomous features more accessible. As Reuters reports, Aptiv has introduced a new advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that lowers the price of Level 1-3 autonomy. It also represents Aptiv's first use of "4D" imaging radar, with twice the range of existing tech. Your cabin may get some upgrades, too, including cameras, ultrasonic sensors and radar. Over-the-air updates should also improve features over time.

The Cincinnati Auto Expo is known for its display of luxury vehicles, but you won't need to test drive anything luxurious to get a taste of the latest in semi-autonomous features. Semi-autonomous features such as automatic cruise control, rear cameras and lane changing technology – previously reserved for luxury line automobiles – have become mainstream in a matter of about five years, according to Charlie Howard, executive vice president of Greater Cincinnati Automobile Dealers Association. Howard said the industry is inching towards autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars, feature by feature. "What you're just seeing more and more and more is that technology, you know, trickling through the various vehicles at all different price points," he said. Some of the features trigger your seat or steering wheel to vibrate when you back up too close to an obstacle, or when your car begins to veer outside of its lane.

When Venetian merchants hauled the first shipments of a popular Ottoman drink called coffee into 17th century Europe, leaders in the Catholic Church did not exult at the prospect of increased productivity at the bottom of a warm cuppa. So they asked Pope Clement VIII to declare coffee "the bitter invention of Satan." The pontiff, not one to jump to conclusions, had coffee brought before him, sipped, and made the call. "This Satan's drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it," he declared, the (perhaps apocryphal) story goes. Which is all to say: Sometimes, people are so scared of change, they get things very wrong.

Cadillac is doing something new with LiDAR. Instead of sticking a puck on its cars, it's using the sensors to map the highways of the United States and Canada and geofence its semi-autonomous Super Cruise feature, instead of letting drivers use it anywhere they want. It seems like a bold move, but in reality, it's how self-driving cars will initially enter the market. The realization of a fully autonomous-car future rests on regulations, sensors, high-powered computers and maps. While safety is the basis for most vehicle laws, it's becoming increasingly important for there to be blanket federal regulations concerning these vehicles (instead of the current patchwork of laws that vary from state to state).

It's been nearly a year and a half since Joshua Brown became the first person to die in a car driving itself. In May 2016, Brown was on a Florida highway in his Tesla Model S using Autopilot, the semi-autonomous driver assist feature that handles steering and speed during highway driving. Tesla has always warned drivers that Autopilot isn't perfect. According to car's driving manual and the disclaimer drivers accept before they can engage it, the system should only have been used on highways with clear lane markings, strict medians, and exit and entrance ramps. So when a tractor trailer turning left crossed into the Model S's lane, the system did not recognize it--and the car crashed into its side, killing Brown instantly.

JD Power's latest research into the likes and dislikes of car owners has two big takeaways: people love Kia and are pretty lukewarm about self-driving technology. Or, at least those components that most drivers can gain access to right now, like adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance and blind spot warning systems. Overall, the trend for buyers is to be quite positive about the quality and performance of their new vehicle, especially if it's a Kia. "Autonomous Technology" was, in fact, the only category where user complaints increased between 2016 and 2017, although only by a tiny amount. The Wall Street Journal points out that of all the issues consumers raised, 34 percent of them were tied in to adaptive cruise control.