Lexus showed off a pair of EV concept cars at the Tokyo Mobility Show designed to highlight its electrified future. The first is the LF-ZC concept designed to go into production next year and includes wild features like using the steering wheel for racing games. The other is the LF-ZL flagship that represents the "future vision" of the brand, Toyota said in a press release. The luxury Toyota sub-brand is committed to becoming fully electric by 2035, and the LF-ZC will be a big part of that with a market launch by 2026. Unlike Honda's Prelude concept that looks nearly production ready, however, the LF-ZC looks more like a showcase for ideas than a real car.

General Motors Co.'s driverless-car unit has requested approval from California regulators to begin public testing of a shuttle that has no steering wheel or manual controls, showing the auto maker's determination to make progress on autonomous vehicles as rivals step back. GM's Cruise LLC division in August submitted an application to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, requesting permission to test its Origin driverless vehicle on San Francisco streets, according to a copy of the document obtained through a public records request. The California DMV began reviewing the application in late October, according to emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal as part of the request. In its application, Cruise said it would begin test runs of the electric Origin in a confined area of San Francisco during limited hours and gradually expand over time. While GM and Cruise push ahead on plans to commercialize robotaxis, other players have pulled back, expressing doubts about whether the technology can support a viable business any time soon.

For once we can say that Tesla really has reinvented a wheel. For its newest Model S sedans and Model X SUVs, the carmaker dropped the traditional circular steering wheel in favor of what it's calling a "yoke." This yoke is rectangular and reminiscent of what you might see in a jet or a racecar. Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated that the company made the change because, "Yet another round wheel is boring & blocks the screen," adding that Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" function--controversial due to safety concerns--"in panoramic mode looks way better with a yoke." Consumer Reports recently published a harsh review entirely focused on the Model S yoke, noting that the organization's test drivers found the steering apparatus to be hard to hold on to and awkward to maneuver.

Tesla is reinventing its wheels. Its steering wheels, that is. The automaker's updated Model S and Model X unveiled on Wednesday feature all-new interior designs with rectangular steering wheels that look more like airplane yokes than what's typically found in a road car. They are also similar to what some racing cars use, not to mention the ultimate self-driving car: K.I.T.T. from the "Knight Rider" TV show. Tesla had previously incorporated into the design of its Cybertruck and Roadster prototypes.

While many automakers are in a rush to nix traditional driving in favor of fully autonomous vehicles, Honda is holding on tight to the steering wheel in a new'augmented' experience that blends the best both worlds. The concept, which is on display at CES in Las Vegas, combines several novel driving technologies that are designed to help drivers seamlessly switch between manual and autonomous modes, including a moveable steering wheel that doubles as an accelerator and brake. The wheel, turned brake and accelerator, which Honda provided MailOnline a simulated demo of, is controlled by either pulling (braking) or pushing (accelerating) it away from one's body. Honda's augmented driving concept was showcased at CES in Las Vegas and includes several technologies that hope to blend autonomous and manual driving In a virtual demonstration, MailOnline tested out aspects of Honda's high-tech steering wheel that also doubles as an accelerator and brake It's also equipped with sensor around the outer ring that can feel a driver's touch. When the car is in its autonomous state a passenger can swipe their hand left or right over the top of the steering wheel to make it change lanes.

Honda wants to reinvent the steering wheel. The automobile manufacturer announced on Monday that it plans to show a futuristic convertible at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in a few weeks. Ahead of the concept's official unveiling, Honda shared images and a few details about the round-edged ride to get people excited. One of the most notable features is the steering wheel, which allows the driver to do more than navigate from left to right. The interactive steering wheel is essentially supposed to control everything about the car, from starting to acceleration.

"I think the complexity was far greater than what a lot of very optimistic advocates were thinking," Chao said. In GM's petition, NHTSA is for the first time looking at a vehicle in which all driving decisions are made by a computer rather than a human driver. Nuro, which partnered with Kroger Co last year to deliver groceries, seeks approval not to include a windshield in the vehicle. The petitions - formal applications for action by the agency - seek exemptions from U.S. vehicle safety rules largely written decades ago that assumed human drivers would be in control of a vehicle. The petitions are for up to 2,500 vehicles per manufacturer.

Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet, is pushing to get rid of many traditional car features, including mirrors, pedals and the steering wheel. It urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to'promptly' remove regulatory barriers for cars necessitating they have all traditional features. Legislation controlling the manufacture of cars dictates they must meet more than 70 auto safety standards, even if they are redundant. Waymo says a lot of the rules are not vital to self-driving cars because they work and operate in a completely different way to traditional vehicles. Waymo urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to'promptly' remove regulatory barriers for cars necessitating they have traditional features (file photo) Waymo, as well as Honda, Uber and Lyft, penned a letter to NHTSA asking for progress to be made in refining the rules to help streamline the development of autonomous cars.

Sumitomo Riko Co., a Nagoya-based auto parts maker, has developed a system that can determine whether a driver is holding the steering wheel, a piece of technology that could prove to be indispensable for semi-automated cars. The firm aims to start commercial production of the system -- designed to enable drivers to switch from autonomous driving to manual control safely in case of emergencies -- in the 2020 business year. The so-called Smart Rubber sensor, made of anti-vibration electrically conductive rubber material, can determine which part of the steering wheel a driver is holding by detecting a change of pressure. The auto industry is currently engaged in fierce competition to develop technology to achieve conditional automation -- Level 3 on the Society of Automotive Engineers International's scale to 5. In Level 3, cars are self-driving but a human driver must take over the wheel in emergency situations or if the system requests that the driver intervene. But self-driving mode will not be turned off unless the system determines that the driver is ready to take the wheel to avoid an accident.

The Department of Transportation says it wants to remove barriers to innovation in autonomous car technology. Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption The Department of Transportation says it wants to remove barriers to innovation in autonomous car technology. The Department of Transportation has announced new federal voluntary guidance on the development and use of automated vehicles -- with the goal of "removing unnecessary barriers" to innovation. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said Thursday that the department's 80-page "Automated Vehicles 3.0" guidance "supports the safe, reliable and cost-effective integration of automation into our country's surface transportation systems." The department indicated it was open to changing current standards that require all cars to have steering wheels, brakes and accelerator pedals.