2010 Acura MDX to start at $43,040

The 2010 Acura MDX starts at $43,040, including destination charges. It went on sale on Friday. The new seven-passenger luxury ute gets more aggressive styling front and rear, new trim enhancements and new wheel packages.

Audi introduces free smartphone app for roadside service

With its new roadside-assistance tool, Audi joins the crew of carmakers creating smartphone apps. Available for iPhone, Android and some Blackberry devices, the free app connects you directly with Audi and its insurance partner, Allstate. The app sends your vehicle information to Audi Roadside Services, allows you to select the type of service you require and communicates your location using your phone's GPS.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.