In addition to looks and performance, one of the most important elements that plays a major role in most car buying decisions is the technology, from infotainment setup to safety features.

If you’re going to use a vehicle for many years, you don’t want to get something that’s outdated and not up to snuff in terms of user experience and its ability to keep the driver and passengers safe.

This review will take a look at the tech and safety offerings on the 2020 Toyota lineup, based on my time driving a 2020 Toyota Corolla.

Infotainment controls (voice)
Voice commands are one of the best innovations that allow for vehicle safety, by freeing the driver from distractions tied to changing radio stations, fixing the climate settings, making phone calls and more.

The Corolla’s infotainment system delivered in this regard, as voice commands worked extremely well across the board. The navigation system also understood spoken addresses clearly, changing radio stations by voice was a breeze, and via Bluetooth it was also a smooth process to make phone calls by voice.

StradVision, which specializes in AI-based camera perception for ADAS systems and Autonomous Vehicles, has announced it is developing Animal Detection capabilities for its deep-learning based SVNet software. 

In the U.S. each year, there are more than 1.5 million deer-related accidents, which cause around 200 human deaths and 10,000 injuries, plus more than $1 billion in property damage.

Greetings race fans. It's Daytona 500 day.
When the green flag drops at 3:18 p.m. today at Daytona, here are some storylines to watch. 

Team alliances
How much will teams work together, if situations on track allow for them to do so? I foresee this being a major strategy, once again, for Chevy, Ford and Toyota. But history has shown the best plans usually are interrupted by the reality of plate racing. Those alliances usually don’t last, especially after cars get knocked out after big wrecks. We’ll see how this plays out and how much it determines the outcome of the race.

Blocking
Brad Keselowski and others have expressed concern about blocking and the major wrecks it is causing this Speedweeks. How much will drivers take that into account when they are making decisions as they battle for the lead and through the field? Hopefullly cooler heads will prevail, but when chasing the checkered flag common sense often goes out the window. We’ll learn this afternoon which side wins out.

As I watched Joey Logano’s car turned into a lawn mower, Jimmie Johnson take a brutal hit into the wall, and so many other cars losing sheet metal today, part of me was thinking that this Busch Clash crashfest (which came late in the race after mostly single file racing through the early parts) may be an anomaly. It’s a non-points race, first of the season, etc., and won’t carry over to Sunday’s Daytona 500.

But that part of me is probably wrong. My other half, the realistic one, knows that winning the Daytona 500 is probably going to be the biggest win of their career for most of the drivers on the grid. So while I’m somewhat confident we’ll have more than 6 cars finishing the Daytona 500, don’t be surprised if the crazy blocks and big-time wrecks just keep on coming when the field of 40 takes the green on Feb. 16.

Stream Companies, a marketing industry leader that has been successfully merging and integrating the worlds of traditional and digital advertising for more than two decades, will be sharing its latest technology and expertise at NADA 2020 from Feb. 14-17, 2020. 

In today’s high-tech world of auto dealership marketing, Stream Companies is leading the way with its innovative technology, improving both user experience and sales success for dealerships. 

Co-founder and CEO David Regn highlighted a few top trends to watch in 2020 and beyond. 

“The three biggest trends in digital marketing for dealers in 2020 are personalization, AI-based automation and voice search,” said Regn. “People-based marketing and building innovative technology solutions to elevate marketing efforts will define this new decade.”  

When you’re battling the likes of top-sellers like the Camry and Accord, standing out in the midsize sedan category isn't easy. But that is the task facing the underdog Mazda6.

Despite that daunting task, the brand succeeds fully in this quest.

After a week in the 2020 Mazda6, I can confidently say that due to a combination of sharp design, strong power plant and technology, the flagship Mazda6 sedan makes its case as one of the best, perhaps even THE best, in class.