Welcome to today's edition of the Daily 5.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in new research that studied Volvo and Tesla driver-assistance features, found partial automation systems in some cars increase the likelihood that drivers will engage in distracted behavior, such as checking a mobile device or eating while driving. And researchers discovered that once drivers became comfortable using the technology, the level of distraction rose. The safety organization studied Volvo's Pilot Assist System and Tesla's Autopilot system. In the Tesla study, drivers learned how to manipulate the timing of safety reminders to avoid system interventions. IIHS' previous research has found driver-assistance systems function more as convenience features rather than advance or enhance safety. The organization's latest research is prompting fresh questions about whether technology pitched to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries is having the opposite effect. Georgia Hall has more.
In Massachusetts, Nissan and a dealership have spent nearly a decade battling over sales performance metrics. In 2015, for example, Coastal Nissan complained it wasn't listed as the primary dealership on Nissan's website for some ZIP codes in its primary market area. A federal judge has now ruled Coastal Nissan can pursue claims that Nissan North America's sales performance metrics and volume-based sales incentive programs were arbitrary and unfair. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs' ruling means Coastal Nissan, in Norwell, can proceed with allegations that the automaker has violated the state's dealer law, Eric Freedman reports.
Remember Sharp, the Japanese electronics company that has made everything from stereo equipment to TVs to vacuum cleaners? It is teaming up with Taiwan's Foxconn to produce an electric van that puts your modern living room on wheels. Sharp traces its roots to 1912 but fell on hard times amid cheaper competition for displays from China. Foxconn bought control of Sharp in 2016. While it remains one of Japan's top TV brands, Sharp aspires to sell its own EVs someday, but not so soon. Sharp's Next Innovation division has been tapped to develop EVs and AI. The stretch goal is to sell EVs by the end of the decade, starting in Japan, Hans Greimel reports.
Also make sure to check out our stories on Volvo's plans for 10 new, updated models in the next two years and VW stopping the sale of its ID4 EV over faulty door handles.
That's it for our Sept. 18 report. Enjoy the rest of your day.
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— David Phillips, news editor
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