A luxury British carmaker could benefit from experience gained at Italian and German competitors.  Aston Martin has appointed Maximilian Szwaj as its new Vice President and Chief Technical Officer.  With 25 years in the automotive industry, his resume includes positions at BMW, Porsche, Maserati and Ferrari.  Aston Martin says Szwaj’s experience in engineering and product delivery will help them as they move forward with new cars and technologies.

Ford is thinking way out of the box.  The company says they’ve been awarded about 1,500 U.S. patents this year.  Ford says that’s 25-percent more than last year.  If you add international patents, Ford says the number jumps to 3,200 this year alone.  One idea involves a self-loading electric wheel chair.  Another feature they’ve dreamed up would equip autonomous vehicles with drones to look at the surroundings beyond what vehicle sensors can see.

Nissan is taking the person out of the driver’s seat.  They’re using modified LEAFs to tow finished vehicles around the Oppama Plant in Japan.  Technology tells these autonomous vehicles where to go and what’s around them.  Since there are no rails or magnetic tape to lead them along, the towing route can be changed to meet adjustments in production.  Take a look at how it works.

Looking for a new SUV and have plenty of money to spend?  Keep reading.  Forbes.com has put together a list of the 20 most expensive SUVs for 2017.  The Bentley Bentayga tops their list.  They say it will only cost you around $232,000.  If you can’t quite swing those monthly payments, there are 19 other SUVs to choose from.  Here’s the link: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45ehkdk/20-audi-q7-30-prestige/#72c8f9507ac1