Cars

Dec
07
2021
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By Troy Warren
Uber Brings Safety-Inspired Audio Recording to Three U.S. Cities

Uber Brings Safety-Inspired Audio Recording to Three U.S. Cities

Cars, Editors Picks, In The News, ,
BY SEBASTIAN BLANCO | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars  #EditorsPicks Drivers or passengers who feel uncomfortable during a ride can now surreptitiously record the interaction using the Uber app. In a new Uber pilot program, drivers and riders can both start a recording from within the Uber app if they feel it's warranted for safety reasons, and the other party will not be notified. Uber says neither the person who made the recording nor Uber has access to the encrypted recording unless and until a safety report is filed. Uber introduced the audio monitoring program in Latin America almost two…
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Dec
06
2021
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By Troy Warren
Tesla Model 3, Model Y Got New Battery Chemistry, and Here’s What It Means

Tesla Model 3, Model Y Got New Battery Chemistry, and Here’s What It Means

Cars,
BY JOHN VOELCKER | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars Tesla quietly offered a new, cheaper battery chemistry; here’s why it’s important. The news emerged in late August: Tesla was offering a chance for electric-car buyers who'd ordered a Model 3 Standard Range+ to get their car sooner. That same month, it emerged that orders placed for less expensive Model 3s wouldn't be filled until 2022. And the same went as well for Standard Range Tesla Model Y versions. (Last month, Tesla renamed the Standard Range models, which are now simply called Rear Wheel Drive.) The new option would allow Tesla to deliver its least…
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Dec
04
2021
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By Troy Warren
Tested: 2021 Kia Sorento Is Compelling in Hybrid Form

Tested: 2021 Kia Sorento Is Compelling in Hybrid Form

Cars,
BY EZRA DYER | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars The front-wheel-drive hybrid version of Kia's redesigned Sorento mid-size three-row crossover packs a solid 227 horsepower and a 37-mpg EPA combined estimate. The new 2021 Kia Sorento hybrid doesn't make a big deal of itself, despite being the first electrically assisted version of Kia's mid-size crossover. It's got a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, and it drives like you'd expect—except that the little four feels like it has about 25 percent more displacement than it actually does. In fact, the Sorento hybrid's combined output—227 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque—nearly matches…
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Dec
03
2021
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By Troy Warren
We Welcome a 2022 Kia Carnival Minivan for a Long-Term Test

We Welcome a 2022 Kia Carnival Minivan for a Long-Term Test

Cars,
BY JOEY CAPPARELLA | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars The redesigned and renamed Carnival joins a Toyota Sienna as the second minivan in our test fleet, and we're happy about it. Introduction Although Kia is pitching the new 2022 Carnival as an "MPV" (multipurpose vehicle), we see it for what it really is: a minivan. And that's no bad thing in our eyes. Quite the opposite, as we unabashedly love vans, with their emphasis on practicality above all and the impressive engineering typical to this segment. A 2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige joined our cadre of 40,000-mile test vehicles alongside a 2021 Toyota…
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Dec
02
2021
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By Troy Warren
Mercedes, Stellantis to work with U.S. firm on new batteries

Mercedes, Stellantis to work with U.S. firm on new batteries

Business, Cars, , ,
By The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT #Cars  #Business BERLIN — Automakers Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis announced agreements with U.S. company Factorial Energy on Tuesday to help develop solid-state battery technology that they hope could make electric cars more attractive to a mass market. <CityNEWS> Mercedes-Benz, part of Daimler AG, said it is joining forces with Factorial, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, to jointly develop batteries with the aim of testing prototype cells as early as next year. It said it is “investing a high double-digit million dollar amount in Factorial” that will give it the right to a representative on the battery…
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Dec
02
2021
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By Troy Warren
Polaris Is Building an Electric UTV, with Help from Zero Motorcycles

Polaris Is Building an Electric UTV, with Help from Zero Motorcycles

Cars,
BY EZRA DYER | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars <CityNEWS> With 110 horsepower and 80 miles of range, the Ranger XP Kinetic is a new way to work the ranch. Remember when Rich Benoit, a.k.a. Rich Rebuilds, decided to stuff the electric motor from a Zero motorcycle into an ATV to create his own electric off-road toy? Well, Polaris is taking that idea to the factory level with the new 2022 Ranger XP Kinetic, an off-road utility vehicle packing Zero power. The motor, which makes 110 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque, looks to be the ZF75-10 used in the SR/S bike.…
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Nov
29
2021
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By Troy Warren
Tested: 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Goes Nuclear

Tested: 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Goes Nuclear

Cars,
BY EZRA DYER | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars Jeep builds a 470-hp V-8-powered Wrangler. Hilarity ensues. Whatever kind of engine you want, the Jeep Wrangler offers it. Jeep's lucrative four-wheel-drive anachronism is available with a turbocharged four-cylinder, a naturally aspirated V-6 (with or without 48-volt hybrid assistance), a plug-in hybrid turbo four, or a turbodiesel V-6. And now, rounding out Jeep's offer-all-the-engines policy, you can get a Wrangler stuffed with a gargantuan 470-hp 6.4-liter Hemi V-8. No, Jeep didn't use the supercharged Hellcat engine. Nobody has enough life insurance for that. The resulting mutant is the 2021 Wrangler Rubicon 392. It's Jeep's G63. A…
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Nov
28
2021
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By Troy Warren
BMW Brings Back Classic Logo, Historic Colors for M Division’s 50th Anniversary

BMW Brings Back Classic Logo, Historic Colors for M Division’s 50th Anniversary

Cars,
BY SEBASTIAN BLANCO | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars BMW digs into the archives for a new old motorsport logo, and it can be ordered on new BMW M cars after January 2022. For the 50th anniversary of the M brand, which started as BMW Motorsport, BMW will bring back a classic logo for some models as well as 50 old colors including Daytona Violet and Macao Blue. The "BMW Motorsport" emblem puts three specific semicircles in blue, violet, and red around the BMW roundel to represent how the automaker is connected to racing. These new old features will be…
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Nov
27
2021
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By Troy Warren
Porsche Could Be Planning a Bigger SUV: Report

Porsche Could Be Planning a Bigger SUV: Report

Cars,
BY MIKE DUFF | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars Automotive News, citing a dealer meeting, said a new flagship SUV could be coming above the current Cayenne. An Automotive News story this week, using a Porsche dealer meeting as its source, suggests a top-end three-row luxury SUV could be coming. A Porsche spokesman contacted by Car and Driver declined comment. The new SUV would sit above the Cayenne in the Porsche lineup, and it could come in plug-in-hybrid and all-electric versions, the report said. After all, the Cayenne is Porsche's biggest seller, and Porsche undoubtedly would like to have a three-row SUV to put up against BMW,…
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Nov
26
2021
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By Troy Warren
New Ford Ranger Revealed, Previewing Upcoming U.S. Truck

New Ford Ranger Revealed, Previewing Upcoming U.S. Truck

Cars,
BY CONNOR HOFFMAN | CarAndDriver.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Cars The attractive new pickup continues to use a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but it has a significantly improved interior. Ford debuted the new Ranger mid-size pickup for global markets, previewing the model that will be sold in the U.S. shortly after.  It continues to use a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine and 10-speed automatic transmission.  It will enter production next year, though we expect it to arrive in the U.S. for the 2023 model year.  Ford is in the midst of an overhaul of its truck lineup, which starts with the new entry-level  Maverick compact pickup and works…
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