More than 27,000 2017 to 2020 model year Chrysler Pacifica hybrids are being recalled due to a 12-volt battery connection that could pose a fire risk. The 12-volt battery powers auxiliary features such as the radio and remote garage-door opener. FCA will issue recall notices by mail starting the week of June 22, and owners […] More

Mercedes-Benz has announced it’s got a new operating system, MB.OS, that will start appearing on new vehicles underpinned by the company’s new MMA platform.Owners will see safety features such as road-scanning lidar thanks to the new operating system, and games like Angry Birds and social media such as TikTok will be available on the cabin-dominating screens.A long-term partnership with Google is said to add the latest data and navigation features such as Place Details.The old tech mantra of “move fast and break things” has been as present as a meme while we’ve lived through an era of rapid innovation in almost every aspect of our lives. There’s one place it doesn’t quite work: when it comes to safety and trust. In the automotive space, sometimes slow and steady is the right move, and as one of the oldest car companies, Mercedes-Benz has had plenty of time to evolve and develop.Today in Sunnyvale, California, Mercedes-Benz gave us a glimpse of its future, plotting its course through the next round of innovation. This naturally includes features for electric vehicles and automated driving, but also entertainment, productivity, and well-being. And it includes some wildly lit screens.Mercedes Moves ForwardMore to Do and See on Screen(s)Up first is the introduction of MB.OS, Mercedes’s new operating system that promises advancement in infotainment, safety, and the next generation of automated driving. It will debut in a few years on the first vehicle to use the new electric Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) platform. NVIDIA will supply the software, data, and AI expertise, as well as chips that can process 254 trillion operations per second for automated driving.Other partnerships for other features include road-scanning lidar from Luminar, while Google will contribute to in-car data and more accurate mapping and navigation. Mercedes will also open its system to other partners to integrate entertainment options. These include TikTok, Zoom, a Vivaldi web browser, and even Angry Birds. Of course MB.OS will have over-the-air update capabilities to keep your system current and also to activate future features.Assisted Driving AdvancesThere’s also plenty of hardware to support all of this software, and going forward, all Mercedes-Benz vehicles will come with the equipment needed for Level 2 automated driving. That’s similar to what we have today, with a combination of adaptive cruise control and lane-centering to relieve a hands-on driver from some of the driving burdens. Customers will be able to order their higher-end Mercedes with Level 3 automation called Drive Pilot.Drive Pilot will be available on the 2024 EQS and S-class sedans and could be the first level 3 system offered in the U.S. It will operate on highways at speeds up to 40 mph, at least initially. The goal is to extend that to 80 mph. Unlike systems from GM and Ford, Drive Pilot will allow the driver to look away from the road, but they’ll still have to be prepared to take over driving duties at a moment’s notice. More significantly, Mercedes will assume liability for the vehicle when in Drive Pilot mode, which is a testament to their confidence in the system.Innovation is nothing new to Mercedes-Benz, and these latest advancements are proof that they’re pushing toward the vision of the future that’s been the stuff of fiction a decade or two ago. (Whether this is the kind of fiction you would like to come true is up to you, of course.)This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Contributing EditorWith a background in design and open-wheel racing, Mark Takahashi got his foot in the door as an art director on car and motorcycle magazines. He parlayed that into a career as an automotive journalist and has reviewed thousands of vehicles over the past few decades. More

The 2023 Dodge Charger Super Bee is the latest “Last Call” edition to be revealed before the current Charger and Challenger are killed off after 2023.The Super Bee uses the Scat Pack as a starting point, adding adaptive dampers with a “Drag Mode” and wide drag radial tires.The Super Bee also gets snazzy exterior graphics and will come in either Plum Crazy or B5 Blue paint jobs.After more than a decade in production, the current generation of the Dodge Charger is set to be discontinued after the 2023 model year. Before an electric replacement inspired by the Charger Daytona SRT concept arrives, Dodge is giving the Charger (and the Challenger coupe) a farewell with a series of “Last Call” special editions. The 2023 Charger Super Bee is the latest of those sendoffs to be revealed, arriving with unique graphics and performance equipment.

Dodge

The Super Bee name first debuted in 1968, based on the Coronet coupe, and migrated to the Charger in 1971. The moniker returned in 2007 using the Charger SRT-8 as the base, and then reappeared for 2012 as a 392-powered variant of the current generation, acting as a cheaper performance model below the SRT. The latest Super Bee continues in that vein, using the Scat Pack as its base and attempting to balance daily driving with drag-racing performance. To that end, the Super Bee gains adaptive dampers with a special “Drag Mode,” and rides on drag radial tires. Super Bees equipped with the Widebody design—which will account for half of production—will use 18-inch wheels wrapped in 315-width tires, while the standard narrow-body Super Bees will feature 20-inch wheels shod in 275-width tires. Other performance gear includes red-painted four-piston Brembo brakes, an SRT hood with a functional scoop and dual heat extractors, and black SRT exhaust tips.

Dodge

Visually, the Super Bee stands out with a stylized graphic on the hood and a stripe on the rear fender, along with Super Bee badges on the grille and front fenders. There is also a black Mopar hood pin kit, and Super Bee logos appear on the seatbacks and instrument panel. The Super Bee is outfitted with equipment from the Plus Group and Carbon/Suede package.

Dodge will build 1000 units of the Super Bee. The 500 Widebody examples will be painted in Plum Crazy with white graphics, while the 500 with the standard body will come in B5 Blue with blue graphics. Pricing will be shared when orders open later in the fall. The Super Bee is the second “Last Call” model to be revealed after the Challenger Shakedown, with five more special edition Chargers and Challengers coming out this fall. Dodge says the next “Last Call” variant will be revealed September 7.
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General Motors CEO Mary Barra said in a letter that GM is no longer backing the Trump administration in its fight to revoke California’s ability to set separate fuel emissions standards.
When California and the Trump administration came at odds last year following the EPA’s weakening of emissions standards, GM, along with several other automakers, took the side of the Trump administration.
President-Elect Joe Biden, Ford CEO Jim Farley, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are among those who have applauded GM’s decision.
General Motors has reversed its decision to back the Trump administration’s fight to force California, along with 12 other states, to comply with the less stringent fuel-efficiency standards Trump’s EPA put into place in 2018 for 2022 to 2025. The move signals that GM expects President-Elect Joe Biden to take a much different stance on emissions regulations once his presidency begins in January.
“We believe the ambitious electrification goals of the president-elect, California, and General Motors are aligned to address climate change by drastically reducing automobile emissions,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a letter to environmental groups. “We are confident that the Biden administration, California, and the U.S. auto industry, which supports 10.3 million jobs, can collaboratively find the pathway that will deliver an all-electric future.”

California Fights Trump with Emissions Rules

EPA Yanks California’s Separate Fuel-Economy Rules

Automakers Support Lower EPA Fuel-Economy Standard

Others across the industry have weighed in on GM’s decision. The EPA only said it’s interesting to see the changing stances of corporations, while Joe Biden said in a statement that it’s encouraging news to hear that GM will be working with his administration.
“Perhaps most importantly, GM’s choice to work with the Biden-Harris administration and California to advance these goals demonstrates a promising path forward for how industry, labor, government, and environmental organizations can come together to tackle big problems and make vital progress on behalf of the American people,” Biden said in a statement.
Ford, GM’s crosstown rival, had backed California from the beginning. Its new CEO, Jim Farley, commented on the decision on Twitter: “I applaud GM for reversing course on this critical issue,” Farley said. “I’m also proud that Bill Ford and Ford stood tall for environmental progress from the start. Principle over politics.”
How We Got Here
California’s emissions regulations have long been stricter than the rest of the country but had been in line with the EPA’s rules at the end of the Obama administration. The state came at odds with the federal mandates when the EPA weakened the Obama-era rules in 2018. The following year, the Trump administration began attempting to revoke California’s ability to set its own standards.
Once the two sides came at odds, automakers began to back either California and its stricter rules, or Trump and his push for a less stringent national standard. Originally, General Motors, along with Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, and others, opted to openly back the Trump administration. Other automakers, including Ford, BMW, Honda, and Volkswagen, sided with California.
President Trump argued that weaker emissions rules will help boost sales because the automakers will be able “to produce far less expensive cars for the consumer.” He has yet to weigh in on General Motors’ most recent announcement that it is no longer supporting his administration.
The Obama administration mandated that new vehicles would need to achieve an average of 36 mpg by 2025, a roughly 5 percent yearly increase, while the Trump administration eventually decided to set a 1.5 percent yearly increase in fuel efficiency standards from 30 mpg in 2021.
“GM’s acknowledgement of the reality that the future is zero emissions is further confirmation that it is time to move toward clean cars,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “I hope that GM will join the ranks of other forward-looking carmakers who stand against President Trump’s attack on clean air through clean cars.”
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Ford Performance is offering an $825 engine calibration for the Ranger that boosts engine output by 45 horsepower at 4500 rpm and 60 lb-ft of torque at 2500 rpm. We estimate that could shave 0.4 second off the Ranger’s 6.0-second zero-to-60-mph time. The calibration is legal in all 50 states and comes with a three-year […] More