Nissan is recalling 712,458 of its 2014–2020 Rogue and 2017–2022 Rogue Sport (pictured above) SUVs in the U.S. to fix a problem with the ignition key.The problem affects only the S trim level, which has a “jackknife style” key that could collapse and cause the vehicle to shut off during driving.Owners are being told to use the key fob without any attached accessories and only use the key unfolded until a recall, with first notifications set to go out to owners on March 17.Nissan has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is recalling 712,458 Rogue and Rogue Sport SUVs in the United States over a problem with the ignition key. The key is a “jackknife” design that can collapse while the vehicle is moving, potentially causing it to shut off, Nissan’s filing states. The issue is exclusive to the base S level of the Rogue and Rogue Sport SUVs and involves 517,472 Rogue and 194,986 Rogue Sport models in the U.S. Other trim levels and Rogues produced more recently have an Intelligent Key, and the jackknife-style key is no longer being used, according to Nissan. No other Nissan or Infiniti models are affected.2019 Nissan Rogue.NissanThe recall report says this key’s internal pivot that allows it to fold may weaken over time, allowing the key fob to unlock and rotate downward. This could allow the driver’s hand to contact the key and accidentally shut off the vehicle.Nissan advises owners to avoid attaching anything to the key fob and to use the key in the non-folding position. Dealers and rental fleets will be instructed on a way to insert a fastener into the key slot to keep the key from folding. Once Nissan has provided the fix to dealers, they will insert a spacer into the key slot of owners’ key fobs so that the key can no longer collapse. Nissan has issued a “stop sale” order, meaning that dealers cannot sell, lease, trade, rent, or loan any affected vehicles in their inventory until the fix is applied.Rogue and Rogue Sport owners can check the NHTSA recalls site for more information or to find out if their vehicle is included in the recall. Recent RecallsDigital DirectorLaura Sky Brown has been involved in automotive media for a very long time, and she sees it as her calling to guard the legacy and help ensure the continued high quality of Car and Driver. She was one of the first staffers at Automobile Magazine in the ’80s and has worked for many other car magazines and websites as a writer, editor, and copy editor ever since. It has been her privilege to edit many of the greats of automotive journalism over the years, including the ones who currently write for C/D. More

Automotive News reports that GM will build Honda EVs in Mexico and Tennessee.
The two vehicles will be crossovers for the Honda and Acura brands and will be about the same size as the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq.
Honda and GM entered into a partnership earlier this year to use GM’s Ultium battery platform in Honda vehicles.
It looks like the Honda partnership with GM to use the Ultium battery platform, which we told you about last spring, is already bearing electrified fruit. According to a report from Automotive News, GM plans on building two electric crossovers—one a Honda, one an Acura—at two different plants, with release dates in 2023 and 2024.

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For the Honda brand, a crossover will be built at GM’s Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, plant where General Motors currently builds the Equinox and Blazer. There have been reports that the factory would be transformed for EV production, but GM has yet to confirm that. The Honda is slated to go into production in 2023.
On the Acura side, a second crossover is slated to start production in 2024 at the Spring Hill, Tennessee, facility alongside the upcoming 2023 Cadillac Lyriq. The vehicle is reportedly about the same size as the Lyriq. The Cadillac SUV is slated to go on sale in 2022.

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This report lines up with official news out of Honda and GM that the two automakers would team up to build two electric vehicles and the first would go on sale in 2024. In both of these instances, it’s likely that, as noted by Honda back when the partnership was announced, Honda will design the vehicles and the Ultium battery platform powering them will be engineered to support Honda’s driving character.
GM for its part, has recently accelerated its transition to electric vehicles and plans to have 30 EVs on the road by 2025 as it invests $27 billion in electrification and self-driving technologies. The automaker’s Ultium platform will support battery pack capacities up to 200.0 kWh and ranges up to about 400 miles.

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The new W214-generation E-class will spawn a wagon variant for 2024, according to an EPA document submitted by Mercedes.It looks like the U.S. will only receive the All-Terrain variant of the body style. Our illustrations show what a standard wagon could look like.The new CLE-class coupe and convertible are also listed as 2024 models. A document submitted by Mercedes to the EPA is giving us a fuller view of the three-pointed star’s plans for its 2024 model line in the United States. Arguably the most noteworthy bits relate to the mid-size E-class, the latest generation of which was recently revealed in sedan form. But what about the E’s other body styles? Well, it looks like Mercedes plans to have those ready in time for the 2024 model year, as well. Of note, the next-generation E-class wagon appears set to return to our shores. Our illustrations show what the wagon could look like in standard form based on what we’ve seen of the sedan so far. For better or worse, though, it seems the W214 sedan’s longroof kin will come to the U.S. strictly in E450 All-Terrain guise. Given the current Benz-badged E-class wagon is offered solely with the off-road-inspired All-Terrain kit, it’s not much of a surprise that Mercedes plans to keep only this lifted version for U.S. buyers. There’s also no word yet on the AMG E63 version, which was previously offered in the U.S. in wagon form. But we likely won’t hear about any AMG E-class models until the 2025 model year at the earliest.Illustration by Christian Schulte|Car and DriverMore on New Mercedes ModelsOn the other end of the E-class spectrum, it looks as though the coupe and convertible models bite the dust for 2024. Don’t shed any tears yet, though, as the very same EPA document indicates the two body styles are set to don the CLE-class moniker come next year. The document also indicates Mercedes has no intention of renaming the current two-door E-class models, and instead, the brand will affix the name to an all-new generation of mid-size coupe and convertible, as evidenced by the model codes listed in the document: C236 and A236.EPAEPAIf the information in this document holds, then it appears the CLE-class will come with three different powertrain options. Benz-badged CLEs will bear the moniker CLE300 (likely indicating the use of the C300’s 255-hp four-cylinder powertrain) and CLE450 (surely an indication it’ll share the 375-hp six-cylinder setup of the E450). An AMG-fettled CLE53 is also listed and presumably carries over the 429-hp straight-six powertrain of today’s E53, albeit likely with a few more horses.Illustration by Christian Schulte|Car and DriverWe reached out to Mercedes about the new E-class’s upcoming variants and body styles but were told by a company spokesperson that they were unable to share information about future products. Whether the information Mercedes sent to the EPA holds true remains to be seen. There’s always the chance an unforeseen situation (such as another chip shortage or the like) throws a wrench in Mercedes’s plans. That said, we wager the automaker wouldn’t have submitted such extensive details related to its 2024 model line unless things were reasonably locked in.Senior EditorDespite their shared last name, Greg Fink is not related to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s infamous Rat Fink. Both Finks, however, are known for their love of cars, car culture, and—strangely—monogrammed one-piece bathing suits. Greg’s career in the media industry goes back more than a decade. His previous experience includes stints as an editor at publications such as U.S. News & World Report, The Huffington Post, Motor1.com, and MotorTrend. More

Ford is adding yet another off-road variant to the F-150 lineup with the 2023 F-150 Rattler.The Rattler adds some of the equipment found in the FX4 package, including an electronic locking rear differential and hill descent control.Ford hasn’t revealed pricing, but we expect the Rattler to cost slightly less than the FX4 package when it arrives this fall. Ford F-150 buyers are already spoiled for choice, with eight versions on offer that range from the bare-bones XL to the desert-conquering Raptor. Each model is also available with several different packages and equipment groups. But now the Blue Oval is adding a new configuration as the F-150 Rattler joins the lineup as yet another off-road package.

Ford

Ford

The Rattler will be based on the four-wheel-drive F-150 XL model, which starts at $39,200 for 2022. It includes some equipment found in the FX4 package such as an electronic locking rear differential, hill descent control, and shock absorbers tuned for off-roading. There are also skid plates protecting the fuel tank, transfer case, and front differential, and the Rattler is fitted with all-terrain tires. The Rattler will only be available as a SuperCab or SuperCrew, and like the $1005 FX4 option, it requires selecting one of the optional engines—either the twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6, 5.0-liter V-8, or twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6—and a more expensive equipment package.

Visually, the Rattler is distinguished by a dual exhaust tips that Ford promises produce “a bold sound” and painted 18-inch aluminum wheels. There is also a Rattler badge on the fenders and a Rattler graphic with a snakeskin look on the side of the bed. The interior features bronze accents and stitching. Ford hasn’t announced pricing, but we expect the Rattler to cost slightly less than the FX4 package when it arrives this fall for the 2023 model year.
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A plate company called Reviver has been working on the idea of digital license plates since 2009, and it’s taken time to get customers and states to approve the change.
Digital plates are more expensive than metal ones, sure, but they can do more, too, like display Amber Alerts or an “I’m Stolen” message.
Up next, if things continue to go well, we may see cars designed with built-in license plates.
Today, only two states allow digital license plates: California and Arizona. That’s slow progress for Reviver, which formed in 2009 to change how the old, metal-based automotive technology works. But things are about to change, and 2021 is when the company will finally step down hard on the “go ahead, try it out” accelerator.
That’s according to Neville Boston, Reviver founder and chief strategy officer, who told Car and Driver that his digital Rplates will be available in Michigan by the beginning of the second quarter of 2021. Boston and his team met with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson at an auto show a few years ago to discuss approving these non-traditional plates, and it wasn’t difficult since, in Boston’s words, Benson is a technologist. The legislation is taken care of, and now it’s just a matter of integrating Rplates with the Secretary of State’s systems and databases.

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Integration is required because the Rplates do more than just take the letters and numbers of your license plate and turn them into pixels on a digital ink screen, similar to a black-and-white Kindle. By making the license plate a screen, Rplate lets people display their own (approved) messages. The plate can also warn people that the car it’s on has been stolen, or maybe to show an Amber or Silver Alert, if the state wants that functionality, Boston said. Rplate users can also pay their registration fees through Reviver, making annual renewals a paperless affair.
“You own the plate, but the message and plate number are owned by the state,” Boston said. “Think about it as a digital display until it’s actually activated and provisioned, and then it becomes a compliance tool.”
Those two aspects to the Rplate mean it has two costs, the price of the screen itself and then the subscription connection. The basic Rplate with a five-year battery is $499 and then either $55 a year or $4.99 a month. It is also available for $17.95 a month for 36 months. Everything’s a bit pricier with the wired Rplate Pro, which is the more powerful option that works best for fleets because it can offer telematics options through its built-in GPS system. The Pro costs $599 and $75 a year, or $599 and $6.99 a month to buy outright, or you can pay for it in installments of $24.95 a month for 36 months. Plus installation, of course.
Currently, a little over 4000 Rplates are running on the roads in California and Arizona, and Boston said he hopes to roughly double that number by the end of 2020. Looking ahead, between eight and 10 other states could approve the digital technology next year—Michigan first, then likely Georgia and Texas and others Boston declined to name—which is why the company claims there could be 100,000 or so in use by the end of 2021. Expansion will also be driven by dealership groups Reviver is working with to preload the battery-operated Rplate on some vehicles on their lots, as well as colleges and universities that will partner up to sell digital versions of the popular school plates.
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All of this growth will move Reviver along to the next big phase of its plans: cars with built-in digital plates. That’ll take a while, but you know it’s coming.
“We’ve actually had conversations with every one of the major OEMs around that,” Boston said. The automakers want to see more people using the plates and more states approving them before making any sort of commitment, but once the number of users grows, it “will allow us to have a more substantive conversation with the manufacturers,” he said.
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