• Refurbished and gorgeous, this example of a 1965 Citroën 2CV is charming its way up the rankings of most expensive 2CV ever sold on Bring a Trailer. • The car has had a lot of work done in the past five years, including interior and exterior restorations as well as powertrain maintenance. • A video showing the engine starting up shows the simple elegance of cars from a half-century ago, when Citroën could not make these little 18-horsepower cuties fast enough.I knew I loved the Citroën 2CV way before I knew what it was called. I spent some time inGermany as a child, where the car’s nickname is Ente, or duck. Obviously, a car this cute needs a cute nickname. I’ve never driven one, but I distinctly remember when I was maybe 10 and being completely mesmerized every time a friend of the family would take us for rides in hers, whipping around Spandau and waving at other Ente drivers. I didn’t understand automotive communities back then. I just thought she was friendly. In any case, I’ve got my little reasons for loving on the 2CV.

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Turns out, I’m not the only one who enjoys this little duckling, as an auction happening now on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) proves. With three days to go, a gorgeous blue 1965 Citroën 2CV has already hit $20,000, which is certainly on the high end of 2CVs sold on BaT over the last two years. If the car can reach $26,501, it will beat out a beautiful 1989 Citroën 2CV6 Charleston, auctioned in 2021, as the most expensive 2CV ever sold on the site.

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But wherever the price ends up, the buyer can enjoy a recently redone 2CV—inside and out—complete with import documents showing that it just made the trip from Italy to Florida earlier this year. There’s a classic roll-up soft top and flip-up front window, and four seats are removable. The visual restorations took place between 2017 and 2021, and the seller conducted some powertrain work, including a refurbished carburetor and adding a new clutch and muffler, after purchasing the car in 2021.

Bring a Trailer

The tiny 2CV is powered by a historically accurate 425-cc flat-twin engine that sends its meager power to the 15-inch steel wheels using a four-speed manual transmission. The seller has posted a few short videos of the car in action. In the one showing the engine bay as the car starts up, the moving wires and pulleys are a blast of fresh, all-analog air in a world where “under the hood” now refers to the empty space of a frunk. Online bidding is at $22,215 at midweek, with the auction set to end on Saturday, June 11.
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One year ago, in April 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised a fleet of self-driving taxis for ride sharing would be deployed in 2020, at the same event where he said self-driving would be launched by the end of 2019. In April 2020, Musk has tweeted that robotaxi “functionality [is] still looking good for this […] More

After existing solely in the digital realm for a year, a real-life version of the Vision Urbanaut has been released by Mini and is on display in Germany.The Vision Urbanaut is designed to be autonomous and electric, putting the emphasis on passenger comfort and convenience.The interior can shift among three modes—Chill, Vibe, and Wanderlust—that alter the lighting, layout, sound, and fragrance inside the Urbanaut.The Mini Vision Urbanaut first appeared last year as a series of renderings, but the sleek minivan concept has now returned as a full-scale model, debuting at the Digital-Life-Design Summer conference in Munich. The Urbanaut is a peek into Mini’s crystal ball, showcasing a future of electric lounge-style autonomous pods.

Mini

At 175.6 inches long, the Urbanaut is only about six inches longer than Mini’s diminutive Countryman crossover, but the interior appears far more spacious thanks to an electric powertrain, which allows for a flat floor and living-room-like proportions. The exterior design of the Urbanaut is smooth and simple, and the front and rear ends are dominated by LEDs. In the original renderings, the LEDs were lit up in organic patterns to resemble traditional headlight and taillight units, but the new photos give a sense of how the LED panels look when not in use during the daytime. The only other major change from the renderings is the color, which goes from green to a light bluish silver.Apparently Mini “sees its future self primarily as an enabler of and companion for unforgettable times,” which it dubs “Mini moments.” The Urbanaut features three such “moments”—think of this marketing jargon like a drive mode, except only one of the settings is actually centered around travel. The first, called Chill, turns the car into a retreat from the outside world. The interior lighting mimics “a green forest canopy,” and the instrument panel transforms into a table lamp, “eliminating displays or switches that might remind the customer of their automotive surroundings.”

Mini

The Vibe mode is all about socializing, with the door sliding open and the windshield raising up to create a welcoming, airy environment. The instrument panel is now dedicated to entertainment, and the Urbanaut will project graphics that move along to the rhythm and tempo of your tunes for what Mini claims is “a pleasant club atmosphere,” which sounds like an oxymoron. The only driving-oriented moment is called Wanderlust, which sees the instrument cluster switch to displaying an animation of the route, the estimated arrival time, tourist attractions along the way, and other trip information. Although the Urbanaut is envisioned as being capable of autonomous driving, a steering wheel and pedals will emerge at the press of a button.

Mini

Mini also touts the Urbanaut’s sustainability. The design team decreased the number of components by having certain features serve two functions—the dashboard can morph into a day bed, for instance. The interior is swathed in recycled textiles including wool, polyester, and Tencel, and the steering wheel and sections of the floor are made from recyclable cork.

The Vision Urbanaut will not go into production, but expect the design philosophy seen here to appear on Minis across the next decade as the automaker transitions towards electric propulsion. Mini also points out that the Urbanaut’s interior does not feature chrome or leather, an approach it says will be implemented on its next-generation models.
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AAA’s Roadside Assistance service is a lifesaver for enthusiasts and normal drivers alike. Being able to get a tow, jump, or splash of fuel when your car is stranded is essential, and it’s a key reason that most people on our staff keep their AAA memberships active. The only problem is that when you need it most—in a remote area, without anyone to help—you may not have cell service and end up stuck regardless. That is, unless you have an iPhone 14 or 15. In its keynote address announcing the new iPhone lineup on Tuesday, Apple announced that last year’s Emergency SOS via Satellite function is getting an upgrade. Owners of last year’s iPhone are already able to request emergency services, call search and rescue, or send their location to a friend.Apple But soon, owners of iPhone 14 and 15 models will also be able to connect to AAA via satellite. They’ll be able to message the nation’s largest roadside assistance provider and report whether they are locked out, out of fuel/charge, have a flat, are unable to start the car, or are stuck. AAA notes that it does not do off-road recovery, though, so don’t think they’ll rescue you from the backcountry trail you promised your buddy you could handle. If you’re on a road, though, the roadside assistance service will be covered by your normal plan’s terms. If you’re not a AAA member, you can pay per use of the service. Apple includes two years of Emergency SOS Via Satellite with all new iPhone 14 and 15 purchases.Reviews EditorArguably the most fickle member of the Road & Track staff, Reviews Editor Mack Hogan is likely the only person to ever cross shop an ND Miata with an Isuzu Vehicross. He founded the automotive reviews section of CNBC during his sophomore year of college and has been writing about cars ever since. More

To develop and build the first 10 armored Chevrolet Suburban SUVs for diplomat and high-profile government official use, GM’s Defense division was recently awarded a $36.4 million development contract.Exactly how these SUVs will be different from the standard model isn’t being made public, but they will use a unique body-on-frame chassis and suspension setup, while also using a lot of off-the-shelf parts, GM said.If the State Department is happy with the first batch, it will likely place an order for 200 a year for nine years, for a total of 1800 units.You can certainly option up a Chevrolet Suburban to a high sticker price, but whatever options and features you throw in, you won’t be able to match what the U.S. Department of State is spending for 10 purpose-built heavy-duty Suburbans over the next two years. These aren’t your standard SUVs, of course, but ones that use a unique body-on-frame chassis and suspension, among other security detail upgrades. Total value of the government development contract: $36.4 million, or, technically, $3.64 million per Suburban.

Full details of the heavy-duty Suburbans are not being talked about just yet, but GM (specifically, GM Defense LLC) will use some of the money to develop the new chassis and suspension system, which is required to “support increased government vehicle performance requirements with a higher payload capacity and greater ground vehicle weight.” In other words, armor and security components for high-profile government representatives like diplomats. “Our development contract win speaks to our longstanding legacy of exceeding transportation capabilities, and our new HD Suburban will deliver government-specific advanced mobility solutions to meet the needs of [the Diplomatic Security Service],” said GM Defense president Steve duMont in a statement. Not everything in the feds’ Suburbans will be created new. GM said it will use “significant” off-the-shelf parts in the HD Suburban, among them the body, exterior, propulsion, interior and brakes. That will leave more of the development money to be spent on fine-tuning the “advanced manufacturing tools and techniques, including fixtureless assembly and flexible fabrication” that GM said it will use to build these SUVs. GM said these techniques will help make building these kinds of low-volume products more efficient and reduce costs. Keeping manufacturing costs down might not seem like a big deal when you’re making just 10 vehicles with a budget of $36 million, but this is likely just the first of many modified Suburbans that the State Department will buy from GM. GM Defense said it will deliver this first batch of vehicles next spring. Then, when the development contract is completed around May 2023, the government is expected to put in an order for a fleet of 200 HD Suburbans each year for nine years. At a price significantly lower than $3 million each, we taxpayers hope.
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