Motor News

The 2023 Nissan Versa has been given a refresh, showing off a new grille with silver trim pieces accenting the main blacked-out element.The highest trim level now offers an 8.0-inch touchscreen and a WiFi hotspot, and a wireless charging pad is also now available.The Versa still comes with a 122-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder, which can be mated to five-speed manual transmission on the base S model.Sales of Nissan’s subcompact Versa sedan have tanked so far in 2022. Through the end of the third quarter, just 9335 Versas found homes, a huge drop compared with the 50,569 units sold during the same time period last year. Nonetheless, Nissan isn’t getting rid of this small sedan like many other automakers have, and is actually refreshing the tiny sedan for the 2023 model year. The updated Versa gets a revised front end and more standard features than before.The most noticeable change is the new grille, which has a black hexagonal piece sandwiched by a cascading column of rectangular silver trim pieces. Nissan’s updated logo now adorns the Versa, and while the rear remains unaltered, the SR model gets a new 17-inch wheel design and a new Gray Sky Pearl paint is offered on the SV and SR. The base S trim now offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the newly optional S Plus package, which also includes a 60/40 split-folding rear seat. For 2023, the SV gains a center console with an armrest, a wireless charging pad, and a new interior color. While the standard 7.0-inch touchscreen remains, buyers can now upgrade to an 8.0-inch screen by selecting the SR model, which also adds a WiFi hotspot, automatic climate control, and adaptive cruise control. More Nissan NewsThe Versa still packs plenty of standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and rear automatic braking. Power still comes from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder producing 122 horsepower, routed through either a CVT or a five-speed manual; the stick-shift is available only on the base S model.The 2023 Versa goes on sale this fall, offered in the same S, SV, and SR trims as the outgoing model. Pricing has yet to be released, but the 2023 model shouldn’t be much more expensive than the 2022 model’s $16,675 starting price. 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.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

The addresses have now disappeared, but for a while this week, Tesla’s website showed the specific location of over 340 new Supercharger locations in the U.S., and many more around the world.It’s not in any way surprising that Tesla would be working on new locations, given the increase in EV demand and the company’s slow-moving road to opening up its DC fast-chargers to electric vehicles from other brands.Supercharger expansion isn’t just important for Model S and Model Y drivers. Tesla started a non-Tesla Supercharger pilot program in Europe last year. It is not yet available in the U.S.Tesla is getting ready to add almost 350 Supercharger stations in the United States and dozens more around the world. The company didn’t make any official announcement about its plan, but astute watchers of the electric vehicle company noticed a slew of “coming soon” additions that briefly appeared on the company website’s official list of locations.This content is imported from twitter. 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.Tesla has since removed the specific addresses from its site, adding to the suggestions that were made when the list was first posted that this might have been an accidental leak. Whatever the reason, we can now say there are 342 new locations on Tesla’s U.S. list, including Dothan, Alabama, and Lagrangeville, New York. Tesla operates more than 35,000 Supercharger units around the world.The since-removed new Supercharger locations were first spotted by Twitter user MarcoRPTesla, who calls his feed there “unofficially the best account for Supercharger updates in North America.” It’s certainly full of interesting details about the company’s DC fast-charging network. Speculation about why Tesla might want to publicize where it’s about to install new fast-charging locations for its users ranges from building up interest in EVs in a particular area to providing people in that area confidence that they’ll be able to fast-charge when driving around. making Tesla charging stations available to other brandsSupercharger station expansion can be important information to electric-vehicle drivers who don’t own a Tesla. Since the first Superchargers were installed in 2012, the stations have only officially worked with Tesla EVs because they had a proprietary connector. The company took the first steps toward last year by adding a standard CCS connector to a small number of units in Europe. CEO Elon Musk has said since at least June 2021 that the Supercharger network will be opened to other automakers, and Tesla launched its non-Tesla Supercharger pilot program in November 2021. This program is not yet available in the U.S. but a White House fact sheet issued in June said, “Tesla will begin production of new Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers in North America to use Tesla Superchargers” before the end of 2022. 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.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

Electric-vehicle startup Rivian has announced that it will recall 12,212 of its 2022 R1S SUVs, R1T pickups, and EDV commercial vehicles to fix an improperly tightened fastener.The fastener connects the vehicles’ front upper control arm and the steering knuckle, and there have been two reports of the fastener coming loose, according to documents filed with NHTSA. Rivian will begin notifying owners by November 24.EV startup Rivian, responding to reports of an insufficiently torqued fastener that could cause excessive noise, vibration, and harshness, will recall more than 12,000 R1S, R1T, and EDV commercial vehicles built between December 2021 and the end of September 2022. The company called it a potential safety issue in its filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and said it will notify owners to arrange the fix by November 24.The problem is described as an improperly tightened fastener that connects the front upper control arm and the steering knuckle. Rivian reported that its engineering staff reviewed one problematic vehicle on August 13 and listed six additional reports of problems with the fastener received by the end of September, including two where the steering knuckle “had become loose or separated.” The automaker said “a safety-related defect exists related to this matter” and added that the problem could affect a driver’s ability to control the steering, although the NHTSA filings do not describe any accidents or injuries as a result of it.The recall may be for a relatively simple fix, but the number of vehicles being recalled also represents a large percentage of the total production from this young company. A Rivian spokesperson told Car and Driver that the company has built a total of 15,332 vehicles since it started production, including 14,327 so far in 2022, so a recall of 12,212 is a majority of all EVs it has built so far. The spokesperson would not comment on how many of those recalled are R1T pickups and how many are R1S SUVs or EDV commercial models.Rivian has had production delays caused by supply-chain issues, in which it’s not alone as this is an industry-wide issue. Rivian said earlier this month that it is still on target to meet its goal of manufacturing 25,000 vehicles in 2022.Other recalls for the new products have included one for an airbag sensor that did not work to deactivate the safety system if an infant seat was in the front passenger position, and another for an improperly attached seatbelt anchor. Both of those recalls were for only a few hundred vehicles.While waiting to be notified, owners can check the NHTSA recalls site for more information and to see if their vehicle is affected.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

It’s been almost a decade since California first considered digital license plates, and now anyone in the state can get one.There’s only one company that’s selling digital plates. Reviver offers two versions of its RPlate: a battery-powered model that requires a $20/month subscription fee or a hard-wired model for commercial vehicles for $25/month.Digital license plates are currently allowed in just three states—California, Michigan, Arizona—and can be used on commercial vehicles in Texas. Another 10 or so states are considering approving the devices.Anyone in California can now legally put a digital license plate on their car. High-tech license plates have been allowed in limited numbers since 2018, but now the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will allow any vehicle owner to use digital plates. California first started thinking about alternatives to standard metal license plates in 2013 with the passage of SB 806.Reviver, the only company that sells digital plates today, announced the passage this week of a new bill that it helped shepherd through the California legislature. The Motor Vehicle Digital Number Plates bill (AB-984) increases the number of people who will be allowed to use a digital plate on their car from the one-half of one percent of the state’s automobiles— around 175,000 vehicles that the original pilot program allowed—to all 40 million vehicles registered in the state. With the passage of AB 984, digital license plates are now legal for passenger cars in three states—California, Michigan, Arizona—and they can be installed on commercial vehicles in Texas.More on License PlatesOne of Reviver’s selling points for connected, digital license plates is that they can be immediately updated to display Amber Alerts or an “I’m Stolen” message if needed. Reviver said at least another 10 states are in some way considering adoption of digital license plates. Colorado, Georgia and Illinois have approved the plates, but details about integrating them with the state DMVs has not been completed. Reviver said Pennsylvania and New Jersey are likely to approve digital plates soon.Reviver has been pushing forward with its digital plate plans, touting benefits like the ability to renew the plates without using a sticker and the fact that the plates have built-in tracking technology that can be used in case the vehicle is stolen. The company said around 10,000 people in California have installed its digital plates, called RPlate, under the current rules.Technically, the new law doesn’t just help Reviver. AB-984 establishes general requirements for “piloting and adopting new alternative devices for vehicle licensing,” the company said. It’s just that Reviver is currently the only one offering any kind of alternative. The company offers a battery-powered RPlate that can be installed on any vehicle and, since the digital plates need to connect to a cellular network to operate, subscription costs run $19.95 a month. A hard-wired RPlate is available for commercial vehicles and requires professional installation. The hard-wired models offer more integrated telematics features and their displays are backlit. Subscriptions for the hard-wired model cost $24.95 a month. Commercial customers can sign their RPlates up for Reviver’s RFleet Software Dashboard. Reviver touts RFleet as a way to streamline some of the mundane parts of a fleet manager’s job: automated vehicle registration, batch registration renewal and a way to track every vehicle in the fleet through the RPlate if the vehicle doesn’t have built-in telematics for this purpose. 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.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

• This 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS that’s currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer has us reminiscing about our prior encounters with the 991.2-generation track star.• Like the one in the BaT listing, the ’19 GT3 RS we tested and lapped at VIR had an unforgettable naturally aspirated 520-hp flat-six engine and otherwordly handling.• The 911 GT3 RS started at $190,050 when new in 2019; the current bid is $150,000, and the auction ends on Tuesday, October 12.I believe happy memories are more valuable than money. Unfortunately, I don’t have the money to make those types of memories by buying the six-figure 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS that’s currently listed on the Bring a Trailer auction site, which—like Car and Driver—is part of Hearst Autos. Still, despite my embarrassingly underfunded bank account, my job here at C/D has exposed me to exotica like the 991.2-generation GT3 RS. While such short-lived romances are bittersweet, the priceless memories never leave me.991.2 GT3 RS RememberedWearing white paint, not unlike the one we tested in Southern California many moons ago, the tracktastic 911 on BaT isn’t the color I’d prefer. I’m partial to flashier shades like Lizard Green on the ’19 GT3 RS that we drove on the Isle of Man. However, I dig the retro GT3 RS graphic on the lower body sides of the auction car. Compared with the insane aero bits on the new 992 generation, which we recently sampled at Britain’s iconic Silverstone Circuit, the outgoing model somehow manages to look subdued. That’s fine by me. The soaring rear spoiler, road-hogging hips, cool-looking NACA ducts, and center-locking wheels on the 2019 version still effectively say, “Get the hell out of my way! I’m gunning for the lap record.”Bring a TrailerWhile it wouldn’t be a deal breaker, I’m bummed that this particular GT3 RS isn’t equipped with the liposuction-like Weissach package. Originally an $18K option, it brought a bevy of lightweight materials (saving a claimed 13 pounds). Plus, it left some of the carbon-fiber panels unpainted and exposed to properly flaunt your investment. The Weissach option also was the only way to unlock the magnesium wheels—a $13,000 add-on that shaved off 25 pounds. At least the GT3 RS in the listing has a handful of desirable options that include the larger 23.7-gallon fuel tank for extended road-trip range and the front-axle lift system that prevents plowing into speed bumps and steep entrances.Bring a TrailerSo, what’s it like to drive arguably one of the greatest driver’s cars of all time? For maximum clarity, let’s pull a couple of excerpts from our firsthand experiences both on and off the racetrack.Regarding the GT3 RS’s naturally aspirated 520-hp 4.0-liter flat-six that produces breathtaking, albeit loud, noises and redlines at a lofty 9000 rpm: “Hitting that redline rings unprotected ears. Our golden years will surely consist of a lot of nodding during cocktail parties.” –K.C. Colwell at Lightning Lap 2019GT3 RS in SoCal. Jessica Lynn Walker |Car and DriverGT3 RS at VIR.Marc Urbano|Car and DriverHow does this track-oriented machine operate as a daily driver? “The ride quality is civil enough so as to not disturb your significant other when you volunteer to drive to dinner, although pulling 1.24 g’s in a corner may permanently rearrange their opinion of you.” –Tony Quiroga, driving the 2019 GT3 RS in Southern CaliforniaAnd there are more memories where those came from. So, while I’ll likely never own my own Porsche 911 GT3 RS, I’m lucky enough to know how incredible it is. It’s why the two-owner example on the Bring a Trailer website caught my eye. With only 1900 miles on its odometer, it’s begging to be tracked. 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.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

The primary damage from Hurricane Ian was to the people of Florida and the Carolinas, but an unknown number of cars were also flooded in the massive storm last weekend.If you’re shopping for a used car in the coming months, you do not want to get a flooded vehicle, especially without knowing that the car once went swimming.Below, we list four steps to take if you suspect the car you’re shopping for might have been involved in a flood.Hurricane Ian tore through Florida this past weekend, leaving behind at least 100 dead and millions in property damage. Before fading away, Ian dropped more water on North and South Carolina. We don’t yet know how many vehicles were ruined in the storm, but at least one McLaren P1 was carried away by the rising waters. For comparison, when Hurricane Ida rained down on multiple states, from Louisiana to New York, it damaged an estimated 212,000 cars, according to Carfax.Water DamageOnce the car has had a chance to dry out and go through a cleaning, the fact that it was submerged might be challenging to notice. Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, told Car and Driver there are many ways a smart shopper can spot a previously flooded car. There are many more reasons why you don’t want to end up with a flooded vehicle, she said.”You don’t want any part of a flooded vehicle, no matter whether the damage is disclosed and no matter what assurances you get from a seller,” Murray said. “If you suspect a vehicle may have sustained flood damage, move on. Don’t be tempted to roll the dice. You’ll almost surely be buying a headache and just wasting your money.”Gerardo Mora|Getty ImagesWhat If It’s Your Car That’s Flooded?Murray said there are a few ways owners deal with flooded cars. If they have insurance and the vehicle is more than 75 percent ruined, the insurance company will take possession and reimburse the owner. These cars might end up in the used-car marketplace, but they’ll come with a salvage title red flag. Owners without insurance may try to sell their waterlogged rides if the water didn’t make the vehicle undrivable, and it’s up to these owners to disclose what happened to the car. Some will and some won’t. Even if sellers tell prospective buyers that the vehicle briefly served as a boat, the full extent of the damage might not be evident, which brings us to the caveat emptor part of the story. Steps to Spotting a Water-Damaged Car Courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission and the PIRG, here are some things to look for if you suspect you’re looking at a previously flooded vehicle:Check for visual clues. These might not be obvious at first glance, so check under the seats and dashboard for mud or sand. The carpet might be loose, stained or mismatched. Is there any moisture in the headlights? Are many components just too new for the car? Rust around the doors, especially near any fasteners like screws, could signal that the car spent time underwater.Use your nose. Any hint of mold or decay in the cabin or trunk area is a warning sign, and a strong smell of cleaning products might just be trying to cover something up.Do some research. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) offers a free, searchable database of vehicle identification numbers (VIN) that might turn up a salvage title even if the seller isn’t forthright about the car’s past, as long as the car was insured when the damage occurred. Check whether the vehicle was registered in Florida or the Carolinas until recently. The federal government also operates the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), which provides free historical information about a vehicle. The NMVTIS offers more detailed information, including accident and repair history, for a fee.Ask for help. If you’re unsure but really want the car, have an independent mechanic look it over. A mechanic might be able to find signs of water damage in the powertrain or electrical systems that you don’t see yourself.Finally, be a good citizen and report fraud. The NICB, the FTC, and state attorneys general accept tips about shady characters selling flood-damaged vehicles without revealing what happened.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.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

• The Autozam A-1 is the rarest of the sporting kei cars (a low road tax category with restrictions on displacement and size), and one is currently listed for sale on the auction site Bring a Trailer, with the auction to end on Wednesday, October 12. • Autozam was Mazda’s small-car brand, and this car also springs from Suzuki underpinnings.• It’s also a collectible fragment of the 1990s collapse of Japan’s economic bubble.As Derek Zoolander might say, “What is this, a Ferrari for ants?” Well, sort of. The pint-size Autozam AZ-1 combines elements of a Testarossa, an F40, and even a 512BB. The bodywork is wild, as are those gullwing doors, but tucked under the sheetmetal is a turbocharged three-cylinder engine that displaces barely more volume than a 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola.Bring a TrailerWhat gives? Well, the AZ-1 is a kei car, one of Japan’s shoebox-sized class of cars created under the country’s tightly regulated road taxation rules. Kei cars, or properly keijidōsha (“light automobiles”), are still the most popular form of automobile on the streets of Tokyo today, but they are now mostly uniform boxes, maximizing space on a tiny footprint. Cute, but few of them are properly exciting.Not so with this throwback to the high-water mark of the hubris of the Japanese bubble economy. The AZ-1 is about as exotic as kei cars ever go, a mid-engined, gullwinged, turbocharged hummingbird of a thing. This 1992 example is currently up for auction at Bring a Trailer, part of the Hearst Autos group along with Car and Driver. With six days remaining, bidding sits at $18,250 and is bound to climb.As Japan entered the 1980s, spirits were high and real estate prices were through the roof. The county’s automakers were caught up in the enthusiasm, embarking on moonshot product developments from the likes of the V-12–powered Toyota Century to the twin-turbocharged rotary-powered Mazda RX-7, to the world-beating R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R.But the interesting stuff wasn’t all at the high end. Nissan broke out of its design slump with its limited run Pike Factory cars, and that sense of fun began spreading. Soon, Honda had the Beat, a convertible, mid-engined flyweight that was like a tiny droptop Acura NSX. Small-car specialist Suzuki, largely responsible for the Beat, launched the Cappuccino, a roadster light and nimble enough to make a first-generation Miata feel like Boss Hogg’s Cadillac DeVille.Bring a TrailerSpeaking of Miatas, Mazda assigned none other than NA Miata lead engineer Toshihiko Hirai to head up development on its wild kei-car project. The idea was to inject a little excitement into Mazda’s Autozam sub-brand, perhaps moving a few more regular keis out of the showroom.Three cars were developed for the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show: Type A, a gullwing sportscar; Type B, a more stripped out version; and Type C, a tiny Group C car. The public was overwhelmingly in favor of the Type C, which really put the petite in Petit Le Mans. Mazda execs, however, took a more cautious view, and figured the company could actually sell a production version of the Type A.Most of the development work was done in the U.K. by a small team of engineers. The move was probably a financial error on Mazda’s part as, far from the home office, the development team went to town improving structural rigidity and tuning the 660cc engine right up to the edge of what the rules allowed. The engine would still produce the same claimed 63 hp as the Beat and Cappuccino—that being the maximum permissible—but was more responsive and had more mid-range torque.As for the handling, the AZ-1 has the same slight rearward bias as an F40. And, while the power is a a little over a tenth of Maranello’s turbocharged icon, the AZ-1 is also a tricky little devil to keep on the road. It may look cute, but with a tendency to snap oversteer it’s not puppy-dog friendly like Hirai’s Miata. This is a small but fairly serious little car.In kei car world, it’s also the one everybody wants. When it arrived to customers in 1992, Japan’s economic bubble had already burst, and a toy like the AZ-1 was an extravagance few chose to purchase. Mazda sold just 4392 of them over a year (along with 531 cars branded as Suzuki Caras), as compares to the roughly 28,000 Cappuccinos and 33,000 Beats sold.Failure makes for rarity, and rarity makes for collectability. Per pound, final bids on this AZ-1 will be up there with the likes of fresh-caught bluefin tuna at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market. However, it’s still cheaper than a Ferrari, and just as exotic. Think of it as an F.04, a mid-engine micro-supercar from the land where the kei car is still king. And you’ve got until Wednesday, October 12, to place your bid.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics firm that is one of the main manufacturers of Apple iPhones, is planning to enter the automotive space with the Foxtron Model B.A full reveal of the Model B is coming on October 18, but Foxconn has already given a good look at the hatchback’s Pininfarina-penned exterior design.Initial production of the Model B will take place in China next year, but the company says that the hatchback will be built at Foxconn’s Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant starting in 2024.You might not be familiar with the name Foxconn, but you certainly know its biggest product: the Taiwanese electronics company is one of the leading iPhone manufacturers. The firm is also looking to expand into the automotive space. In 2021, Foxconn purchased the Lordstown assembly plant in Ohio from struggling EV startup Lordstown Motors. Now Foxconn has given the first look at a new electric hatchback, the Foxtron Model B, that it plans to eventually build in the United States.This content is imported from twitter. 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.Foxconn has provided minimal information so far about the Model B, with the EV set to be fully unveiled on October 18. You may have noticed that the brand name associated with the Model B is not Foxconn, but Foxtron—this vehicle is part of a joint venture between the electronics maker and Yulon Motor, Taiwan’s largest automaker which has built Nissans under license for decades and also created its own brand, Luxgen.While Foxconn is tight-lipped about specifications, the video does show off the Model B’s design, which was penned by Italian design house Pininfarina. The compact car has its large, flashy wheels pushed out the corners, while the front and rear ends are dominated by full-width LED light bars. The smooth bodywork is accentuated by a stylized C-pillar, and a unique feature in the taillights appears to display images to communicate with pedestrians.FoxconnThe Model B will ride on Foxconn’s open-source MiH platform—which stands for Mobility in Harmony. The platform will also underpin two additional models previously revealed by Foxconn, the Model C, a larger crossover, and Model E, a luxury sedan. The platform supports single and dual-motor setups, and Foxconn claims a range of 435 miles from the Model C and 466 miles for the Model E. FoxconnFoxconn is aiming to initially start building the Model B in China in 2023, but will eventually start production of the vehicle in 2024 at the Lordstown plant, which formerly produced the Chevy Cruze. It’s unclear if the Model B will be offered in the U.S. The plant is apparently configured to churn out to 500,000 vehicles a year, and Foxconn plans to also build the Lordstown Endurance and Fisker’s upcoming Pear crossover at the plant under contract as well.Lordstown EnduranceLordstownWhile it would great to see the factory up and running again, we remain skeptical of Foxconn’s ability to follow through on its automotive ambitions. Foxconn previously pledged to invest $10 billion in a massive display panel manufacturing plant in the small town of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, originally touting the creation of 13,000 jobs and production starting in 2020. Five years later, only a few buildings have been completed, little has been produced, and the investment has been reduced to $672 million with only 1454 new jobs. More on Foxconn’s Automotive VenturesThe Lordstown plant is also relying on unproven automotive startups. The Fisker Pear, for instance, is only a shadowy rendering at this stage. While Lordstown Motors has now built the first two Endurance pickups at the Ohio factory—the first of an initial batch of 500 vehicles set to be delivered in 2022 and 2023— the company’s past financial struggles means its longevity remains in question. Foxconn previously aimed to help build an EV from Chinese startup Byton, but those plans fell through when Byton ran out of funds. Hopefully the same fate doesn’t befall Fisker and Lordstown Motors, but Foxconn’s automotive future is still up in the air.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.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More