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Audi has revealed a new SUV for the China market called the Q6.It’s a three-row model based on the same MQB platform as the VW Atlas.We don’t expect to see this come to the U.S. anytime soon.Audi is expanding its SUV lineup in China with a new model called the Q6. Though its name places it below the Q7 and Q8 models, it is larger than those and is based on the same MQB platform as the VW Atlas three-row SUV that’s sold in the U.S. It’s part of Audi’s joint venture with Chinese automaker SAIC and will be built locally in China.

We don’t have much in terms of specifications, but we know that the Q6 will be offered in three configurations, all with Quattro all-wheel drive. The base 40 has a 2.0-liter engine, likely a turbo-four, with 228 horsepower, while the 45 has a slightly more powerful version of that engine with 262 hp. The top model is the Q6 50, which has a 2.5-liter engine (possibly the same VR6 that’s in the Chinese version of the Atlas, called Teramont) with 295 horsepower.

Audi

The key differences between the Q6 and its downmarket VW sibling are in its design. The front end incorporates Audi’s singleframe grille and similar headlights as other Audi models, while the rear has taillights that stretch across the width of the vehicle. Inside, we can see nicer materials than what you get in the VW, plus touchscreens running Audi’s MMI infotainment system.

Audi

Audi

The Q6 starts at the equivalent of around $74,000 in China at current exchange rates, with the top model commanding $88,000. We doubt we’ll see anything like this vehicle in the U.S., as the Q7 already has the mid-size luxury SUV market covered for the four-ring brand.
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Toyota has released EPA fuel economy numbers for the 2023 Sequoia, and the new 3.4-liter V-6 hybrid powertrain brings a noticeable benefit.The Sequoia returns 22 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive, while choosing four-wheel drive lowers that figure to 20 mpg. This is a marked improvement over the previous model, which was powered by a 5.7-liter V-8 and maxed out at 15 mpg.The new 2023 Toyota Sequoia brings a much needed update to the full-size SUV based on the Tundra pickup. Replacing the second generation model that had languished on the market for 15 years, the revised Sequoia arrives with sharper styling, a more modern interior, and a standard hybrid powertrain. While looks are subjective and the giant touchscreen may turn some shoppers off, the Sequoia’s new V-6 hybrid setup provides an undeniable advantage over the previous generation, with Toyota recently releasing much improved EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2023 Sequoia.

Toyota

All Sequoias are powered by the same twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6 engine paired with an electric motor, with the only choice being rear- or four-wheel drive. The two-wheel drive 2023 Sequoia is rated by the EPA at 21 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway for a 22 mpg combined rating. The four-wheel-drive system—optional on all trims except the TRD Pro, where it comes standard—drops the ratings to 19 mpg city and 22 mpg highway for a 20 mpg combined figure.

This represents a sizable improvement over the 2022 Sequoia with its 5.7-liter V-8 engine, which returned 15 mpg combined for the two-wheel-drive model and 14 mpg for four-wheel drive. The 2023 Sequoia hybrid is also substantially more fuel efficient than the 2023 Chevy Tahoe fitted with the 5.3-liter V-8, which returns 17 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive. It also beats out the most efficient 2022 Ford Expedition (19 mpg combined from a two-wheel-drive twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6) and 2022 Nissan Armada (16 mpg combined from a two-wheel-drive 5.6-liter V-8). The only full-size SUV more that can travel more miles on a gallon of fuel than the Sequoia is the Tahoe equipped with its 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six, which gets 24 mpg in two-wheel drive configuration or 22 mpg as a four-wheel drive model.
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A new website run by GM offers live, one-on-one question and answer sessions for anyone curious about the benefits of owning an EV.You can book a “tour” with an EV specialist to learn about home and public charging, battery technology, and other topics. Users can see the specialist and ask questions via voice or text, but the video stream only goes one way.GM says the mission here is to sell the EV experience, not just more GM EVs.Starting today, GM is offering EV Live, a free educational platform that allows anyone curious about electric vehicles the chance to talk with an EV specialist over the Internet as part of a personal virtual tour that provides answers on how you can make the shift to an electric car.“EV Live lets us meet people where they are and have a real conversation about electrification,” Hoss Hassani, GM vice president of EV Ecosystem, said in a statement. “We’re selling the EV experience, rather than specific EVs.”

GM is correct that some car buyers could use a helping hand to better understand electric vehicles. A May study by J.D. Power found that 24 percent of car shoppers said they are “very likely” to consider an EV for their next vehicle. Thirty percent of the people who were not interested in EVs said the reason was a lack of information. “Because firsthand experience with EV technology is still not entirely commonplace, shoppers need to be better informed about the ownership experience they offer,” J.D. Power said about the survey results.The Q&A tours happen at a sort of virtual customer information booth called the EV Live studio. To visit, the EV-curious need to make an appointment at the EV Live website or, if you’re lucky, you can sign up for an on-demand live tour, if a host is currently available.During your time with the host, you can ask questions via voice or text chat. The EV specialist will provide an answer, possibly with an assist from one of the website’s dynamic displays about home and public charging, battery technology, the sustainability of EVs, possible commercial applications, and information about how GM’s EVs connect with smartphone apps.Currently, GM is only offering one-on-one tours, but group tours will be available later this year. GM will also provide prerecorded sessions in the future, if you just want to watch and not interact with a host. EV Live offers a one-way live video feed during tours so the guest can hear and see the host, but the host has no ability to see video from anyone taking the tour.EV Live will conduct live sessions seven days a week between 9 am and midnight Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekends (Eastern time).
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People are really unhappy about auto warranty scam calls, filing more complaints with the FCC last year than the other four leading topics, like phishing and credit card scams.Now the FCC has named the people and organizations responsible and said other voice service providers have to block traffic from these sources or they might be considered guilty as well.Meanwhile, don’t give out personal information to anyone who calls you when you’re not expecting them to, even if they know what kind of car you drive, the FCC recommended.We’ve been trying to reach you concerning your car’s extended warranty.If you immediately felt frustrated upon reading those words, you’re not alone. The Federal Communications Commission has announced that it is going to block a massive auto warranty robocall scam campaign, and there’s little question why.People have been complaining to the FCC more about these warranty robocalls over the past two years than any other topic. These scam calls are in both English and Spanish, and the FCC said the people responsible are still sending out millions of illegal calls every day.”We are not going to tolerate robocall scammers or those that help make their scams possible,” FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Consumers are out of patience and I’m right there with them.”

The FCC’s new order forces all U.S. voice service providers to “take all necessary steps” to make sure robocall traffic doesn’t reach our cellphones. If they can’t do that, the providers have to tell the FCC what steps they’re taking to mitigate the traffic. If the FCC thinks that the voice service provider isn’t doing enough to stop the calls, the companies “may be deemed to have knowingly and willfully engaged in transmitting unlawful robocalls,” it could force other providers to block traffic from the ineffective voice service provider.The FCC named the two main people it said are responsible for these scam calls, Roy Cox, Jr., and Aaron Michael Jones, and said their work was part of the “Cox/Jones/Sumco Panama Operation.” The FCC said the operation has been making scam calls since at least 2018. The Cox/Jones/Sumco Panama Operation ramped up operations in late 2020, when it purchased lists of nearly 500,000 numbers from at least 229 area codes so that it could make its calls appear to come from a local number. The FCC said Cox has already entered into a settlement with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission and agreed to a permanent ban on all telemarketing activities. On top of the new order issued last week, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and the Ohio Attorney General are also taking action against the Sumco Panama Operation.Simple Steps to Protect YourselfThe FCC offers a few basic tips to protect yourself if you do answer a call from someone you don’t know about auto warranties. Don’t provide any personal information when someone calls you unexpectedly, and be aware that scammers might have some real information about you or your car that can make you think they’re legitimate. To be sure that you’re dealing with the organization you think you are, hang up and call the company using a phone number from previous legit interaction with them (like a bill) or one you find on their website.American telephone usage has changed over the years. A 2020 survey by the Pew Research Center found that more than 80 percent of Americans no longer answer phone calls from numbers they don’t recognize. Pew didn’t assign any particular cause to this behavior, but the first potential reason cited in the announcement was that people might be “overwhelmed by robocalls.”Complaints about auto warranty scam calls resulted in over 1000 complaints each month last year, other than four dips into three-digit territory in July, August, November, and December. Consumers complained to the FCC about scams regarding credit cards, insurance or health care, legal issues, and phishing less than 400 times each throughout 2021, except for March, when there were around 450 complaints about phishing. In 2020, people filed more complaints about auto warranty scam calls than the other four categories put together. If you would like to file your own complaint, visit the FCC’s Consumer Complaint Center.
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• The Daytona SP3 is the latest Ferrari model Lego’s brought to its Technic line.• The miniature Ferrari features functioning doors, working shift paddles, and a V-12 engine with moving cylinders.• The 3778-piece set is priced at $400.At nearly two feet long and awash in a sea of red and rubber, all of the moving parts in Lego’s Ferrari Daytona SP3 are hard to notice at first. This is not some convenience store die-cast replica of the limited-run 829-hp Daytona SP3, but a model marketed under Lego’s Technic line. As such, this miniature Ferrari has to do more than just look good on a shelf (though it does that, too); it also has to help its builder understand the engineering that resides beneath its plastic-brick shell. And to teach those lessons, Lego had to design a bunch of new parts.

Lego

In celebration of Lego’s 90th anniversary, we met with Technic designers at the brand’s headquarters in Denmark to talk about the moving parts behind the prancing horse decals. From the start of the two-year-long project, Lego knew the Dayton SP3 set would be one of the most challenging to date. And that didn’t account for the COVID-19 pandemic making it difficult for Lego’s team to travel to Maranello, Italy, to see the full-size Daytona SP3. In fact, Ferrari’s designers were tweaking the car at the same time Lego was trying to make a replica of it.

Ferrari Daytona SP3

lego
lego.com

$399.99

“So many times you spend two to three weeks on a small detail and [Ferrari] said ‘Yes, it’s good,’” Aurelien Rouffiange said. “And then the week after, ‘By the way, we changed it. It’s not like that anymore,’ and then you have to go back and do something new.”

Lego

Rouffiange served as the model lead and senior designer for the 1:8-scale Daytona SP3. Previously, he worked on Lego’s interpretations of the Bugatti Chiron and Lamborghini Sián FKP 37. You assemble the Lego set in a similar schedule that Ferrari builds the Daytona. First, the V-12 engine, eight-speed gearbox, and rear suspension, then you move on to the front suspension and steering. You finish up with the red body panels that give the model the organic flow of the real car, which takes its design cues from the sumptuous lines of the Ferraris that won the 1967 Daytona 24-hour race.

Lego

Despite relying on a handful of specially developed pieces, Lego’s Ferrari Daytona SP3 shares a number of other features with the Danish toymaker’s other sets. The small Ferrari’s tires spin; its steering wheel turns; and its hood, doors, and trunk open. While Lego’s team tells us the car’s butterfly doors required a bit more thought to bring to life, they say it was the Daytona SP3’s targa roof that was a particularly big challenge, as it threatened the model’s structural capability. “Technic is known for strong models that do not fall apart easily,” Rouffiange said. “But here the roof can be removed, and usually [the roof] helps us add a lot of stability. But the way this model is assembled, you can hold the car with one hand, from the front or rear, and it will not bend at all.”

Lego

Lego ultimately created 12 new parts during the development of the Daytona SP3 Technic kit. This included aesthetic pieces, such as the model’s exterior panels and wheels, as well as more mechanical ones, including new plastic gears designed to improve the functional feel of the scaled-down Ferrari’s moving parts. Even a part as simple as the wheels proved a challenge, as the real Daytona SP3’s wheels are asymmetrical in order to better manage airflow. Due to this, Lego had to design two versions of the same wheels (a set for the left side and another for the right) to ensure its model kept true to the real car.

Lego

Like the real Daytona SP3, the Technic car features paddle shifters mounted aft of its steering wheel. Though such a shifting mechanism may be common across the automotive industry, it’s less so among Lego models. Tapping the paddles works through the model’s eight gears, and like a real car, each cog affects the top speed of Lego’s Ferrari Daytona SP3. You can even see the mechanical motions at work, from the spinning of the model’s plastic gears to the up and down motions of its mid-mounted engine’s pistons.Such authenticity doesn’t come cheap, and the Lego Technic Ferrari Daytona SP3 stickers for $400. The set is currently available through Lego’s website or at its stores, with retail sales set to begin on August 1.

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Ford is working on a robotic charging station that could help disabled drivers with the electric-vehicle charging process.The robots are custom-made by Dortmund University in Germany but are just a research project at the moment.Ford claims that developing the system could lead to more powerful charging to reduce overall charge times in the future.Many of us often forget as able-bodied people that for significant portions of the population, daily tasks such as filling up a gas tank, or getting an electric vehicle plugged and unplugged at a charging station, can be difficult or impossible. Ford is testing a robotic charging station that would allow drivers to park near the robot, as at any other pump or charger, and allow the camera-guided robot to guide itself into the charge port.
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The automaker also mentioned a study in Europe that showed 61 percent of disabled drivers would only buy an EV if it were made easier to charge. Ford says its robotic charging station could potentially be installed in parking ramps, installed in disabled parking spaces, used to power fleets, or be installed at customers’ homes. It’s a research project for now, but Ford intends to do a “follow-up project” with Ionity, a European charging network, to make further improvements to the idea, and that sounds promising. It’s not the first effort by an automaker to roboticize the charging process. A company called EV Safe Charge is working to deploy a robot charging station named Ziggy to dominate EV charging in parking ramps. Unlike the Ford, Ziggy does not have the ability to plug in or out on its own. And both Tesla (with a metal “snake charger”) and Volkswagen have piloted similar robotic setups in the past.”Looking ahead, the process could become fully automated, with minimal or no driver involvement,” said Ford. “The driver would simply send the vehicle to the charging station, with the infrastructure ensuring it reaches and returns from its destination autonomously.” Although the automaker makes it clear that this is not intended for production and sale, it does show the focus is on making the EV operation process more accessible to more future customers.

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• This 1941 Ford COE flatbed truck powered by a 454 Chevy big-block engine is up for auction on Bring a Trailer.• The V-8 engine is mounted behind the stubby cabin and routes its power through a three-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels.• The green-and-white paint job is echoed by the interior color scheme, and bidding ends in six days.Many of the Bring a Trailer auctions that we highlight on Car and Driver take the form of track-focused supercars like a low-mile 2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring or a Martini-liveried 1985 Ferrari 308GTB. While you could easily tow your track-day toy to the racing circuit with any number of modern pickup trucks or SUVs, why not also have a little fun on the commute to the race course? This 1941 Ford COE flatbed truck could provide just that, with power coming from a 454 big-block Chevy V-8 engine, and this unique hauler is up for auction at Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.

Bring a Trailer

While the body of this cab-over-engine truck comes from a 1941 Ford, the flatbed is mostly Chevrolet underneath, with the cab mounted onto a “later model” one-ton Chevy frame, according to the listing. The engine also hails from Ford’s crosstown rival, and the 454 Chevy big-block V-8 is fitted with an Edelbrock carburetor and intake manifold and is mated to a three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic transmission that routes power to the rear wheels. We imagine this truck wouldn’t necessarily be quick, especially when loaded up with a sports car on its bed, but the 7.4-liter beast of an engine, which resides under a diamond-plate cover behind the cabin, should sound pretty epic.

Bring a Trailer

The Ford cab is also beautifully finished, painted in a pale green, and accented by an off-white trim piece that runs up the sides of the grille and beneath the windows. The truck is full of neat retro design cues, from the single yellow-tinted fog light to the split windshield and the stubby cab-over proportions that were more common on trucks of the 1940s and 1950s. The 1941 Ford rides on 16-inch chrome wheels that hide power-assisted front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. The immaculate wood-plank bed floor features bright metal strips, and storage boxes are mounted along the side of the truck.

The interior is also very green, with seats decked out in green upholstery and white piping to match the exterior. The dashboard is simple with only a couple of gauges, and the shift knob is styled to look like an old-school metal microphone. While the truck looks to be in spiffing condition, it might take a bit of work to turn it into a transporter. A ramp is needed to load a car onto the flatbed, and some hooks would need to be installed to tie down the load, but it wouldn’t be too hard to get it ready to haul. But even if you don’t end up using this 1941 Ford to carry your 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition to the racetrack, it is sure to turn heads while you cruise down the boulevard on a Saturday night. Bidding currently sits at $25,000 with six days remaining before the auction ends on Thursday, July 28.

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The Maserati Project24 is a track-only supercar based on the MC20, and just 62 examples will be built.The MC20’s Nettuno 3.0-liter V-6 engine has been tuned to make 740 horsepower, a 119-hp increase, thanks to a pair of new turbochargers.The Project24 makes its track focus clear with a carbon fiber body and monocoque, FIA-grade roll cage, ventilated Brembo brakes, and slick racing tires. The 2022 Maserati MC20 heralds a rejuvenation for Maserati, bringing a svelte supercar design and a new twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engine to a brand which has languished in recent years with a dated lineup and parts-bin sharing with lesser Stellantis marques. The MC20 also boasts impressive performance, with the Nettuno V-6 pumping out 621 horsepower and propelling the Italian beauty to 60 mph in a mere 3.2 seconds en route to a 202 mph top speed. But the MC20 is about to get even more extreme, with Maserati announcing the Project24, a track-exclusive supercar based on the MC20 and sporting a wild, sharp-edged design.

Maserati

The Project24 is built around a carbon fiber monocoque, with the aggressive bodywork also fashioned from carbon fiber. So far Maserati has only shown three rendered images, which reveal the Project24’s towering rear wing, ankle-slicing front splitter, and thin LED headlights and taillights. There is also a boxy rear diffuser, center-mounted dual exhaust pipes, and plenty of scoops and vents carved into the slinky two-door body. While the Project24 packs the same Nettuno 3.0-liter V-6 as the MC20, new turbochargers boost horsepower to a whopping 740 ponies, a 119-hp increase. The MC20’s eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is traded for a six-speed sequential racing gearbox operated via paddle shifters, and there is also a mechanical limited-slip differential in place of the MC20’s electronically controlled unit. Like the MC20, the Project24 will be rear-wheel drive, and Maserati is aiming to keep the dry weight below 2755 pounds, making it about 500 pounds lighter than the claimed dry weight for the MC20.

Maserati

The Project24 will also be about two inches wider than its road-going counterpart, and will ride on 18-inch forged aluminum wheels wrapped in slick racing tires. Ventilated Brembo brakes should provide immense stopping power, while an unequal-length control arm suspension with adjustable dampers and front and rear anti-roll bars should make the Project24 nimble on track. The Project24 is designed in accordance with FIA safety requirements, with a roll cage fitted inside the cabin. The interior will also include racing seats with six-point harnesses, an adjustable peddle box and steering column, and a carbon-fiber steering wheel with an integrated display. Owners will also have the option to add a rear-view camera, in-car camera, tire-pressure monitoring system, and telemetry recording. Surprisingly for a track car focused on minimizing weight, the Project24 will come with air conditioning. Maserati says it will build just 62 units of the Project24, with no timeline specified for its release. All we have right now are these renders, but real-world images and more details should be revealed in due course.
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