Motor News

The 2022 Chevy Tahoe and Suburban now offer the 6.2-liter V-8 on the RST, Z71, and Premier trims and have an optional electronic limited-slip differential on the Z71.The SUVs’ interiors gain a new 12.3-inch screen, standard on trims starting with the LT, and several safety features are now standard across the range.The 6.2-liter V-8 is also newly optional on the GMC Yukon AT4, and all Yukons come with a 12.0-inch infotainment screen.For 2022, Chevrolet’s Tahoe and Suburban full-size SUVs are receiving a raft of updates. The biggest news is the increased availability of the 6.2-liter V-8, which continues to be standard on the top-of-the-line High Country but can now be fitted to the RST, Z71, and Premier trim levels. Choosing the 6.2-liter in the RST also adds GM’s Magnetic Ride Control damping system, which is available on the Z71 and standard on the Premier and High Country.
All models besides the High Country continue with the 5.3-liter V-8 as the standard engine, and all models except the Z71 can be optioned with the Duramax 3.0-liter turbodiesel six-cylinder. 2022 also brings a newly optional electronic limited-slip differential, which will be available on the Z71 trim and can be used in the 4WD Low setting.

Inside the Tahoe and Suburban is a new 12.3-inch screen, which will come standard on all trims starting except for the base LS. There will also be Google apps such as Assistant, Maps, and Play built into the infotainment systems on the LT trim and above. The Tahoe and Suburban will also now have 13 unique camera views, including some meant to help with towing. Park assist, lane-keep assist, and lane departure warning are now standard on all 2022 Tahoe and Suburbans, as is Buckle to Drive, which requires drivers and front passengers to put on their seatbelt before the SUV can be put in gear.
The Tahoe and Suburban’s corporate cousins, the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, gain similar upgrades for the 2022 model year. The 6.2-liter V-8 becomes available on the AT4 trim with the dual exhaust, while the interior gains a standard 12.0-inch display across the lineup. The Google-based tech is standard in the 2022 Yukon too, and a power-sliding center console is standard on the Denali. The Yukon now comes in Redwood Metallic and the 2022 Tahoe and Suburban add Evergreen Gray Metallic, Auburn Metallic, and Dark Ash Metallic paint colors. GMC says it will share more info on the 2022 Yukon soon, and the Chevy models will begin production in October.
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Chevrolet shared the first official non-camouflaged image of the upcoming 2023 C8 Corvette Z06. The Z06 is the first of the high-performance Corvette variants, and it’ll be powered by a 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V-8 that should make over 600 horsepower.It will make its full debut on Tuesday, October 26th. Chevrolet will debut the new C8 Corvette Z06 on October 26th, and we’ve heard the new high-performance variant testing numerous times. But all of those cars have been heavily camouflaged. Now the company has shared the first image of the new Z06 free of anything hiding its differences compared to the C8 Stingray.

The new Z06 will be powered by a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V-8 that should rev to between 8500 and 9000 rpm, make over 600 horsepower, and use an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Our spy photographers spotted Chevy testing the car alongside a Ferrari 458 Italia, which also uses a high-revving flat-plane V-8, so it’s obvious what Chevy is going for with this new Corvette variant. This photo is a standard Z06, which will have less aggressive aerodynamic elements than the available track-focused Z07 Performance package. The Z07 Performance package should include things such as a more aggressive front splitter, larger wing, stiffer suspension, carbon ceramic brakes, and carbon-fiber wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires.Check back here for all the details on the new Chevrolet C8 Corvette Z06 when the car makes its full debut on Tuesday, October 26th.
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When Mercedes abruptly pulled the vast majority of its V-8 models from the U.S. market for the upcoming model year, it did something not just bizarre in the conservative auto business but unheard of in any sector. It’s certainly not typical for a large automaker with huge manufacturing capacity to close the ordering books on its most popular and profitable products—especially when many of those models have recently debuted. As for why, the company can’t seem to get its story straight.Reached for comment in August when the news first broke, a Mercedes-AMG spokesperson provided the following carefully parsed statement:”The Company’s prioritized focus to comply with various global, external and internal requirements, as well as several other factors, including but not limited to challenges in the supply chain, have an impact on the offering of the product portfolio in various markets.• Mercedes-Benz is exploring every opportunity to solve the challenges at hand as soon as possible.• We will be working closely with our dealers and customers to help alleviate any inconvenience resulting from delays.• We are working on a solution as quickly as possible.• Depending on the market, this concerns different model series for model year 2022. Please understand that we will not comment further on this matter.”Ahead of the Munich IAA auto show, though, Road & Track sat down with Mercedes’s head of the Top End Vehicle Group, Philipp Schiemer. Schiemer, who oversees Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, and the G-class, said that he couldn’t provide more info than that information-light official statement. Despite that, his response suggested a different reason than what we’ve heard so far.”I cannot provide you with more details. It’s a quality issue. We are updating our vehicles every year, and we are not satisfied with the quality. And for us it’s quality first. So we have to do some retesting and this is the process we are in at the moment. So it depends from model to model,” Schiemer said, noting that the V-8 S580 is still being offered in the U.S. “So it’s from vehicle to vehicle, from country to country a different kind of situation.”Asked whether he could elaborate on the quality issue, Schiemer replied bluntly: “No.”

The new G-class has been a massive hit for the Mercedes, with a waiting list stretching far into the future and on-lot examples carrying five- and even six-figure markups. Suspending its availability is certainly strange.
Mercedes

Regardless, a quality issue cannot fully explain it. Because while that’d be a natural reason for an automaker to suspend production, it does not explain why the company—as a spokesperson confirmed—is extending production of the 2021 G-class despite the 2022 G-class being off-menu. It also does not explain why Aston Martin, which uses Mercedes’s 4.0-liter V-8, has confirmed that it will not be affected by this. And it certainly does not explain why this problem is different on a market-by-market basis.Supply-chain constraints are similarly unable to explain the totality of the issue, especially given that this came largely without warning and the company is still supplying Aston Martin with V-8s. That leaves the compliance angle, alluded to in the official statement and Schiemer’s comments. Most engine changes require recertification by relevant authorities, meaning that it can be a lengthy process to get a vehicle back on sale when there’s an unexpected change. American authorities, in particular, have often been slow to certify vehicles in general and especially German ones in the wake of wide-ranging emissions scandals. That may be the most likely explanation. One lingering question remains, though. Why—if it’s a bureaucratic holdup or a simple supply chain problem forcing recertification—is Mercedes being so opaque about it? We’ve reached out to the automaker for further clarification and will update when we hear back.

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Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan announced the Lake Michigan Electric Vehicle Circuit this week. The plan is to get enough EV charging stations into the ground to give drivers the opportunity to visit the state’s west coast in zero-emission vehicles and not worry about where they’ll be able to charge the battery.It will take time to get the chargers installed, as the big plan for 2021 is a feasibility study.Last year, the Department of Energy announced it would build up alternative fuel stations along I-94 from Michigan’s border with Canada all the way to Montana.For a decade, most maps showing electric-vehicle-friendly highways and regions of the country have highlighted the East and West Coasts. But a new proposal announced by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week will help turn Michigan into another EV charging hotspot.

It’s called the Lake Michigan Electric Vehicle Circuit, and the idea is to build enough EV charging stations on Michigan’s western coast that electric-vehicle owners will be able to drive up the shore as well as reach “attractions, lighthouses, parks and local businesses” without worry about where they will recharge. Whitmer called the Circuit “the best new road trip for electric vehicle owners in America” when she made the announcement at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference, according to the Detroit News.”The circuit is going to entice residents and travelers to explore our incredible coastal communities and amenities while using clean energy, cutting pollution, and helping to protect our air and water,” Whitmer said, according to the News.

It will take time for the Circuit to become a reality, though. The announcement may have happened this week, but the next step is to conduct a feasibility study this year and then, in the coming years, to determine how best to spend money installing the chargers in the right places. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy program will provide $1.25 million in initial funds to build out the network. The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity will also invest up to $5 million as it works with outside organizations on training workers who are prepared for a growing number of electric vehicles on Michigan roads.

U.S. Department of Energy

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s alternative fueling station locator, there are 608 EV Level 2 charging station locations in Michigan, with 1227 total ports. There are also 148 DC fast-charge stations, with 388 ports, in Michigan. Twenty-six of those stations, with 224 ports, belong to the Tesla Supercharger network. Most of the public fast chargers are located in or near Michigan’s cities, including Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing, with around a dozen near the Lake Michigan coast.

Michigan Governor Whitmer at Motor Bella in Detroit, September 2021.
Michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer’s announcement isn’t the only way Michigan is getting more EV chargers and alternative fuel stations. Last year, the Department of Energy and partners announced the Michigan to Montana I-94 Alternative Fuel Corridor, known as M2M, which will stretch 1500 miles along Interstate 94 starting at the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and continuing all the way to Billings, Montana. The M2M will include EV charging stations as well as stations offering CNG, biofuel, and propane autogas. Adding hydrogen stations in the future is also part of the discussion.
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The Ford Mustang Mach-E has passed the Michigan State Police test to see if it is eligible to be rolled into the fleet.The Michigan State Police put Ford’s Mustang Mach-E through a battery of tests to evaluate everything from its vehicle dynamics to its ergonomics.A police-ready version of the Mach-E has already been rolled out for the United Kingdom.A Ford Pro electric police pilot vehicle based on the Ford Mustang Mach-E has passed rigorous Michigan State Police testing, the first battery-electric vehicle to do so. There’s no word yet if this means the Mustang Mach-E will roll into the police fleet. Ford also has yet to mention the differences between the Mustang Mach-E that Ford sent in for police work and the standard-issue Mach-E. Results of the 2022 round of testing, which took place September 18 and 20, will be published in detail later this fall, Ford said.The Mustang Mach-E is Ford’s first jump into a mass-market EV, which means it was only a matter of time before it was considered for use in a police force. Ford recently debuted a police-ready variant of the Mustang Mach-E in the U.K., so it probably isn’t a surprise that state police in the U.S. are also pursuing the idea. It’s perhaps even less surprising that the folks testing Ford’s latest are the Michigan State Police.

Rod Kirkpatrick/F Stop Press/Immediate Network

Looking over last year’s Michigan State Police 2021 Model Year Police Evaluation, it looks like this Mustang Mach-E will run through various tests ranging from standard acceleration, top speed, braking, and high-speed pursuit to vehicle dynamics evaluations and ergonomic tests.
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As companies begin to bow out of internal-combustion-engine development, it is probably only a matter of time before EVs become common on your local streets. That also means police departments can be expected to switch to electric power, although that may happen slowly.
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Terrific engines can’t save terrible cars. And yet, there are times when truly good powerplants find their way into utterly awful things on four wheels. This week’s episode of Window Shopping—Car and Driver’s answer to Match Game—goes deep into the world of solid power production units dumped into garbage vehicles. It’s a challenge derived from a suggestion from a Window Shopping viewer. This week’s cast of cast-offs and castaways includes the intrepid KC Colwell, the insouciant Jonathan Ramsey, the percolating Joey Capparella, and Road & Track all-star John Pearley Huffman. Your host is the Tony Quiroga. (That’s Key Roh Gah.) Any way you say it, he’s his generation’s Gene Rayburn.Join us for what is among the most entertaining Zoom calls on YouTube. Our parents like it, and so will you.

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Jeep announced that its new Xtreme Recon package will be offered on the 2022 Wrangler Willys. The off-road package had previously been available only on Rubicon models, which start at least $3000 higher than the Willys.So equipped, the Wrangler will be a stronger competitor to the Ford Bronco with its much-hyped Sasquatch package.Production of the 2022 Wrangler Willys with the Xtreme Recon package starts at the end of the year, but prospective buyers can order it starting next month.Burly 35-inch tires and a 1.5-inch suspension lift are the highlights of the Jeep Wrangler’s Xtreme Recon package, which became available on the top-spec Rubicon and Rubicon 392 models earlier this year. For 2022, that option becomes available on the more affordably priced Jeep Wrangler Willys, giving the Wrangler another variant to battle against the Ford Bronco with its Sasquatch package, which also includes 35s direct from the factory.

In Jeep’s Xtreme Recon package, BFGoodrich K02 all-terrain rubber is mounted on 17-by-8.0-inch beadlock-capable wheels. Other elements of the package include a 4.56:1 rear axle, upgraded brakes, and a reinforced swing gate (to handle the weight of the rear-mounted spare). With it, the Wrangler claims best-in-class approach angle (47.4 degrees), departure angle (40.4 degrees), ground clearance (12.9 inches), and water-fording capability (33.6 inches).

Stellantis

The 2022 Wrangler Willys starts at $40,930, which is some $3000 less than a Rubicon. The 2021 Ford Bronco base model with the $4995 Sasquatch package added costs $37,380. The Xtreme Recon package costs $3995 and is available to order beginning in October, with production of 2022 Wrangler Willys models so equipped set to start in December.
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Michael Simari/Car and Driver

Tesla Autopilot in Model 3 and Model Y vehicles will now detect emergency lights at night in most circumstances, and will slow vehicle down.NHTSA recently launched a probe into a number of Tesla model crashes into parked emergency vehicles.Tesla warns that Autopilot may still not detect emergency lights in all circumstances.A few weeks after NHTSA launched an investigation into Tesla crashes into emergency vehicles, the automaker says that its Autopilot driver assist system can now detect emergency lights and slow down the vehicle. But only at night.The updated functionality was rolled out quite unexpectedly and was not announced by the automaker, but rather spotted by Twitter user Analytic.eth in the revised vehicle manuals.
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“If Model3/ModelY detects lights from an emergency vehicle when using Autosteer at night on a high speed road, the driving speed is automatically reduced and the touchscreen displays a message informing you of the slowdown,” a recently updated version of the driver’s manual now states. “You will also hear a chime and see a reminder to keep your hands on the steering wheel. When the light detections pass by or cease to appear, Autopilot resumes your cruising speed. Alternatively, you may tap the accelerator to resume your cruising speed.”

It’s worth noting that this functionality was added only after NHTSA launched an investigation into Tesla crashes into police and fire vehicles, suggesting that it may have been planned for some time, and that it’s also confined to the nighttime. Of course, not all Tesla crashes into emergency vehicles occurred at night, and Tesla does not elaborate just how dark it has to be outside for this functionality to kick in. This could be a bit of an issue since the majority of highway crashes or even traffic stops don’t happen at night—they happen during daytime, morning, and evening hours. But also, emergency light usage at night is far easier to spot by a human driver in the first place, from up to several miles away. So this is an improvement, but not one that can be taken advantage of during the hours when most emergency vehicle responses or traffic stops occur on highways. Tesla does note that the Model 3 and Model Y might still not detect other vehicles’ emergency lights in absolutely all situations, reiterating that Tesla drivers should keep their eyes on the road.Tesla also did not elaborate if the emergency lights had to flicker, or operate in a strobing mode, in order for Autopilot to detect them at night. For instance, emergency light bars (which are mostly LED at the moment) could simply be illuminated in a continuous mode, thus indistinguishable from taillights of other cars. So it could be the case that an emergency vehicle could be parked on the side of the road with the light bar on in a continuous mode, but might not be detected as such by Autopilot’s sensors. The number of modes that current LED lightbars use is actually pretty extensive.The nighttime limitation could be intentional, as in the daytime there could be too many light flickering effects with the sun reflecting off various surfaces to produce too many false positives.This is unlikely to be the last time we hear about semi-autonomous systems and emergency vehicles, as all developers of such systems are working on ways to address vehicle responses to different types of lights, from traffic lights to turn signals on cars via different methods, including V2V communication.

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