Motor News

Our trip through the week’s stories including Cadillac Blackwing pre-orders, the world’s newest automaker, and various regulatory dramas. More

The challenge facing the lovable band of misfits today is to find a vehicle that costs under $15,000 that’s likely to hold its value over the next five years.
Join host and deputy editor Tony Quiroga alongside Trapper John, Hot Lips, Klinger, and Radar as they make amusing remarks about old cars that they probably won’t purchase. Insults, obscure references, and jokes about colleagues who aren’t present ensue. And it’s all captured using that miracle technology you should have invested in a year ago: Zoom.
Watch the episode and you’ll see contributor John Pearley Huffman’s mid-engine Toyota, Jonathon Ramsey’s FJ100 Land Cruiser, Quiroga’s like-new C4 Corvette with 24,000 miles, and deputy testing director K.C. Colwell’s W126 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL. Each car is presented with the passion of the series’ regulars as they try to convince one another that their choice is choicest. Special guest star, former C/D editor, and now automotive engineer David Gluckman brings in a suspiciously ratty but possibly okay Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo. This is the sort of expert analysis upon which you can rely to make smart buying decisions. Maybe.
While this series started as a way to share our common enthusiasm and show off our car-searching skills, as of late, it has become a competition to get the most votes. And with the rules always up for modification, coalition building and near bribery are now the rule. Fortunately, winning doesn’t really matter.
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Sony tells Car and Driver that it has no plans to mass-produce or sell its Vision-S concept but instead is using it to test technology so it can be part of the autonomous-vehicle future.
The company is leveraging the knowledge it has acquired from across many aspects of its business, from cameras and computing to its entertainment division.
Even if we won’t get a Sony car anytime soon, this project could lead to future autonomous vehicles with PlayStations and cutting-edge audio onboard.
Sony genuinely surprised the attendees of the annual CES technology conference in 2020 with its Vision-S show car. Earlier in January 2021, the technology and entertainment company did it again at CES 2021 with footage and an announcement that the Vision-S was being tested on public roads to optimize safety. So, naturally, the idea of Sony eventually building and selling the Vision-S seemed plausible. The reality, Sony tells us, is that it’s a test bed for Sony technology, helping to make sure the company is part of the era of autonomous driving.

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Sony Vision-S Prototype Moves to On-Road Testing

Enemies of the Autonomous Vehicle

A Sony spokesperson told Car and Driver: “At present, we have no plans to mass-produce or sell the vehicle. With mobility expected as a major megatrend into the future, we’re exploring how Sony can contribute in a meaningful way to the era of autonomous driving.” Some of those contributions could be entertainment related, the spokesperson indicated, saying, “Through our strengths in imaging and sensing, we aim to contribute to both safety and reliability in autonomous driving, while also delivering a powerful experience leveraging entertainment in the mobility space.”
It’s not entirely surprising—but we’re a bit disappointed. The Vision-S looks stunning, and driving a car built by the same company that brought us the Walkman and the PlayStation seems like a natural progression for the technology giant.
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To tackle self-driving, the concept in its current form uses 40 sensors, four of which are lidar, as part of its Safety Cocoon that monitors both the interior and exterior and creates a 360-degree view of the world. It currently has a Level 2+ driver-assistance package, but Sony hopes it will be upgrading it to a Level 4 system, where, with software upgrades, the vehicle drives itself in most situations without the need for a driver.

On the entertainment front, the company is talking about something it calls 360 Reality Audio, which creates an audio sphere around the heads of all the occupants using speakers in the headrests for optimized audio for everyone in the car. A longer-term goal is to add a PlayStation with a 5G connection for online gaming in the vehicle.
The Vision-S was built with help from partner Magna Steyr, and it gives the automaker the opportunity to test all these technologies in an environment completely controlled by Sony. There’s no need to compromise based on what’s currently available in the market, and because it’s not using an automaker’s pre-installed hardware and software, there are fewer limits to what Sony can achieve.
Meanwhile, the Apple Car Looms
Speculation about the Vision-S coming to market comes at a time when reports about a car from another technology giant, Apple, have started to proliferate. The iPhone company’s long-rumored electric car has once again started grabbing headlines with speculation that it will go into production in 2024 and that Apple will be teaming up with Kia to build it, none of which either company has confirmed.

Sony Vision-S interior
Sony

Even though it’s not coming to a driveway near you, the Vision-S isn’t going away anytime soon. Sony plans to continue to test and share the progress it makes with the vehicle. The spokesperson’s statement does leave the door cracked slightly for the possibility of a mass-produced Sony vehicle in the future. But even if that doesn’t come to fruition, if PlayStations start showing up in self-driving cars that are using Sony optics and sensors to see the world, the prototype Vision-S concept will have done its job.

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The 2021 Porsche Panamera starts at $88,550, and its prices stay the same, excluding the addition of the new Turbo S and 4S E-Hybrid models.
The 620-hp Turbo S, which replaces the 2020 Panamera Turbo, starts at $179,050, and the new 4S E-Hybrid starts at $114,650.
The 2021 Panamera is available to order now and will arrive in the U.S. in the spring.
Porsche has replaced the 2020 Panamera’s Turbo model with a more powerful Turbo S for the 2021 model year and added a new 4S E-Hybrid model as well. The rest of the Panamera lineup’s prices are unchanged, starting at $88,550 for the base model. Even the Panamera GTS ($130,650), which produces 20 more horsepower from its turbocharged V-8, sees no price increase. However, the base Panamera is still more expensive than other luxury sedans such as the Audi A7, BMW 8-series Gran Coupe, and Mercedes-Benz CLS-class.

2021 Porsche Panamera 4S E-Hybrid.
Porsche

The 4S can now be had as a plug-in E-Hybrid, which, along with the rest of the E-Hybrid lineup (Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid), gets a larger 17.9-kWh battery pack, up 3.8 kWh from the previous models. The new 4S E-Hybrid starts at $114,650 and is powered by a twin-turbo V-6 in conjunction with an electric motor and the new battery pack and makes 552 horsepower. It’s also available as longer-wheelbase Executive ($125,950) and Sport Turismo wagon ($118,650) models, like other Panameras excluding the base model and the GTS, which only has standard and Sport Turismo offerings.

2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S Flexes Its 620 HP

2021 Panamera 4S E-Hybrid Kills the Turbo

For the 2021 model year, Porsche dropped the 550-hp Panamera Turbo model in favor of a new, more powerful Turbo S. It starts at $179,050—$24,700 more than the 2020 Panamera Turbo—and is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 that produces 620 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque. Porsche claims that it’ll reach 60 mph in 2.9 seconds. The new Turbo S is also available as Executive ($189,450) and Sport Turismo ($183,050) models.
Porsche has also given the 2021 Panamera a few small visual changes as well including a slightly sportier front end, a full-width LED strip on the taillights, and some new wheels. In addition, wireless Apple CarPlay capability and wireless phone charging are standard on all 2021 Panameras.
The 2021 Porsche Panameras are available to order now and will arrive in the U.S. in the spring.
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Ford will spend about $610 million to recall three million vehicles and replace their driver’s-side airbags after NHTSA ruled it must, Reuters reported.
The problem is the danger that Takata inflators in the airbags could degrade, possibly leading to airbag rupture that could propel metal pieces throughout the vehicle.
The recall will include 2006 through 2012 models of the Ford Edge, Fusion, and Ranger; the Lincoln MKX and MKZ/Zephyr; and the Mercury Milan, as well as about 5800 2007–2009 Mazda B-series pickups.
UPDATE, 1/22/2021: A Ford spokesperson told Car and Driver that the automaker is “working on the recall details and will submit to NHTSA a proposed schedule for the notification of vehicle owners and the launch of a remedy.” Responding to a question about why Ford had earlier disputed the need to issue this recall, the spokesperson explained: “Unlike other Takata passenger-side airbag parts previously under recall, these driver-side airbags contain a moisture-absorbing desiccant and perform differently. We believe our extensive data demonstrated that a safety recall was not warranted for the driver-side airbag. However, we respect NHTSA’s decision and will issue a recall.”
The long-lasting and worldwide problem of defective Takata airbag inflators continues. Ford has just been ordered to recall three million vehicles that contain them. The inflators are in driver’s-side airbags and could rupture, risking metal fragments being propelled throughout the interior of the vehicles.

Takata Airbag Recall: Everything You Need to Know

Ford Joins Honda, Mazda in Takata Airbag Recall

No Recall for 56 Million Cars with Takata Airbags

The vehicles involved are the 2007–2011 Ford Ranger, 2006–2011 Mercury Milan, 2006–2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ/Zephyr, the 2007–2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, and the 2007–2009 Mazda B-series pickup.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) earlier this week ordered the automakers to carry out the recall after it rejected a petition from Ford and Mazda to be excused from doing so. Ford and Mazda now have 30 days to make recall plans.
In November, NHTSA also required General Motors to recall nearly six million vehicles over problems with the Takata airbag inflators.
Owners of vehicles that may be affected should check the NHTSA recalls website, which does not yet have details but will soon.
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The Buick Enclave three-row SUV is getting updated styling for 2022.
The new look includes a revised grille, reshaped headlights, and new taillights.
The 2022 Enclave will go on sale later this year.
Buick has shared the first photos of the updated 2022 Enclave. The three-row SUV has a fresher-looking face and new taillights, and we assume there will be interior upgrades as well. The facelifted model will go on sale later this year; Buick has yet to share equipment, pricing, and mechanical details.

Buick

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We don’t think there will be changes to the Enclave’s standard powertrain, a 3.6-liter V-6 engine, but it’s possible GM will add a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four to the lineup. The related GMC Acadia and Cadillac XT6 offer this engine and it could both lower the Enclave’s starting price and improve its EPA fuel-economy numbers (the 2.0-liter XT6 is rated 2 mpg higher combined than the V-6 model).
The 2022 Enclave seen here is in top-of-the-line Avenir trim, suggesting that the trim levels will stay the same for the new model year. The current model offers Preferred, Essence, Premium, and Avenir versions, and we assume there will be some new equipment included in the updates for 2022. The starting price will likely rise a few hundred dollars compared with the current 2021 Enclave, which starts at $41,195.
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The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 was designed for cornering, but thanks to a 526-hp V-8 under the hood, it’s no slouch in a straight line.
AutoTopNL on YouTube managed to get their hands on a Shelby GT350 for some top-speed testing on the autobahn, a series of public roadways in Germany with no speed limit. Though the GT350 was never intended for European markets, it seems right at home barreling up to terminal velocity thanks to its long gearing and stratospheric 8250-rpm redline.

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Ford Ending Production of Shelby GT350 and GT350R

The real treat here isn’t the GT350’s top speed—it’s only able to hit 172 mph flat out—it’s the sound. Those familiar with the GT350’s unique powertrain will know that’s not your average American V-8 under the hood. No, the motor here uses a flat-plane crank, allowing for higher revs and a distinct soundtrack. The sound is more akin to a Ferrari than your run-of-the-mill 5.0.

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Mercedes will make AMG performance versions of its upcoming EQ electric vehicles, according to Daimler’s R&D chief.
We don’t have full details other than that not every future EQ gets an AMG version.
Separately, the automaker said individual chief designers are being assigned to handle EQ, Maybach, and AMG models to raise their profiles.
Daimler’s performance brand AMG will offer derivatives of future EQ models, Daimler R&D chief Markus Schäfer revealed in a discussion today. While there are already AMG styling packages for the EQC and the EQA, AMG is tasked with producing full-fledged electric performance cars in the future.

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The Best AMG Models of All Time

The plans come on top of AMG’s dedication to plug-in hybrids, such as the upcoming 800-hp AMG GT73. The just-announced EQA version with around 280 horsepower will not be an AMG derivative. Schäfer also said that not every EQ line will receive an AMG model.
AMG originated as an independent tuner and was eventually acquired by Daimler; while there is a close technological exchange and personnel is switched between AMG and other Daimler brands, the subsidiary has maintained far greater independence than BMW’s M GmbH or Audi Sport, the former quattro GmbH.In his remarks, Schäfer alluded to continuous discussions about the scope of AMG’s independent engineering work. Mercedes-AMG is chaired by Philipp Schiemer, previously head of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil. Important milestones include the M156/159 6.2-liter V-8 engine, which AMG developed in-house, and the SLS gull-winged supercar, its first stand-alone project.
In a separate discussion, Daimler chief designer Gorden Wagener outlined his plans to assign designers to each of the company’s sub-brands as a way to enhance their profiles. They will be in charge of representing them and furthering their respective projects. He views them not as “chief designers” but designers that will “take care of the brands.” The arrangement will be modeled after a similar arrangement at Smart, where Kai Sieber has that role. All the designers will be reporting to Gorden Wagener.Wagener said that Robert Lesnik will be responsible for AMG, Hartmut Sinkwitz will take care of Maybach, and Steffen Köhl will be in charge of the EQ line of vehicles.
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