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    2021 Honda Ridgeline Gets $350 Price Hike, Drops Front-Wheel Drive

    The 2021 Honda Ridgeline gets a price increase of $350 to $650 compared with 2020 but drops the formerly standard front-wheel drive, which bumps up the starting price by more than $2500.
    The new Honda Performance Development (HPD) package costs $2800.
    The Ridgeline is set to go on sale February 2.
    The 2021 Honda Ridgeline got an aggressive redesign for this model year and has left its less capable front-wheel-drive powertrain back with the more timid-looking 2020 model. As a result, the Ridgeline starts much higher than it did last year—about $2500—but when accounting for the change in the powertrain, the Ridgeline got a base price hike of $350.

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    The Ridgeline is still offered in four trim levels. The entry-level Sport model now starts at $37,665. The RTL is up $650, to $40,645. Next up is the RTL-E, which sees its price go up by $400, to $43,595; and the top Black Edition now costs $45,095, which is $400 higher than the outgoing model year. The new Honda Performance Development (HPD) package offered on the Ridgeline, which adds a unique grille, black fender flares, bronze-colored wheels, and HPD accents costs $2800.
    The Ridgeline continues with the same 3.5-liter V-6 engine making 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, mated to a nine-speed transmission. The 2021 Ridgeline is slated to go on sale beginning February 2.
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    Kia Sedona Minivan Could Be Renamed Carnival for 2022

    Kia’s minivan has always been called the Carnival globally but the Sedona in the U.S. market.
    That may change with the new 2022 version, which will reportedly be called Carnival in America.
    The 2022 Kia Carnival should go on sale on our shores by the end of the year.
    It seems that the K5 (née Optima) won’t be the only model in Kia’s lineup to undergo a name change. Like that mid-size sedan, the Kia Sedona minivan may also adopt its global moniker, Carnival, when the redesigned model arrives in the U.S. for the 2022 model year. This is according to a NHTSA VIN decoder document posted on a Sedona forum. The Sedona nameplate has been on sale in the U.S. since the 2002 model year.

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    The document also shows a few key U.S. specifications that Kia has yet to confirm. The 2022 Kia Carnival will apparently offer LX, EX, and SX trim levels, and it will come standard with front-wheel drive and a 3.5-liter V-6 engine with 290 horsepower. The new fourth-generation van was revealed earlier this year with a far more modern design and a few SUV-esque styling cues such as prominent C-pillar trim and a reshaped center console inside.
    We reached out to Kia for confirmation on the name change, and a spokesperson told us to “stay tuned.” We should hear more about the U.S. version of the Carnival/Sedona within the next few months, as we expect it to go on sale in America by the end of the year.
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    Panasonic’s Innovative Augmented-Reality HUD Could Be in Cars by 2024

    Panasonic Automotive unveiled an augmented-reality HUD that displays lane edges, objects in the road, and other information important to drivers.
    The system uses artificial intelligence and shares information with the driver, including determining if something is a vehicle, pedestrian, or a trash can.
    Panasonic told Car and Driver this technology is likely to be seen in a 2024 model vehicle.
    Augmented reality (AR) is used to place digital information on top of the real world. Mercedes-Benz’s MBUX navigation system head-up display (HUD) on the 2021 Mercedes S-class does this with floating arrows to inform the driver where to turn. It’s a helpful feature that reduces the need to look away from the road while using navigation. Panasonic Automotive has gone a few steps further with its own AR HUD that it unveiled at the annual CES technology conference.
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    The Panasonic Automotive AR HUD system uses artificial intelligence (AI) similar to what we’ve seen used by driver-assistance systems such as the Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta. In addition to showing the road ahead, the system detects and informs the driver about foreign objects, other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. In a demo video, it even shares the height of an underpass—important information if you’re driving a tall vehicle or hauling a tall trailer. Each item is labeled by the system for what Panasonic Automotive calls a “seamless, more engaged, and informed driver experience.”

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    The HUD features eye tracking to project images correctly regardless of where the driver is looking. If it notices that the driver’s head has turned, it adjusts the HUD elements being projected in less than 300 milliseconds to compensate. The AI system’s navigation feature has to be extremely accurate in order to render the path down the road, arrows of where to turn, and lane markings. Vibration control is also critical. A bumpy road may toss the car and driver around, but according to Panasonic Automotive, the digital icons will continue to stay locked onto their real-world targets.
    Advanced optics in the sensors determine what an object is at 33 feet and beyond even in low light and at night. That’s coupled with 3D imaging radar that can capture a 180-degree field of view in front of the vehicle at up to nearly 300 feet away, plus laser and holographic technology for 4K-resolution renderings.
    All this technology sounds great but doesn’t mean much unless there’s a real-world product on the way. A Panasonic Automotive spokesperson told Car and Driver that while it cannot say which automaker plans on using the technology, the company anticipates the AR HUD to be integrated into a model year 2024 vehicle.
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    2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Production EV Previewed before February Reveal

    Hyundai has shared a few images of the 2022 Ioniq 5 EV ahead of its official reveal next month.
    This is the first model in the Ioniq EV subbrand and is a mid-size hatchback.
    The Ioniq 5 will be able to serve as a generator providing 3.5 kilowatts of power.
    Hyundai’s new Ioniq subbrand will launch its first electric vehicle soon, and we now have an idea of what it will look like. These teaser images of the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 confirm that it will closely mirror the attractive Hyundai 45 concept car from 2019, and the company has also shared a few more details about the Ioniq 5’s design and its ability to serve as a generator.

    Hyundai

    Hyundai

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    Although Hyundai calls the Ioniq 5 a mid-size crossover, we think its proportions are more hatchback-like. Earlier leaked specs confirmed that it is the same height as the Kona crossover but a foot longer, meaning it should look long and low. Other mechanical details include a combined output of 313 horsepower, standard all-wheel drive, and a choice of two battery packs: a standard 58.0-kWh pack with an estimated 282 miles of range on the WLTP cycle and a possible optional 73.0-kWh pack with even more range.
    Hyundai also confirmed that the Ioniq 5 will have the capability to serve as a generator. It will provide up to 3.5 kilowatts of juice through 110-volt and 220-volt outlets to power various appliances (the company used an oven, a sound system, and a treadmill as examples).
    More information is coming in February, as Hyundai is planning a reveal event for the Ioniq 5. It will be the first Ioniq model to arrive in the U.S., possibly by the end of the year, with other Ioniq-branded electric vehicles still to come.
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    Nokian One, New All-Season Tire, Claimed to Last 80,000 Miles

    Finnish tiremaker Nokian rolled out a new all-season passenger-car tire called the One that’s specifically designed for North America, following up on the One HT introduced for SUVs and light trucks last year.
    The tire has an 80,000-mile tread life expectancy and will come in sizes from 14 to 20 inches.
    A selling point will be its free Pothole Protection warranty, which promises to replace tires damaged “beyond repair” by potholes.
    Nokian—the Finnish winter-tire purveyor—is ramping up production of its newest tire, the Nokian One, which will be produced at its new plant in Tennessee as well as in Europe. The One is the first Nokian all-season tire developed specifically for the North American market. A tire that can better handle hazardous road situations while having a tread life expectancy of 80,000 miles is a promising prospect. So is the expected affordable price point, although the company has not released price information yet.

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    Nokian is known best for its winter tires, and from those strong bloodlines come traits and experience beneficial to all types of tires, not just the ones used in the coldest months. For instance, aramid fibers—found in bulletproof vests as well as Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 and R3 winter-tire sidewalls and tread—find their first application by Nokian in a non-winter passenger-car tire. The strong synthetic fibers are incorporated into the sidewall of the tire to help absorb the shock associated with a bone-jarring pothole strike, something we midwesterners are too familiar with. To back this technological development with confidence, Nokian offers a no-cost Pothole Protection warranty program that will replace a tire for free if it’s damaged beyond repair by a pothole or other road hazard.

    Nokian

    Nokian promises the One will have improved wet braking and handling over its current Entyre 2.0 all-season tire as well as lower rolling resistance. Like other Nokian tires, the Nokian One has a Driving Safety Indicator on the tread (pictured at left above) that displays a number to indicate the amount of tread remaining.
    The Nokian One will be offered in 70 sizes from 14 to 20 inches in diameter. Expect it to hit stores near you sometime this month and be marginally pricier than its predecessor, the Entyre 2.0, which ranged from about $80 to $180 per tire.
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    2021 Porsche 718 Boxster 25th Anniversary Model Has 394-HP Flat-Six

    The 2021 Porsche Boxster 25 commemorates the 25th anniversary of Porsche’s mid-engine sports car, and it’s powered by a 394-hp naturally aspirated flat-six.
    It’s limited to 1250 units and has styling cues inspired by the Boxster concept that was shown at the 1993 Detroit auto show.
    The Boxster 25 is available to order now starting at $99,950 and will arrive in dealers in the spring.
    Porsche is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Boxster mid-engine sports car with a special edition based on the 2021 718 Boxster GTS 4.0, meaning there’s a high-revving naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six on tap. The Boxster 25 is limited to 1250 cars and has styling touches reminiscent of the Boxster concept car (pictured below) that was revealed at the 1993 Detroit auto show.

    Porsche

    Porsche

    Like the original concept, which shared its face with the 996-generation 911, the Boxster 25 has copper trim on the front and side air intakes, badging, and wheels. The fuel cap is adorned with “Porsche” script and finished in an aluminum look, as is the standard sport exhaust system. The car comes in GT Silver, Jet Black, and Carrera White color choices, and they’ll all look stunning paired with the five-spoke copper 20-inch wheels. The sport seats are trimmed in Bordeaux Red leather and complemented with a red fabric convertible top and a brushed aluminum interior.

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    The naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six spins up 394 horsepower and 309 lb-ft of torque sent to the rear wheels through a standard six-speed manual transmission (#SaveTheManuals), although a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is available. In our testing, a six-speed-manual-equipped Boxster GTS 4.0 launched to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and ripped through the quarter-mile in 12.0 seconds at 118 mph. Porsche claims a top speed of 182 mph. The original 986-generation Boxster was powered by a 201-hp 2.5-liter flat-six.

    View Photos

    Porsche

    The limited-edition Boxster 25 comes with the Sport Chrono package, which adds launch control and a steering-wheel-mounted drive mode selector. Porsche’s adaptive dampers, which can lower the car by 0.4 inch, are standard, as is a limited-slip differential.
    The 2021 Boxster 25 is available to order now starting at $99,950—$9700 more than the starting price of a 2021 718 Boxster GTS 4.0. They’ll start arriving at dealerships in the spring.
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