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Lincoln has announced pricing for the updated 2021 Nautilus SUV.
It starts at $42,395 and has an updated interior and a few other small tweaks.
The 2021 Nautilus is expected to start arriving at dealerships sometime in January.
Lincoln is charging a bit more for the updated 2021 Nautilus, which benefits most notably from an upgraded interior that looks considerably nicer and more modern than before. The mid-size SUV starts at $42,395, a $360 increase, while the Reserve trim level starts at $50,405 (a $910 increase) and the top Black Label model starts at $66,085 (a $1290 increase).

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The available powertrains haven’t changed for 2021. All-wheel drive is a $2500 option on the base model and $2495 extra on the Reserve. A 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four and front-wheel drive remain standard, although a more powerful 335-horsepower twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6 is a $2700 option on all-wheel-drive Reserve models and comes standard on the AWD-only Black Label.

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Lincoln

The interior changes include a huge new 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system that’s standard across the board, which uses Ford’s latest Sync 4 software. It’s capable of over-the-air updates and offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Lincoln has also rearranged the dashboard and center stack and says the materials are improved.
Lincoln says the 2021 Nautilus will be arriving at dealerships sometime in January.
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The Department of Transportation is proposing two possible small rules changes, both meant to give people with disabilities better driving options.
The first involves rental cars and would give rental agencies the ability to temporarily disable knee airbags so they don’t cause metal hand controls to hit the driver if there’s a crash.
The second is about rear-mounted carrying shelves for wheelchairs and power scooters, which can get in the way of backup cameras. The DOT wants to approve both measures and is giving the public until January 27, 2021, to chime in.
Finding the right balance between keeping all of a vehicle’s safety features in operation for all drivers and allowing people with disabilities more access to transportation sometimes requires digging into the minutiae of federal regulations.
That’s the case with a new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation that would allow people with disabilities to drive vehicles that have had one of two notable changes to their safety features. First, if approved, the rule would allow rental car companies to rent vehicles with their driver’s-side knee bolster airbags temporarily deactivated for drivers who need hand pedals. This change was prompted by questions from the Enterprise rental-car company, the DOT said.

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Second, a rule change would allow vehicle dealers and repair businesses to install “rear-mounted transporters for wheelchairs and power scooters,” which might otherwise be forbidden because they can block the view of backup cameras. This rule change was petitioned by Bruno Independent Living Aids, which said it wants to be sure that installing its transporters would not run afoul of the rules as they currently stand.
These changes can certainly reduce a vehicle’s safety, but there are logical reasons that drivers with disabilities would benefit from these changes. Regarding the first, the DOT said, turning off the knee airbag would mean that people with disabilities who need hand controls could rent vehicles safely. The DOT said that if a knee-bolster airbag deploys in a crash, “The resulting force of the deployment could cause the hand controls to strike the driver with extreme forces and create a serious risk to the safety of the driver.” For the second change, allowing rear-mounted transporters would “improve mobility for drivers and passengers with disabilities” in general, the DOT said.
“This rule will make it easier for individuals with disabilities to achieve greater mobility and freedom in their lives,” U.S. transportation secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement.

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Generally, the Federal Code makes it illegal for any “vehicle manufacturer, distributor, dealer, rental company, or repair business” to “knowingly make inoperative any part of a device or element of design installed in or on a motor vehicle in compliance with an applicable [federal motor vehicle safety standard].” If this proposed rule goes into effect, registered companies would be allowed to make these specific changes as long as they also add a permanent label to the modified vehicle that makes it clear the vehicle no longer complies with the safety standards.
The two proposed rule changes are further modifications of a 2016 rulemaking notice that exempted vehicles driven by people with disabilities from some roof crush resistance safety standards. A public comment period for these changes ends January 27, 2021.

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Jeep is reportedly planning to expand further into the world of factory customs by opening a dedicated facility near where it builds the Wrangler and Gladiator in Toledo, Ohio.
According to the Toledo Blade, Jeep will build a customization facility on a complex of properties formerly owned by Textileather and MedCorp, the most recent of which shut down in 2013. Fiat Chrysler is paying $1 for the site and plans to build a new 250,000-square-foot facility on it. The new location will be operated by an unnamed supplier and employ over 300 people.

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Jeep confirmed the sale to Autoblog but did not discuss further details on what exactly it plans to do inside. Considering its proximity to the Wrangler and Gladiator assembly complex, also in Toledo, it’s likely we’re about to see a lot more factory customs based on the two off-roaders coming in the near future. Since these are the most often customized models in Jeep’s lineup, it makes sense to see the company put such significant investment behind this.
“The iconic Jeep brand has a special connection and history with Toledo and all of its residents,” FCA spokesman Kevin E. Frazier told the Toledo Blade over email. “We appreciate the city council’s consideration of this proposal and would like to thank the city of Toledo and the mayor’s office for all of their efforts. At this time, we have no further details to provide.”

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Leaked images of a camouflaged prototype seem to show a new version of the Ford Fusion with a station-wagon shape.
This fuels the rumor that the Fusion nameplate will return on a new model that will be a Subaru Outback rival.
Possibly called the Fusion Active, we expect this car to debut sometime in 2021.

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The Ford Fusion is dead, long live the Ford Fusion. While the mid-size sedan as we know it is gone, it seems that there’s credence to the speculation about a new Fusion that will take a different form. If these leaked photos are to be believed, this is our first look at the next Fusion (called the Mondeo in other markets), which will be marketed in the U.S. as a lifted all-wheel-drive station wagon in the vein of the popular Subaru Outback.

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We’re not sure where the camouflaged images originate from, but they’re circulating on various Instagram accounts and Chinese websites. A few important clues point to its identity as a Ford. The front grille looks like many other current Fords, and there’s a cutout perfectly shaped for the blue oval logo. And around back, this version has a clear station-wagon profile, with a small window aft of the C-pillar and a gently sloping rear hatch.
The slim headlights create a much more futuristic face, and they’re connected by a metallic bar that runs across the width of the car. And the interior will benefit from a modern makeover as well, with a set of screens that stretches across the entire dashboard. We’ve seen big touchscreens from Ford, but nothing quite like this, as it almost looks like a single piece of glass that extends all the way onto the passenger’s side of the dashboard.
While these photos don’t reveal the car’s height or body cladding, we’re expecting the Fusion to have a lifted suspension and black plastic cladding to give it an SUV-esque stance. It will likely have standard all-wheel drive to best compete with the Outback.
Ford has yet to say anything official about the new Fusion, but we expect it to arrive sooner rather than later. A debut sometime in 2021 isn’t out of the question, meaning the Fusion Active may go on sale by the time the 2022 model year rolls around.
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