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No need to feel intimidated by the growing array of icons on your car’s dashboard, at least not if you have an iPhone with the upcoming iOS 17 update.iOS 17 introduces Visual Look Up, a way to identify objects in pictures. The new feature explicitly identifies in-car symbols, offering a way to know what those squiggly lines and trapezoids mean.Not everyone needs this kind of information, but for people who don’t drive often or might otherwise feel uncertain about a car’s features, this promises to be a simple way to learn what that button does.Modern smartphones have the power to connect to satellites, reach people around the world, and, finally, tell you what that unknown dashboard light means.Okay, okay, we hear you. This is news? Cars have had actual paper manuals that should help any driver understand what this red or that orange warning light is all about. But not everyone wants to read a paper manual when a phone is at hand, and sometimes we just like pretending we’re from the future.NurPhoto|Getty ImagesEnter Apple’s upcoming software update for the iPhone, called iOS 17, and its ability to identify dashboard lights using Visual Look Up. Visual Look Up does exactly what you would think it does: identify something in a picture or video and then searching for information on that item. A Reddit user noticed an “auto symbol” category in the beta version of the software and shared three examples: hazard warning, windscreen defrost and ventilation airflow.The More You KnowThe Apple-focused website 9to5Mac tested the beta software and found the symbol look-up feature to “just work” and that it can “identify multiple symbols and icons in the same picture.” 9to5Mac found that Visual Look Up can identify such features as dashboard lights, climate control symbols, headlight options, and defrosting. The phone’s results provide a short description of the icon and a link to find more information.The phone can identify these symbols anywhere on the dashboard, not just for warning lights. Want to know what a button in a rental car does before you push it? Visual Look Up can tell you.Android OptionsPeople with Android phones can get similar help by using Google Lens (also available to Apple users). This general app can identify objects in pictures or the live feed from the camera. If Android users don’t want to bother with the camera aspect, they can check out the third-party Dashboard Warning Lights app. This app won’t identify the symbols independently but presents images of standard warning lights and explains what they mean.When iOS 17 arrives, Apple’s annual operating system update will have a few other features of potential interest to drivers. The built-in Maps app will not be able to download map data, so it can be used offline (something Google Maps has been capable of for years), and it will feature real-time electric vehicle charging station availability along your route, as long as your charging network provides this kind of data.iOS 17 arrives in September as a free upgrade for compatible phones.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

Sales of EVs surpass sales of diesel models for the first time in Europe, with battery-electrics holding a 15.1 percent share of the market while diesels hold 13.4 percent. Plug-in hybrids have seen gains and losses over time in different European countries but hold a 7.9 percent market share on the continent overall.The Tesla Model Y (pictured above outside Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg) has been Europe’s biggest-selling model in any vehicle category in the first six months of 2023.Diesel cars have been popular in Europe for decades, where gasoline prices have traditionally been rather high compared to many other regions. Finding a small and inexpensive hatch in Europe that isn’t diesel has been a tall order for some time, and the same went for large sedans, especially in the UK. Even the Volkswagen diesel crisis that affected a number of brands had scarcely tempered the car buying public’s appetite for diesels in some individual markets.ACEABut for the first time ever, sales of new battery-electric models in the European Union have edged out those of diesel models, with June 2023 data showing 15.1 percent market share for BEVs, according to data published by Europe’s auto manufacturer association, ACEA. That’s a gain of 66.2 percent compared to the same month in 2022, when BEVs commanded 10.7 percent of the market in the EU.Audi e-tron GT.audiStill, the growth for BEVs has not been achieved equally across all the EU countries, with the Netherlands seeing a 90.1 percent gain, with Germany and France in second and third places with 64.4 and 52.0 percent gains, respectively.More about TeslasGasoline Power Down to a Third of the MarketOverall, gas-engined models in Europe still lead the pack with 36.3 percent market share, while hybrids are in second place with 24.3 percent of the market.Another trend worth noting is that plug-in hybrids in some individual EU markets have actually declined over the past year, by as much as 39.2 percent in Germany. Elsewhere PHEVs have seen dramatic gains, such as in Spain, where their market share has grown by 51.7 percent.Europe-market Škoda Octavia RS Diesel.ŠKODA AutoDiesel BansBut is this solely a reflection of battery-electric models’ popularity, or more a consequence of the regulatory war against diesels?In the past few years a number of large cities in Europe have experimented with bans on diesel models, keeping them out of city centers, ahead of a union-wide target for zero-emission car sales by 2035, adopted by the European Parliament earlier this year. Also hindering demand for diesel was Volkswagen’s own crisis, now nearly a decade old, that also affected brands such as Audi, Skoda, and SEAT.Still, it’s too early to completely write off diesel models in Europe.Diesel MemoriesFor one thing, despite an overall decline diesels have actually gained traction in some stand-alone countries such as Romania, where they saw a 22.4 percent gain last month, as well as Germany. We wouldn’t doubt diesel’s ongoing popularity in a number of smaller Eastern European markets either, whether inside or outside the EU.When it comes to battery-electric vehicles, another curious dynamic worth noting is that a number of popular EVs aren’t even produced by European automakers. Tesla’s Model Y has been the overall bestseller in any category in the first six months of 2023, easily dominating the BEV market, and a number of China-made EVs are currently on sale as well. Neither trend is something that many market analysts had seen coming just a few years ago. Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.  More

BMW is exploring ways to make its future electric M cars provide more driver feedback, according to the Australian website WhichCar.com.In an interview with the website, BMW M CEO Frank van Meel said he likes features such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N’s simulated gearchanges.For its first full-blown M-badged EV, BMW is also said to be considering other sensory stimuli such as using sounds or vibrations for feedback.BMW wants its future M-badged electric vehicles to feel more like their internal-combustion counterparts. That’s because it believes driving EVs on a racetrack requires more sensory feedback than most electric cars currently offer, specifically performance-focused models.The exception is the recently revealed 641-hp Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which can simulate gearchanges and mimic the sound of a turbocharged four-cylinder. While some people might think such features are gimmicks, BMW M CEO Frank van Meel likes the way Hyundai thinks. He also told WhichCar.com—an Australian automotive website—that BMW is exploring similar ideas to make its first full-blown electric M car deliver more driver feedback. While we’re still awaiting word on what exactly that future M-badged EV will be, BMW has already revealed that it’s testing a quad-motor prototype using a widebody i4 (pictured above) as the test mule. With a motor at each wheel, the German automaker has said it can more precisely control power delivery and instantly send torque to individual wheels. BMWThat’s not something any gas-powered vehicle can do, but those electric motors also can’t convey the same sense of speed that ICE performance cars can either, and van Meel believes that feedback is critical on a racetrack. He told WhichCar.com, “… if you’re driving in an electric car with just one gear, making some kind of sound over seven octaves, you don’t know if you’re in the middle [of the revs] and if that’s the equal to 145km/h or wherever you are. So that actually will not work. And we need a solution for that.”Along with possibly simulating gearchanges like with Hyundai’s N e-shift, the solutions that BMW is said to be considering deal with using acoustic cues or vibrations to provide driver feedback. How those vibrations will be created and whether those sounds will replicate an E90 M3’s high-revving V-8 or one of the brand’s great straight-sixes remains to be seen. For now, all we know is that BMW doesn’t appear to be satisfied with the current state of EV performance cars, and we’re eager to see how they will address it down the road.BMW M EV Performance CarsThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Sometimes it’s tough to tell if, as journalists, we have our collective finger on the pulse of automotive enthusiasm or if, as employees of Car and Driver and Road & Track, we’re just hearing our own heartbeats. On this episode of Window Shop with Car and Driver, it’s both.Bring a Trailer (BaT), which is part of the Hearst Autos family, is the foremost online auction site for people who love interesting and unique cars and have the wherewithal to outbid strangers on the internet. Battle it out over a perfect 1996 Ford Contour or a 2005 Acura NSX; the site has it all. In this episode of Window Shopping, we’re challenged to find our favorite cars recently sold on BaT for less than $50,000. We were supposed to consider future value, condition, if the car was a good buy, and, of course, fun. Not all of us read the brief. All participants contributed to the proceedings with choices that perfectly align with their character, or lack of. So one of them chose an Opel, another took an Alfa, a BMW was also tapped, and then there was a Ford. There was a fifth one too, but don’t sweat that. It didn’t win. Join Commissar-in-Chief Tony Quiroga, Power-behind-the-Throne K.C. Colwell, Aspirational-Bringer-of-Light Elana Scherr, Beloved-Icon-Who-May-Be-CIA Jonathon Ramsey, and Some Guy recording from his son’s bedroom, as they fuss and fight on a Zoom call. There will be another episode after this one. Probably in the future. Feel free to go to the Bring a Trailer website and search through the completed listings; post in the comments below if you find something better. Post on YouTube too, because the algorithm likes it when you do. Much More Window ShoppingSenior EditorJohn Pearley Huffman has been writing about cars since 1990 and is getting okay at it. Besides Car and Driver, his work has appeared in the New York Times and more than 100 automotive publications and websites. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, he still lives near that campus with his wife and two children. He owns a pair of Toyota Tundras and two Siberian huskies. He used to have a Nova and a Camaro. More

Kia has released a 30th Anniversary version of the Sportage for Korea.It has special wheels, green quilted leather upholstery, and 30th Anniversary badging.We don’t have U.S.-specific info on this model year, but we think it will come to our shores.The Sportage SUV wasn’t the first Kia model sold in the U.S.—that would be the long-forgotten Sephia sedan—but it is the Korean brand’s longest-running nameplate. Kia is now celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Sportage with a special-edition model for the Korean market. The package includes unique badging, interior trim, and a few other exterior tweaks, and we think it will eventually make its way to the U.S. market, possibly for the 2024 Sportage.KiaOur favorite addition is the green quilted leather upholstery found inside, which looks great contrasted with black suede trim. The headrests also have embroidered “30 Sportage” logos. On the outside, the main changes are different 19-inch wheels and extra black trim for the front fascia. The pictured model is finished in matte-gray paint that looks similar to the Shadow Matte Gray currently available on the 2023 Sportage Hybrid for $595 extra.KiaKia has also placed a pristine-looking example of the original first-generation Sportage in the lobby of its Kia 360 showroom in Korea to commemorate the occasion. This generation was sold in the U.S. starting for the 1995 model year, and we compared it against several other small SUVs in a 1998 comparison test.KiaKiaWe haven’t yet received confirmation whether or not the Sportage 30th Anniversary Edition model will come to the U.S. market, but we expect a similar package to be available here eventually. Stay tuned for more details to come on the 2024 Sportage.Sportage Then and NowSenior EditorDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.   More

Toyota has filed trademarks with the European Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) for variations of the “TZ” name, as reported by InsideEVs.The trademarks include Lexus TZ450e and Lexus TZ550e, which we think are likely names for a fully electric alternative to the new three-row Lexus TX.The Lexus TZ will probably share a platform with Toyota’s upcoming three-row EV that’s expected to be called bZ5X and begin being built sometime in 2025.It’s all but confirmed that Lexus has a three-row electric SUV in the works. What it will be called is still up in the air, however, it looks likely that such a model will wear the “TZ” badge. That speculation is based on trademark applications that Toyota recently filed with the European Intellectual Property Office (EIPO), which was reported by InsideEVs.Among the applications that were filed earlier this week, Toyota applied for trademarks to “Lexus TZ450e” and “Lexus TZ550e.” The “T” in those names suggest it could be similar in size to the recently revealed Lexus TX, which features three rows of seats and three powertrains, including two hybrid setups. The “Z” is what Lexus uses to identify its fully electric models, such as the compact RZ SUV.toyotaPerhaps more telling than either of those extrapolations regarding the potential body type and powertrain the Lexus TZ will have is the fact that Toyota has already announced plans to build a three-row electric SUV starting sometime in 2025. Based on the Toyota bZ5X concept, we expect the production model to share that name and its platform with an inevitable Lexus-branded version. Judging by today’s news, the latter will use the “TZ” prefix.Latest Lexus SUVsThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

The design of Bugatti’s next hypercar has been finalized, according to an Autocar interview with Bugatti’s former chief of design, Achim Anscheidt, who just stepped down from his helm.Instead of a W-16 engine, the next Bugatti will use a hybrid V-8, as Bugatti takes advantage of its merger with the electric hypercar geniuses at Rimac.The Chiron successor will still include classic Bugatti styling elements like the horseshoe grille and C-shaped design on the side bodywork.The next Bugatti hypercar will represent a major transformation for the brand. In an interview with Autocar, Bugatti’s former chief of design, Achim Anscheidt, said that the Chiron successor will be shown for the first time next year, with production commencing in 2026. Most notably, the next Bugatti ditches the brand’s famed W-16 engine for a V-8 hybrid setup, presumably using the electrical expertise of Croatian automaker Rimac, which merged with Bugatti in 2021.BugattiThe car’s design is apparently ready to go, with Anscheidt telling Autocar, “We delivered the prototype tooling a couple of months ago and the production tooling will be delivered in a couple of months from now.” Anscheidt is stepping down from his role as the head of styling for Bugatti, with the Chiron follow-up acting as his final project. “Everything I have tried to learn and comprehend over the last nineteen years with Bugatti, I wanted to make sure this experience funnels into the car’s development,” he said.The next Bugatti will still feature iconic design cues like the horseshoe grille and C-shaped side bodywork seen on every Bugatti since the 1934 Type 57. Built around a new chassis, swapping the gigantic W-16 for the V-8 powertrain should result in a lighter vehicle. Bugatti’s design director Frank Heyl also told Autocar that integrating the batteries for the hybrid component required the company “to reconsider the architecture of the whole car.”More Wild BugattisThe brand’s interior designer, Aldo Maria Sica, however, revealed that while the powertrain will be a significant departure from Bugattis of old, the interior won’t stray too far from the Chiron, with elegant designs and ornate controls. The Chiron successor may receive a large central touchscreen to run the infotainment, something that has been absent on the Chiron and all of its limited-production spin-offs.The next Bugatti hypercar is expected to cost even more than the $5 million Mistral, the final Bugatti with the W-16 motor which was limited to 99 examples. After the Chiron successor arrives, Bugatti’s attention will then turn to its first electric car, which should draw heavily on the company’s partnership with Rimac. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

As the official state limousines of the Soviet state, ZiL limousines offered luxuries available to only a select few.This one was reportedly part of the fleet used by Mikhail Gorbachev, and was in service with the Russian Federation until 2001.With the auction set to end on Tuesday, July 25, bidding on the Bring a Trailer online auction is currently at $50,000.With all due respect to the likes of the Lada Niva or the GAZ Volga, some Russia-made cars are more equal than others. Today’s pick is a battleship-sized limousine from the height of the Cold War, a ZiL 41045 believed to have ferried none other than Mikhail Gorbachev himself. It’s listed for sale on the auction site Bring a Trailer, which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.Bring a TrailerJust look at the size of this thing. The styling is pure Soviet Blocky, all square angles and imposing bulk. You can just imagine it idling at a curb in front of some brutalist concrete structure, waiting patiently to ferry its occupants to a high-level meeting about nuclear proliferation or vassal states or the strategic national vodka reserve.ZiL stands for Zavod Imeni Likhachyova, the name taken from the factory in which these cars were built. Before that, the company was ZIS, the S standing for Stalin. This is a car as deeply Russian as borscht, or accidentally coincidentally falling out of a window after issuing public criticisms of the current ruling party. Bring a TrailerThis example was built in 1985, which saw ZiL make some minor cosmetic upgrades to its long-running limousines. The mechanicals remained the same as the previous 4104 model: a 300-hp 7.7-liter V-8, a three-speed automatic transmission, and a curb weight of roughly 7000 pounds. Oh, and by the way, that V-8 has redundant ignition and fueling systems and is hardened against EMP strikes.Inside, this ZiL is as well appointed as a Soviet leader’s summer dacha, with mohair seats in back and birchwood veneers. You also get a Radiotehnika stereo and a Vilma cassette player—ideal for blasting out Boney M’s Rasputin. It’s 20 feet of Politburo special treatment. You’d probably also need to get yourself one of those fur hats.Bring a TrailerBuilt in vanishingly small numbers, a ZiL limousine makes for a unique collector car, albeit one with a prodigious thirst for high-octane fuel (95 octane is recommended). You need not approve of the policies of an era which produced a for-elites-only car like this to understand and appreciate its historical value.With five days to go, the high bid sits at $50,000. Comrades, don’t miss out on your chance to bid for this rare collectible. Contributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More