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Mini has shown the first glimpse of the next-generation Countryman SUV.It will arrive for the 2025 model year in the U.S. and starts production this year in Germany at a BMW plant.The new Countryman will offer both a gasoline version and an electric version, and we’ll see if both end up coming to the U.S.A new version of the biggest Mini, the Countryman SUV, is arriving soon and we’ve just gotten confirmation that it will spawn an electric variant. New photos of a camouflaged 2025 Countryman also give a glimpse at the new model’s looks which, unsurprisingly, hew closely to the familiar Mini aesthetic.MiniThe 2025 Mini Countryman will start production this year at a BMW plant in Leipzig, Germany, making it the first Mini model to be built in its parent company’s homeland. It’ll be built alongside several BMW models including the 2-series Gran Coupe. We’re not sure exactly when it will go on sale in the U.S., or if both the gas and EV versions will make it to our shores.More on Mini and BMWWe expect that the electric Countryman will share specs with the BMW iX1, an electric version of the X1 crossover that we don’t get in the U.S. That model offers a dual-motor powertrain with 308 horsepower and a 64.7-kWh battery pack that provides a range of around 230 miles. The gas version, too, seems a sure bet to share the U.S.-spec 2023 BMW X1’s turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine that makes 241 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.MiniA new Mini Cooper hatchback is also in the cards, but we haven’t heard an update in a while since we saw leaked images showing the new car’s looks in 2021. Look for more news to come on Mini as the brand continues to revise its lineup, including possibly axing the Clubman wagon in favor of the new Aceman EV.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.Senior 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

NHTSA has opened an investigation to determine whether EVs and hybrids dating back to 1997 should be required to emit the same audible pedestrian warning sounds that their more recent counterparts have.The federal safety agency previously passed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141, which requires that all 2020 model year and newer electric and hybrid vehicles under 10,000 pounds be equipped with a pedestrian warning sound.If NHTSA decides to pass a new requirement for older models, it could pose a logistical challenge, since an estimated 9.1 million vehicles could be on the list to be recalled for a retrofitted pedestrian warning. Among the ways in which they’re different from traditional internal-combustion-engined vehicles, electric cars and hybrids don’t sound the same. They are quiet—and that can pose a safety problem. There has been a law on the books for several years requiring new EVs and hybrids to be sold with a pedestrian warning sound onboard. Now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a new investigation to determine if EVs and hybrids dating back to 1997 should be required to possess the same audible warning sounds that newer vehicles do. The investigation is credited as starting from a petition from an individual, filed in July 2022. The complaining citizen asks for the new requirement and cites as backup that 2018 law (FMVSS 141) requiring EVs and hybrids under 10,000 pounds to be equipped with a pedestrian warning sound. The petition asserts that it’s wrong for hybrid and electric vehicles built earlier not to have to meet the same standard as the vehicles built later.More on NHTSAThe law was created as a protection for visually impaired and blind people who depend on auditory cues when crossing streets. NHTSA documents note that this concern dates back at least as far as 2010, with the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010, which became law in January 2011.NissanNHTSA estimates that there are more than nine million hybrid and electric vehicles that don’t have built-in audible alerts; all of them could conceivably be subject to a retrofit rule, which is likely to pose logistical challenges both to automakers and the owners of the older vehicles. Take the Takata airbag recall, where nearly 70 million airbags were required to be replaced for safety reasons. Honda and other automakers have spent years hunting down owners of older models to bring their vehicles in for new airbags. The logistical lift needed to track down each of more than nine million owners of hybrids and EVs dating back 26 years could be complicated and ultimately fall short of total completion. NHTSA declined to comment as the investigation is in progress.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 EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

Ford has filed a patent with the USPTO for systems and methods that aid in vehicle repossession, as first reported by The Drive.One of the systems described in the patent enables an autonomous vehicle to repossess itself.Other methods suggest limiting vehicle functions (A/C, power windows, power seats, etc.) and even locking delinquent owners out of their vehicles.Avoiding the repo man could get a lot harder in the future, specifically if vehicles can one day repossess themselves. With autonomous driving tech likely becoming more prevalent in the coming years, all it would take is an automaker to introduce a system where that new car, truck, or SUV parked in your driveway can drive itself away if you don’t pay. So far, none have. However, Ford could play spoiler based on a filling with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that details a self-repossessing system along with other repo-related repercussions. Ford first filed the patent with the USPTO back in 2021, but it wasn’t formally published until last Thursday—a discovery originally made by The Drive. Dude, Where’s My Ford?As we already mentioned, the most startling details described in the filing regard autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles that can repossess themselves. For vehicles equipped with the latter, they might simply move themselves a short distance to a location where they can be more easily towed. For vehicles with more advanced autonomous tech, they could drive themselves to the lending company or the repo lot. In situations where Ford’s repo system corresponds with the lender and determines the vehicle’s market value isn’t worth the cost of the repossession, it could drive itself straight to the junkyard. Yikes.Some of Ford’s other repo-related repercussions don’t go quite as far as making people watch their unmanned F-150 Lightning drive directly to the crusher at Uncle Tony’s Salvage. They also act as early warnings and workarounds for folks who own vehicles without autonomous technology or in cases where a vehicle is parked in a garage or otherwise unable to drive itself away or be accessed by a tow truck. They can be as simple, albeit infuriating, as disabling certain vehicle functions. At first, convenience features such as the the air-conditioning, cruise control, power seats, power windows, or the the radio might be deactivated. Another method is described as playing irritating and incessant sounds through the stereo system. We immediately thought of Jim Carrey’s “most annoying sound in the world” scene from Dumb and Dumber. After that, they could escalate to limiting functions to access or drive the vehicle. Essentially, Ford’s repo system could immobilize the car, truck, or SUV and even lock the owner out.Avoiding the Full RepoIt’s worth noting the filing extensively details steps that would be taken before an automated repossession occurs. For example, a series of messages would be sent between the lender and the owner with past-due payments, who would then have an allotted amount of time to respond accordingly. The filing also includes language acknowledging events such as being hospitalized or being out of the country. It’s mentioned that people with financial hardships might be able to work out a payment plan with their lender to avoid repo-related penalties.For now, all Ford’s patent filing confirms is that the company is at least kicking around the idea of self-repossessing vehicles. While it sounds plausible the more autonomous driving tech becomes better integrated and more common, we’d sooner expect to see vehicles be remotely repossessed by having features disabled or through immobilization. Then again, it’s hard to predict the future. 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.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 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

A Hyundai executive tasked with running the company’s N division has expressed interest in putting its stunning N Vision 74 concept into production, according to an interview with The Autopian. Till Wartenberg, Hyundai’s vice president of N brand management and motorsport, was quick to express his passion for the highly popular, wedge-shaped sports car concept. “My personal wish is to produce this vehicle,” Wartenberg told The Autopian. “It’s at first probably an investment, but if we could see this vehicle really out there and people buying it, I would be very happy.”As a refresher, the N Vision 74 was, without a doubt, the most impressive concept car of 2022. Inspired by a vintage coupe concept designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, it has a wedge shape reminiscent of a DeLorean DMC-12, albeit sportier and modernized. It gets its energy from a dual hydrogen fuel cell and battery EV drivetrain, and it makes 670 horsepower. It’s important to note that Wartenberg used his words carefully. Nowhere did he actually confirm the N Vision 74 for production or give a timeline for when Hyundai might confirm its existence outside the single example built. It’s simply a desire at this stage, not a real plan. Still, we’re happy to see Hyundai executives in control of decision-making are enthused about cars like the N Vision 74. That makes it all the more likely it will, at some point, be greenlit. We’ll just have to wait and see. Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing. More