News

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

We have our first look at the interior of the Chinese Buick Electra E5, as first reported by InsideEVs. The most notable feature is the huge 30-inch curved OLED display mounted on the Electra E5’s dashboard.While the E5 is for China, Buick has confirmed the brand’s first electric SUV will use the Electra name and debut in 2024.When the 2025 Buick Electra E5 comes to America, we expect the brand’s first electric SUV to have a humongous dashboard-mounted OLED screen. At least that’s what it looks like based on interior images that Buick today revealed on its Chinese website, which was discovered by InsideEVs.Big Ol’ OLED ScreenBuick is entering a new era, introducing a revised tri-shield logo and fresh design language, which made their U.S. debut on the 2024 Buick Encore GX. That facelifted model also adopted a large glass panel with dual displays on its dash, setting the stage for other Buicks to do the same. While the Encore GX’s screen will no doubt appease tech-obsessed shoppers, the unit found in the Chinese Electra E5 is more akin to the Cadillac Escalade’s dazzling 38-inch curved OLED display.Although it’s not quite as big as the one in the Caddy, the Electra E5 features a sizable 30-inch curved OLED screen with an impressive 6K resolution; Buick says it can smoothly reflect 1 billion colors. Of course, the E5 also has 5G technology and allows over-the-air OTA updates. Other notable, albeit expected, infotainment features include wireless Apple CarPlay (and likely wireless Android Auto) as well as wireless phone charging. Buick says it has improved voice-recognition software and provides users with myriad configurable settings.Buick Upping Its Luxury Game?We rarely accuse Buick models of missing luxury features, rather we often observe that GM’s tweener brand appears to compromise its interior quality through excessive use of also-ran materials found in mainstream alternatives. The Electra E5 that’s destined for China definitely has high-end content, such as a 12.6-inch color head-up display and ambient interior lighting with 121 color options. However, based solely on the new images we’ve seen, it appears Buick could be upping its game in the luxury arena.While hard-looking plastics still remain below the E5’s beltline, there appears to be upscale brightwork on the floating center console, the doors, and the dash. The other materials on the latter two surfaces also look attractive. If nothing else, the seats appear to be very comfortable, especially their “floating” headrests.It’s obviously too soon to tell how luxurious the Buick Electra E5 will be and how close the American version will be to its Chinese counterpart. Still, based on the images we’ve seen and the information we’ve learned today, the U.S.-bound Electra could help move Buick upmarket when it reaches our shores sometime in 2024—likely as a 2025 model.Extra Buick Elantra CoverageThis 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

Ford has released pricing for the 2024 Mustang, which starts at $32,515 and ranges up to $59,565 for the Dark Horse performance model.The V-8–powered GT is $43,090, a $3370 increase from last year’s equivalent model.Ford says the 2024 models will start arriving at dealerships this summer.Ford can easily claim that the 2024 Mustang is the newest pony car on the block, but you’ll pay a pretty penny for the updated model compared with its aging crosstown rival, the Chevy Camaro. As first reported by our colleagues at Road & Track, the 2024 Mustang will get a price bump, with the base EcoBoost model starting at $32,515, the V-8 GT starting at $43,090, and the new 500-hp Dark Horse performance model starting at $59,565.The 2023 Camaro, meanwhile, starts at well under $30,000 for a base four-cylinder model and can be had with a V-8 for under $38,000. The comparison with the Camaro’s 1LE track-oriented performance model is even more unflattering for the Ford, as the 1SS 1LE starts more than $11,000 cheaper than the Dark Horse; even when looking at the better-equipped 2SS 1LE, the difference is still more than $6000. To be fair, the Ford does have more power, as its revised 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 now makes 500 horsepower and 418 pound-feet of torque to the Camaro’s 6.2-liter V-8’s 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque. We look forward to pitting the two against each other as soon as we can get our hands on a Dark Horse.View Photos2024 Mustang Dark HorseMichael Simari|Car and DriverThese Mustang prices are all up a few thousand dollars compared with last year, although the lineup has shifted somewhat so that the base prices aren’t equivalent. The 315-hp EcoBoost model, for instance, now comes standard with the previously optional 10-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual is only available on the V-8 cars.More on the MustangBoth the EcoBoost and the GT are available in a Premium trim level that adds extra equipment. It costs $5525 more for the EcoBoost and $4520 more for the GT. The convertible is only offered with the Premium trim, meaning an EcoBoost convertible starts at $43,540 and a GT convertible starts at $53,110.Ford says that 2024 Mustang models will be arriving at U.S. dealerships starting this summer.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

Nissan is recalling 712,458 of its 2014–2020 Rogue and 2017–2022 Rogue Sport (pictured above) SUVs in the U.S. to fix a problem with the ignition key.The problem affects only the S trim level, which has a “jackknife style” key that could collapse and cause the vehicle to shut off during driving.Owners are being told to use the key fob without any attached accessories and only use the key unfolded until a recall, with first notifications set to go out to owners on March 17.Nissan has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is recalling 712,458 Rogue and Rogue Sport SUVs in the United States over a problem with the ignition key. The key is a “jackknife” design that can collapse while the vehicle is moving, potentially causing it to shut off, Nissan’s filing states. The issue is exclusive to the base S level of the Rogue and Rogue Sport SUVs and involves 517,472 Rogue and 194,986 Rogue Sport models in the U.S. Other trim levels and Rogues produced more recently have an Intelligent Key, and the jackknife-style key is no longer being used, according to Nissan. No other Nissan or Infiniti models are affected.2019 Nissan Rogue.NissanThe recall report says this key’s internal pivot that allows it to fold may weaken over time, allowing the key fob to unlock and rotate downward. This could allow the driver’s hand to contact the key and accidentally shut off the vehicle.Nissan advises owners to avoid attaching anything to the key fob and to use the key in the non-folding position. Dealers and rental fleets will be instructed on a way to insert a fastener into the key slot to keep the key from folding. Once Nissan has provided the fix to dealers, they will insert a spacer into the key slot of owners’ key fobs so that the key can no longer collapse. Nissan has issued a “stop sale” order, meaning that dealers cannot sell, lease, trade, rent, or loan any affected vehicles in their inventory until the fix is applied.Rogue and Rogue Sport owners can check the NHTSA recalls site for more information or to find out if their vehicle is included in the recall. Recent RecallsDigital DirectorLaura Sky Brown has been involved in automotive media for a very long time, and she sees it as her calling to guard the legacy and help ensure the continued high quality of Car and Driver. She was one of the first staffers at Automobile Magazine in the ’80s and has worked for many other car magazines and websites as a writer, editor, and copy editor ever since. It has been her privilege to edit many of the greats of automotive journalism over the years, including the ones who currently write for C/D. More

The Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer previews the hybrid powertrains set to arrive for the 2024 IndyCar season.The IndyCar twin-turbo V-6 is accompanied by an electric motor and a supercapacitor—a component previously seen in the Lamborghini Sián—to combine for approximately 800 horsepower.The CR-V Hybrid Racer will make its in-person debut at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this weekend before touring the other tracks on the 2023 IndyCar schedule.At heart, Honda is an engineering company, as it likes to remind us in commercials showing off its diverse product lineup from cars to outboard motors to airplanes. The automaker also has a long history in motorsports and currently supplies engines to five teams in IndyCar, which will introduce hybrid power units for the 2024 season. To prepare for IndyCar’s electrification, Honda let its engineers go wild to create the CR-V Hybrid Racer, described by Honda as a “rolling laboratory” that provides a “sneak preview” of the next era of IndyCar racing.The CR-V Hybrid Racer may resemble a regular CR-V, which is Honda’s most popular vehicle, but underneath the family-car shape lies a tube-frame chassis and a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 2.2-liter V-6 out of an IndyCar. The V-6 runs on a 100 percent renewable race fuel developed by Shell for the 2023 IndyCar season, which consists of ethanol derived from sugarcane waste and other biofuels. That engine is paired with an Xtrac six-speed paddle shift gearbox and a unique hybrid system composed of an electric motor developed by Empel and a supercapacitor from Skeleton Technologies. While supercapacitors cannot store as much as energy for as long as traditional batteries, they are efficient and can dispense lots of energy incredibly quickly, making it ideal for performance vehicles. The only production vehicle to use a supercapacitor was the limited-edition 2021 Lamborghini Sián. In a media roundtable, David Salters, president and technical director for Honda Performance Development, said that the system produces around 800 horsepower. Salters also explained the company was focusing on investigating new technologies, and emphasized good supercapacitors are a smart choice for delivering lots of power. The system can be used in a variety of ways, including a “push-to-pass” boost, regeneration under braking, filling in for the gas engine while lifting and coasting, and improving drivability by smoothing out turbo response. The CR-V Hybrid Racer’s rear suspension and brakes are adapted from the Dallara-built IndyCar, while the front suspension and brakes were borrowed from an Acura NSX GT-3 Evo22. The dynamic SUV concept rides on Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 summer tires measuring 285/35 up front and 305/35 at the rear, wrapped around 20-inch wheels. Honda says the CR-V Hybrid Racer’s dramatic looks were inspired by the Group B rally cars of the 1980s, and while the windshield and greenhouse are standard CR-V parts, the lower bodywork, which includes beefy fender flares, is custom-designed from carbon fiber. The vehicle features extreme aerodynamics, with a gigantic rear wing, a sharp front splitter, and sporty side skirts. Half-size butterfly doors provide access to the stripped-out interior.More Honda NewsThe Hybrid Racer also has a vivid, eye-catching wrap with a cross-section design that hints at elements of the IndyCar powertrain and also includes outlines of some of the tracks IndyCar competes at. The CR-V Hybrid Racer will debut at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this weekend, and it will make on-track demonstrations at several IndyCar events this year. Hopefully the CR-V Hybrid Racer inspired Honda to build a sportier CR-V for the road, possibly bearing the Si or Type-R moniker.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