News

Adding a permanent, connected device to your car might have some upsides. It also introduces a new way for hackers to track you or collect personal information, as first reported by Vice.A group of cybersecurity researchers recently published a report on various weaknesses they’ve discovered in connected cars. The hackers found ways to precisely locate cars from major OEMs, including customer names, phone numbers, email addresses, and loan statuses.For Reviver’s RPlates, the hackers discovered they could change the message the plates displayed and, yes, track the cars. The vulnerability has been fixed.Well, that didn’t take long. The California DMV approved new digital license plates from Reviver in October, and now we’ve learned how vulnerable they could be to outside hacking attacks.One More Thing That’s DigitalReviver, the only company that offers digital license plates, points out that they provide some technical benefits over traditional metal plates, like automatic tag renewals and the ability to change what they say to things like STOLEN in case the car it’s attached to is, well, stolen. But there have always been downsides, including higher cost and added complexity.Last week, as Vice reported, a group of cybersecurity researchers interested in finding access points to connected vehicles announced they had found vulnerabilities in several brands and services. This included the ability to locate and track vehicles from multiple brands, including Kia, Honda, Infiniti, Nissan, Acura, Hyundai, and Genesis. They could also find personal details on customers of many brands, including the loan status of Toyota customers, according to the published report.When it came to a connected vehicle network called Spireon that is mainly involved with fleet-management applications, the hackers said they “had access to everything.” For Reviver, the team accessed the network without too much apparent hassle.The cybersecurity researchers published the details of how they gained access to Reviver’s back end, which involved viewing how the app and other online services behaved during a password reset request. People with more understanding of lines of code can see the details here. ReviverOnce inside Reviver’s network, the researchers had “full super administrative access” to all user accounts and vehicles for all Reviver-connected vehicles. This would have allowed them to track the physical location of these plates, change the plate to say whatever they wanted, and access all user records, “including what vehicles people owned, their physical address, phone number, and email address.”Officially, Reviver admits that the customer data it collects might be vulnerable to outside actors. “We have adopted reasonable and appropriate security procedures to help protect against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access to the information you provide to us,” the company said on its website. “Please note, however, that no data transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your information and privacy, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you disclose or transmit to the services.”Reviver Responded QuicklyThings appear to be solved, for now. The cybersecurity researchers said they reported the vulnerability to Reviver, and it was quickly patched. Still, had these white-hat hackers not been trying to fix problems, they had the power to “remotely update, track, or delete anyone’s Reviver plate.” The researchers said they “could additionally access any dealer (e.g., Mercedes-Benz dealerships will package Reviver plates) and update the default image used by the dealer when the newly purchased vehicle still had Dealer tags.” They also gained full access to Reviver’s fleet management functionality.In a statement, Reviver told Car and Driver it met with a member of the cybersecurity research team after being informed of the potential application vulnerability. After the meeting, Reviver not only patched its application in under 24 hours, it also “took further measures to prevent this from occurring in the future.” Reviver said no customer information was affected. “As part of our commitment to data security and privacy, we also used this opportunity to identify and implement additional safeguards to supplement our existing, significant protections,” the company said. “Cybersecurity is central to our mission to modernize the driving experience and we will continue to work with industry-leading professionals, tools, and systems to build and monitor our secure platforms for connected vehicles.”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.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. More

Chevrolet has released the first official teaser for the 2024 Corvette E-Ray.This hybrid version of the C8 Corvette will have all-wheel drive.It debuts next week, on January 17.The latest version of the C8 Corvette will break ground in many ways. It’s a hybrid and features all-wheel drive, both firsts for any production Corvette, and we now know it will make its official debut January 17, thanks to this official teaser video that shows a blue E-Ray driving through snowy conditions.The E-Ray had leaked previously on Chevy’s configurator tool, which gave us a glimpse at its widebody appearance shared with the Z06. We also saw “ERAY” badges and a button inside suggesting adjustable regenerative braking. This teaser video also shows a new function called Stealth mode, which we figure is a way of keeping the car in electric mode to minimize the sound of the V-8 gasoline engine.More on the E-RayWe’ll learn lots more about the E-Ray soon enough, as it will make its debut next week. We expect it to go on sale sometime later this year as a 2024 model. Check back here for full coverage of this exciting new version of the mid-engine Corvette.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.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. More

Porsche unveiled the off-road-focused 911 Dakar last fall; now the company is showing off three wraps that owners can have added to the special 911.Each focuses on emulating a different rally car that raced in the East African Safari Rally in the 1970s, with the red and blue wavy look of the Rallye 1978 package catching our eye the most.All three wraps can be ordered from the factory through the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur program. The Porsche 911 model range is already incredibly complex, with more than two dozen variants ranging from comfy grand tourers to hard-core track tools. But late last year the German automaker added yet another version to the 911 lineup, the limited-production Dakar. Now Porsche is showing off three exclusive wraps that lucky owners can spec their 911 Dakar in to emulate the race cars that competed in the 1971, 1974, and 1978 editions of the East African Safari Rally.Porsche1971: Zasada/Bień The first package, which bears the number 19, recalls the 911 piloted by Polish drivers Sobiesław Zasada and Marian Bień to fifth place over 3100 miles of Kenyan wilderness in the 1971 rally. Mimicking the original race car, the Rallye 1971 wrap adds a black hood, black fender flares, and a few other period-accurate graphics for $5260.Porsche1974: Waldegård/Thorszelius The Rallye 1974 decal set also goes for $5260. It is a tribute to the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS that Swedish rally champion Björn Waldegård and co-driver Hans Thorszelius brought home in second place, after leading most of the 1255-mile 1974 trek that saw only 16 of the 99 starters finish. This package brings a pair of blue stripes along the beltline of the car, along with other motorsports-inspired decals.PorscheMore on Off-Road 911s1978: Waldegård Is BackThe last decal set honors the 1978 running, which saw Waldegård return to Kenya in a 911 SC Group 4 car, although the driver had to settle for fourth place while two South Africans, Vic Preston, Jr., and John Lyall, took another 911 to second place. The Rallye 1978 wrap features the iconic look seen on the original race cars, with red and blue waves cascading over the bodywork and the number 14 emblazoned on the doors. This package will cost 911 Dakar owners $7510, and all of the decal sets will be available from the factory via the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur program. 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.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. More

Mazda’s European branch announced this morning that the rotary engine will return on the 2023 MX-30 R-EV, set to be revealed on Friday, January 13.The company also unveiled a new logo featuring a lowercase “e” inside a triangle that mimics the shape of a rotary engine.The new powertrain should bring added utility to the MX-30, previously sold as an EV in the U.S. with a disappointing 100 miles of EPA-estimated range.Despite a stylish exterior and Mazda’s typical athletic handling, the company’s first electric vehicle, the 2022 MX-30, fell short on the key attributes of a successful EV. The $34,000 crossover returned a mere 100 miles of EPA range and an even more paltry 70 miles on our highway range test, and trudged to 60 mph in a 8.7 seconds. But the MX-30 will soon be rejuvenated, becoming a plug-in hybrid as the rotary engine returns to Mazda’s lineup for the first time since 2012. MazdaDetails are still scarce, but Mazda in Europe announced this morning that the updated crossover, set to be called the MX-30 R-EV, will be revealed in full on January 13. The automaker also showed off a new logo that will presumably adorn the plug-in hybrid, featuring a lowercase “e” inside a triangle that represents the shape of a rotary engine.More Mazda NewsComing to U.S.?While the MX-30 had been sold in the United States purely as an EV, a mild hybrid version with Mazda’s Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter inline-four was offered in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Mazda’s U.S. division has yet to mention the MX-30 R-EV, but we expect the plug-in hybrid version to arrive in the United States for the 2023 model year and sales will likely expand beyond California, where the all-electric MX-30 had been limited to. More details on U.S. availability should arrive after the rotary-engined crossover is revealed this Friday. 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.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. 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.Hennessey is releasing a lighter, track-focused version of its hypercar that is still road legal. Power is unchanged at 1817 horsepower from the twin-turbo 6.6-liter V-8.The Revolution will be priced from $2.7 million, and just 24 will be built.While the Hennessey Venom F5 has yet to deliver on John Hennessey’s promise it will prove itself the fastest production car in the world, that hasn’t stopped the Texas company from creating an even harder-core version. According to Hennessey, the F5 Venom is more track focused than the regular version, but it will still be street legal. Texas-Size AmbitionsAlthough Hennessey hasn’t made any top-speed claims for the Revolution, it will almost certainly be slower than the existing F5, which John Hennessey previously told C/D is targeting a top speed of over 311 mph (that’s 500 km/h in metric). That’s because the Revolution is carrying substantial aerodynamic modifications, with these claimed to substantially increase its peak downforce abilities. The new adjustable rear wing, with patriotic stars-and-stripes endplates, is claimed to be capable of making more than 800 pounds of positive aero assistance at 186 mph, and over 1400 pounds at 249 mph. When Hennessey first showed the F5 in 2020, it promised a track pack with a raised rear wing would follow, and the Revolution seems to be that. Although the company hasn’t released any claims for total downforce, the fact that the Revolution has substantially large diffusers front and rear suggests the combined figure will be even more impressive. There are also dive-plane elements on the front bumper to help move the aerodynamic balance forward, which sounds exciting.Power hasn’t increased over the regular F5 Venom coupe or the Roadster version that was announced last year. But it probably doesn’t need to; a peak 1817 hp sounds like plenty, even in these inflated times. The Revolution will use the same mid-mounted 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged pushrod V-8 as other F5s, with the engine making its power peak at 8200 rpm and accompanying it with a maximum 1193 pound-feet of torque at 5500 rpm. Power will reach the rear wheels through an automated single-clutch transmission and a limited-slip differential.Mass has been trimmed from the other side of the scale, with the F5 Revolution’s carbon structure claimed to be lighter than the already svelte F5. Hennessey promises that it will weigh less than 3000 pounds, 50 pounds less than it claims for the existing car. That’s despite the arrival of a new high-level engine air intake that sits above the roof. Suspension settings are also promised to be more aggressive and designed for hard track use.Just 24 of the F5 Revolution will be produced, with prices running from $2.7 million. That’s a figure that will likely make anybody who paid the $2.1 million that was asked for the regular F5 Venom feel like they nabbed a bargain. Or possibly that they should have waited a little longer for one of these. 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. More