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Sony and Honda are following up on their earlier announcement of an electric-vehicle partnership, saying the first EV from this deal will go on sale in the U.S. first and then in Japan.The two companies have now officially established Sony Honda Mobility, which has a stated mission to “move people through the pursuit of innovation with diverse inspirations.”U.S. customers will be able to order the cars online in early 2025 for spring 2026 delivery.Honda’s big electric-vehicle news week continues with a buzzword-filled announcement that the automaker and electronics giant Sony have officially established Sony Honda Mobility Inc. (SHM), which will become a software-oriented mobility tech company, to sell a new electric vehicle in the U.S. and Japan in the coming years. As Reuters pointed out, it’s very likely that some features will be subscription based, meaning owners will pay monthly fees to get some of the entertainment or tech choices available on the EV.SHM, which claims its purpose is to “move people through the pursuit of innovation with diverse inspirations,” will start taking pre-orders for its EV in the first half of 2025. The EV will go on sale by the end of that year, with a focus on online transactions. The first deliveries of SHM’s EV will take place in the U.S. in the spring of 2026 and in Japan in the second half of the year.Both companies are moving separately toward building EVs. Honda is fresh from showing off its latest zero-emission concept, the 2024 Prologue. Sony revealed a new EV concept called the Vision-S 02 at CES in January (that’s its interior in the photo above). Honda and Sony publicly joined forces in an EV effort in March 2022 with a memorandum of understanding that they would create a 50/50 strategic alliance for mobility. In June 2022, the companies signed a joint venture agreement that they would establish SHM. The new announcement said SHM will be “actively building partnerships with other companies” as it works on its new EV. Seeking Honda LoyalistsHonda has previously said it will rely on its loyal fans to stick with it as it shifts to electric vehicles. SHM said its target audience for the new EV will be similarly connected to the brand, even if they don’t own the car. Sony Honda Mobility did not provide any technical or design details about its first EV, but did say that the concept would be defined by 3 As, which are Autonomy, Augmentation, and Affinity. SHM chairman and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno told reporters the future EV would be priced at “a reasonable amount.”Understanding the FutureAdding some sort of autonomous technology to an EV launching in 2025 seems like table stakes at this point. To that end, SHM will develop Level 3 automated driving tech that works under “limited conditions” and will use Level 2+ driver-assistance features in situations, like urban driving, where the L3 tech can’t operate. SHM plans to use a system on a chip that’s capable of more than 800 tera operations per second (TOPS) to process these self-driving features. SHM is introducing something new when it comes to the augmentation and affinity aspects of this new EV. The early augmentation features build on tech available today, including cloud-based personalized information that will offer “entertainment beyond driving” that takes place in an “emotional space.” Again, details are sparse, but SHM is already talking about using “digital innovations such as the metaverse” as it adds augmentation to its electric vehicles. Finally, the affinity aspect expands the emotional side of the new SHM EV. Sony Honda Mobility said it wants to move not just your physical body, but your emotions, as well. The upcoming electric vehicle could one day use digital tools to bridge the driving experience with the metaverse, whatever that means.Potentially tying the SHM announcement to Honda’s big electric-vehicle plans in Ohio this week, SHM said it plans to manufacture its EV at a Honda factory in North America. Honda currently operates 12 vehicle and component plants in the U.S. and this week announced it is building a new production EV facility in Ohio with LG Energy Solution. The EV plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. 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. Sebastian 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. This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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

The Lucid Air electric sedan adds new and revised content via a series of free over-the-air software updates that are now rolling out.The new software is called Lucid UX 2.0 and introduces an instant-on feature, enhanced driver assists, reconfigured controls, and more.Owners will be prompted when to download and install each OTA update; Lucid says the entire process will span the “next several weeks.”Nowadays, many new vehicles allow over-the-air software updates, which are like gifts that keep on giving. Just when your car starts to feel stale—surprise!—a simple download can unlock new features and functionality. That type of fresh content is exactly what Lucid Air owners get with the latest OTA update called Lucid UX 2.0, which the company today announced is starting its initial rollout phase.Read All About It: Lucid AirWith Lucid UX 2.0, the Air learns a lot of new tricks. For example, as soon as the driver sits down and buckles their seatbelt, its myriad digital displays will now instantly turn on, indicating it’s ready to drive. The far-right touchscreen on the enormous display mounted on top of the dashboard also receives a revised layout with the controls for the most popular shortcut buttons—Home, Media, Navigation, and Phone—now positioned for easier access.Other notable improvements include navigation directions that now appear on the screen in front of the driver and a wider variety of voice commands that Amazon Alexa understands, such as adjusting the rear-seat climate controls. Lucid says it’s now easier to browse third-party apps thanks to improved functions like selecting favorites, playing media, and easier menu navigation. Drivers will also get a more accurate range prediction with the new software.Jessica Lynn Walker|Car and DriverThe software update also enhances the Air’s driver-assistance technology, adding what Lucid calls Highway Assist. The feature combines adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, which is something already offered on many other new cars but is useful nonetheless. Air drivers might be less prone to bump into stuff, too, with the new-and-improved visual cues for the parking sensors. The sedan’s fancy headlights are now trained to automatically switch from high to low beams in more situations, and they’ll also automatically level themselves. Dealing with a frosty climate? Well, the new de-ice mode is said to effectively clear the windshield. Lucid also says that the Air will automatically lock and unlock itself in a “simpler, more intuitive, and more responsive way”, but it doesn’t go into detail, so we’re not exactly sure how that process is actually improved.So, how much does the new software cost? It’s free.99—as in zero dollars. The Lucid UX 2.0 is also available on every Air that’s currently roaming the open road. Unfortunately, the over-the-air update won’t be complete overnight. While the company is now starting the first phase, it says the series of updates “will continue over the next several weeks” and that not all of them will be obvious right away. Meanwhile, all owners have to do is wait for a prompt to download and install each update. Bada bing bada boom! 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.Eric Stafford provides detailed car-buying advice by driving every vehicle on the market and analyzing test data and specifications. As a kid, he knew he’d never be a millionaire with a Jay Leno-like car collection, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist. After earning a college degree 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 in 2016.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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

One member of a GMC Hummer EV Facebook group announced they were quoted $4040 for a passenger-side taillight, not including the cost of labor. GM lists the price of a replacement taillight at $3045.48 for the part alone. Replacing a set including taxes and labor could be over $7000, depending on your state and dealership. GM confirmed the price to Car and Driver and explained that each taillight houses a microconductor to control animations and in turn, drives the price up.Expensive cars are expensive. We understand that. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t massively taken aback by astronomical repair bills. The GMC Hummer EV SUT, in all its oversize glory and with its bulked-up resale prices, became the most recent vehicle to leave us leaning against a wall with the world spinning around us. The issue? The cost of replacing even a single taillight. One rather unlucky owner in a Hummer EV Facebook group was quoted $4040 to purchase a single taillight—not including labor—as first reported by The Drive, which did the due diligence of finding GM’s list price for the part. As they noted, each individual light is priced at $3045.48. Factor in taxes, labor, and any other miscellaneous fees, and you are well on your way past the $6100 cost of parts. GM confirmed the price of the taillight to Car and Driver and explained the reason: each light has a microconductor in the housing that allows the individual lights to perform their respective animations. We also confirmed that should something go wrong, the taillights are covered for defects under warranty. Unfortunately, backing into the side of your garage would not be included.More on the Hummer EVGM recalled a tiny batch of 10 Hummer EVs in March for a software defect that specifically impacted the taillights of the truck, causing them to stay on or not work at all. Despite the nature of the recall being software, GM replaced the lamp assemblies.The 9640-pound behemoth of a truck may tower over everything short of an 18-wheeler, but should you find yourself in need of replacing a taillight, or worse two, that gets pricey. Maybe that doesn’t sound like an obstacle if you can afford to own a Hummer EV pickup, which starts at $86,645, with the Edition 1 (the only model delivered thus far) starting at $110,000. Some examples have gone for double or triple that price in online auctions. Still, we’ve never met anyone who couldn’t complain about the price of parts. 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.Jack Fitzgerald’s early obsession with cars lay dormant for years before he was reintroduced to Formula 1 at age 14. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world. He has managed to combine his loves of cars and writing by landing a job with Car and Driver. Jack loves anything with an accelerator and an engine but is partial to cars with three pedals.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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 is the final Lamborghini Aventador, an LP780-4 Ultimae Edition roadster finished in Azzuro Flake.It was delivered to a customer in Switzerland. Lamborghini originally planned to build 350 Ultimae coupes and 250 roadsters.This car rolled off the production line in July, Lamborghini says.Things didn’t exactly go according to plan for the final production run of the V-12–powered Lamborghini Aventador supercar. Lamborghini originally announced an exclusive Ultimae special edition to mark the end of the line, with 350 LP780-4 Ultimae coupes and 250 roadsters planned. But 15 of those cars were lost on the Felicity Ace cargo ship when it sunk earlier this year, meaning that some suppliers had to restart production in order to build replacements for those U.S. customers. The true final Aventador is the special Ultimae roadster you see here. It rolled off the production line in July, Lamborghini confirmed to C/D, and has now been delivered to a customer in Switzerland.Finished in a color called Azzuro Flake, this particular Aventador was part of Lamborghini’s Ad Personam customization program and is meant to be an homage to a one-off Miura P400 roadster shown at the Brussels motor show in 1968. The Aventador’s white leather interior also matches the Miura’s, as do its silver wheels and black trim pieces. There are also special Miura badges inside, on the dashboard and the side sills.LamborghiniMore on LamborghiniThe Aventador Ultimae LP780-4 is powered by a 6.5-liter V-12 engine with 769 horsepower. All-wheel drive is standard, and the transmission is a seven-speed single-clutch unit. With its naturally aspirated engine and lack of hybrid assistance, it’s likely to be the last of its kind, as the Aventador’s replacement is rumored to be a plug-in hybrid.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.Joey Capparella cultivated an unhealthy obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville and his college years at Rice University, which led to a professional auto-writing career that began when he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2013. He joined the Car and Driver team in 2016 and has a soft spot for 1990s Japanese economy cars.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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