Autos

Many people are wary of touchscreens nowadays, and Jaguar Land Rover has a solution we hope we’ll see sooner rather than later in the company’s sedans and SUVs. In partnership with the University of Cambridge, the automaker has developed a contactless touchscreen, which aims to reduce the spread of viruses and minimize driver distraction. The technology, which is now patented, uses artificial intelligence and sensors to predict a user’s target on the touchscreen, eliminating the need to physically touch the screen. Sensors can track gestures and eye gaze to find out what a user is looking for, speeding up the interaction. The automaker envisions predictive touch controlling everything from temperature to entertainment settings and navigation. Driving over bumpy roads can ...

Tesla’s Autopilot, as well as other driver-assist tech from competing automakers, tends to divide the automotive-minded. Folks either view it as a feature that lulls drivers into a false sense of security or as the best thing since the dawn of the car. We, however, feel there’s a middle-ground that both acknowledges some drivers’ overreliance on such technologies while also acknowledging these features make the act of driving on freeways, and other boring stretches of road, a lot more palatable. That’s why we welcome and also note the potential shortcomings of Tesla’s latest update to Autopilot’s beta- phase Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control feature in its v10.2 (2020.24.6.9) software update. As of now, Teslas running this software “no longe...

Going on two years since Ram introduced its latest 1500 pickup, the truckmaker will continue to offer the old 1500 to customers alongside the more modern one, according to Cars Direct. The Ram 1500 Classic will live to see the 2021 model year, when it will once again serve as the Ram’s low-cost model and erstwhile competitor (at least in terms of price) to the midsize pickups sold by Chevy, Ford, and Toyota. The previous-generation 1500 Classic does more than just fill in for the midsize truck Ram doesn’t sell, however. It’s the only current Ram pickup variant offered with a regular cab—the new 1500 is only available in four-door Quad and larger Crew Cab arrangements—and therefore also doubles as the 1500 family’s low-cost, commercial-grade option in base Tradesman ...

While General Motors has yet to announce what other “-iq” names it has in store for Cadillac, the company recently registered the Optiq and Symboliq (as well as Cadillac Optiq and Cadillac Symboliq) marks with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property. Admittedly, it’s possible General Motors merely applied for these trademarks to ensure no other company did, and the American automaker has no actual plans to apply the names to future Cadillac models. See all 35 photos Given Cadillac’s claimed commitment to its new naming structure, though, it’s far more likely the Optiq and Symboliq marks will adorn forthcoming vehicles from the brand. If the Lyriq and Celestiq are any indication of what’s to come from Cadillac, then the Optiq and Symboliq may...

Back in March, BMW said it would present a small number of X5 models powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology in 2022. That plan is still on track, according to a new report from Bloomberg, and BMW CEO Oliver Zipse says hydrogen tech “could have the potential to become another pillar in the portfolio of BMW.” Dubbed the BMW i Hydrogen Next, the midsize SUV will feature a 170-hp fuel cell system as well as the eDrive unit from the BMW iX3. Total system output is expected at 374 hp, according to early powertrain details released in March. As a hydrogen vehicle, the SUV will emit nothing but water vapor, and refueling should take around three to four minutes. Locating a convenient hydrogen fueling station, however, may remain a challenge. Germany recently presented a plan to bolst...

If you watch Roadkill’s Junkyard Gold, the Barrett-Jackson live auctions, or have been to any of Dodge’s SRT clinics at Mopar events across the country, you may recognize Steve Magnante as the on-camera expert on all things muscle cars and performance. Magnante eats, breathes, and sleeps everything related to muscle cars, and if you ask him, he’ll tell you he’s never met a muscle car he didn’t like! He has been poking around junkyards all his life, but what you may not know about “Magneto”—as his friends call him—is that long before he stepped in front of a camera, he spent decades behind one. For a solid two decades, Magnante crawled through junkyards from coast to coast with a camera, documenting what he has found for many magazines over the year...

Once again sold in hatchback and sedan forms (the latter of which dons the G4 mark), the 2021 Mirage welcomes a fresh face that incorporates the latest Mitsubishi styling cues. While the Japanese automaker’s United States arm is mum on details about the updated car, Mitsubishi’s Canadian division notes the reworked Mirage includes items such as LED headlamps and taillamps (likely restricted to higher-end models), a 7.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility (0.5 inch larger than the current Mirage’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto-compatible unit), and additional safety kit, including newly available features such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a lane-departure warning system, and automatic high-beam headlamps....

The Hyundai Kona is a funky, sportyish entrant in the oftentimes bland and underpowered subcompact crossover SUV segment. Its headlights are seemingly in the wrong place, Hyundai offers fun paint colors for it, and it even offers a punchy turbo engine option. For the new model year, the subcompact Kona adds a sleek-looking special edition to its ranks: The 2021 Hyundai Kona Night Edition. As its name suggests, the Night Edition features a blacked-out exterior and other dark and brooding cosmetic upgrades, per a seeming unspoken industry playbook for blacked-out trim packages, which are beginning to feel pretty played out by now. Go ahead, name a mainstream automaker that doesn’t offer some variation on the “night,” “midnight,” “shadow,” and [insert...

The S, for those unaware, denotes the extra sportiness Audi baked into the model. That means bigger brakes, a sportier suspension, and more power. There are now three electric motors on board—two at the rear and one in front—instead of one at each axle, as in the normal E-Tron. Audi claims that the E-Tron S can make up to 718 lb-ft of torque in Boost mode. This is way up from the normal E-Tron’s 490 lb-ft (also produced in Boost mode). The E-Tron S uses the same 95-kWh battery pack available in the standard model, but the sportier model’s driving range takes a slight hit. The normal E-Tron goes an estimated 248 miles on a full charge on Europe’s optimistic WLTP test cycle, but the E-Tron S only manages approximately 223 miles on the same cycle. The Sportback model sees a ...