Top Automotive News & Stories: September 10-16.
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Every week we collect the best announcements and events from the world of cars. Here are the unmissable topics from September 10th to 16th.
Spy prototype mid-engined Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is one of America's most famous sports cars, with world-class performance that belies its price. Corvette has always stuck to the classic front-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout found in so many great cars. However, new spy photos show the long-rumored mid-engined Corvette is nearing production.
The grainy photos were taken at Chevrolet's development center and show a heavily camouflaged coupe being tested. While it's hard to see much detail under the camouflage, it's clearly a low-slung, mid-engined car with hints of Corvette design. These photos lead us to believe that the new Corvette could be introduced as early as 2019.
The mid-engined layout is arguably the best for a sports car because it promotes balance and response. While it's unclear if it will replace the front-engined Corvette or be offered as a more performance-oriented, higher-end version, we can expect Chevrolet to introduce something significant soon.
Autoweek has a complete photo gallery.
2017 Chevrolet Bolt Launched With 238 Miles Electric Range
Perhaps the biggest hesitations car buyers face when switching to an electric car is related to the range anxiety, i.e. that it is more difficult to charge an electric car on a long trip than it is to fill up with a gas car. So every mile of electric car range counts, and Chevrolet has solved the range problems with its new Bolt.
The car has been officially rated with an electric range of 238 miles, which is close to the range of some gasoline-powered cars. What's more, the Bolt has more electric range than the long-awaited Tesla Model 3 sedan.
It's a cool looking and very functional little car with a large hatchback style boot and capacity for five passengers. While pricing has not been officially announced, the Bolt will be a serious choice for drivers considering going petrol-free.
(Green Car Reports has more details)
Smart car hacks from Ford
Automotive technology today seems to be focused on autonomous and alternative fuel vehicles, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for innovation in other areas. Ford recently unveiled some cool driving improvement ideas as part of its Next with Ford program.
Phone Like Car allows the passenger to control the car's audio, heating and cooling, and entertainment features through their phone. There is also a translation function, which the creator of the system considers useful for taxi passengers in foreign countries.
The Carr-E is a small, round hoverboard-like device that is stored in the trunk of a car. The idea is that the driver arrives at their destination and then turns around a Carr-E that they can ride to go faster or sets up their belongings so they don't have to carry them. This is a convenient way to make moving from place to place easier.
Perhaps the most unique idea is the On-The-Go H2O system, which collects condensation water from their air conditioner, then filters it and stores it in a tank under the car. When the driver is thirsty, he can simply put a cup on the faucet and pour water over the car. The creator of the system also sees this as a way for people in developing countries to have easier access to a source of fresh water.
These ideas show that there will always be room for innovation when it comes to cars. Interviews with the creators of these ideas can be found on Autoblog.
Accidentally showed the new Toyota Camry?
The Toyota Camry is one of the best-selling cars in America, and the current generation has the most aggressive car styling. However, a new photo indicates that the next generation Camry is on the way and could push the car's sporty design even further.
Toyota has been promoting the Camry in NASCAR for several years now, and a photo from a recent event showed next year's Camry race car on stage. The car is clearly styled differently from the current version, so it's supposed to be applied to the Camry we see on the road every day.
The Camry is still focusing on reliability and affordability over racing performance, but perhaps hundreds of thousands of car buyers will appreciate a fresh dose of styling in the upcoming version.
Carscoops has more information on the NASCAR Camry.
Major restructuring of Apple's automotive project
It's no secret that Apple has been working on a car project for several years, but it's still not clear exactly what form their efforts will take. We may have to wait even longer to find out for sure, as new reports indicate that their "Project Titan" automotive department has undergone major changes.
Apparently, Apple laid off dozens of employees and closed the divisions associated with Project Titan. Mysterious car prototypes have been spotted near Apple's campus over the past few years, and reports differ whether they're working on a patented electric car or some kind of connected car technology platform, but these recent changes show the project is struggling. No one outside of Apple knows the truth about Project Titan, and there seems to be uncertainty within the company as well.
Regardless, we'll all have to wait a bit before we hear anything official about Project Titan from the tech giant. In the meantime, read the New York Times report.
Memories of the week
A small number of 2016 Toyota Prius are being recalled for repairing airbags that can deploy without cause or warning. The problem is a defective weld in the airbag inflator, which can cause the gas to leak and deploy the passenger's airbag. Although so far the only reported incidents have occurred when the car was parked and no one was around, it would be really scary if the airbag suddenly deployed while the car was moving. Luckily, only about 7,600 Prius vehicles were affected, and the recall should officially begin in November.
Hyundai is recalling about 41,000 Tucson crossovers due to transmission problems. The EcoShift Dual Clutch Transmission is equipped with sensors to help shift gears, but these sensors can fail when the outside temperature gets too high. The result is hesitation when the driver presses the pedal, meaning the car won't respond as it should. There have been no reports of accidents or injuries, and Hyundai dealerships are reprogramming the transmission module to fix the sensors.
The big recall news this week concerns the Fiat Chrysler group, which is recalling 1.9 million of its vehicles across multiple brands. The recall concerns faulty crash sensors that monitor the deployment of the airbags, which could cause the airbags to not deploy in the event of a crash. Fiat Chrysler did not give details on the cause of the problem, but it is very important to any Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep owner who would prefer their airbags to function properly. The start date for the recall has not been announced.
For more information on these and other reviews, visit CarComplaints.
