Random Car News Thread

[takemorepills]

I agree, nothing is better than old fashioned look left right and left again….but the insurance companies don’t see it that way.
They will charge more to insure a car without said features, that’s a fact

Not according to my insurance company.

Those features can cause a minor incident to become very expensive, as all of these sensors and LED exterior lighting is extremely expensive to replace. A minor "bump" can take out $2,500 in headlights, $2,000 in taillights, a $900 mirror could get whacked (I didn't even account for labor and other repairs associated), expensive sensors in the front grille can get hit by an errant tire and not only require replacement but dealership only calibration.
Many cars have special windshields now that just replacing a windshield required a trip to the dealership to recalibrate the sensors (rain sensor for auto wiper and/or self driving camera).

We've been fooled. Manufacturers are making vehicles ever more disposable. As if 8 airbags going off isn't expensive enough, they figured out how to make the vehicles even more expensive to repair, even in minor accident

 

[West Aussie]

Not according to my insurance company.

Those features can cause a minor incident to become very expensive, as all of these sensors and LED exterior lighting is extremely expensive to replace. A minor "bump" can take out $2,500 in headlights, $2,000 in taillights, a $900 mirror could get whacked (I didn't even account for labor and other repairs associated), expensive sensors in the front grille can get hit by an errant tire and not only require replacement but dealership only calibration.
Many cars have special windshields now that just replacing a windshield required a trip to the dealership to recalibrate the sensors (rain sensor for auto wiper and/or self driving camera).

We've been fooled. Manufacturers are making vehicles ever more disposable. As if 8 airbags going off isn't expensive enough, they figured out how to make the vehicles even more expensive to repair, even in minor accident

All I can tell you is in Aus the safety rating makes a difference ….it can be big.
For clarification, the lower your safety rating is the higher your insurance is

 

[fliplover]

Those options are super sketchy.
My wife has a new Toyota with all that crap. It's not even 90% reliable, makes mistakes, misses close calls, fails to brake sometimes.

I only use the driver's aids as either a "second set of eyes" when backing up or changing lanes, but I still look over my shoulder or behind me. I also like the self-driving function for when I need to sneak a quick look at my phone.
Otherwise, I don't miss that tech at all on my own older vehicles.
In fact, my insurance agent said that the cost to insure my son (soon to be new driver) would still be cheaper in my Titan or Q60 as the driving aids on our Toyota don't offset the inherent safety and lower replacement/repair costs (Q60 still worth the same as the new Toyota).
Fancy tech costs big money.
Our new Toyota has sensors in the grille and both side mirrors, and each LED headlight is $1200 to replace. Even a minor fender-bender could cost 2x more in her Toyota than my Q60 because there's too many exposed fancy bits.

While I don't think I need those options, my wife works a 12 hour graveyard shift. Driving home tired in the morning she's had a few times where the lane assist or auto braking have helped her out. I won't let her drive another car without them, no matter how much it costs to repair if an accident happens.

 

[2017370ZBlack]

^ And unfortunately much of that will be true of the Z.

The Z has the usual current Nissan safety tech, but it isn't overboard.

 

[Denver the Last Dinosaur]

Nissan is dropping the Datsun brand name, again ...

​

Nissan signals the end of the road for Datsun cars​

Car maker Nissan is to stop producing vehicles under the Datsun name, which has a more than century-long history.​

​

It was one of the brands that helped Japan's carmakers become established globally after the Second World War.​

Despite selling millions of cars around the world, the Datsun name was phased out in the 1980s.​

​

The company revived the brand three decades later, describing the new range of vehicles as "an important part of Nissan's DNA".​

​

On Monday, Nissan spokesperson Azusa Momose told the BBC that the firm will continue to sell its stock of Datsun cars and provide aftersales services to their owners.​

​

"We can reassure all existing and future Datsun owners that customer satisfaction remains our priority," she added.​

​

[Continues at BBC.com with a brief Datsun history overview]​

 

[supraboi]

 

[ZDreamer]

is that CNG?

 

[LeatherWings]

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39813141/corvette-ev-confirmed/

 

[Denver the Last Dinosaur]

TVR Announces All-Electric Griffith Based On The V8 Griffith We're Still Waiting For​

The British sports car maker promises an EV version of the sports car first announced in 2017​

Jalopnik.com​

 

[DevonK]

TVR Announces All-Electric Griffith Based On The V8 Griffith We're Still Waiting For​

The British sports car maker promises an EV version of the sports car first announced in 2017​

Jalopnik.com​

That is one sharp looking car - both literally and figuratively.

 

[supraboi]

 

[Denver the Last Dinosaur]

^

Reason # 2
They Break

I've never had any problems with the pop-up headlights on my 200sx in nearly 25 years of owning it.

 

[DevonK]

Talk about high-tech, this new Merc "baby" AMG C43 is mind-blowing, with its 2.0-liter, turbocharged, mild-hybrid, hand-built four-cylinder that makes 402 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Six-piston front calipers, rear-wheel steering, 69% rear-biased AWD, adaptive dampers and more. I love the sound of the big AMG engines - will this sound as good? Wonder what it is going to cost - if the price was right I might be interested:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/2023-mercedes-amg-c43-gets-a-402-hp-four-cylinder-with-f1-turbo-tech

 

[takemorepills]

Talk about high-tech, this new Merc "baby" AMG C43 is mind-blowing, with its 2.0-liter, turbocharged, mild-hybrid, hand-built four-cylinder that makes 402 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Six-piston front calipers, rear-wheel steering, 69% rear-biased AWD, adaptive dampers and more. I love the sound of the big AMG engines - will this sound as good? Wonder what it is going to cost - if the price was right I might be interested:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/2023-mercedes-amg-c43-gets-a-402-hp-four-cylinder-with-f1-turbo-tech

RWS?
That's not the same RWS that MB plans to use a pay subscription for, is it?

 

[Denver the Last Dinosaur]

https://www.autoweek.com/news/green-cars/a39650958/2023-lexus-rz-450e-ev-yoke-tesla-steering-wheel/

How Lexus Got The Yoke Right, Unlike Tesla​

Jalopnik.com​

All they've done is change the amount of turn needed to reach full steering lock each way based on the car's speed, by using electronic interference rather than direct steering - nothing that hasn't been done before with a regular steering wheel. There's a brief video on the webpage showing the difference.