1996 Ford Escort Lx Wagon 4-door 1.9l on 2040-cars

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How tariffs in China could cause a meltdown in the American South

While BMW is clearly a German company, the crossovers that are exceedingly important to it are actually made in Spartanburg, South Carolina. And more than that, the Spartanburg plant (physically located in the town of Greer) is where the corporate know-how and capability for those vehicles is concentrated. These are the vehicles – specifically, the BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 – that drove record growth for the company in 2018, according to BMW. But whatÂ’s most notable about BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, given current events, is that according to the U.S. Department of Commerce it was the largest automotive exporter by value for the fifth year running in 2018. ThatÂ’s worth emphasizing: largest automotive exporter by value. Not GM. Not Ford. BMW. And where might one assume that more than a few of those X vehicles are shipped to? China. Some 360 miles southwest of Spartanburg is Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., in in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It started building vehicles in 1997. Since then, Daimler AG has invested in excess of $5.5 billion in the facility. It manufactures the crossover now known as the GLE, formerly the ML-Class. It also makes the GLE coupe and GLS. Daimler describes the Tuscaloosa facility as “the traditional home of SUV production” for those vehicles. When it reported its global 2018 sales, Daimler noted that on a global basis SUVs account “for more than a third of all Mercedes-Benz sales.” According to the Chinese finance ministry, on December 15th the Chinese government will impose a 25% tariff on automobiles (and a 5% tariff on auto parts) from the U.S. Certainly this is going to have a direct effect on the sales of vehicles that are manufactured in the U.S. and exported to China. BMW and Mercedes are going to take it on the chin for the vehicles that they make in plants that they invested in so heavily in the U.S. Which could potentially mean that people in places like Greer, South Carolina, and Vance, Alabama, are going to find themselves in the crosshairs of the combatants. Soo too could Lincoln, which produces vehicles in places like Louisville, Kentucky (Navigator), Chicago, Illinois (Aviator) and Flat Rock, Michigan (Continental). Although the Tesla Gigafactory 3 is rapidly nearing completion in Shanghai, it is worth noting that vehicles built in Fremont, California, are being sold in China in numbers that donÂ’t make Musk unhappy.

Ford to add Android Auto and CarPlay to 2016 SYNC 3 cars via update

Ford is updating a large number of 2016 model year cars equipped with SYNC 3 infotainment software, adding Android Auto and CarPlay to the vehicles with a free, over-the-air update via Wi-Fi, or using either USB or going through their dealer. The upgrade will be available for around 800,000 vehicles in total, giving a huge number of Ford car owners the chance to get big infotainment improvements without having to buy a newer model car. The OTA update option is also a big step for Ford – it's the company's first for software ever, and it's one of the major reasons that Ford recently hired around 400 new mobile smartphone engineers, the company tells me. For CarPlay, users will still also need to upgrade their vehicle's USB hub to make this work (which will also incur a dealer visit and a cost), but for those on Android, all that's required is a simple software installation. The USB install method is also faster, but the Wi-Fi update option is the start of the company's efforts to really increase its OTA update program, which will be used for security improvements as well as infotainment bumps. Even with a dealer visit and hardware upgrade for CarPlay, this sounds like a worthwhile thing for 2016 vehicle owners to do. CarPlay and Android Auto are huge upgrades vs. most in-car software, offering navigation and entertainment options that follow you from your phone to your car. Retroactively offering this kind of thing to car owners is a definite change in tone for carmakers, since they typically use these kinds of things as incentives to get people interested in vehicle model updates. But as data becomes increasingly important to automakers as a business, it makes sense to encourage greater in-car use of devices.Written by Darrell Etherington for TechCrunchRelated Video: Auto News Ford Lincoln Technology Infotainment android

James May picks 13 most significant cars ever for London Classic Car Show

James May tends to be the most pragmatic of the Top Gear UK hosting crew. Jeremy Clarkson obviously likes his vehicles loud, brash and preferably British, and Richard Hammond seems to have a thing for American muscle. May appears to find joy just in the mechanical nature of things, whether high performance or simply made for getting around. He's getting a chance to put that appreciation on display by curating a 13-car collection at the London Classic Car Show called The Cars That Changed The World. May actually wants to provoke debate from visitors about the exhibit and is separating his choices into two categories: The Halls of Obviousness and The Chambers of Bloody-mindedness. The first bunch includes the usual important vehicles you expect to see, but the other group has the really interesting picks. As May explains these selections in the event announcement, "I believe they are just as significant historically but they've simply been forgotten or misunderstood." The obvious choices are: 1886 Benz Motorwagen 1908 Ford Model T 1938 Volkswagen Beetle 1959 Austin Mini 1964 Ford Mustang 1997 Toyota Prius And the more eccentric ones are: 1901 Waverley Electric 1906 Cadillac Model K 1933 Standard Superior 1972 Honda Civic 1980 Lada Riva 2009 Bruno ExoMars Rover If you notice, there are only 12 vehicles listed above. That's because the final one is being kept secret for show attendees, but May considers it the most significant car ever made. The London Classic Car Show runs at the ExCeL in London's Docklands from January 8-11, 2015. In addition to May's exhibit and the other vehicles there, Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey is also curating a display from his own collection. May is hoping to spur conversations with his choices. Let us know in Comments if you notice any glaring omissions that should be among the 13. Read the full announcement below, along with a brief explanation for each choice from May. GET READY FOR A CLASSIC ARGUMENT 30/12/14 James May has chosen the 13 most significant cars of all time for The London Classic Car Show... but is he right? It's bold, controversial and bound to cause arguments... and that's just the way BBC Top Gear's James May wants it. May has stuck his neck on the line and has chosen what he regards are the 13 most influential cars of all time. The result is The Cars That Changed The World and it's one of the star exhibits at the London Classic Car Show taking place at ExCeL in London's Docklands from 8-11 January 2015.