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If your TV rats you out, what about your car?

Vizio, the TV manufacturer, recently had to pay a $2.2-million fine to the FTC recently because it was discovered that its sets were collecting data about viewers' watching habits and then using the information for its own benefit. Last year, it was revealed the Samsung smart TVs were busy listening to what was being said, even if the conversations in question had absolutely nothing with switching the channel away from the Matt LeBlanc Top Gear. Nowadays, auto manufacturers seem to be tripping over each other pointing out that they offer Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. And more recent phenomenon are announcements—from companies including Ford and Hyundai—that they are offering Amazon Alexa capabilities. You talk. It listens. In late January, General Motors said it is releasing a next-generation infotainment software development kit (NGI SDK) to software developers to write apps for GM cars. The NGI SDK includes native Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that allow access to expected things - like oil life and tire pressure and whether lightbulbs are burned out - but unexpected things, as well. Like the presence of passengers in the vehicle. When your TV set is ratting you out, isn't it likely that your car will? In making the announcement of the NGI SDK, GM pointed out that it has the largest connected fleet on the road, some 12-million vehicles. The company also noted: "From 2015 to 2016, GM has seen data usage by customers increase nearly 200 percent. Mobile app use for GM vehicles also hit an all-time high in 2016, with more than 225 million interactions." Is it not plausible that they know more those interactions than simply the number of them? GM's privacy agreement is like most privacy policies, which boils down to: You use it (the device, software, etc.), you potentially give up a portion of your privacy. While on the subject of apps, coincident with this year's CES, Subaru announced that it has added eight cloud-based apps to the STARLINK multimedia system in the 2017 Impreza. Some are familiar, like Yelp. Some are a bit narrow in focus, like eBird, which was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for birdwatchers. And one ought to give a bit of pause: RightTrack. According to Subaru, "RightTrack Test Drive from Liberty Mutual Insurance monitors driving habits and provides customers with tips on driving safer to help lower their insurance rates and improve their safe driving skills." Or said more simply: You drive. It watches.

Porsche 911 GTS gets Rennsport Reunion Edition

Porsche is taking over Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend to celebrate Rennsport Reunion V. In addition to some beautiful cars on display, it's giving the brand's superfans something extra special by unveiling the 911 Carrera GTS Rennsport Reunion Edition there. Limited to only 25 examples, they're exclusively for customers in North America. As the model's name implies, this special edition is mechanically based on the 430-horsepower 911 GTS, and gets a manual gearbox and PASM Sport Suspension. Porsche Exclusive then applies special styling bits to each one. For the exterior, paint is a custom shade called Fashion Grey, with black-and-red decals applied to the hood, roof, decklid, and doors. To complete the fashionable look, gloss black adorns the radio antenna, around the LED headlights, the lower part of the mirrors, and 20-inch Sport Classic wheels. The interior offers some sportiness with carbon fiber dashboard trim, a SportDesign steering wheel, and 18-way Adaptive Sport Seats Plus. A little extra flash comes from Carmine Red for the seatbelts, tachometer and much of the stitching. As a nod to the event, a Rennsport Reunion V logo is also on the center console lid. With such a low production run and a price of $149,330 with the $995 destination charge, this is a way to proclaim a serious passion for Porsche. Related Video: PORSCHE 911 CARRERA GTS RENNSPORT REUNION® EDITION DEBUTS IN MONTEREY 25/09/15 Special edition model limited to 25 units worldwide built by Porsche Exclusive Atlanta, Georgia. In honor of the fifth Rennsport Reunion®, Porsche has unveiled a special edition of the 911 Carrera GTS at this year's gathering at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Rennsport Reunion Edition is limited to 25 units worldwide and will be sold exclusively in North America. Built by Porsche Exclusive, the Rennsport Reunion Edition is based on the 430 hp 911 Carrera GTS. The limited edition production model is painted in the custom color Fashion Grey. Decorative black and red decals cover the front hood, the roof, and the rear decklid. The driver and passenger doors are decorated with black and red decals featuring the PORSCHE logotype. 20-inch Sport Classic wheels painted in high-gloss black give the Rennsport Reunion Edition a very striking appearance. The lower exterior trim of the side mirrors as well as the satellite radio antenna are also finished in high-gloss black. LED headlights in Black including PDLS Plus complete the black accents on the exterior.

Next-gen Porsche Panamera loses its buttons

We have our first interior images of the next-generation Porsche Panamera. Caught undergoing testing in what looks like the area around Ann Arbor, MI, Porsche's second-gen sedan ditches the multitude of buttons found on the center stack of today's cars in favor of touch-capacitive controls. The new look works on the interior. It's clean and stylish, and the overall layout is clearly inspired by the Panamera Sport Turismo concept. We're particularly fond of of one of the features absent on the concept car – the wide, high-resolution infotainment screen. Judging by the lack of a dedicated controller on the center stack and the screen's proximity to where the driver's right hand would be, this is almost certainly a touchscreen. According to our spies, the software on that screen will be shared with Bentley, as will the Panamera's underlying platform. The new steering wheel, meanwhile, looks like it's been plucked straight from the 918 Spyder. There's a very visible protrusion at the four-spoke wheel's four o'clock position, and the button layout on the spokes looks identical to the hybrid hypercar. On the 918, this controller manages the hybrid systems, but as our spies claim this is the gas-powered Turbo S model, we aren't really sure what role it will play as we can clearly see drive mode controls on the center console. Speaking of the Sport Turismo, this prototype backs up the argument that the next Panamera will adopt the cleaner look of the 2012 Paris Motor Show concept. Even with the camouflage, the C-pillar and rear quarter window, squared-off trunk aperture, and the four LED accents in the headlights are clearly inspired by the Sport Turismo. However, the concept's most dramatic feature – its strong hatchback profile – doesn't seem to have made the transition into this prototype. We'd expect to see the new Panamera in either Geneva or Paris. The Swiss show is the unlikely choice, though, considering it's just over a month away and Porsche already has another big debut planned. So expect the new Panamera in the City of Light. Sales should begin some time in 2017.