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Safety group pans GM’s new Marketplace in-dash shopping

When it comes to our cars, is the Internet of Things a godsend? Or a hidden menace that will create more problems than it will solve? On the same day General Motors announced it will equip newer-model cars with its in-dash Marketplace e-commerce app, a prominent safety group was shooting it down. National Safety Council President Deborah Hersman tells Bloomberg the technology will only contribute to distracted driving and hurt efforts to stem the tide of rising auto fatalities, which grew 5.6 percent to more than 37,000 in the U.S. in 2016. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distracted driving was responsible for 3,477 fatalities and 391,000 injuries in 2015, the most recent year for which it has data. "There's nothing about this that's safe," Hersman told Bloomberg. "If this is why they want WiFi in the car, we're going to see fatality numbers go up even higher than they are now." Marketplace, developed with IBM, will allow drivers — or more often, one hopes, their passengers — to order coffee or food, find gas stations and reserve hotel rooms from their dashboard screens. The technology is set to be uploaded automatically to nearly 1.9 million GM vehicles model-year 2017 and later that are equipped with WiFi hotspots and compatible systems. By the end of 2018, about 4 million Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles will be equipped with Marketplace. The app will debut with a limited number of participating retailers, including TGI Fridays, Shell, Exxon Mobil and Starbucks, with more likely to join later. Online retail giant Amazon is also partnering with automakers such as Ford to bring e-commerce capabilities inside the car through its Alexa personal assistant. While convenience is nice, one other thing is becoming clear as the IoT wedges its way into our cars: It's taking aim at some decidedly first-world problems.Related Video: Image Credit: GM Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Technology Infotainment in-car entertainment marketplace e-commerce

Bronco, Yukon, Hummer and a CES recap | Autoblog Podcast #610

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. They kick things off by talking about recent news, including the revival of the Hummer name as an electric pickup, revealing Ford Bronco spy shots and the unveiling of the 2021 GMC Yukon. Then Zac tells about his time in Las Vegas attending CES 2020. They talk about the cars they've been driving: a JCW-tuned Mini Clubman, the long-term Subaru Forester with its new gold wheels, a Volvo S60 PHEV that's been added to the long-term fleet, and a Camry Hybrid. Last, but not least, they help a listener decide how to spend his money on a sports car. Autoblog Podcast #610 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Hummer returning as an electric GMC pickup The latest on the Ford Bronco 2021 GMC Yukon CES 2020 recap Cars we're driving:2020 John Cooper Works Mini Clubman 2020 Subaru Forester long-termer (now with gold wheels!) 2020 Volvo S60 T8 Inscription 2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

GM announces four new recalls, 507k vehicles affected

428,211 of these vehicles are located in the United States, 57,706 are in Canada, and 20,956 are in other markets. In its seemingly never-ending string of recalls, General Motors today announced four new campaigns covering some 506,873 vehicles. 428,211 of these vehicles are located in the United States, 57,706 are in Canada, and 20,956 are in other markets. First up is the 2013-14 Chevrolet Cruze, which is being recalled because "the inflator in the driver's front airbag may rupture and/or the airbag may not inflate during airbag deployment," according to GM. This could shoot metal pieces of the inflator into the cabin, injuring occupants during a crash. What's more, GM says that if the airbag does not inflate, this could, obviously, increase the risk of injury to the driver. A total of 29,019 Cruzes are affected in the United States, with an additional 4,066 units being recalled in Canada. The largest of the four recall campaigns involves four-wheel-drive versions of the 2014-15 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, as well as the 2015 Chevy Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL. A grand total of 392,459 vehicles are affected in the US, with 53,607 more found in Canada, and an additional 20,874 in other markets. Here, the transfer case "may electronically switch to neutral without input from the driver," GM states. The automaker adds that if this occurs while the vehicle is moving, power will not be sent to the wheels. On top of that, if the vehicle is parked, it may roll away unexpectedly if the parking brake has not been set. In smaller recall news, 4,794 2013-14 Chevy Caprice police cars and SS sedans are being recalled in the US. According to GM, "If the motor gear teeth become stripped, the wipers may not operate" in these models. Lastly, 1,939 2014 Chevy Corvettes fitted with the FE1 or FE3 suspension are being recalled in the US "to repair a possible insufficient weld in the rear shocks that could lead to a fracture and/or reduce the shocks' service life." In Canada, 33 additional vehicles are affected, as are 82 more 'Vettes that were exported to other markets. General Motors is aware of one injury regarding the Cruze recall, and is not aware of any crashes or injuries in the other three recalls. Scroll down for the automaker's official release. GM Announces Four Vehicle Recalls DETROIT – General Motors (GM: NYSE) today announced four safety recalls covering 428,211 vehicles in the United States.