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Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.

The Kia Optima is now available as a plug-in hybrid

The Kia Optima gets electrified two ways for 2017. In addition to the conventional hybrid, there's a new plug-in version as well – makes sense, since the Optima's corporate sister, the Hyundai Sonata is offered with both options. The new Kia Optima Hybrid ditches the larger 2.4-liter internal combustion engine from the previous model in favor of a smaller 2.0, good for 154 horsepower, and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that does away with the torque converter in favor of an electric clutch, with electric water and oil pumps to help optimize efficiency. Working in tandem with the 38-kW electric motor and juiced by a 1.62-kWh lithium-polymer battery pack, the powertrain delivers a total of 193 horsepower while targeting a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over the previous Optima Hybrid. Not enough? Tew Optima PHEV that uses the same 2.0-liter four, but instead of 38 kW (51 hp), the plug-in's electric motor produces 50 kW (or 67 hp), and instead of 1.62 kWh, the PHEV's lithium-ion battery pack is rated exponentially higher at 9.8 kWh. It's said to travel for 600 miles before needing to stop, or up to 27 miles on electric power alone. And of course it can be recharged directly from the socket, taking less than nine hours on 120 volts and less than three on 240. If those powertrain components sound familiar to you, that's because they're identical to those offered in the Sonata Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid from Kia's sister brand Hyundai. Only here they're packaged into a more angular, less curvy form and capped by a Kia badge and tiger-nose grille. Interested? There's plenty more to digest in the pair of press releases below. View 10 Photos ALL-NEW KIA OPTIMA HYBRID UNVEILED AT 2016 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW Enhanced HEV Blends Sophisticated Design and Premium Driving Experience with Focus on Efficiency - New powertrain targets 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over outgoing Optima Hybrid - 2017 model infuses aerodynamic form and function into Optima's sleek, modern design - Gas-electric sedan touts intelligent use of technology to deliver comprehensive driver-assistance features CHICAGO, Feb. 11, 2016 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled the 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid (HEV) at the Chicago Auto Show.