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Major Alexa deal will bring Amazon services into more cars

Amazon and its personal assistance service Alexa are partnering with HERE Technologies to create a new connected mobility service powerhouse. Alexa will integrate with HERE's navigation and location services to offer what the two companies are calling a "true voice-first-navigation experience." Alexa will come pre-integrated with HERE navigation on-demand, which the automakers can then enable, which should help cut down on development time. One of the biggest features from this partnership is how directions could be offered and delivered using HERE's Open Location Platform (OLP). Currently, the OLP uses data from several car manufacturers to provide insights into real-time location and traffic. But on Alexa, this could be used to provide directional context. For example, Alexa could say, "Turn right after [such-and-such a building]" rather than just, "Turn right." Amazon has been testing the automotive waters throughout the past decade. Its home-based Alexa-enabled devices are already offered with connections to several manufacturers. To various degrees of integration, it can already pair with Ford, Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and BMW vehicles. At the end of 2018, Amazon took things a step further when it introduced the Echo Auto, a Bluetooth-connected Alexa assistant device that can be physically kept in a car. Currently only available by invitation (its production and distribution have been delayed), the $25 device is essentially a voice service that works together with smartphones and connects to a car's speakers. Users can command it to do a variety of things, including playing music, setting navigation, opening the garage door, finding local stores, making calls, setting reminders, and thousands of other "skills." According to The Verge, nearly 1 million people have already ordered the device. Some (well, probably few) may know HERE Technologies from its maps on Windows Phones. We all know how that turned out, though. Today, HERE has expanded into a multi-function suite that is available in multiple mediums, including many automotive applications. HERE Automotive's connected vehicle services include real-time traffic, parking, weather, fuel prices, hazard warnings, traffic sign integration, and even EV charging stations. These all incorporate and extend the use of HERE's location and tracking programming. HERE is already partnered with BMW, Audi, Daimler, Intel, Mobileye, NVIDIA, and has investments from Bosch, Continental and Pioneer.

2016 John Cooper Works Clubman is torquiest Mini ever

Mini fancies its latest Clubman as more an executive car than a typical premium compact. Think BMW 5 Series to the regular Hardtop's 3 Series. With that in mind, you can think of the new John Cooper Works Clubman as a Mini M5 of sorts. The new JCW Clubman boasts a number of features not offered on its little brothers. Mini engineers are squeezing 228 horsepower out of the 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, just like on the Hardtop model. But the bigger John Cooper Works gets a significant bump in torque, up from 236 pound-feet of torque to a more robust 258 lb-ft. And with a standard All4 all-wheel-drive system, the JCW Clubman maximizes the ability to deploy that extra power. View 15 Photos Regardless of transmission, the new Works model hits 60 in 6.0 seconds and runs up to 147 miles per hour, 0.9 seconds quicker and five miles per hour faster than the S model we drove last year. A sportier suspension, meanwhile, drops the ride height 0.4 inches, so expect at least slightly better handling from Mini's newest Works model. Exclusive two-piece sport seats should keep drivers in place while exercising the newfound handling ability. But beyond the extra power, all-wheel drive, upgraded suspension, and neat seats, the JCW Clubman is largely a mishmash of parts we know and like. It uses the same standard six-speed manual and optional eight-speed automatic as the regular car, while the polarizing six-doored body wears the usual JCW tinsel – 18-inch wheels and a more aggressive body kit that promises better engine and brake cooling. And it still has a weight problem – the new car weighs in just under 3,500 pounds to the standard car's 3,300-pound curb weight. Mini hasn't published pricing, but if the trend set by the Hardtop and Convertible continues, we'd wager the new JCW will start around $35,500, tacking $6,000 onto the S model's $29,450. Well, at least Mini has the executive-level pricing down. The John Cooper Works Clubman should hit US dealers in December. Related Video: Related Gallery 2016 Mini John Cooper Works Clubman View 18 Photos News Source: MiniImage Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL MINI Wagon Luxury Performance mini clubman

Mini blows up over women applying makeup in cars

Distracted driving is a very real problem. From drivers with phones dangling from their ears to those constantly adjusting the stereo or dealing with rowdy children in the back seat, anything that diverts attention away from the act of driving is a potential danger. And yes, that would indeed include applying makeup while driving.
Publicis, the advertising agency used by Mini in Mexico, came up with an inventive (or offensive, depending on your point of view) way of reminding female drivers "that there's a time and place for everything." And while we're not quite sure of the veracity of the statistics cited in the video below, or even the necessity of its production in general, perhaps we'll just take it as a reminder to pay attention while driving... no matter what else happens to be on our minds. Or faces, as it were.
Scroll down below for the explosive demonstration.