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The next-generation wearable will be your car

This year's CES has had a heavy emphasis on the class of device known as the "wearable" – think about the Apple Watch, or Fitbit, if that's helpful. These devices usually piggyback off of a smartphone's hardware or some other data connection and utilize various onboard sensors and feedback devices to interact with the wearer. In the case of the Fitbit, it's health tracking through sensors that monitor your pulse and movement; for the Apple Watch and similar devices, it's all that and some more. Manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality. As evidenced by Volvo's newly announced tie-up with the Microsoft Band 2 fitness tracking wearable, car manufacturers are starting to explore how wearable devices will help drivers. The On Call app brings voice commands, spoken into the Band 2, into the mix. It'll allow you to pass an address from your smartphone's agenda right to your Volvo's nav system, or to preheat your car. Eventually, Volvo would like your car to learn things about your routines, and communicate back to you – or even, improvise to help you wake up earlier to avoid that traffic that might make you late. Do you need to buy a device, like the $249 Band 2, and always wear it to have these sorts of interactions with your car? Despite the emphasis on wearables, CES 2016 has also given us a glimmer of a vehicle future that cuts out the wearable middleman entirely. Take Audi's new Fit Driver project. The goal is to reduce driver stress levels, prevent driver fatigue, and provide a relaxing interior environment by adjusting cabin elements like seat massage, climate control, and even the interior lighting. While it focuses on a wearable device to monitor heart rate and skin temperature, the Audi itself will use on-board sensors to examine driving style and breathing rate as well as external conditions – the weather, traffic, that sort of thing. Could the seats measure skin temperature? Could the seatbelt measure heart rate? Seems like Audi might not need the wearable at all – the car's already doing most of the work. Whether there's a device on a driver's wrist or not, manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality.

2022 Volvo S60 Black Edition darkens the sedan's trim

Volvo revealed the 2022 Volvo S60 Black Edition today, firmly hopping on the trend of blacking out different trim bits that countless other cars offer. The staid but handsome S60 is given a dash of attitude with this appearance package, and we like the look. Volvo says the Black Edition features glossy black paint for the grille, Volvo badge, grille slash, window trim badging and exhaust tips. Additionally, the 19-inch wheels are painted in the same shade of glossy black. You’ll have two paint options: Onyx Black Metallic or Crystal White Metallic.  All of the badging in black is a unique look for Volvo products, as weÂ’re accustomed to seeing brightwork on all of SwedenÂ’s cars these days. You can get the Black Edition for the Momentum, R-Design and Recharge (PHEV) models, so itÂ’s essentially available across the model range. It adds $700 to the purchase price, meaning a base, front-wheel-drive Momentum Black Edition costs $40,995 after destination. The S60 Black Edition is going to be built in limited quantities for the 2022 model year — Volvo says only 450 total will be produced. So if you like what you see here, best go out and snag one before theyÂ’re all spoken for. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Volvo PV444 turns 70

Volvo has made all manner of vehicles over the course of its long history, including coupes, convertibles, hatchbacks, sedans, wagons and SUVs. But the vehicle that started it all was the PV444.
Or rather, we should say, the PV444 is what re-started it all. Because while it wasn't Volvo's first model, it was the first one it produced after the war. Monday, September 1, will mark 70 years since the PV444 first debuted at the Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm pictured above, where the company received 148,437 visitors.
That presentation there took place shortly before the end of World War II when the vehicle wasn't even finished yet. A team of 40 engineers and designers were still fine-tuning the final version, but were eager to show the public what it would start building after the last bullet was fired and peace would return to Europe.