{also piping hot}
Toyota takes autonomous-vehicle development to the track: The Spy Guy doesn’t mean a racetrack, but rather a research-and-development test course in Michigan that’s slated to be completed later this year. The property has been designed for engineers to conduct emergency maneuvers involving other vehicles and pedestrians in simulated urban and extra-urban traffic environments. With a small but occasionally lethal number of incidents involving autonomous cars on public roads, The Sleuth is encouraged by Toyota’s decision to perfect the complex guidance systems for such models in a far safer environment, that is to say not on public roads.
Nissan’s Kicks starter will be front-wheeldrive only: The automaker’s new small wagon will soon be arriving in Canadian dealer showrooms at a starting price of $18,000, plus destination charges. In the looks department, the Kicks stacks up well against the Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V and Ford EcoSport. But the one thing missing that the others possess is an all-wheel-drive option. Your Trenchcoated One was told by a senior exec at Nissan that the Sentra sedan platform upon which the Kicks is built is simply not capable of handling the necessary hardware needed to send power to the rear wheels as well as the fronts. Assuming the Kicks sells in sufficient quantities, the Nissan source indicated that modifications to the existing architecture — or possibly a whole new platform — could allow for all-wheeldrive to become available, perhaps in the next two to three years. Dodge is in hot pursuit of the squad-car business: According to The Sleuth’s in-the-know types, this division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is unveiling a version the Durango sport utility vehicle that’s specifically outfitted for lawenforcement duties. The Durango Pursuit joins the Charger Pursuit that FCA claims is the bestselling police car. Like the big sedan, the Durango will be equipped with a 360-horsepower 5.7-litre V-8 and all-wheel-drive, but will have the added advantage of extra room and a 7,200-pound (3,270-kilogram) tow rating. The Sneakster notes that many police forces are now opting for utility vehicles in place of traditional sedans. The Durango will be competing with the Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Tahoe for its share of this lucrative business. Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra get new four-cylinder turbo engines for 2019:
In an effort to literally boost fuel economy, both General Motors’ 1500-series pickups will be available with a new 307-horsepower turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine. It will also come with cylinder deactivation, which means it can operate on just two measly cylinders under light load conditions (i.e. coasting or when idling). There’s no word yet on fuel consumption other than a comment from General Motors that both pickups will beat both the Ford F-150 and the
Ram 1500.