2018 Mazda CX-3 – In-Depth Review

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Carbon Fiber Is Old News: These Materials Are the Next Frontier in Car Interiors

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Scammers Take Advantage after Cars Get Flooded in Texas Hurricane

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Flood waters are still receding in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in southeastern Texas, but it’s apparently never too early for fraud. With hundreds of thousands of abandoned vehicles left in the flooded streets of Houston and beyond, unscrupulous wreckers have already “kidnapped” some vehicles, according to Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna. According to him, some wreckers, whom he characterizes as “a small number of characters here,” have been pulling vehicles from the waters and then charging vehicle owners as much as $4000 to $5000 to get their cars and trucks back, adding on administrative and handling fees to jack up the price. “We’re telling people, if they do use a wrecker service, use caution whenever they’re asked to sign anything,” Hanna said.

Yet a vast number of vehicles are currently in need of towing services in the 125 Texas counties affected by the storm. Hanna’s office said Thursday that about 100,000 car and truck owners have already submitted insurance claims for flood-damaged vehicles. About 75 percent of those vehicles will likely be totaled. Multiple reports put the estimated number of cars damaged in the widespread flooding at 500,000 or more. Solera, a Texas-based technology company specializing in auto claims, estimates that 500,000 to 600,000 vehicles will be considered ruined. 

Once the cars and trucks are dried out, another grift begins: the sale of flood-damaged cars to unwitting consumers in other parts of the country. There were 271,404 flooded cars back in use nationwide last year, according to Carfax. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is warning consumers that uninsured vehicles could be put up for sale with no disclosure of the vehicle’s having been damaged. ICT spokesman Hanna said about 15 percent of Texans generally drive without insurance. Of the Texan motorists that are insured, about 75 percent have comprehensive coverage, which would cover flood damage.

Insured vehicles deemed total losses will be retitled with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Their new titles will declare that the cars and trucks have been flood damaged, and that information will be stated in vehicle history reports. Most of the flooded vehicles will likely be parted out, with their undamaged components finding new life elsewhere, according to the NICB. “Unfortunately, some of the flooded vehicles may be purchased at bargain prices, cleaned up, and then taken out of state, where the VIN is switched and the car is retitled with no indication it has been damaged,” the bureau  noted.

To avoid buying such a car or truck, the vehicle’s history report is a great place to do a bit of due diligence, after checking first for a salvage title. You can also run a prospective purchase’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the NICB’s VINCheck, which covers salvage records for its member insurance companies. The system represents about 88 percent of the auto insurance market, the NICB said.

If the vehicle’s history seems cloudy—which is a red flag in and of itself—but still seems to be an intriguing purchase opportunity, the NICB recommends that potential buyers check for water stains, mildew, and/or silt under the floor mats, beneath the headliner, and behind the dashboard. Check for fading of the interior or door panels as well, the bureau says, and also look for rusted screws in the console or other areas where water would not normally accumulate, and see if there is mildew or grime in the seatbelt retractors. Door-mounted speakers are also likely to have been damaged during a flood. Carfax suggests that other signs of flood damage might be brittle wires under the dashboard; fogged lights inside, outside, or in the instrument panel; or new upholstery or carpeting that doesn’t seem to match the vehicle.

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Here’s an Early Peek at Mercedes-AMG’s 1000-HP Project One Hybrid Hypercar

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Formula 1 racing is captivating for many reasons, not the least of which is the way the sight of such fast cars provides fodder for fantasy. We say “fantasy” because open-wheel racers like the Mercedes-AMG W08 will never be seen on public roads. Right? Right? Well, at this year’s Frankfurt auto show, Mercedes-AMG will introduce a two-seat “supersports show car” concept called the Project One that contains “the very latest and efficient, fully fledged Formula 1 hybrid technology.” And this concept is headed for production, which is a titillating thought, especially considering how successful the W08 EQ Power+ race car has been this year. 

Mercedes-AMG is providing few actual details at this point, except that the Project One’s hybrid power unit produces more than 1000 horsepower and that the car will be able to achieve a top speed in excess of 217 mph.

The company also distributed this new teaser image that shows the front-view silhouette of a car, complete with an overhead air snorkel. It’s not exactly Lewis Hamilton’s W08, but certainly sounds like something closer to an actual F1 race car than Mercedes’s last sports car to boast an F1 pedigree, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

We don’t know how many Mercedes-AMG plans to build, nor how much each will cost, but we’re relatively sure Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas will be among the first to get One. Stay tuned for full coverage of the Project One as well as any other treats Mercedes-Benz and AMG bring to Frankfurt.

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2018 Jeep Wrangler JK – Quick-Take Review

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Electric Big Rig: Cummins Shows Battery-Powered Semi before Tesla

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Mention Cummins, and whether you associate the name with pickup trucks—such as the Ram 2500 or the Nissan Titan XD—or with semis, you almost certainly think diesel. Now, weeks before Tesla is expected to reveal details of its much anticipated electric semi, Cummins has essentially beaten it to the punch with a fully electric Urban Hauler Tractor that the company says previews “a series of next-generation, energy-diverse products.”

Cummins says that the truck, called the AEOS and termed a concept, has a “state-of-the-art battery pack” with improvements in energy density, driving range, and charging rate compared with other electric vehicles. With 140 kWh, the pack brings a range of just 100 miles—although Cummins says that’s extendable to 300 miles with additional (modular) battery packs.

The Indiana company also plans to offer a range-extending engine generator option; it claims that such a setup offers a 50 percent fuel savings versus today’s diesel hybrid models.

Cummins showed the truck in Class 7 form for heavy-duty tractor-trailer hauling, with a gross vehicle weight rating of up to 33,000 pounds, although the company cites a Class 8 weight limit of 75,000 for the tractor day cab. Tesla’s semi, according to a recent Reuters report, is focusing on the same day-cab format as well as regional hauling needs and claims it will provide 200 to 300 miles of range.

The weight of the electric powertrain including the battery is about the same as that of the massive 12.0-liter diesel six, transmission, exhaust aftertreatment, and fuel tank. The truck, like many concept cars, gets rid of its side mirrors in favor of cameras, and its appearance takes some liberties with lower bodywork that are unlikely for production.

A solar array is one thing from the concept realm that may work well on the AEOS, though. While putting solar panels onto passenger vehicles isn’t all that viable, covering a tractor-trailer roof with them should provide a better payback. A fully electric semi would also quiet some roadways and eliminate the sometimes maligned (and sometimes loved) jake brake, reaping the efficiency benefits of regenerative braking in stop-and-go driving and mountainous terrain.

Electric Will Be Part of a Range of Solutions

But there are plenty of options, noted this established engine builder. Cummins also plans to roll out what it terms “a revolutionary heavy-duty diesel engine” in 2022 and is working with biofuels, synthetic fuels, and hydrogen fuel-cell technology.

Even if Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are relaxed for passenger vehicles, the aggressive plan to dramatically cut carbon-dioxide emissions and improve the efficiency of our nation’s big rigs through 2027 is likely to continue, especially since the trucking industry and fleet buyers are nearly unanimous in support of it.

Cummins and Tesla aren’t the only players looking to render diesel big rigs obsolete. Another company looking to carry out a similar vision is Nikola, which plans to create stout Class 8 hydrogen fuel-cell trucks along with the hydrogen infrastructure to support them. And Toyota has launched a feasibility study using two Mirai fuel-cell stacks to power a zero-emissions short-haul Class 8 semi.

While Tesla may have charmed many affluent luxury-car buyers into going electric, managers of shipping fleets are an entirely different kind of customer, looking not at Tesla’s Ludicrous mode and Easter eggs but at operating costs, amortization curves, manufacturer support, and downtime. Cummins has a lot going for it in that respect—diesel or not.

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