Automotive

Jaguar & Shell’s New In-Car Payment System May Be About Something More

Jaguar and oil giant Shell have teamed up to create a novel, in-car payment system. And while this may be gilding the lily and solving a problem already taken care of, it could point to some interesting advancements ahead.

Okay, briefly, what Jag and Shell have cooked up here is an in-car payment system so you can buy gas easier. Effectively, it’s a software upgrade that’s integrated into the car’s infotainment system, and accessible via the large central touch screen.

I’ll get into the minutia of how all this works (and it actually is rather interesting) but for the moment, let me ask this question: Why?

Data Factors

Why go to all this time and trouble to come up with a gas-buying app when you can already basically do that with Apple Pay or Android Pay or PayPal or someone like that? Why not, if your Jaguar, just partner with one of these tech companies, rather than rolling your own (as the saying goes)?

Near as I can tell, the reasons for taking this harder route are two-fold. One, you can pull that sweet, sweet demographic data that’s driving a lot of our digital economy these days on your own, and the data will be much more pure and need less refinement. Meaning you can slice and dice a certain portion of your customer behavior and drive future decisions off that. Two, you can, potentially, push customers to use given products and services. In this case, you could, hypothetically, impel them into using Shell products more and more.

Essentially what Jaguar and Shell are up to is this: Instead of using a credit card at the pump, or, even more Neanderthal-esque cash, you can simply drive up to the pump at a Shell station and, via the touchscreen, select how much fuel you want and then securely pay using PayPal or Apple Pay. Jaguar will add Android Pay later this year.

Once you’re finished, a receipt will pop up on the touchscreen, and an electronic version is sent from the pump to your email so you can add it to your expense account and things along those lines for business travel. You might think that Jaguar/Shell just cribbed their own version of digital pay software, or coded out their own, but what they ended up doing is actually a little more complex and clever than that.

Convenience Factors

Contrasting against the current phone-based payment methods, Shell and Jaguar have created a simple but secure system that uses geolocation technology and a cloud-based, pre-payment authorization through PayPal or Apple Pay. Basically you transfer a bunch of cash into the account of your choice (PayPal or Apple Pay for the moment) and when you roll into a Shell station, the geolocation tech knows you’re there, the software connects all the dots, and you’re good to go.

“Making a payment directly from a car’s touchscreen will make refueling quicker and easier,” said Peter Virk, Jaguar Land Rover’s Director of Connected Car and Future Technology. “With this new system you can choose any pump at the gas station and pay for the fuel even if you’ve forgotten your wallet or can’t find your credit or debit card.”

Yes, but that still doesn’t give any real reason as to why this is better than using PayPal or Apple Pay or Android Pay via your phone. Sure, there’s the “forgotten your wallet or can’t find your credit or debit card” rational, but to me, it still seems like the real rationales are ones of data control, data mining, and driving product purchase behavior.

At first, this new system be available in the 2018 Jaguar XE, XF, and F-PACE models launching in the U.K., but other markets are expected to follow. Jaguar also plans to have the system included throughout their line up, and also in corporate sibling Range Rover as well. Jaguar hopes to expand the system to include parking and drive-through restaurants, which is both cool and practical.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

Photos & Source: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC

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2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SE TSI 4Motion Review

Americans aren’t particularly fond of wagons, but Volkswagen hopes to change a few people’s minds with their new Golf Alltrack wagon. It comes with all-wheel drive, and it’s a vehicle for adventure seekers. Volkswagen wants to capitalize on young urban-adventurers who will use its off-pavement abilities for weekend excursions to get away from civilization.

We recently took it through the high country of Colorado, the perfect place to test the all-wheel drive wagon. How did the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SE TSI 4Motion model hold up?

What’s New

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is an all-new model that’s based on the pavement-oriented Golf SportWagen. It’s establishing a new identity and comes fitted with lower-body cladding, fog lamps, a honeycomb grille, and unique bumpers to set it apart from its stablemate. It also gets a raised suspension and underbody protection.

Features and Options

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SE TSI 4Motion ($30,530) comes standard with all-wheel drive and body cladding for those weekend adventures. Inside, it comes with heated front seats, leatherette seating surfaces, a rearview camera, a Fender premium sound system, and keyless entry/start. Outside it comes with a power sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, heated washer nozzles, heated side mirrors, and roof rails.

The Driver Assist package ($845) brings adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and even a Park Pilot self-parking system. The 6-speed DSG automatic transmission is offered at no charge. Total MSRP including destination: $32,195.

Interior Highlights

The cabin is airy and spacious up front and there’s good visibility from the driver’s seat. Taller drivers won’t have a problem finding a comfortable position even with the manual adjustments. The black leatherette material is comfortable and the front seats are especially good for longer trips. They didn’t leave us tired after a trip through the mountains this week.

As is typical for Volkswagen, everything seems nicely put together, and the fit and finish is what you’d expect for this price point. There’s some soft-touch material up front, but in the back there’s more hard surfaces which is likely by design. These surfaces make it easier to clean up the sand after a trip to the beach or mud after a mountain bike ride.

Out back, rear occupants won’t have as much room as the front, but getting in and out of the back seat isn’t a chore like some vehicles. Rear seat space is not as good as the Alltrack’s main completion, the Subaru Outback. Cargo space is also less than Outback with 30.4 cubic feet behind the seat, and 66.5 with the seat backs folded. Outback is 35.5 cubic feet (73.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded) by comparison. The Alltrack makes it easy to fold the rear seatbacks flat while you’re loading cargo, however, and it offers up a handy two-position sliding cargo cover.

Engine & Fuel Mileage Specs

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is powered by a turbocharged, 1.8-liter direct-injected four-cylinder engine that develops 170 horsepower and 199 lb-ft. of torque. It comes with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive, and it’s mated to a 6-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission.

EPA fuel-mileage estimates are 22/30 city/highway and 25 combined mpg.

Driving Dynamics

The first thing we noticed after getting underway is the Alltrack’s excellent visibility in all directions due to plentiful glass. On the road, the 1.8-liter turbo engine is peppy enough for most driving situations. The turbo helped in the rarefied air in Colorado’s high country. We pushed the engine hard up I-70 for a good test and it performed well.

In the tight mountain corners, the wagon does tend to lean a bit due to the higher ride height. It’s the price you pay for it’s off-road abilities. Overall, the Alltrack offers solid handling and a fairly engaging driving experience. In the city, the wagon is easy to maneuver in tight spaces due to its compact size.

The 6-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission can feel sluggish from a stop, but after we were underway, the shifts were smooth and quick. The new wagon offers an Off-Road Mode and with 6.7 inches of ground clearance, there is enough for most excursions, but the Subaru Outback still rules the segment with 8.7 inches of clearance. The Alltrack does come with underbody protection to keep you from destroying the oil pan, however.

There’s likely enough off-road capability for the majority of weekend warriors.

Conclusion

The 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack offers a lot of flexibility for city commuting and weekend adventures. It offers all-wheel drive, a raised suspension, and underbody protection for those wanting to get away from civilization. We thought it was a compelling alternative to the crowded crossover segment.

Denis Flierl has invested over 25 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. Follow his work on Twitter: @CarReviewGuy

2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Gallery

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2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Official Site

Photos: Volkswagen of America, Inc

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Automoblog Book Garage: Shelby Cobra Fifty Years

What now seems like many moons ago, I knew a beautiful girl who loved the Ford Mustang, especially the Shelby. We would often go back and forth, pondering which Mustang models we liked best. Sometimes we would text back and forth during the day, trying to stump each other with Mustang trivia.

She always got the best of me, although I will never admit it.

Fond Memories & Big Dreams

When we launched Book Garage last year with Motorbooks, I wanted the books we feature to bring back fond memories for those who flipped through the pages. Cars are like that, you know. They have an ability to bring our most cherished times to the forefront, and certinately, a Shelby Mustang is no exception.

In the early 1960s, Carroll Shelby was a Texas chicken farmer attending to his daily chores. At first glance, it may not seem like automobiles of any kind were in his future, yet Shelby had a vision; a vision for building cars befitting of only the highest performance crowns. Impossible as it seemed, the landmark Cobra arrived in 1962, establishing a benchmark that holds to this day.

Shelby Cobra Fifty Years is the story of how grand dreams become grand realities, from the prologue about the events that led up to Shelby’s decision to build high performance cars, to the history of the Cobra street and race cars, to the epilogue about the continuation of the Shelby namesake.

If only I had this book during those texting trivia wars with her so long ago. I might have actually won.

Author

Colin Comer, respected authority on collector cars, is Editor-at-Large for Sports Car Market and American Car Collector. He is a Contributing Editor for Road & Track and regularly appears in the New York Times, Business Week, USA Today, and many other respected publications. Comer is also the author of Shelby Mustang Fifty Years. When not writing about cars, he is an avid vintage racer and pilot.

Shelby Cobra Fifty Years is available through Amazon and Motorbooks.

Shelby Cobra Fifty Years Gallery

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Pre-Ordering Open For Polestar 1

Pre-Ordering Open For Polestar 1 The Polestar 1, the first car from the new electric performance brand Polestar, is now available for pre-ordering in 18 countries. The news follows Polestar making its first public appearance at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show, and so far the response has been positive.
“With over 7,000 people interested in owning a Polestar 1 since its reveal, we are extremely encouraged by the passion shown for our product,” explained Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Executive Officer, Polestar. “We will now take the next steps towards delivering this beautiful car to our first customers.”
The Polestar 1, an Electric Performance Hybrid GT, produces 600 horsepower and over 700 lb-ft. of torque. Photo: Polestar.

Pre-ordering involves a fully-refundable deposit, which serves as a placeholder for the car. During the selection process, a configuration tool allows prospective buyers to visualize their Polestar 1 before placing an order. The 18 countries where ordering is open include the United States, China, Sweden, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Canada.
In October, Geely Holdings, parent of Volvo Cars, announced a $756 million dollar investment to bolster the early phases of Polestar’s product lineup and industrial footprint. Much of the Polestar 1 (about half) is based on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture; the rest is entirely new technology developed by Polestar engineers working within Volvo’s R&D department.
Source: Polestar.

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Nissan IMx KURO Concept: You Connect Your Brain To This One.

Nissan IMx KURO Concept: You Connect Your Brain To This One. The Nissan IMx KURO concept is a zero-emissions crossover that aims to investigate Brain-to-Vehicle technology. No. Really. Brain-to-Vehicle technology. I have no idea either, but I do hope they get it right. This car, the Nissan IMx KURO, is both a crossover concept and somewhat of a demonstrator platform for making vehicles even more predictive and safe with what Nissan calls Intelligent Mobility.
Concept Versus Reality
And apart from the overall crossover-ish design, it’s that Brain-to-Vehicle, or B2V, stuff that makes the Nissan IMx KURO so interesting. The overall design is simultaneously lumpy yet with protuberant edges, and none of it holds together well. The whole things screams “concept car” because you know there’s no way Nissan would make this.
Before You Know It . . .
This B2V technology has the potential to speed up reaction times for drivers, leading to cars that can keep adapting to make driving more enjoyable. Nissan says all this comes from “research into using brain decoding technology to predict a driver’s actions and detect discomfort” which sounds pretty creepy to me.
Nissan hopes by catching signs that a driver’s brain is about to initiate a movement, say turning the steering wheel, reaching for a control knob or pushing the brake pedal, driver assist technologies can begin the action more quickly. Ergo, reaction times improve and manual driving is enhanced. Or to put it more plainly, the car can see you reach for the control panel, think for itself (in a limited way) and say ‘A-ha! You’re going to turn the radio down, I’ll start doing that for you.’ But, you don’t have to be Marvin Minsky to see how this might not work.
The IMx KURO was first revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2017. Kuro is the Japanese word for black. Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Autonomous Vibes
The other, more subtle way that Nissan’s B2V stuff could work is while in full autonomous mode. If it detects you are feeling some level of discomfort, the artificial intelligence system can evaluate that and change the driving configuration or driving style.
Not to be gross about this, but here’s a concrete example: Suppose you’re in full autonomous mode, and decide to read some reports on the way into work. You’ve already told the IMx KURO to hurry along, so it’s driving rather rapidly and trying to make up time. But now the B2V system notices you’re looking a bit green around the gills, and decides to dial back on the abrupt lane changes to help you out. Get it?
Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Getting Connected
All this is achieved by you wearing a device that measures your brain wave activity, which is then passed on and analyzed by the autonomous system. Then, by anticipating the intended movements, the vehicle takes action, for example turning the steering wheel or slowing down. The system can do that 0.2 to 0.5 seconds faster than you or I could – Nissan also adds “while remaining largely imperceptible” which I would have to feel to believe.
Smart Transportation
The IMx KURO also has other clever tricks up its sleeve, aside from coiling itself into your brain. Since it’s an EV, it has some party favors to make it a good citizen. For example, after getting you to the airport, the IMx KURO can then go park itself and find a spot where it can connect to the local power grid, and act as a “virtual” power plant by returning electricity to the grid. Slick, no?
Oh, and once you return to the airport, the IMx KURO can pick you up at the terminal and drive home with little to no input from you. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.
The Nissan IMx KURO on display at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show.

Power & Performance
And, and just in case you think the IMx KURO will be zero fun along with being zero emissions, keep in mind it’s driven by a pair of high-output electric motors living at each end of the car, giving you all-wheel drive capability. Combine that with the 320 kW of power and an astonishing 516 lb-ft. of torque (more than the Nissan GT-R kids) and this thing could really scoot. There is also a high-capacity battery redesigned and re-engineered for increased energy density that supports a driving range of more than 370 miles on a single charge.
In some ways, Nissan could be onto something, but in others, I’m not sure your average customer wants to literally, physically connect their brain to a car.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Nissan IMx KURO Concept Gallery

Photos & Source: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

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This Special McLaren 720S Is A Blue Beauty

This Special McLaren 720S Is A Blue Beauty Like many other high-end car manufacturers, McLaren has their own in-house custom shop. It’s called McLaren Special Operations, or MSO, and it is responsible for creating customized versions of the British company’s already impressive cars. Bespoke, to use the veddy, veddy British term.
Deep Blue Somthing
The McLaren 720S in Atlantic Blue by MSO takes the deepest of deep blue paint the Woking outfit could come up with, and combines it with a classic Saddle Tan leather interior. I’ve got to say the result is very easy on the eyes. McLaren says the Atlantic Blue really shows off the “shrink-wrapped” design of the 720S, a car noted for its aerodynamics, smoothly sculpted surfaces, and double-hinged dihedral doors.
The McLaren 720S in Atlantic Blue was commissioned for the Geneva International Motor Show as a showcase for MSO’s bespoke craftsmanship and range of personalization choices. MSO’s capabilities include developing special materials, finishes, colors, and trim pieces, providing specific aerodynamic and lightweight components, and crafting entire one-off cars.
Photo: McLaren Automotive.
Driver-Focused
This particular Atlantic Blue McLaren 720S is the second in the company’s Super Series that marries supercar performance with a glut of luxury and convenience features in the glass-enclosed, teardrop-shaped cockpit. The McLaren 720S focuses entirely on the driving experience thanks to its use of aerodynamics, proactive suspension control, carbon-fiber construction, and a very potent 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8.
Thanks to that plant, the McLaren 720S puts out 720PS (as its name implies, but that translates to 710 bhp in American measurements) and can deliver a top speed of 212 mph. 62 mph comes up in a quick 2.9 seconds. And this is no performance stripper either. Heated electric seats, keyless entry, soft-close doors, cruise control, electrically-adjustable steering column, and a climate control system are all standard features.
Photo: McLaren Automotive.
Further Modifications
Since MSO rightly thinks the typical owner will want their ride to be suitable for both track driving and everyday usability, the Atlantic Blue McLaren 720S comes with the McLaren Track Telemetry and camera system. This is for enjoyment on the track naturally, but it’s practical with its 360-degree Park Assist system. The sensors and cameras will help you out in crowded city driving environments. The car also comes with a vehicle lift to avoid damage over ramps, speed bumps, steep(ish) driveways, and the like. There is a Bowers & Wilkins 12-speaker audio system in there too.
Pricing
How much, you ask? Well, customized, er bespoke stuff don’t come cheap, chaps, and in the case of this McLaren 720S in Atlantic Blue, that means £281,260, or right around $400,000 green back dollars.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Atlantic Blue McLaren 720S Gallery

Photos & Source: McLaren Automotive.

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