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When Android Automotive goes in the dash, Google wins — and automakers lose data

You've gotta hand it to Google for the way the Silicon Valley tech giant has made indelible inroads into the car on multiple fronts. The most obvious is with its pioneering self-driving car technology that's caused car companies to get their act together on autonomous vehicles — and also collaborate with Google. Google has more directly extended its influence and data-mining capabilities into the car with its Android Auto smartphone-projection platform that most major automakers have adopted along with Apple's CarPlay. And now it's preparing to dig even deeper into dashboards by deploying its open-source operating system, Android Automotive, beginning with Audi and Volvo. Volvo recently announced that its next-generation Sensus infotainment system will run Android Automotive as an OS and include Google's Play Store for cloud-based content, Maps for navigation and Google Assistant for voice recognition, which can even command a car's climate control. By embedding Google in the dash, Volvo says owners will get an improved connected experience. "Bringing Google services into Volvo cars will accelerate innovation in connectivity and boost our development in applications and connected services," Volvo senior vice president of R&D Henrik Green said in a statement. "Soon, Volvo drivers will have direct access to thousands of in-car apps that make daily life easier and the connected in-car experience more enjoyable." Having Android Automotive onboard could benefit drivers — and provide a big win for Google, since it opens a deep and lucrative new data-mining vein for the company. But it's a wave of a white flag for car companies when it comes to delivering their own cloud-based content and services. It also represents a massive data giveaway and, for Audi, a reversal of earlier reservations about letting Google get too much access to car data. Not long after Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were introduced in 2014 and most automakers eagerly embraced the technologies, several German automakers second-guessed their decision when they realized what was at stake: data. At a conference in Berlin in 2015, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said car owners "want to be in control of their data, and not subject to monitoring." A few months earlier, Stadler stated that "the data that we collect is our data and not Google's.

Zombie cars roundup: Dodge has sold 3 new Vipers this year

Car models come and go, but as revealed by monthly sales data, once a car is discontinued, it doesn't just disappear instantly. And in the case of some models, vanishing into obscurity can be a slow, tedious process. That's the case with the 12 cars we have here. All of them have been discontinued, but car companies keep racking up "new" sales with them. There are actually more discontinued cars that are still registering new sales than what we decided to include here. We kept this list to the oldest or otherwise most interesting vehicles still being sold as new, including a supercar. We'll run the list in alphabetical order, starting with *drumroll* ... BMW 6 Series: 55 total sales BMW quietly removed the 6 Series from the U.S. market during the 2019 model year. It had been available in three configurations, a hardtop coupe, a convertible and a sleek four-door coupe-like shape.   BMW i8: 18 total sales We've always had a soft spot for the BMW i8, despite the fact that it never quite fit into a particular category. It was sporty, but nowhere near as fast as similarly-priced competitors. It looked very high-tech and boasted a unique carbon fiber chassis design and a plug-in hybrid powertrain, but wasn't really designed for maximum efficiency or maximum performance. Still, the in-betweener was very cool to look at and drive, and 18 buyers took one home over the course of 2021.   Chevy Impala: 750 total sales The Impala represented classic American tastes at a time when American tastes were shifting away from soft-riding sedans with big interior room and trunk space and into higher-riding crossovers. A total of 750 sales were inked last year.   Chrysler 200: 15 total sales The Chrysler 200 was actually a pretty nice sedan, with good looks and decent driving dynamics let down by a lack of roominess, particularly in the back seat. Of course, as we said regarding the Chevy Impala, the number of Americans in the market for sedans is rapidly winding down, and other automakers are following Chrysler's footsteps in canceling their slow-selling four-doors. Even if Chrysler never really found its footing in the ultra-competitive midsize sedan segment, apparently dealerships have a few leftover 2017 200s floating around. And for some reason, 15 buyers decided to sign the dotted line to take one of these aging sedans home last year.

BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage evokes classic 1970s Bimmer design

BMW enjoys taking advantage of the annual Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este as an opportunity to re-imagine some of company's vintage shapes in modern ways with concepts like the M1 Hommage, 328 Hommage, Concept 90 motorcycle, and even last year's Mini Superleggera. This year's event on the shores of Lake Como is no different, and the Bavarian brand is celebrating one of its great sports coupes from the 1970s with the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage. Bathed in a shade called Golf Yellow that perfectly evokes the era of the original, the Hommage's design seems to incorporate a few cues from the current 6 Series into the classic look of the 3.0 CSL. However, the front end is actually a little ungainly to our eyes due to the massive grille, and the fenders that fold up over the hood. The laser headlights are a great touch because their X-shaped centers are inspired by old racecars. The design improves significantly in profile and really starts to show the inspiration from the original 3.0 CSL. This concept has some beautiful rear haunches, and the big, creased fenders lead the eye to the massive rear wing. The back end also maintains much of the vintage design, including the roof spoiler, but the shape gets modern touches. So while the source of this inspiration was a bit angular, the lines have been gently curved for the Hommage. Of course, a CSL must be lightweight, as signified by the last letter in its name. Where the original uses aluminum and Plexiglas to shed pounds, the Hommage uses carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic parts throughout the body. The interior is also made from CFRP, and occupants sit in quilted racing buckets. An especially cool touch is the V-shaped cross-member at the back that evokes the look of a roll cage, while being a bit more artistic. The only indication that BMW is giving about the 3.0 CSL Hommage's powertrain is that it uses an inline six with eBoost, but as a concept the engine doesn't really matter, anyway. Get a good look at the whole design in the gallery above. BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage. Racing flair with a touch of class. Munich/Cernobbio. Amid the audacious design studies and automotive beauties from a bygone era gathered at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the BMW Group presents its new BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage – and in the process makes a pretty formidable statement of its own. This model is the BMW Design Team's tribute to the 3.0 CSL, a timeless classic and iconic BMW Coupe from the 1970s.