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Car dealers, factories and ports close in the path of Hurricane Florence

Hurricane Florence has caused CarMax to close four stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The closed locations are in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Winterville and Virginia Beach. It is possible for the company to close more stores, reports Automotive News. Daimler and Volvo have also shuttered their manufacturing facilities in the region to prepare for Florence. The storm is expected to reach North Carolina and South Carolina today or tomorrow. Automotive News says every coastal car dealer it reached on Tuesday was closing, and others not in the projected landfall area were monitoring the situation. There are approximately nine million vehicles in operation in the area that Florence is expected to hit, with a vehicle density of 162 vehicles per square mile. It is likely that not as many vehicles will be lost as during hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as population is less dense; areas affected by those storms had over 300 vehicles per square mile. The chief economist of Cox Automotive told Automotive News that some 20,000 to 40,000 vehicles could end up flooded if Florence keeps its path; however, recent reports have indicated Florence has weakened to a category 2 hurricane on Thursday. Tesla has again unlocked more range for some of its older models to make evacuation easier; the same was done a year ago in preparation for Hurricane Irma. As well as automotive manufacturers and dealers, automotive transport providers are readying for the storm and clearing cargo away. The container and auto terminals at Port Charleston will be closed from Thursday to Saturday, affecting part shipments to the BMW manufacturing facility in Spartanburg; BMW's spokespersons have said no production disruption is expected. Parts are delivered via railroad to Spartanburg by Norfolk Southern, which is also suspending operations for the time being. Vehicle hauler United Road has moved its rigs to safer regions and suspended deliveries, and car carrier vessels are trying to make it away from the storm's path in time. Related Video: News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: NASA via Reuters Auto News Plants/Manufacturing BMW Mercedes-Benz Volvo Car Buying

2017 BMW 3 Series GT update includes two new engines

BMW has treated the hatchback 3 Series Gran Turismo (not to be confused with the hatchback 4 Series Gran Coupe) to some updates for the 2017 model year. The biggest change is the introduction of the company's latest four- and six-cylinder engines, but along with them come some updates to appearance and equipment. Of the 18 powertrains BMW will offer globally in the 2017 3 Series GT, the United States will once again receive only two. Both of the new 3 GT engines come from BMW's latest modular engine architecture, which spits out three-, four-, and six-cylinders. Replacing the previous 328i Gran Turismo is a new 330i, powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four good for 252 horsepower (instead of 240) and 258 pound-feet of torque (up modestly from 255). The outgoing 335i is replaced by the new 340i, with a 3.0-liter turbo six rated at 326 hp and 332 lb-ft, up from an even 300 hp and 300 lb-ft for the outgoing 3.0-liter six. Both models come standard with xDrive all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic as before. The 340i and its new engine have already made it to the refreshed 3 sedan launched last year, while the 330i and its four-cylinder are not yet part of the sedan or wagon lineup (or the 4 Series, for that matter). We expect the engine and name change to migrate to them in the next year or so. In addition to the engine updates, the 2017 3 GT also receives visual tweaks like those on the 2016 sedan, including new LED headlights, taillights, daytime running lights, and fog lights. Matte chrome exterior trim now comes standard, and there's a new rear bumper design. The interior gets chrome accents and a few other changes that we found helped make the sedan feel a bit more rich, fixing the downmarket feel of the early 3s of this generation. The latest iDrive infotainment, version 5.0, is also included with the navigation option. Buyers will again be able to select from a variety of option bundles including Luxury, M Sport, Lighting, and Cold Weather packages. The car's structure remains unchanged, which means the same hatchback body and longer wheelbase that bridge the gap between the sedan and wagon. It's a style-practicality compromise that continues to be polarizing, but at least the 3 gives you options. Related Video: The new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo. BMW is preparing to launch the latest BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo in time for the start of summer.

BMW, Hyundai score big in JD Power's first Tech Experience Index

While automakers are quick to brag about winning a JD Power Initial Quality Study award, the reality, as we've pointed out before, is that these ratings are somewhat misleading, since IQS doesn't necessarily distinguish genuine quality issues. JD Power's new Tech Experience Index aims to solve that problem. The new metric takes the same 90-day approach as IQS but focuses exclusively on technology – collision protection, comfort and convenience, driving assistance, entertainment and connectivity, navigation, and smartphone mirroring. It splits the industry up into just seven segments, based loosely on size, which is why the Chevrolet Camaro is in the same division (mid-size) as Kia Sorento and the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class is in the same segment as the Hyundai Genesis (mid-size premium). It makes for some screwy bedfellows, to be sure. Still, splitting tech experience away from initial quality should allow customers to make more informed and intelligent decisions when buying new vehicles. In the inaugural study, respondents listed BMW and Hyundai as the big winners, with two segment awards – the 2 Series for small premium and the 4 Series for compact premium, and the Genesis for mid-size premium and Tucson for small segment. The Chevrolet Camaro (midsize), Kia Forte (compact), and Nissan Maxima (large) scored individual wins. Ford also had a surprising hit with the Lincoln MKC, which ranked third in the compact premium segment behind the 4 Series and Lexus IS. This is a coup for the Blue Oval, whose woeful MyFord Touch systems made the brand a victim of the IQS' flaws in the early 2010s. But Ford and other automakers might not want to celebrate just yet. According to JD Power, there's still a lot of room for improvement – navigation systems were the lowest-rated piece of tech in the study. Instead, customers repeatedly saluted collision-avoidance and safety systems, giving the category the best marks of the study and listing blind-spot monitoring and backup cameras as two must-have features – 96 percent of respondents said they wanted those two systems in their next vehicle. But this isn't really a surprise. Implementation of safety systems from brand to brand is similar, and they don't require any input from users, unlike navigation and infotainment systems which are frustratingly deep.