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Automakers are putting pancakes in your car, when all you want is a parking spot

The Dashboard Act was introduced June 24 in Congress by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Its name notwithstanding, it isn’t about cars. Rather, “Dashboard” is an acronym for “Designing Accounting Safeguards to Help Broader Oversight and Regulations on Data.” The purpose of the act is to make sure that companies disclose to consumers how their data is being used by companies like Facebook and Google — how their data is being monetized. Oddly enough, the Dashboard Act does have something to do with automotive companies, too. Why? Because OEMs have determined that people have plenty of time on their hands when driving — much of which is just sitting in traffic (according to the 2018 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, U.S. drivers sit for an average of 97 hours last year). So what better thing to do than shop? And presumably, like credit-card companies, theyÂ’re benefiting from facilitating commerce. Coincidentally, also on June 24 FCA announced it is launching Uconnect Market, an in-vehicle commerce platform. Explained Alan DÂ’Agostini, FCA's global head of connected services, “Our customers live busy lives, and our goal with the Uconnect platform is to provide an advanced portfolio of services to make their daily drive more convenient, productive and enjoyable. “This is why we are launching Uconnect Market, as we continue to ramp-up our connectivity efforts around the world with the goal of having all new FCA vehicles connected by 2022.” Uconnect Market, which will begin rolling out this year, allows people to buy things like DominoÂ’s Pizza and Shell gasoline and make reservations through Yelp via the touchscreen in the vehicle. This is similar to GMÂ’s Marketplace, which it introduced at the end of 2017. This allows you to order from ApplebeeÂ’s, Starbucks, TGI Fridays, ExxonMobil, Wingstop, and even book travel on Priceline.com. And in keeping with the third company in the Detroit Three, Ford offers the Amazon Alexa App, which provides a variety of functions from controlling smart devices in oneÂ’s home to, for Amazon Prime members (of which there are estimated to be more than 100 million in the U.S.), ordering organic kale from Whole Foods. All through your dashboard. Earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, BMW Group introduced “BMW Natural Interaction,” a system that combines voice, gestures and even gaze to interact with the vehicle.

You can own Don Draper's 1964 Imperial Crown Convertible

In AMC's Mad Men Jon Hamm's character may have been a jerk, but Don Draper's 1964 Imperial Crown Convertible is fantastic. One of just 922 droptop Imperials built for 1964, Draper's land yacht is up for auction as part of a broader sale of Mad Men props. Alongside stuff like Roger Sterling's Ray-Bans or Draper's copy of Dante Alighieri's Inferno, the big Imperial is the undisputed star of the show. According to the auction page, fewer than 200 exist today, meaning that even without its Hollywood provenance, this is an exceedingly rare vehicle. Under hood, there's a 413-cubic-inch V8 wedge mated up to a push-button, three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Typical of a big, 1960s luxury vehicle, the Imperial gets power steering, power brakes, and power windows. Even the roof is electric. Cosmetically, the auction site claims Draper's convertible was repainted once, 20 years ago, going from a "drab" Roman Dark Red to today's California Red. In the interior, the only change are new carpets. This isn't the first time Draper's Imperial has crossed the auction block. It sold at a Palm Springs auction in February 2015 for just $23,625, before a St. Louis dealership listed it on eBay for $39,900 less than a month later. That online listing has long since disappeared, so there's no telling if it actually sold or not before being listed as part of this latest auction. Regardless, with fewer than 1,000 made, fewer than 200 in existence, a credit on a critically acclaimed TV show, and a history of reasonable sale prices, this is one big, 1960s land yacht worth considering. The auction starts on June 1 and runs through June 15. Related Video:

Dodge Grand Caravan reportedly will cease production in 2020

The Dodge Grand Caravan looks like it may finally be reaching its demise next year. A report from Automotive News Canada says the old Dodge minivan will cease production in May 2020. The report cites AutoForecast Solutions as the source of its news. FCA confirmed to us that the van will be going away eventually, but the company is not ready to put an official end date on it yet. For the time being, it looks like the Grand Caravan’s long run will eventually grind to a halt in Windsor, Ontario, the vanÂ’s only production site. With the introduction of the Chrysler Voyager as the budget minivan option from Chrysler, FCA may think it no longer has any use for the outdated Dodge. The Grand Caravan has a starting price of $28,535, whereas the new Voyager is priced from $28,480. ThatÂ’s an almost identical starting point, but we still donÂ’t know what kind of incentives FCA will offer for the Voyager. There are typically big cuts for the Grand Caravan, which have pushed recent average transaction prices down to $24,972. We imagine itÂ’ll be much more difficult for FCA to offer discounts of that magnitude to Voyager shoppers. Still, AutoForecast Solutions told Automotive News it believes FCA will transition folks away from the Grand Caravan. “For the 2020 model year, theyÂ’ll likely run to fleet and then get the consumers to buy the new Voyager,” says Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. Eliminating the Grand Caravan would be a strong bet on ChryslerÂ’s strategy of splitting the Pacifica into two different model lines. Nearly every month, FCA sells more Grand Caravans than Pacificas. The Pacifica is the far superior minivan to own, but you canÂ’t argue with a cheap price. Once the Grand Caravan is gone, budget minivan buyers will have no choice but to buy a Voyager if they want the cheapest new option out there. Entries from the few other manufacturers that produce minivans are all going to be more expensive than the Voyager. The 2020 Pacifica and Voyager team are slated to reach dealers later this year, but it wonÂ’t be until next year that weÂ’re able to fully take stock of how this plays out for FCA.