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We drive the cars of Furious 7... in Forza Horizon 2 [w/video]

On March 27, Turn 10 Studios, the folks behind the Forza Motorsport series, and Universal Pictures, the studio responsible for the Fast and Furious franchise, gave us a match made in heaven, announcing a "standalone expansion" featuring the two franchises. Called Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast and Furious, it features the cars from the latest film installment, unique missions and the voice-acting of Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, who plays tech guru Tej Parker on camera. A Fast and Furious video game? Seems like a no brainer. It gets better. Rather than limiting the Fast and Furious Edition cars to the expansion game, Turn 10 made them available through one of their (some may say notorious) downloadable content packages. Eight of the expansion's 11 cars were made available for just $4.99 (the only cars that weren't included were the Fast and Furious Edition Nissan GT-R, while the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and McLaren P1 are already available in-game). What's cool ais that the cars featured in both games are visually identical to the vehicles driven by the stars of Furious 7. Each in-game car has an on-screen parallel that plays a role in advancing the film's story. Considering that we're unlikely to score seat time in Dominic Toretto's real Dodge Charger, then, we figured we'd take to the game and test the car in the digital realm. We've got nine little cluster reviews, covering the cars both in the game and how they appear in the movies. And don't worry, there are no major spoilers here. Click on for the cars of Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast and Furious. 1970 Dodge Charger R/T Fast and Furious Edition Supercharged 7.2L V8 / 900 HP / 663 LB-FT The one vehicle that is mandatory in a Fast and Furious video game, Dom's hot-rodded 1970 Dodge Charger, is as much a character in the films as its driver. Furious 7 marks the fourth appearance of this Mopar beast in the series. Not surprisingly it's a handful to drive, wildly quick and with a four-speed transmission packed full of very tall gears. But beyond that, it's arguably the coolest of the FF Edition cars. This black beauty is exactly as it appears in the latest installment of the film, with the video game version featuring intricate little details, like the moving parts on the BDS supercharger. It's an iconic car, and it's treated as such in the game.

NHTSA is investigating FCA shifters for roll-away accidents again, this time the rotary units

It seems FCA's shifter troubles aren't over yet. Now, just a few months after issuing a recall to resolve user-related issues with its monostable shifters, the company is again under investigation by NHTSA. The issue is related to the potential for cars to roll away when the rotary-style shifter is not properly placed in park. Two FCA models are the subject of this investigation: the 2013–2016 Ram 1500 and the 2014–2016 Dodge Durango. NHTSA estimates about 1,000,000 vehicles would be affected if a recall is issued. The investigation was started following 43 complaints of vehicles rolling away while supposedly being in "park." Among the complaints were reports of 25 crashes and 9 injuries. NHTSA does point out that in every incident, the parking brake was not engaged. A representative from FCA also gave us an official statement regarding the investigation: "FCA US is cooperating fully with NHTSA's investigation, the scope of which is limited. Other vehicles equipped with rotary shifters are not included. In accordance with prudent practice, the Company joins NHTSA in urging all drivers to use their vehicles' parking brakes." View 35 Photos As mentioned above, other Chrysler products with rotary shifters, such as the Pacifica minivan and 200 sedan, are not involved in this investigation. One of the key differences, as the representative told us, is that these vehicles have electronic parking brakes that automatically engage if the driver does not select park and then opens the door with the seatbelt unbuckled. The Ram 1500 and Durango feature mechanical, manually operated parking brakes and therefore cannot activate the brake automatically. Because this is currently an investigation, an exact cause for the incidents has yet to be determined, and none of the vehicles have been recalled. It's possible there could be a mechanical defect. However, the issue could be a confusing interface causing user error, as was the case with FCA's monostable shifters, where drivers think they've put the car in park but actually haven't. Something that indicates it could be a case of confused users is that NHTSA also opened an investigation into 2012–2014 Jaguar XF and Land Rover Range Rover Evoques for similar issues. Both vehicles use a rotary shifter and have had roll-away complaints levied as well. Even if it is a case of user error, FCA and Jaguar Land Rover may still have to recall their vehicles.

2025 SRT Hellcat concepts as previewed by high schoolers

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has some very talented designers in its ranks. Like any good company, though, the automaker is always on the lookout for early talent. Even if they're still in high school. One of those talent-seeking initiatives is the company's Drive for Design contest, an event open to tenth-, eleventh-, and twelfth-grade students that are hoping for a future in design. For this year's event, students from across the country were given a shot to design their vision for a 2025 model-year Dodge SRT Hellcat. The results are impressive, as you can see in the gallery above. First place went to Ben Treinen, from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati. Second place was the only award to go to a student outside the Rust Belt, with Macon, GA's Harrison Kunselman, a student at Mount de Sales Academy taking the silver. Third place was won by a metro Detroiter – Bloomfield Hills High School student Hwanseong Jang, while fourth went to Andrew Gombac of Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL. According to FCA, all four winners will have their sketches on display at the 2016 Autorama at Cobo Center at the end of February. They'll also win some pretty nifty prizes. First place will get a new Apple MacBook Pro, while second, third, and fourth get the new Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil (arguably just as good of a prize for budding designers). All four finishers will also attend a three-week automotive design course at Detroit's prestigious College for Creative Studies, have dinner with FCA designers, and score three passes to Autorama. FCA will cover travel and lodging to Auburn Hills. Read on for the official blast from FCA. Related Video: FCA US Design Team Announces Winners of Drive for Design Contest January 19, 2016 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The FCA US LLC Design team today announced four winners in this year's Drive for Design contest. The FCA US Drive for Design contest challenged U.S. high school students in grades 10-12 to design a Dodge SRT Hellcat for the year 2025. "The Drive for Design contest continues to be a great way for the FCA US Design team to connect with students that show an interest in art and design," said Mark Trostle – Head of Dodge and SRT Design, FCA US LLC.