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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.

Renault wants to merge with Nissan, then go after Fiat Chrysler

The late Sergio Marchionne used to say consolidation would be the only way to compete against the biggest global carmakers. The company looks certain to fulfill that goal, but perhaps not in the way he intended. The Financial Times reports that Renault wants to begin merger talks with Nissan in the next 12 months. Assuming a merger gets completed, the plan is for the combined company to then pursue another merger, with Fiat Chrysler a prime target. Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi have been busy since cutting ties with ex-alliance boss Carlos Ghosn. They formed a new alliance board with Renault chairman Jean-Dominique Senard at the helm, Renault has shrunk the size of its board while Nissan added more outside directors, and the two agreed to a new governance structure to ease operational decision making. All three automakers have walked away from Ghosn-era goals to sell 14 million cars and find 10 billion euros in savings by 2022. New strategic plans for all three car companies are in the works. With stability in sight, it's said Senard wants to succeed where Ghosn failed — a full-fledged merger between Renault and Nissan with talks to begin "as soon as possible." Ghosn's pursuit of a merger last year in attempt to make the 20-year-old alliance "irreversible" is part of what led to his downfall, with Nissan executives including CEO Hiroto Saikawa against the push. The new effort is presented as larger scale being the only way for the alliance to take on companies like Volkswagen and Toyota. But the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi trio sold 10.76 million cars around the world last year, second to Volkswagen with 10.83 million sales, ahead of Toyota with 10.39 million. If Nissan hadn't suffered a 2.8 percent dip in sales, the alliance would have taken the top spot. If a little scale is good that means more is better, right? Pulling Fiat Chrysler into the alliance would add around 5 million annual sales, and would be another move in Ghosn's footsteps. The former honcho is said to have "held talks with FCA" about some kind of union within the past three years. The French government, which has a 15 percent stake in Renault and double voting rights, shut down the initiative. It's not clear if FCA will be an independent company by the time a potential Nissan-Renault merger closed, though.

2019 Fiat 500X refresh revealed for Europe

Jeep revealed the lightly refreshed Renegade subcompact crossover earlier this summer for the European market, so it's only natural that its fraternal twin, the 2019 Fiat 500X, would get a very similar type of makeover. Currently the refresh is only confirmed for Europe, but expect similar changes to arrive in the U.S. Visually, it's only subtly different. The headlights now feature LEDs for both accents and forward illumination, and they're slightly reshaped. The taillights are now rings that have body-color inserts in the middle, similar to those of the regular Fiat 500. The rest of the body is pretty similar to the current one, but a number of character lines have been given sharper creases. The interior is also pretty much the same except for a revamped instrument cluster. The big changes, as with the Renegade, are under the hood. Three gasoline engine options will be available, two of which are turbocharged. The smaller of the turbo engines is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine making 120 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque. The larger turbo engine is a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine making 150 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. Interestingly, there's no 180-horsepower version of the 1.3-liter engine listed, as there is with the Renegade. There's also a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 110 horsepower that's a carryover from the old model. Diesel engines will continue to be available on the 500X as well. They're all four-cylinder engines in 1.3-, 1.6-, and 2.0-liter displacements, from 95 horsepower up to 150 horsepower. Four transmissions are available to connect to these engines. They include a five-speed manual, a six-speed manual, a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and a nine-speed automatic. Front- or all-wheel drive is also available. Of the powertrains available for the European market, the turbocharged gas engines are probably the only ones coming to the U.S. Pricing hasn't been listed for any markets, but expect that and U.S.-market specific details to come later this year. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Fiat 500X Euro-spec View 17 Photos Image Credit: Fiat Fiat Crossover SUV fiat 500x