1988 4x4 Chevrolet Suburban 72k Miles Silverado 5.7 V8 Original Owner on 2040-cars

Auto blog

More automakers working to turn your smartphone into a shareable digital car key

The smartphone killed the phone book, audio player, the pocket digital camera, handheld GPS devices and voice recorders. Now that addictive, transistor-filled candy bar is coming for your car keys. The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) announced that it's unveiled Digital Key Release 1.0 Specification for its member companies, which is the first step in standardizing protocols. As of now, the potential is there for drivers to download a digital key that can lock and unlock the car, start it, and transfer the key to another operator in order to share the car. The CCC's aim is to save development costs, stave off a glut of similar-yet-competing technologies, and create keys that reflect the expanded use cases for cars, i.e., car-sharing services and to-your-car delivery. Next year's Release 2.0 Specification will standardize an authentication protocol between the phone and the vehicle — how a digital key is generated on a secure server and transmitted to the car and the device — and "promise more interoperability between cars and mobile devices." The CCC says that "NFC distance bounding and a direct link to the secure element of the device" will assure security. We take that to mean the phone will need to be in direct contact with the vehicle, at least to open the door. Carmakers and suppliers have been working on digital keys for years now, and the ecosystem for individual owners to open individual cars is growing. Audi showed off its Mobile Key at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, and now calls it Audi Connect Key, but we haven't seen much of it in the field. That same year, Volvo said it expected to sell cars with digital keys only by 2017, which clearly didn't happen. Last year, the head of sales at BMW asked, "Honestly, how many people really need [keys]? They never take it out of their pocket, so why do I need to carry it around?" Even though a digital key offers an owner more convenience and long-distance control over their vehicle, car sharing is the target — and that can even include traditional rental cars. In 2013, Continental began testing a digital key in France, aimed at integrating and simplifying the electric-car-sharing business; everything from finding a free vehicle to driving it and charging it could be done on a phone. A key could be programmed with the driver's information, so that any car the driver gets in will be automatically updated with that driver's preferences, say for audio or seating position.

Hyundai recalls 58,000 Elantra Touring models over side-airbag concern

Hyundai is recalling 58,000 Elantra Touring wagons, after it was discovered that a metal support bracket in the headliner could become dislodged when the side-curtain airbag deploys. If this happens, occupants could suffer lacerations.
The affected models were built between December 15, 2009 and May 7, 2012 and cover model years 2010 to 2012. The problem itself was discovered in the follow-up into a 2013 recall of the Elantra Sedan, when a Touring model was found in a salvage yard with a detached headliner, despite using a different type of support than was recalled in the four-door model. No injuries have been associated with this recall.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration bulletin, the remedy for this recall is not unlike that used with the Elantra Sedan - adhesive strips will be applied to the headliner to prevent it from dislodging in the event of a crash.

2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo caught uncovered at video shoot

Here's the fully revealed Hyundai Veloster Turbo, and it appears to be moving pretty quickly based on the blur in the photos. That's understandable because our spy photographer got these shots during a video shoot of the Hyundai's latest hatchback in which it was probably being driven aggressively for good footage. Despite the blur, we can tell quite a bit from the images. First off, we know it's a Turbo model because of its large, round, center exhaust tips. We can also see that the Veloster is hopping on the contrast roof bandwagon, but at least to this editor's eye, the design seems well-suited to the paint scheme. The roof line itself also looks as though it drops down more drastically than the previous model. The rear window is notably wider than the old model, and the slimmer, wider taillights are flush with the glass. We're focusing more on the tail since we already got a good look at the front of the Veloster when Hyundai released official images of the car in snazzy multi-colored camouflage. The car's frown does look more pronounced in a single color, though. It seems the Turbo version also gets a small additional intake inlet in the bottom of the front bumper compared with the normal version. We expect to see the fully uncovered car in person at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. It will likely appear alongside the less-powerful version. There's also an N version in the works, but it's possible Hyundai won't reveal that until later in the year. Related Video: