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Porsche tops JD Power APEAL study for 12th time

JD Power's 2016 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) study hasn't changed much this time around with Porsche coming in at No.1 for the 12th consecutive year, while BMW was close behind in second. Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz tied for third with Land Rover, Lexus, and Lincoln tied for No.5. The APEAL Study, according to JD Power, measures owners' level of excitement and emotional attachment across 77 parameters. Brands and cars are rated on a 1,000-point scale. The study found that new cars with modern safety features including low speed collision avoidance and blind spot monitoring have higher APEAL scores than vehicles without the features. The overall industry score increased from 798 to 801, which JD Power claims was helped by the launch of a variety of new vehicles. This year, 22 out of 30 new or redesigned cars received a higher score than the vehicle's respective segment average. Porsche is once again at the top of the list as the automaker's score increased by three points to 877. BMW outscored Jaguar to take second place with a score of 859, while the British automaker dropped three points from last year with 852 points. Volkswagen overtook Mini to become the top-ranked non-premium brand with 809 points, while the latter automaker trailed behind by one point. At the end of the scale, Smart came in at the very bottom for the second year in a row with a score of 745 points, which represents an increase of 62 points over last year. Fiat's score increased by six points to 755, but still confined the automaker to second-to-worst place for a consecutive year. Mitsubishi's score increased to 770, up from 755, to become the fourth-worst brand, while Jeep fell to third-worst with a decrease in seven points to 756. General Motors received six segment-level awards, followed by Hyundai with five, and BMW and VW earning four apiece. Surprise segment victories include the Chevrolet Camaro, which outscored the Dodge Challenger, and the Lexus RC which ranked above the BMW 4 and 3 Series. For more information on how the automakers ranked, check out the official release on the 2016 APEAL Study below or visit JD Power's website to analyze the graphs. Related Video: Porsche Ranks Highest in APEAL for 12th Consecutive Year; General Motors Receives Six Segment-Level Awards, Hyundai Motor Company Receives Five DETROIT: 27 July 2016 — Popular driver-assist technologies help make vehicles considerably more appealing to their owners, according to the J.D.

Electric Mini tows a Boeing 777 airplane, because why not?

Car manufacturers seem to love hitching up to massive planes. Even Mini is getting onboard with the trend, and it's using a camouflaged version of the electric Mini on its way. Now, we saw the Mini Cooper S E completely uncovered a few days ago in spy photos, so make sure to check those out to see what the car will really look like. If it's the plane pulling you're after, watch the video above. Mini collaborated with Lufthansa on this one. The airliner provided a Boeing 777F freight aircraft for the stunt. That airplane has an unladen weight of approximately 150 tons, or just about 300,000 pounds. Needless to say, it's safely over whatever towing rating Mini is going to give its electric car. This Mini doesn't pull the airplane far, but it's enough to prove the brand's point: Electric equals lots of torque. Like we mentioned before, others have pulled off a similar stunt. A few notable examples include the Toyota Tundra towing the space shuttle for 12 miles, Porsche hauling an Airbus 380 with various Cayennes and then a Tesla Model X pulling a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The Model X is most like Mini's stunt, since it's also an electric vehicle. We'll note that the airplane towed by the Mini is also far lighter than that towed by the Tesla. Still, to have enough torque and traction to move a 300,000-pound airplane is impressive, and if nothing else, it's entertaining to watch. Reports have indicated that the new electric Mini will share the BMW i3's powertrain and battery pack, so that means it may have required only 168 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to pull this off.

Mini recalls nearly 100,000 cars for potential electrical fire risk

Mini is recalling more than 97,000 cars to address a potential fire risk. The recall covers the 2008-2014 Mini Clubman (including Cooper, Cooper S and John Cooper Works models) and the 2007-2013 Mini Hardtop 2 Door (again encompassing Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works variants). In both models, a control module beneath the driver-side A-pillar is susceptible to water intrusion under certain circumstances. If the electronics inside are exposed to water, a short circuit may occur, which Mini says could lead to a "thermal event" — engineer speak for "fire." While Mini says there are multiple circumstances under which the module can become compromised, the recall is currently limited to models sold in climates where the use of road salt is prevalent. In this environment, road salt entering the cabin via normal means (read: your boots) can accelerate corrosion if water is getting into the cabin. How might that happen? Mini says a common culprit is its own sunroof drain. Here's the full explanation, lifted directly from Mini's defect report: This safety recall involves the Footwell Control Module (FRM), an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) which controls various lighting and power window functions, and is installed near the bottom of the driverÂ’s side A-pillar behind an interior trim panel. Due to several contributing factors (environmental, certain US StatesÂ’ wintertime road treatment, vehicle design configuration and age), over time, the FRM could become susceptible to corrosion. For vehicles equipped with a sunroof, after a multi-year period involving large temperature changes, multiple freeze/thaw cycles can cause the vehicleÂ’s sunroof drain hose to become damaged, loosen and eventually detach from the drain pipe within the A-pillar, which could allow water to enter the vehicle interior. In certain US states, large amounts of road salt may be utilized during their wintertime road treatment activities. If water were to enter the interior, then in combination with road salt that may be present in the footwell, this could create an electrolyte solution. If this solution were to contact the FRM then, over time, this could lead to corrosion, possibly resulting in a short circuit. In rare cases, this could lead to a thermal event.