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2020 Chrysler Pacifica AWD Launch Edition: When it's coming, what it costs

Back when the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica was revealed with new styling, infotainment and all-wheel drive, the company also announced that it would have a limited run of 2020 models with four driven wheels. Those vans are now available for ordering by dealers, and they're only available in one trim, the AWD Launch Edition, priced at $41,735. This is because it's only available on the Touring L trim, which starts at $38,640. This 2020 Pacifica is a sort of blend of the 2020 and 2021 model years. On the outside, it retains the outgoing styling, augmented by the S Appearance package with black grilles, trim and 18-inch alloy wheels. Underneath, it has the 2021 all-wheel drive system, which shuffles torque to wheels with traction, and can disconnect the rear drive axles for efficiency. And it still includes the Stow 'N' Go hideaway seating with the all-wheel drive. The interior is still the same as the outgoing model, continuing to use the 8.4-inch screen with the previous-generation Uconnect 4 rather than the new Uconnect 5. This model gets black leather upholstery with grey contrast stitching. If you're interested in ordering one of these all-wheel-drive 2020 Pacificas or you're just waiting for them to reach dealer lots, they will be delivered in the third quarter of this year. If you're looking for an all-wheel-drive Pacifica with either a lower price or more features, the 2021 model year will offer the drivetrain on more trim levels. Pricing and availability for the 2021 model year has not yet been announced. Related Video:    

FCA joins BMW, Intel and Mobileye on autonomous car project

Today, BMW, Intel and Mobileye announced that FCA would be joining their effort to build a sharable and scalable platform for autonomous cars. This project has been moving ahead full steam, with Intel purchasing Mobileye earlier this year, not long after Tesla and Mobileye parted ways. Not long after that, parts supplier Delphi joined the autonomous effort. The group's current goal is to have 40 autonomous test vehicles on the road by the end of 2017. The eventual end game is to create a new architecture that each partner can use and adapt to its needs. The platform will support level 3 to level 4/5 automated driving, and can be adapted to suit brand identity. The main headquarters for the effort will be in Germany. FCA staff will join the already established group of engineers from BMW, Intel and Mobileye. The group expects this new platform to hit the streets by 2021. It's unclear how this will affect FCA's relationship with Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle project. Waymo currently uses modified Chrysler Pacificas for its fleet. In addition to FCA, the trio of BMW, Intel and Mobileye have extended an invitation to any other automakers and suppliers that want to join the project. Related Video: News Source: BMW/Intel Green BMW Chrysler Fiat Autonomous Vehicles mobileye

Junkyard Gem: 1993 UMC Aeromate Food Truck

One of my favorite things about living in the Mile High City is all the food trucks roaming the neighborhoods here. I'm a regular at such fine mobile eating establishments as Tacos el Huequito, Mikes2Kitchen, and Yuan Wonton, and I'm pleased that South Denver's metal-centric Brutal Poodle bar now has its own food truck. The sad part about food trucks, however, is that they're trucks, and sometimes old trucks wear out and have to be sent to the knacker's yard. Here's a once-ebullient Denver food truck that met that fate and now resides in a self-service yard just south of the city. This truck started out as a member of the extended UMC Aeromate family, built in Indiana by the company now known as Utilimaster. I couldn't find much useful information about this particular model, which seems to have the windshield and nose of one of the many UMC-based RVs instead of the typical long snout of most Aeromates. What I do know is that it's based on an early-1990s Chrysler minivan chassis, complete with 3.3-liter V6 engine and the instrument cluster out of a 1992 Plymouth Voyager. The 3.3 made 150 horsepower in 1993, and it was installed in Chrysler minivans through 2010. 150 horses (and 180 pound-feet) isn't much for a big truck packed with a complete kitchen, and the strain on a Torqueflite automatic transmission designed for a 3,400-pound minivan must have been severe. I think the drivetrain on this 29-year-old truck just couldn't hold up under the demands of a hard-working crew of sandwich entrepreneurs in the extreme weather and traffic conditions of High Plains Colorado. The county licensing sticker expired in late 2019, so it took a couple of years for this UMC to reach this place. Don't weep for the Little Big Sandwich Truck, though, because the LBST Empire upgraded to a newer, GM-built school bus a few years ago and appears to be slinging sandwiches outside Denver-area breweries to this day. The headlights and marker lights clearly came from a late-first-generation Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager (the second-generation Chrysler minivans, which debuted in the 1991 model year, got different noses). The grille looks like typical RV equipment. I've seen a few junked ice cream trucks over the years, but somehow a sandwich truck with a stenciled snorkeling dachshund seems sadder. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.