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Chrysler's Woodward Dream Cruise festivities include Ram concept truck debut

The streets will be crowded next weekend along Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak, Michigan for the 19th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise. As part of the run-up to the festivities, Chrysler has announced that all of its brands - Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat, SRT and Mopar - will bring along their latest vehicles. Also included will be a collection of classic American cars and various activities for attendees at the official Chrysler location on the corner of Woodward and 13 Mile Road.
Special to this year, Ram brand director Bob Hegbloom and head of design John Dehner will unveil a Ram concept truck on Saturday. Chrysler will also bring Ryan Friedlinghaus of West Coast Customs fame along to show off a few custom Chrysler-made vehicles of his own. Fans of the brand on Facebook will get the chance to virtually customize a vehicle from the automaker's portfolio, with the winner getting their dream car built for them by Chrysler. Pretty cool stuff, no?
As in past years, Ford and General Motors will have an official presence at the event as well, and you can expect to see plenty of cars of all makes and models from all parts of the globe. The madness starts this Friday, August 16, from 4:30 PM to 10 PM, with the main event taking place on Saturday, from 9 AM to 9 PM. For more details on the show, including events and their times, check out the press release below.

2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Long-Term Update | Serenity now!

If you're an Autoblog regular, you probably know that I'm a person who loves all things automotive that make loud noises, handle like go-karts, and generally send my heart rate through the roof. I mean, I keep advocating for carmakers to add a performance version to just about every model lineup. But I've been developing an appreciation for vehicles that simply make life easier and let you decompress, such as our long-term 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. I haven't always felt that way. Early in its stay, I frequently avoided taking the Pacifica if I could, mainly because I was turned off by the numb steering and roly-poly nature. Yes, it's a minivan, but I couldn't stop thinking about the Honda Odyssey that came through, which I discovered to be surprisingly nimble. It also packed the sweet sounding V6 in our Honda Ridgeline that I've previously raved about. But then other Pacifica strong suits started to come through. The hybrid powertrain may not be exhilarating, but it's wonderfully quiet. That's to be expected when it's primarily running on the electric motor, but when its V6 engine kicks on, the noise is well-muffled. Road and wind noise is nearly non-existent, too, so whether you're tooling around town or cruising on the highway, nothing is interrupting your tunes, podcasts, talk radio or simple silence. The interior is a lovely place to be, too. Enormous windows, a panoramic sunroof and low sills make this one of the airiest cabins I've been in. And the light color of the upholstery and plastics amplifies the open feeling. After a long, cold Michigan winter, this rolling sunroom is welcome. It also provides superb visibility, making the Pacifica a breeze to maneuver. It's really easy to get inside, too; it has most of the height of a crossover, which takes care of not having to bend down, but it has a much lower floor, so you also don't have to climb up to get in. To cap things off, the Pacifica's ride is excellent. While there's more body roll than I'd like, it glides right across nasty bumps and potholes. And it does so without the heaving and pounding of heavy crossovers and SUVs. It feels more like a luxury sedan. Basically, the Pacifica is ideal for transporting you through life with a minimum of fuss. And so anytime I've had a long stressful day, I'll be looking for the keys to ours.

Amazon is showcasing its big push into cars and transportation at CES

From making cars talk using Alexa's voice to managing data from factories full of robots, Amazon wants a big piece of the action in transportation, and next week at CES will unveil more about its strategy to achieve that goal than ever before. The Seattle retail and cloud services powerhouse plans to use the annual technology show in Las Vegas to unveil its plan to be a major player in self-driving vehicle technology, connected cars, electric vehicles and management of the torrents of data generated by automakers and drivers, company executives told Reuters. Amazon Web Services, which provides large-scale cloud computing and data management services, is central to Amazon's strategy. "We really are extending ourselves more and more out in the ecosystem from manufacturing to connected car," Jon Allen, head of professional services in Amazon Web Services' automotive practice, said in a telephone interview. "The takeaway message on this is if you go to CES this year we really are taking it as a 'One Amazon' view." Until now, Amazon has shown its transportation strategy to investors — and rivals — one piece at a time. Amazon has invested in self-driving software startup Aurora. It also has signed deals with automakers to deliver packages to vehicle trunks, help develop electric vehicle charging networks and use AWS to network their factories. The Seattle company will share the CES stage with partners such as virtual reality firm ZeroLight, electric vehicle startup Rivian, Canada's BlackBerry Ltd and video game software development company Unity Technologies. "It's our attempt to weave everything together in a single experience for our customers," Dean Phillips, AWS' automotive technical leader, told Reuters. "Customers don't distinguish AWS from Alexa from Amazon.com. It's Amazon."   Related: As GM readies Alexa convenience for vehicles, we ponder its dark side   At CES, ZeroLight and GM's Cadillac will demonstrate how they are partnering to develop an online vehicle configuration experience that will allow high-fidelity images of vehicles that consumers build online to be taken with them on visits to dealers, Phillips said. The process can open the door to dealers better meeting customer needs by knowing what users focused on when building their dream car. It has already boosted profit per vehicle at Volkswagen's Audi brand by an estimated 1,200 euros ($1,340), he said.