By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
No, automakers don’t want to be ‘required’ to sell EVs
A recent headline in the New York Times claims Detroit’s car companies want the Trump administration to make them sell electric vehicles. It’s a misleading headline, auto analysts say, and blurs the lines about what companies want from a second Trump presidency.
Fox – 2 Detroit
From better fast-charging for long drives in electric vehicles to powered climate control vents, 2024’s best things came in some surprising packages.
A handful of vehicles and brands introduced innovative features every buyer should consider before buying anything else.
They improve everything from child safety to trip planning and they’re the best new features of 2024.
Here are my top six:
Access to Tesla DC chargers
No. 1 with a bullet: General Motors and Ford Motor Co. secured access to Tesla’s world-class charging network for the EVs they make, which will improve life for electric vehicle owners, increase consumer acceptance of the new drivetrain and change the auto and energy-delivery industries.
Say what you will about Tesla, it built the best fast-charging network for efficient and reliable long-distance EV travel.
Other automakers are adding access to Tesla’s network, but Ford, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC struck first.
Panoramic display
I have recommended the new Lincoln Nautilus midsize SUV to people purely on the basis of its revolutionary 48-inch display, which replaces the conventional instrument cluster directly in front of the drive with a widescreen, customizable display stretching the width of the vehicle at the base of the windshield. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Nautilus. The display is simply that much better than anything else on the road.
The screen’s location is perfectly intuitive, its high-res display crystal clear. There is no learning curve to using it, and I’ve yet to meet a driver or passenger who doesn’t like it. Test drive a Nautilus at your peril: It may be hard to pick any other midsize luxury SUV after experiencing the panoramic display
Lincoln will offer a nearly identical display in the 2025 Navigator, going on sale in 2025.
Memory for vent settings
Not for the first time, I find myself alone, rowing against the current of opinion from every other auto critic I’ve spoken to. Power adjustable HVAC vents have been around for a while, but the Lincoln Nautilus, Rivian R1T and Rivian R1S’ execution of the idea combines good ergonomics with position memory linked to driver-memory settings.
Most of my peers think the feature, which controls which vents are open and where they’re aimed from the touch screen, is a needless complication, offering no benefit versus manual adjsutments.
They overlook the fact that it remembers exactly how I like my vents, returning to those settings every time my settings are recalled. Call me a dilettante, but that’s a feature worth having..
Radar that can tell you left kids, pets in the car
Incredibly precise radar found on Volvo EX90 EV, Toyota Sienna and Hyundai Tucson vehicles alert these vehicles’ drivers should a child or pet be left in a locked vehicle.
Some of the sensors are so precise they can detect an infant breathing under a blanket, or a fly buzzing in the vehicle. Sophisticated algorithms weed out buzzing insects but alert the driver to dogs or children left behind.
Some of the systems even beep the horn and roll down windows if the driver ignores the alert. Volvo activates climate control to keep the precious cargo comfy if the driver misses or ignores the alert.
The EX90 EV has the most comprehensive system, with seven radar sensors scanning the SUV’s entire interior, from front footwell to cargo compartment. The Sienna and Tucson both use a single radar to observe the passenger compartment.
Pet, baby driving mode for smooth ride
Hyundai’s top seller, the 2025 Tucson compact SUV, offers a driving mode that adjusts throttle response and torque to create the smoothest possible launch, a setting the automaker says will keep infants’ heads from bobbing — or pets from losing their footing — as the vehicle accelerates from a stop.
Power side windows
VW ID Buzz’s delightfully retro electric minivan offers power windows in the sliding doors by its second-row seats. Set into the doors’ larger fixed windows, the flush-fitting glass panels retract to the rear for ventilation or just a better view.
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
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