The luxury automaker has announced that it is launching a software update that will bring ChatGPT into its vehicles through a collaboration with the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service., starting on June 16.
The feature will be integrated into the MBUX infotainment system, which already offers a wide array of voice commands through the “Hey, Mercedes” voice assistant feature.
ChatGPT will allow occupants to have “conversations with natural dialogues and follow-up questions” with the generative artificial intelligence platform.
Owners can sign up for the feature through the vehicle’s MBUX infotainment system or the Mercedes me app. (Mercedes-Benz)
“The integration of ChatGPT with Microsoft in our controlled cloud environment is a milestone on our way to making our cars the center of our customers’ digital lives. Our beta program boosts the existing Hey Mercedes functions such as navigation queries, weather requests and others with the capabilities of ChatGPT,” Markus Schäfer, member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, chief technology officer, Development and Procurement, said.
The beta program is scheduled to run for three months and the interactions will be used to further refine the system.
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Owners can tell the voice assistant, “Hey Mercedes, I want to join the beta program,” on Friday if they are interested in opting in, or sign up through the Mercedes me app.
Mercedes-Benz is the first automaker to launch a ChatGPT-based system, while several others, including General Motors, have said they are looking into developing similar features.
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The company thinks hybrids are a more affordable way to reduce greenhouse gases and stretch battery supplies farther since many of them can be made with the same number of cells needed for just one EV.
It does have one of those on sale now called the bZ4X, however, and is ramping up its efforts in the zero-emissions space as it keeps rolling out the hybrid hits.
There are a total of 20 of them on sale in the U.S. across the Toyota and Lexus brands today, including the latest version of the granddaddy of them all — the Prius.
I heard one child ask his father excitedly, “Is that a Prius!? Wow!” The youths are into it.
The Prius Prime has a 220-horsepower plug-in hybrid drivetrain. (Fox News Digital)
The design is actually less aerodynamically efficient than the previous generation, which was a very odd duck optimized to reduce drag at all costs. But it’s improved appeal can’t be denied. The wide-body wedge shape has been inspiring custom car builders to modify it into mean-looking street machines, and Toyota has even released a teaser image suggesting a performance or racing version is in the works.
Toyota is teasing a performance version of the Prius. (Toyota)
The Prius is available as a standard hybrid or the plug-in Prius Prime that we tested. Prices for the Prius Prime range from $33,445 to $40,265, depending on the trim. Since it’s made in Japan, it doesn’t qualify for any federal electric vehicle purchase tax credits, but they can be incorporated into a lease.
The cabin is roomy enough for four 6-foot passengers to fit comfortably, but the hair of passengers in the rear may be brushing the headliner, and they don’t get their own air vents. The dashboard has a large touchscreen display for the infotainment system but also a lot of physical buttons and toggles for many primary controls.
The Prius Prime has a digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system. (Toyota)
The oddest thing about the interior is the digital instrument cluster, which is in a pod high on the dashboard. This makes it difficult not to block at least part of it with the steering wheel. The wheel feels like it’s from a luxury car, however, and the interior is of good quality overall.
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The Prius Prime is available with a 185-watt solar roof. (Fox News Digital)
It only provides one or two kilowatts per sunny day, enough for about 3-6 miles of driving, but over the course of a few years it could pay for itself, as long as you remember to park it outside.
The compact four-door has room for four 6-foot passengers. (Toyota)
You’ll want as many miles worth of power as you can get because the Prius Prime is as smooth and sporty as it looks. The ride comfort and handling are excellent, and the hybrid power provides a good dose of fun. It’s also quiet and eats up the miles, especially with the standard Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 package’s lane-tracing adaptive cruise control engaged.
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Base price: $33,445
As tested: $40,875
Type: 5-passenger, front-wheel-drive 4-door hatchback
Transmission: CVT automatic
MPG: 48 combined
Range: 39 miles
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The Hollywood legend and avid automobile racer owned a string of sedate-looking Volvo station wagons that he used as his daily drivers.
But they were just acting the part.
Newman owned a racing team and the crew modified the Volvos with high-performance engines as gifts, turning them into what’s known as “sleepers” that combine speed with stealth.
The 1998 Volvo V90 has a GM crate V8 similar to the engine in the Corvette. (RM Sotheby’s)
The 1998 V90 “Volvette” has a 6.0-liter V8, like the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette’s, with around 400 hp, more than twice that of the stock V90’s straight-six.
The car features a four-speed automatic transmission. (RM Sotheby’s)
It was also equipped with a GM four-speed automatic transmission to send power to the rear wheels and front suspension parts from a Porsche 911 to improve its handling.
Newman’s team affixed a plaque to the dashboard. (RM Sotheby’s)
A plaque affixed to the dashboard reads: To PLN. This Should Get You To The Grid On Time. From The Team.
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The pre-auction estimate for the car was just $20,000 to $25,000, but online bidding had already reached $40,000 at the time this story was published and is not scheduled to close until June 13.
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Argentine PGA Tour golfer Emiliano Grillo won his second tour trophy at the Charles Schwab Challenge on Memorial Day weekend in Texas, and something to bring it home in.
Along with a $1.566 million prize and tartan winner’s jacket, Grillo was given a 1973 Ford Bronco that was customized for the event.
The truck was built by Classic Ford Broncos of Powell, Ohio, which restored and updated the classic.
The interior is trimmed in tartan that matches the Charles Schwab Challenge winner’s jacket. (Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports)
The interior retains a retro style, but with new instruments, leather trim and plaid upholstery that matches the jacket.
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Classic Ford Broncos also replaced the Ford badges on the grill and tailgate with Schwab lettering.
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A rare 1970 Plymouth Superbird muscle car owned by the same family for nearly a half-century is coming up for auction and expected to pull a huge price.
The Superbird was only built for one year, but remains one of the most iconic American cars of all time.
Its aerodynamic nosecone and high rear wing were designed to help Plymouth dominate on the NASCAR circuit with the likes of Richard “The King” Petty behind the wheel.
This 1970 Superbird has 57,000 miles on the odometer. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
Interest in the model as had a resurgence in recent years, however, and the thousand or so that are left have become highly sought after collector cars, especially the ones in good shape.
Top models often go for over $500,000, and a perfectly restored Superbird with a 426 Hemi V8 engine was auctioned last year for a record $1.65 million.
The Superbird was based on the more conventionally styled Road Runner. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
Now, one that is not perfect but is almost perfectly original is coming up for auction.
The Superbird’s signature wing was designed to improve its performance on speedways. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
The “Vitamin C Orange” coupe still has chalk marks inside that were added by workers as it moved down the assembly line a half-century ago. It shows 57,178 miles on the odometer, has a few scrapes and dents and the paint on its fender-top vents is faded.
“People never got used to how long that nose was,” Soneff said.
This car is equipped with a 440 cubic-inch “Six Barrel” V8. (VanDerBrink Auctions)
Even though his shop does restorations, Soneff kept it as he found it and drove it for several years, but has started trimming his fleet and is offering it with dozens of other cars with VanDerBrink Auctions through June 10.
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Already quite the appreciation from its original price of around $5,000.
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The late singer was coming off a decade of hits, including her cover of “The Best” that was released that year and would go on to become one of her most iconic tracks.
Chrysler CEO Lee Iaccoca knew star power when he saw it and hired Turner to star in a series of advertisements for Plymouth to help reinvigorate the brand’s image.
He featured her in an ad for the Plymouth Sundance compact, where she delivered the very Iaccoca-esque pitch, “I wanna warn you about this car, this Plymouth Sundance.”
In another ad for the Acclaim midsize sedan, she said, “now this car is built for comfort … I wonder what else we have in common.”
However, Turner’s favorite cars were from the other side of the Atlantic.
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The XJ6 was from Sammy Davis Jr., who gave it to her as thanks for appearing in a show with him in Las Vegas in 1970.
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Toyota’s premium brand has confirmed that the all-new GX will debut on June 8.
The current $59,275 GX460 is the only truck-based mainstream midsize luxury SUV, complete with body-on-frame construction and a solid rear axle.
Lexus sold nearly 30,000 GX 460s last year, despite the fact that it was last fully redesigned in 2010.
The current GX has a more curvaceous design than the new model. (Lexus)
It appears to have a rugged, utilitarian exterior style that is more along the lines of the military-inspired G-Class or Land Rover Defender crossover SUV.
The midsize Tacoma is all-new for 2024. (Toyota)
The body is tall and slab-sided and the creased, bulky hood stands proud above the fenders.
The GX will be built on Toyota’s latest truck platform, which also underpins the new Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Sequoia and Lexus LX600.
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The Lexus TX has three rows of seats. (Lexus)
The vehicle is expected to be based on the new Toyota Grand Highlander.
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The automaker has announced plans to have an all-electric lineup by 2030, including its biggest seller.
“Big” being the key word.
The first all-electric Escalade will be called the Escalade IQ. (Cadillac)
It is currently available with diesel and gasoline engines, including the supercharged 682 horsepower V8 in the high performance Escalade-V, but a battery-powered model is on the way.
The emissions-free Escalade is expected to be launched in 2025, and Cadillac has now revealed its name, if nothing else. It will be called the Escalade IQ, putting it in line with the nomenclature Cadillac has set on for its electric models, which will all end in IQ.
The Lyriq is currently on sale and will be followed by the $300,000 Celestiq next year.
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The Cadillac Escalade-V has a 682 hp V8. (Cadillac)
Aside from an image of the vehicle’s nameplate, no other details have been released, but the vehicle will be unveiled later this year.
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However, the Escalade IQ will be built on the same Ultium electric vehicle platform that underpins the GMC Hummer EV, Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, which is available with up to 1,000 horsepower today.
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The car was originally owned by Detroit street racer Godfrey “Dennis” Qualls, who definitely shouldn’t have been taking part in the illegal activity.
Qualls was a motorcycle police officer in the city and raced incognito.
He purchased the muscle car in 1969 for $5,272 specifically to race, ordering it with a pistol grip shifter for its four-speed manual transmission and a 426 four-barrel Hemi V8. It is one of just 23 cars that were built in the configuration that year
Gregory Qualls inherited the Black Ghost in 2015 and has brought it to car shows. (Mecum Auctions)
“I’d know dad was taking the car out, because starting it shook the house,” he told the Detroit Free Press, not knowing what he was up to. Gregory returned it to running condition but didn’t restore it, and started bringing it to car shows.
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In 2020, the Black Ghost was added to the National Historic Vehicle Register of noteworthy automobiles, which is maintained by Hagerty in collaboration with the Library of Congress, and displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The car remains in its original condition. (National Historic Vehicle Register)
“The story just really resonated with me and I love how the car community got behind it,” Snyder told Fox News Digital.
Snyder plans to give it a deep cleaning, but not restore it, and said that Gregory and his family are welcome to come see it anytime they want.
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The 2024 Tacoma marks the first full redesign of the best-selling midsize pickup since 2005, and it’s loaded with more features and technology than ever before.
The all-new pickup will be offered in eight grades covering three body and cab configurations and four engine options, including the model’s first hybrid.
It also has a first of its kind off-road seat with a suspension built into it.
The Tacoma Prerunner only comes in an Xtra cab bodystyle. (Toyota)
The Tacoma is available as a two-door, two-seat Xtra Cab with a six-foot bed, or a four-door double cab with either a five-foot or six-foot bed, depending on the grade. Topping the lineup are the off-road TRD Pro and Trailhunter models, both coming standard with the i-FORCE MAX.
The Tacoma TRD Pro was designed for high-speed off-road driving. (Toyota)
The TRD Pro is designed for rock crawling and dune bashing with an upgraded suspension featuring rear coil springs and adjustable Fox performance shocks; a detachable front stabilizer bar for maximum articulation; an electronic locking rear differential; 33-inch tires; a steel rear bumper and other off-road accessories.
The Tacoma TRD-Pro comes standard with seats equipped with shock absorbers for comfort and stabilization on rough roads. (Toyota)
It also has new IsoDynamic Performance front seats that are equipped with their own vertical and lateral shock absorbers that help reduce fatigue and keep the driver stabilized during high speed off-pavement driving. The shocks can be bypassed or adjusted to the passengers preferences.
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Both cabins are roomier than the outgoing Tacoma’s. The XtraCab’s front passenger seat folds down to create a workspace and there is lockable storage in the rear of the cabin, while the SuperCab has three times more storage under the rear seat than the truck it replaces.
An optional 360-degree camera system includes a trail view. (Toyota)
An eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system ins standard and high-end models get the same 14-inch touchscreen display used in the larger Tundra, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. A 360-degree camera system with trail view is optional.
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