Nissan announced the 2023 Altima in June. Now that the family sedan has reached dealers, it’s time for pricing. There are small price bumps to go with the small changes to made to next year’s model. There’s the new Nissan logo all over, larger trim-specific V-motion grilles, and LED headlights for every trim. The Platinum trim that was AWD-only departs, leaving S, SV, SR, SL, and SR-VC Turbo; when powering both axles, the S drops away at the bottom, leaving SV, SR and SL. The SR now gets its own unique black chrome insert and SR badging. A couple of new colors and four new wheel designs join the menu.
Nissan raised the destination charge from $1,025 to $1,095. Prices for the 2023 Altima after destination, and their changes from 2022, are:
S: $26,385 ($710)
SV: $27,185 ($510)
SR: $28,585 ($910)
SL: $33,085 ($1,970)
SR VC-Turbo: $36,085 ($4,060)
SV AWD: $28,685 ($610)
SR AWD: $30,085 ($2,035)
SL AWD: $34,585 ($2,070)
Inside, select trims get an upgraded instrument cluster with a seven-inch information screen and a much bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The latter replaces the eight-inch option on the previous model. The SR upgrades to dual-contrast stitching, while wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and wireless phone charging are standard on SL and SR VC-Turbo grades, optional on SV and SR grades.
Nissan Safety Shield 360 comes standard across the range, meaning front and rear automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot warning, rear-cross traffic alert, and automatic high-beam headlights.
The engines carry over. That means the standard, naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 188 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque on the front-drivers, 182 hp when optioned with AWD. Then there’s the turbocharged, variable compression 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 248 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque on 93 octane, 236 hp on regular gas, which can only be had with front-wheel drive. Both shift through CVTs.
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Among the leading consequences of a cyberattack or breach is it incurs a loss of trust among clients and customers in addition to the financial losses and compensation needed to remedy the fallout, said Philip Geier, virtual chief information security officer for security platform provider, Pivotalogic, during the IARA Summer Roundtable on Aug. 18.
Photo: IARA
Think of it as the never-ending stress test. Cybersecurity has crept into the information-world like a million tapeworms burrowing and stealing into business data troves where they can wreak havoc and even demand ransom.
That means organizations, including all those handling vehicles in every facet of remarketing, should have plans and defenses in place — yesterday — and test them continuously.
Businesses and operation must update and bolster their cybersecurity strategies to stay secure for the long haul and ensure they remain productive and don’t lose money to cyber breaches, vandals, and ransom shakedowns, said Philip Geier, virtual chief information security officer for security platform provider, Pivotalogic. Geier gave a presentation, “Cybersecurity Made Simple,” on Aug.18 during the IARA Summer Roundtable in Nashville, Tennessee.
“You need to make sure you have a good security posture developed and the company can perform,” Geier said told the audience.
Geier’s firm is tracking the rising trend of threats and concerns related to cybersecurity. In its recent poll of 300 information technology leaders, the survey found some troubling realities:
81% of IT leaders rated vulnerabilities and unknown misconfigurations as the biggest security concern within their environments
76% say that their primary obstacle is the inability to hire security staff or lack of security experience and skills among the staff
70% say ransomware is their top concern
56% identify the inability to adequately manage risk and develop a risk management program
50% say their cybersecurity budget fails to meet the minimum figure they need to remain secure
Overall, cybersecurity is the number one concerns among CEOs as they see their companies and industry sectors suffer financial losses from attacks and hacks as massive increases in ransomware afflict the banking industry, Geier said. There has been a 24% increase in breaches compared to the previous year.
Among the leading consequences of a cyberattack or breach is it incurs a loss of trust among clients and customers in addition to the financial losses and compensation needed to remedy the fallout. The average cost of a data breach in 2021 was $9.05 million. 99% of organizations use at least one public or private cloud.
Further challenging the cybersecurity sector is a labor shortage of 3.5 million professionals, whose average base pay starts at $130,000.
Geier outlined four primary steps business and organizations can take to improve their security posture:
No. 1: Identify gaps and vulnerabilities with a security risk assessment. Check up on your overall security health. A risk assessment should span the administrative, physical facility, internal, and external functions of a business. Observe, document, and test all aspects of security, and interview employees as needed to complement the data and findings. A third party can help with such a comprehensive assessment.
No. 2: Measure and communicate your risks. IT people generally don’t communicate very well, Geier said. Leaders must instill consistent communication across the organization with IT. Set up a security score like the format for a FICO score.
No. 3: Build a roadmap to address your risks. Have a plan so you can make the right decisions and not get lost. Prioritize and address risks in the most methodical and effective way possible. Determine who best can devise a cybersecurity plan: internal employees, outside parties or contractors and services.
No. 4: Report improvements over time based on key performance indicators. Communicate and evaluate improvements continuously among different departments.
Meanwhile, organizations and businesses should take the following precautions:
Do not pay for ransomware blackmail. The more companies pay, the more aggressive they get. Can you do a disaster recovery exercise? Have an instant replacement plan based on practice attacks and scenarios. Conduct emergency exercises at regular times of the year.
Back up data so you don’t have to pay cyber criminals. Test the backed-up data. Cybersecurity “hostages” pay up because they don’t back up their company data and information. They should put it in a secure cloud and keep testing their disaster recovery plan.
The power grid is extremely vulnerable. Every company should install or be able to access backup generators and power supplies, since many utilities so far have not adequately invested in grid protection.
One good thing that came out of the pandemic is that more people picked up cycling. In the first three months of 2021, American consumer spending on bikes and cycling accessories increased by 34 percent year on year to $8.2 billion. However, the pandemic also saw more die and suffer injuries while biking. According to the National Safety Council, 1,260 cyclists were killed in 2020, a 16 percent increase from 2019.
It’s a problem that Ford thinks technology can address. On Monday, the automaker announced it’s working with Commsignia, PSS, Ohio State University, T-Mobile and Tome Software to explore how a smartphone app could warn drivers of pedestrians and cyclists they may not see. As someone sharing the road with a car, you would install the company’s software on your phone. With the help of Bluetooth Low Energy, vehicles with Ford’s Sync infotainment system would see you as “beacons.” If the car then determines there’s the potential for a crash, it will warn the driver using audiovisual cues.
According to Ford, its approach has a few advantages. One is that Bluetooth LE is nearly ubiquitous. The technology has been part of the Bluetooth protocol since 2009, meaning every modern smartphone has access to it. If you own a Ford vehicle, you won’t need to bring your car to a dealership for a hardware upgrade since the Sync system features Bluetooth compatibility. The other advantage of using Bluetooth LE is that your car won’t need to see pedestrians and cyclists before it can warn you. Ford and T-Mobile are also working on a version of the app that uses 5G instead of Bluetooth LE.
In practice, the company’s approach is reminiscent of the COVID exposure notification apps some countries and states deployed at the beginning of the pandemic. As you may recall, those also used Bluetooth LE. However, despite backing from Apple and Google, they were never effective due to low usage. In Canada, for instance, the federal COVID Alert app was only downloaded 6.9 million times and logged 63,117 positive tests. Put another way, nowhere near enough Canadians downloaded the software to make it an effective contact tracing tool. Ford’s app is likely to experience some of the same issues.
As an avid cyclist, I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen riding their bikes at night without an LED light to make themselves visible to traffic. On the other hand, statistics suggest motorists have been driving more aggressively in recent years, leading to the aforementioned increase in cyclist deaths as well as vehicle crashes. Any kind of intervention would be welcome, but Ford’s app isn’t likely to be a meaningful solution if it ever comes to market. While the Bluetooth LE solution to COVID had only one uphill climb, apps like Ford’s have two: adoption by cyclists and adoption by automakers.
BlueCruise assists in shifting the vehicle’s position away from bigger vehicles, such as semis, in adjacent lanes.
Photo: Ford
Ford will introduce BlueCruise 1.2 and Lincoln ActiveGlide 1.2 this fall with new, hands-free driving features to create a more human-like driving feel.
Lane change assist will perform a hands-free lane change when requested by the driver tapping the turn signal. The system can also suggest a lane change when following slow-moving traffic.
Predictive speed assist will automatically adjust the speed when the vehicle approaches a sharp curve and will help signal the driver ahead of time when a speed change is about to occur so he or she knows why the vehicle is slowing.
In-lane repositioning will keep the vehicle in its lane while subtly shifting the vehicle’s position away from vehicles in adjacent lanes, especially when next to bigger vehicles such as semis.
Ford said in a statement that it is continuing to add features to BlueCruise and enhance its advanced driver assist systems to offer a more human-like driving performance, in addition to refining visuals, sensing, and steering experiences. It also stated that maps are continually being improved with over-the-air updates identifying pre-qualified sections of divided highways where BlueCruise can be used, which currently covers more than 130,000 miles.
Once a pre-qualified road is identified, BlueCruise-equipped vehicles sense and help confirm lane lines are visible, the driver has eyes on the road and other conditions appropriate before transitioning to hands-free driving. BlueCruise uses animated cluster transitions featuring text and blue lighting cues to communicate that the feature is in hands-free mode, which can even assist drivers with color blindness.
More than 75,000 Ford and Lincoln customers have enrolled in BlueCruise and ActiveGlide, with more than 16 million hands-free driving miles accumulated through the end of August.
An MOT tester who issued 31 MOT certificates without testing the cars while working at Halfords Autocentre has recently received a suspended jail sentence.
Anton Fricker was prosecuted after Halfords Autocentre alerted the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency that it suspected fraud had taken place.
The offences took place at two Halfords Autocentre workshops, in Taunton and Yeovil, between August and October 2021.
Fricker, aged 27 and from Taunton, initially denied the offences but when presented with evidence by DVSA he then confessed to having received payment for the fraudulent MOTs.
After pleading guilty to 31 charges related to dishonestly making a false representation by issuing an MOT certificate without performing MOT tests, intending to make a gain for himself or another, Fricker appeared at Taunton Crown Court on August 26, 2022, for sentencing.
Fricker was sentenced to an eight month custodial sentence, suspended for 15 months. He was ordered to carry out 150 hrs of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation days and ordered to pay a £500 contribution towards prosecution costs.
He was also banned by DVSA from MOT testing for five years.
Marian Kitson, DVSA’s director of enforcement, said after the hearing: “He was not only defrauding the MOT system, but he was also defrauding the public who rightly expect the MOT to help keep them and their families safe whilst using the roads.
“MOT testers hold a position of trust and Fricker abused that trust. We will ensure that anyone who compromises safety in pursuit of personal gain feels the full force of the law.”
The owners of the 31 vehicles issued with fraudulent pass certificates have been contacted by the DVSA.
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Party in the rear, business up front and easy to throw about. Front engine, rear-wheel drive is a formula which lends itself to innumerable variations of customisation, and you can go as wild or subtle as you like.
You can also choose where to go wild, and where to keep it clean. Or, if you’re like the owner of this Rocket Bunny Pandem-kitted Nissan Silvia S14, Tomonori Idekawa (Tomo-san), then you can throw modesty out the window. Guns out, gold chains and a lifetime membership at World Gym.
This car is proper mash-up material, with the wrong front end, the wrong engine, and most of the drivetrain swapped, replaced or toughened. The result is something both confusing and cohesive, depending on how many coffees you’ve had.
Built by Total Create E.Prime in Hiroshima and painted by Tomo-san himself, this S14 is as much an expression of its owner as it is a statement of what the tuning world is today. Nuts.
You’ve likely seen this Rocket Bunny Pandem ‘Boss’ conversion before, and also the one Kei Muira designed for the Mazda FD3S, which looks like an RX-7 has embedded itself into the back of an RX-3.
Apparently the inspiration for the S14 Boss kit design came from the Plymouth Barracuda – it’s easy to see the resemblance – and I personally think it transforms the Silvia handsomely. It’s not just two-minute make-up, but some serious plastic surgery. Gone is the S14’s ’90s-era pointed nose, replaced by a stub-like brick wall of a front end, shorter by quite a few inches.
The paintwork is bold to say the least, but credit where credit is due because the finish is pretty impressive considering Tomo-san is only a hobby gun-slinger. What’s even more impressive is that all those parts supplier and sponsor names down the side of the car are not vinyl stickers, but were hand painted.
Pandem 6666 wheels (by Enkei) in a 17×9.5-inch fitment are wrapped up in 255/40R17 Zestino Gredge 07R semi-slicks at all four corners. Tomo-san is running Silk Road coilovers with 12K front and 10K rear spring rates, as well as an arsenal of chassis-hardening components to keep things straight when the S14 is sideways.
There’s also custom gusseting around the strut towers, with the rear tying into the full Saito roll cage.
Up at the business end, the Silvia’s original SR20DET has been swapped for a more potent RB25DET. According to Tomo-san, the 2.5L Nissan turbocharged six is making a very modest 370hp, but I’m sure there’s scope for more power given the hardware, which includes an HKS GT-RS turbo and Tomei cams.
This car lives its life burning through stacks of rubber, but in the safest way possible – on track. As part of Hiroshima’s Review drift team, it’s not just eye candy; the S14 car gets thrown around like a rag doll at every opportunity. Partying this hard takes its toll though, and Tomo-san told me that it’s had its nose reconstructed a couple of times.
Each time it has a scuffle with a side wall, it dusts itself off and gets back to drinking litres of high-octane petrol and picking fights on every corner. It’s awesome.
The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV gets its big reveal today, hitting the Internet just a week before the Detroit Auto Show. We’re only a few months on from Chevy revealing the Blazer EV, and for folks wishing for something affordable, the Equinox EV is going to look a fair bit more tantalizing.
GM is detailing a number of vital specs for every motor, battery and trim configuration today, but it’s only providing a price estimate for the base 1LT model, telling us that it will start “around $30,000.” For that price, you’ll get a single-motor front-wheel-drive Equinox EV that produces 210 horsepower and 242 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with the base (smallest) battery pack, and Chevy estimates a 250-mile range on a full charge. We don’t know how much the upcharge will be yet, but you can pair the 1LT with the big battery pack for 300 miles of range. You can also spec it with all-wheel drive, which automatically tacks on the big battery, leading to a range estimate of 280 miles. The 1LT eAWD (and every all-wheel-drive Equinox) comes with a dual-motor setup that results in a combined output of 290 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of torque.
It’s not abundantly obvious in photos, but the Equinox EV is a fair bit bigger than the regular, gas-powered Equinox. Chevy says the EV is 7.4 inches longer and 2.8 inches wider. The 9.0-inch longer wheelbase and 1.9-inch reduction in height really help the Equinox EV’s proportions, too. Cargo space maxes out at 57.2 cubic-feet, which is nearly 7 cubic-feet less than the gasoline Equinox, a compromise for design. Just like the Blazer EV, there is no frunk — Chevy uses the space for the front drive unit and other electronics instead.
Styling varies widely between trims. The base 1LT in gray is subdued and melts into the background, while the RS (in white) and 3LT (in blue above) both pop with far more flare and look-at-me attitude. Every trim gets a distinctive wrap-around LED taillight, but only upper trims enjoy the full-width front DRL. Wheel sizes range from 19- to 21-inch options.
Charging technology and speed is the same across the board. The Ultium platform-based crossover maxes out at 150-kW fast-charging — Chevy says that this can return approximately 70 miles of range to the car in as little as 10 minutes. It’s a similar charge speed as vehicles like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Toyota bZ4X, but it lags behind segment leaders like the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5. Level 2 charging at 11.5 kW is standard, but the top-line 3RS offers 19.2-kW Level 2 charging — at this rate, you’ll get 51 miles of range per hour. Lastly, GM is showing off a new V2L (vehicle-to-load) system with the Equinox EV, but it’s only optional on the 3RS. If you spec your Equinox this way, it will provide up to 3 kW of power to whatever electrical item you have plugged into it. That’s not enough to rescue a stranded EV on the side of the road (at least not in a reasonable timeframe), but it’ll work quite nicely for camping and tailgating applications.
As for the interior, the 1LT will come with a big 11-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard equipment. Step up to higher trims, and you get an even bigger 17-inch infotainment system (pictured above). No matter the trim, Chevy includes hard buttons for climate controls and a fully digital instrument cluster. Optional tech extras include niceties like a head-up display, digital rearview camera mirror and a 360-degree camera. Plus, Chevy is making Super Cruise optional, so you can get GM’s awesome hands-free driver assistance system.
Pricing details for the other trims — 2LT, 3LT, 2RS and 3RS — are not available yet, but Chevy doesn’t specify any range differences between trims, as they all get the big battery as standard equipment, leaving front-drive cars with 300 miles of range and all-wheel-drive cars with 280 miles. No matter the trim, GM says the Equinox EV’s battery comes with an 8-year 100,000-mile warranty in addition to the regular bumper-to-bumper warranty.
The first Equinox EVs off the line will be a special 2RS “limited edition” model not pictured here. Chevy says it will offer unique colors inside and out, but provided no further details, including price. These launch cars will be available in Fall 2023. GM didn’t provide a detailed outline of its launch schedule, but it claims all trims will be made available at some point within the 2024 model year. We hope the base 1LT model isn’t the last to launch, but if the plan is the same as many other GM EVs, the most expensive trims will be what come first. As for the production location, Chevy says it will be manufacturing the Equinox EV at its Ramos Arizpe, Mexico facility where it also plans to make the Blazer EV.
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On the one hand, what we have here is (yet) another vintage World Rally Championship Lancia restomod. On the other hand, we just haven’t (yet) got tired of vintage WRC Lancia restomods. This one hails from The Netherlands, quite a bit further north than the Swiss and Italian takes we’ve seen so far. A company called Maturo Competition Cars in Veghel, which specializes in prepping old Delta Integrales for rallying, decided to work up a Delta HF Integrale 16v in the manner of the Group A cars that won WRC Manufacturer’s Championships in 1990 and 1991. The trio of men behind it decided they wanted to stay close to the feel of the original in order to provide a similar driving experience — with more horsepower, naturally — built with far more reliable and luxurious components.
The hatchback now known as the Maturo Stradale starts with a Delta HF Integrale in serviceable condition. The chassis is stripped, then sandblasted. Welders install a full custom roll cage and add spot welds in 250 places, increasing rigidity. These much stronger bones are then primered and repainted for corrosion resistance.
While all that’s being done, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder goes in for an even greater overhaul. The Group A Lancias made about 200 horsepower. Upgrades bolt on a larger carbon airbox, rebuilt Garrett turbo, larger intercooler, upgraded injectors and fuel system, new wiring harness and reprogrammed motorsports ECU. New internals include forged rods and pistons, and lighter valves. There’s a thicker timing belt, and the balance shafts are gone. Peak boost climbs from 1.2 bar to 1.8 bar, upping peak power to about 355 hp. The company says the engine “Will deliver a completely reliable 380 hp or more and more than 550 Nm [405 lb-ft] of torque.”
The original five-speed gearbox is rebuilt with stronger gears, and can be further revised with straight-cut gears in a dogleg pattern for power shifting. The original Deltas went without a locking front diff, making do with a Ferguson viscous center diff and a Torsen rear differential. Maturo puts in a new viscous center differential and mechanical locking diffs on both axles, meshed with driveshafts formed from an alloy created for Formula 1 cars that can endure angles of up to 40 degrees without deformation.
The four-way adjustable suspension derives from the firm’s rally-spec cars, and can be enhanced with a hydraulic ride height control system. The brakes are non-assisted, but adjustable for pressure front and rear thanks to a knob on the handbrake lever when aiming for the perfect back-end slide through a tarmac stage 180-degree corner.
Atop all these grubby bits go full carbon fiber body panels that shed more than 100 pounds compared to the original car, even with the slightly larger front lip and rear wing. The 17-inch Evo Corse wheels forged not look fantastic and of-the-period, they shave weight, too. Once testing is complete, the target curb weight is 2,645 pounds. Inside, think the restomod usual leather, carbon, titanium, anodized aluminum and Alcantara, with carbon Sparco bucket seats in front and the choice of a stitched-up rear bench or a deleted rear bench. The instrument cluster’s been wholly revamped as well, looking like something out of a 1990s concept car that wants to do nothing but go fast without fuss. The with “Juha” on it? That’s an especially sporty driving mode named for Juha Kankinnen, Maturo brand ambassador who won the WRC Driver’s Championship piloting the original HF Integrale in 1991.
Price? No mention of that yet. But Maturo plans to make just ten of these, which should give a clear idea of how high to look. Testing will run to the end of this year, after which orders will open. And, we predict, close almost immediately.
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In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder, Road Test Editor Zac Palmer, and Associate Editor Byron Hurd. This week as all about race tracks. Over the course of their careers (and a little on the side), our editors have had the opportunity to drive numerous fantastic circuits around the country and around the world, from Laguna Seca to Daytona to the Nürburgring Nordschleife. This week, they discuss some of their favorite tracks, the cars they tackled them in and the memories they made there. Scroll down to the rundown for links to some of the stories and reviews from these beloved circuits.
Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com.
Autoblog Podcast #745
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Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or “Alexa, open Autoblog” to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives.
The 110th State of the Fleet Industry video produced by Automotive Fleet offers insights into the state of the fleet market as presented by AF Editor Mike Antich.
Today’s topics include:
Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates that he acknowledges will cause “pain” to the U.S. economy in order to achieve the 2% inflation goal.
The construction industry proverbial canary in the coal mine when it comes to forecasting future economic trends.
There are fewer compact van options available today and the fear is there may be even fewer options in the future.
Today, we are now in the second longest consecutive week-over-week decline in fuel prices in the history of fuel management.
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⌚ Timestamps ⌚
0:00 Intro 1:30 Higher Interest Will Persist & Cause “Pain” 1:50 Potential to Tip Economy Into a Recession 2:14 Construction Market is a Leading Economic Indicator 2:35 Fastest Housing Market Contraction Since 2006 3:34 Supply Constraints Getting Building Materials 3:45 Construction Costs Increased More Than Expected 4:08 Building Projects Delayed 4:22 Staff Shortages Due to Low COVID Vaccination Rates 5:25 Decreased Compact Van Choices 7:20 Ongoing Decline in Gasoline Prices 8:21 Fuel Demand Softened at $5 per Gallon 8:36 Lower Crude Oil Prices in Global Market 8:54 Release of Oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
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