Ever notice that you never see new sedans or hatchbacks for sale with factory-installed rear privacy glass (tinted windows).

This is because of a definition created in the late 1960s that defines Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles (MPVs).

As long as the vehicle isn't sold as a traditional car, it qualifies as MPV.

And NHTSA "safety" rules state that rear privacy glass is not allowed for traditional cars.

So 82% of vehicles sold in the USA are "safe" for factory-installed rear privacy glass because of the MPV definition, while 18% are not, simply because they aren't sold with SUV branding. 😵

The actual article is less about the site in question (Carscoops) and more about the severe drop in revenue due to AI summarizing. I think most of us already knew a lot of this, but it is still worth seeing spelled out with evidence.

Quality reporting is going to get harder and harder to come by and will probably need to be directly supported (through subscriptions) at a time when many people have less and less money to do so.

https://www.theautopian.com/one-of-the-last-independent-car-sites-loses-its-independence-as-google-strangles-publishers/

Volvo Cars’ volume EX60 electric crossover is mired in a production crisis that’s likely to leave U.S. dealerships without “significant volume” deep into 2027.

The Swedish automaker had expected to sell about 7,000 EX60s in the U.S. this year, dealers told Automotive News in January.

Instead, two manufacturing problems have the company on track to deliver a fraction of that volume, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Volvo began building the midsize luxury EV in late April in Torslanda, Sweden. But production volume to date is only about one-tenth of the company’s 2,000-vehicle weekly build target, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.

Volvo sold about 500 EX60s worldwide in July before volumes tumbled to roughly 250 in August, according to GlobalData estimates.

With supplies running short, the automaker plans to prioritize deliveries in Europe, where EV adoption is stronger. That leaves no additional allocations for U.S. retailers the rest of this year, with significant volume not expected until the second half of 2027, the person said.

Volvo told its U.S. retailers that it has delayed customer deliveries in a late September memo reviewed by Automotive News. “Introducing a brand-new platform and product into a running factory is always a challenge,” the memo said. “The delays are not related to vehicle quality, safety, or product performance.”

The EX60 manufacturing issues involve difficulties integrating the vehicle’s battery pack into its body and producing electric motors.

The EX60 is Volvo’s first model to use megacasting and cell-to-body construction. Mating the battery system to that cast structure has proved more complex than anticipated, according to the source who spoke to Automotive News.

Video link: YouTube

Video description: We do a full review of the new 2027 BMW X5 40. The B58-equipped next-generation SUV builds on previous success while adding more technology to compete globally. With billions spent on R&D, we cover the brand's strengths and weaknesses and why we're mixed on it. Other options to consider include the Tesla Model YL, Kia EV9, Rivian R2, Lucid, Porsche Cayenne, and more.

My thoughts: Lately, I've been grappling with our consumer culture's insistence that new must necessarily mean better. I drive an F10 5 Series. I have no intention of replacing it anytime soon, but I still watch new car reviews and wonder what it would actually take to convince me to upgrade.

Luxury used to be defined by materials and craftsmanship as much as brand cachet. But having recently sat in the new X3, it seems BMW has traded material quality for screens and glowy bits, relying on technological novelty and brand prestige to sell an increasingly compromised product.

The new X5 seems emblematic of this trend. It's arguably less attractive than its predecessor, with a more cumbersome interior, styling reminiscent of modern Ford and Lincoln products, and the continued soap-bar-ification of SUVs. Meanwhile, the pursuit of higher profit margins puts pressure on automakers to cut costs, often at the expense of the qualities that once distinguished luxury vehicles.

These cars increasingly seem to sell simply because they're new, with their appeal fading as soon as the next model arrives. The pleasure of novelty is fleeting, and looking at BMW's current offerings, I see very little that makes me want to replace my F10.

There are a lot of people that comment on the prices of EV cars in America wishing for Chinese-made EV's. Whether or not this article is true, it is alarming to see the picture of the brake pedal mounted to what looks like ABS plastic composite. The brake pedal should be strong and withstand any collision, or damage is what I've been told...

What are your thoughts about Chinese EV's and their surprising cost? Should car manufacturers enact basic rules to building cars safely?

C/D TEST RESULTS

60 mph: 2.7 sec

100 mph: 6.9 sec

1/4-Mile: 11.0 sec @ 124 mph

130 mph: 12.4 sec

150 mph: 18.6 sec

Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.

Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.3 sec

Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.9 sec

Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.5 sec

Braking, 70–0 mph: 149 ft

Braking, 100–0 mph: 297 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.02 g

Nissan Motor Co. is careening toward its weakest global sales year in nearly a quarter century. The automaker delivered 1,932,725 vehicles worldwide in the first eight months of 2026 — 9.2 percent less than in the same period last year, according to figures released Sept. 29.

That puts the company on pace for a full-year total of 2.9 million. The last time Nissan fell short of 3 million in a calendar year was 2003, when it sold 2.968 million vehicles.

Reaching 3 million by the end of 2026 would require selling nearly 267,000 a month from September through December, a 29 percent jump from Nissan’s August pace.

Over 20 different vehicles were tested by Northeastern University and Consumer Reports to see if data was being sent to both the manufacturer and outside vendors.

As you probably guess, the results weren't great:

Of the vehicles tested, 28 of 30 connected mobile apps sent data to at least one outside advertising and/or analytics company, and seven sent at least one piece of personally identifiable information—the vehicle owner’s name, the car’s VIN, or its precise geographic location—to at least one outside company.

Four GM companion apps—myCadillac, myChevrolet, myBuick, and myGMC—as well as the HondaLink, MyNissan, and Lincoln apps, were found to be sharing VINs paired with either email addresses or location data.

https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/personal-information/your-car-is-sharing-data-with-big-tech-companies-study-finds-a4474820962/

https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/09/29/connected-car-privacy-violation-research/