The Apple CarKey is coming – and motorists will soon be able to lock and unlock their car using an iPhone or Apple Watch.
This is according to 9to5Mac, which says it has found evidence of a ‘CarKey‘ feature in the beta version of the iOS 13.4 software update.
The website says iOS 13.4 contains references to a CarKey API, which will enable the iPhone or Apple Watch to lock, unlock and even start a car.
Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 13.4 on Wednesday. Along with the CarKey function, the update is expected to add support for new call controls and third-party navigation in Apple CarPlay. There are also nine new Memoji sticker types. Because the world needs more Memoji stickers.
The concept of a digital key is nothing new. In 2017, Volvo became the first manufacturer to offer an app for a mobile phone to replace a physical key with a digital version. Using the Bluetooth-enabled digital key, Volvo owners can lock and unlock the doors or boot, as well as starting the engine.
Tesla Model 3 owners can use a feature called Phone Key, which does exactly what it says. With Bluetooth enabled, the car will unlock as the owner approaches and then be ready to start as normal. Previously, Tesla has recommended using it as the ‘primary method of accessing and starting your vehicle’.
There’s plenty of online evidence to suggest the company has shifted its stance a little.
‘Why put your key in the ignition?’
Meanwhile, BMW asks: ‘Why put your key in the ignition if you have your smartphone with you?’ The Digital Key can be downloaded to an Android smartphone using the BMW Connected app and shared with family and friends.
Note the reference to Android. News of Apple’s move into the world of the smartphone car key will be music to the ears of BMW owners who have been unable to use such a feature with their iPhone or Apple Watch.
The Apple CarKey will only work with cars that are capable of using near field communications (NFC) which require a fob to start or unlock. 9to5Mac says Apple is ‘already working with some car manufacturers to implement CarKey,’ but it doesn’t say which ones.
It will be a while before Apple users can use the CarKey. In an age when keyless car theft is on the rise, some people might prefer it if the feature doesn’t make it beyond the beta stage…
Fast Ford royalty is going under the hammer at the Silverstone Auctions Race Retro show sale. Any Sierra RS500 Cosworth is a valuable machine, but this specific example is especially significant. As chassis number 003, it’s one of the prototypes originally owned by Ford.
This car was integral to the genesis of the RS500. ‘D114 VEV’ was one of four Sierras used by Ford in the development of the iconic model and was used for testing the intercooler and turbo systems.
The car now features an Eggenberger Motorsport engine from Steve Soper’s own racing RS500. Once Soper returned the car, Ford swapped the engine from chassis number 010 to 003.
The body has done 69,000 verifiable miles, with certification from the RS500 Owners Club. The car is estimated to fetch between £60,000 and £70,000 when it goes under the hammer.
“These cars are very highly sought-after and this particular car, one of the first and with the provenance it has, will generate a lot of interest,” said Joe Watts of Silverstone Auctions. “It’s probably the best surviving prototype out there.”
Joining the Cosworth will be another fast Ford from a decade earlier: a 1978 Escort RS2000 Custom. Described as ‘fanatically original’, it has 64,450 miles on the clock and is unrestored, although it has recently been recommissioned. It’s estimated to make between £30,000 and £35,000.
At the more exotic end of the spectrum is one of just 50 Ferrari 348 GT Competiziones. With F40 Evo-derived brakes, a lightweight 1,180kg kerb weight and just 14,500 miles, expected to pay between £120,000 and £150,000.
Finally, we circle back to another 1980s legend. For between £65,000 and £75,000, you could own a Renault 5 Turbo 2. With Gotti wheels and just 37,572 miles, it joins the Sierra as one of the great homologation specials.
New research has revealed that over half of British motorists think the knowledge base of Britain’s drivers is severely lacking.
Breakdown cover provider Green Flag has investigated which rules and myths of the road are confusing British motorists the most. Twenty-seven percent of motorists believe that driving naked is illegal. While not as extreme, the perfectly legal act of driving barefoot is believed to be illegal by 23 percent of motorists. In spite of neither being illegal specifically, you may still be prosecuted if your state of clothing or footwear is seen as impeding your ability to operate the car.
Conversely, there are also those motorists who are under cautious. Fourteen percent of motorists believe there is a ten percent leeway across all speed cameras. Another 16 percent believe that it’s perfectly legal to pull into the hard shoulder if you need the toilet.
The top ten driving misconceptions
Rank
Driving Misconceptions
1 (35 per cent)
It’s illegal to splash pedestrians while driving
2 (30 per cent)
It’s illegal to drive with headphones in
3 (27 per cent)
It’s illegal to drive naked
4 (23 per cent)
It’s illegal to drive wearing no footwear
5 (22 per cent)
It’s illegal to drive while wearing flip-flops
6 (21 per cent)
It’s illegal to drive with the light on in your car
7 (16 per cent)
It’s illegal for car passengers to drink an excessive amount of alcohol on a car journey
8 (12 per cent)
Men are more dangerous drivers
9 (11 per cent)
You can use your phone while your car is stationary in traffic/at traffic lights
10 (11 per cent)
If a speed camera doesn’t flash, it means you haven’t been caught
Tired drivers labelled a ‘significant safety threat’
Thirteen percent of motorists have admitted to being caught out by rules they weren’t fully up on. As for the most common things to be caught doing wrong? As you might imagine, speeding is up there, as is not wearing a seatbelt. Many are caught driving in bus lanes too.
Many Brits are repeat offenders, too. On average, three driving rules a month are knowingly broken by British drivers. Twenty-three percent admit to doing so at least once a week.
Avoiding driving myths and staying legal
Be cautious. If it sounds odd or illegal, the chances are it is. As an example, even though driving naked or barefoot isn’t, there are extenuating circumstances where you can be penilised.
Use the loo. Avoid risking illegal hard shoulder bathroom breaks by getting done what needs to be done, before you drive.
Avoid your phone altogether while behind the wheel. The only circumstance where you can use a phone in your car is when you’re pulled over and the car isn’t running.
Stick to speed limits. More often than not, speeding doesn’t pay. If you’re unsure of the limit, pull over and check.
Check the Highway Code. Reading the rules of the road can go a long way.
“Confusion is clearly rife among motorists when it comes to what they can and can’t do on the roads,” said Steve Fowler editor-in-chief at Auto Express.
“However, it’s everyone’s responsibility to know the laws of the land, so if you’re in any doubt it’s always best to check. Ultimately, the rules are there to keep drivers safe, which is the most important thing”.
Rough Guides, a travel publisher from the UK, has released a book that details all the best things you can see and do in Microsoft Xbox One X-enhanced game titles. And among the many fantasy, shooter and adventure games, you’ll find the critically acclaimed open-world racer, Forza Horizon 4.
The Rough Guide to Xbox shows you the best roads and the unmissable sights in Forza Horizon 4, which is set in the United Kingdom. From Edinburgh Castle to Derwent Water to Astmoor – some of the north’s best scenery can be enjoyed in the game, in 4K resolution, from behind the wheel of your dream car.
“In-game travel and photography has become such a phenomenon that they had to make a guide to it. People take in-game photographs and videos of scenery so often now, it’s clear that people really do feel like they are visiting these worlds. They aren’t just playing these games for the characters, but also to explore the worlds as if they are travelling in it themselves.
“But this book isn’t just for gamers. We hope other people will be pick it up and be given a different perspective on gaming.”
Today, if you said the car the latest BMW 3 Series had to beat was the Ford Mondeo, we’d laugh you back to 1998.
Such was the popularity of Ford’s resident repmobile back then, ‘Mondeo Man’ became shorthand for middle-management and middle-of-the-road. Meanwhile, the car proliferated on company car fleets and the driveways of aspirational workers country-wide.
Twenty years ago, annual Mondeo registrations were upwards of 60,000, but already on the decline. Last year, just 5,000 new Ford Mondeos were sold. So what happened?
Attacked from within
Mk1 Ford Mondeo review: the ‘world car’ you should buy now
While it’s generally thought that once-premium cars entering the mainstream did most damage, other theories have been posited.
According to research by Glass’s, the Mondeo could have been cannibalised from within. Sales haven’t come within 15,000 of its 100,000 record year since 1998 – the year the revolutionary Ford Focus went on sale.
The Focus sold 100,000 in its first year, climbing to over 150,000 at its peak in 2002. Before 2018’s low of 50,000 registrations, it hadn’t dipped much below 80,000 since its debut. Mondeo Man, seemingly, looked to downsize.
What also cannot be ignored when charting the demise of the Mondeo, and indeed the fall in popularity of the Focus, is the rise of the crossover. The year 2006 saw the introduction of the revolutionary Nissan Qashqai.
Both for the Mondeo and the Focus, 2007 subsequently saw a downturn in sales, in spite of Ford’s introduction of the fresh ‘Kinetic Design’ third-generation Mondeo. Not even putting Bond behind the wheel could save it from the rise of the high-risers.
The Qashqai sold like hotcakes, offering the high driving position and bulky presence of an SUV for family hatchback prices. The subsequent market saturation all but smothered the Mondeo and its D-segment kin.
Ford’s got in on the party, too, launching the Kuga in 2008. Today, it sells the Ecosport, Puma and Kuga SUVs. The traditional Mondeo soldiers on, but has been relegated to third-row in Ford dealers.
“Quite simply, a wider variety of models on offer and a more diverse range of body styles has turned the tide for what was a traditional market of hatchback and saloons in the UK,” says Jonathan Brown, car editor at Glass’s.
The Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) Mono changed the sports car game when it debuted nine years ago. Now, the world’s most selfish – and arguably most exciting – supercar is being replaced
Not before the old model goes out with a bang, though. Meet the Mono One special edition.
Just three Mono Ones will be available, with white, black and red variants on offer (BAC’s corporate colours). The white especially, is an important specification for BAC. It’s how the car was launched back in 2011, and has proven to be the most popular colour for the single-seater.
Carbon black really does come with a capital ‘Carbon’, given the bodywork is exposed composite. The red, meanwhile, employs contrast white body details.
Each Mono One will have commemorative plaques, unique logos across the car and custom crash helmets. That’s on top of the Mono’s bespoke seat and wheel fitting, which each driver gets when buying the car. The Mono One can be yours from £158,950.
“Mono One marks the end of a truly incredible era for BAC and, of course, Mono,” said Ian Briggs, BAC co-founder and design director.
“We wanted to give Mono the perfect send-off and this car does exactly that – it’s super rare, with only three available, and has endless unique features that make it a serious proposition for collectors. It’s the last chance to own a future classic!
“When we first designed Mono and drew inspiration from Bjork’s video, we did so with a dream of sharing the experience with our close friends and having a lot of fun in the process – never could we have ever visualised our growth around the world and just how many remarkable garages Mono now finds itself part of.”
Unlike with a BMW 3 Series or Volkswagen Golf, there isn’t much to go on when speculating about a replacement for the Mono. Will BAC be moving the game on, or changing it completely? Judging by the little that Briggs has said, we expect evolution rather than revolution.
“It’s now time for a new generation of BAC Mono and a new bid for world domination. See you in Geneva.”
Think in terms of the jump from the last Ariel Atom to the current model. The concept is very much the same, but re-constituted for the modern era. We don’t have long to wait, though. The new car will debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
The entire Dacia Duster range now comes with a £750 deposit contribution on cars ordered before 31 March 2020.
It’s part of Dacia’s new finance offers for 2020, with the deposit contribution available when you buy a Duster on a four-year PCP deal. Monthly repayments start from just £139 for the entry-level Access model.
The mid-range Dacia Duster SE Twenty TCe 130 is available for £184 per month after a deposit of £1,807. The interest rate is 6.9 percent APR.
In SE Twenty trim, the Duster comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a multi-view camera and blind-spot warning.
Make mine a 99
Meanwhile, the Dacia Sandero – Britain’s cheapest new car – is available for less than £100 a month on a four-year PCP deal.
The £99 deal is based on the entry-level Sandero Access, which might be a little too basic for most buyers. Although the steel wheels and unpainted bumpers aren’t deal-breakers, the absence of a radio, electric windows and air conditioning might be harder to live with.
Spending an extra £10 a month on the Sandero in Essential trim would be a wise move. At the very least, the Sandero Essential adds a radio, electric windows and air conditioning.
Finally, the Logan MCV and Logan MCV Stepway models are available for £119 and £189 per month respectively. The Logan MCV is Britain’s cheapest estate car and boasts a cavernous 573-litre boot.
Customers who own a car over six years old can also take advantage of Dacia’s ‘New for Old‘ scheme and save up to £1,000 on a new Dacia Duster and £500 if purchasing a Sandero, Sandero Stepway, Logan MCV or Logan MCV Stepway.
It might sound like stating the obvious, but sleep is the only effective way to prevent drowsy driving. Yet many of us take sleep for granted.
One American organisation claims that “global sleep problems might be causing more damage than terrorism.” It goes on to say that sleep deprivation “is similar to alcohol intoxication”. Although the statistics are focused on North America, they make for interesting reading.
But what about the other so-called cures for drowsy driving?
Lowering the car windows isn’t an effective means of staying awake behind the wheel, and yet 66 percent of UK drivers believe the myth is true.
That’s according to a survey conducted by the sleep and meditation app, Calm. It spoke to 4,337 British, American and French adults to explore the top 10 sleep myths. Opening the car windows topped the poll, but experts have warned that it doesn’t work.
Take a nap
The National Sleep Foundation says that turning up the radio, opening the window or setting the air-con to ‘chill’ don’t work and could be putting drivers at risk. “They are ineffective and can be dangerous to anyone who is driving while feeling drowsy or sleepy, as well as their passengers and others on the road.
“If you’re feeling tired while driving, pull off the road in a safe rest area and take a nap for 15-45 minutes.”
But that might not be enough. “Even a 20-minute power nap in a safe area will, at best, give you another 30 minutes of safe driving,” warns the American Sleep Association.
Coffee is a short-term fix
Drinking coffee is a short-term fix, but it needs around 30 minutes before taking effect.
“A good night’s sleep before your trip” is the best single prevention for drowsy driving, says the National Sleep Foundation.
Up to 25 percent of fatal accidents are caused by drivers who have fallen asleep at the wheel, with a worrying 13 percent of UK drivers admitting to falling asleep while driving.
“Some sleep myths are fairly harmless, while others are seriously dangerous,” said Alex Tew, co-founder of Calm.
Top 10 sleep myths and how many believe them
Rank
Sleep myth
% believing (UK)
1.
Lowering the car windows will help you stay awake when driving
66
2.
You should never wake a sleepwalker
48
3.
During sleep, your brain finally rests
48
4.
You swallow a few spiders every year while you sleep
32
5.
You only dream during very deep sleep
31
6.
If you’re struggling to sleep, it’s best to stay in bed
28
7.
You can catch up on missed sleep by sleeping in at weekends
20
8..
Alcohol before bed helps you sleep better
17
9.
Snoring is always harmless
25
10.
Eating cheese before bed increases the risk of nightmares
An automotive legend is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2020. Yes, ‘legend’ is an overused word, but the Audi quattro (note the use of a lower case ‘q’) was a genuine game-changer, not just for the company, but for world rallying and the industry as a whole. To mark the occasion, some of the finest examples of the quattro will be showcased at the London Classic Car Show at the end of the month. To whet your appetite, here’s a very brief history of the car, along with details of the cars that will be on display at Olympia in London.
Lower case or upper case?
The editorial style guide demands the use of an uppercase Q when referring to the Audi quattro or the company’s four-wheel-drive system. But as it’s the car’s birthday, the editor might let this one slip through. Besides, having contacted Audi for clarification on the ‘q’ versus ‘Q’ debate, the Rally Group B Shrine website received a definitive response from the Audi Corporate Archives. ‘The official spelling is always quattro with a small ‘q’ referring to the car model’. Let’s see if the lowercase ‘q’ makes it beyond the subbing knife.
Volkswagen Iltis
The story of the Audi quattro begins in February 1977. The company’s chassis engineer, Jorg Bensinger, was in Finland sampling the off-road brilliance of the four-wheel-drive Volkswagen Iltis. The four-person military vehicle was developed for the German army and was built at Audi’s factory in Ingolstadt. Bensinger contacted Ferdinand Piech, then Audi’s technical director, with the idea of developing a four-wheel-drive version of the Audi 80.
From Finland to Austria and Switzerland
A four-wheel-drive passenger car would be groundbreaking. Although the Jensen FF of 1966 is credited with pioneering the concept, Audi took the technology to the masses. Project A1 was given the green light by the Audi board in September 1977 and given the number EA 262. Using the Volkswagen and Audi parts bins, not to mention the ingenuity of Bensinger’s team of engineers, a test vehicle was sent to the Turracher Hohe in Austria. It’s one of the steepest and highest roads in Europe, making it an ideal location for snow testing. The prototype was also given to the wife of Volkswagen’s development director for a shopping trip in Vienna. After she complained that the car was hard to park, the engineers added a centre differential.
Geneva Motor Show
The production version made its debut at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show. The quattro redefined Audi, giving the company a glamorous edge, an enviable history in motorsport and highly marketable technology. The car was loosely based on the Audi 80, with power sourced from the 200 saloon’s 2.1-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine. It produced 200hp, which was enough to propel the car to a top speed of 137mph, hitting 60mph in just 7.3 seconds. But the performance figures were only half the story, because few cars could match its cross-country pace. Even supercars were left trailing in its wake.
Motorsport
The first sign of Audi’s future domination of world rallying came at the 1980 Algarve Rally. The quattro appeared as a course car driven by Hannu Mikkola and unofficially finished the course almost half an hour earlier than the winner. In 1981, the Audi quattro won at its first attempt on the Austrian Rally, with Mikkola winning the first WRC event in Sweden. Also that year, Michele Mouton became the first woman to win a WRC race, with victory on the San Remo.
Motorsport
Things got even better in 1982, with Audi winning the WRC manufacturers’ title outright, with Walter Rohrl, Mouton and Mikkola completing a one-two-three. Mikkola won the drivers’ title in 1983, with Stig Blomqvist helping Audi to secure the manufacturers’ and drivers’ championships in 1984. The company also achieved a famous one-two-three in the Monte Carlo Rally.
Group B
It wasn’t long before other manufacturers embraced the potential of four-wheel drive, which would chip away at Audi’s dominance. The introduction of Group B regulations made it easier for manufacturers to create purpose-built rally cars, which forced Audi to adapt the quattro. The result was the short-wheelbase Sport quattro S1, a car powered by a 20-valve engine developing more than 500hp. Although it took a couple of race wins, the Sport quattro S1 endured a largely unsuccessful career before Audi withdrew from Group B following the tragic events of the 1986 Portuguese Rally.
Pikes Peak
But that’s not before Audi showcased the effectiveness of the car at the Pikes Peak hillclimb in North America. First, Michele Mouton (pictured) won the event in 1985, before Walter Rohrl set a record time in 1987. Needless to say, the quattro’s success in motorsport had a positive effect on sales of the road-going versions.
The UK market
The first models arrived in the UK in March 1981, but the initial batch of quattros were all left-hand drive. In October 1982, Audi announced that it would be building right-hand-drive models for the UK market, although high prices meant that it remained out of reach to most buyers. The quad headlights disappeared for the 1983 model year, replaced by the less iconic but far more effective one-piece Cibie units.
Audi quattro 20v
In 1989, Audi launched the quattro 20v, complete with an all-aluminum engine using a four-valves-per-cylinder head. It was the best road-going quattro to date, with the 20v version benefiting from Audi’s exploits with the Group B car. Crucially, the central diff was replaced by an automatically locking Torsen unit. According to Evo, it was the diff the car had been waiting for. Bensinger said: “Had we known about the Torsen differential then, it almost certainly would have been on the original quattro.”
Audi Sport quattro
The other benefit of the S1 quattro was the creation of the road-going Audi Sport quattro. It was the most bonkers of the lot, with Audi building 224 to meet homologation rules. The shortening of the wheelbase gave it proper Group-B-for-the-road styling, and although the engine was downsized slightly, it could hit 60mph in 4.8 seconds and 100mph in 12.6 seconds.
Into the 90s
Although it was intended to be a low-volume model, quattro production lasted 11 years, with 11,452 cars built in the process. It left its mark on the world’s rally courses and the entire automotive industry. But what of its legacy?
Audi Coupe GT
This is an interesting one. Although the Coupe GT is the car from which the Audi quattro was spawned, it actually arrived after the four-wheel-drive icon. It could be equipped with 4WD, but most left the factory with front-wheel-drive. Engines ranged from a 1.8-litre four-cylinder to a 2.3 five-cylinder, with enough space inside for four people and their luggage. It delivered the look of the full-fat quattro without the pedigree.
Four-wheel drive
Audi has built an entire brand on the strength of four-wheel drive. In Germany, around 50 percent of all Audis sold come with four-wheel drive and the system is also incredibly popular in the UK. To think that it all started with a rather humble military-grade Volkswagen back in the 1970s. Now it’s time to turn our attention to the five cars that will be on display at The London Classic Car Show.
1981 Audi quattro 10v
The cars on display are part of Audi UK’s heritage fleet. This is an early UK-specification model that was produced before right-hand-drive model development had been carried out. Alex Fisk, Audi UK digital PR manager, said: “Almost 40 years to the day since it was first seen by the public, we’ve chosen to celebrate the Audi quattro’s special milestone at The London Classic Car Show.”
1991 Audi quattro 20v
“Few cars are as iconic as the Audi quattro. Despite being produced in relatively low volumes, it had a huge impact on the automotive market and has left an even bigger impression on car aficionados,” said Bas Bungish, London Classic Car Show event director. This 1991 20v has been retained by Audi UK from new and remains unregistered.
1985 Audi S1 E2
This Audi S1 E2 represents the quattro in competition. The Sport quattro was driven by Stig Blomqvist in the 1985 Rally of the 1000 Lakes in Finland, and then to victory by German driver Walter Rohrl in the Semperit Rallye later that season. After an accident at the RAC Rally, it was rebuilt as a test car for the experimental PDK double-clutch transmission.
1985 Audi Sport quattro
This 1985 Audi Sport quattro was purchased from Audi AG in Germany as a demonstrator in 1985 and is one of 224 built. It was cosmetically restored a decade ago and has recently undergone a mechanical refresh.
1990 Audi quattro 20v
Finally, this 1990 Audi quattro 20v was acquired by Audi UK in the early 2000s and is used for media driving and display purposes. It’s said to be one of the heritage fleet’s hardest working cars.
Fire up the quattro!
We’ll end this very brief history of the Audi quattro with one of the car’s most famous helmsman outside the world of motorsport. If you’re fired up by the quattro, The London Classic Car Show will take place on 20-23 February 2023 at Olympia London. Tickets cost £25 for adults, £20 for children and £75 for a family of four.
Local authorities are invited to apply to become the UK’s first all-electric bus town.
If successful, the winning council will receive up to £50 million to pay for a new fleet of electric buses. It’s part of the government’s plan for all UK buses to be fully electric by 2025.
The £50 million fund is part of a total £170 million allocated to improve services and make journeys greener and more reliable.
A £20 million pot is available for the trial of on-demand ride sharing services in rural and suburban areas. In theory, it means that people could catch a bus when and where they want it.
A further £30 million fund is available for local authorities to improve current bus services or restore those that have been lost. Passengers will also benefit from low-cost, high-frequency ‘Superbus’ services, like the one in Cornwall.
But it’s the all-electric bus town proposal that’s likely to grab the headlines. The Department for Transport (DfT) says it wants the winning bidder to act as a role model for other local authorities to follow.
‘All-electric bus town is just the start’
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “Buses carry more people than any other form of public transport in the UK, and with 200 electric buses able to offset 3,700 diesel cars, it is clear they have a crucial role to play in bringing down emissions.
“But Britain’s first all-electric bus town is just the start. Helping deliver on our manifesto promise, this £170 million package will help us to create communities which are cleaner, easier to get around and more environmentally friendly, speeding up journeys and making them more reliable.
“By focusing on efficient and affordable transport, we will make greener journeys the natural choice.”
The news has been welcomed by the Campaign for Better Transport. Chief executive Darren Shirley said: “This is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the part buses can play in improving air quality in urban areas, increase the output from manufacturers, and contribute to cutting the UK’s carbon emissions.”
