Tesla makes Full Self-Driving available as $199 monthly subscription

Tesla is making its pricey Full Self-Driving (FSD) electronic driver-assist feature available as a subscription.

FSD is being offered as a $199 monthly subscription for cars equipped with Basic Autopilot and $99 when Enhanced Autopilot is equipped. There’s no limit to the subscription, meaning it can be canceled at any time. You can also still purchase FSD outright for $10,000.

The subscription is eligible for Teslas equipped with at least version 3.0 of the FSD computer chip, which was introduced in mid-2019. Tesla has been making the hardware required for FSD a standard feature on its cars since 2016, but those earlier cars have an outdated computer chip. Owners of those earlier cars can pay $1,500 to upgrade to the latest hardware, MarketWatch reported on Sunday.

Why would someone want FSD? All Teslas come standard with Autopilot, which offers some semi-autonomous driver-assist features that are now common in many new cars, like adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist.

2020 Tesla Model Y

2020 Tesla Model Y

FSD adds more advanced functionality to Autopilot including the ability to automatically overtake slower vehicles on highways, automatically react to traffic lights and stop signs, and handle some parking situations. It also has a Summon feature that brings you your car in parking lots, though you need to remain in sight of the vehicle.

Both the standard Autopilot and the version with FSD need monitoring at all times as the systems are far from perfect and do make mistakes that need to be corrected, making the person behind the wheel ultimately responsible. As a result, they only rank at Level 2 on the SAE scale of self-driving capability.

We also don’t have the necessary regulatory environment that would allow a driver to take their attention away from the road for extended periods.

Tesla predicts that both its FSD functionality and the regulatory environment will improve over time. The company is already promising a function for FSD that the company claims will be able to handle turns automatically in urban environments, still with the driver monitoring. Some customers have already received a beta version of this function.

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The ZBF 7er was a hand-built concept that predicted BMW’s future

BMW Group Classic has been showcasing long-hidden concept cars and prototypes on its YouTube channel. The latest is the BMW ZBF 7er, a hand-built concept from 1996 that made a few notable predictions of future BMW design and tech.

“ZBF” is a German acronym for “future BMW family,” Joji Nagashima, a legendary BMW designer who worked on the project (as well as the E39 5-Series and E36 3-Series), explained. It was part of a group of concepts, which also included 5-Series and 3-Series designs, he said.

The exterior hints at the E65-generation 7-Series, which launched in 2001, while the large vertical grille shows that BMW was toying with such a shape on a modern car long before today’s 4-Series. The ZBF 7er was also much larger than the contemporary E38 7-Series, Nagashima said, again predicting the direction BMW would go with the successor E65 model.

BMW ZBF 7er concept

BMW ZBF 7er concept

The car rides on custom tires specially manufactured by Dunlop, Nagashima said, with hand-cut treads of his own design. The largest tire size commercially available at the time was 19 inches, and designers wanted something larger, he explained. The bodywork of this drivable concept is hand-made as well. The body panels are all hand-beaten aluminum, in the finest coachbuilding tradition.

While it was built using techniques from the past, the ZBF 7er showcased future technology, including an early version of the now-ubiquitous iDrive rotary controller, and laptops for rear-seat passengers. The sedan also had cameras in place of exterior mirrors, something that has only recently entered production, and still isn’t available in the United States due to regulatory issues.

BMW has quite a few interesting concept cars and prototypes in its collection. It recently revealed the ICE concept, an early crossover coupe design study, after 17 years, and it kept the E31 M8 prototype stashed away for a decade before showing the car publicly. We’re still waiting for the E34 M5 wagon prototype powered by a McLaren F1 V-12 to see the light of day.

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Walter Röhrl and the Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Rally reunited after 40 years

Porsche recently reunited rally legend Walter Röhrl with the 924 Carrera GTS Rally he drove forty years ago.

Röhrl and co-driver Christian Geistdörfer raced the 924 in the 1981 German Rally Championship, winning four of seven races. It was the only season that Röhrl competed in rallying with Porsche. He won the 1980 and 1982 World Rally Championship (WRC) Drivers’ titles rallying a Fiat and Opel, respectively, and helped secure the 1983 Constructors’ title for Lancia. He also set a Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record with Audi in 1987.

While the 924 has a reputation as the bargain Porsche, the Carrera GTS version that formed the basis of the rally car was actually the most expensive car in the lineup in 1981, according to Porsche. That’s because it was a low-volume homologation special for motorsports. Just 50 production cars were built (all painted Guards Red), plus nine prototypes.

The car that became the 924 Carrera GTS Rally started out as one of those prototypes (the fifth one, specifically). It was fitted with massive fender flares and a prototype 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder without a serial number. That engine survived the entire 1981 rally season and is still in the car today, Porsche noted.

Walter Röhrl and the Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Rally

Walter Röhrl and the Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Rally

Other rally-specific modifications included rear-axle links laminated in fiberglass to protect against damage, skid plates for the oil and transmission, rear-mounted dry-sump lubrication system, and a 928 fuel pump.

In 1982, the car was given to the Porsche Museum where, aside from occasional outings, it remained for the next 40 years. The automaker decided to get the 924 running again to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1981 rally season, and Röhrl’s 74th birthday.

This was a recommissioning, not a restoration, Porsche noted. The goal was to get the 924 running without destroying any patina. Mechanical components were thoroughly checked (the engine and turbocharger got an endoscopy), but details like the sun-faded seat belt harnesses embroidered with Röhrl’s and Gesitdörfer’s initials, were left as-is. In a statement, Röhrl said the 924 was a bit of a handful in competition thanks to “enormous” turbo lag, but was still happy to be reunited with his old rally car.

“This car opened the door to Porsche for me,” Röhrl, who has maintained a close relationship with the automaker throughout the years, said in a statement. “That is why I feel a particularly close bond to it. For me, it’s a journey back in time. I immediately feel 40 years younger.”

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