Black Friday is over and Cyber Monday is already happening on Amazon. In the meantime we are thankful for you readers. We combed through Amazon to find the best automotive deals for today and Cyber Monday.
The best deal in the automotive space is probably the Echo Auto from Amazon for 19.99–it connects a smartphone to a speaker phone and enables voice commands and hands-free calls. For Prime Members it comes with Unlimited Amazon music for six months for free—non prime members can get the device only for $19.99 the list price is $99.73 making the discount 80% off. The Echo Auto has 8 microphones with technology, so it can hear you over music, A/C, and road noise. I personally have recommended to my friends who don’t already have Bluetooth in their cars. It’s good quality low-cost solution for hands-free phone calls.
When connected Alexa can answer the following:
- Alexa, what’s on my calendar today?
- Alexa, call mom (or other names).
- Alexa, what time is it?
- Alexa read “The Promised Land” from Audible.
- Alexa, get directions to the nearest grocery store.
- Alexa, what is the weather forecast? Alexa what is the temperature in —–?
- Alexa, announce, “I’m on my way home.”
- Alexa, call 206-555-1212.
- Alexa, call the kitchen Echo Dot.
It will also communicate with Alexa enabled doors, thermostats and lights.
For fun gifts there’s the AstroAi Mini Fridge for $32.19, keep drink, medications and food chilled while driving for long rides. The price ends in at midnight on Sunday.
To keep the kids occupied there’s a seat organizer with desk and tablet holder the Tsumbay-Backseat Protector.
The FH Group BLACK Universal Fit Rear BumperButler is down to $18.87.
The Antimicrobial Microban-Infused Steering Wheel Cover is $14.90 for some colors.
Audew 6 Layered Car Cover Waterproof All Weather Breathable UV Protection Snowproof Dustproof Universal Fit Full Car Covers for Sedan, SUV is down to $35.69.
Chemical Guys car care supplies are discounted 20-30%.
Dual Electronics is offering an Android Auto and Apple CarPlay dual-din Bluetooth receiver for $179.00.
Boss Audio is offering a double-din LCD touchscreen receiver with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for $196.99 it is rated Amazon’s Choice.
In other connected car news are VW, ChargePoint, Volvo, Faraday Future, Continental, Magna, Vayyar, and Green Power.
VW ID.4—250 Mile Range
Volkswagen of America, Inc., announced fuel economy figures for the 2021 ID.4 electric SUV. The ID.4 1st Edition and Pro models have an EPA-estimated 250 miles of range on a single charge. The EPA-estimated fuel economy for city driving is 104 MPGe; highway driving is rated at 89 MPGe, and combined city/highway at 97 MPGe.
ChargePoint for Volvo
ChargePoint, one of the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, and Volvo Car USA LLC are working to make the charging experience seamless for drivers of Volvo Cars’ Recharge models and provide support for its retail network. The announcement comes just ahead of the launch of the Volvo XC40 Recharge pure electric SUV across North America.
Sustainable Honda
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that the company was selected for the fourth consecutive year as a component of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (“DJSI World”). The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (“DJSI”) serve as one of the key benchmarks for socially responsible investing*.
The DJSI are the investment indices run by the U.S.-based S&P Global Inc. who evaluate sustainability of the world’s leading companies in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria and select companies that demonstrate overall excellence for the indices.
Vayyar Wins CLEPA
Vayyar Imaging, the global leader in 4D imaging radar, has won the SME Special Prize for Safety at the 2020 CLEPA Innovation Awards. Announced today, Vayyar triumphed with its game-changing 4D imaging radar-on-chip technology, which is revolutionizing the way the automotive industry addresses safety.
With road traffic accidents the single biggest cause of death and injury globally, automakers are intent on protecting both vehicle occupants and the rapidly growing number of Vulnerable Road Users (VRU). Safety, however, usually comes at a high price.
Two CLEPA’s for Continental
Continental received a 2020 CLEPA Innovation Award from the European Association of Automotive Suppliers for its Body High-Performance Computer (HPC) and Continental Cooperation Portal in the category “Cooperation”. The technology company’s solutions were awarded as pioneering innovation developed in close cooperation with a vehicle manufacturer. The High-Performance computer builds the foundation for fully connected vehicles, as it manages data streams in the vehicle and serves as an intelligent interface to the Internet. As the first Tier One supplier Continental has brought a Body HPC into series production as the In-Car Application Server for Volkswagen’s ID. electric vehicles. For the development of the HPC, Continental has created a tool that allows for the integration of software from third-parties highly efficiently and according to highest quality requirements – the so-called Continental Cooperation Portal.
FF Joins ZETA
-Faraday Future (FF), a California-based global shared intelligent mobility ecosystem company, today announced that it has joined a coalition made up of 30 companies to launch the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), an organization dedicated to achieving 100% electric vehicle (EV) sales in the United States by 2030. Founding members are industry leaders in the EV space including Tesla, Uber and EVgo whose values and strategic interests support ZETA’s principles of EV adoption and growth in the US.
European OEM to offer Magna GEN 5 with Mobileye EyeQ5
A premium automaker in Europe will soon be able to offer industry-leading driver assistance features across a larger portion of its vehicle lineup, thanks to the next generation of camera-based driver assistance from Magna.
The Magna Gen5 “one-box” solution is a Mobileye EyeQ5-based system – one of the industry’s first where the forward-facing camera and related software are contained in a single assembly. Benefits include lower cost, simplified installation on the assembly line, and the ability for the technology to be applied to a wider range of an automaker’s lineup. The system will provide drivers with safety and convenience features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection.
As with previous generations, the system combines Magna’s electronics and camera expertise with Mobileye’s system-on-chip (SoC) image-processing technology. The camera features a 120-degree, 8-megapixel optical path, while Magna has continued to refine its world-class camera manufacturing processes to achieve the quality and volumes required of global vehicle platforms. Mobileye collaborated with Magna engineers to ensure that the EyeQ5 met and exceeded new requirements related to the launch program.
Green Power for UCLA Vans
The first two GreenPower EV Star Min-E shuttles ordered by UCLA Transportation are being used by UCLA Health and are transporting patients and visitors, as well as staff and faculty working at the medical centers. The third unit will be used for Bruinaccess which is a complimentary paratransit service provided by UCLA for qualified individuals curb to curb rides from most points on or near campus. The initial order was delivered in the summer of 2020 and has received incredibly positive feedback from the operators and fleet managers. The third unit was delivered in the early part of November. Part of the EV Star purchase was covered by the California VW Mitigation settlement which covers up to $160,000 of the vehicle cost and requires the scrapping of a model year 2009 with a GVWR of over 14,000 lbs.