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Florida Could Suspend Carvana’s Dealer License For Not Submitting Title Applications

Florida could suspend Carvana’s dealer license after it has failed to transfer the titles of some vehicles sold.

Carvana was reportedly notified of the issues in an email sent by Florida authorities last week. This email is said to have included a spreadsheet that showed 300 Carvana vehicle sales dating back to 2019 that had not had their titles transferred. More than 100 of these vehicle sales occurred in Florida.

State law in Florida requires retailers to apply for a title within 30 days of completing a sale. Speaking with Auto News, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Carvana has until January 31 to submit title applications for all the vehicles it sold in 2021 before December 1.

“The department has been proactively working with Carvana to identify and assist Florida customers who have not received their title in a timely manner, and in accordance with state law,” the spokesperson added. “Florida law allows for the suspension of the dealer’s license if they fail to apply for a transfer of title in a timely manner.”

This isn’t the first time Carvana has been scrutinized for not delivering titles in time. Earlier this year it settled with Florida regulators and agreed to pay $500 each to 12 customers who had to wait three to eight months to receive titles on vehicles they purchased. In August, Carvana had its dealer license suspended for 180 days in Wake County, North Carolina for not producing titles fast enough, among other issues.

Carvana sold 244,111 vehicles in the U.S. last year, making it the country’s second-largest retailer of used vehicles. A spokeswoman from the company says Carvana has applied for around 23,500 titles in Florida over the past 12 months.

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2022 Toyota Avalon Drops AWD And TRD, Starts From $36,375 For Its Final Year

The fifth-generation Avalon might have been introduced in 2018, but Toyota has confirmed that 2022 will mark the end of its production. Today, the automaker announced pricing for the 2022 MY alongside a few changes in the lineup.

The 2022 Toyota Avalon starts from $36,375 (excluding the $1,025 fee), making it $250 more expensive than last year’s model.

The full-size sedan is not available in AWD variants anymore, while the sporty TRD trim was also dropped from the range. The good news for prospective buyers is the addition of new safety features as standard, including the upgraded Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ package (dynamic radar cruise control, lane tracing assist, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, etc), and the addition of a rear-seat reminder system.

Just like last year, the Avalon is available with gas and hybrid powertrains. The 3.5-liter V6 produces 301 hp (224 kW / 305 PS) and 267 lb-ft (362 Nm) of torque, mated to an eight-speed Direct Shift automatic gearbox that sends power to the front axle. The hybrid combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors producing a combined 215 hp (160 kW / 218 PS) and comes with a fuel economy rating of 44 mpg combined.

The 2022 lineup includes six trim levels, including the XSE Nightshade Edition that is visually differentiated from the glossy black accents, the 19-inch wheels, and the rear diffuser. Inside, variants are differentiated with the base XLE featuring SofTex upholstery and “engineered wood” trim, the Limited coming with perforated leather and genuine wood sourced from Yamaha, and the Touring with perforated SofTex / Ultrasuede and aluminum trim.

In terms of equipment, the Limited and Touring come standard with a premium 14-speaker JBL Audio system, a 10-inch Head-up display, a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen (Apple CarPlay / Android Auto / Amazon Alexa), a wireless charging pad, and a moonroof (also standard on the Nightshade, optional in XLE, XLE hybrid). The Touring is the sportiest of the bunch equipped with the electronically controlled Adaptive Variable Suspension system, and an extra driving mode (eco, normal, sport, sport+, custom)

2022 Toyota Avalon Pricing

Avalon XLE 3.5-liter V6 8-speed Auto: $36,375
Avalon XLE Hybrid 2.5-liter ECVT: $37,350
Avalon Limited 3.5-liter V6 8-speed Auto: $42,675
Avalon Limited Hybrid 2.5-liter ECVT: $43,650
Avalon XSE Hybrid Nightshade 2.5-liter ECVT: $40,700
Avalon Touring 3.5-liter V6 8-speed Auto: $43,075

*MSRP prices excluding delivery processing and handling fee of $1,025

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Idaho Rejected Over 250 Vanity Plates This Year, Including P00BARU

Rejected license plates offer a humorous glimpse into automotive culture and today we celebrate the genius who came up with P00BARU.

The ideal vanity plate for aging brown Subarus, P00BARU deserves a spot in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Unfortunately, the Debbie Downers at the Idaho Transportation Department thought otherwise. As a result, they rejected it as well as a host of other crude license plates.

As Boise’s KTVB pointed out, the state prohibits plates from having “a sexual term that is vulgar, obscene, or in poor taste” as well as terms that could be considered “obscenity, contempt, prejudice, hostility, insult, racial degradation, ethnic degradation, profanity, or vulgarity.”

Also Read: California Judge Says Ban On Offensive Vanity Plates Violates Free Speech

What falls into these categories is open to interpretation, but the station received a list of over 250 vanity plates that were rejected this year. While many of them involved abbreviated swear words, there were some puzzling rejections including FAKEAWD, which seemingly means Fake All-Wheel Drive.

The relatively tame PB4WEG0 was also rejected as was STAYNCA, which targets newcomers to the state by telling them to Stay in California. Sticking with that theme, CASUKS was also rejected.

Since 63.8 percent of Idaho voters cast their ballot for President Trump in the last election, it comes as little surprise many of the plates targeted the new administration. FKBDEN, FBIDEN, and FKBIDEN were all rejected as was FKHARIS, which is a (insulting) nod to Vice President Kamala Harris. Of course, not everyone is a Trump fan and at least one person attempted to get a FCKTRMP plate.

There was also an application for IEATASS, which is interesting given the drama that phrase stirred up in Florida a few years ago. That case involved a decal and a man’s arrest, which has now turned into a lengthy legal battle over free speech.

Of course, those are just a handful of the rejected plates and you can see the full list here. Needless to say, the list includes a number that are definitely NSFW.

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Rivian To Announce Plans To Build $5 Billion Truck Plant In Georgia

Correction 16/12/21: This post has been updated to reflect the most recent pre-order figures

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, senior development officials from the state and representatives from Rivian are expected to announce today at 4 PM the automaker’s plans to build a major manufacturing site in the state, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The plan would see Rivian build a $5 billion factory east of Atlanta that is expected to require 7,500 workers to operate. Rivian could need as many as 10,000 workers over the coming years to build trucks at the 2,000-acre site.

The plant will rank among Georgia’s largest-ever and will be the state’s first new automotive assembly plant since Kia Motors announced in 2006 that it would build a plant in West Point, near the Alabama border.

The location of the factory was hotly contested, reports the Associated Press, with Fort Worth, Texas offering Rivian a $440 million incentive package to lure the company during the summer. Reports also suggest that the automaker considered Arizona and Michigan as potential sites.

Amazon, Ford, and T.Rowe Price are among Rivian’s early investors, and the company’s valuation surged past $100 billion days after its initial public offering. Its market cap has been buoyed by Amazon’s order of more than 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2030.

Rivian also says it has more than 71,000 combined pre-orders for its electric pickup truck, the R1T, and the R1S electric SUV. The truck has been called a game-changer by reviewers. Produced at its factory in Normal, Illinois, it features a 135 kWh battery pack that gives it a range of 314 miles (505 km) and its motors can get it to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.5 seconds.

Thanks to innovative features and a race to get electric pickups to market, the R1T is likely to sell very well for Rivian. Along with being critically acclaimed in early tests, it has already won Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year award.

2022 Nissan GT-R Unveiled In Japan, “T-spec” Edition Coming To US Priced At $138,490

Nissan unveiled the updated GT-R range for the Japanese market which includes two limited editions – the GT-R Premium Edition T-spec and the GT-R Track Edition Engineered by Nismo T-spec. The company has also announced the GT-R T-spec, which will be available in North America from this winter in very limited numbers.

Starting with the Japanese-spec GT-R, it is going on sale in the second half of October. The T-spec variants will be produced in a total of 100 units and buyers will be selected by a ballot. The upgrades over the regular GT-R include carbon-ceramic brakes, a carbon fiber rear spoiler, a version-specific engine cover, and special badging, while they are available in two new colors – Midnight Purple and Millennium Jade.

According to Nissan, the Midnight Purple paint is inspired by color-shifting of the aurora borealis

The Premium Edition T-spec variant starts in Japan from 15,904,900 Japanese Yen ($144,595) and can be distinguished by the wider Rays forged alloy wheels finished in bronze. There is also an exclusive interior design and version-specific suspension setup.

Besides the long name, the Track Edition engineered by NISMO T-spec also gets a new roof and trunk lid made of carbon fiber for weight reduction, plus lots of Nismo goodies. This variant starts from 17,881,600 Japanese Yen ($162,565) and is the most expensive of the range. In contrast, the cheapest GT-R in Japan starts from 10,828,400 Japanese Yen ($98,444) while the regular Track Edition engineered by NISMO starts from 14,636,600 Japanese Yen ($133,065).

Just after the premiere of the updated GT-R for Japan, Nissan US also announced the GT-R T-spec edition for North America, which slots above the GT-R Premium grade and will be available in Millennium Jade and Midnight Purple. The Millennium Jade was previously offered on the limited edition R34 GT-R V-Spec II Nür, but this is the first time it is available in the US market. As for the Midnight Purple, Nissan calls it a “modern interpretation” of the Midnight Purple III from the R34 V-Spec and the Midnight Opal from the 2014 R35 GT-R.

The T-spec can be distinguished by the wider front fenders, 20-inch Rays forged aluminum alloy wheels finished in gold, carbon-ceramic brakes, carbon fiber rear spoiler, body-colored mirrors, black hood ducts, and T-spec badges. Inside we find more badges and the Mori Green color option, premium semi-aniline leather-appointed seating with pearl suede accents and a quilted Alcantara headliner.

Under the bonnet, there is the VR38DETT twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 producing 565 hp (421 kW / 572 PS) and 633 Nm (467 lb-ft) of torque. Power is transmitted to all four wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission thanks to the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system.

Nissan states that a “very limited number of models” of the T-spec will be available for sale in North America this winter, at a price of $138,490. The GT-R T-spec will join the 2022 GT-R NISMO, which is a limited run of 300 units that have already been sold out.

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Kia America Priced Stinger Scorpion From $52,585

When Kia America unveiled the refreshed 2022 Stinger it teased something special: The Stinger Scorpion Special Edition. But little information about this vehicle was provided at the time.

Now, just weeks later, the Scorpion is arriving in dealers. Offered in limited batches of just 250 units per month and built exclusively for the U.S. market. It is expected to sell out quickly and is available on the GT2 RWD and AWD variants in three colors – Snow White Pearl, Aurora Black, and Ceramic Silver.

“Stinger was a wake-up call to a segment long populated by European sport sedans when it debuted in 2017 (as a 2018 model). It redefined what enthusiast drivers thought about Kia and proved we could compete against the best vehicles in a hotly contested space,” said Sean Yoon, president & CEO, Kia North America and Kia America. “Since then, Stinger has built a loyal following of those looking for something unique and the Scorpion is set to continue that approach.”

The Scorpion Special Edition features exclusive blacked out fender garnish, side mirror caps, and darkened exhaust tips
Unique body-colored rear spoiler
Distinctive 19-inch black wheels
Exclusive carbon fiber-pattern trim inside the cockpit
Available with a Red Nappa Leather or Black Nappa Leather interior

Pricing for the Scorpion Special Edition is $52,585 for RWD and $54,785 for AWD, excluding $1,045 in destination charges.

Source: Kia

1981 RUF BTR Is What Classic Porsche 911 Dreams Are Made Of

This Porsche 911 started life in 1981 as a Turbo Coupe, finished in white and equipped with a black headliner, electric sunroof and tinted windshield.

Six years later, its owner had it converted to the BTR specification by RUF. The engine was upgraded, increasing displacement to 3.4 liters and getting a new intercooler, additional front oil cooler, four-pipe exhaust system and other mods that bumped output to 374 HP, channeled to the rear wheels via the tuner’s five-speed transmission.

Video: Explore The History Of Ruf Automobile With This Epic 30-Minute Film

As its owner is understood to have split their time between Germany and California and wanted to bring the car Stateside, they had the speedometer calibrated to mph. In addition, a large boost gauge replaced the standard clock, and a security system and cruise control were also installed. In the fall of 1987, the BTR touched down in Los Angeles, and in 1988, it received a jacked-up suspension and new seats. Nearly all maintenance work was carried out by the Porsche specialists in the City of Angels, as documented in the official papers.

In the early 2000s, the RUF BTR changed hands at least two times. It remained in California and had its engine rebuilt before moving to Virginia towards the end of the decade, which is where it received an aftermarket stereo system. In 2015, it was bought by a private collector from Michigan, who had it repainted one year later.

The consignor purchased it in 2018 and it is now offered for sale with RUF 17-inch forged wheels shod in Continental tires, tartan seats with blue leather outer edges, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and wooden gearshift knob.

RMSothebys states that it had a little over 52,000 miles (83,685 km) on the odo at the time of cataloguing and that the Carfax report shows that it was involved in an accident. The car is listed for their Michigan auction on April 21 and it is estimated to sell for $90,000 to $110,000.

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The Passenger Airbag In Certain 2021 Audi RS6 And RS7 Models Could Injure Occupants

Audi has issued a recall for a small number of cars in the United States, which may have not been assembled to the correct specification due to a supplier error.

These vehicles have a problem with the score line for the passenger airbag, which is the area that the airbag opens through in the event of a crash. Such a defect could impact the deployment and inflation of the airbag, and could also turn certain plastic parts into projectiles, increasing the risk of injury in an accident.

Also Watch: Chris Harris Finds The 2020 RS6 Avant An Audi That Puts A Huge Smile On Your Face

There are a total of 3,388 Audis that will have to be taken back to the dealer for repairs. These include the 2021 RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback, 2020-2021 S6 Sedan, S7 Sportback, and A6 Allroad, and 2019-2021 A6 Sedan and A7 Sportback. All of them will be thoroughly inspected by the company’s authorized technicians and, if required, the passenger airbag score-line will be reworked, which will eliminate the hazard.

As usual, the cars will be fixed free of charge, and since this is an uncommon defect, and they are still covered by the factory warranty, owners will not be reimbursed for any potential repairs carried out.

Dealers and owners will be officially notified of the issue on or before May 7, which is when the safety recall will kick off. Audi’s number for this recall is 70i2 and they can be reached at 1-800-253-2834, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) can be contacted at 1-888-327-4236.

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2021 Audi RS7 pictured above

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The Ariel Atom 4 Is Now Being Made In America And It’ll Cost You Nearly $75k

Ariel North America has started building the Atom 4 in the United States.

Largely identical to the European variant, the North American Atom 4 is built in Virginia and powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sourced from the Honda Civic Type R.

The engine produces 320 hp (239 kW / 324 PS) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque and is paired to a six-speed manual transmission. This setup enables the 1,350 lbs (612 kg) Atom to rocket from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in just 2.8 seconds. If you keep your foot pinned to the floor, 100 mph (161 km/h) will come in 6.8 seconds and the Atom 4 will eventually top out at 162 mph (261 km/h).

Also Watch: Ariel Atom 4, McLaren 720S And BMW S1000RR Square Off For An Unusual Drag Race

If that isn’t fast enough, an optional performance package increases the engine’s output to 350 hp (261 kW / 355 PS) thanks to ECU tuning, a three-stage boost controller and a performance exhaust. The package also includes a limited-slip differential, an adjustable traction control system and an upgraded radiator.

While the powertrain carries over from the Euro-spec model, the American variant has a laminated windscreen, a front wiper and a revised suspension with Eibach springs and adjustable Bilstein dampers.

Staggered 16- and 17-inch wheels are standard, and they’re backed up by a market-specific braking system that features four-piston AP Racing calipers as well as 11.4 inch (290 mm) ventilated discs. Carbon fiber wheels are optional and they weigh nearly 50% less than the standard alloys. Customers can also opt for two-piece rotors and high-performance brake pads specifically designed for the track.

In the United States, pricing starts at $74,750. The performance package costs $7,995 and the car can also be equipped with upgraded suspensions, carbon fiber packages as well as track packs. If that hasn’t scared you off, Ariel is currently accepting deposits of $22,425.

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Ford Fiesta ST Leads Police On Two-Hour Chase Through Los Angeles

The driver of a dark grey Ford Fiesta ST led the police on a chase for over two hours in Los Angeles earlier in the week.

The chase is said to have started in the San Fernando Valley and saw the male driver weaving in and out of traffic on urban roads and various highways. While driving on the 405 freeway, the man exceeded 100 mph (161 km/h) on a handful of occasions.

As opposed to lots of the police chases you see broadcast in the U.S., police took a different approach in this case and didn’t aggressively pursue the vehicle with patrol cars for all that long.

Watch Also: See This Florida Police Lady Chase Down Grand Theft Auto Suspect

Instead, they choose to keep their distance, seemingly in an attempt not to spook the driver and put other motorists at risk. Various scenes show the police using pursuit vehicles, including motorcycles, to monitor and follow the driver. At the same time, a police helicopter and a news helicopter were also tracking the car.

ABC 7 reports that at one stage the driver exited the 405 freeway in the Inglewood area and later stopped at a shopping center. However, the presence of police prompted the driver to flee again, heading onto the 110 freeway and exiting into the Torrance area. At this stage, heavy cloud cover over the area forced the news and law enforcement helicopters to pull back while ground units fell into tracking mode.

However, not even heavy cloud cover saved the man, as he was later arrested at a residence in Rancho Palos Verdes.

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