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Avoid car salespeople and talk to an Edmunds.com chat bot instead

Don’t want to talk to a car salesperson? Consider talking to a Facebook chat bot instead. On Tuesday, car sales website Edmunds.com debuted a new tool that enables prospective buyers to avoid talking to humans, and permits them to interact with artificial intelligence instead. The beta form of the chat bot lives inside Facebook Messenger and aims to help customers find their way to the right place to get the right car.

At his presentation at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Nick Gorton, vice president of product innovation at Edmunds, noted that the new bot would allow the company to “meet customers where they are.” Increasingly, he noted, this means going to mobile messaging apps. Gorton said that this type of chat service will allow customers to communicate in the way they prefer — increasingly, on mobile messaging apps — but still get the information they want.

Trace Przyblowicz, automotive lead for Facebook, echoed these sentiments, noting, “A.I. will free resources at the dealer, [and] the consumer then really gets to control their time.”

To use the bot, a buyer simply sends an inquiry via Facebook, whereupon Edmund’s new tool responds with “a personalized comment,” which hopefully leads to a broader conversation about the desired car type. The bot can then search Edmund’s website and send the buyer to the appropriate dealer. At some point, of course, the conversation moves out of the automated realm, as a live representative is needed to either offer a test drive or close the deal.

While this may seem like an easy solution to all your car-buying woes, the LA Times reports that audiences at the LA Auto Show were a bit wary of the new technology. David Shapiro, CEO of car buying and leasing service Cartelligent, said, “I don’t think we’re going to shift to buying cars through chat bots that use A.I. to respond. Buying a car is complex — more complex than buying a pair of shoes or a plane ticket.” he said.

All the same, if you want to try a machine-based car-buying process, now’s your chance!

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Electric Muscle Misfire? Dodge Pulls Charger Daytona R/T from 2026 Lineup
electric muscle misfire dodge pulls charger daytona r t from 2026 lineup all new

The Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, once hailed as the vanguard of Dodge’s electric muscle car future, is being dropped for the 2026 model year.
According to a report from MoparInsiders, the Scat Pack variant will now lead the Daytona lineup, marking a significant pivot in Stellantis’ EV strategy.
Originally introduced with bold ambitions, the Charger Daytona R/T was designed to offer an accessible gateway into electric performance. With its 456-horsepower dual-motor setup and optional 509-horsepower Direct Connection stage kit, it seemed poised to excite both muscle car fans and EV newcomers. However, market realities have painted a different picture.
Industry and media reports highlight the core issue: buyers just weren’t biting. Despite its impressive specs and nostalgic design cues, the R/T struggled to justify its price tag, starting near $60,000. At that level, buyers expected either more performance or more premium features. Without strong sales traction, Dodge made the tough call to shelve the R/T variant for 2026, opting instead to focus on trims that resonate better with customers.
As we reported in December, the Charger EV was launched with an off-beat marketing message to “save the planet from self-driving sleep pods.” The goal was to retain Dodge’s brand identity—muscle, aggression, and driver engagement—even in the electric era. The Charger Daytona R/T was supposed to be the perfect balance of price and performance, but it seems the target audience wasn’t ready to make that leap at that price.
Importantly, this doesn’t spell the end of the Charger Daytona altogether. Higher-performance models like the Scat Pack and Banshee are still in the pipeline and, interestingly, are being adjusted for price competitiveness. Several trims are reportedly seeing price cuts, suggesting Stellantis is serious about making these vehicles more appealing and accessible.
For enthusiasts, the takeaway is clear: the electric muscle car isn’t going anywhere, but automakers are still figuring out how to sell it. The demise of the R/T is less a failure and more a recalibration—proof that even the boldest plans need to stay flexible in the face of consumer demand.

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The all-electric Cadillac Vistiq makes the Escalade redundant
2026 Cadillac Vistiq front-quarter view.

Cadillac wants a full lineup of electric vehicles, and it’s nearly there. It has a standard crossover SUV (the Lyriq), an entry-level model (the Optiq), an electric version of its flagship Escalade (the Escalade IQ), and even a baroque showpiece (the Celestiq). But something’s missing.

For a modern luxury brand, a midsize three-row crossover is key. Customers for whom a Toyota Highlander is too déclassé need something to take their kids to lacrosse practice, but may not want something as big as an Escalade. This isn’t the most exciting design brief, and that’s reflected in the gasoline Cadillac XT6, which has always felt like nothing more than a placeholder. Its new electric counterpart, the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq, is anything but.

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With the Ioniq 9, Hyundai struggles to clear its own high bar
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 front quarter view.

Hyundai has used the clean-sheet nature of electric powertrains to make new vehicles radically different from its internal-combustion models, but what happens when the best thing a new car can be is ordinary? The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is a three-row SUV that, to succeed, needs to prioritize space and an effortless ownership experience over radical styling or sports-car driving dynamics. That doesn’t leave much room for creativity, but Hyundai has done its best by giving the Ioniq 9 futuristic styling combined with the proven E-GMP dedicated EV platform from its other Ioniq models and the Kia EV9.  The enthusiastic response to the EV9, from Hyundai’s sibling brand, shows why, despite having two gasoline three-row SUVs in its lineup already, Hyundai needed an all-electric one as well.

Another daring design from Hyundai

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