2020 Toyota Highlander hits New York with one-two punch of looks, efficiency - CNET

The Toyota Highlander seems destined to live forever. With solid reliability and a price tag that won't send families scurrying away, it's a very strong midsize family SUV, and its sales have reflected that. However, we always found its complement of tech to be a little lacking. Now, at the 2019 New York Auto Show, Toyota's rolled out the redesigned 2020 Highlander, and yes, there's some good tech in there.

Most of the Highlander's fancy new tech is possible because Toyota is moving the SUV to its TNGA-K platform. If TNGA is looking like a familiar set of letters to you, that's probably because Toyota has spent the last few years transitioning nearly its entire lineup of unibody vehicles to one flavor of it or another.

For 2020, the new Highlander will offer two powertrains. The first is a relatively standard 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine that makes 295 horsepower and 263 foot-pounds of torque. This engine uses Toyota's D4 dual fuel injection system which utilizes both direct fuel injection and multiport fuel injection (and which we first saw on the Toyota 86 née Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ twins). This engine, bolted to the standard eight-speed auto is good for 22 miles per gallon.

Where things get really interesting is with the optional hybrid drivetrain. Toyota remains the undisputed king of hybrid tech, and it's really flexing its muscles there with the new Highlander. Rather than the Hybrid Synergy Drive that we're all used to, Toyota is debuting a next-generation system that it calls Predictive Efficient Drive.

Predictive Efficient Drive is a smart hybrid system in that it monitors and learns driver habits and compares that with GPS data for upcoming roads to decide when to best utilize the electric portion of the drivetrain for maximum efficiency. It's pretty cool, but what's cooler is that Toyota is claiming that the hybrid Highlander will offer its owners 34 miles per gallon combined. That's unreal in a big SUV and a 17% increase over the previous-generation hybrid.

The new Highlander pulls some of its styling cues from the recently refreshed RAV4 -- and that's not a bad thing.

Toyota

Outside, the new Highlander grows a little bit (2.36 inches in length, to be precise) but manages to look slimmer than the car it replaces. This is mostly down to the new, more aggressive styling, which we like. We also like that Toyota has worked to make this new design functional, tuning the side mirrors and even the taillights to reduce wind noise at speed. For 2020, the Highlander can now be had with its first-ever 20-inch wheels. There is also a unique set only available as an option on the top-level Platinum trim level.

The Highlander hasn't given up any ground in the interior room category either. It's still cavernous enough to haul all your kids and their crap around or swallow up a full Ikea-shopping trip's worth of flat-pack furniture with no complaints.

The Highlander's L and LE trim levels feature a standard second-row bench seat which means that, in total, it'll seat eight people. The XLE and Limited trim come with captain's chairs in the second row for a total capacity of seven people, though you can swap them for a bench. The top-level Platinum trim comes with captain's chairs in row two, and you are unable to switch those for a bench because luxury.

It doesn't matter which trim level you choose, though, if what you care about is safety tech. All 2020 Highlander models come standard with Toyota's SafetySense 2.0 ADAS suite. SafetySense 2.0 includes features like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high beams, lane tracing assist and road sign assist. Other safety features that aren't part of SafetySense are optional depending on your desired trim level, and these include blind-spot monitoring, parking sonar, and something called parking support braking.

The interior on the top-tier Platinum trim benefits from a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, while lesser models get an eight-inch unit.

Toyota

Inside, things get better still. The Platinum trim level gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen in its center console -- one of the largest in the segment -- and all other models get an 8-inch unit. The latest version of Toyota's infotainment platform also supports Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa as standard. It's about time Toyota.

Toyota hasn't given us any information on expected pricing or a potential on-sale date, but we are betting that the former will be pretty reasonable and the latter will be sometime later this year.

New York auto show 2019

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https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2020-toyota-highlander-new-york-auto-show-debut/

2019-04-17 13:32:00Z
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Netflix stock slightly dips again after post-earnings rally - CNBC

Shares of Netflix were dipped more than 1% Wednesday morning following a short rally after the company reported Q1 revenue, earnings and subscriber numbers that beat Wall Street expectations. The drop shaved about $1 billion from Netflix's market cap, which hovered around $155 billion.

The stock initially took a slight dip of 1% after hours Tuesday after providing light guidance for the second quarter of 2019. While Netflix reported earnings per share of 76 cents compared to the 57 cents analysts expected, according to the Refinitiv consensus estimate, it said it only expects EPS of 55 cents in the second quarter compared to the 99 cents analysts had forecast.

Netflix also reported revenue of $4.52 billion compared to $4.50 expected, per Refinitiv. The company added 1.74 million domestic paid subscribers in the quarter compared to the 1.61 million expected, and 7.86 million internationally, compared to the 7.31 million forecast by FactSet.

The strong subscriber numbers seemed to have allayed some analyst's concerns over the potential threat of new streaming services including Disney's.

"NFLX's first quarter earnings may be controversial to some — mostly because of the light second quarter [subscription] outlook — but we think there's much more to like here than not," J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth wrote in a note following the report. "We continue to believe that Disney+ will not be a major threat to NFLX subscriber numbers given NFLX's quality & quantity of content, & that Netflix/Disney+ will not be an either/or decision."

Netflix addressed its new competition in its letter to shareholders Tuesday, calling out both Apple and Disney by name.

"We don't anticipate that these new entrants will materially affect our growth because the transition from linear to on demand entertainment is so massive and because of the differing nature of our content offerings," the company wrote.

During Netflix's live streamed earnings interview following the report, Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said the public will soon get more information about the company's viewership numbers.

"Over the next several months, we're going to be rolling out more specific granular reporting, first to our producers and then to our members and of course to the press over time," Sarandos said, adding that Netflix will "be more fully transparent about what people are watching on Netflix around the world."

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Watch: Netflix's Q2 earnings is going to slow down due to season and pricing, says analyst

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/17/netflix-rallies-after-an-initial-dip-on-q1-2019.html

2019-04-17 13:30:11Z
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Intel abruptly exits 5G modem business - MobileSyrup

Opposition Leaders Slam Lack of Spending Restraint, 'Artificial Surplus' Presented in Budget - VOCM

The leader of the official opposition calls the provincial budget for 2019 a “failure”.

Ches Crosbie pointed to the government’s goal of returning to a surplus by 2022 as an example. He says the government’s increase in spending in this budget means that we will not return to surplus by the target date.

Crosbie says the government has shown no restraint with this budget, and that they have blown their chances of returning to a surplus by the target of 2022 because of that. By that standard, he says, this budget is a failure.

Crosbie did say, however, that there is one thing about the budget he does like; that it will never be passed.

He says that this budget is just smoke and mirrors for the election so that people won’t ask the hard questions. He says that approach is not honest nor democratic, but it does give the PC’s a chance to throw the Liberals out sooner.

Budget Boasts Artificial Surplus, says Coffin

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Alison Coffin says the provincial budget was very “underwhelming”.

Coffin thought that with all of the announcements made by government ahead of the budget, there would be a lot more to the document.

She says they’ve moved around a lot of numbers and they’ve created an “artificial surplus.” She’s concerned with the way the budget is being presented.

Coffin says there were some highlights in the budget, such as $1-million in arts funding, but there are a lot of negatives as well. There was no gender analysis, no “meaningful” diversification of the economy and nothing on environment or climate change.

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April 17, 2019 at 03:43PM

Netflix adds 9.6 million subscribers in first quarter as competition heats up - CBC.ca

Netflix's popularity is still booming, even as the video streaming service rolls out it biggest U.S. price increases and girds for new challenges from Walt Disney and Apple, two of the world's most popular brands.

The ground-breaking video service added 9.6 million subscribers worldwide during the opening three months of the year, topping the projections of both Netflix's own management and the analysts that steer investors' expectations.

The first-quarter surge left Netflix with nearly 149 million subscribers through March.

Netflix's performance may help ease any worries related to a recent price hike that raised the cost of its most popular plan to $13 a month, a $2 increase.

New U.S. subscribers had to start paying the higher price in January, but it only recently started to hit existing customers.

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April 17, 2019 at 04:17AM

OPEC risks gambling away success of production cuts as US$80 oil looms - BNNBloomberg.ca

After managing to revive oil prices through production cutbacks, OPEC now risks squandering its victory again by letting crude surge too high.

In the first quarter, coordinated production curbs by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies helped oil rally the most in almost a decade, restoring prices to over US$70 a barrel.

Saudi Arabia, the group’s most powerful member, has made clear that it’s determined to keep supplies tight. That risks a repeat of 2018, when production cuts propelled oil to a four-year high, provoking a backlash from President Donald Trump and a hasty reversal by the kingdom.

“It appears that the producer group is over-tightening the market,” said Ed Morse, head of commodities research at Citigroup Inc. in New York.

OPEC and its partners launched a new round of output cuts at the beginning of the year when it looked like booming U.S. shale-oil production and fragile global demand growth would lead to a supply surplus. But as the group implements the curbs, and as supplies are squeezed further by crises in Venezuela and Iran, there’s now a greater risk of a shortage.

Supply Contraction

If the group continues with its cutbacks, global oil inventories will contract by almost 1 million barrels a day in the third quarter, the steepest drop in nearly two years, data from the organization shows. However, the group won’t make a decision whether to extend until it meets in late June.

The strain on markets could go even deeper. A conflict is flaring in Libya, output is plunging in Venezuela because of a spiraling economic crisis, and the U.S. will soon decide whether to tighten sanctions on Iran’s oil exports.

“OPEC is one major shutdown -- Libya, say -- from a very damaging price surge that throws all the plans out the window,” said Derek Brower, a director at consultant RS Energy Group.

That could easily send crude prices to levels that prompt disapproval from the White House, the Saudis’ most important political ally.

“There’s no doubt that in a scenario where Brent crude heads to US$80, President Trump will voice his concern,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas SA.

Pursuing higher prices also risks straining the Saudis’ critical alliance with Russia, which is co-operating with OPEC in the pact to curtail supply. President Vladimir Putin said last week that he’s comfortable with current price levels, and that it’s too soon to decide whether output needs to be restrained in the second half.

To avoid a repeat of last year, Saudi Arabia could increase production slightly, stopping a surge in prices. The kingdom is cutting output by considerably more than required under the OPEC accord, and so it could raise supplies without breaching the pact.

The Search For Balance

On April 8, less than two weeks after President Trump urged OPEC to increase production, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that his priority of “bringing back inventories to a reasonable level remains unchanged.”

Saudi Arabia faces powerful domestic pressures to press on with the policy, from Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s plans for radical economic transformation to a government budget that hinges on oil prices of US$80 a barrel.

A year ago, Riyadh’s decision to let prices approach that level back-fired.

In April 2018, when oil was trading at about US$70, the Saudis signaled at an OPEC gathering in Jeddah they were comfortable allowing crude to climb even higher. Their stance provoked a furious response from President Trump, and though Riyadh initially brushed off his concerns, within two months they bowed to his wishes and raised production.

The kingdom subsequently bolstered output to record levels, flooding the market and sending prices crashing below US$50 a barrel. The move was strongly influenced by U.S. promises to choke off Iranian shipments using sanctions, a pledge the Trump administration reneged on at the last minute.

This time, the Saudis are probably holding off on any action while they await a U.S. decision early next month on how to proceed with sanctions on Iran’s exports, Tchilinguirian said.

Regardless of Trump’s decision on Iran, with inventories set to shrink and supply losses looming elsewhere, the Saudis could face the same boom-and-bust outcome seen last year.

“OPEC has been very good lately at getting the market moving in the direction it wants, but less good at steering the market once it nears the destination,” said Brower. “It’s never really understood when to call time on a rally for its own good.”

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April 16, 2019 at 05:57PM

Woman sues Chinese billionaire Liu for alleged rape - The Associated Press