Nationalistic ranting - 28 May 2024

Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: NHTSA INVESTIGATES MORE WAYMO INCIDENTS

The National Highways and Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA) are investigating further incidents involving Waymo vehicles. The nine extra are focused on stationary or semi-stationary items such as gates, chains and utility poles. If you wish to learn more, click on this TechCrunch link here.

FOLLOW UP: CAR THING TO BE BRICKED BY SPOTIFY

After the huge fuss made on its launch, by Spotify, the Car Thing will be bricked by the company as it moves on from it. This was a device you bought and had to subscribe to Spotify Premium, fitted to your car interior, to allow you to play some tunes and if you could see it enable Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In 2022 they confirmed they were stopping production, just a couple of months after it going on general sale. Click this Ars Technica article link here, to read more.

UK APPROVES NEW SELF-DRIVING LEGISLATION

The UK Government has gained the royal signature for the Automated Vehicles (AV) Act. This brings into law, for the first time, that car makers will be held responsible for their vehicles if it is being used in autonomous mode and not the driver. You can learn more on this, by clicking this AMOnline link here.

BMW, MINI, VW AND JLR FITTED PARTS BANNED IN USA

A US congressional investigation has discovered that BMW, Mini, Volkswagen Group and JLR sourced parts from Chinese suppliers that contravened the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, even after they were made aware. VW replaced the parts on the US dockside, before they were allowed to be handed to customers and dealers. To read more, click this article link to The Guardian.

JLR TO ASSEMBLE CARS IN INDIA

In order to help with the increasing demand for their vehicles in Asia, JLR will be assembling Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports at the Tata Pune plant. Other models have been handled in this way since 2011. Click this article link from Autocar for more.

ITALY IMPOUNDS FIAT TOPOLINOS

Fiat Topolinos, their version of the Citroën Ami, have been impounded in Italy after they were found to have the Italian flag on their wings and it was seen as suggesting that the car was made in Italy, rather than Morocco where it is actually made. Click this Top Gear link to read more on this silliness.

BYD ELECTRIC BUSES EXPECTED TO REPLACE LONDON DIESELS

BYD unveiled their BD11 double-decker, which it is expected will be seen on the streets of London soon. They will come with a usable battery capacity of 457kWh and a range of up to 400 miles. This is much more than the expected daily mileage of buses. If you want to read more, click this Autocar link here.

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NEW NEW CAR NEWS -

Kia EV3

Kia unveiled their latest electric car, the EV3. Styled similarly to the EV9, this car is a little shorter but wider than that the Niro. The aim is for the price to come in just under £30,000 and have maximum ranges of 255 to 373 miles depending on powertrain configuration. Click this Autocar article link for more information.

BMW Concept Skytop

BMW showed off the Concept Skytop, a two seater luxury grand tourer. Based on an 8 Series, this homage is purely for the Concorso d'Eleganza at Lake Como as have many recent concepts from BMW. To see more, click this Top Gear article link here. To see what Alan was discussing, click this BMW Blog article link here.

Lamborghini engine replacement

Lamborghini is replacing its V10 with a V8 hybrid engine, which we presume is the same base as the one Bentley will be using. Expected to produce 789bhp and 538lb of the torques it will be no slouch after the Italian engineers breathe their magic on it and that’s before the hybrid power is added. To read more, click this Autocar article link here.

JLR to use new battery software

JLR has partnered up with Fortescue to take advantage of their clever battery monitoring software that will hopefully help improve battery life, accuracy of range and efficiency. If you wish to learn more about this, click the link here to an Autocar article.

LUNCHTIME READ: 46 CAR COMPANY NAMES AND THEIR ORIGINS

Hagerty have updated an article about where the names for 46 car companies came from. This is not the typical article as it is very well researched and written. Click here to read and enjoy.

LIST OF THE WEEK: MOST VALUABLE CARS SOLD AT AUCTION

Autocar provide our recommended list, this week. Have fun wading through the many, many Ferrari options, as well as several other brands. Do you agree with the choices made? Let us know! Click here to check out what has been sold and for how much.

AND FINALLY: FORD’S CLASSIC CAR COLLECTION

Tom Ford, for Top Gear, spends time with the classic Ford collection and the man who looks after all the vehicles. Click this link to see more and find the video link for you to enjoy.