Ben Elton Sketch - 23 May 2023

FOLLOW UP: US LAWMAKERS ATTEMPT AM LOSS U-TURNSenators in the US are banding together to try and create a bill that will force car makers to install the option of AM Radio in all new cars. The claim is that removing it weakens the Government’s ability to issue emergency broadcasts. Click here to read the Autoevolution article. GEELY INCREASES STAKE IN ASTON MARTINAfter several attempts to increase their investment in Aston Martin, that Lance Stroll had rebuffed, Geely announced that it now owns 17% of the brand. This makes them the third largest shareholder. To read more, click this EVO article link here. CALL FOR OVER-70S TO GET MANDATORY EYE CHECKSOlder Drivers Forum, as road safety organisation, has called for all drivers to take a mandatory eye-test as they hit 70 and every three years recurring. This sounds like an eminently sensible idea that we hope will become law. You can find out more, by clicking this Autocar link here. CAR INDUSTRY WARNS OF RULES OF ORIGIN IMPACTVauxhall, quickly followed by Ford, brought up the issue of Rules of Origin, where parts and vehicles imported into the UK from Europe, and vice versa, face a 10% surcharge bringing into question the viability of UK car factories. The car industry has urged the Government to renegotiate a deal with Europe to prevent the cost implications. To read more, click this BBC News article discussing Vauxhall’s position. This is an issue that has been known and discussed by a few for some time. Click this Autocar article link, from Jim Holder explaining the issues and consequences. You can read more about the lack of industry strategy, at a Governmental level, how that is hurting the industry and may mean it dies altogether, by clicking this The Guardian link. CALLS FOR GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROADS TO BE DECLARED AN EMERGENCYPaul Hodgkinson, a Gloucestershire County Councillor, has called for the poor state of roads in the county to be declared an emergency. The Highways Department had “30 teams” working to address road repairs. They also stated they met Government targets to fix high safety priorities within one day and other safety issues within 28 days. Click this BBC News article for more information. MERCEDES PINK NOISE DEPLOYED TO SAVE HEARINGThis is not a new thing, as Mercedes-Benz has been adding this to their cars since 2015, however it is amazing. If the car detects it is about to have an incident, pink noise is played through the speakers which causes occupant’s ear drums to close over and prevent loud noises from hurting and disorientating them. Click this Uncrate link here and watch the video for more. NIO UNVEILS GEN 3 BATTERY SWAP STATIONNIO, the Chinese EV maker, has unveiled its third generation battery swap station and technology. These are slated to be coming to the UK too. The claim is that the battery pack of a NIO will be swapped in under five minutes. Their new station design will allow for up to 400 swaps in a day. NIO cars can also charge in a typical EV manner. Click this Autocar article link to read more. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Ford Tourneo Courier Ford’s new entry level model, following the cull of the Fiesta and Focus, is the new Tourneo Courier. This will eventually come in petrol and EV options. The petrol engine will be a 1.0 litre providing 123bhp (Andrew got it wrong on the show, giving it an single extra bhp) via a six speed manual or seven speed auto box. The EV is expected to have a 55kWh battery, estimated to be capable of around 230 miles. Prices are expected to start, for the ICE version, at £20,000. Click this Autocar link for more. DS9 Option Upgrades Upgrades to the option specs for the car French diplomats will be driven in abroad, the DS9, have been announced. New infotainment, enhancements in safety tech and passenger comfort are all part of the improvements. As well as a hybrid system that will only be found in the DS9. There are three trim levels, starting with the Rivoli+, Opera and Esprit de Voyage. Prices start at £56,000 and run all the way up to £74,415. Click this Autoevolution link to see more about the upgrades. Luvly 0A Swedish firm has revealed a flat-pack EV quadricycle competitor to the Citroën Ami. Weighing just 400kg, thanks to a composite construction, the 0 has a claimed top speed of 56mph and a range of 62 miles. To read more, click this link to an Autocar article. Nils van Roij Design Defender Convertible Nils van Roij Design has revealed a convertible version of the latest Defender. Whilst the chaps cannot fully agree on whether they like it or not, they are in full agreement that they like that someone has tried. Click this PistonHeads link to read more. Tamiya Wild One MaxThe Little Car Company has confirmed that they will be making a full sized, road legal version of the 1980s Tamiya Wild One radio controlled car you can buy. We have not been this excited for a car in quite some time. Have your heart lifted by clicking this Calibre link and finding out more. LUNCHTIME READ: WHY THE RIVIAN R1T REPAIR COST $42,000The Autopian once again is the source of our recommendation for something to read over a lunchtime. A small ‘fender-bender’ collision, involving a rental car and a Rivian R1T pickup went viral as the final cost to fix the Rivian came to $42,000. Most scoffed and were incredulous, but those at The Autopian sought the answers to why. Click here to find out what they thought and what it means for all of us in the future. LIST OF THE WEEK: 10 OF THE BEST RENAULT SAFRANESPetrolBlog brings us quite the niche list to make your choice from, this week, which Renault Safrane will you pick? Do you agree with Andrew’s choice. Don’t forget to tell the chaps. Click this link to explore your options. AND FINALLY: IS IT WORTH TRAVELLING FOR CHEAPER FUELAuto Shenanigans has a video out where he tries to get to the bottom of the claim that it is worth travelling for cheaper fuel. A wonderful piece of nerdism, which we heartily applaud. Click here for the YouTube link.