Member Number Seven - 30 January 2024

FOLLOW UP: CRUISE’S ACCIDENT FAILURES ARE WORSE THAN GUESSEDThe ‘independent’ review by a legal firm employed by both GM and Cruise has produced their first report into the incident where a pedestrian who was knocked into the path of a driverless taxi was hit and dragged by the car. They try to claim that no one really meant to deceive the regulators and it was the internet that prevented them from showing the full video. They admitted that no one then attempted to explain verbally or via email. You can learn more from this Jalopnik article link here. You can find more context and details in a Twitter thread from John Berry, linked here. And here is another thread from John, click here. For an even more damning review of the report, click here to read what Bryant Walker Smith has to say. FOLLOW UP: MOT CHANGES ARE SHELVEDThankfully, common sense has prevailed and the UK Government are not going to change MOTs to occur every two years. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. FOLLOW UP: DAIHATSU RECALLING OVER 320,00 CARSThe news gets worse for Daihatsu as it confirms it will be recalling over 320,000 cars due to door defects, following the revelations about the safety testing scandal. Three of the four Japanese factories will also remain shuttered, with a possibility one may restart soon. To read more on this story, click here for The Japan Times article link. TOYOTA HALTS SHIPMENTS OF SOME VEHICLESToyota has announced that it is halting the shipment of some vehicles due to irregularities in certification of some diesel engines. The engines go into approximately 36,000 vehicles worldwide, per month. There has yet to be a confirmation of the full extent of this issue. Click this Reuters article to learn more. EU FINDS MOST CARS EMIT SAME CARBON LEVELS AS 12 YEARS AGOAn investigation into the EU’s progress regarding the reduction of CO2 has found that levels emitted by cars has not changed in 12 years. A combination of larger, heavier cars and an apparent significant difference between lab tested and real world emissions have all been blamed. What is missing is the significant drop in diesel vehicles, replaced by petrol and hybrids, which produce more CO2 than a diesel, whilst producing less NOx. You can read more, by clicking this link to an Euractiv article. BMW UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR EMISSIONS MANIPULATIONIn Germany, the federal transport authority, the KBA, are investigating BMW X3 2.0 diesel built between 2010 and 2014, due to suspicions over software manipulation of emissions. The claim is that emissions were controlled when under test conditions. More can be found on this story, by clicking this link to a Drive article. MERCEDES GITHUB REPOSITORY FOUND OPENSecurity researchers found they could gain unrestricted access to Mercedes-Benz’s GitHub repository. GitHub is a project management service for coders. An employee’s authentication code was found on the internet, enabling a way into their Enterprise Server on the service. There was a lot of very important and vital information that could be accessed. There is no confirmation if others accessed the data during the time it was effectively open to all. Click this article link to read more from TechCrunch. ‘FILL THAT HOLE’ SITE HELPS POTHOLE REPORTINGCycling UK has launched the latest version of the service Fill That Hole, which allows for a quick way to report potholes on the UK roads. Now the reports go directly to the relevant highways authority, as some local councils were no longer accepting road defect reports, if they’ll accept them. If you wish to know more, click here to read the TransportXtra story. To use the free service, click this link here to Fill That Hole. 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 - Volkswagen GolfThe facelifted Golf, the 8.5, has been revealed by VW. The main changes are to the interior and tech, with the infotainment screen now having a couple of buttons and those being backlit. This is very much a merest hints of evolution, with improvements to the areas they received “feedback” on. To find out more, including the raft of powertrain options, click this CAR link here. Porsche Electric MacanPorsche has revealed the next generation of the Macan, which will be EV only. Boasting two specs, ludicrous amounts of power and a claimed range of up to 381 miles, this should please current and prospective owners, so long as they can afford the price. You can learn more by clicking this Autocar link here. Volkswagen Passat The latest Passat, which comes as an estate, has been revealed along with details. A suitably large loading space, with the revised VW cockpit, as with the Golf discussed earlier. Again, you can find out more about the car by clicking this CAR article link here. Kalmar Automotive RS-6If you have a Porsche 996 and want to stand out from the crowd, Kalmer can help you by Dakar-ing it. Actually, the cost isn’t outrageous, for such a thing and it is nicely done. At least we could get excited about one car this week! To check out more on this, click this Top Gear link here. LUNCHTIME READ: MARIO REVELLI - THE MOST PROLIFIC CAR DESIGNER YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OFMatteo Licata brings us another fascinating and expertly researched article for us to recommend to you. This time, helping us learn about a designer we probably haven’t heard of, although he worked on so many cars. Click this Hagerty link to read more. LIST OF THE WEEK: THE BEST CARS OF THE 90S - PART 2Autocar have a slide show of the second part of their Best Cars from the 90s. There are a whopping 42 slides to check out, which has allowed the chaps to pick two cars each this, in a move of total extravagance. Do you agree with what they picked, don’t forget to let us know! Click here to check out what is on offer. AND FINALLY: US GOVERNMENT STOPS ‘HUMOROUS’ HIGHWAY SIGNSThe Federal Highways Administration has announced a ban on ‘humorous’ digital highway signs, as they have jumped the shark and instead of getting a safety message across in a quick yet memorable manner, they often have become clunky and confusing. Click this link to the New York Post for more information.