My demeaning voice - 31 October 2023

FOLLOW UP: CRUISE PAUSES DRIVERLESS TAXI SERVICEBoth Califoria’s Department for Motor Vehicles and Public Utilities Commission have revoked Cruise’s license to carry fee paying passengers in their robotaxis. Cruise, following this, has “paused” the operation of their fleet. This all stems from an incident on 2 October 2023, where a car driven by a human hit a pedestrian and they were knocked into the pathway of one of Cruise’s cars which could not stop in time and trapped the pedestrian underneath the vehicle. The DMV claims Cruise shared partial video that showed up to the point of the vehicle stopping. However, the DMV now states there was more as they were not shown that the Cruise vehicle tried to move to the side of the road with the lady still trapped beneath the car. The DMV stated that “the manufacturers vehicles are not safe for public operation”. To read more click this Vice article link here. For the next stage of the story, click this Tech Crunch article link here. To read the DMV’s own documentation on their decision, click this link here. For Cruise’s Twitter post regarding their pause, click this link. Forbes have a thoughtful piece on what has happened and what Cruise can and should do next. To read that, click this link here. FOLLOW UP: MERCEDES USER MANUAL FOR DRIVE PILOT Mercedes-Benz has now released the user manuals for their Drive Pilot Level 3 automated driving system. Looking at the documentation there are a number of inconsistencies and contradictions. Click this link to a piece from Philip Koopman on LinkedIn highlighting the issues in the text. Reading the information, we wouldn’t use the system as we have no idea if we would be held accountable or Mercedes, in the event of an issue. STELLANTIS TO SELL LEAPMOTOR VEHICLES IN EUROPEFollowing a £1.3 billion investment in the Chinese EV maker, Leapmotor, Stellantis will start selling their vehicles in Europe from 2024. No details have been revealed as to what models they would be. We also ask if it is the technology side of things that Stellantis is really after. You can read more, by clicking this link to an Autocar story. RAC STATES FUEL PRICES ARE UNFAIRLY HIGHThe RAC has explained that all fuel retailers should be lowering their prices by at least 5p per litre, thanks to the drop in wholesale costs. They also point out how this is helping to ensure that inflation remains high. If you would like to read more, click this TopGear article link here. VOLKSWAGEN TO CUT THOUSANDS OF JOBSVolkswagen has announced that CARIAD, the software division of the VW Group, will bear the brunt of job loses that the board has agreed can take place. On top of that, the update software for their car’s operating systems is to be delayed 16 to 18 weeks. That is not the end of the bad news, as the next generation OS, 2.0, is being rewritten therefore the deployment in 2025 looks unlikely, at best. Click this Reuters article link here, to learn more VOLVO TO ALSO BUILD EX30 IN EUROPEFollowing the political statements from both Europe and China, Volvo has take the prudent step of declaring that their Ghent factory will also build the EX30, from 2025. Previously all production was expected to come from China. To learn more, click this AMOnline article link here. JLR TO BUILD EVS AT NITRA PLANTIn a move that should surprise no one, JLR has announced that they will transform their Nitra Plant, in Slovakia, to be able to build electric vehicles by 2030. This is their newest site, which opened in 2018 and has built over 365,000 Discovery and Defender vehicles. Click this Autocar link to read more. TOYOTA HYDROGEN FOCUS TURNS TO COMMERCIAL VEHICLESToyota has announced that it will be moving its focus, for the development of hydrogen vehicles, from private cars to commercial vehicles. They say, following world wide experiments, that the lack of infrastructure is the stumbling block for private owners. To read more, click this Autocar link here. 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 - Mercedes-AMG GLE 53Another week another SUV coupe (and regular SUV in the case) being updated, this time from Mercedes-AMG. A 3.0 litre straight-six engine will be mated with a hybrid system, for the first time. The PHEV version will do around 50 miles on electric drive alone. For more information, including the dizzying number of powertrain choices and outputs, click this link to read an Autocar article. Mercedes-Benz EQS SUVFollow the confusion, last week, for the chaps and the naming system of Audis, Mercedes steps up to the plate to befuddle Andrew and Alan. The EQS SUV is getting a better battery and improved efficiency. Later next year, the EQS saloon will also get this. Yes, for some reason Merc EVs don’t follow the convention of SUVs having a ‘G’ designation. Sigh. Anyway, if you want to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. Hyundai Ioniq 5 N The first EV from Hyundai to get the N treatment is an odd choice, it being the Ioniq 5. Alan and Andrew both love the comfort, serene cabin and ride, hence their surprise this will get oodles of power and get the N Grin Boost mode. Prices start at £65,000 for the performance version, with the chaps reserving full judgement until they get the opportunity to try one out. Click here to find out more, thanks to CAR. Ferrari 296 ChallengeFerrari has revealed their new car for the FIA-homologated own brand championship that takes place in North America, Europe, Japan and the UK. Obviously not road legal, but quicker and better than the outgoing 488 Challenge Evo. This is based on the 296 car, but with the hybrid system removed so it is relatively light too. If you want to find out more, click this CAR article link here. Ferrari 499P track carIf the 296 Challenge is not exclusive enough for you, Ferrari think they have you covered. For a mere £4.6 million (plus VAT) you can get ACCESS to a derestricted 499P hypercar, based on the Le Mans winning vehicle. This access is in the form of nine racing events a year, for two years, at specific tracks that Ferrari designates. For those with incredibly deep pockets and an urge to race behind closed doors, click this Autocar article link to find out more. LUNCHTIME WATCH: AUTOSHENNANIGANS TRACKS DOWN THE “F1” CAR THAT APPEARS IN HIS M8 VIDEOFollowing the release of the M8 video, on the Autoshennanigans YouTube channel, many have mentioned and asked about what appeared to be a yellow F1 car that was in a drone shot. Well, John tracked down the owner who agreed to appear on the show and talk about that car and others he’s owned. Do enjoy, which you can do <a href="https://youtu.be/968DI6Qmhbg?si=q8zLz6MREjxIlyuz"...