Terrible Cynic - 29 November 2022

FOLLOW UP: GHOSN HELPER NOW OUT OF US JAILMichael Taylor, the father of the father and son duo who helped Carlos Ghost escape from custody in Japan has been released early from US detention. Authorities stated his months of good behaviour in Japanese jail mean they allowed him back into the community ahead of the expected January 2023 date. To read more, click the Bloomberg UK article here. FOLLOW UP: REVEALED EVIDENCE CASTS DOUBT ON GHOSN CHARGESEvidence, which Nissan and the Japanese prosecutors are supposed to have kept hidden from Carlos Ghosn’s lawyers, indicate that Ghosn did not have a secret deal with a very small number of co-conspirators but that the board members of Nissan at the time, knew the details. This casts even further bad light onto Nissan and particularly the Japanese legal system. As the Asian Times asks, if no crime actually took place, how can anyone be charged, let alone be found guilty. Click here to read yet more damning information thanks to the Asia Times article link. FOLLOW UP: ARRIVAL CEO STEPS DOWNDenis Sverdlov, the CEO of Arrival, has stepped down with Peter Cueno, taking over. The two are swapping roles. In the announcement was the news that the strategy chief and president, Avinash Rugoobur, has also stepped down. The hope is that stakeholders see these as positive moves that stabilise the company. Click here, to learn more, via the FleetOwner article link. FOLLOW UP: FBI TO HELP IN CONTINENTAL HACKGerman security forces have asked the FBI for assistance in their investigation into the data hack of Continental. Budget, strategy, investment information as well as some data about customers is reportedly been accessed. For more on this story, click this Yahoo Finance link here. LONDON ULEZ TO EXPANDConfirmation from the Mayor of London, came last week, to announce that the ULEZ would now expand to be contained by the M25. This comes into affect in August 2023. To read more, click this Autocar article here. There was an expected outcry over this move, but some were saying that many had already swapped their non compliant car when the first expansion came in. London is bringing in a scrappage scheme from January 2023, which will help those looking to scrap and retro-fit their vehicles with compliant technology. Click this Parkers link to learn more. JLR REDUCING PRODUCTION INTO 2023Jaguar Land Rover is reducing the shift on certain production lines due to the chip crisis, they are particularly badly hit by. The focus will be on the more profitable models such as the Range Rover whilst the F-Pace and Velar do not. Click here for The Guardian article, to find out more. LEICESTER SCRAP WORKPLACE CHARGING COSTLeicester City Council had planned to bring in a workplace parking levy, similar to that in neighbouring city Nottingham. Following a consultation that appears to be listened to, the city leaders heard about the cost of living crisis and the fears over the impact even more costs would have on that. Click here to learn more, from TransportXtra. LIDL UNDERCUTS EV CHARGING STATIONS IN FRANCELidl, the budget supermarket, has opened their first budget charging station, where they offer 350kW rapid charging for 35p/kWh. There are more planned across France. Click here to read the article from European Supermarket Magazine.PARIS CONSIDERED OUTRIGHT BAN OF ESCOOTERSThe Mayor of Paris is considering an outright ban of escooters, in the city. Anne Hidalgo, who is a huge proponent of 15-minute cities, is also evaluating the existing licenses with the three operators currently permitted to hire escooters to the public. Click here to read the Move Electric article. 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 PODCASTWRC: MOUTON DOCUMENTARY WINS EMMYThe Michèle Mouton documentary, Queen of Speed, has won an international Emmy. The film charts her life and career, explaining how she is still the only woman to have won a WRC rally event. Click here to read more, from DirtFish. You can still watch via CatchUp on Sky or NowTV. NEW NEW CAR NEWSGenesis X Speedium Concept:Genesis revealed not one but two further Speedium designs for a luxury four seater cars, in the form of a coupe and convertible. Genesis are very upfront about wanting to try and create an emotional connection with EVs, which has been one criticism to date. The stunning exterior is matched by a cosseted interior, that hugs the occupants rather than a large amount of space electric cars can allow. To see the Coupe design, click this link to the Genesis site. For the convertible, click this Genesis link. BMW 3.0 CSL:BMW has revealed a 3.0 CSL homage. 50 cars, based on the M4, will be produced, with prices yet to be revealed, but we think it is safe to say “eye-watering” will be applicable. The three litre in-line six turbocharged engine will produce up to 552bhp and be mated to a manual gearbox. To learn more, click this EVO article link here. Arbarth 500e:Stellantis are brining out an upgraded version of the 500e, aiming for the Arbarth market. Based on the existing electric city car, the engineers have fettled with the suspension and performance meaning that it can be claimed to be quicker around the Balocco test track, by one second. Also, there will be an optional ‘sound generator’, which apparently replicated the engine note of a ICE. There has been no mention of price for this either. Click here to read the Motoring Research article. OLD CAR DEAD NEWSVolkswagen Touareg R axed:VW will not longer sell the Touareg R in the UK, after only 18 months availability. Starting prices of £71,995 allowed those desperate to get something R-badged with a modicum of electrification. The standard Touareg will still be available. Click this Autocar link, to learn more. CAR OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST The European Car of the Year shortlist has been announced. Amazingly, some of them are on our roads now and not just in the hands of journalists for a brief few hours. Click here to read the Top Gear article listing them. LUNCHTIME READ: BRITISH GRIT AND OIL LAMPS ON THE LONDON TO BRIGHTON VETERAN RUNTV’s Paul Cowland was one of the participants of a very moist London to Brighton run, in pre-1905 vehicles. He tells us all about this year’s event and how wonderful it is. Click this Hagerty link to find out more. LIST OF THE WEEK: TOP GEAR’S TOP 9 - THE BEST CAR PEDALSTop Gear has a list extolling the joy of detail that can be found in the humble pedals we very rarely look at. Run through the list by clicking this link, and see if you agree...