Wonderfully Awful - 27 September 2022

FOLLOW UP: TOYOTA TO CLOSE RUSSIAN PLANTToyota has announced that it will permanently shutter their production facility in Russia. They closed temporarily in March, following the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces which led to supply issues. They have not been able to resume production since, nor can they see when the situation may change. For more on this story, click here for the SupplyChainDive article link. FOLLOW UP: INVESTORS WANT PORSCHE SHARESThe demand for the upcoming Porsche IPO has been described as “robust”, with some claiming all of the shares could be sold multiple times over. The floatation is expected to raise between €18 billion and €19 billion. Which goes to show, we don’t know anything about the game of share. To read more, click the Reuters link here. PHONE HOLDING DETECTION TRAILDevon and Cornwall police will be trailing a new system that uses “AI” to detect if it believes a driver is using a phone, occupants are not wearing seatbelts and the speed the vehicle is moving at. If the software detects laws are being broken the photograph gets passed on to a human to decide if a warning or intention to prosecute letter is warranted. Click here for the BBC News article link. UBER GOING ALL ELECTRIC BY 2030Uber has stated that it will be going all electric for it’s fleet, across the US, Canada and Europe, by 2030. They claim to be on track to hit their London 2025 target, for EV-only vehicles in the capital. To see more on this, click the Jalopnik link here for a video on the story. CANTERBURY E-SCOOTER TRIAL ENDS IN NOVEMBERKent County Council has decided not to extend the trial of e-scooters in Canterbury, from the end of November 2022. The Government announced, in the summer, that it is extending the trial until 2024 and existing trials can be extended. The Council’s fear is that accidents will increase, although to date one person has been knocked over by someone using a scooter outside the trial area and on the pavement. Click the Move Electric link here 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 NEWSFord Mustang -Ford revealed the 2023 Mustang and Dark Horse variant, at the Detroit Motor Show last week. The car will retain the V8 and is using the current car’s base. Whilst it will have the latest infotainment system, it will not get new automated driving tech due to the age of the platform. The likelihood is that this will be the last ICE Mustang made. There will be a track focused version too, called the Dark Horse, with 500hp and roof lining mounted USB ports, to allow those who want cables trailing everywhere for cameras to be safer than currently. Prices are expected, for the regular model, to begin around $60,000 but there is no confirmation that the Mustang will make it across the pond to us in Blighty yet. To read about the new Mustang, click the Autocar article here. To read about the Dark Horse, click here for the Road & Track article. To find out why roof lining mounted USB ports are a thing, click the Slash Gear link here. Ferrari Purosangue - Ferrari has revealed their not-a-SUV SUV, the Purosangue. This will come with a 6.5 litre V12, 725hp and a 0-62mph time of 3.3 seconds. Costing, in Italy, the equivalent of €339,000, UK deliveries are expected to begin in the summer of 2023. Ferrari are limiting production to 2,200 a year. You can learn more, by clicking the Motoring Research article here. Jeep Avenger, Recon and Wagoneer S - Jeep has let us see three new EV cars. A European focused Avenger, which is based on the Peugeot e2008 running gear. The Recon is very much in the Tonka Toy style of design and is all the cooler for it. With the Wagoneer S aimed at luxury SUV buyers, although we are not sure if that will come across The Pond to us in Europe. For more, click this MoveElectric link here. Toyota bZ3 - Toyota has taken the wraps off their next full EV, as part of their move to dedicated electric vehicle options. The saloon is being aimed at the Model 3 area of the market, with it expected to launch in China before coming to Europe. Little is know of the capability, but you can read more by clicking here for the Autocar article. Renault 5 Turbo 3E - Renault has taken their latest concept to the drift track. This car is aimed at showing how much fun EVs can be by targeting going sideways the entire time. The looks are fab, both inside and out. You can see more by clicking this Autocar link here. Aehra brand - A new car brand, this time from Italy, has surfaced, called Aehra. Do click the link for the Top Gear article here, as it makes an interesting read into what they need to avoid to becoming another vapourware company. LUNCHTIME READ: THE LIGHT DUTY VEHICLE TO NOWHEREThis week we are pointing you to an excellent piece by Emission Analytics, who are discussing the push for battery electric vehicles as the only solution to our emission issues. They do explain the risks of such a strategy, not just for society but business and legislators. Do click this link to read the thought provoking article. LIST OF THE WEEK: THE MOST IMPORTANT CONCEPT CARS EVER CREATEDAutocar is the provider of the List of the Week, this time its a big one. A whole host of cars they suggest are the most important concepts of all time. Run through the slideshow yourself, by clicking this link. Then tell the chaps if you agree with them and if not what you chose. AND FINALLY: HIGH FASHION AND MODEL COLLABORATIONAh, but it’s not the type of model you are probably thinking of, this time we are talking about Hot Wheels and the Gucci Cadillac Seville special edition that commemorates the time Gucci and Cadillac actually brought out a special edition for the road, in 1982. Click here to find out more about this stunning story, from Hagerty, and the model that is coming out soon.