Look At Me Grown Up - 19 July 2022

Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: VW LOSES TEMP CONTROL ENGINE SOFTWARE RULING

Volkswagen has been told by the EU Court of Justice that utilising software to protect engines outside a temperature range of 15 - 33 Celsius amounted to a defeat device, as below 15 Celsius is a normal temperature across Europe. This will, obviously, open the risk of more consumer class actions being taken against VW and possibly other manufacturers. For more, click the Reuters article here.

ASTON MARTIN SECURE FURTHER FUNDING

Aston Martin has secured £653 million more investment, which it states is only required to service the debt they have accrued. A Saudi Arabian fund, AMG and share issue will ensure that the cash reserves they currently have are deployed on their future development and not paying off their loans. You can learn more, by clicking this PistonHeads link here.

BMW TRIALS OPTIONS SUBSCRIPTIONS

BMW are trialling subscriptions for some options, with the ability to pay for them on a weekly, yearly or the entire time of your ownership of the car. This has caused a bit of controversy, but not all are against the idea. Click this Top Gear link to read about the move.

James Mills wrote a piece for Hagerty, explaining why this has been introduced and why they may not be a bad idea at all. You can read that, by clicking this link here.

Drew Smith, writing on the StudioPhro website, adds a dash of reality and caution to OEMs pursuing options via subscription, that can be read by clicking this link here.

TESLA ORDERED TO REFUND CUSTOMER OVER AUTOPILOT FAULTS

Tesla has been ordered to refund a customer, by a Munich court, due to the problems with the Autopilot function. Following a detailed technical analysis, it was confirmed that the system could not reliably recognise obstacles and changes to the layout of roads and lead to braking being applied unnecessarily. For more, click the Reuters article here.

EV ISOLATOR ISSUE HITTING HOME

Changes to regulations over the installation of home chargers has meant there is an added delay. There must be two visits, with one being the energy provider who needs to fit the new isolator to the properties existing electrical system. Until there is a single visit installation the problem will continue with the owner or fleet operator paying more as they have to use public charging points. To read about this, click the Business Motoring article here.

PORSCHE BUILDS SECOND EFUEL FACILITY

Porsche has chosen Tasmania for the location of their second efuel facility. They, along with their partner HIF Global, expect to be producing 100 million litres of efuels from 2026. More can be read about this and the potential for efuels plus their byproducts, by clicking this EVO link here.

RENTAL E-SCOOTER TRIALS EXTENDED TO 2024

The Government has announced that it is extending the e-scooter trials until May 2024. To read more, click this Autocar link here. No doubt this will also delay the legalisation of privately owned scooters use on public highways.

ZERO EMISSION MOTORBIKES FROM 2035 CONSULTATION

The Government has launched a consultation regarding making all new motorbikes and scooters zero emission from 2035. For more, click the AutomotiveManagement Online article here. ——————————————————————————-

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WRC: RALLY ESTONIA

Kalle Rovanperä once again took the top step of the podium, at the end of the Estonian rally. Evans was second and looked in superb form until it rained. Tanäk was third, but a long way off the pace, as were the other Hyundais and M-Sport. Only Toyota can really be pleased with their weekend. Only thing left for any sense of jeopardy with this season is exactly when Rovanperä will claim the championship.

To read the review of the rally, click this link for the DirtFish report.

To run through Colin Clark’s Driver Ratings, click this link here.

To find out What We Learned, click here for the link.

And to read about Tanäk’s fine, click the DirtFish link here.

NEW NEW CAR NEWS

Hyundai IONIQ 6 -

After teasing pictures we have now got details for the IONIQ 6, from Hyundai. The sleek saloon will have a 379 mile range, along with 329bhp, in top spec. This is aiming square at the Model 3 and Polestar 2 segment, as it is about the same size too. Prices are expected to start around £45,000. To read more about this, click the Autocar article link here.

MG 5 -

MG has now revealed the updated 5, with a much smarter and sharper look, no longer aping an old Passat. Inside there are improvements too, including a larger infotainment screen. Prices will start at £31,000 and rise to £33,500 for a top of the range car. To learn about this, click this The Car Expert article link.

Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept -

We all looked on, with jaws slack and hearts beating faster, as Hyundai revealed their hydrogen coupe concept. This leans heavily on a previous design from Giugiaro, which is no bad thing, when you see it. Click here to read the EVO article on the car.

To read the Daniel Golson thread and get access to the CNET Cars article Alan mentions, click here.

To read Michael Banovsky’s article, click the Speedster News article link here.

LUNCHTIME READ: ‘WE ARE KILLING PEOPLE’

Finally, after all the meaty articles we have linked to this week, we reach the real Lunchtime Read. From the LA Times, the article discusses how interior car design is not helping with, or in fact hindering, the problems with distraction. Whilst US-centric, many of the points stand up, including how OEMs are viewing this area, the reality of what happens to us humans and what it all means. Click here to read.

LIST OF THE WEEK: THESE ARE THE 10 FAILED SUPERCAR MAKERS THAT DESERVED BETTER

Click on the link here, to run through the 10 options Jalopnik give us in their claims for supercar makers that should’ve done better. After you’ve had a look, let the chaps know if you agree with Alan’s choice.

AND FINALLY: CITYRAMA BUS FOUND

After sharing Tim Traveller’s video about the Cityrama Bus, a couple of months ago, there is an update as he has tracked down the last existing one. There is now a campaign to get it restored, you can find out all about the bus and the restoration plans by clicking this link here.

AND AND FINALLY: EVERYBODY BE COOL, YOU BE COOL

We’ll leave this here for another week, as it continues to be “quite warm” in the UK. Thanks to a Tweet from Nir Kahn we now know how to cool our car in the most efficient way possible. Click this link to learn more and then thank Nir for sharing the wisdom!