Jim Mason, a forensic engineer with ARCCA, helped us access and download the contents of our cars infotainment computer.Geoffrey Fowler / Washington Post Behind the wheel, its nothing but you, the open road and your car quietly recording your every move.On a recent drive, a 2017 Chevrolet collected my precise location. It stored my phones ID and the people I called. It judged my acceleration and braking style, beaming back reports to its maker General Motors over an always-on Internet connection.Cars have become the most sophisticated computers many of us own, filled with hundreds of sensors. Even older models know an awful lot about you. Many copy over personal data as soon as you plug in a smartphone.But for the thousands you spend to buy a car, the data it produces doesnt belong to you. My Chevys dashboard didnt say what the car was recording. It wasnt in the owners manual. There was no way to download it.To glimpse my car data, I had to hack my way in.Spilling our Chevy Volt’s secretsJim Mason hacks into cars for a living, but usually just to better understand crashes and thefts. The Caltech-trained engineer works in Oakland, California, for a firm called ARCCA that helps reconstruct accidents. He agreed to help conduct a forensic analysis of my privacy.I chose a Chevrolet as our test subject because its maker GM has had the longest of any automaker to figure out data transparency. It began connecting cars with its OnStar service in 1996, initially to summon emergency assistance. Today, GM has more than 11 million 4G LTE data-equipped vehicles on the road. I found a volunteer, Doug, who let us peer inside his two-year-old Chevy Volt.Modern vehicles dont just have one computer. There are multiple, interconnected brains that can generate up to 25 gigabytes of data per hour from sensors all over the car. Even with Masons gear, we could only access some of these systems.This kind of hacking isnt a security risk for most of us it requires hours of physical access to a vehicle. Mason brought a laptop, special software, a box of circuit boards and dozens of sockets and screwdrivers. Buried behind the touch screen and radio controls sits our Chevrolet’s infotainment computer, a box identifiable here by a circle for its fan. Geoffrey Fowler / Washington Post We focused on the computer with the most accessible data: the infotainment system. You might think of it as the cars touch screen audio controls, yet many systems interact with it, from navigation to a synced-up smartphone. The only problem? This computer is buried beneath the dashboard. After an hour of prying and unscrewing, our Chevys interior looked like it had been lobotomized.(Dont try this at home. Seriously we had to take the car into a repair shop to get the infotainment computer reset.)It was worth the trouble when Mason showed me my data. There on a map was the precise location where Id driven to take apart the Chevy. There were my other destinations, such as the hardware store Id stopped at to buy some tape.Among the trove of data points were unique identifiers for my and Dougs phones, and a detailed log of phone calls from the previous week. There was a long list of contacts, right down to peoples address, emails and even photos.Infotainment systems can collect even more. Mason has hacked into Fords that record locations once every few minutes, even when you dont use the navigation system. Hes seen German cars with 300-gigabyte hard drives five times as much as a basic iPhone 11. The Tesla Model 3 can collect video snippets from the cars many cameras. Coming next: face data, used to personalize the vehicle and track driver attention.A privacy policy only a lawyer’s mother could loveMy volunteer car owner Doug asked GM to see the data it collected and shared. The automaker just pointed us to an obtuse privacy policy. Doug also (twice) sent GM a formal request under a 2003 California data law to ask who the company shared his information with. He got no reply.GM spokesman David Caldwell declined to offer specifics on Dougs Chevy, but said the data GM collects generally falls into three categories: vehicle location, vehicle performance and driver behavior. Much of this data is highly technical, not linkable to individuals and doesnt leave the vehicle itself, he said.The company, he said, collects real-time data to monitor vehicle performance to improve safety and to help design future products and services.But there were clues to what more GM knows on its website and app. It offers a Smart Driver score a measure of good driving based on how hard you brake and turn, and how often you drive late at night. Theyll share that with insurance companies, if you want. With paid OnStar service, I could, on demand, locate the cars exact location.The OnStar privacy policy, possibly only ever read by yours truly, grants the company rights to a broad set of personal and driving data without much detail on when and how often it might collect
Origin: What does your car know about you? We hacked a Chevy to find out
what
Here’s what we can expect from Infiniti by 2023
Infiniti is planning on launching three EVs, two of which will be based on the Q and QX Inspiration concepts, pictured here.Handout / Infiniti TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. Thirty years ago, Nirvana was evolving, shoulder pads were shrinking, and Nissan wasnt about to let Toyota (and Lexus) steal all of the thunder in the luxury segment.Enter Infiniti. The end result of the so-called Horizon Task Force, a group of Nissan engineers and execs who banded together a few years prior, the luxury division launched in the U.S. in November 1989 with just two models: The Q45 luxury sedan, and the M30 coupe. We Canucks had to wait an extra year to get in on the action, and even then, the M30 was forbidden fruit instead, we got the G20 sedan. Since then, Infiniti has made its mark in the luxury segment with some remarkable products if you were in high school at any point between 2003 and 2007, theres a solid chance youve lusted after a G35 coupe. And even though its easy to dismiss Infiniti simply as an answer to the likes of Audi, BMW, or even Lexus, it does carry history: Remember the Horizon Task Force? A few members of that team were connected to the Prince Motor Company, the Japanese marque that merged with Nissan in 1966 and the one behind such cars as the R380 race car and the Skyline. Yes, the Skyline.But dont take our word for it. On its Pearl anniversary, Infiniti has also given us a sneak-peek into its near-future. Here, then, is a look at what we can expect from Infiniti over the next few years. Spoiler alert: Get ready for more crossovers and electrification.New infotainment, better smartphone integration For 2020, most Infiniti models get an infotainment update. The new system is more responsive, sharper-looking, and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Handout / Infiniti For 2020, the perhaps biggest news is the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It certainly took Infiniti long enough, but hey, its finally here. This is part of a larger, more cohesive infotainment update across the board; in addition to better smartphone integration, Infinitis InTouch infotainment is now quicker, and boasts sharper graphics and the ability to update itself over-the-air. Its available across the lineup, save for the QX60.The rest of the lineup tweaks are relatively minor in nature the 2.0L turbo-four has been axed on the Q50 and Q60, making the 300-horsepower, 3.0L twin-turbo V6 the base engine on those two. The QX50, meanwhile, gains a handful of active driving assists now standard, and the QX80 gets a new gauge cluster with a seven-inch display, as well as fancy metal speaker grilles.In the U.S., Infiniti will offer Edition 30 variants of its entire lineup. Its essentially a cosmetic package available on Q50 and 60, plus the QX50, 60, and 80, adding black accents and wheels, unique badging and colour options, and a few extra bells and whistles. However, these wont be available in Canada, as we didnt get Infiniti until 1990. Not much sense in offering an Edition 29 now, is there?We’re getting more crossovers next year Infiniti’s QX55, essentially a QX50 with a more rakish roofline, is coming next year. Handout / Infiniti This one was almost inevitable crossover coupes are here to stay, and Infinitis getting in on the action with the QX55. It shares its major underpinnings with the QX50 including the 2.0-litre variable-compression turbo-four as well as various interior appointments and exterior bits, but naturally, wears a more rakish roofline thats actually quite reminiscent of the original FX. Infiniti isnt dishing full details on the QX55 just yet, but count on seeing it in dealers next summer as a 2021 model. Itll be closely followed by a redesigned QX60, but Infiniti is tight-lipped on the exact timing for that one.You guessed it — electrification Infiniti is planning on launching three EVs, two of which will be based on the Q and QX Inspiration concepts, pictured here. Handout / Infiniti Infiniti pioneered a handful of tech and conveniences we take for granted these days the 2003 Q45 was the first mainstream car with a back-up camera, and a few years later, the brand took the 360-degree camera system mainstream. Hell, in 1989, Infiniti was the first to offer loaner cars for whenever yours was in for service.Well, in a way, Infiniti is keeping that pioneering spirit going with its commitment to electrification. Powering cars with electrons is nothing new, but in a nutshell, the Q, Qs, and QX Inspiration concepts will inspire three new EVs two sedans, one crossover thatll enter production by 2023. Well see two distinct flavours: A fully electric EV, as well as a gas-generated variant.Both will use the same platform a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup but the execution will vary slightly. For fully electric variants, a high-capacity battery pack will live on the floor pan, between the motors living on the front and rear axles. The gas-generated variants, however,
Origin: Here’s what we can expect from Infiniti by 2023
2019 Los Angeles motor show: what to expect
This year’s motor show calendar is in full swing, with Frankfurt’s IAA event bringing us pivotal new models from countless mainstream manufacturers, and last week’s Tokyo motor show demonstrating that, for many firms, creativity is key in today’s challenging market environment. Now though, it’s time to look ahead to the Los Angeles Auto Show, at which we’re expecting a huge variety of important US and Europe-focussed models to appear in the metal for the first time. Last year’s edition saw the debut of Porsche’s acclaimed 992-generation 911, the striking Audi E-tron GT concept and Mazda’s reinvented 3 hatchback to mention but a few, and 2019 is already shaping up to be just as significant. Take a look at everything we’re expecting to see here: Audi E-tron sportback Shown in camouflaged prototype form at March’s Geneva motor show, the rakishly styled Sportback variant of Audi’s E-tron electric SUV has since lost its disguise in the run-up to its LA reveal. The standard E-tron’s 402bhp twin-motor powertrain is carried over unmodified, meaning the Sportback will be capable of 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds, a range of around 248 miles and 150kW rapid charging. Changes look to be limited to the reshaped roofline and a subtly restyled rear end, which includes an LED brake light bar similar to that of the A8 luxury saloon. BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé The largest model in BMW’s 2 Series line-up will make its public debut at LA, following a reveal in October. The firm’s first small four-door coupe sits atop the same front-wheel-drive platform as the smaller 1 Series, and shares that model’s range of petrol and diesel powerplants. The range-topping M235i xDrive, however, gains all-wheel drive and will take on the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo petrol unit pumping out 302bhp and 332lb ft. M8 Gran Coupe At the other end of BMW’s performance saloon range is this, the fearsome M8 Gran Coupe. Going up against the Porsche Panamera with up to 616bhp from its 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, the five-door version of the firm’s new M8 is priced from £120,935, with deliveries due to take place at the start of next year. Bollinger B1 and B2 Newly established American firm Bollinger will showcase prototype versions of its B1 and B2 electric SUVs. The rugged-looking off-roaders sit atop a skateboard-style chassis, and have been engineered to meet road-legal requirements around the world. In spite of their aerodynamically unfriendly design and imposing size, the boxy models will hit 60mph from rest in just 4.5 seconds, thanks to a pair of electric motors producing a combined 614bhp. Ford ‘Mach E’ electric SUV Ford is set to kickstart its electrification strategy with a sleek SUV-shaped model inspired by the Mustang sports car, and it’s likely to be shown for the first time at LA. Due to go on sale in 2020 as a rival to Tesla’s new Model Y, the model has been confirmed to offer a range of 370 miles on the WLTP cycle, but the company is withholding additional details pertaining to the model’s performance, pricing and design until its unveiling. Mercedes Maybach GLS Conceived as a rival to the Range Rover SVAutobiography, Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the Maybach GLS is an ultra-luxurious reworking of Mercedes’ GLS flagship SUV. The standard model’s silhouette is retained, but spy shots show the Maybach version will feature bespoke design elements inspired by 2016’s Maybach 6 coupe concept. There are suggestions the top-of-the-line GLS could also offer improved rear legroom courtesy of an extended wheelbase. Porsche Taycan 4S Launched as the entry point into Porsche’s new Taycan electric super-saloon range, the 4S offers considerably less power than the top-run Turbo and Turbo S models, but is also much more affordable, with prices starting at £83,000. Range is a still-respectable 252 miles in standard guise, with an optional Performance Battery Plus pack bringing that up to 287 miles. Toyota RAV4 PHEV Toyota will follow up its future-looking Tokyo motor show display with the unveiling of a new hybrid version of one of its biggest-selling models. The RAV4 PHEV will offer more range, power and battery capacity than the existing self-charging hybrid, over which it is likely to command a small premium. Volkswagen New ID concept Autocar understands Volkswagen could unwrap a new addition to its ID range of electric vehicles, which is likely to take the form of a Europe-focused compact estate. The new model will follow a wave of big-selling crossover and hatchback-style EVs from VW and its Skoda, Audi and Seat partner brands, as part of the company’s drive to produce 15 million MEB-based electric cars before 2028.
Origin: 2019 Los Angeles motor show: what to expect
News Roundup: How to steal a Tesla in 30 seconds, what Lambo’s most powerful car looks like and more
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.Tesla thieves fool key fob system to make away with vehicleIt looks ridiculously simple. Two men walk into the yard of a home in a town near London, England, one holding a home-made wire antenna above his head, the other standing near the driver’s door of the Tesla. Less than 35 seconds later the two are off the property with the car. So what kind of top-secret hacker voodoo did these two employ to pull off this efficient heist? Actually, thanks to the fact Tesla and many other vehicles rely on key fob tech that actively transmits a signal that can be picked up by the right antenna in the right place, they probably didn’t use anything you couldn’t pick up at your local electronics store.Learn more about why you should always store your key fob in a safe space. Report suggests next-gen Subaru WRX STI will arrive fall 2020 with new 315-hp engineAccording to reports by a Japanese car site, Subaru plans to have the 2021 WRX on streets by next fall. The fifth-gen sedan will allegedly ride on a new platform – the same to be used on all Subaru vehicles moving forward, including the upcoming WRX STI, Japan’s WRX S4 and the Levorg wagon – and use a new direct-injected FA20 four-cylinder with 315 horsepower in place of the current turbo-four EJ25 in North America. A reveal has yet to be announced.Hennessey’s latest kit for the 2020 Mustang GT500 makes 1,200 horsepower The 2020 Ford Mustang isn’t even out yet and Hennessey Performance Engineering has already come up with three aftermarket kits to make the pony buck with a little extra spunk. The Hennessey GT500 Venomis the latest kit announced by the famous, horsepower-crazed tuning brand. It slaps twin turbos to the Mustang engine, bringing the total output up to 1,200 horsepower, some 200 more than Hennessey’s previous kits. It also get the appropriate “Hennessey” and “Venom 1200” badges, an improved intercooler system, upgraded transmission and other internal bits and bolts. New Lamborghini hybrid Sián is the brand’s most powerful piece to dateMeet the Lamborghini Sián, the famed Italian automaker’s juiciest vehicle ever, at least in terms of outright power. Using a combination of a V12 engine alongside a 48-volt e-motor tucked into the gearbox, the Sián promises 819 horsepower, which will push it to 96 km/h in 2.8 seconds.Lamborghini claims the car is the first to use a supercapacitor in a hybrid powertrain. Look for more of the Sián at the 2019 Frankfurt IAA Motor Show.Toyota Canada still won’t explain its sometimes months-long parts delayCanadian Toyota drivers who have been waiting for weeks or sometimes months for parts for their vehicles are getting fed up with the brand. The delay, which Toyota claims is the result of “Systems Transformation,” has meant that some Toyota owners have had their vehicles in the shop for far longer than they anticipated. In a report by the CBC, drivers from Nova Scotia to Ontario to B.C. sound off on the frustrations of being left in the lurch by one of the world’s largest automakers.
Origin: News Roundup: How to steal a Tesla in 30 seconds, what Lambo’s most powerful car looks like and more
A car’s service history: what is it really worth?
To discover how lightly a full service history is treated, I visited a used car dealer and a franchise dealer in search of a couple of used cars out of warranty. I hoped they’d have poor service histories and wondered how the sales staff would handle the situation. At the used car dealer, I quickly identified my target motor: a 2011- reg Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI S line with 135,000 miles, priced at £4395. The salesman produced its service book, which showed only four services had been carried out: one at 21,000 miles in 2012, another at 44,000 miles at the end of the same year and a third in 2013 at 67,000 miles, all by Audi dealers, and then nothing until early 2019 when, at 130,000 miles, it was serviced by an independent garage. Unfazed by this revelation, the salesman said he had the previous owner’s word that the car had been serviced regularly during the intervening six years and 63,000 miles. So that was all right then… I left, pondering the meaning of service history. The Audi had some but by no means could it be described as full. In any case, I wondered, what is full service history? Is it an unbroken line of services performed every year or 12,000 miles, or at the manufacturer’s recommended intervals? Is it full only when all the minor and major services have been carried out, in addition to other periodic work? If that was the case, you’d have to scrutinise all the workshop invoices to find out exactly what was done. Amazingly, some dealers do, which is why they put a higher value on full invoice history as distinct from full service history. On that point, a friend recently had his 2016-reg Volkswagen Scirocco TDI, which had done 33,000 miles, serviced at a VW dealership. It was due a major service, but because he’s planning to sell it in February 2020, he opted for a minor. In doing so, his vehicle missed, among other things, a change of air, fuel and pollen filters, and a thorough, wheels-off brake check. Not that the car’s next owner will know. They will see from the service book that the Scirocco has a full service history, yet on one occasion, it had a minor service when it should have had a major. Webuyanycar.com is one company that takes service history rather more seriously. It defines a full one as conforming to the manufacturer’s schedule. It also advises that car buyers find out what service the car is due to have next since, if it’s a major, for example, it could be expensive. From the dealer with the Audi A3, I popped into a franchise dealer, a Renault agent. My attention was caught by a Captur Dynamique S Nav TCe, a 2015-reg model that had done 35,000 miles and was priced at £8295. The salesman agreed that service history was important and recounted a story concerning one of his customers who, on the day he was due to collect his new Renault, handed over the service book for his part-exchange, a four-year-old Vauxhall Zafira. “It had no service stamps in it,” said the salesman. “I couldn’t give him what I’d offered for his car, and when I told the trader who had agreed to buy it that it had no service history, he reduced his offer by £1750. My customer ended up selling his Zafira to a car buying company for £1000 less than I’d originally offered him.” He now entered the Captur’s details on Renault’s ICM online workshop database, intending to show me its service history. It recorded the car as having its PDI (pre-delivery inspection) in August 2015 – and then nothing. He hurried off in search of the car’s service book. When he eventually returned, it showed the car had been serviced just twice, at 22,000 and 26,000 miles, both services carried out by an independent garage in 2018. There were no invoices to show what work had been done. “They’ll probably have been oil changes,” said the salesman. “In any case, the Captur can go for 40,000 miles without one.” In fact, the model’s oil change interval is 18,000 miles or two years. I asked the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) what it thinks about dealers glossing over the fine detail of service histories in this way. Sue Robinson, its director, said: “It is essential that franchised retailers provide their customers with clear and accurate information about the service history of a vehicle. Transparency and integrity are vital to our sector.” Was the motor trader that the Renault salesman mentioned right to penalise the four-year-old Zafira without service history to the tune of £1750? Derren Martin, head of valuations at Cap HPI, says the cost of having no service history depends on factors including current vehicle supply and demand, the make of the car and whether it’s still in warranty. “It’s a complex picture,” he said. “At the moment, the supply of used cars is high but demand is low, so anything less than perfect – for example, a car with little or no service history – has to be priced to sell. “In a normal period, the cost of no service history is about £500 on a
Origin: A car’s service history: what is it really worth?
What is Montreal doing to avoid e-scooter injuries and deaths?
An unidentified Lime Scooter users ride the bike path along de Maisonneuve Street in Montreal, on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette One week into Montreals experiment with dockless electric scooters, the man responsible for the growing cocktail of mobility options crowding the citys streets is sounding pretty irked.Despite regulations described as some of the strictest in the world, reports are multiplying of Lime e-scooters abandoned on sidewalks, of riders driving without helmets, and of near-misses with pedestrians and drivers.We created a system of rules based on making the operator responsible for enforcing them, and we are not satisfied, said ric Alan Caldwell, the citys executive committee member responsible for urban planning and transit.Despite our rules on parking, there are still many reports of e-scooters, and we have seen it ourselves, that are improperly parked. We are not satisfied. We will meet with the operator and demand they fix the situation, and improve it.If not, he said, Lime, which introduced roughly 200 e-scooters onto the streets of Montreal last week, and painted 239 designated zones on city streets where the scooters are supposed to be parked, will be fined.Parking issues could be the least of Montreals worries, however. Touted as the next green alternative because theyre easy to ride and backed by millions in venture capital funding, the use of electric scooters has exploded worldwide. One study showed the number of trips doubled in the United States in one year alone, to 84 million trips in 2018.The rapid growth has led to several tragedies. An investigation by the Associated Press combined with more recent figures indicate at least 11 people have died in the U.S. since 2018 while riding a rented electric scooter. A Lime Scooter is parked next to a trash dumpster outside Arsenal in Montreal, on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette Canadian municipalities have tread cautiously, with the first pilot projects launched in major cities this summer. Calgary reported 85,000 trips taken in the first two weeks after e-scooters debuted in mid-July. It tried to limit accidents by requiring riders to stay on sidewalks, within parks or on bike lanes, and limiting speeds to 20 kilometres an hour. Despite that, physicians reported 60 scooter-related emergency room visits in two weeks, one third of which involved fractures, mostly of wrists and elbows. About 10 per cent of injuries were to the face or head. Calgary doesnt require helmets.In a statement, Lime said the company has invested more than $3 million in safety awareness campaigns and distributed 250,000 free helmets globally. It noted first-time users must watch a training video. The company said e-scooter users experience about the same rate of injuries as cyclists, although other studies have found injury rates for scooter users were actually twice as high. Since scooters are often used in the place of cars, where accident rates are far higher, they lower the overall injury rates, Lime argues. It wouldnt say how many trips have been taken to date in Montreal. Montreal is working to limit accidents by outlawing usage on sidewalks, limiting speeds to 20 km/h and requiring helmets. Police are responsible for ensuring safety regulations are followed, and there has been increased police presence on city bike lanes in the last week. Police said they do not have figures yet on the numbers of infractions handed out.Tragedies in other cities as well as unbridled growth Paris found itself with 20,000 e-scooters operated by 12 different startups have led to a tightening of restrictions. The mayor of Nashville, Tenn., threatened to cancel e-scooters outright after a fatality there. In Atlanta, usage has been banned at night. Firms have taken to locking out users after midnight to reduce cases of e-scooter drunk driving.Caldwell notes that Montreal is starting cautiously. We are far from the situation of chaos that other cities have experienced, he said. The idea is to offer more mobility options without interfering in the lives of others. It should be an added bonus, not an obstacle. Since its a pilot project, regulations can and will be modified, he said.Vigilance will be needed. Bird Canada, another e-scooter supplier, is reportedly in talks with the city to roll out its e-scooters this
Origin: What is Montreal doing to avoid e-scooter injuries and deaths?
Long read: What is the future of driving for fun?
The cattle-grid rattles under the car. Not for the first time it occurs to you that as a way of heralding the arrival of a great experience, there’s none more understated than the humble cattlegrid. But there they are, at the start and finish of many of the country’s greatest roads. You know this car and you know this road. It’s why you’ve brought it here. You know the drill, too: a kick of the clutch and a blip of the throttle. You’ve already decided how many gears you’re going to drop. Then down goes the foot. Let it build. You feel the engine respond and hear it, too: the induction noise hardening, the exhaust note sharpening. The revs rise, but slowly at first. There’s no external assistance from turbos here, but you’re happy to wait. At 4000rpm it starts to build, at 5000rpm it’s beginning to fly. So you let it go, growling and howling its way past 6000, 7000 and onto 8000rpm before you deftly dip the clutch once more, a mere fraction of a second before the limiter cuts in. Okay, so the car happens to be a new Porsche Cayman GT4, but in essence, and saving details like where the red line on any given car might be, what I’ve outlined is an experience enjoyed in one form or another by millions of enthusiastic drivers not just for years or even decades, but for more than a century. Good car, good road. Good fun. That really is all there is to it. Let’s do it all over again, except we’re a few years into the future and the car is not a 414bhp Porsche but an electric hypercar with around 2000bhp. If you think that sounds like science fiction it’s not: there are already at least three that have been shown with outputs of 1900bhp or more and which are now being readied for production. The cattle grid rattles under the car. There’s no clutch to kick nor even a paddle to pull, let alone a stick to shift. There is no decision-making process because there’s nothing to do. Except put your foot down. You can still do that. So the car now tries to transmit 2000bhp plus all that attendant and instant torque to the road. Of course it has four-wheel drive, but that’s still a 911 GT3’s worth of power per tyre. Of course it can’t dump it all on the Tarmac, which is perhaps as well. Full throttle in a Bugatti Veyron is a pretty bewildering experience and these cars have double the power. I wouldn’t be able to guarantee the security of my breakfast under such an assault. I’d want to know my passenger was in good nick, too, before springing such a surprise. Perhaps a disclaimer on the passenger door, you know, like the ones they put next to the more vomit-inducing rollercoasters. Involuntary acceleration-induced myocardial infarction: the legals would be interesting. But that doesn’t happen. The systems kick in and you are hurled forward only at the rate at which your chocolate slicktermediate tyres can handle – which will still be enough to make you feel uncomfortably giddy and your passenger really rather ill. Is that fun? Maybe for some. But what then? Well, and just as an example, Lotus says the Evija will get from rest to 186mph in fewer than nine seconds. Well, you’re not going to reach that speed in public and you won’t start from rest. So just how long do you think you’ll be able to bury the throttle – which, remember, is the only thing this car requires you to do to save steer and brake – before some sense, common or survival, makes you lift? How long can this extraordinary but potentially somewhat disquieting experience be enjoyed? Or should I say endured? Not long. And then what? Slow down and do it all over again? Perhaps. But with nothing to listen to and nothing to do save flexing a hoof, I think the novelty might soon wear off, and that’s just for the driver. I am being mischievous here, because I’m clearly not comparing like with like. We have already reported that the 2022 Cayman will have a fully electric powertrain at least as an option, but it’s not going to have 2000bhp and the car won’t cost £1.7 million-plus. But I’m doing it to illustrate a point, namely that just because it’s easy to provide electric cars with huge power doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. But I understand the temptation. How else do you present electrification as interesting to the enthusiast? These are cars that make no sound worth listening to, don’t need gearboxes and deliver all they have to offer at once. They’re long on instant gratification and thereafter worryingly short on giving the driver stuff to do. And that’s an enormous problem, not for manufacturers making electric cars as mere transport – in fact, for them it’s probably a net bonus – but for those with reputations for producing genuinely fun and sporting cars to maintain. As statements of the bleedin’ obvious go, to observe that the more involving a car is, the more involved its driver will be is right up there with the best. But so too is it true. The reason I love old cars is that they’re mostly rubbish. If they
Origin: Long read: What is the future of driving for fun?
What are people saying about the mid-engine C8 Corvette?
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8Chevrolet With the introduction of the most radical Corvette, weve listened to the internet to see what people generally think about it. The results really couldnt be more polarizing, there are arguments for every imaginable facet of the C8, as well as arguments against it.Chevrolets quoted 3.0 seconds to 60 mph (96 km/h) is rather impressive, and thats just for the base model with 495 horsepower, there will be faster Corvettes coming soon.A lot of the complaining seems to be about the styling, rather than the performance. A lot of the comments claim that the car looks like a wannabe Ferrari, although perhaps looking like a Ferrari isnt the worst thing you can say about a car. Comparisons to the NSX have also been made, but most people seem to think that the design isnt cohesive and that the front and rear end dont match up with the side view, some calling it horrendous, and others claiming that other cars of the same mid-engined layout may have somehow commenced in car coitus to produce it.New #Corvette is a dogs dinner. There I said it Oliver Knowles (@OKnowles) July 19, 2019My stars and stripes this new #corvette is amazing looking. Very transformative. Almost like a 21st century version of the NSX maybe. But American. And actually fast. Dean Mitchell (@phan8787) July 19, 2019 View this post on Instagram IDK HOW I FEEL!..😩 The front reminds me of a frs, rear looks like the camaro, Windows are like the camaro, front has camaro look too.. ughhh.. idk.. if i do get it, its gonna have ALOT OF CHANGES AND WORK done! Dosent seem like a Corvette ANYMORE!😣🤔🚘 #reveal #corvette #chevy #chevrolet A post shared by 💯⚠🤢Green Goblin😈🚘🔥 (@goblinvette) on Jul 18, 2019 at 9:17pm PDTA few less-than descriptive comments include Worst Vette ever!!!!, countered with best Vette since the 1963 327, a bold claim. More bold claims sprout out of that love for those original 1960s cars as well, with comments saying that the C8 is ruining history, while some others say its taken them 50 years to get the car right. The practical minded point out that the new configuration will be a chore to work on.#corvette #c8 Love the new car. I want one. However! I also think it will be a chore to work on. Project Jupiter (@ProjectJupiter) July 19, 2019People also dont seem to be complaining too much about the price, which is fairly nice. In Canada, the C8 Corvette will start at $70,000, which seriously undercuts pretty much everything its competing against, and also comes close to the BMW Z4/Toyota Supra, which really begs the question why you would buy that over the C8. pic.twitter.com/s4tU0m4R2q Grumpy Pilot (@FedoraHatCasey1) July 19, 2019 View this post on Instagram Chevy just changed the game forever 😈🚀 This Corvette is going to be such an AMAZING value around $60,000. The 6.2 liter NA V8 (LT2) gives it 495 horsepower and 470 lb/ft of torque, bringing it from 0-60 mph in UNDER 3 SECONDS! 🔥 Paired with an 8 Speed Tremec Dual-Clutch, this thing will be an animal. Leave your thoughts on it below! ⬇️ This car is officially a $60,000 supercar 🚀 . . . . . . . . #chevy #corvette #c8 #c8corvette #corvettefamily #corvettelifestyle #supercar #v8 #racecar #chevrolet #chevycorvette #corvettez06 #z06 #c7z #c6z #musclecar #sportscar #fastcar #carsofinsta A post shared by LS❌ Hub (@lsx.hub) on Jul 19, 2019 at 6:55am PDTGot to customize options for the new #Corvette #Stingray and she looks as good in yellow as I thought she would. Seriously think I need one. #goals #mynextcar pic.twitter.com/CGX2ABwFqC Michelle Lackey Maynor (@badlady53) July 19, 2019So C8 is pretty cool, or it sucks, depending on who you ask. What do you think of the 2020 Chevrolet Fiero? Er Corvette?That new @chevrolet #Corvette is a beast. A 6.2L V8 mid-engine that puts out 495HP, 470 ft-lbs of torque and does 0-60 in 3 seconds!? I never really was a huge fan of Corvettes but the #C8 might make me a believer. Mathew Poynter (@mathew_poynter) July 19, 2019 View this post on Instagram This is the truth atm for me what do you think? I’m going to wait for the Z06 model and they should have all the kinks out by then. @corvettelifestyle for credits #corvette #cars #carsofinstagram #sportscar #chevrolet #instagram #car #speed #exoticcars #supercars #musclecars #dream #love #marvel #deadpool #single #freedom #life #respect #racecar #adrenaline #power #beastmode #fun #beautiful #lifestyle #funny #funnymemes #me A post shared by DeadPool (@dp_vette) on Jul 19, 2019 at 9:11am PDTAnd if you have nothing better to do for a couple of hours, check out the whole spectrum of comments responding to Chevrolets reveal tweet:Its a mid-engine masterpiece. Introducing the 2020 Chevrolet #Corvette #Stingray. pic.twitter.com/0WLEBMp2xX Chevrolet (@chevrolet) July 19,
Origin: What are people saying about the mid-engine C8 Corvette?
Analysis: What went wrong at Ford’s Bridgend plant?
Ford’s closure of its Bridgend engine plant ends a chapter that began at the peak of the brand’s popularity in the UK in the 1970s and reflects current changes in car buyer’s tastes, misdirected product planning and pressure to electrify its fleet to hit EU CO2 targets. The Bridgend closure will be devastating for the 1700 employees but it will also hit a further 5000 or so in the wider economy. “We fear the knock-on effect and it will be substantial,” said Tim Williams of the Welsh Automotive Forum, an alliance of car industry businesses in Wales. There is a glimmer of hope in the shape of Aston Martin’s St Athan plant, 12 miles to the south-east, but the chances of Ineos taking space to build its Grenadier 4×4 at the Ford site have now faded. Aston now represents the future for the car industry in Wales. It built its first DBX crossover at St Athan last week, with recruitment for 550 new assembly staff due to start in September. “I’m sure we will have plenty of applications from the Bridgend area,” said an Aston spokesman. Suppliers to Ford will also be affected, although few major component makers are local. Block castings, for example, are trucked in from Ireland and the plant has an extended supply chain stretching onto mainland Europe. Despite the drawn-out supply chain, potential customs delays and sterling weakness, Ford has denied a link to Brexit in its decision to shut Bridgend in September 2020. So what caused the plant’s closure? Dr Peter Wells of Cardiff Business School lists several contributing factors, the key ones being sales and market related: “The Dragon engine (the 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine used in the Fiesta ST and Focus) is not selling as well as hoped, Ford is running the plant well below capacity and it needs to make cost cuts.” As with all mid-market brands, Ford’s sales have been squeezed and in Europe have fluctuated in the past decade between 1.75 million and 1.33m, recovering to nearly 1.6m now. Market share has almost halved in the past 30 years – from around 11% in 1990 to 6% in 2018. “Ford’s market share in Europe is the same as BMW’s, yet it can’t command premium pricing, so it is having to find cost cuts,” said Wells. Intended to replace the four-cylinder Sigma engine launched in 2011, the Dragon engine arrived just as Ford faced having to invest in hybrid and battery powertrains and while its cheaper, more frugal 1.0-litre engine is on the rise. “Ford’s product planning has just gone wrong,” said Wells. The Dragon has too large a displacement for the non-ST Fiesta and the Ka+, while the three-cylinder 1.0-litre engine built in Romania and Germany has become the core petrol engine for the Fiesta and Focus ranges. The 1.0-litre is also available in 138bhp form, closing the gap to the 148bhp Dragon. Other models that could have taken the Dragon, such as the C-Max and B-Max, are being discontinued and the new Puma crossover is arriving at a time when plug-in and mild hybrids are the essential powerplants. Ford’s new hybrid powertrain is based on a high-efficiency Atkinson combustion cycle, which, Ford says, makes hybridising the Dragon uneconomic. This is a very rapid fall from grace for a brand-new design that went into production only last October at a cost of £100m. It is likely to finish its third and final full year at around only 80,000 units – a third less than the 125,000 capacity at Bridgend. Given the plant built 701,000 engines as recently as 2014, this proved a fatal drop in output. Even from the start, Ford could see threats to its Dragon investment. The plan from 2015 envisaged 250,000 units a year and £181m of investment, yet two years later, that evolved to just 125,000 units with investment of £100m. Product planning dictated much of this revision: the Dragon couldn’t be slotted straight into Ford’s larger models because they were designed around four-cylinder engines. Although the Dragon will continue to be needed, it will be supplied from lower-cost Mexico and/or China in two plants already tooled to build it. Of course, other factors are at play. Bridgend’s contract to build Jaguar Land Rover’s AJ V8 and V6 petrols will finish just before the plant closes. Of the 650,000 units built at Bridgend in 2016, around 145,000 were JLR engines. JLR is replacing the V6 with a straight six. At one time, the new six was rumoured to be going into Bridgend onto the line that once built the ‘SI6’ 3-2-litre six fitted to some Land Rover and Volvo models. But those plans have changed, too, and instead JLR’s new six will be built in Wolverhampton and the V8 could come from BMW. Ford will maintain diesel engine production at Dagenham and engineering at Dunton in Essex, so it is hoped the closure of Bridgend is the last adjustment to its UK footprint for now. How Bridgend came to be When plans for a new engine plant in Bridgend were announced in 1977, Ford was riding high from many years of UK and European
Origin: Analysis: What went wrong at Ford’s Bridgend plant?
#WeTheCongested: What do the Raptors’ wins mean for Toronto traffic?
In this file photo, vehicles makes their way into and out of downtown Toronto along the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto.Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press Are you an up-and-coming fair-weather basketball fan? You might want to get yourself some comfortable walking shoes—with the state of Toronto’s roads, and the team’s winning streak, the growing Raptors bandwagon ain’t going nowhere any time soon. Following the Eastern Conference victory Saturday night, fans everywhere were celebrating like never before. The honking traffic didn’t start driving around our mid-Toronto neighbourhood until after midnight, probably because the drivers simply couldn’t move before then. Recall this publication recently reported that 600 or so Toronto roads are getting the time-out this summer for around 140 km of roadworks. Consequently, Toronto’s current traffic functions as well as the Raptors’ defence circa 1998, or the Jays’ circa May 2019. Mind, you can’t accuse the city of not trying. This year, over $1 billion (a.k.a. Kawhi’s signing bonus) is being spent to remedy the situation. The gist? You probably won’t hear traveling called much throughout the finals in TO. Perhaps presciently, the Raps secured their first-ever finals run on the day following the kickoff of Hogtown’s annual Bike to Work Month. But with hilariously poetic timing, one of the city’s most vital bike paths, Bloor Street between Bathurst and Spadina, is being shredded today. The expected end date? Sometime in December. By then, invincibly optimistic Leaf fans (you know the sort) estimate their Buds will already have secured a spot in next year’s playoffs. So, what days will TO traffic reach its nadir, creating a Jurassic parking lot? Having won more games than Golden State this season, the Raptors enjoy home court advantage during these finals, which means at least two games will further clog our already Jurassic-ally clogged streets. The first game is this Thursday, May 30 at 9 pm; and the second three days later, Sunday, June 2, at 8 pm. If you worry that you or someone you love just ever-so-possibly may need to hurry to the hospital on either afternoon, evening or late night, consider arranging to be out of town. Or inflate the tire on your wheelbarrow because the ambulance is likely to be ambulatory. Now, not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but you also have to wonder what a victory parade would look like given the state of the city’s roads. There’s not much to compare it to: the closest we’ve got is the 1967 Leafs’ victory parade from the Gardens (which no longer exists) to City Hall (which was brand-new and actually capable of supporting fans on its now-crumbling grounds) to celebrate the Stanley Cup (which is what again?). A simple march from Scotiabank Arena to City Hall could be even more fraught. The population was 700,000 in 1967. Today it’s two million more than that. An undoctored screen capture of today’s road restrictions in Toronto. Steve Bochenek Will any parading Raps in size-20 kicks slip into one of the city’s as-yet unrepaired T-Rex-sized potholes and break an ankle? Stay tuned, sports fans! Don’t get us wrong. Of course, this victory is good for the city’s image. Tourism will flourish. And heaven knows Toronto’s long-suffering sports fans deserve a nod from God. But there’s one GTA collective who’ve suffered even more. We The Congested have endured a hell of a bad ride since long before Nick Nurse was even a candy striper, or Kawhi emitted his first awkward
Origin: #WeTheCongested: What do the Raptors’ wins mean for Toronto traffic?
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