My husband used to be a sales associate at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Montreal, and he’s spent the entire duration of our marriage telling me that no automaker is as luxuriously high-tech as Mercedes. I have never discounted this observation. I’ve just also never felt the need to drive an extremely tech-heavy car. I still have a hard time dealing with a tiny infotainment screen.
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So I think it’s probably a little bit of an understatement to say that the EQS’s offerings are a bit overwhelming. After I laughed out loud at the exterior, I also laughed out loud at the absolutely massive Hyperscreen. I wanted to ask it if it was compensating for something. I wanted to ask why such a cute fella needs such a big screen.
Functionally, the Hyperscreen is great. A single piece of curved glass, it’s a gorgeous feat of technological innovation that works with rapid speed due to an eight-core processor and 24 gigabytes of RAM. You tap on anything, and there’s not going to be lag. You’re immediately transported to the place you chose to go in the infotainment system.
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The graphics are also gorgeous, but again, it’s a little bit Much. There’s a screen for the driver, one of the passenger, and a tall screen in the center, and in those latter two, you can access everything from radio controls to vehicle settings to satellite maps to photo galleries to video games. I did poke around the Tetris game and found it took a while to load but was otherwise fun. I still can’t imagine myself using an infotainment screen instead of my phone for gaming, though.
Even worse, you still get a lot of glare, despite the fact that Mercedes tried its best to avoid that. There’s not really anything you’re going to be able to do about the reflection of the sun when it’s especially bright.
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You can also navigate with conversational commands after saying, “Hey Mercedes.” As in, you can say something like, “Hey Mercedes, I want coffee,” and your car will find you the nearest coffee spots. I used to hate voice commands because it was next to impossible to actually get what you were asking for, but this modern iteration that you see on luxury cars has really changed the game. I don’t have to think up the robotic command I’d need to change the radio station. I can just say it.
The digital dashboard was also one hell of a feature. You can cycle through tons of different displays, most of which are just mind boggling. You can literally have your navigation map displayed on your dashboard — and I don’t mean you get a little box that has navigation. The whole screen turns into a map. I’m sure some folks will enjoy it, but it was massively overwhelming for me.
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As was the augmented reality navigation, which feels a little bit more video game-y than anything else. Maybe I’m just too old to appreciate these things.
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
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The Verdict
It’s difficult to offer a verdict for a car that I can’t compare to the other vehicles in its class, I can say that the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ is a delightful vehicle that transforms much of what makes Mercedes special into a flagship luxury sedan — but it does feel like the German automaker couldn’t decide what it wanted to do. It tried to combine modern austerity with Benz’s traditional elegance, and it works… but it’s probably not going to work for everyone. It didn’t work for me, but it could very well work for you. And you know what? I respect a delightfully polarizing car.
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Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
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I’m going to start out by saying right away that I cannot imagine this vehicle with the base-level engine; the Santa Cruz needed the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine. It had just the right amount of power and punch you’d want from your car, but it was exactly that: just right. To have anything less than what the turbo engine provides would likely feel sluggish and uninspired. The turbo isn’t giving you tons of extra pep like you’d get on something like the Mazda CX-5; it’s making your base level performance feel a little more exciting.
Adding to that, Hyundai did a solid job making the ride enjoyable. The cabin is nice and quiet, even on windy coastal roads. The low ride height makes the Santa Cruz feel steady, capable, and agile when on long straights or tight turns. I had the chance to try out the Santa Cruz on a little bit of everything, from well-paved highways to bumpy gravel roads, and it handled everything with ease. It’s not the kind of vehicle you want to take off-roading, but it’s also not something you’ll cringe at taking through that rutted dirt road.
And, unlike some pickup trucks, you’ll have a comfortable ride whether you’ve got the bed loaded or not. I will say, though, that we didn’t get a chance to put the Santa Cruz’s towing or payload powers to the test during our drive. That will remain to be seen.
Overall, we’re talking about a very comfortable vehicle, but not necessarily one that’s going to blow your mind in terms of the drive. It drives more like a commuter car than a performance machine — and that’s fine. Not everyone needs a car with an angry exhaust and an overwhelming amount of power. We’ll just keep our fingers crossed for an N or N-Line Santa Cruz, where we can kick things up a notch.
That said, I didn’t have a chance to drive the most affordable trims, so my observations aren’t going to translate.
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
The Good
Many of my favorite things about the Hyundai Santa Cruz were in the little, thoughtful details that put this vehicle a step above others — ones that you actually use every day.
One of my favorite things was the infotainment system. There’s not actually a menu that you have to use to navigate from; instead, integrated tabs line the bottom of the screen. Give it a touch, and you’re immediately moved to navigation. Another touch, and you’ll have music available. It doesn’t require a whole lot of searching to find what you need, which can be a serious detriment with many other infotainment systems. You also had the option to select an arrow on the right side of the screen that would split the screen to show you, say, navigation and your music selection at the same time. I was really impressed.
It really seems like Hyundai paid attention to design through and through. The horizontal LED taillights stretch the truck out to give it a commanding stance while the hidden LEDs on the front end prove that you can create a statement grille without needing to rely on polarizing half of your audience. Further, the sloping cabin definitely retains SUV vibes, but it integrates well into the bed rails, proving that you can absolutely blend design barriers if you’re so inclined.
And we can’t talk about the good without talking about the truck bed. Sure, it’s on the small side, but Hyundai worked hard to ensure that flexibility is key here. Adjustable rails, latches, and molded bed inserts mean that you can secure plenty of goodies inside. You can turn it into a two-tiered bed with some plywood, and you can lock your valuables up in the under-bed storage.
The tonneau cover, too, is standard, not an option. It’s water-resistant (not waterproof; you’ll likely get some leaks in a hard rainstorm), it locks, and it’s self-retracting. Just push up on the tonneau handle, and it’ll roll up for you. Reach in and pull it back, and it’ll close. Best of all, you don’t need tons of strength or height to manage it.
And let’s talk about that under-bed trunk. It’s waterproof, and it features two drain plugs. It fit my backpack with ease, and I could also see it functioning as a cooler on the go for those of you out there who dig your tailgating.
The Santa Cruz was one of the first times I’ve had a truck-like vehicle that actually felt friendly for someone short like me. I know some smaller ladies enjoy the power they feel by driving a truck much bigger than them, but I’m not the kind of person that digs having to pole vault into the truck bed or turn into a bodybuilder to lift myself into the truck. Best of all, the sight lines inside were incredible. Seeing the road — what a concept!
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
The Bad
I’ll be honest — there wasn’t a lot that I didn’t like about this truck, but I’ll also admit that it’s not an easy vehicle to review because there’s nothing like it to compare it to. I’ll start with some of the concerns that folks asked about previously:
You’re probably not going to be able to fit a large adult human comfortably in the backseat for long periods of time. The seats were comfy, but the leg room left a lot to be desired.
The digital dashboard was fine, but I would have preferred a cleaner display for speed.
On a similar note, I would have also preferred a dial for volume, since it was a pain in the ass to quickly change volume with touch-screen buttons.
The blind spots were pretty big, but I think that’s because I’m short and had the B-pillar right in my blind spot. Collision alerts and Hyundai’s blind spot cameras when activating the turn signal worked great, though. You just have to be comfortable relying on technology.
Also a short-people problem, but it was tough to reach the heated/ventilated seat buttons without taking my eyes off the road.
The presentation and marketing of the Santa Cruz has seemed a little confused, which makes it hard to hypothesize a really great target market.
The truck bed can be a pain in the ass for anyone who has gotten used to the easy accessibility of an SUV’s trunk space.
We averaged about 22 mpg during our drive, which is about mid-range for a vehicle like this.
I didn’t have the chance to see anything but the top-of-the-line trim, so I can’t accurately predict that the entry-level trim is worth its price.
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
Trim Walk and Pricing
SE
2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine
8-inch color touchscreen
Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
Hyundai’s SmartSense safety features
Sheet-molded composite bed
18-inch alloy wheels
$23,995 for FWD, $25,490 for AWD
SEL
Blind-spot collision and rear cross traffic avoidance assist
BlueLink app
Proximity key with push-button start
Power driver’s seat
Heated front seats
$27,190 for FWD, $28,690 for AWD
SEL Activity
Integrated tonneau cover
Dual C-channel utility rail in bed
Rear sliding glass with defroster
In-bed 115-volt power outlet
Power sunroof
Roof side rails
$30,460 for FWD, $31,960 for AWD
SEL Premium
2.5-liter turbo engine
Steering wheel paddle shifters
LED headlights
Hyundai digital key
Dual-zone climate control
$35,680, AWD only
Limited
10.5-inch navigation system
Surround and blind view monitor systems
Smart cruise control with stop and go
Ventilated front seats
Heated steering wheel
$39,720, AWD only — this is the trim I drove
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
Specs to Know
Starts at $23,995
FWD/AWD options for the first three trims, AWD only for the last two
Standard 2.5-liter four cylinder engine; makes 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft torque
Optional 2.5-liter turbo engine; makes 281 hp, 311 lb-ft torque
How Does The Hyundai Santa Cruz Compare To The Ford Maverick?
I lost count of how many times Hyundai reminded our press group that the Santa Cruz isn’t designed to compete directly with the truck market before then comparing The Santa Cruz’s specs to those of the Ford Maverick. It makes sense; here are two small, affordable trucklets that are meant to be as comfortable in the city as they are on the dirt road heading to your favorite mountain trail. It makes sense that folks are cross-shopping these.
That said, I still think the Santa Cruz and the Maverick are competing for very different segments of the market, with the Santa Cruz appealing more to the SUV crowd and the Maverick aiming for a truck audience. Both have features that set them apart from the niche I think they’d most effectively appeal to — the Santa Cruz has a truck bed, the Maverick is electrified — which make both vehicles a bit of an outlier in their respective markets. But I don’t know that it’s ever occurred to me to compare these two on a one-to-one basis.
There’s no right or wrong answer as to which is better, since they’re both designed for different audiences. But let’s talk some general differences:
Santa Cruz
More expensive.
Shorter, squatter, and wider.
Built on the Hyundai Tucson platform.
Less bed space, but more storage options (under-floor storage and two extra side bins).
Larger payload and towing capacity.
No dedicated off-road package.
Worse fuel mileage.
No electrified option.
Higher horsepower and torque.
Maverick
Cheaper.
Taller, longer, and narrower.
Built on the Ford Escape platform.
More bed space, but fewer other storage options.
Smaller payload and towing capacity.
Dedicated off-road package.
Better fuel mileage.
Electrified option.
Lower horsepower and torque.
Which is superior? That’s going to come down to your personal preferences and uses for the vehicle. Nothing more.
Photo: Elizabeth Blackstock
The Verdict
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is a great, flexible, and approachable vehicle that definitely has the chops to convince an American market that the ute can be a glorious thing — but I don’t think Hyundai quite knows what it wants the Santa Cruz to be yet. Its marketing push toward young, active professionals is a little bland because that’s the market every semi-flexible sedan, crossover, SUV, or truck is aiming toward these days. That angle isn’t fresh or exciting enough to convince people to opt for the result of a sordid love affair between a crossover and a small truck.
Revise that marketing push, and I think Hyundai has a banger of a product. Sell this to small families with kids who like to get muddy. Sell it to short women who want to feel like a badass driving their succulents home from the nursery without sacrificing their comfort. Sell it to eternally-messy guys who want a reasonably sized vehicle that won’t be a pain in the ass to clean out. Sell it to older folks who just can’t climb in and out of their tall work trucks anymore. Sell it to the in-between crowds who aren’t sure if they want a truck or an SUV. If I have to see one more ad showing a 20-something city slicker pulling off her office-wear as she hits the bike trail, I’m gonna snap.
That bland effort isn’t worthy of the Santa Cruz, which is ultimately a fun, peppy little vehicle that makes you smile when you drive it — and when you check your bank account before you think about financing it. It has potential lasting power that means we’ll not only see the Santa Cruz on the road in 10 years but that we’ll also see a fair share of its trucklet competitors. Hyundai just needs to find the in-between places where the Santa Cruz will shine.
An Infiniti G37xS gets a nice deep clean at the bottom of a pool.Photo: Lakewood Police
A teen driver in Colorado likely learned a couple of good driving lessons on Thursday after they reversed an Infiniti G37xS into the deep end of a pool. The car may be a little wet, but the driver and their passenger are reported to be safe.
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Police in Lakewood, Colorado, responded to a report of a car getting a deep clean at the bottom of a pool on Thursday.
Its driver, a teenager with a learner’s permit, accidentally put the car into reverse and sent it through a fence and into the pool, reports CBS 4 Denver.
Police cited the driver with careless driving but are happy to say that the teen and their adult occupant escaped the vehicle without injury.
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Of course, the police couldn’t help themselves and dropped a one liner that I feel so bad for giggling at:
Just FYI, the best line for this is “Check out our new Infiniti Pool”. Everyone else is battling for second place.
In it, the department shows its divers chaining up the Infiniti’s rear wheels to the winch and boom of a nearby wrecker. The car was then yanked out with the help of 2x4s.
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It’s easy to roast the driver for the mistake, but we’ve all done a silly thing or two while learning how to drive, sometimes resulting in a crash. Hopefully, this teen isn’t deterred from getting behind the wheel again and now knows to make sure that they’re in the correct gear. They also likely learned the useful skill of how to escape a sinking car.
Peugeot has finally unveiled its hypercar for the 2022 season of the World Endurance Championship. We’d only seen bits and pieces of it so far, but we can now see the concept car, which Peugeot has dubbed the 9×8.
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This is the hybrid hypercar that will take on the French carmaker’s rivals at Le Mans in the upcoming season, and it seems what Peugeot is most proud of about the 9X8 is related to its design. Namely, that the car has no rear wing:
No rear wings are kind of trendy right now, but it makes sense that Peugeot is leaning on design to stand apart from its rivals at this early stage. Remember that the FIA’s regulations dictate very specific rules for the hypercars.
Image: Peugeot
The machines in the Le Mans hypercar class, or LMH, will be capped at 500kW, or 670 horsepower, of total power output from a hybrid drivetrain and they have to weigh at least 1,030kg, or 2,270 pounds. The specs limit what the OEMs can do with their entries into the class, so their design is mostly where the hypercars would differ and I think Peugeot has done a very good job.
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Image: Peugeot
One of the coolest bits are the integrated mirrors, which highlight the attention Peugeot paid to airflow. That’s just part of the bigger picture of the car: It has no rear wing. The company actually says that it figured out how to make the car so aerodynamic it doesn’t need one:
“The new Le Mans Hypercar regulations were drawn up to level out the importance of conventional performance-boosting systems,” explains Olivier JANSONNIE, PEUGEOT Sport’s WEC Programme Technical Director. “Designing the 9X8 has been a passionate experience because we had the freedom to invent, innovate and explore off-the-wall ways to optimise the car’s performance, and more especially its aerodynamics. The regulations stipulate that only one adjustable aerodynamic device is permitted, without specifying the rear wing. Our calculation work and simulations revealed that high performance was effectively possible without one.”
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The carmaker also says it’s not going to share exactly how it figured out the aerodynamics, and that it’s going to guard its secret for as long as it possibly can.
Peugeot wouldn’t even be the first to run a no-wing prototype at Le Mans in the modern era. The wonderfully strange Deltawing did without a wing at all at the back. It’s probably worth mentioning that its doomed spiritual successor, the Nissan LMP1 project, did.
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The 9X8’s name comes from the carmaker’s history in endurance racing, but also places it among Peugeot’s current lineup, as it describes:
The “9” continues the series employed by the manufacturer for its recent topflight endurance racing cars, namely the PEUGEOT 905 (which raced from 1990 until 1993) and the 908 (2007 until 2011), both of which became icons of the brand.
The “X” refers to the PEUGEOT Hypercar’s all-wheel drive technology and hybrid powertrain which embodies the brand’s electrification strategy in the world of motor racing.
The “8” is the suffix used for all of PEUGEOT’s current model names, from the 208 and 2008, to the 308, 3008, 5008 and, of course, the 508 which very recently passed through the hands of the engineers and designers who crafted the Hypercar to become the first car to sport the Peugeot Sport Engineered label.
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The hypercar has adopted many of Peugeot’s current design cues. The carmaker says the 9×8’s light are inspired by the claws of big cats, and I can see how, but their practicality on the track is questionable. We’ll see what stays and what goes as the concept goes through development before hitting the track in 2022.
Image: Peugeot
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Image: Peugeot
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Here’s the video where the TikToker, bird owner, and hopeful Tesla owner, Rico Kimbrough, comes clean regarding ownership of the car:
And, for reference, here was the TikTok that started all of this mess in the first place:
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Somehow, I suspect Elon will be able to weather the financial fallout of this okay, despite Kimbrough’s concern. And, yes, to the Children of Elon—that angelic, pious group of noble humans who, for various curious reasons, have tied their personal identities to a for-profit company, I humbly and sincerely apologize for taking the word of a man who claimed to have just bought a new Tesla via a series of videos.
I did reach out to Kimbrough, and have continued to, so far to no avail. The original story was as much about the sensation the video caused as the event depicted, because, as we all know, Tesla is an automaker that commands an awful lot of public attention, as the original TikTok video going viral demonstrates.
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In fact, I sort of addressed all of this in the original article:
Of course, Tesla is hardly the only carmaker to experience quality issues, but here’s the thing about Tesla: if you have a car people are so excited about that they post dozens of videos of the process, then when they incidentally document a glaring issue, you have to expect attention for that, too.
I’m saying this because I already know my social media is about to be clogged with quivering Tesla-stans ranting at me about my focus on Tesla’s failings and my cruel, miserable bias against Tesla and sweet, innocent Elon Musk, but the reality is that nothing’s free.
If there’s a car brand with so much popular culture clout and attention and positivity that—as happened to me just today—I get emails pitching stories about how Tesla owners do better on online dating sites, then you’ve got to accept the flip side of that valuable attention-coin, which is that if that brand fucks something up, that gets talked about, too.
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I also did hedge regarding the possibility that Kimbrough might not be telling the truth in that earlier article:
And, even if, wildly improbably, Kimbrough isn’t really the owner, and he and his birds just staged an absurdly involved hoax to discredit Tesla for clicks or some other incomprehensible reason, and he was just sitting in a car he didn’t own with an airbag that comes off, I don’t see how that’s any better.
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Clearly, I was very wrong about the “wildly” and “improbably” part, suggesting I’m quite naive about the motives and ethics of TikTokers.
Now, the real issue is none of this changes that the airbag came off in our less-than-forthright friend’s hand.
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Of course, his admission that the car wasn’t his could mean there’s a whole greater level of nefarious activities going on here, activities that would require a lot more than getting in a car and shooting some videos.
I suppose it’s possible Kimbrough’s intent from the start was to specifically remove the airbag unit, an act that requires tools and at least a bit of research, all in an effort to cause Tesla to look bad.
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I’m skeptical this was the goal, as all of Kimbrough’s videos prior to the airbag falling out were wildly pro-Tesla. The man certainly presents himself as a fan in a convincing manner, though he did also present himself as a new owner with some conviction as well.
I’m positive no matter what, that airbag would have been sorted very early within the ownership of the car—likely before it left the lot—but there’s no reason not to call out such issues, especially when they generate as much attention as this one did, long before any of the many media outlets that covered it wrote about it.
So, to all of you Tesla-stans out there who remain very, very engaged with any and all interactions that involve Teslas, again, my apologies. I’m sorry. The TikToker did not own that car, and I dearly hope that his claims of ownership — and my amplification of those claims — did not cause you any harm, somehow.
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But maybe still make sure your new Teslas have their airbags properly installed, and, yes, I still think that yoke sucks.
If I can get through to Kimbrough directly, I will update accordingly. He does seem to be a genuine Elon/Tesla fan, though, so I maybe shouldn’t get my hopes up that he’ll want to talk to me.
The simplest and most genius-brain solution to charging times and range with EVs isn’t one you’ll find in America. In China, though, it’s gaining ground. All that and more in The Morning Shift for June 2, 2021.
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1st Gear: China Is An Alternate Universe For EVs
China is like the American car market in so many ways. It’s huge, for one, (the biggest in the world while we’re number two) and filled with people inexplicably buying sedans and not hatchbacks or wagons. It’s also the biggest market for electric cars in the world, and you see as many Teslas bopping around Shanghai as you do here in New York or Los Angeles.
This is a long intro to the point that battery-swapping stations are taking off there, as noted in this overview story by Automotive News China:
Until 2019, state-owned BAIC Motor Co. and EV startup Nio were the only two automakers offering battery swap services for customers.
[…]
Competition from Tesla and Nio’s success in gaining customers with battery swap services have prompted other Chinese EV makers to take bold steps.
[…]
While Geely is constructing battery swap stations on its own, other Chinese automakers have opted to build facilities along with domestic companies to share costs.
In September, state-owned Changan Automobile Co. launched its first battery swap station in Chongqing along with a consortium of other major domestic companies.
The partner companies include CATL, China’s largest EV battery maker; Aulton New Energy Vehicle Technology Co., a Shanghai-based battery swap station operator; and State Grid, a state-owned power grid operator.
In March, SAIC Motor Corp., another major state-owned automaker, also teamed up with Aulton to kick off operation of the first battery swap station for its EVs.
Aiways, an EV startup, tapped Blue Part Smart Energy, an EV charging facility operator under BAIC, in April to offer battery swap services.
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This is all interesting to see from an American perspective, especially one based out of New York City. Around the turn of the century, NYC was home to the largest electric car company in the world, the Electric Vehicle Company, and it operated using battery-swapping stations right in the middle of Manhattan. The tech is basic. We could go down this route if we wanted to.
2nd Gear: Another Tesla Recall
Some 6,000 Tesla Model 3 and Model Ys are getting recalled for loose brake caliper bolts, as Reuters reports:
Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is recalling nearly 6,000 U.S. vehicles because brake caliper bolts could be loose, with the potential to cause a loss of tire pressure, documents made public on Wednesday show.
The recall covers certain 2019-2021 Model 3 vehicles and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles. Tesla’s filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it had no reports of crashes or injuries related to the issue and that the company will inspect and tighten, or replace, the caliper bolts as necessary.
Tesla said that loose caliper bolts could allow the brake caliper to separate and contact the wheel rim, which could cause a loss of tire pressure in “very rare circumstances.” The company said that, in the “unlikely event” there is vehicle damage from a loose or missing fastener, it will arrange for a tow to the nearest service center for repair.
Another interesting Tesla story comes from Bloomberg, which has taken notice that everyone is not just copying Tesla’s plans to make attractive and desirable electric cars, but also how Tesla talks them up with ever-grander terminology. Per Bloomberg:
Many of the words speak to the sheer scale of Musk’s ambitions, which are always far grander than people realize initially. A battery factory isn’t just a battery factory, it’s a Gigafactory. (Giga comes from the Greek word “gigas,” or giant.)
A fast charging station for Tesla’s electric cars isn’t just a charging station, it’s a Supercharger. (Tesla has more than 25,000, giving them the largest network in the world.)
The battery packs that Tesla sells to utilities that promise “massive energy storage?” Megapacks.
There are no signs of him stopping. At Tesla’s “Battery Day” in September 2020, Musk talked about reaching “Terawatt-hour” scale battery production. “Tera is the new Giga,” Musk said on stage.
We’ve now reached the point where every battery factory — even those being made by competitors — is called a gigafactory, regardless of its physical size or planned output. “Nissan in advanced talks to build battery gigafactory in UK,” reported the Financial Times. “Stellantis discussing conditions with Rome to build gigafactory in Italy,” said Reuters.
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Would Tesla be where it is if everyone just called gigafactories what they are? (They’re just regular factories.)
4th Gear: Toyota Scaling Back Olympic Plans
The Olympics in Japan seem to be still on somebody’s schedule, even if the people of Japan seem less than stoked on a global travel-fest in the midst of a still-ongoing global pandemic. Of course, this has huge implications for … high-profile industrial manufacturing that hopes to use the Olympics as a sales and marketing opportunity! Reuters has a broad report on it, and I’ll just take out this little section on Toyota:
For global sponsor Toyota Motor Corp., the Games were a chance to showcase its latest technology. It had planned to roll out about 3,700 vehicles, including 500 Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedans, to shuttle athletes and VIPs among venues.
It also planned to use self-driving pods to carry athletes around the Olympic village.
Such vehicles will still be used, but on a much smaller scale — a “far cry from what we had hoped and envisioned,” a Toyota source said. A full-scale Olympics, the source said, would have been a “grand moment for electric cars.”
A Toyota spokeswoman declined to comment on whether there were any changes to its marketing.
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5th Gear: Biden Blocks Trump Plan For Arctic Drilling In Alaska
This is not a total win for climate, but it’s something, as the Financial Times reports:
The Biden administration has announced it will suspend the Arctic oil drilling rights sold in the last days of Donald Trump’s presidency, reversing a signature policy of the previous White House and handing a victory to environmentalists.
[…]
Tuesday’s decision marked a victory for environmentalists and activists, a pillar of Biden’s support in last year’s election, who have begun to grow impatient with some of the White House’s climate actions. The administration recently opted not to intervene to force the closure of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline and has supported a major Alaska oil project approved during Trump’s term in office.
“In general the Biden administration is acting vigorously on climate change,” said Michael Gerrard, founder of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. “This action on ANWR is quite consistent with that. The actions on the other two projects do not seem so consistent.”
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I’ll take anything I can get at this point!
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Neutral: How Is Your Car?
My Bug refused to start the other day just as I had loaded the car up for a multi-day road trip. With rain coming down, it refused to start even when I flagged down a ‘90s Infiniti for a jump. I ran out and got a new battery and it did start, but was running like shit until I found a half-bare wire leading to the coil. Some electrical tape later and we were on the road, though I’m still finding the car getting hot and leaking oil around some seals I know I just replaced. Stopping after one mountain pass I saw vapor rising out of one of the two carburetors. Time for a tune-up!
Fans of off-roaders like the new Ford Bronco and Jeep Gladiator are soon to have an attractive option for a camper to bolt to their rigs. GEHOcab is bringing its flashy carbon-fiber campers to America.
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GEHOcab is a pretty new player in truck and SUV campers. The German outfit has been making campers only for the past few years, but its futuristic campers look like an attractive choice — if you can handle the price.
GEHOcab planted its stake in the market in Europe with the Kora, a camper that replaces the bed of a Volkswagen Amarok pickup.
Image: GEHOcab
But the Amarok was only the genesis of GEHOcab, and it quickly got started with designs for vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Jeep Gladiator, Ford F-Series, Land Rover Defender and yep, even the new Ford Bronco.
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The folks at Autoevolution got to speak with GEHOcab about its expansion into the U.S. market, and it sounds pretty rad. The brand, distributing under the name GEO-Cab in North America, is bringing its Badger campers here.
Image: GEHOcab
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The Badger camper brings some luxury to overlanding. The camper shell is a monocoque design and is made using a modular mold system. This lets GEHOcab build the campers in a variety of sizes to fit an array of off-road vehicles. Take a peek at the interior of what these are supposed to look like:
Image: GEHOcab
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Inside, you get sleeping for up to two adults and one child in a living space that looks more like a luxury apartment than it does a camper hanging off of the back of a truck. The interior furniture and fittings are lightweight, like the camper itself. You can get them in either fiberglass or carbon fiber, and they are laminated into the interior rather than bolted down. You can even get one of these with a full bathroom.
The smallest Badger ST comes in at around 1,014 pounds, while the largest Badger XT comes in at 1,653 pounds before customization. Those numbers are impressive, as a typical American truck bed camper can easily be 1,000 pounds heavier than even the Badger XT.
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Image: GEHOcab
GEHOcab also says that its campers are extremely customizable. The company works with each buyer to help them build the camper of their dreams.
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One thing I was curious about is how the company manages to build a camper for a Bronco, G-Class or Defender. GEHOcab’s pickup-based campers clearly replace the existing bed, but a Bronco doesn’t have a bed.
Installation of the campers to those SUVs involves opening up the vehicle aft of the C-pillar and grafting the camper onto the back.
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Image: GEHOcab
As you can imagine, these conversions are definitely more permanent than a camper that replaces a truck bed. The company is offering both options, as it seems potential buyers are split between a camper that replaces a truck bed and the full-on conversion.
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Then there’s the price. While these campers use high-tech materials and are seriously light, they’re also seriously expensive. The smallest Badger ST starts at $129,000, far more than a traditional truck bed camper. That price doesn’t include customization, shipping or installation.
Despite the high price, I love these things. I wish more camper manufacturers cranked out eye-popping designs rather than boring swoopy decals.
We’ve known that an electric Mini JCW hot hatchback is in the works from the Brit brand by BMW. It’s an exciting proposition, one many of us are looking forward to, and it gets more exciting as the day draws nearer. In a tweet on Wednesday, Mini released the above teaser image with the caption “Feels like it’s time for a boost. Watch this space… #ElectricThrillMaximised” Does that mean Mini will be pacing the field at future Formula E events?
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The current Formula E safety car is this unique roofless BMW i8 with a giant wing. The hybrid i8 sports car has been serving in this role since season 1 way back in 2014 when the i8 was a brand new car. It makes sense that the company would want to replace the aging i8 as the face of safety in one of the most advanced and forward-looking series in the world of motorsport. Not least because the i8 will be ending production soon, but also because BMW will be leaving Formula E at the end of this season.
Image: BMW
With BMW out, and Mini’s commitment to electrification, this swap would make perfect sense. You can see from the light bar on the roof of the Mini that it matches the one currently in use on the BMW. Therefore, one could infer that this is the specification which will continue onward into Mini’s tenure as safety car.
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I have high hopes for the electric JCW. The Mini Cooper SE electric is already considered one of the best handling electric cars on the market, so by extension the better handling JCW version should deliver more power and more on-track speed. Because Formula E tracks are typically quite tight, the Mini should be able to deliver on the job of safety car. Electric torque and nimble handling should be enough tools in the box for the effort.
Dammit, I’m going to have to buy one of these things, aren’t I?
With Mini almost sure to be running the Formula E safety car in the near future, how long will it be before Mini enters the sport as a manufacturer? While it’s certain that BMW is leaving FE, there’s nothing saying its compact car brand can’t pick up where it left off. It wouldn’t be the first time in this series, either, as Nissan’s FE program came out of Renault’s abandoning the sport.
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I, for one, would love to see Mini racing in Formula E.
The latest MEB-based EV from Volkswagen has leaked, and oh boy, this thing is ugly in all the right ways.
This is the new Volkswagen ID.6, and photographs of it have been released in Chinese regulatory filings, Electrek reports. The photos also leaked on Twitter and Reddit, and the EV they reveal looks so uncool it loops back around and is cool again.
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If the ID.3 is a compact and the ID.4 is a crossover, then the ID.6 is a full-fledged SUV, at least in the common 2020 usage of the term. For the past few years, SUVs have been little more than bigger crossovers. That’s been unfortunate for body-on-frame fans, but when it comes to EVs, I think it’s a viable shift in the segment.
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The ID.6 has plenty of room as a seven-seater, and not just as a nod to the VW Roomzz, which was unveiled in Shanghai in 2019. The ID.6 is based on that design, and the lineage is clear. But it kind of sucks to see a cool design diluted for the sake of mass production.
If the ID.6 follows the dimensions of the design it’s based on, it should be at the top of the current range (as its name would suggest) for passenger volume. And VW has landed on a sensible naming scheme, which is a lot better than the what the concepts were given.
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Photo: Volkswagen
Photo: Volkswagen
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The current production design looks interesting, however, and it strays slightly from the design of the other ID family members while keeping some resemblance. The headlights have certain angles going for them; the ID.6 is most handsome when seen head-on.
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The ID.6 base model will be outfitted with a 75 kW (100 horsepower) RWD drivetrain. The upgraded model, the ID.6 X, will double that with an AWD drivetrain producing 150 kW (201 HP). The new EV will reportedly carry the same 82 kilowatt-hour battery slated for the Roomzz, which VW stated had a range of 450 kilometers (WLTP) or about 280 miles.
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Not only is that a pretty wide disparity between the ID.6 models, but it’s also a low number for what is supposed to be the largest of the new MEB-based cars. As a reference, the ID.3 produces roughly 200 HP but it’s a much smaller car. There has to be some interplay here with the size of the ID.6 and its range and motor output. It’s very possible VW is prioritizing range over output.
But the only thing truly wrong with the ID.6 is the color. A car like this needs a color that can live up to its awesome premise. EVs have finally stopped being awkward but quirky little cars, so why are we still painting them in bland tones? It’s more baffling that this is a Volkswagen finish, too, given its surprising recent EV colors and past practices.
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Much of the time I’m drawn to practical small cars, but when I need room to carry passengers, a larger car is a good luxury. In some ironic way, I think this new ID.6 makes the ID.4 redundant. In a line-up with all three IDs, I would be between the 3 and 6, but such a comparison is only possible in a market where all three would be sold simultaneously. The U.S. is unlikely to be such a market.
