Here are the automotive news stories you might have missed this week.
It seems like the whole world is abuzz with talk of war, thanks in large part to what looks like a military strike on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. While everyone is focused on what different world powers will do about the situation, many automotive news stories have flown under the radar.
1. Chinese automaker copies the Toyota Tundra in the weirdest way possible.
Chinese automakers are well-known for unabashedly copying every last detail on foreign vehicles, hiding behind their incredibly protective communist government to escape repercussions. That said, I haven’t seen an adaptation like this Sino Vehicle Hub (SVH) Tundar, which is essentially a shrunken third-gen Toyota Tundra. Despite changing the name, on the rear tailgate SVH still stamped “Tundra” to make the connection incredibly clear.
2. McLaren P1 falls victim to Ian.
We covered how a low-mileage and previously impeccable McLaren P1 supercar was swept out of its owner’s garage during Hurricane Ian. To see the heartbreaking photo and learn more, read our story here.
3. Chevy updates the HD.
There’s a new Silverado HD generation launching for 2024 and Chevrolet recently unveiled it. Among the many changes is a more powerful 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 and a standard Allison 10-speed automatic transmission regardless of engine selection. Following the trend in consumer pickups, there are many new safety features specifically for towing. All this sounds pretty nice, but the cost is likely going to leave you with sticker shock once that’s finally announced.
Check out the official press release here.
4. Screwing over the little guy.
Filed under news which shouldn’t shock anyone who’s been paying attention, Reuters uncovered that automotive suppliers are getting crushed by automakers’ insistence on taking carbon emissions out of their entire supply chain. This is what these supposed “green” policies do is transfer wealth from small companies to big corporations since they’re the only ones who can comply with the overt-the-top requirements, eventually centralizing all important decisions instead of democratizing them further.
Read more about this scary reality here.
5. A Hyundai supercar was almost a thing.
That’s right, Hyundai was seriously considering building a mid-engine, carbon-fiber-bodied supercar to take on Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg, etc. Before you laugh at this idea, just think how radical it was when Honda did the same thing with the NSX in 1990. Of course, Honda wasn’t able to keep up with the competition and the NSX was left in the dust within a short period of time, so maybe Hyundai realized it should stick with what it’s good at and keep making cheap cars for everyday consumers.
Learn more about this story here.
6. Energy-hungry companies are leaving Europe.
Operations which require significant amounts of energy are moving off the European continent as it faces a tidal wave of energy problems. While some companies have decided to move to the US, we’re not that far behind Europe in implementing disastrous energy policies which will ravage our economy. This in turn could throw vehicle production into a tailspin, making the used car market inflate even more than we’ve seen in the past two years. Hopefully we correct course before we get there.
Read more about this situation here.
7. Answers about Flight TWA-800 finally come, media stays silent.
While not automotive-related but definitely related to transportation, I think it’s important everyone knows about the alleged coverup of what really happened to Flight TWA-800 which was blown out of the air as it left New York on July 17, 1996. After reviewing FOIA documents, families of the victims have sued the government, saying the documents prove it was a U.S. Navy missile that destroyed the commercial plane. It’s alleged the New York Times and CIA coordinated to cover up this fact. If this is true, the implications are deeply disturbing.
Learn more here.
