Here are the automotive news stories you might have missed this week.
Sometimes it seems like the whole world is turning upside down and that’s certainly the case in the automotive industry lately. While there are plenty of troubling news items in today’s digest, just keep in mind that all this disruption can lead to solutions to the problems plaguing us.
1. Leave it to the French to do this.
In case you missed our story this week, French automaker Citroën revealed a new concept electric vehicle that features some body panels made of cardboard. We wish this were a joke, but the company is positioning this as something which could help the industry in a world without resources. It just gets more ridiculous from there.
Check it out here.
2. It will be the world’s largest go-kart track.
What is supposed to be the largest go-kart track in the world will be opening at Supercharged Entertainment in Edison, New Jersey in early December. Instead of the noisy rides you remember as a kid, this state-of-the-art facility will used electric go-karts capable of hitting 45 mph. Riders will need to be at least 4’10” and can’t weigh over 300 lbs. The place sounds like an absolute blast, so I’m definitely jealous.
Check out more details here.
3. Chinese cars surge Down Under.
For the first time ever, Chinese-made cars are the third largest source of vehicles in the Australian market, knocking South Korea off its perch. The first and second spots belong to Japan and Thailand. This development has left many Aussies feeling anxious while others, obviously, have embraced the influx of Chinese cars.
Learn more about the situation here.
4. Draining more of the reserves.
You’ve probably seen the price of gas shooting up in your hometown, something that’s been happening pretty much from coast to coast in the US. President Biden has noticed and decided the best way to combat the price inflation with the midterm election looming is to release 10 million more barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This is to combat the cut in production OPEC+ decided on recently, but it probably won’t do much.
Read more about this plan and how much Biden has released from the reserve this year here.
5. Germans make a run on electric space heaters.
The shortage of natural gas in Germany, exacerbated by the seeming sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, promises for a long, cold winter. In anticipation, Germans have been scooping up electric space heaters, with one report saying 958,000 have been sold so far this year, with a 76 percent increase year-over-year for the January-August time period. The only problem is the German electric grid might not be able to sustain all the extra usage, so wintertime blackouts might add to the national burden. That will make charging an electric car even more challenging.
Learn more here.
6. Ramming burglaries become more common.
I’ve noticed an uptick in stories of criminals stealing vehicles, using them to ram through doors and even walls of businesses in the middle of the night, stealing items from inside. Of course this isn’t a new method, but just like how carjackings are on the rise, this also appears to be a trend. A good example is a burglar who stole a pickup truck with a nice bull bar, using it to ram into three businesses in Federal Way, Washington recently.
Check out the story for yourself here.
Lead image via Citroën
