Thursday, 14 August 2025

Unsubscribe

I saw this headline yesterday on the Auto Express site...

Unsafe cars explode in numbers: dangerous UK vehicles up 50% in a year

I've left it in their font - you can click on it to see the story.

I can't be sure whether it is click-bait or just a badly worded headline.

Anyway, I clicked on it and it wasn't about exploding cars - not specifically anyway, although some could potentially explode.

Today's story on there that got me clicking was...

Forget Netflix, Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription

This, bizarrely enough, is a fairly accurate headline.

As if the lack of physical controls wasn't enough reason not to buy a VW ID3, do they really think people will pay £16.50 A MONTH to get the full bhp out of it!

Monday, 11 August 2025

Trump Tariff on Malaysian Cars

Trump fans haven't quite figured out yet that his tariffs mean that they will be paying more to subsidise tax cuts for the very wealthy - like Donald Trump for example.

And soon they could be paying more for their toy cars as well as their real ones.

Because most of Mattel's toy cars (aka Hot Wheels) are made in Malaysia.

Like this Proton Saga:

Which looks a lot better than the real version.

Which, in turn, looks better than any SUV.

Car+Driver have their take on the story here.

Hot Wheels are currently retailing in Walmart for $1.18 which seems to be very good value.

They'll be nearer $1.50 if Trumps tariffs get passed on.

Which actually still seems like very good value.

But multiply that up by the number they must be selling in the States - and Donald will have a lot to thank American children for.

Saturday, 2 August 2025

Dogs Loose on the Highway

Looks like some of them have been run over too.

But don't be too upset.

It's not the canine variety - although there was meat all over the road.

It was Interstate 83 in Pennsylvania.

The BBC have the story together with some (irritating) TikTok footage here.

It happened yesterday when a truckload of hotdogs spilled.

State police said the tractor trailer had an unspecified mechanical problem on Interstate-83 a few miles north of the Maryland line as morning rush hour was wrapping up, causing it to push into a passenger vehicle. When the truck scraped along a concrete divider, its trailer was ripped open and the contents scattered.

For some reason, they made the Fire Department clean it up.  Brad Dauberman, a local fire chief who helped with the clean-up, said: "I can tell you personally, hot dogs are very slippery… I did not know that."

Not sure he quite cuts the mustard.