Peaqy Blinders

According to the BBC, there's a bit of a hoo-ha going on in The Peak District.

Or is that the Peaq District?

No, that isn't one of those amusing stories about signage that has been spelled incorrectly.

Skoda have sponsored the Peak District National Park to change their signs FOR ONE WEEK.

I put that in capitals to stress the massive impact this will have on the area.

Not.

But some people have got quite upset about it. Including presumably Jessica Peach who has been taking photos of the protests for the BBC.

Including that one.

Did she wait until a Skoda was passing before taking it?

Pity that's a 2013 Skoda Fabia estate rather than a 2026 Skoda Peaq.  She'd probably still be there waiting today to catch one of them up there.

Given that we still have to pay for Brexit and the many years of austerity, I don't see anything wrong in this deal FOR ONE WEEK to top up the funds of the national parks.

Although I don't think it would have worked without the protesters.

I wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for this item about them.

But I'm not going to buy a crossover SUV and I went to The Peak District last year which I enjoyed but want to do other places for the next breaks I have.

And what do we know about the Peaq?

As an electric crossover SUV it is, by definition, boring.  It certainly doesn't look any different to the rest.

Everything Electric Cars have reviewed it.

I'd not noticed it before but they do what Tory councillors always do in local newspapers and get theire photos taken pointing at whatever is annoying them.

Now, where have I seen someone else doing that lately?

Photo credit Jessica Peach.

Beat That!

Another excellently written story from Car+Driver.

It's about the forthcoming electric SUV from Bentley, the Torcal:

We know a couple of things about it - one is that it we don't know what it looks like but it won't look like my picture because that is a photo of a Bentayga.

We also know it will be an electric SUV and therefore quite boring.

Or will it?

Well yes, but...

Instead of fake engine noise or an annoying whirr, it will have a bit of drum and bass.

Which should sound pretty good when you are winging your way along an Autobahn or around to Welsh Mountain B-Roads, but what about when you are pootling around town? 

  

Is Skywell Skyworth it?

Their importers don't seem to think so.

Although the fact not many people have actually heard of them may have something to do with it.

I certainly hadn't.

They are another Chinese brand and have apparently been trying to sell vehicles in the UK since 2024...

  

...when they sold 6 cars.

Their website looks professional enough - concentrating on their electric SUV, the BE11...

 

...which looks just like most electric (and non-electric) SUVs.

They have other vehicles in the range too - a hatch, a saloon and a van:

which seems to be a "Skyworth"

But they are described as "coming soon..."

 

...so probably won't now.

The Skywell short-lived story is described by Autocar here.  According to that, there will be redundancies as their 16 dealerships shut (none near me) and their spokesman is also being let go.

Sounds like a failure in marketing or investment...

 

...or investment in marketing.

Skywell have skydived.

Topless Models

I've done a search.

Since I started my Blog, I've never used the word "topless" before.

And yet, I've definitely mentioned convertibles.

Including unintentional ones.

And more conventional ones:

But, apparently, they are on their way out.

BBC Business tell us that "over the past 20 years, sales of new open-tops have fallen by nearly 90%, from 109,171 in 2005 to just 11,484 last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders."

Their very interesting story is here.

They, like me, blame the rise of the SUV.

It has already seen off the Mondeo class of car, The Fiesta and the Focus.  And threatens the saloon and estate.

I mean, why enjoy the thrill of open-top motoring with the thrum of the engine and wind in your ears when you can sit in a huge box that isn't designed to go around corners properly?

The rise in popularity of Electric cars is also being blamed with only two electric convertibles currently on sale in the UK - the MG Cyberster (which does seem funky) and the Mini electric convertible (reviewed here by Carwow) which is coming over in VERY small numbers and costs £52,500!

The Cyberster is a bit more than that again.

Even non-electric convertibles are relatively few and far between - our American cousins seem to have a bit more choice.

But overall (or not overall because they don't have a roof) - it's looking bleak for those that enjoy a bit of topless fun.

Have Ferrari Seen The "Light?"

Or "Luce" 

Possibly not. 

I gave my view on Tuesday together with the reactions of Autocar and Auto Express and their readers.

Since then there has been a lot more reaction.

Described (quite accurately) by the BBC as "backlash." 

This backlash is Worldwide.  Including one of my favourite YouTube Channels, Gas Monkey Garage, with Shorts such as this and this.

There was a third one that seems to have disappeared now in which Richard Rawlings reminded us of his version of an electric Ferrari...

...which actually looks like a Ferrari (because it was built from one) but more importantly keeps the ethos of one.

There is much speculation that because the Luce most defintely DOES NOT follow the Ferrari ethos and DOES NOT look like a Ferrari that it will not sell.

I am pleased that Ferrari are not insisting that buyers have to purchase one of these in order to join the waiting lists for other future cars - this would have been a way to ensure sales.

Personally, I thought the Purosangue was more of a affront but that seems to have slipped under the radar as it is not electric despite being an SUV - which you may have noticed I hate more than electric cars. 

However, I think the Luce WILL sell.  It is a very good car.  Speculators will see a profit eventually and a new breed of rich weirdos will like this product.  It just won't sell to your average (and affluent) Ferrari fan.

And definitely won't sell to your average non-affluent Ferrari fan. 

I think the mistake is that it has the Ferrari name on it - they should have just called it The Luce.

Remember the Dino?  Lots of people do.

Luce Lawless

Ferrari have announced their first all-electric car - the Luce:

Looks good doesn't it?

As long as you view it from that exact angle.

'Cause it just looks weird from every other one.

Auto Express cover the story here describing it as "New Ferrari Luce EV arrives with shocking design, 1,035bhp and £440k price"

Autocar have this describing it as "1036bhp, 329 miles, £440k: Ferrari Luce revealed as wild super-EV"

The Autocar one must be better because it has one extra bhp.

They also have more commenters - more in both number and knowledgability.

The Auto Express ones are just judging the car on the fact it is electric and isn't particularly attractive - not that any of them would be able to afford one despite one claiming that he could - yeah sure mate!  Oh and there is one commenter who is either a Chinese Bot or a Chinese moron - I suspect the former.

A lot of the Autocar comments are also negative but there is a more genuine mix and more constructive criticism.

There is agreement and positive commentry on both websites for the interior and both have comments likening it to a Jaguar i-Pace - something I can definitely see.

Personally though, I'm not that enamoured by the interior:

It has real buttons which is good and the instrumentation is innovative - in a good way - but what is that dashboard made of?  Plastic? Shiny leather?

More weirdness.

So I won't be putting in an order for one.

And not just because I can't afford one.

Big Little Car

Another video from one of the YouTube Channels I subscribe to...

This is a review by the petite Imogen Bhopal of the Hyundai Ioniq 3 on Robert Llewelyn's Everything Electric CARS channel.

I say "petite"...

...she looks quite large here:

 

Or is it just a small car?

 

Then again? 

   

Is it a small woman and a big car?

 

At the start of the review, she states that they only had 30-ish minutes with the car.

 

And the more I watched it, the more it looked like she and the car were nowhere near each other.

 

She and the car appear to be digitally combined. 

 

Like Marc Almond & Gene Pitney in the video to the brilliant "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart."

 

Then, all of a sudden, just before 6 minutes into the review, she opens the boot!

 

She also climbs in to it:

 

This really excites the commenters.

But I suppose the biggest takeaway is that you can stash the body of a petite person under the boot floor of a Hyundai Ioniq 3.

Which I suspect isn't what they were really going for.

Polestar 2.2

Was it really April 2024 when I reported on the stupid naming system that Polestar were to use on their model range?

Yes! 

According to their boss, Thomas Ingenlath, the Polestar 2 would be replaced with the Polestar n where

n = the next integer not already assigned to a Polestar.

I pointed out at the time, the folly of doing that. 

Just like in 2018 when I pointed out the folly of choosing Paddy McGuinness & Freddie Flintoff to present Top Gear.

I was proved correct.

Eventually.

Auto Express have this story today about the replacement for the Polestar 2.

It's headlined, "New Polestar 2 to lose SUV looks and embrace its sporty saloon side"

Apart from anything else, I don't think the Polestar 2 does look like an SUV - which is probably why I like it.

Anyway, I clicked on the link for their guess at what it would look like and found this:

Which made be think, "That doesn't look like a sporty saloon - where's the boot?"

Then I worked out that their link had taken me to a page of guesses or "renderings" that didn't actually include the new Polestar 2.  That particular picture was an attempt at what a future MG will look like.

Then I worked out that the picture at the top of the story was their guess: 

 

That doesn't look like it will "lose SUV looks and embrace its sporty saloon side."

 

It just looks like the current one - which already looks like a sporty non-SUV.

 

Which will probably be known as the 2 Mark II.

 

While the boss now appears to be known as Michael Lohscheller.

What does a Renault 5 cost?

About £23K

But that's one of the brand new, most excellent, electric ones.

I was watching an episode of Flipping Bangers this week.

It's a programme I saw a series of a few years back and quite enjoyed.  I assumed that there was only one series and thought no more about it.

Then they started showing more episodes this year.

Then I saw the two blokes off it at The Classic Motor Show talking about their latest endeavours.  Turns out they've gone onto YouTube.

Anyway, I must have been watching Series 2, Episode 7.

It was an original Mark I Renault 5.

They bought it for £1000 and spent £485 doing it up.

I've just found out they they bought it off Sam Brackley, son of Paul Brackley - the mechanic off Wheeler Dealers in the Edd days.

They didn't do anything about the brown headlining or dodgy dash area above the ashtray.  It had obviously spent a lot of time being smoked in.  They didn't mention a smell though.

It also had some black tape pretending to be trim going between the wheels at the bottom of the doors.  They sort of sorted that.

They did do some actually vital stuff too.

Then they sold it to a dealer for £2600.

This was in 2019.

As soon as I saw the car I thought I recognised it - had I remembered it from seeing the show a few years back?

Nope - it wasn't series two that they broadcast.

Turns out I remembered it from here.

Twincam, another of my favourite Youtubers, has some sort of arrangement with auction house Manor Park Classics.

He reviewed it and they sold it last year.

For £4140.

Somebody somewhere has probably not done very well out of that between 2019 and 2024.

It still had the horrible headlining.

So I'll have one of the new ones please.

Silly Season

Except it isn't silly season.

Never knew it went back to 1861.

Although there do seem to be a disproportionate number of silly stories around today.

This one caught my eye first thing this morning:

What!?  McDonalds are training their staff how to sexually harass?

They had changed the headline by lunchtime.

But that isn't a car story - it was next to one though - this one.

"Tesla boss Elon Musk has had a record-breaking pay package that could be worth nearly $1tn (£760bn) approved by shareholders."

Did you spot the word "could" in there?

It's doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

It's like in the Webuyanycar.com adverts when Jason Manford says what could happen if you don't accept the low offer from Webuyanycar.com.

To get the full whack, the South African Nazi-type saluter will have to "drastically raise the electric car firm's market value over 10 years."

Given the job he's done this year, I can't see him getting close - especially as this is just more incentive not to buy a Tesla.

"The scale of the potential payout has drawn criticism, but the Tesla board argued that Musk might leave the company if it was not approved - and that it could not afford to lose him."

This doesn't bode well for the future of the company if the board really think that.

Sticking with electric cars, we have a story from my favourite American car journalist in Car+Driver.

Ezra Dyer is telling the story a the importer of Kia cars into Finland giving away free air fresheners to purchasers of the EV4 electric car.

The silliness in this story being that the smell of the air freshener is petrol and the look is this:

They found allegedly "Finland's only perfumier" to create it.  But they aren't doing it any more since Car+Driver asked Kia HQ in South Korea about it.

And they weren't too happy.

Final silly story today is from the BBC again.

I live very close to a place called West Kirby.  Kirby is a corruption of Kirkby - Viking for "church town"

And also the name of a town on the outskirts of Liverpool that is somewhat to the East of West Kirby.

Liverpool's local radio station, Radio City got rebranded last year and lost its localness - you can tell because the traffic news bloke can't pronounce any of the placenames in the vicinity.

Now, judging by this story, I wonder if they've got him painting the road markings?

12345726

I was going to call this post "The Number's Up!" but I've already used that.

But I missed out the apostrophe which is unlike me and somewhat irritating.

Anyway, that particular post was about 18 months ago and berating the daft naming convention of Polestar.

It still seems to be a problem for them and they are trying to deny it - as reported by drive.co.au here.

And they have changed the rules a bit too.

18 months ago they said that the Polestar 2 would not be replaced by a Polestar 2.  Now they are saying that the Polestar 2 WILL be replaced by a Polestar 2.  Which will probably come after the Polestar 7 and before the Polestar 6.

Confusion reigns supreme.

I feel sorry for the new CEO, Michael Lohscheller, who didn't come up with the idea but seems to be spending lots of time defending it.

He likens it to Apple.  Which is wrong.  He should be likening it to the company I alluded to back in April last year - Renault.

When I also asked the question, "I wonder how many years it will be before they realise the error of this strategy and change to a better system."

Renault gradually and quietly replaced numbers with names and would never speak of them again.

Until they had a big hit with the new 4 and 5.

If they follow the Polestar numbering system, the next retro electric car will be a cute version of the Renault 7:

Oh dear - I think the number's up.

Car Horne

I am a fan of The Horne Section.  I have seen then twice and Alex spoke to me once when I was on the second row.

I had this advert by them recommended to me:

Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with cars - although there is a van in there.

So here's an advert I'm recommending to you:

The Emperor's new Clothes

Rather depressing news this week.

Autocar have it here.

The Ford Puma, which isn't a real Ford Puma like this one:

...remains top of the UK's top selling cars list.

Like 8 out of the top 10, it is a crossover SUV.  

Obviously being bought in large numbers by people who are not particularly interested in cars or driving.  Only the Corsa and Golf remain in the list representing proper cars.

You can't really blame them, they will be looking for decent value cars that meet their requirements and if the dealerships only have crossovers in the showrooms then people will buy those.  And the dealers only tend to be showing crossovers because manufacturers are concentrating on producing them.  And manufacturers are only producing them because they are selling in big numbers.

And now we're stuck in a depressing spiral.

Interestingly, (slightly) none of the top ten are specifically electric cars - although some are available as electric variants.

Meanwhile, in the Driven section of the latest Top Gear Magazine, where they review new cars to market, 9 out of 12 of the cars reviewed are electric (including an electric Puma) but only 6 are definitely cross-overs (including an electric Puma).  A couple it's difficult to tell...

What about this?

Yes that is a cross-over but is it much taller than this?

I've decided that that one is not a cross-over.

I think cross-overs are getting shorter in height so maybe manufacturers have noticed that, although profitable, they are not very good.

So, based on what's coming - there is a glimmer of hope - but it depends on your idea of what a cross-over actually is.

Old Favorits

This year's Festival of the Unexceptional is being held on July 26th.

If it was a bit nearer to me geographically, I'd have quite fancied going along.

But it isn't.

It celebrates cars that used to be all over the place in the '70s, '80s and '90s - not special - just quite common.

They aren't interested in vintage cars either.

So it is cars that people a bit older than me and people a bit younger than me will remember - sometimes fondly.

And Renault in particular have been tapping in to this - and doing a very good job with the new electric Renaults 5 and 4.

Mini have been at it for a quarter of a century now.

So now it looks like Skoda might want a piece of the action.

The story is here of a reimagination of the Favorit:

Only there's no indication that they would actually put this in to production.

So maybe Vauxhall should take note:

Sounds Wrong

BMW have introduced HypersonX - Auto Express report here.

It is a way of changing the noises your electric BMW makes.

BMW says that the system will “embody the pleasure of driving for which BMW is renowned”.

Shouldn't that be “embody the pleasure of driving for which BMW was renowned in the past”.

How can anyone renown driving something like this?:

Or just about anything else in their recent offerings that isn't a 3 or 5 series saloon, coupe or estate?

And how are you supposed to say "HypersonX"?

They will probably go with "Hypersonics"

And yet I keep reading it as, "Hi, person X!"

Don't go Changan

Just watched Robert Llewelyn reviewing another boring SUV.

A very big boring Chinese SUV.

And it's electric - at least in Australia and the UK it will be - they have a hybrid version in China which gives Robert an excuse to be snidey about fossil fuel burners.

Anyway, here's the video:

It's going to be a Deepal in Oz and a Changan over here - doesn't seem to be any logic in the naming. But it won't be anything in the US because they aren't getting it.

The video title is, "Why Is This Super Cheap Luxury SUV coming to OZ & UK but NOT USA?!?"

Despite the capitals and exclamation marks, they don't go on to answer the question.

But it's probably something to do with Elon not wanting the competition.

The stand-out bit of the video for me though was about four minutes in when Robert casually dropped in to the story that the car was recording and filming everything that was said in it and around it!

What!?

Someone in China is listening in to everything.

I'm hoping that this is just because it is a press car for the Australian launch and they are trying to gather as much insight and opinion as possible - and they must have been up front about it or he wouldn't have known about it.

But what if the Chinese government have this installed in all Chinese cars?  Robert wasn't sure where the recording devices were.  Do I need to take a closer look at my 5 year old Volvo?  Although that was built in The US so hopefully not.

Well just to be on the safe side, that President Xi seems like a really decent chap.

Sylvia Back From The Dead

 

That's the gist of this story from the The Mercury News in May 2019.

So what's that got with cars?  Well, despite Mercury being a famous American car brand, absolutely nothing.

Actually, it was this article yesterday from my favourite Aussie car site that piqued my interest - they claim that a Nissan Silvia return is hinted.  And then go on to say why it is unlikely.  They also point at the Top Gear website who say that a new Silvia "could" be on the horizon in this piece and then go on to say that it is "far fetched."

If, and that seems to be a very large "if", it does happen, it will be electric.

That's OK - I believe that it is already possible to create exciting, well-handling and fast electric cars.

I also suspect Nissan wouldn't besmirch a beloved car name by making it an SUV.

It may also be why Nissan's future should be rosier than Ford's.

Capri anyone?

Shocking Name

I keep hearing a Toyota advert on the radio.  They are trying to make it exciting.

It isn't.

It's an electric SUV.

I mean, just look at it.

But to make it even more difficult for the woman doing the voice-over, the car is called the bZ4X.  You can tell she is struggling when she says it.

Anyway, talking of electric cars and stupid naming, would you name a charging network after what happens when you get an electric shock?

Jolt have.

And they're giving away free electricity.

And their charging points look exciting.

Dog in Boots.

Not the chemist shop.

Unless you particularly dislike cats and dogs, (not the film - that really is awful) you will probably appreciate what Battersea Dogs Home (as I always remember it being called) do.

So I was rather surprised when this shaggy dog story appeared from Battersea Power Station rather than from their neighbours south of the river.

It involves an electric pooch pampering station for the back of large cars - specifically, Genesises.

Even more specifically, Genesis GV70s.

Genesis, not the band, who are also known as posh-Kia (by me), seem to have teamed up with Battersea Power Station and have an exhibition on there - or a "studio" which they describe as, "more like stepping into a contemporary gallery than visiting a car dealership."

Hmm.

The dog-module is currently on display there.

When I saw it, I thought the story looked more dodgy than doggy but it is apparently true - even if the number plate is fake:

The Numbers Up!

No, this isn't a Volkswagen story - it's a Polestar story.

Their boss, Thomas Ingenlath, has been talking about the future.

Drive.com.au are reporting on it here.

When it comes time for a replacement, the Polestar 2...

...is not going to be replaced with another Polestar 2.

It will be replaced with the Polestar n 

where

n =

the next integer not already assigned to a Polestar.

And the rest of the range...

...will follow suit as their lifespans also come to an end.

Apparently this means that they aren't stuck forever with a car called the Polestar 2 never being able to evolve into anything other than an electric SUV that is actually more of a saloon car - which, incidentally is why I like it - it isn't, despite what Polestar tell you, an SUV.

I wonder how many years it will be before they realise the error of this strategy and change to a better system.

In 15 years time, people will be having conversations like...

• "I really fancy a Polestar 17"
• "Really? Why do you want a van?"
• "I don't! The 17 is a two-seater sports car."
• "I thought the sports car was the Polestar 19"

And in 45 years time, people will be having conversations like...

• "I really fancy a Polestar 102"
• "Really? Why do you want a van?"
• "I don't! The 102 is a two-seater sports car."
• "I thought the sports car was the Polestar 114"

Or maybe, just maybe, retro will be back in - and they'll do a cute new Polestar 2.

I wonder where that idea suddenly sprang in to my head from?