Another Reason to Dislike Kia.

I'm probably being unfair but the image of Kia to me is the budget sibling of a budget brand (Hyundai) who make boring econoboxes.

Which is probably why they are rebranding.

I reported a couple of days ago about their new logo and the thoughts behind it.

Autocar have more news today.

I hate it when my boss uses the word "robust".

This is because I hate management speak.

So imagine how I feel when I read phrases like,

The Korean firm intends to “break away from its traditional manufacturing-driven business model”, instead expanding into “new and emerging business areas by creating innovative mobility products and services to improve customers’ daily lives”

and

the company will diversify into “eco friendly mobility services, centred on electric and autonomous driving across major global cities”

Ye Gods.

Now this is part of Kia’s long-term ‘Plan S’ strategy, which will see a focus on new dedicated electric vehicles - seven of which will be launched by 2027.

OK, seem reasonable.  The first will be a coupe-crossover.

Another bloody coupe-crossover!!

The preview shots (useless pictures of some vehicles in a hangar during a power cut) show a number of what Kia calls “Purpose-Built Vehicles” (PBVs)

PBVs!!

I already hate SUVs - now I've got to hate PBVs!

Meanwhile, over in America, the big news is, "Kia Sedona Minivan Could Be Renamed Carnival for 2022"

I guess the rebrand has begun.

Going Logo

 Last week, Kia launched their new logo.  They used drones and fireworks and set a new record for something or other to do with drones or fireworks:

It doesn't look that good as a logo to me - although the old oval one was pretty nondescript so I suppose it is an improvement.

And it looks better in black than in firework.

Meanwhile, Autoguide today point out that GM have done the same - no fireworks or drones but they have done the new-logo thing:

Autoguide want us to discuss which of the new GM & Kia changes is the best - they say, "Which of these two redesigns do you think is more successful? Sound off in the comments."

Nobody has - I thought I was the only car-related author that nobody ever comments on.

You have to be careful with logos though - I used to deal with telecoms company ntl: who used this logo:

If you ignore the "n" and tip it on its end you get a pig on a skateboard.

If you tip the new GM one on its end, you get an elephant looking over a fence it is sat next to.

Sparking Back Into Life

Autocar have this story today.  It is disguised as a article about whether or not it is right to take the beating heart (or internal combustion engine) out of a classic car and replace it with an electric motor.   It seems to be more of an advert for Kit Lacey's eDub Services who do just that.

As do Jack's Garage in the shadow of Grenfell Tower who Autocar told us about in December 2019.

Although eDub will let you rent one of theirs for a week:

The Jack's Garage story was just after Autocar told us that "EV conversions slammed by classic car experts"

But, then again, Michael Gove had already told us that we'd had enough of experts.  He then went on to tell us to listen to the experts on Coronavirus.

Anyway, these particular experts are The Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) who issued a statement, stating that it

“cannot promote, to owners or regulators, the use of modern EV components to replace a historic vehicle’s drivetrain”.

eDub are offering to box up the original engine so that it can be re-installed if it is so desired.

I'd have thought that this way, more classics would end up on the road - and in a more eco-friendly way.  Nobody is going to do this with all of the existing classics so the more the merrier. And more must be getting merrier as more and more operations set up to do this exact job.

Over in Wales (or over on Quest) is another example - Richard "Moggy" Morgan of Electric Classic Cars in Newtown is shown on Quest and the series returns this Thursday:

Not sure of their scheduling, they seemed to show half of the series then stop it.

But now it's back.

Well, they are plugging it. (plug! geddit!?)

8 Things you might have needed to know about THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT if you hadn't already watched it

This Drivetribe article is pointless.  It's called "8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT" but it is written by somebody who has just watched it.

Anyone who may be interested in this article would be watching the show rather than reading the article.

Which is why the article actually told me 8 things I already knew about THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT.

Here are a couple of other things that you will already know about THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT if you have watched it:

9. There was a clever bit of animation added to a "Falling Rocks" sign on the road around Reunion.

10.  Jeremy used the show to reinforce his anti-Brexit views including using a European flag to start the drag race and describing the third world conditions in a run-down bit of Madagascar as life outside the EU.  I tried to get a photo of the drag race start but if you put "Drag Race" into Google, you get pictures of men dressed up as grotesque caricatures of women.  This was the best Drag Race photo I could find:

11.  They didn't use new cars.  Good job really.

12.  Convertibles are often called "Spiders" (or "Spyders" if you are Alfa Romeo).  James' Caterham covered in mud and excrement really looked like a spider:

I hope you found it useful to read these four more things you might have needed to know about THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT if you hadn't already watched it.

Or, if you don't have access to Amazon Prime, Oops, sorry!

I Fancy Tina Fey

 

Who wouldn't?

Well, I suppose a homosexual gentleman might not.  Although I have two gay friends who don't know each other and both fancy Kate Bush so who knows?

But that isn't what this post is about.

Women always claim to be attracted to men with a sense of humour.

I don't believe that.  I'm always considered my self quite funny (in the "ha ha" sense of the word not the "peculiar" sense of the word) but women have never thrown themselves at me.

Now, while it is possible that I am not funny (in the "ha ha" sense of the word), I really don't wish to countenance that idea.

Besides, I've noticed that women actually tend to go for tall, handsome men, irrespective of sense of humour.

I, on the other hand, generally find myself fancying women who are in to their cars - Vicki Butler-Henderson, Sabine Schmitz, Jodie Kidd and, more recently, Helen Stanley:

I would even forgive the tattoos.

I do also fancy Nigella Lawson but of you type "Nigella Lawson car" into Google, it wants to take you to "Nigella Lawson carrot cake"

Don't put vegetables into cakes!

Anyway, to finally get to the point, Tina Fey has finally bought her first car. Car+Driver have the story under the annoying headline:

Tina Fey Bought Her First Car during Lockdown, and It Might Surprise You

Normally I wouldn't touch a story like that because it would be some crap piece of click-bait but I like Car+Driver, I like Tina Fey and I like cars.

The gist of the story is that she bought a white Subaru Forrester - a fine enough car that I have no strong views about one way or another but I suppose it is a bit boring.

I was more shocked by Jimmy Fallon's admission that he had never heard of it.

Car+Driver misquote her a bit saying "her husband urged her to buy something fun, like a Mini Cooper or a Jeep (this is the point in the interview when it becomes clear that the Fey household is an expert-free zone when it comes to car shopping)"

According to Tina, her husband suggested "a Mini Cooper or something exciting like a Jeep or a BMW or something" I suppose a Jeep could be exciting depending in where you take it and some BMWs are certainly exciting but I think I'd have suggested a Ferrari or Aston Martin.

But she isn't a car person.

And yet I still fancy her.

I think it could be that she is a very funny lady (in the "ha ha" sense of the word)