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Volkswagen’s next EV will be called ID.7, and today a camouflaged version debuted as part of CES 2023. Previewed by the ID.Aero concept, the VW ID.7 is a mid-size sedan that will be sold in America, likely as a 2024 model.While an undisguised ID.7 will be revealed in the coming months, the camoed car provides more details to chew on. Volkswagen wants everyone to know its next electric model will be a mid-size sedan called the ID.7, which the company today revealed as part of CES 2023. What VW doesn’t yet want everyone to know is what it actually looks like, hence the light-up camouflage disguising the details of the car’s final design.Despite its obscured appearance, we have a pretty good idea of what the VW ID.7 will look like based on the ID.Aero concept we saw last year. The two are one and the same, only now we know the sedan’s real name. Volkswagen says an unwrapped production version of the ID.7 will make its world debut in the next several months, but, for now, the camoed car previews more of what to expect.First Look InsideUnlike the Aero concept, the ID.7 gives us our first glimpse of the sedan’s interior. The dashboard has a simple layout, but it boasts a big 15.0-inch touchscreen. VW also appears dedicated to stripping its cars of physical switchgear, as the few visible controls are almost exclusively operated by touch. The sedan’s touch-centric interior will also be available with a head-up display with augmented reality.For those who have fiddled with the digitally controlled air vents in Porsche models such as the Taycan and Panamera, Volkswagen adopts similar technology inside the ID.7. We haven’t been fans of the setup in the past, and we doubt this will change our minds. Still, VW says the HVAC controls will be accessible on the center touchscreen at all times. The “smart air vents” are also said to have extra skills, such as detecting when the driver is approaching and either heating or cooling the cabin.Technicolor Paint CoatObviously, don’t expect this car’s intricate technicolor paint to make the final cut, but it’s cool, nonetheless. VW says it has at least 40 layers, with a mix of conductive and insulating layers among those. The paint is separated into 22 areas, and all but the top layer is electrified, creating illuminated sections that can even be synced up to music. The company also incorporated QR codes into the design, directing people who scan them to a VW website.Still, even trippy electroluminescent paint can’t disguise the ID.7’s dimensions, which are said to be similar to the outgoing Volkswagen Passat. The ID.7 is essentially that car’s spiritual successor, and it represents VW’s first electric sedan. Along with a 116.9-inch wheelbase, it’s based on the same MEB platform that underpins the ID.4 SUV and ID.Buzz van.Potential Powertrains and Battery RangeThe ID.7 will likely be available with either a single rear-mounted electric motor or an all-wheel-drive setup with dual motors, but Volkswagen hasn’t yet released any powertrain details. Instead, the company estimates the ID.7 will provide up to 435 miles of range. That’s based on the more optimistic European WLTP cycle, though, so we think its EPA-rated range will be closer to 350 miles.With the VW ID.7 set to make its official debut in the second quarter of this year, we think the U.S. version will likely be a 2024 model. We also expect to learn more about its powertrain and features as well as its price, which we think could start around the $35K mark.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Chevrolet increased pricing on the Bolt EV and EUV by $900 and $600 respectively. The midyear price increases come mere months after Chevy dropped Bolt EV and EUV prices by $5900 and $6300 in June, making them the cheapest EVs in the United States for 2023.It’s a shame Bolt prices are trending upward once more, but both vehicles remain enticing with the massive price cut in June, and with both vehicles qualifying for the full $7500 tax credit for EVs until at least March.Decision making can be tough, but it is still odd that after deciding in June it would dramatically reduce pricing for the Bolt EV and EUV—cutting them by roughly $6000 each—Chevrolet would decide barely six months later on a midyear price increase. Granted, the increases are small: the Bolt EV is going up by $900, to $27,495, and the EUV’s price is increasing by $600, to $28,795.Marc Urbano|Car and DriverAccording to a statement by a Chevy representative, “Due to ongoing industry-related pricing pressures, the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV will see modest price increases starting in 2023, but we expect it to remain America’s most affordable EV. Chevrolet remains committed in its long-standing role to provide true value. We expect to continue building the record sales momentum we saw in 2022.” More on EVsDue to an odd loophole in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act where the IRS has failed to issue clarification of sourcing provisions, EVs including the Bolts have become eligible for a full $7500 tax credit again as long as the total price stays under $55,000—not an issue with the Bolts—and buyers take delivery before March, when the IRS plans to release the new proposed guidelines. Even taking into account the most recent price increase, the 2023 Bolt EV and EUV are thousands cheaper than they cost in the last model year. Adding in the renewed $7500 tax credit, we suspect Chevy will have very healthy sales figures between now and March. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Lego has released a new 1466-piece Technic set of the 2022 Ford GT, complete with independent suspension at each corner and a moving V-6 engine. The set will retail for $119.99 when it goes on sale in March. Other newly announced Lego Technic sets include a Bugatti Bolide and a NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro Stock Car, with the cheaper Speed Champions series getting a whole new lineup.Not just anyone can purchase a Ford GT. Your local dealer doesn’t carry them, they cost half a million dollars, and you need permission from the company’s top brass to get one. Plus, after announcing a seemingly endless slew of special editions, Ford is wrapping production on the GT. Lego is stepping in with a 1/12-scale model to help the vast majority of us who don’t tick all those boxes: now we can at least own a replica of the GT.As the starring set for 2023, the Lego version of the GT measures in at 3.5 inches tall, 15.0 inches long, and 7.0 inches wide, and is made up of an impressive 1466 pieces. As part of the Technic series, the GT features rear-wheel drive, a moving V-6 engine, independent suspension at all four wheels, front-axle steering, a moving spoiler, and a hood and doors that open. LEGO Bugatti Bolide, Lego Technic #42151LEGO Bugatti Bolide, Lego Technic #42151The Bugatti Bolide has also gotten the Technic treatment from Lego. It went on sale with the new year, while the third Technic set of the year is a NASCAR Next Gen Camaro Stock Car, which, along with the Ford GT, will go on sale in March. The $119.99 retail price of the Ford GT set may be a rounding error in comparison to the price of the actual car, but in terms of buildable toys/displays, it is still a bit pricey. For those enthusiasts who may be seeking smaller and cheaper options, Lego’s Speed Champions series has a fresh new lineup for 2023. Paul Walker’s R34 GT-R from 2 Fast 2 Furious can be ordered now, while a Pagani Utopia hypercar, a Ferrari 812 Competizione, and a Porsche 963 LMDh racer will all be available in March. Finally, the McLaren F1 LM will be available as part of a set that includes the limited production track weapon Solus GT. Check Out Past Lego KitsThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

“I grew up, no matter what I did, trying to have as much fun as I possibly could,” Ken Block explained back in 2014. “When I grew up skateboarding, I didn’t compete in skateboarding, I just went out and had fun. Well, it’s the opposite with racecar driving. The only time I see my car is when we’re racing or testing for racing. The fun time is that time in the race.”Ken Block gets air in his Fiesta during the 2016 FIA World Rallycross event in Barcelona, Spain.NurPhoto|BACKGRIDBlock, whose influence derived wholly from his exuberant, enthusiastic embrace of life, died in an accident while snowmobiling in Utah on January 2, 2023. He was 55 years old and leaves behind his wife Lucy and three children.“I was born in Long Beach, California,” Block told Matt Anderson of The Henry Ford Museum in 2019. “My dad had his own business that had to do with the printed circuit board industry, so I grew up going to Dodgers games, skateboarding, riding BMX bikes. I tried a lot of team sports but ended up liking more individual type sports and so I ended up being a skateboarder and, later on, racing motocross just at an amateur level and eventually snowboarding.”It was the joy of skateboarding that led to Block and his friend from a San Diego community college Damon Way to form several clothing brands. And then DC Shoes was added to their stable in 1994.Skateboarders are notoriously hard on shoes, often shredding through the canvas or ripping the rubber off the soles of conventional sneakers. And skateboarding wasn’t taken seriously by big-time shoemakers. DC did and built footwear optimized to survive the rigors of the sport.The DC Shoes Lynx OG was introduced in 1998.DC Shoes|20th Century Studios“We did simple things that made a big difference, like putting nylon loops around the spots In-Depth Look at Block’s Brilliancewhere skateboarders shoe laces would wear away from abrasion,” the two DC founders said in a combined interview with Fast Company in 2003. It was Block, working with advice from other boarders, who designed the first DC kicks. And they were an immediate hit with retailer demand so high that they were instantly backordered. By 1995, the DC clothing and shoe brands were generating almost $7 million in annual revenue. “We built the DC Shoes brand by filling a need we saw in our own lives in our early 20s. Skateboarders need technical product and we developed the first technical skateboarding shoe.”But it wasn’t just skateboarders who made DC so successful. It was people who wanted skateboarding style – much of it defined by Block – that propelled the company’s success. They weren’t just functional shoes, they were an affordable fashion item.By 2002, DC was selling shoes and clothing in 52 countries and attracting $250 million in retail sales. In March 2004, the company was sold to Quiksilver for a price reported by The New York Times to be up to $113 million in cash and 1.6 million restricted shares of stock. “The sale of DC really has to do with a lot of things,” Block explained in his Henry Ford interview. “It has to do with a business partner that we had to get out of the company; has to do with sort of business fatigue; has to do with both Damon and I getting married and moving on with our lives. So there was a lot to it. We really enjoyed DC. We kept working there for years after.”As he aged through the end of his thirties, Block’s attention turned to motorsports. Not just motocross, but rally cars. “I grew up a fan of rally,” Block said in 2014. “I was not impressed by NASCAR or drag racing. But I didn’t know it existed in the states until Travis Pastrana ran some events in 2003 or 2004.”Emboldened by the independence that came with the DC sale, Block dove into rallying with utter abandon. “I came at it from the perspective that I was older and I was just going to try and be the best driver I could be,” he said.And Block was instantly fast. “If you’re not scared,” Block told me in 2008 about his attitude towards rally driving, “you’re not going fast enough. I’m so nervous I get a stomachache.”Block’s first rally was Canada’s 2004 Rally of the Tall Pines and was running a full American schedule in a Subaru WRX STi by the next year. In 2006 he won his first race at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. By 2010, he had won that event five straight times. Over the next 17 seasons, he’d win 23 rallying events at the national level. Going into the last rally of the 2022 American Rally Championship season, Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino had won four events in a WRC-spec Hyundai i20 and were in a tight battle with Subaru’s Brandon Semenuk and Keaton Williams. It was only the Subaru team’s win in that final even, the Lake Superior Performance Rally, that gave them the championship. Remember, at this point, Block was 55 years old.The allure of the World Rally Championship was irresistible for Block. “I’ve never had any misconceptions that I was going to go win a WRC event,” he told me. He ran a total of 25 WRC events with his best result being a seventh in the 2013 Rally Guanajuato Mexico driving a Ford Fiesta RS.With the i20 out of spec for the 2023 season, Block brought it to Los Angeles to have some fun before it was exported out of the country. Fun, as in “hooning.”This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Race Car on the LA Streets!? Ken Block takes his Hyundai WRC Car out in Los AngelesWatch onBlock essentially defined hooning and became the modern hoon. And hooning is, at the high level practiced by Block, the joyous use of those rally driving techniques in pursuit of entertainment. It’s controlled lunacy that looks uncontrolled. “The term ‘hoon’ came about because when I started making all those videos is that the media – particularly in the States but a bit in Europe – was using it as sort of a term of endearment,” he said in 2014. “I think 0-60 called me King of the Hoons when we put out the first Gymkhana video. As the idea of having fun with the car instead of just racing it began to take shape. So, we started using the word more and more. And then eventually we came up with the word ‘Hoonigan’ to represent me and what I do and stand out in the marketplace.”The Hoonitruck based (slightly) on the 1977 Ford F-150.Ford Motor CompanyThe moment Hoonigan entrenched itself into the automotive zeitgeist was November 2006 on the Discovery Channel. Block launched his WRX STi into the air from a dirt ramp, flew a record 171 feet, landed on another dirt ramp and drove away. It was astonishing. Practically no one remembers that the show was called Stunt Junkies, but no one could forget the stunt.This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Ken Block 2009 shot for Stunt JunkiesWatch on“You have to be very calculating,” the Block later understated. Car and Driver explained the physics involved in a short feature.Besides launching that Subaru, that stunt launched Hoonigan as a brand and the increasingly ambitious series of “Gymkhana” videos that riveted millions of viewers on YouTube. That in turn led to a series of fascinating vehicles featured in those videos and to the Hoonigan brand becoming yet another successful business for Block.Fords, Porsches, Audis, Hyundais, Subarus… almost anything that passed through the Hoonigan portals could be twisted into an exaggeration of itself and a star of its own kind. The Gymkhana videos involved clouds of tire smoke, iconic locations, and ever more daring antics. But they were also carefully crafted to be commercially successful.“At the base of it all I’m a rally guy – a stage rally guy,” Block told me in 2014. “That’s where I come from, that’s where I’ve learned all these skills. But as I was getting more and more of those skills, I wanted to be in the car more. When I grew up skateboarding, I didn’t compete in skateboarding, I just went out and had fun. Well, it’s the opposite with racecar driving. The only time I see my car is when we’re racing or testing for racing. The fun time is that time in the race. And sometimes, if the race isn’t going well, you’re not having very much fun. So, I was trying to devise ways to get the car away from the racing. And I really didn’t understand back then that most racecar drivers never get to do that. That there isn’t like a ‘fun side’ of motorsports. I discovered gymkhana as a grassroots way to go out and play with the car. But it wasn’t until I started doing the videos and filming it that we began exploring the limits of the car and having fun.”For Gymkhana 8, Block drove his Fiesta under an F-150 Raptor that itself driving on two wheels. In Dubai. Typical.Ford Motor Company“Economies of scale. It’s so expensive to race cars. If I was a skateboarder and I had to go do a contest in Spain, Okay, I’d go pack my bag and skateboard and fly over. But with motorsports we’ve got to fly the car over and half a dozen mechanics. And it’s a half million-dollar racecar. Plus there are tires and it’s quite, quite expensive. If you’re from Finland and you need a sponsor, because the country’s so small you get smaller money. But because we come from America… the economy of scale is Monster selling 10,000 cans in Finland and in America it might 100,000 cans because the country is so much bigger. So, I’d say on that side – raising some of the sponsorship dollars – has been a little bit easier because we’re coming from America.”Block would rise up on his toes as he spoke when something excited him. He only indulged journalists; his eyes would seem to wander around as if he were looking for anything else that could possibly be more interesting than the immediate conversation. But he never failed to engage with his fans. Even as he entered his fifties, he never seemed any particular age. He could attract anyone from any place to conspire with him in the pursuit of fun, spectacle and next level lunacy. And he was both an instinctive marketeer and a keen businessman.“I work with a lot of great companies and they all have their own distinct messages. For us to do our own fun marketing with motorsports, we needed to basically do our own thing. Brian [Scotto] and I had all these fun ideas and things to do, not only marketing wise but apparel wise and we needed an outlet. It was just easier for us to start our own little brand. Hoonigan gives me another creative outlet to work with someone like Brian doing marketing. It doesn’t take as much time as you think. And that’s mostly because I can’t help being creative.”“At the end of the day, all motorsports is really a hobby. It’s all really fun. The main thing for me, is that I just don’t pay for this. I love having a creative outlet and going out to race, and having other people pay for it.” He ran at Pikes Peak in 2022 and was eager to get back this year.Online social media was the lever Block used to communicate with his audience. And Block was posting on Twitter and Instagram from his Utah ranch during his ongoing snow adventures Monday. His last post was announcing the fourth video featuring his 16-year-old daughter Lia and the 1985 Audi Quattro she had constructed for her own pursuit of automotive thrills. The immensity of what Block anticipated for her future nearly bursts from that post.The circumstances of Block’s death can’t overshadow the substance of his life. It’s not a life that can be adequately summarized on a spreadsheet or fully reflected in a long resume. The word legendary is too easily used today; so often applied to people whose accomplishments are slight and characters uninteresting. The better words for Block are inspirational and aspirational.The all-electric Audi Hoonitron was among Block’s last projects.Audi“The main thing for me, when I’m not competitive anymore and it’s not fun anymore, that’s when I’ll start slowing down or consider quitting.” And Ken Block never slowed down.This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

The announcement has come from the Hoonigans Instagram feed that Ken Block, 55, has died as a result of a snowmobiling accident today. His personal Instagram account had featured photos in the snow from Park City, Utah, over the weekend.The mastermind of Hoonigan and the Gymkhana video series most recently posted a drifting video on his YouTube channel featuring an Audi S1 Hoonitron on the Las Vegas Strip.Block had a longtime partnership with Ford Performance before moving to Audi in 2021.In a post shared to rally driver Ken Block’s Hoonigans Instagram account tonight, the organization wrote: “It’s with our deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today. Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband. He will be incredibly missed.Please respect the family’s privacy at this time while they grieve.”Block in a 2016 Ford Focus ST in Gymkhana 9.FordThis is a developing story. We will add details as they become available.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Oregon formally adopts Clean Cars II, setting a target date of 2035 to phase out sales of new gas- and diesel-engine cars, light trucks, and SUVs, with interim targets until 2035.California and Washington have already cemented plans to phase out sales of new internal-combustion-engine cars, light trucks, and SUVs, with Washington being the earliest with a 2030 target year.Several other U.S. states have now adopted California’s Clean Cars II framework but face a number of challenges in expanding EV infrastructure.Earlier this month the state of Oregon adopted rules that will make it the third West Coast state to require that all new cars, SUVs, and light trucks be zero-emissions by 2035, joining Washington and California. The Environmental Quality Commission, which is the administrative rulemaking board for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, became yet another state to adopt the Clean Cars II rules, also recently enacted by the state of New York.Other Moves around the U.S.Like a number of other states, Oregon is now taking steps to solidify these plans via administrative rulemaking, rather than legislation or a governor’s executive order. By comparison, the state of Washington has adopted the most ambitious agenda of the three West Coast states, setting the goal at the year 2030 and doing so earlier this year via legislation signed into law Governor Jay Inslee.”With today’s adoption of the ACC II Rule, all those living in Oregon will benefit from the cleaner air and improved public health outcomes achieved by reducing pollution from transportation,” Leah Feldon, the Department of Environmental Quality’s interim director, said earlier this month. “This is especially true for low-income and underrepresented communities across the state who live closest to roadways and have been most often impacted by poor air quality.”Like a number of other states, Oregon faces several hurdles in advancing toward the 2035 goal, ranging from current EV infrastructure in cities and outside cities, to power grid adequacy. But it’s also setting interim targets: The first compliance step for automakers is just around the corner in 2026, with Oregon (and other Clean Cars II states) requiring that 35% of an automaker’s offerings be battery-electric, PHEV, or hydrogen fuel cell by January 1 of that year. States that plan to phase out gas and diesel cars and trucks still face a number of challenges, including sparse EV infrastructure.FREDERIC J. BROWN|Getty ImagesThis means automakers will have just over three years to reach that target for sales in Oregon—a taller order for some if not for others. The admission of PHEVs into this mix, of course, gives some automakers a lifeline.”Oregon continues to see the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions across the state—with extreme heat, more severe wildfires, winter storms and flooding and prolonged drought—and I am committed to addressing the climate crisis with urgency,” said Oregon Governor Kate Brown.The state will take a number of other interim steps to achieve the 2035 goal, including investments in EV infrastructure and grid reliability. Oregon will invest some $100 million to build more EV charging stations along the state’s major highways, as well as expand their presence in rural areas of the state, which is perhaps where the greatest challenge lies for Oregon and for other states.If there is a major loophole to be seen at the moment, it is the fact that under these rules sales of plug-in hybrids will be permitted past the 2035 date if they offer a range of 50 miles or more. This doesn’t make a vehicle a zero-emission vehicle, as many critics note, so gas stations won’t disappear overnight and automakers will be able to produce fairly large and heavy PHEVs well past 2035. EVs, on the other hand, will have to offer a range of 150 miles under Oregon rules in addition to DC fast-charging capability, which by 2035 (if not today) seems quite easily accomplished. We don’t expect to see too many new EVs even past 2025 that won’t be able to do at least 150 miles on a single charge. This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Technology continues to play an increased role in the daily operation of our cars. For some, the shift has been welcome: stuffing modern technology into our cars has drastically increased available creature comforts during our daily commutes. For others, the addition of all this newfangled tech does nothing but add cost and complication. Not only has technology increased the price of new cars, but every new gadget bolted to your vehicle becomes one more thing to break, further increasing your costs. Then there’s the issue of getting the tech you actually want in your car. Want leather seats? You’re going to have to step up a trim level. Oh, you wanted a manual gearbox? That’s only available in the base trim. Want a reverse automated emergency braking warning to keep your teenager out of trouble? That’s fine, so long as you don’t mind also buying four completely unrelated features. Perhaps automakers signed up for “Stuffing Riders into Congressional Bills 101” during college and decided they should make car buying just as painful. Some automakers have been toying with the idea of shifting the buying process. Rather than buying the features and packages you want when buying your new car, the automaker would grant access to the features on a subscription program. Instead of spending thousands on a cold weather package, you could pay for things like heated seats only during the cold months you need them. Cue alarm bells. Indulging for a moment in the slippery-slope logical fallacy, what next? Could companies lock horsepower behind a subscription paywall? What about safety features? Could a company turn off some features the way some tech companies stop supporting old software?Joe Lorio|Car and DriverWe were recently playing in the menus of a 2023 BMW X1 when we came across a group of screens offering exactly that sort of subscription. BMW TeleService and Remote Software Upgrade showed a message that read Activated, while BMW Drive Recorder had options to subscribe for one month, one year, three years, or “Unlimited.” Reactions from the Car and Driver staff were swift and emotional. One staff member responded to the menus with a vomiting emoji, while another likened the concept to a video-game battle pass. We reached out to BMW to ask about the menus we found and to learn more about its plan for future subscriptions. The company replied that it doesn’t post a comprehensive list of prices online because of variability in what each car can receive. “Upgrade availability depends on factors such as model year, equipment level, and software version, so this keeps things more digestible for consumers,” explained one BMW representative. Our X1 for example, has an optional $25-per-year charge for traffic camera alerts, but that option isn’t available to cars without BMW Live Cockpit. Instead of listing all the available options online, owners can see which subscriptions are available for their car either in the menus of the vehicle itself or from a companion app.Related StoriesBMW USA may not want to confuse its customers by listing all its options in one place, but BMW Australia has no such reservations. In the land down under, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are available in a month-to-month format, as is BMW’s parking assistant technology. In contrast, BMW USA released a statement in July saying that if a U.S.-market vehicle is ordered with heated seats from the factory, that option will remain functional throughout the life of the vehicle. The jury is still out on the merits of technology-based-subscriptions in cars. Certainly, allowing customers the freedom to purchase the things they want and need, instead of forcing them to buy entire packages, is not a bad thing. But are endless subscriptions really the best solution for consumers? In 2019, BMW announced it would charge customers $80 per year for wireless Apple CarPlay. After considerable public backlash, BMW walked back the decision and instead offered the technology for free. BMW is wading into mostly uncharted waters here. The court of public opinion forced BMW to reverse a subscription in the past. If people decide these newer subscriptions are as egregious as the old ones, will they force BMW back again? Or will they instead stick to automakers who sell features outright?This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

It’s hard to believe that once not so long ago—at least, within the span of my own decrepit memory—Britain was the world’s second-largest maker of automobiles. Dozens of brands thrived and went forth, even after having the bejeezus pummeled out of their factories during the Second World War. While the once sprawling British empire’s authority as a global superpower stood much diminished after the war, its car plants were hot and busy in the 1950s and 1960s, spreading the glory of its manufacturing titans to the far corners of the globe.Much More on the U.K. TodayBefore many more years passed, however, a crippling combination of shaky management, insufficient investment, desperate consolidation, and antiquated facilities—coupled with near constant labor unrest—came home to roost. By the last quarter of the 20th century, there was little of Britain’s homegrown industry left standing. And then, more recently, things got worse. Today, 18 countries, including Canada and Slovakia, make more cars than Britain. And in other bad news for the island nation’s home team, car sales have gone down the loo, and for 2022 are on target to hit their lowest level in 40 years.Charlie Magee|Car and DriverModern JaguarsJaguar Land Rover, like many of the companies we talk about in our related story on the U.K. industry, has benefited enormously from foreign investment (India’s Tata having come to its rescue), but hard times, overly conservative design, and rum luck have diminished its once glorious luxury brand, Jaguar. The XF sedan is in what is likely its final model year, and the F-type is set to follow it off stage a year later, leaving Jaguar with a three-SUV lineup (E-Pace, F-Pace, and I-Pace). Thank goodness for Land Rover’s relative success, which has for now allowed it to carry Jaguar into the future, like a drunk partygoer getting hoisted over her burly boyfriend’s shoulder and delivered home. We’ll see how she feels in the morning. Meanwhile upscale sports-car makers Aston Martin and McLaren, no strangers to foreign investment, still make appealing automobiles but find themselves forced to scrabble for additional cash, often in most unfortunate and undignified ways. British Pride in ActionLower down the status totem pole, Ford stopped building cars in Britain in 2002 and trucks in 2016 and only recently announced that it would stop selling the Fiesta. (Ironically, the Fiesta bounced back in October to become the country’s number-one-selling vehicle.) In 2021, Honda closed its factory in Swindon.General Motors baled on British stalwart Vauxhall—maker (elsewhere) of what is today Britain’s number-two-selling machine, the Vauxhall Corsa—selling it to PSA way back in 2017. But the brand’s new owner, Stellantis, still builds Vauxhall vans in Luton, along with Peugeots and Fiats, and plans to build electric cars and trucks on old GM real estate in Ellesmere Port. Japan’s Toyota operates two factories in the U.K., while over in Sunderland, Nissan builds several models, including the Qashqai and Juke, and has recently retooled to expand electric vehicle capacity. Electrics in EnglandSpeaking of EVs, fully one-third of new car sales in Britain were electrified in October, a statistic that might sound more encouraging if the month’s overall sales weren’t even worse than last year’s dismal figures. Analysts blame the pandemic, inflation, and supply-chain difficulties. The latter might be alleviated if BritishVolt, which is on the precipice of receivership as of this writing, could get funding for its proposed giant $4.5 billion battery gigafactory in Teeside that would supply the country’s carmakers with the heavy (read expensive to ship) batteries they all say they’ll need. Englishman Andy Palmer, former Nissan executive and, more recently, chairman of Aston Martin where he led a less than stellar IPO before being run out of town, is leading the efforts of a Slovakian company, InoBat, to take the project over, but that might see factory sited instead in Spain, where government incentives are assured. Go Ahead, Blame BrexitOf course, no discussion of the British car industry’s dire predicament is complete without a mention of Brexit, the nation’s kneejerk decision to leave the European Union which has subjected its carmakers to all manner of costs, delays, and uncertainty. On our tour of several U.K. carmakers, none failed to mention it, and while they spoke somewhat reservedly and often in hushed tones, given its political volatility, the sad and disgruntled looks on their faces—with a touch of “we told you so” in their words—were yet another demonstration that the decision once narrowly approved by the British public (and now considerably less popular) appears to have hurt not only that public but also the companies who supply their cars.After the nuclear winter, it has been said, bright shoots will arise from the rubble. As the accompanying feature illustrates, the U.K.’s cottage carmakers remain resourceful and vital, as has its long-dominant network of race-car builders and suppliers. I remain hopeful that volume manufacture will continue here and that overall car sales will regain their luster. Because while the sun may never set on the British Empire, when it comes to building automobiles, one of our favorite—and, once upon a time, most consequential—distant stars has been occluded for too long. Call me an optimist. But I just know the glass is 1/8 full. This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More