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The U.S. Postal Service has announced that 50 percent of its upcoming Next Generation Delivery Vehicle postal vans, approved earlier this year, will be battery-electric powered. The USPS had said earlier this year that a much smaller number of the new delivery trucks—10 and later 20 percent—would be EVs.The U.S. Postal Service expects the NGDVs to join the fleet in late 2023. The 1987-era trucks used by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail will be replaced soon, and a lot more of them will be electric vehicles, the agency announced this week. The USPS had said in February that it would buy up to 165,000 New Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) trucks, which were custom-designed for postal use by Oshkosh Defense after a drawn-out bidding process to replace the USPS’s aging fleet. At that time, the plan was that only about 10 percent of the new vehicles would be EVs. That announcement brought criticism—along with lawsuits from 16 states and environmental groups—because of the terrible fuel economy (less than 9 mpg) these new trucks were expected to achieve. Now the USPS has changed its plan and says that at least 50 percent of its new purpose-built trucks will be EVs.

Sam Mintz via Twitter

The Postal Service gave lack of money as a reason for originally declining to invest in electric trucks. Fiscal responsibility is also the reason given for limiting the initial number of NGDV trucks it will buy to 50,000. Meanwhile, the USPS plans to purchase 34,500 additional “off-the-shelf” commercial vehicles over a two-year period. These will include “as many BEVs as are commercially available and satisfy operational needs,” according to a statement today. Using this formula, in the end the new postal fleet is expected to consist of about 40 percent EVs.The public comment period has been extended until August 15 to allow people to respond to the latest plan, and a virtual hearing on August 8 is open to the public.
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A new look at the upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV, taken from a thumbnail image spotted on the website, shows it from a new angle in bright blue.The electric SUV is claimed to start at around $30,000 and will be available in fall 2023 as a 2024 model.The Equinox EV’s higher-end sibling, the Blazer EV, was fully revealed on Monday, and this new sighting could indicate that the Equinox EV won’t be far behind.Chevy’s electric vehicle lineup has something old in the forthcoming Silverado EV, which bears a nameplate first introduced in 1975. It has something new in the designed-from-scratch Bolt EV and EUV. As of Monday, it has something borrowed, with the newly unveiled Blazer EV becoming the first electric vehicle to bear Chevy’s Super Sport badge. And now, evidently, it has something blue.

Chevy’s upcoming EVs
Chevrolet

The Equinox EV has been spotted under Upcoming Vehicles on Chevy’s website dressed in, fittingly, electric blue. First revealed in January, Chevy’s midlevel electric SUV offering is set to hit dealer lots in fall 2023 at a price starting around $30,000, but it doesn’t yet have an official release date. However, the addition of the Equinox EV to the Chevy website could be a clue that that day is soon to come.The website thumbnail, which Car and Driver was able to find in a higher-definition version, shows the Equinox EV in a hitherto unseen pose—a side view—with an electric blue body and a white roof. It’s the same color combination first seen in a teaser video Chevy posted in March, which highlighted the Equinox EV’s sporty, forward-thinking yet subdued looks.
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This won’t be the first EV Chevy has offered in an eye-catching cobalt. The Bolt EV and EUV are both available with a Bright Blue Metallic paint job that, in fact, looks very similar to the color shown here. However, the bright two-tone exterior pictured on the Equinox EV could foreshadow a variety of spunky color options, and it hints at what niche Chevy is looking for the SUV to fill as it expands its electric offerings ahead of 2035, when GM intends to go all-electric.

At around $30,000, the Equinox EV will be priced similarly to the Bolts, but it shares a platform with the more expensive Blazer EV, as well as the Cadillac Lyriq and the soon-to-be-released Cadillac Celestiq. This means the Equinox EV is more likely to have all-wheel drive as an option, which the Bolts lack, and have a little extra power than the Bolts’ 200 horsepower.

Equinox EV Interior
Chevrolet

All this combined with the stylish, fun exterior shown on Chevy’s website suggests the Equinox EV will be a sporty, entry-level compact electric SUV akin to . . . well, not akin to many things. The Hyundai Kona Electric doesn’t have all-wheel drive, and other competitors are pushing $40,000 or more. So while the Equinox EV doesn’t have a release date yet, it may be worth the wait once it comes, which could be sooner rather than later.
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• The Ferrari 308 remains a 1980s icon, but few have the performance to match the looks.• In the case of this car, currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer until July 26, a full in-period race-car conversion is backed up with a recent restoration and a tasteful Martini livery.• Ownership history includes one of Germany’s leading Ferrari specialists.Mention the words “Ferrari” and “Hawaii” in close succession, and a mental image forms quickly. A red 308, a Hawaiian shirt, and That Moustache. But in this case, the car is no Magnum P.I. prop. It’s far cooler. Currently located in Haiku on the island of Maui in Hawaii, this very special 308 is up for auction at Bring a Trailer, a part of Hearst Autos, as is Car and Driver. Bidding ends on Tuesday, July 26, and the expectation is that the car will fetch the kind of money that would just about get you a modern 296GTB.

Bring a Trailer

In 1985, the 308 was ending a decade-long run as Ferrari’s V-8–powered sports car. It was a car found on countless bedroom posters, its languid curves calling back to the gorgeous Ferraris of the 1960s. Further, the 308 had provided the basis for the 288GTO, considered the first Ferrari supercar.

Bring a Trailer

Enthusiasts can of course begin here to arm-wrestle over the pecking order between the 288GTO, the F40, and the F50. But in terms of more ordinary Ferraris, the 308 is the one that many a dreamer longed for, years before a driver’s license was a possibility. The only problem is that the juice isn’t really worth the squeeze; 308s are relatively expensive to maintain compared to a later 328, and with horsepower generally hovering around 250 horsepower, the looks aren’t backed up by the performance.

A Ferrari 308 is not a Porsche 911—it’s not likely that an owner is going to want to drive any great distances. So, if you’re going to spring for a Sunday-morning espresso, why not make it a doppio with a race car converted back to road specification? This 1985 308 was reportedly converted to a racing machine in the late 1980s, which included fiberglass panels for lightweighting, and the removal of all unnecessary comforts. The experience offered is just seat, gated shifter, and a Ferrari V-8.

Bring a Trailer

But things get better. Originally delivered in Belgium, this 308 eventually passed into the hands of Uwe Meissner, a German Ferrari specialist. It was Meissner’s personal car, and why that is important should become clear with a short explanation.Meissner founded Modena Motorsport in 1983, and this car still carries a windshield banner from the company. Specializing in vintage Ferraris, he soon moved into working on the F1 cars themselves. Long before Ferrari established its Clienti program, Meissner was making it possible for well-heeled drivers to experience the cars driven by Jacky Ickx, Nigel Mansell, and Michael Schumacher.

Bring a Trailer

Meissner drove most F1 single-seaters in the 1990-to-2000 range himself and is said to have liked the 1991 Mansell car the best of them all. However, when his very rich clients were amusing themselves on the circuit, he wanted something interesting to drive himself. This is it.The engine is a 3.2-liter V-8, rebuilt to rev to 9000 rpm. Power is a staggering 411 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, backed up by a dyno test. The gearbox is a five-speed manual transaxle modified to handle the extra power. Brakes are AP Racing, and the 15-inch bronze-finish wheels wear Pirellis (naturally) of staggered widths, 225 mm up front and 285 mm in back.This car will probably go for a lot of money, but just imagine it: the satisfying click-clack of the exposed shifter gate as you go from second to third. The shove in the back and the sound in your ears as the eight individual throttle bodies gulp air and the rpm rises. The horizon beckoning under the hot Hawaiian sun, the Pacific dark blue and flecked with surf. Magnum never had it so good.

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After teasing it ad nauseam, Honda has finally revealed the 2023 Honda Civic Type R. Well, mostly revealed it, anyway. We still don’t know how much horsepower it has or what was done to its chassis, other than that bits have been “enhanced.” What we do know is that the latest version of Honda’s hottest hatchback is said to be more powerful than it has ever been. It also looks more mature, which was an easy bar to clear because its predecessor looked like something out of the Japanese anime series Gundam Wing.
R-acy and R-estrained AppearanceIt’s no secret that the outgoing Civic Type R had love-it-or-hate-it styling. For better or worse, the new CTR doesn’t elicit such strong reactions. However, we think it looks wonderful, with only a handful of racy add-ons that don’t ruin the otherwise restrained design. Sure, there are still some fake vents for vanity’s sake, but the ones behind the front wheels are now real. The rear spoiler remains a prominent feature, but it’s no longer a boy-racer caricature.
Like the outgoing version, the new Civic Type R has some unique bodywork. It’s still only offered as a hatchback—per tradition—and has flared fenders that distinguish it from lesser Civics. Honda also gives it wider rear doors that you won’t find on the regular hatch. The side sills are another unique touch, and in the back is a black diffuser with the Type R’s trademark triple-tip, center-exit exhaust.R-eturn of the SidewallEasily overlooked, but hugely important, is the R-rated Civic’s new wheel-and-tire combination. The last one rode on 20-inch rims with 245/30 summer rubber that had pancake-thin sidewalls. Mercifully, a smaller set of lightweight 19-inch rollers with thicker sidewalls is now standard. Don’t worry, though; Honda only downsizes the wheel diameter. The CTR’s contact patch is now notably wider thanks to its new 265/30 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires.Normally, the big news with an all-new Civic Type R would be its performance specs. Unfortunately, those are being kept under lock and key until Honda reveals them closer to the car’s launch this fall. Luckily, we have some hard facts about what’s under the hood to hold us over. Its to-be-determined power comes from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Once again, the engine’s partner in lap times is a six-speed manual transmission with a rev-match feature.Honda says it’ll be the “most powerful Type R ever.” The U.S. version previously had 306 horsepower; those in the Europe and Japan markets had 316 horses. Is it safe to say the 2023 Civic Type R will have at least 317? The way Honda phrased it makes us think that could be the case, but corporate marketing is a fickle friend, so we’ll just have to wait and see. That also goes for its suspension and steering. They’re somehow improved. That’s all we know for now.R-ed Carpet TreatmentInside, the car’s Type R–specific front seats come in any color you want as long as it’s bright red. We had the chance to sit in these new buckets and can report that they’re super comfortable. The U.S.-spec model will also have red carpeting for the first time, a treatment that was previously only seen in other markets. As of right now, we’re not sure whether Honda will offer a black carpet or not.
The rest of the hot hatch’s interior is what you’ll find in the regular Civic hatchback’s top trims. That means a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic dual-zone climate control, and a fully digital gauge cluster. In the Type R, the latter displays a unique design in the +R drive model. It includes shift lights, gear position, and a race-car-inspired graphic for the tachometer.Honda hasn’t said how much the 2023 Civic Type R will cost, but it’s expected to exceed the price of the 2021 model, which started at $38,910.
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