Well, the sheets are finally off and we’ve got our first look at the sedan that’ll join the 4C Coupe and Spyder in welcoming Alfa-Romeo back to North America. I have two words, and both of them are humina. Humina-humina!
The Giulia is approximately a BMW 3-Series rival in size, but oh sweet Lord does it look bella. You can’t see this, but I’m gesturing wildly to convey just how exciting this car is. First, there’s lots of aluminium for lightness and stiffness. Next, there’s a twin-turbo Ferrari-derived V-6 good for 510 horsepower. Then, there’s perfect 50/50 weight distribution, and active aerodynamics to improve handling at speed.
What could be better? What single thing could crown this sumptuous red beast like a tiara on a royal princess?
Well, how about this: you’re going to be able to buy the car in its most hard-core Quadrofoglio form, only in manual and rear-wheel drive.
And lo, the heavens parted and a mighty voice came from on high.
“Be not afraid,” it spaketh, “Yes the reliability will be utterly disastrous, but just look at what I have createdeth. Not bad, eh?”
Oh yes please.
Toyota splices Sienna minivan to Tacoma pickup
It is important for families to have shared interests. Board games night, for instance. Family movie time. Post apocalyptic desert vehicular combat. You know: the traditional pursuits.
If you’re into the latter, then sign up for this wild beast, the Toyota Ultimate Utility Vehicle (UUV). Designed for the school commute to drop off your little Lord Humongous and wee Furiosa, the UUV looks exactly like you’d expect: like it’s driven by Mad Dad Max.
Were you thinking of merely buying a Honda Odyssey in Touring trim? That is a puny plan. Instead, build your own version of this SEMA-special Sienna/Tacoma mashup (obviously not intended for production) and go raid the neighbours for gasoline reserves.
Chrysler Canada gets Wrangler out of the cans
It’s always great when a promotional stunt does a little good as well. In this case, the benefit was two- fold, with a group of 12 to 18 year olds getting to practice their building skills, and the results going to charity.
Built on Canada Day (get it? “Can”ada? sigh) the Canstruction team built a full-sized convertible Wrangler out of 4,500 tins of food, with all cans going directly to the
Vancouver Food Bank. A little awareness about the food bank during the summer months is much needed as reserves tend to get low this far away from the Christmas and holiday season.
For the students involved it was a fun task. The Canstruction non-profit tries to fight hunger and poverty while also encouraging kids to get into science, math and engineering.
Lexus to bring back SC badged grand tourer
The old SC430 didn’t have a legion of fans, but it was very good at its job. As a grand tourer of exceptional reliability and polish, you could hardly do better.
Now, Lexus appears to be mulling a return to that form with a new SC, one that’d take on the BMW 6 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe. The car, so it is said, will be based on the LF-LC concept shown a couple of years ago at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Power is rumoured to be the same as the current RC-F coupe, a 450 h.p. V-8. Being a Lexus, there’s a higher-powered hybrid model planned too.
The RC-F already feels a little more like a Grand Tourer than a corner carver, so perhaps this a good thing. Expect the SC to be poised, refined, impeccably crafted, and to have a face like a deranged hair dryer.
Cadillac XT5 ready for production
Cadillac, so they would have you believe, is a company built on luxury with a new edgy focus on performance. Certainly, it’s true that they built some very sharp-driving cars, but the sales figures don’t lie: were it not for the XTS crossover, Caddy would be in the poorhouse; it’s more than half their sales. Thus, the replacement must be excellent. A few spy shots are out, and, well, it’s not amazing. The prototype has the Cadillac cues, but looks more like a Ford Escape than the Standard of the World.
Still, perhaps this is only a demo. If Cadillac is to succeed, they’ll need more mini-Escalades than chrome-infusions for Chevy-based crossovers.
Automakers move to stop home car repair and modification
Well here’s an odd one — the Alliance of Global Automakers, a powerful lobbying group representing multiple manufacturers, is moving to apply the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act to cars. The idea is to prevent owners from doing their own repairs or performing modifications to a vehicle, claiming that tampering with a car infringes copyright.
Remember the old anti-piracy, “You wouldn’t download a car,” ads? Well, this is that same idea made reality. As our cars get more and more computerized and electronic safety systems more complex, it seems as though manufacturers are concerned with how customers might endanger themselves by improperly fiddling with something.
Oh, let’s be serious — they’re worried about the legal implications of somebody re-flashing their ECU for more turbo power and accidentally turning off the automatic braking.
As patent law doesn’t really cover personal modifications, the DMCA is the only way to go after DIY customizers.
On one hand, maybe there’s a point to be made here. Have you seen this whole hella-flush and stance craze, where cars zip around with ludicrously stretched tires and ridiculous camber? Looks cool, makes a car slow, prone to blowouts, and handles like the worst shopping cart at the supermarket.
As for repairs, ever pop the hood on a modern car? They already cover everything up with plastic shielding, to the point where you can’t even tell if there’s an engine in there or just a photocopier. RIP the days of DIY.
However, manufacturers who don’t want people to fiddle with their cars are going to be fighting a losing battle. Customizing and simple stuff like changing your own oil is practically a way of life for many, and good luck trying to stop it.
@brendan_mcaleer
