#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
Is the electric car revolution stalling? It’s a question on many minds as we see a surprising trend emerging: nearly 50% of EV owners in the US and Australia are considering switching back to petrol cars having owned and run an EV. 🚗💥
In a shocking turn of events, today’s global software outage has wreaked havoc across multiple industries, causing absolute chaos and pandemonium. This incident, triggered by a faulty update from CrowdStrike, has left countless systems inoperable, grounded flights, disrupted banking services, and even affected healthcare operations. But as we grapple with the immediate fallout, a pressing question arises: could such a catastrophe also strike our cars?
Right, so you might remember that I made a couple of videos in the last few months about how the next generation, younger people, are not getting into motoring as much as our generation did. And I’ve been quite fair in saying that, considering the cost and everything involved in the process, it does make perfect sense. But hold on, because there’s some new evidence that’s just come to light, thanks to Auto Trader, that might make me rethink that stance. Either I jumped to that conclusion too quickly, or maybe things are changing.
It has begun! Barely five days after the new Labour government took power, we’re already seeing the early signs of what many, including myself, have been warning about for years. The dreaded pay-per-mile road user charging system is no longer a distant threat but a looming reality. This development isn’t just a hypothesis from a fictional narrative in my book The ULEZ Files (which predicts PPM implementation in London in the year 2026) but this is a tangible shift happening right now – potentially turning my fiction into our fact!
Ford, the very company that phased out the likes of the Fiesta and Focus, is now making headlines with a bold announcement – it wants people to fall in love with small cars again. As such, there is a sub-$30,000 electric vehicle in Ford’s pipeline, set to hit the market by 2027.
A video caught my eye the other day: “Why Everyone is Quitting BIG Automotive YouTube Channels (Donut, Hoonigan, CarThrottle)” from AutoTea Channel. Turns out that fledgling channel (fast-growing though – with just five videos it already has over a million views and nearly 10k subs), belongs to Tiernan, who himself was part of the team that grew Donut Media, and indeed has now left.
This past week saw the reveal of three sensational new cars: the Aston Martin Valiant, the Bentley Continental GT, and the BMW M5. These are not just any cars – we’re talking about the pinnacle of automotive engineering, boasting incredible power, luxury, and performance. Yet, despite their jaw-dropping specs and prestigious badges, the reaction has been surprisingly subdued. What’s going on?
In 35 years of covering the car industry, I’ve never seen such confusion and uncertainty as we’re experiencing now. Traditionally, when sitting down with car company executives, they’d be confident, thinking years ahead with clear plans. That’s no longer the case. Ask them about the future these days and you can see them struggling to resist an urge to shrug and fling their hands in the air in confusion. So what gives?
Breaking news! The EU is set to impose hefty tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), with rates potentially reaching up to 48%. This dramatic move combines new tariffs with existing ones and is set to take effect from the 4th of July. This decision stems from the EU’s ongoing concerns over heavy subsidies provided by the Chinese government to its EV manufacturers, which is seen as giving them an unfair advantage in the global market.
While on a Nissan media trip to Portugal to drive the new 2024 Qashqai (review coming very soon) we were also given a presentation on Nissan’s future plans up to 2026 and beyond, particularly in regards to drivetrains. And it’s not entirely EV as you might think. Watch the video below, or read on.
