Volkswagen Won’t Be Saving the Manuals

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Volkswagen has been very vocal about its plans to have a mostly electrified lineup by 2025. And while that makes me feel sad that certain sporty gas cars like the Golf R and GTI likely aren’t part of the future picture, but what makes us even sadder is that the German automaker plans to completely do away with manual transmission in its cars in the coming years as well.

Manual transmissions and electric vehicles don’t mix well

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S EV SUV model | Volkswagen of America, Inc. Newspress Limited

While we can all mourn the loss of the manual transmission in most cars, any Volkswagen fans will really be sad in the coming years. Automotive News reports that VW is looking to become the electric car sales leader by 2025 with a target of one million EVs sold by then. It’s a lofty goal, that could likely be extended. However, the German brand is making decent headway with its new ID.4 EV.

As you can imagine, that car isn’t available with a manual transmission. In fact, no electric vehicles currently are because manual transmissions and EVs don’t mix well together. Given the linear power delivery and motor configuration in most EVs, automakers typically attach a single-gear transmission to them for better efficiency and overall drivability. As such, Volkswagen will no longer need to install them in any of its vehicles in the future.

Volkswagen is aiming for EVs to make up 70 percent of sales

The front end and VW logo of the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 EV SUV
The front end of the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 EV SUV | Volkswagen of America, Inc. Newspress Limited

While we can expect that no Volkswagen models will come with a manual transmission by 2030, the German automaker plans to ax the stick shifts in every European model after 2023, reports Car Buzz. The U.S. and China markets will follow shortly after. Volkswagen is planning to have electric vehicles account for 70% of its sales by that 2030 mark.

Although, Volkswagen isn’t the only brand to do away with manual transmission models. Mercedes-Benz is planning to do away with all of its manual transmission models as well in order to cut costs and streamline production, reports Shifting Gears. And while we can all keep our fingers crossed that more automakers don’t follow suit, it could be likely to happen as many brands like Honda and Toyota are adding more hybrid and electric vehicles to their lineups as well.

What about the other gas vehicles in the lineup?

Rear view of blue 2022 Volkswagen Golf R driving on a curvy road
2022 Volkswagen Golf R | Volkswagen

You can still currently purchase certain Volkswagen models with a manual transmission. Cars like the GTI and Jetta are still available with a stick shift, however, we don’t know how long they will be around. If anything, now is a great time to enjoy them if you’re looking to shift your own gears into the future.

Otherwise, you’ll have to get used to the single speed of a CVT as well as the quiet hum of an electric motor if you’re planning to buy a Volkswagen in the future. At least we have until 2030 to buy a stick shift, after that, we can likely say goodbye to the manual transmission, whether it’s Volkswagen or just about any other brand.

RELATED: The Volkswagen ID.5 Is Just an ID.4 With a Slightly Smaller Cargo Space

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2022 Ford Bronco Nods at Heritage With Eruption Green Paint Option

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Among the many cars rebuilt from the classics and well-loved favorites from generations ago is the Ford Bronco, renovated to look even more modern than we had hoped, with plenty of features to keep us on the line waiting to know more. If you’ve seen the new Ford Bronco on the street, there is no doubt that it made you do a double-take, and it demands even more attention off-road. While the 2022 Ford Bronco looks very different from the original, Ford made several nods to the Bronco we knew and loved, and for next year’s model that includes a classic paint option: Eruption Green.

What makes the 2022 Ford Bronco so special?

A line worker assembles Ford Motor Company’s Ford Bronco on the line at their Michigan Assembly Plant | JEFF KOWALSKY, AFP, Getty Images

The Ford Bronco isn’t the oldest, longest production model vehicle from Ford. In fact, if you aren’t a fan of the original Bronco, chances are you might not really think that the revival is any big deal. There isn’t anything about the Bronco that really sets it apart from many other off-road dominating SUV options of the same era, but similar to cars like the Toyota Supra and Nissan Z, the comeback of the Ford Bronco warmed the hearts of the many enthusiasts that still loves and appreciated the original cars but wanted something more modern.

“Automotive enthusiasts, and especially Bronco fans, are passionate about colors and will be excited about Eruption Green. Paint has a wonderful way of evolving because of technology. Eruption Green is a contemporary color, but there’s a connection with Bronco heritage. It’s evergreen-inspired, with yellow highlights that really tie it into nature.”

Barb Whalen, Ford color and materials manager

Where did Eruption Green come from?

Fans of the first generation of the Ford Bronco, which was in production from 1966 to 1977, may not recognize the paint color by name, as it isn’t the original paint you could find on the car — and if you’re wondering why that matters, it is because it is important to note that it is not the same color. Rather, Eruption Green was inspired by an original Ford Bronco color, Mallard Green, but with updates to the color provided by modern paint technology to produce a deeper, more beautiful green color with higher quality paint. This isn’t completely unheard of, as McLaren did something similar with the 2021 McLaren GT, which is offered in Papaya Spark — though it is a more complex version of the original color which did not incorporate the same yellow flake, but both paints, unfortunately, go under the same name, which is rather confusing. To avoid this, the 2022 Ford Bronco green goes by Eruption Green, so no mistakes can be made there.

Why do brands reinvent the same colors with modern paint?

From a consumer standpoint, it may not seem obvious just how much automotive paint has changed in the past few decades, but it has greatly. You may have noticed that modern cars have a paint that seems to last longer and look fresher years after purchase, where many older vehicles began to show the effects of harmful UV rays even within the first few years of purchase. Manufacturers with a consumer basis that appreciate the brand’s heritage allow for the paint to be a medium through which we can make a simple and underrated nod toward older generations of vehicles, as McLaren has done with Papaya Spark and the same way the 2022 Ford Bronco does with Eruption Green. The benefits of reinventing the colors rather than creating new ones altogether or staying with the same old paint formulas are that we are able to enjoy the benefits of more modern paint qualities while still appreciating the most iconic colors of these keynote vehicles.

RELATED: Is the 2021 Ford Maverick a Bronco Pickup?

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Amazon Tesla Autopilot Buddy Accessory Could Lead to Disastrous Accidents

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Amazon is currently selling a dangerous Tesla Autopilot Buddy accessory. The accessory is one of many devices built to fool Tesla’s Autopilot feature. Here’s how the product could lead to disastrous accidents for consumers who purchase it.

Amazon accessory is designed to trick Tesla Autopilot

Tesla interior | Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images

Tesla’s Autopilot is one of the most misunderstood vehicle features today. Contrary to popular belief, the feature was never designed to allow autonomous driving. It is simply an advanced driver assistance feature that was made to make driving more effortless.

Many consumers have misused the feature and gotten into accidents. Some have even fallen asleep while the feature was activated. The feature’s origins stem from the automaker trying to prevent accidents. Instead, the feature is becoming hazardous.

According to Roadshow by CNET, Amazon currently sells an accessory that makes it easier for Tesla owners to take advantage of the Autopilot feature. The accessory is a weighted device that helps limit hands-off operation warnings in Autopilot Mode. Autopilot is only meant to be used when drivers have their hands on the steering wheel and are actively monitoring the vehicle.

This device enables Tesla drivers to take their attention off of driving. This is dangerous for several reasons. Teslas aren’t actually autonomous despite clever marketing shenanigans by the automaker. Accidents are proving that Tesla Autopilot is actually less skilled at driving than humans. This makes the Tesla Autopilot Buddy accessory incredibly reckless to use.

Tesla Autopilot Buddy accessory could lead to fatalities

The interior of a Tesla Model 3.
The interior of a Model 3 | Tesla

If a Tesla’s Autopilot is fooled by the weighed device or one of its knockoffs, it will warn drivers about the dangers of taking their hands off the wheel less. The Autopilot’s advanced driving skill could lull occupants into a false sense of security. A few moments texting while the Autopilot is distracted by the accessory, and bam! You could injure yourself or others.

Teslas are already getting into accidents when Autopilot is engaged because drivers are distracted. A tool that enables and encourages distracted driving will undoubtedly cause issues. Hopefully, consumers recognize the dangers of this accessory before it results in fatalities.

Is Tesla Autopilot safe?

Tesla’s Autopilot feature is currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The investigation comes after Tesla Autopilot has been responsible for many crashes by 2014-2021 models. The models include the Model S, X, Y, and 3.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reports of at least 31 crashes caused by Tesla Autopilot. Autopilot has faced criticism for years, and the accidents span from 2018 to 2021. It seems that the controversial feature isn’t as safe or capable as the automaker presented it to be.

Autopilot should be used with caution if used at all. The feature is being misused and also appears to be malfunctioning when near emergency vehicles due to sirens. Autopilot can be very dangerous, and the Amazon Tesla Autopilot Buddy accessory and its knockoffs can get people killed.

RELATED: Lawsuit: Tesla’s Under More Fire After Another Autopilot Accident With the Model X

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First and Only Black Nascar Cup Winner Gets His Trophy: 58 Years Late

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize achievements in sports. And sometimes, it is baked into the culture of the event or sanctioning body. And every so often, after years of commentary and a sanctioning body’s inertia, it gets fixed. That happened this week with the first and only black cup winner in NASCAR history.

The story of Wendell Scott is well known. In 1963 he won the Jacksonville 200 race by two laps. It wasn’t even close. But NASCAR couldn’t see itself giving the trophy to a black man, so it gave it to second-place winner Buck Baker. 

NASCAR race officials saw Scott won but didn’t change the record books for two more years

Wendell Scott works on one of his Modified stock cars in the 1950s. Scott would go on to run 495 NASCAR Cup races and is the only African-American driver to win a Cup race | ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images

Supposedly, later that night race officials smoked over the lap charts and saw the “mistake.” So a month after winning the race he was given the winner’s purse. But the record was not changed for another two years. 

As great as it would have been to give Scott a victory lane celebration after the fact, that never happened. He died in 1990 without the satisfaction of that simple gesture. But the idea that NASCAR should right the wrong has not died. 

NASCAR finally gave the Scott family the winning trophy almost 60 years later

NASCAR driver Wendell Scott
Darrell Wallace, Jr. celebrates with Wendell Scott, Jr. in Victory Lane after Wallace Jr’s victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 on October 25, 2014 | Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Finally, at the regular-season finale at Daytona, to celebrate what would have been Scott’s 100th birthday as well as his 1963 victory, the trophy was awarded to his family. It didn’t go unnoticed that at this same closing event NASCAR awarded the 2021 championship trophy to Kyle Larson.

You might remember Larson. He was suspended just last season over using the N-word during a virtual race. The optics were more than a little embarrassing. 

So, after almost 60 years, why does the trophy matter? “It matters because my father earned it and it was something he had to labor on,” son Frank Scott said. “He always wanted to get his trophy and he predicted that he would get his trophy one day. He said, ‘I may not be here with you all, but one day I’ll get my trophy.’

Why it is important

Franklin Scott, son of Wendell Scott
Franklin Scott talks with the media about his father, Wendell Scott at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 21, 2014 | Grant Halverson/NASCAR via Getty Images

“It’s important because I see the growth in NASCAR and I see the growth in diversity that didn’t use to exist, and I think that’s something that this will lay a really solid foundation to build on. Not saying they don’t have a foundation now, but … we got it right. When you learn better, you do better. It’s been a while, but we’re enthusiastic about it. We’re not getting stuck in the past.”

So, the recognition Scott justly deserved was finally acknowledged by NASCAR. It is one small step for inclusion and helping to offset some of NASCAR’s past transgressions. 

RELATED: NASCAR Driver Quits After Confederate Flag Ban Announcement

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