A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
Quebec sets EV mandates
La belle province proved itself forward looking this week, announcing plans to have 100,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the roads by 2020. With plenty of hydroelectric power on offer, EVs have long been popular in Quebec, and the new bill is hoped to increase adoption of zero emissions technology.
EV buyers in Quebec will have access to an $8,000 rebate, with a $1,000 subsidy towards installing an in-home charger (these normally cost about $1,500). Thus, something like a Nissan Leaf starts looking to be about the same price as the mid-sized Altima. The rebate will also likely bridge the gap between the base Prius and the plug-in Prius Prime.
Widespread adoption of EVs in one of Canada’s coldest provinces might have some interesting effects down the road. With a large sample population weathering harsh winters, companies working on making EV tech more flexible can see what real-world issues crop up, and make developments accordingly.
Audi plans further RS-ification
The Audi RS line represents the pinnacle of the brand. Analogous to BMW’s M division or Mercedes’ AMG brand, an RS badge means you’re driving the fastest, baddest machines to wear the four-ringed badge. Thanks to the sales success of AMG, we’re getting more of them.
You can trace the breed back to the Audi RS2, a boosted up wagon based on the Audi 80. Never officially imported to North America, there are nonetheless a few of these running around Canada. It’s a neat machine, incorporating a considerable amount of engineering from Porsche, who built it on the production line that once made the 959 supercar.
These days, RS-branded Audis are designed and engineered in-house. On this side of the water, we get the RS7 and soon the TT-RS. Across the Atlantic, there’s the RS Q3 crossover, the fierce little RS3, and the delectable RS6 Avant wagon. The last is surely the best way to make your labradoodle two-dimensional.
Audi Sport chief Stephan Winkelmann, the one-time head of Lamborghini, has revealed plans to add eight RS models to the lineup by 2018. While no specifics were given, the European press is speculating there’ll be RS versions of the A1, the A4, and the Q5, as well as possibly the flagship R8.
Since you can buy a Mercedes-AMG version of just about everything, and since fuel prices look to continue to be cheap (at least in the United States), you can probably expect to see a few RS-badged crossovers showing up in the North American market before too long. C’mon Audi, send us one of your wagons.
The Nürburgring gets Ram’d
The Green Hell, as it’s sometimes called, is a brutally long and dangerous circuit used in endurance racing that just happens to also be open to the public. Many manufacturers use the Nürburgring for vehicle development, and setting a fast lap time is seen as an essential marketing strategy to show off just how capable your new sportscar is.
So anyway, here are 1,152 Dodge Rams on it.
As you’d expect, there’s an attempt at a Guinness World Record going on here, one for the largest ever pickup-truck parade. The Dodge gathering easily smashed the old record, forming an incredibly long train of trucks for a slow lap of Germany’s most famous racetrack. Pretty impressive, although basically what rush hour in Edmonton looks like.
Ford EcoSport set for North America
With small crossovers selling well, Ford has decided to spread out their line a little. Joining the Escape, Edge, and Explorer is the new Ford EcoSport, a tiny little crossover based on the Fiesta.
Due to launch soon, the EcoSport looks to capitalize on the trend for small car buyers to want the same higher seating position as the rest of the market. It’ll get the same engine options as the Fiesta, so expect it to trade some of the Fiesta’s nippy handling for an increased ride height.
You know what this means, of course. At some point, every single vehicle on the road will be a crossover of some kind. Then, Ford or Chevy or Honda will introduce the super crossover, an even taller version of an existing vehicle. For a time, buying a super crossover the size of a railway observation car will allow you to see over the CR-Vs and RAV4s and Highlanders of your fellow motorists. Then there’ll be two, then there’ll be four, and soon we’ll have to raise our overpasses.
Kit Kat battles larceny with chocolate
You’re never supposed to leave your car unlocked, but that’s just what a Kansas college student did. Having stepped away from his car for a bit, he returned to find that someone had opened the door and made off with a Kit Kat.
The thief left a note: “Saw Kit Kat in your cup holder. I love Kit Kats so I checked your door and it was unlocked. Did not take anything other than the Kit Kat. I am sorry and hungry.”
Thanks to the amplification effects of social media, the story came to the attention of Kit Kat’s PR team, who spotted an opportunity. They contacted the student, Hunter Jobbins, and offered to fill his entire car with boxes of Kit Kats.
Jobbins parked the car out front of his university’s main hall and attempted to give away most of the chocolate bars, but still ended up with enough to ensure that the freshman 15 will be more like the freshman 50.
Watch this space for all the week’s best and worst of automotive news, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected].
-thumb.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
