A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
Ford plans hybrid Mustang and F150
Two of the most red-meat vehicles on the planet must be Ford’s F-Series pickup truck, and its Mustang two-door. The former’s for haulin’ stuff, and the latter’s for haulin’ butt. Yee-haw, etc. Pass me your finest, largest belt buckle.
However, Ford’s ringing in the new year with the surprising announcement that they’ll be adding hybrid versions of both vehicles to the lineup by 2020. What in tarnation? Now you jest hold on a minute there – are you talkin’ ‘bout turning my pony car into some kinda eco-weenie mobile that hugs trees and eats grass?
Well sir, let me point out that actual ponies eat grass, and plenty of incautiously driven V-8 Mustangs have occasionally hugged a tree, albeit usually only the one time per car. But I digress: the hybrid pickup and coupe/convertible can be seen as nothing but good news for the blue oval, and for the rest of us.
Slated to launch with rear-wheel drive and potentially Ford’s new 10-speed transmission, hybrid versions of the F150 and Mustang should allow two well-loved machines to expand their portfolio. If both are initially available as plug-in hybrids, which seems likely, then they’d represent an extra choice for working machines that spend a lot of time otherwise idling in traffic, and for a fun-to-drive machine that doesn’t punish you so much at the pump.
I’d expect the engine to be a four-cylinder turbocharged offering, perhaps a next-gen version of Ford’s Ecoboost lineup. Ford is already promising power levels near that of a current V-8 Mustang for its projected 2020 hybrid. Sure, it’ll burn less fuel, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a hoot to drive.
Does the future belong to minivans?
Fiat-Chrysler’s new concept is called the Portal, and it’s pitched heavily at the millennial market. Looking a bit like a smaller version of the Pacifica minivan, it’s got four sliding doors, a futuristic looking interior, and a roof made from carbon-fibre beams. It’s also fully electric, as you’d expect.
It all looks plenty fancy, but it’s not the gadgets that impress, but the Portal’s flexible interior. Simple features like integrated seatbelts (which you already get in most minivans) let the seats slide around to configure in multiple different ways. As the Portal is intended to have autonomous capacity at some point, the spacious and re-configurable interior just makes sense. And it asks an important question.
Many current manufacturers show us the autonomous future as being a stylish sedan or crossover that’s capable of taking over driving when we’re tired. The rest of the time, the car is a luxury item that looks gorgeous in your driveway.
But is an imposing grille and some fancy chrome really the car of the future? What if you could just buy a big, fat, overstuffed chair of a car to get you through traffic? Put it another way – who would you get to drive you through downtown in the middle of a rainy rush hour? Your friend with the Mazda Miata, or your pal who has a Honda Odyssey with the rear DVD entertainment package?
If you’re not paying attention to either the driving or the scenery, then what’s needed is a living room on wheels. Minivans are already by far the most useful way to capitalize on road space, and if you’re not doing the driving, who cares about the cool factor?
Strap on some automotive jogging pants and enjoy the comfort. You can always save up for a roadster for the weekend.
Lego’s new car sets are genius
I know, I know – you’ve already got your kids all the Lego they’re going to get over the holiday season. But be honest, some of that was probably for yourself too, and you never can really have too many interlocking bricks, no?
Good news then, if you’re into Lego and cars, as the latest Speed Champion sets are out and they look great. There’s a Bugatti Chiron, a Mercedes-Benz Petronas racing team (not sure if it comes with a hat-throwing function), and a Le Mans winning Ford GT paired with a classic Ford GT40.
I had the chance to interview the head of the Speed Champions design team in December, and you’ll be pleased to hear that he’s actually something of a gearhead. Born in the U.K., Craig Callum now lives in Denmark, where he participates in historic beach racing, which is exactly as nutty as it sounds. He races a Ford Model A with period correct modifications.
Everything comes out over the next few months, starting on March 1st with the Ford GT set. I’m leaving my stocking up, just in case.
Watch this space for all the best and worst of automotive news. Contact Brendan at [email protected].
