A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird.
Uber posts $5.2 billion loss
In the past, I’ve suggested that BC shouldn’t embrace ride-sharing services such as Uber without at least having some regulations in place. Usually, this results in emails from people who have used Uber while visiting other cities, and found the experience pleasant. Why can’t we have Uber?
Well, here’s your red flag, folks. Over the past three months, Uber has lost $5.2 billion. That’s billion with a B. The company has never turned a profit, and since 2016 has lost $16.2 billion. These are Dr. Evil amounts of money.
Oh, and by the way, Uber also came out in April and admitted that their business plan includes competing with public transit. They don’t just want to put the taxis out of business, they want to be the only players in the market. How will they then become profitable? By jacking up their rates.
Yes, we need better mobility solutions on the North Shore and, yes, I agree that the taxi companies could use some competition. Consumers benefit when there are more options on the table.
However, a money-losing, convenience-based company that’s propped up by venture capital is not a long-term solution to anything. Even if you personally haven’t had a bad Uber experience, the warning signs are right there.
Lyft to arrive in Vancouver this fall
While ride-sharing services continue to complain about drivers being required to have a Class 4 licence in B.C., they are still planning to launch here. Lyft, an Uber competitor, is planning to launch this fall. Uber also announced plans to operate in Metro Vancouver.
If you’re wondering, a Class 4 licence costs $149.90 including taxes, and requires a medical exam and a relatively clean driving record. That hardly sounds like an insurmountable barrier.
The most and least driven cars in North America
Speaking of mobility solutions, there are cars that we drive and cars that we apparently like to park and look at. By comparing yearly mileages and averaging them out, the search engine I See Cars has come up with a list of the most driven and least driven cars on the road.
Topping the most driven list is the Chevy Suburban with an average of just under 24,000 kilometres per year. Actually, nearly all of the most-driven vehicles are big SUVs, from the Toyota Sequoia to the Cadillac Escalade.
The Prius is the only fuel-efficient option on the list, finishing just outside the top 10.
As for least-driven cars, the Corvette wins the most-parked award, with under 7,000 kms driven yearly, on average. Also not moving much are the Porsche 911 convertible, the Mazda MX-5 and the Ford Mustang convertible.
Well that’s a shame. A couple of weeks ago I drove 1,600 kms in a Lamborghini Huracan, and it was comfortable and easy – and not even that inefficient. Plus, I made new friends every time I stopped. Park the big-rig SUVs, people, and go bomb around in your open-topped cars. It’s far more fun.
Toyota Supra comes with manual transmission – at a cost
The rebirth of the Supra nameplate has been greeted with suspicion by many enthusiasts, and with good reason. Underneath its sheetmetal, this new Toyota is actually a BMW Z4, although set up slightly differently and with a stiffer coupe body.
Also, it’s only available with an automatic transmission, disappointing dozens of people who probably wouldn’t have bought one anyway.
To my mind, having a manual transmission on offer might have been fun, but BMW manual gearboxes haven’t been excellent in recent memory, and the take rate on manuals is relatively poor.
Better an automatic BMW-Toyota Supra than no Supra at all, I say. And, as it’s a Supra, the aftermarket is here to help.
For the low price of $6,000 (yeesh!), a Texas-based tuning shop will swap in a BMW-sourced six-speed manual for your Supra. They’ll also tune it up to 425hp, as a nice bonus.
Of course, doing so voids your warranty, which would be no big deal if this was a pure Toyota, but is a little concerning in a car with German roots.
Acura gets its mojo back with Type S concept
Monterey Car Week in California gave manufacturers the chance to show off their wares. Usually, Car Week is all about stuff you can’t actually afford, but I’m happy to provide an exception this time.
Fresh out of its US studios, the Acura Type S concept is bringing a sporty flair back to Acura. The Type S designation used to be reserved for the quickest and liveliest versions of Acura’s products, and Acura has indicated there’ll be two models coming down the pipeline.
Having toured Acura’s facility, I can tell you that their concepts are usually very close to production ready. The team is small, so brings in line production engineers to make sure they can actually stamp out the panels that they’re sculpting.
And what a machine they’ve sculpted.It should be the new TLX, and it looks like a Japanese version of an Alfa-Romeo. Acura’s needed a bit of zip for a while, and this is the best-looking thing they’ve put out recently. I can’t wait to see it in production.
Watch this space for all the week’s best and worst of automotive news, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected].
