It’s that time again, where we look over what’s left of this week’s news, shrug, throw a ton of salt at it and serve it up, hot and kind-of fresh. From the pointless to the tasteless, this is what didn’t pass for news in our eyes this week.
1. Toyota unveils Special Edition Camry
The Toyota Camry has long been the epitome of an appliance automobile: It’ll start, run, and drive everyday, but that’s about all you should expect out of it. Nothing wrong with that…it’s boring, but it’s safe, perfect for the buying public that normally doesn’t give a rat’s ass about buying a car. But the problem with the Camry is that even Toyota knows that it’s considered a boring car, so now they’re spicing it up with the latest Special Edition. You get two colors: the blue pictured and a medium red, some color-coordinated interior bits and trim, and…yeah, that’s pretty much it. Underneath, it’s the same Camry as any other one being sold. Power isn’t increased, handling isn’t dialed in, nothing. You only get the ability to proudly proclaim to your friends that you spent a grand or so more just to get a pretty blue paint job.
2. Spyker’s bankruptcy just magically vanished!
Spyker, that spastic little Dutch company that made highly detailed super cars with some of the most beautiful interiors ever crafted, was declared bankrupt on December 18, 2014. Part of the reason was that the company manufactured low-volume super cars that have a niche market, and the other part was that Spyker tried to attempt the impossible at saving SAAB. Once the failing Swedish company was acquired, the cash basically burned itself. According to Spyker, the financial issues stemmed from “short-term operational and liquidity challenges” and due to bridge funding not appearing as quickly as desired, the court had no choice to declare the company bankrupt. Spyker plans to move on with development of the B6 Venator, the first new Spyker model since the C8 Aileron.
3. The Bugatti Veyron is sold out!
Is it really? Damn, I was so close to having the money. Guess I’ll wait until the Chiron comes out. Moving on…
4. Volvo is looking into mobile refueling service
Volvo, the overlord of automotive safety, has decided that now is the time to invest in a mobile refueling service. Here’s the basic premise: when the vehicle hits a certain fuel level, a signal will be sent to a mobile refueling service who will dispatch a truck, and using a one-time key code, refuel your vehicle. No word on whether or not this involves a gas truck visiting your car or if this is something that can be accomplished at highway speeds. Shame that a KC-46 can’t fly low enough to do the job…
5. Takata expecting a huge loss this quarter
Like the company needed any more bad news, Takata, the beleaguered manufacturer of airbags that have a tendency to fragment better than a M67 grenade, has announced that it has put more money aside to cover corporate losses, to a current amount of roughly $264 million dollars. Overall, the company is looking at up to 18 million vehicles in the United States and more worldwide that are affected by recalls, so expect to see more of this as time goes on.
yep, any article about `meh’ should start with a Camry….in Australia they came out with one called an RZ or a VD or some crap….white with black wheels and a few decals. The sad part are tools that bought one and pick traffic light drags….needless to say, they lose. Oh, and lets address another Toyota funded bit of bullshit… everyone has this fallback that ` oh, but at least they’re reliable….’ uh, no, no they are not….plenty of people, my ex wife included, that have toymotas that I know are forever shelling out for c/v joints, bearings, Trans’s, engines etc. In short, they’re crap. Only difference being a Toyota is they’re boring crap.
I always wanted to take a Camery or Carola and drop in a right wheel drive LSx. Appliance white paint and those god-awful aluminum painted plastic hubcaps, complete the illusion. But admittedly I’m a weirdo, if I had tons of money I’d build a mid engine 4bt powered Prius.
Reminds me of the “sporty” Corolla S they had a while back, where the “sportiness” consisted of adding a tachometer, badge, and body kit. Except it appears they are even lazier this time.
Isn’t Bugatti supposed to make a special edition Veyron to celebrate them being sold out?