We’re still in summer, but the Fall rush is about to really kick in. LS Fest East, Mid-West Pro Mod events, and some other special events are coming down the pike! We are busy working to bring you some of the best things we can find but in the meantime, we’re bringing you some of the random items that crossed our desk this week that were worth a second look. Here’s this round of Scrapple…enjoy!

1. From two cars to one, thanks to tariff scares.You remember earlier this year, when Ford straight-up said that they were done with cars except for two, the Mustang and the Focus Active? Yeah…now the Focus Active, a lifted-wagon take on the Ford Focus, is not coming to America anymore. The China-built car has been axed due to the potential financial impact (read: tariffs) on vehicles that come from China. But don’t sweat…the Fiesta will be around through 2019 and the Fusion might still be on lots for a couple more years!

2. Death Metal Nameplate!The best way to explain what Ragnarök is, is to align the Norse myth with other images like it, such as the Great Flood and the visions of the Book of Revelations and Armageddon. It’s a scene of natural disasters, the erasure of the world as known, fire and water and the death of gods and mankind….and, now, potentially, it might be a psychotic supercar. Rumor mills are pinning the name as being attached to the next Koenigsegg supercar that is expected to bow at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show, with the only hard thing coming from founder Christian von Koenigsegg being that the upcoming car will be more potent than it’s predecessor, the Agera RS.

3. Nobody wants their credit downgraded…
Maybe the anti-car move isn’t the smartest thing that Ford has done financially, either. Moody’s Investor Services has recently downgraded Ford to a Baa3 rating, which roughly means that it’s the lowest of the low on Moody’s scale before you step directly into “junk bond” territory. According to Moody’s, the issues that resulted in the downgrade included weakening profit margins in North America, bad luck in China, and losses in Europe. Ford’s own restructuring plan is seen as a potential positive, but given that it will take years to see the results of programs that are deemed “critical for the future of the auto industry” (alternative propulsion, autonomous tech, rideshares, connectivity, and expand market shares, especially in China), any positive is currently outweighed by the unknown future.

4. Everybody on the drunk bus!
Ok, it’s a Scania bus in France. What’s the news story here? That’s simple: this bus, which is in use by Citram Aquitaine, is using ED95 bio-ethanol that is manufactured from grape marc…the leftovers from wine making, which includes the fruit remains, seeds and whatever else got smashed and squeezed to be in the bottle you spring for at a restaurant. The bus is being studied to determine whether or not ED95 sourced from wine waste can be used for local fuels. So far, ED95 is proving to be cleaner than diesel, with 85% less carbon emissions, 50% less nitrogen oxides and 70% less particulates.

5. Shh…be vewy vewy qwiet…One of the problems with electric vehicles is noise…not what’s made, but what isn’t made. While there is work going on within the U.S. Department of Transportation to require EVs to emit some kind of noise when moving, apparently Ford was looking for a loophole in that wording. According to The Verge, back in 2015 Ford inquired about keeping their law enforcement vehicles out from underneath that rule. While Ford was late in asking the question, the NHTSA is going to respond to the comment once the full review on electric vehicle noisemakers is complete.

Really…silent mode cop cars? If a Crown Victoria can sneak up on an unsuspecting speeder with no problem, explain why an electric vehicle needs to be in pure stealth mode, please?