Freaky Friday: ‘Impaired’ Caffeine User Gets a Break from California Authorities

Maybe there is common sense to be found in California. A driver who was charged for driving under the influence — even though a blood test revealed only caffeine — won't have to enter a courtroom to plead his innocence. That, a gas station attendant takes the Florida Woman meme and runs with it (into another […] The post Freaky Friday: 'Impaired' Caffeine User Gets a Break from California Authorities appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

Faraday Future’s Ghost CEO Abandons Company Days Before Key Unveiling

Faraday Future continues to dispense epoch-making levels of hype as the company seemingly implodes. Last week, Faraday's chief brand and commercial officer and its vice president for product marketing both abandoned the company. This week, they were followed by elusive Chinese overseer and "unofficial" CEO, Ding Lei. Of course, Faraday Future has already spent the last two years […] The post Faraday Future's Ghost CEO Abandons Company Days Before Key Unveiling appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

QOTD: Are You Resolved?

You've heard a lot in the media about how 2016 has been Literally Hitler Terrible. Princess Leia died. Donald Trump was elected. The McRib only returned in selected markets. I can't sympathize with those people. 2016 worked out fine for me, and it was the first year since 2012 that I wasn't hospitalized for some […] The post QOTD: Are You Resolved? appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

Range Anxiety is Real, and a Severe Lack of Familiarity is Holding Back EV Adoption

Even though they've been around since the late 1800s, 60 percent of Americans surveyed this year said that they were "unaware" of electric cars. While one is forced to wonder exactly how the question was worded, no possible answer inspires confidence in the public's knowledge on the subject of EVs. It would seem, at least in […] The post Range Anxiety is Real, and a Severe Lack of Familiarity is Holding Back EV Adoption appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

Jeep Patriot and First-gen Compass are Truly Dead; 2018 Wrangler Details Leaked

Amid all the hand wringing and social media sobbing over the celebrities we've lost in 2016, no one thought to mention the Jeep Compass and Patriot — strong-selling, affordable yet archaic vehicles that were loathed by the automotive press. Well, the decade-old twins are dead. Gone. Finito. Pushing up daisies. The Toledo Blade reports that the […] The post Jeep Patriot and First-gen Compass are Truly Dead; 2018 Wrangler Details Leaked appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

I was an Idiot for Thinking Volvo Would Offer Video Chat While Driving

A few years after Alexander Graham Bell beat Elisha Gray in patenting the telephone, someone conceptualized the telephonoscope and the world became bedeviled by the notion of seeing someone while you conversed remotely. Video phones appeared in Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927), Jay Roach's timeless classic Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), and just about everywhere in between. They even cropped […] The post I was an Idiot for Thinking Volvo Would Offer Video Chat While Driving appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

Infiniti’s Detroit-bound QX50 Concept is Barely a Concept, Boasts Variable Compression Engine

Infiniti has had enough of the QX50's voluptuous curves. An edgier future awaits the brand's midsize crossover, as shown by photos of the QX50 "Concept" released ahead of the North American International Auto Show. If this concept looks almost production-ready, that's because it is. Borrowing heavily from the earlier QX Sport Inspiration concept, the QX50 […] The post Infiniti's Detroit-bound QX50 Concept is Barely a Concept, Boasts Variable Compression Engine appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

60-year-old Cars Are Great, but Caterham Desperately Wants Something New

Postwar British nostalgia and racing heritage is nice, but there's no denying the kick an automaker can get from launching a wholly new vehicle. That's the situation Caterham finds itself in. After dutifully cranking out continuously updated examples of the original Lotus Seven since 1973, the company now wants to court drivers who have never […] The post 60-year-old Cars Are Great, but Caterham Desperately Wants Something New appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

SUVs Likely to Become Dominant Police Vehicle, ‘Bigger’ Cops Rejoice

North America's romantic entanglement with the sport utility vehicle is not limited to retail consumers, as police fleets in the United States and Canada have been getting in on the action for a while now. Valuing durability and flexibility above all else, law enforcement's gradual shift toward SUVs seems to have been inevitable. Ford said that […] The post SUVs Likely to Become Dominant Police Vehicle, 'Bigger' Cops Rejoice appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

No Fixed Abode: Sorry ‘Bout That, Chief

The secret is out: my intrepid and long(ish)-suffering wife, Danger Girl, is the new owner of Matt Farah's Corvette. This was my idea, for better or worse. She was all set on ordering a new Grand Sport for the 2017 autocross/trackday season, but I thought that it would be a better idea for her to […] The post No Fixed Abode: Sorry 'Bout That, Chief appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

Cities You Might Want to Consider Avoiding on a Winter Road Trip

Boston, the city that gave us both the New Kids On The Block and Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, placed dead last on Allstate's 2016 America's Best Drivers List. With the weather in Beantown turning blustery and cold, the Car Talk slogan of "don't drive like my brother" has become hauntingly sound advice. However Boston isn't a […] The post Cities You Might Want to Consider Avoiding on a Winter Road Trip appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

Nissan to Debut U.S.-bound Qashqai in Detroit

Nissan will add the overseas Qashqai crossover to its U.S. lineup, with the model debuting at next month's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, multiple sources tell TTAC. Pressed into domestic service to satisfy a crossover-hungry marketplace, the compact Qashqai will slot just below the popular Rogue. Sources tell TTAC the Qashqai will not […] The post Nissan to Debut U.S.-bound Qashqai in Detroit appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA

Guam Residents Unknowingly ‘Owned’ Luxury Vehicles in Export Scheme

Guam, besides having the highest per-capita Spam consumption in the world (16 tins per person, on average), is also home to a recently uncovered fraud scheme that placed high-end vehicles in the driveways of island residents. On paper, anyway. The unsuspecting residents — over 50 of them, authorities say — had no idea their names were […] The post Guam Residents Unknowingly 'Owned' Luxury Vehicles in Export Scheme appeared first on The Truth About Cars. from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA