Episode 24 - Badge Engineering? Who Are You Kidding?

Men In Sheds

CAR NEWS - NOVEMBER 2017 What a month for car news! The new Tesla Roadster and Truck has caused so much butt-hurtery with fossil fuel fans, but traditionalists can be happy the new Jeep Wrangler is only 0.1% different than the old one. Corvette have gone from poor man's Lamborghini to full on Lamborghini while Lamborghini themselves have gone old-skool Lamborghini. But then Konnegseg have gone an done 277mph done an old road in Nevada. We're living in crazy times and perhaps the new new Discovery number plate position is a sign of that. CAN WE GIVE ASIA ITS EV DUES? While we've all been having a good laugh at the Toyota Prius over the years, it's time to acknowledge it's been fighting the EV fight now for two decades. Asia has led us into a new era kicking and screaming and it's all too easy to fawn over Teslas and follow ze Germans. Toyota normalised the electric car and, if you've got a taxi in the last year, you've probably felt the benefit. BADGE ENGINEERING? WHO ARE YOU KIDDING? We're going to stick our necks out here and dare to suggest there's something a bit wrong with sticking Bentley badges on your 300C. We also think that putting M-badges on non M-Sport BMWs is a bit naff too. Badge engineering has spun so far out of control now even the manufacturers are in on it. IS A CAR AN OBJECT OR AN EXPERIENCE? You know we're not scared of getting a bit philosophical and we ask the ultimate question here, should a car be a material possession or a form of theatre. The fact is driving and car ownership gives us something very special beyond the usual consumerism but we still easily lose our way. We also have to respect that the person we see driving an expensive sports car may be in it for the pleasure and not the ostentation.