consumer reports made a lot of waves this spring when it reported that a tesla with the brand's self-driving software would operate even with no one in the driver's seat. we were curious, but we had a hunch tesla wasn't the only company with a problem. we ran our own tests and, sure enough, every vehicle we tested—each of which was equipped with advanced driver-assist features—could be tricked into operating without a driver. read the details here.
this week in sheetmetal
lamborghini is bringing back the countach name and slapping it on an 802-hp, appropriately wedge-shaped, limited-run coupe. the car will share many of its mechanicals with lambo's sián, and will pair its 6.5-liter v-12 engine with an electric motor.
hot wheels showed us a human-size bike, to be built in partnership with e-bike maker super73. it'll cost $5000, will be capable of traveling for 40 miles at 20 mph, and will sport orange and blue hot wheels livery.
it's a big week for rebirths. acura announced it will bring back the beloved integra, a sporty hatchback coupe that's been out of acura's lineup since 2006. the new car will be a 2022 model, and, based on an outline projected into the night sky by drones at the announcement event, it'll retain the fastback coupe styling of the original.
waiting games
we were reminded this week that sometimes new cars are delayed for reasons other than pandemic-related supply-chain issues. ford announced that hardtop versions of the already belated bronco would be delayed further this week due to quality issues with the molded-in, painted roof. in a letter to customers, ford said the appearance of the tops could degrade if exposed to "extreme water" (whatever that means) or high humidity. affected broncos that have already come off the line will have their roofs replaced starting in october. soft-top broncos aren't impacted by the issues.
also unrelated to the pandemic—at least as far as we know—is the delay of tesla's cybertruck. we first laid eyes on the stainless-steel behemoth in 2019, and production was initially slated for the end of this year. now tesla's website says the truck will enter production in 2022 (though even a 2023 start wouldn't surprise us). tesla ceo elon musk has said the cybertruck will have up to a 500-mile driving range, but tesla recently failed to deliver the promised 520-mile plaid+ version of the model s. musk said in a tweet at the time that there was "no need" for the plaid+.
of course, there are also newly announced production delays that are related to the pandemic. ford announced new mach-e delays, while general motors has extended production downtime for some of its crossovers in order to direct chip supply its more profitable pickup trucks.
shoot the moon
a report from experian found that registrations of new evs have more than doubled in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 202o. but that doesn't mean we're even close to on-track for the new biden administration goal of reaching 50 percent ev adoption by 2030. as a reminder, 2030 is now barely more than eight years away. and even after the big jump in ev registrations this year, those cars still only account for 214,111 vehicles, or 2.5 percent of the new car market. where's ted sorensen when you need him?
further reading
it's monterey car week and car and driver is on the scene. check out our live blog, which we'll update periodically during this weekend's festivities.
don't count lordstown motors out just yet: the new york times reports the company is planning to start production of its pickup ev by the end of the year. the times also has its eye this week on bmw's thin ev lineup.
and a reminder that in this connected world, somebody is always watching. especially when you take the corvette you're supposed to be servicing for a 148-mph joy ride.