EVs, Trucks With Legs, Cummins Rumors, and More Insider Truck News

Win a Million Dollars

Yeah—you're not winning a million dollars. But we had to lure you in, as we know many of you have no interest in EVs. Or crossovers. Yet … this has the potential to be neat. Chris Ramsey will be the first person to drive from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole in an all-electric specimen—the AWD Nissan Ariya e-FORCE, to be exact—come early 2023. If nothing else, your interest should be piqued by the question of how the EV will deal with death-mode cold temps for a journey covering 14 countries (a distance of around 17,000 miles) and ending in Antarctica. The prep? It's already spanned more than 4 years.

2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Special Edition

The Toyota 4Runner is 40 years old. Take a moment to reflect, or to count your grays. To honor the milestone, there's a 2023 4Runner Anniversary Special Edition, and even if there's nothing else to show for it (other than the fact that it's available in White, Midnight Black Metallic, and Barcelona Red Metallic), we're totally, completely, seriously digging the heritage body graphics, a throwback to the off-road racing days. Only 4,040 of these unique four-bys will be available.

"Bozeman is a thriving and economic micropolitan city. Nestled near dozens of off-road trails with more than 150 miles of terrain and mountain access for UMV testing—it's the perfect fit for our new R&D Lab." - Hyundai announcing New Horizons Studio's new joint in Montana, which will focus on vehicles like Elevate, the vehicle pictured above, which has four wheeled "legs."

There's nothing we'd add to this statement: Igloo and Jeep "ventured out for adventure by releasing the first-ever Jeep Playmate coolers, featuring original artwork geared toward Jeep brand enthusiasts who want to keep their refreshments ice-cold throughout every journey." However, there are things we'd subtract.

"Screen Deployable Across Opening in Vehicle Body" is the title of a product trademark Ford filed. Are we getting netting for doors?

October's all-female, 10-days-off-road Rebelle Rally will have a competitor in the form of a 2023 Kia Sportage X-Pro.

Your Government at Work

• "The petitioners alleged that 2021 MY Ford Broncos vehicles are experiencing loss of motive power at highway speeds with no-restart due to catastrophic engine failures." That's NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation looking into claims of an "alleged defect of the 'valves' on 2021 MY Ford Bronco vehicles equipped with the 2.7L Eco-boost engine. "
• Sounds like the District of Columbia is interested in charging a $500 registration fee if what you drive weighs more than 6,000 pounds (that fee is about seven times more than registering a regular ol' car).
• California has a 5-year pilot program planned that'll use "sound-activated enforcement system" (read: sensors and smart cameras) to grab the license plate of too-loud modified exhaust systems.
• After pleading guilty, Stellantis/FCA U.S. will pay approximately $300 million in penalties in the U.S. Justice Department diesel-emissions fraud case over 2014-2016 Jeeps and Rams.
• The EPA announced the fuel economy digits for the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor: 15 mpg city and 16 mpg highway, for a combined 15 mpg (when's the last time you saw those numbers that near-identical?). Also, the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer came in at 13 city, 18 highway, for a combined 15 mpg.
• Hackers gonna hack—the California Department of Justice received a breach notification from GM, which sent a letter to some customers "advising you of a data incident involving the identification of recent redemption of your reward points that appears to be without your authorization." It happened in April, 2022.

Motor News You Missed

• Color us unshocked about how a AAA survey found that drivers want "automakers to improve the performance of existing driver support features" rather than fixate on building self-driving vehicles.
• For real: The results of the Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey conducted by Buglife and the Kent Wildlife Trust are in. They analyzed UK license plates for dead flying bugs and found a 60-percent decline over the course of 17 years. We're unclear whether the messaging is for us to stop driving or that insects are finally figuring things out and the uprising is coming.
• As we went to press, the stats according to ISeeCars.com had Fairbanks, Alaska, as the most expensive locale for buying a used Jeep Grand Cherokee and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as the cheapest. Meanwhile, Glendive, Montana, ranked highest for a used Ford F-150, with Zanesville, Ohio, at the other end of the cost spectrum. Most costly places for a used Ram 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500? Anchorage, Alaska, and Casper-Riverton, Wyoming, respectively. Anchorage also was painful for used Toyota Tacomas.

Brabus Dune Buggy: $900K and 900 HP?

That's it, those are the numbers. Any takers?

More 4x4 Rumors

• The Ford Transit Trail off-road van is coming to the U.S.?
• BMW is painting vehicles with biowaste from sewage treatment plants instead of crude oil at its European facilities?
• Volkswagen is planning for a new electric pickup and SUV under a new brand name: Scout?
• Cummins is bailing on diesel engines for hydrogen engines?
• The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is getting rear coil springs?

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