The confluence of politics and cars has been a little exhausting lately. Honestly, the confluence of politics with everything is overwhelming what few circuitbreakers I have left in my psyche. That’s why I’m glad that, today of all days, the car news is a little slow and boring, so I can provide a little bit of good news.
A new Jackass movie is coming this summer! Johnny Knoxville, Wee Man, and… other people, I’m sure, will be back. It’s been far too long, and while I don’t think it’ll mend all of America’s tears, maybe it’ll distract us long enough to remember we’re all part of the same fabric. And also, it’s fun to watch people do dumb things with cars.
Because CES is going on, there’s still a lot of talk about self-driving, and Ford’s made a kind of surprising announcement. Lucid and Uber made an announcement, but I’m less surprised by it, as it seems obvious.
And, finally, Volvo has a car that plans to fight range anxiety.
Who Is Ready For Jackass This Summer?
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We did three film festivals at Jalopnik, and the last one was the biggest and also my least favorite. It got too big because we got more than a million dollars for it, and the more money you take, the more you gotta do. It had some great moments, including showing the documentary about car culture in Cuba, Havana Motor Club (a couple of participants in the film were on hand and may have done some hilarious thing with a reader’s AMG wagon…).
In retrospect, the film order was all wrong. We started the day with Mad Max and then transitioned into Being Evel, the Johnny Knoxville-helmed doc about Evel Knievel, finishing with our big “get,” which was the North American premiere of Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans. This was a doc about the making of the Le Mans film and, like the film it’s based on, it was good, not great.
I hadn’t even seen Being Evel; it was just available, so we tossed it in the lineup. My bad! It’s fantastic. As someone who has made a couple of documentaries since, I’m overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness. The McQueen documentary has a hard time resolving the fact that its subject was a deeply flawed person, clearly fearful that it would make the project itself not worth making if it fully acknowledged McQueen’s behavior. Hagiography is a bit like gastroenterology in that they’re both primarily consumed with making difficult shit disappear.
Being Evel directly confronts the person of Evel Knievel and doesn’t pull any punches, which somehow doesn’t make you care less about his accomplishments.
This is all to say that I think if you look with any scrutiny at Johnny Knoxville’s body of work, the most consistent feature is a remarkable consciousness. A large percentage of his oeuvre is dedicated to people getting hit in the nuts or turning their pink torpedoes into beehives or whatever, but none of it feels like punching down. That seems impossible.
The last Jackass project was in 2022, with the film Jackass Forever. Not everyone from the original MTV prank show was there for reasons both tragic and litigious, but it felt like it came at exactly the right time. According to a new post from Johnny Knoxville, a new Jackass film is coming this summer.
Given everything else in the world, I think a few of us might need this. Watching someone fired like a projectile out of a piece of artillery or slammed in the nards with a pumelo isn’t going to fix everything, or anything, but I welcome the distraction.
Just leave the poor Ford Contours alone!
Ford Thinks It’s Going To Catch Up To GM’s Eye-Free Driving With Its Cheapest EV
Ok, this one got me. In the self-driving space, we’ve been sort of stuck at Level 2, so people keep inventing their own SAE labels like “Level 2++” or FSD. Essentially, no one is willing to commit to Level 3 because, seemingly, the handoff between driver and passenger feels harder at 75 mph if the driver is, say, asleep.
Mercedes announced its FSD-like Level 2 system this week, and GM has said it’ll bring “eyes-off driving” to the super expensive Cadillac Escalade IQ for highways in 2028. Ford said it’ll match its crosstown rival with Level 2 in 2027 on its cheapest vehicle and then L3 in 2028.
Doug Field, the company’s head of all things technological and EV, said this:
Autonomy shouldn’t be a premium feature. By designing our own software and hardware in-house, we’ve found a way to make this technology more affordable. This means we can put advanced hands-free driving into the vehicles people actually buy, not just vehicles with unattainable price points. With 1.2 million BlueCruise-equipped vehicles already on the road, we are able to learn from real-world miles to continuously improve the experience for our customers.
Just as important, we’re focused on efficiency — delivering more capability, not just sheer processing power. Because we own the technology behind our driver assistance systems, we can deliver significantly more capability at a 30% lower cost than if we bought it from outside suppliers, which makes advanced driver assistance scalable.
We plan to introduce new hardware and software, thanks to our in-house teams, starting in 2027 on our all-new, affordable Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform. And we aren’t stopping at hands-free driving; building on this same flexible foundation, L3 eyes-off driving will be road ready in 2028, making the ultimate in-vehicle experience available for the many, not just a privileged few
It sounds like, then, Ford and GM will debut systems at roughly the same time, but the difference is that it’ll be on Ford’s Skunkworks truck or other cheap EV, and for GM, it’ll start out on the Escalade IQ.
Uber And Lucid Are Doing A Thing
It’s been clear for a long time that Uber’s long-term goal is to get rid of drivers, although the path to this has been rocky. Uber initially partnered with Volvo on a self driving program that resulted in the first self-driving fatality.
Uber is trying again in the United States, this time with a robotaxi based on the Lucid Gravity. That car is arguably the best three-row anything for sale right now, so that’s not a bad place to start. How big the market is for three-row EVs remains to be seen, but this seems like a good use of the company’s growing production capacity.
The company says the taxis are already testing in San Francisco, and a production-intent version will go into production later this year, featuring tech from Nuro.
From Lucid:
“The debut of our production intent robotaxi with Lucid and Uber is a significant milestone on our path to delivering autonomy at scale,” said Dave Ferguson, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Nuro. “By bringing together Nuro’s proven level 4 autonomy, Lucid’s advanced vehicle architecture, and Uber’s global reach, we’re building a robotaxi service designed for real-world operations and long-term growth.”
“Uber is proud to partner with Lucid and Nuro to bring a state-of-the-art robotaxi to market later this year,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber. “By combining leading expertise in electric vehicles, autonomy, and ridehailing, we’re building a unique new option for affordable and scalable autonomous rides in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.”
As with Waymo, but unlike Tesla, this system uses Lidar.
The Volvo EX60 Gets 400 Miles Of Range
A new Volvo compact crossover EV is coming in the form of the Volvo EX60. The company is very excited about the 400 miles of range and charging time:
“The EX60 is designed to be a gamechanger,” says Anders Bell, Chief Technology Officer at Volvo Cars. “With our new electric vehicle architecture, we directly address the main worries that customers have when considering a switch to a fully electric car. The result is class-leading range and fast charging speeds, marking the end of range anxiety.”
The EX60 does not only boast the longest range of any fully electric Volvo, it also charges faster than any electric Volvo before in all weather conditions. Instead of a full lunch break, a quick coffee stop is now enough to recharge the battery and hit the road again.
Fun fact, when someone says something is going to be a “gamechanger” it is not going to change any games. It used to be that 300 miles was the gold standard of EVs, but for luxury EVs, I think it’s probably been surpassed. 400 is the new 300, you heard it here first.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
Can you ever have too much banjo? You cannot, so please enjoy Bela Fleck performing “Round Rock” live in a garage, which must have been a COVID thing, but sounds awesome.
The Big Question
What is your go-to escapist car film/book/tv show?
Top photo: Jackass/MTV
Go to place is Harry’s Garage on YouTube
https://youtu.be/OH9G7ttr2tE?si=hpCxEvgB9dGwh58R
“Ronin” is my movie choice. Great car movie, with De Niro (acting) looking like he was actually driving the car. Real driving, no CGI.
Behind the scenes description with the stunt driving coordinating for the movie:
https://youtu.be/vL0Hhq0VFIY
Just the chase seen been the Peugeot and BMW:
https://youtu.be/CVaNBrYLvFg
“This is Motorweek!”
Man Vovlo really published a picture where their finger was over the lens.
My go-to car show will always be Top Gear or TGT. I usually have one of them on for background noise, and they both have (and continue) to get me through a lot.
Regarding Ford’s AI-first car thing.
I was reminded of the phrase “heroic stupidity”, which IIRC was how Regular Car Reviews described a tow hitch welded to a gas tank.
Some things should not be connected, and the fact someone attempted it implies alarming things about their judgment.
Ronin
I love it when non-car entertainment has car elements or at least very well chosen cars for the characters, but I rarely like car-specific entertainment. Basically, if a Normal can appreciate the car component (or not notice), then I like it. If it’s specifically geared toward enthusiasts, I’ll likely pass.
I thought I had heard that Wee Man died sometime around the time Verne Troyer did, but even though I think I’m well past the whole Jackass thing, I’m glad to know he’s still with us. I can’t imagine the kinds of daily aches and pains those guys must have, especially in their 50s.
The Peacemaker. Movie With George Clooney and a terrified Nichole Kidman. He does all sort of mayhem with an S-Class Mercedes. Right up there with Ronin.
What is your go-to escapist car film/book/tv show?
None of the above. Forza Horizon games.
What I’m listening too. Dangi it, now I’m back into listening to Dead South.
Take this example, Banjo + “You are my sunshine” cover. Super happy instrument and a sugary sweet classic song.
But….
Dead South is not normal. It’s in a minor key. And they sing the verses, not just the chorus. And the Banjo goes from happy to.. not.
https://youtu.be/1MevYCdn5S8?list=RD1MevYCdn5S8
I just listened to that. They got it right; I pay attention to lyrics, and all the sweet versions ring false.
As a youth, the old TNN cable channel devoted almost all of Sunday (maybe Saturday?, its been 40yrs) to automotive and motorsports programming. In the winter months the TV was always tuned in and we kids wafted in or out of the living room as interests waxed and waned.
Not implying we sat in front of the TV all day, far from it. We built Pinewood derby cars, model kits, our family HO RR in these months. Each winter my parents refreshed and repainted one room, or tackled one home project. Summers were Scouting, baseball and yardwork. Plus limitless outdoor play and the community pool. The ’80s were awesome.
Does anybody know the actual use rate of lane assist systems in the newer cars? We have it in our newest vehicle, and played with it a bit when it was new but then shut it off and will probably never turn it on again.
I ask because it seems like these Level 2 systems are not much more than an enhanced lane assist combined with the range sensing cruise control – with the added risk of letting you run it hands free.
Do people really want that? Or is this more like the manual transmissions everybody claims today to adore but no one actually buys, and the bean counters just don’t have the evidence yet to prove to management this isn’t going to be a money maker? (As in there’s no way I’d pay extra for it, and if the car had it, I don’t think I’d ever use it after an experiment or two, so there’s no point in having in there in the first place!)
Hey Ford, do us a favor and leave this out of your new $30k vehicle, and maybe make it $28k vehicle instead. Pretty please?
I have no doubt some day we’ll have vehicles that can drive themselves, but until Level 5 is ready for prime time, I don’t want to share the road with these experimental corporate development programs.
I use Super Cruise in my escalade V whenever I’m on the highway, it’s so good that there is no need to do menial driving like that.
If you feel it works for you, enjoy. I can’t say I’ve tried GM’s system so maybe it’s better than I think it is.
That said, maybe I’m just paranoid but between a tire blow out, deer collision, spinning out on a bridge covered in black ice, a couple of vehicles spinning out just ahead of me and debris flying off of the vehicles I’m tailing (sometimes getting hit and sometimes successful dodging), plus way too many deer/elk/antelope/coyote/wolf/dog near misses to count, putting my life in a computer’s hands is while the vehicle is traveling at 100+ feet per second just isn’t something I want to do.
It’s way better at seeing things like Deer off the sides and debris than I’d say most humans are. That’s not a knock on anyone driving, just that a wide angle camera can constantly scan for abnormalities much better than our peripheral vision.
It’s still requires your eyes on the road, you can’t just take a nap or something (as much as people would like to believe they can), but I will say my old E63s wagon had the previous generation distronic (no eye sensor, hands on wheel sensor) and it definitely saved me once when I started the head bobs 15 minutes before my destination late one night and for that alone, I’ve become a big fan.
I don’t think anything can help in a sudden loss of traction situation like hydroplaning or black ice, but then again that’s why I don’t trust Tesla’s FSD nor would I use a system like that to travel surface streets unless it was a full lidar set up a la waymo/cruise.
I love driving and have my fun cars, when I’m in one of those I want to be laser focused, shifting my own gears and enjoying the drive. Hell I sometimes do that in my escalade too. But if I’m driving between sites for an 2 or 3 hours at a time, I want the smoothest most comfortable ride possible and I want the tech to minimize that fatigue.
That is good to hear. I would be happy to use something like that just to handle stop and go traffic.
I have a Tesla. FSD v14.2.2 is……okay. I had a trial over December. It handles a lot just fine. That said it’s definitely not perfect. A limited access highway is where it’s at its best. It’s slowed for deer I hadn’t spotted yet. Basic Autopilot is nice on limited access highways too. The menial tasks of lanekeeping and monitoring the speed of cars ahead being done for me is great. That was one of the criteria for a new car. Next car will have something similar that works just as well.
I use the level 2 system in my X5 for highway travel – especially when traveling on the weekend for at least a couple of hours – it does significantly reduce body fatigue (but maybe not eyesight fatigue). Last July I did a 10 hour trip and arrived relatively unscathed. I also like it for stop & go rush hour traffic – it will come to a complete stop if needed (although very rarely it will give up and tell you to hit the brakes hard)
Film: Days Of Thunder
Book: My 00-05 Sport Compact Car mags counting the $1000s I spent on tuner stuff
TV: YouTube content. Vice Grip, Whistling Diesel, and Cleetus McFarland, Pastrana 199
Does Transformers count? I feel like Transformers should count
Always