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
TBQ: I would say it’d have to be Top Gear/The Grand Tour for car shows.
For other shows, Re-watching StarGate SG1, Atlantis, and Universe hits the spot.
Then you’ve heard the good news? (maybe). Amazon bought the rights to the Stargate universe from MGM. They announced a new series just a couple of months ago. Not a reboot. Picking up where they left off. The veteran actors are expecting to make regular cameos, with new and younger personnel taking part in most of the action.
Thanks, I didn’t know about that.
Origins kinda sucked. Funny I didn’t know Jason Momoa was in Atlantis until I started re-watching
Origins stepped all over canon and muddied things with a Hail Mary explanation of how it fit into things. They could’ve done a better job. Yeah, Jason’s first huge break. Prior to this he was sleeping on peoples couches or in his car. Look up the Guinness beer commercial that stars Jason Momoa and John Flanagan for laughs.
SG fan here too. Yep, they made a huge announcement.
Saw the original theatre premiere in summer 0f 75.
I have never laughed so hard in my long and ridiculous life.
But a close second was when I saw David Carradine shoot himself in the nuts by accident on a movie set. He was trying to impress the folks on the set by showing off his Kung Fu quick draw. Which required a ambulance ride to the local hospital. Of course there were actually close to 25 people laughing their asses off at that.
Now bring us a shrubbery. Not too big.
“Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies” – aka “Monte Carlo or Bust!”
also
“Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”
(“We’re in last place and we’re in the Imperial?!?!”)
also
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”
(“I hope my Big M will stand up to this”)
*which is also a Christmas movie*
Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is one of my favs. Definitely a comfort movie.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, my favorite movie of all time. Seeing it in theaters for the 48th 1/2 anniversary was amazing fun.
There are cars in that film?
There aren’t even horses in that film…
There is a giant rabbit
…which is called a Golf in Germany?
the killer rabbit got them all.
At the very end when the cops roll up!!
The best example for future low budget endings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJzM1kaTcsY
Out of all the endings, this is one of them.
Yes. They’re pretty important to the “plot,” haha.
That’s my favorite, too. If you haven’t seen Spamalot (the musical version), it’s definitely worth it. I took my killer rabbit (the white Puffalump bunny) and had a blast. Someone else in the crowd dressed up like the Black Knight. Monty Python fans are great.
I missed out on a chance to see Spamalot on broadway (I used to live on Long Island) because I couldn’t get off work, and I’m still mad about it 15 years later or however long it’s been.
Aw, man. It’s still touring around, though—the one I saw was a Hartford show.
“What is your go-to escapist car film/book/tv show”
Southpark. So many great car scenes:
Kenny, high on cat pee in his Trans Am with his porn star companion gets me every time.
Gerald (Kyle’s dad) buying a Prius
Mr. Garrison inventing IT (it beats dealing with the airlines!)
Cartman as a cop on his Big Wheel pulling people over just to beat them down
The 1969 Italian Job movie. The true joy of driving a small car anywhere! Or a large RV up the mountain passes of the Alps.
Around 25 years ago, I had the privilege of working directly with Mr. Fleck (and the Flecktones!). Not only is is his musical talent amazing, but his demeanor and (lack of) attitude makes me hold him in the highest regard to this day.
As someone with rather aggressive ADHD, I have a hard time re-watching things. There are two movies that will always be an exception for me. Coincidentally, they were both released my graduating year of high school:
-Grandma’s Boy
-Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift
I will ALWAYS re-watch these and tune out the world. I can quote both of them pretty much line by line.
Ha we must be the same age then. I watched Grandma’s Boy far too many times.
IMO JP is one of the funniest and well done characters ever created. I can’t ever watch that guy without associating him with that role.
ADIOS, TURD NUGGETS.
It’s the blinding white 10,000 sqft office with the segway that gets me.
Infinitely quotable. I’m very lucky that my spouse loves it as much as me, so we quote it to each other weekly.
I’m actually not sure if my wife has seen it. Might be time to introduce her to some peak cinema.
Then you guys can finally get a CB radio and talk to other car beds at night!
Jackass (TV show) premiered when I was in college and, for some reason, neither my hard-partying roommates or I ever made it through more than about 5-10 episodes. I remember thinking “This show is made for us!” but in reality, it was made for 10-year-olds.
So my theory is that it has long legs because it’s peak Millennial TV. I think I was just old enough to think about the long-term damage possible to one’s body 🙂
It was also one of the first shows that created, en masse, a lot of random copycats in every city and town across America and I didn’t think that was a good thing. This was before ice buckets and Tide Pods and chicken jockey and 6-7, of course. Things were simpler then.
The Top Gear and Grand Tour specials age very well. The regular episodes not so much.
This. I’ll put on the first South America special once a year when I just want to laugh.
That one is by far my favorite.
Which one was it where Clarkson yells, “Hammond you idiot! You’ve reversed into the sports lorry.” That might be the funniest moment in the entire series. Honorable mention goes to “which arm have you broken?”
Burma, “The Bridge Over the River Kok”
The Great Race! 1965. Directed by Blake Edwards, starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. And Natalie Wood and Peter Falk! Always the right time for that movie.
Jack Lemmon should have been at least nominated for an Oscar for his performances (plural) in The Great Race.
When ever something is going wrong in our family, we holler “Up, Max!” to lighten the mood.
I heard a podcast recently discussing early 20th century automobile races, and it turns out much of The Great Race is loosely based on historical events.
In my family it’s “Push the Button, Max!”
I am contractually obligated to approve this answer.
Used Equinox EVs with AWD can be had with sub 20k miles, 300 miles of range, and for around $22k. That’s a deal IMO. However, I see these updates, about twice a month, where range just keeps getting better and better. It makes that $22k seem like a poor decision with improvements coming rapid fire. I don’t want a vehicle that will be viewed as bloated, slow to charge, and limited range in just 5 years
Why? If it suits your needs, and does so for not a lot of money, who cares? You yourself just highlighted three major upsides that are available now, AWD, 300 miles of range, and $22k.
I have a car that gets 40 MPG and runs. All manner of financial calculations say to just keep running that car, whether it’s total cost, cost per mile, etc
I do think a lot of people are in this boat. I am for sure. Got a couple of perfectly functional, paid off, fully-depreciated, well-maintained vehicles. I really want an EV, but I’m not rich and if I can get something way better in a few years when one of my cars really dies, I am going to wait for that.
Yea, basically that. Is it loud? Yes. Would I rather have AWD? Yes. Would I really regret spending that $22k when EVs are rapidly improving? Also, probably yes. We’re not in 2008 where cars are just notching little wins every year. EV tech is like smart phone tech from that era, but no dealership is giving out a free car like the providers were giving out phones
Knoxville is also hosting the new Fear Factor and honestly that just seems like a perfect fit.
I heard the old host went on to do some kind of “internet radio” gig, not sure. But I wish him well.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Just watched it again the other night. I love the old Herbie movies too – but they rarely seem to be on the normal streaming channels. Assume because The Mouse owns them?
As for Jackass – I made it through about half of one of those movies before I felt like my brain was melting and I had to shut it off. No thanks.
Physical media, my guy. I have them on Blu-Ray, though they were Disney Movie Club exclusives. I am sure someone is offering them on the river site and E-Bay. I don’t trust streaming to always have what I want to watch or that the ones I subscribe to will have it.
Meh, I’m too cheap to buy them, and I don’t want to have them cluttering up the place just so I can watch one every decade or so when the mood strikes. I could sign up for a month of Disney +, watch them all, then be good for another decade if I really cared.
There is so much out there to stream I don’t really care if any particular thing is available or not at any given time.
I have taken all my “physical media”, and “backed it up” on my Plex server for easy access.
I even have an automated system that “backs up” all my favourite TV shows. So cool that I’m able to find physical releases just hours after the shows air.
I did the same for all my CDs years ago, but haven’t bothered for the DVDs I own (most of which are in Maine at my now summer place). They just take up too much space, even compressed (and too much physical space for my tiny FL home), and I don’t watch them enough. I haven’t bought a DVD since streaming really became a thing. I think I have bought two physical CDs in the past decade, for that matter.
Dang. I wonder where my family’s DVD copies of those movies ended up….
I’m old enough I saw the originals in the theater! Though the first two in re-releases as a kid, The Love Bug is a year older than I am, but they played all of them at the Pease AFB movie theater when I was a kid at Saturday Matinees. Double-feature for $.25. Mom would give me $1, would ride my bike to the theater and it would pay for admission and a couple candy bars. Back when kids were free range, LOL. 🙂
Fast Five.
Always wanted to watch Buckaroo.
Any issue of Car Audio and Electronics that I still have…..
picked up on the word, but have no idea what the “Buckaroo” TV series is.
Buckaroo Banzai’s probably there on my “escapist car movie” list from the opening scenes with the Jet Car going supersonic and through the mountain. Also (for Mercede’s sake) the Hong Kong Cavaliers’ tour bus / mobile command center.
“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.”
Anyone who knows anything about Evel also knows that he never pulled any punches.
Redline might be one of the most escapist “car” films
I fuckin’ LOVE that movie. It’s like a drug trip without the drugs.
Absolutely a fantastic film. So over the top, yet none of it feels out of place.
I think what really makes it is everyone involved commits and plays things completely straight. There’s no knowing winks, nothing that signals they think they’re really too cool for it.
The animated Redline or the live-action 2007 Redline?
Animated is the only one in my eyes
There’s a live-action one?
Your music choice for today is also political based on Béla Fleck’s recent annoucement, but I’m sure you knew that.
This just in: Folk and Bluegrass have always been, and always will be, political. Most music is to some degree, but those two SPECIFICALLY always have been.
This land is my land, this land is Greenland
So f*ck the Danish who live in cheeseland
That’s how it goes now, right?
It sure seems like Béla doesn’t want it to be political… It sounds like he shares Matt’s opening statement “Honestly, the confluence of politics with everything is overwhelming what few circuitbreakers I have left in my psyche.”
“I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The Kennedy Center. Performing there has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music. I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art.”
“I didn’t make it political, it already was— and there was no mob pressuring me. Music should be about expression, creativity and inclusivity. This current dialogue doesn’t seem to be about any of those things.”
“As this Kennedy Center thing became more and more charged, it wasn’t any longer something where I’m under the radar playing this gig. I am actually taking a position by playing at the Kennedy Center now.
By not canceling, I’m taking a position, and I don’t want to take that position.
That’s what it really comes down to: I don’t want to take a position, but whatever I do is taking a position.”
Ford also thinks quality is job 1, when it’s like, 8th, at best soooooo…
What Ford actually said is, “Quality is hard work.” The advertising guys said, “So it’s job 1, right?” Then they didn’t listent to the answer.
Bela Fleck! I saw him (with the Flecktones) way back in 1996 or so in Atlanta, I think at a small theatre venue called the Variety Playhouse. One of the first live shows I ever saw.
They might be the most individually talented group of musicians I’ve ever seen or heard, at least outside of the contrived supergroups. Victor Wooten on bass is another level.
Also, good for him on canceling his upcoming gig at the Kennedy Center and explaining, apolitically, that the entire venue has now taken on such a political charge, the only option is not to take part (paraphrased).
Bela rules. saw him a bunch in the 90’s and early oughts, but saw him again at the egg in ’22 to promote My Bluegrass Heart, which was phenomenal. 10/10
Escapist car film: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Thanks for mentioning the Jalopnik Film Festival- I was at the first one and it was excellent. Senna, the US premier of Rush, and a panel with Ken Block was all very exciting to a broke college freshman
The anxious among us will make that determination for ourselves, thank you.
400 miles becoming standard would be good, more would be better yet.
Being able to recharge in <5 minutes anywhere and everywhere is the real solution. My tiny-tanked 128i will barely do 300 miles at speed on the highway, but it doesn’t matter when I can tank it up in short order anywhere without having to plan a 1700 mile trip like a military campaign. Though that said, the 600+ that the Mercedes can do on that trip is nice.
This would also work.
Once again I agree with you. It’s the charging speed that matters to me.
Furthermore, at our age we get 90 minutes per bladder.
As long as I am sitting down, I can easily go 5-6hrs between bathroom breaks even in advancing middle age. The BMW has less range than I do even now on my migrations. When I was young, I used to be able to do Maine to DC without a bathroom break though. Sigh.
God bless you. I apparently was ‘blessed’ with a tiny bladder. It’s not just since I got older.
It is a blessing sometimes. Though I feel for you – I fully know what it’s like because I have had my blood sugar out of control a few times and joined the “once an hour or less” club. That sucked. NOTHING worse than having to go when trapped on an airplane with the seatbelt sign on in rough air.
Total range and fill up time are all great but it still comes down to availability of the right charger. If all you got is chargepoint or god forbid Electrify America even if the car can handle 1.21 jigawatts of power the charger will not provide it.
I have more confidence that this problem can be solved than range anxiety.
I’m always baffled why car makers don’t use the Tesla charging systems. The network is all there already.
Not sure what licensing applies but with the adoption of NACS I think all/most of them can. I don’t think the network coverage is all there though, I don’t know of any near me, not that I actively seek them out.
I plan to solve the range anxiety of a cross-country trip with one simple move: a jerry can.
Cause I’m planning to drive an ICE vehicle with a tiny fuel tank, and it’s pretty easy to strap a gas can or two to a roof rack.
How many gas cans do you need to strap to the roof before the loss of MPG cancels out the increase in fuel capacity?
Minis have a 34L fuel tank, and aren’t super aerodynamic. so I figure one or two cans is enough without sacrificing much range.
I thought maybe you were going to drive your EV until it stopped and then torch it. Then I read your second sentence.
We carry our ‘lucky’ gas can on our long trips. ‘Lucky’ because we’ve never needed it.
Big range numbers don’t need to be standard to accommodate the range-anxious, they need to be an option.
For escaping the daily load of shit that our news has become, I run and hide in a hopeful future where the stuff that goes on these days is illegal, immoral, and unconscionable. It’s called Star Trek.
Golden Era Trek or NuTrek?
A little-known fact is that there have been no new Star Trek movies or TV shows after DS9. It’s kind of a like a Mandela effect thing where people think there are all these new Star Trek shows right now, but in actuality there aren’t any. It’s very strange.
And given the state of CBS, there will be no new Trek shows for the foreseeable future.
Peace on Earth.
Starfleet Academy starts next week and we still have season 4 and 5 of Strange New Worlds coming.
Ugh, I just ain’t feeling that. Discovery, Lower Decks, and Strange New Worlds are all fantastic.
In my world, there’s no such thing as “bad” Star Trek or Star Wars.
Kind sir, we must respectfully agree to disagree.
I notice Prodigy wasn’t listed.
Haven’t had a chance. There was a Ken Burns this past year, y’know.
DS9 is practically perfect. I just watched the two-parter last night where the Founders lead the combined Cardassian/Romulan fleet into a trap. One of the best episodes for both Garak and Odo.
DS9 remains Peak Trek down to the present day.
I’ll grant Voyager and Enterprise canon status, they tried.
I will confidently assert that “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” is the best “Star Trek” film ever produced, by far.
Bullshit!!! The Orville is the best damn Star Trek series (once you get past season 1).
As Tealc on SG1 would say, “Indeed”.
All of it.
Of the NuTrek I felt that Prodigy really was excellent. It’s odd how it is now being treated by CBS as if it didn’t happen similar to how the Animated Series was seen for decades.
Good call on Star Trek as an emotional palate cleanser. I can also recommend a full rewatch of The West Wing, which is pretty much an idealistic non-scifi remake of the original Star Trek.
My wife uses Gilmore Girls for this purpose.
I’d happily continue with the old national nightmare if all of the current ones would just go away.
I wish the expiration date on the current one would move on up already.
You mean this four year episode of “Jackass”?
Jackass was sooo much better than this. It was stupid, but at least it was kinda funny and they only hurt themselves. Sigh.
TEN year episode. With over two years to go.
Jackass was way better than this (and far, far kinder to other people).
As someone currently living in Minneapolis, I agree.