I’ve only played soccer competitive twice in my life, the first time as a kindergartner and the second time as an adult in a Brooklyn league. Hewing to the old school Texan belief that only communists play sports with their feet, it’s just never been my thing. Perhaps that’s why I was made goalie, which ended with me breaking my thumb.
My biggest fear probably should have been related to the fracturing of a phalange, but I was more worried about an own goal. It just seemed so embarrassing. The Morning Dump is going to start with an own-goal of sorts, which is our current economy, which is constantly being rocked by seemingly avoidable choices made by the federal government. That’s probably how it feels to be Ford, too, which just got randomly hip-checked by the Secretary of Transportation.
There’s a lot of competition for the most off-balance automaker these days. Volkswagen can probably make the strongest argument in their favor (or disfavor, I suppose). It’s not all grim, as the new ID.Polo is finding fans. Ineos is another carmaker I wonder about, though the company seems to think it has a potential military customer base.
‘Gas Cost, War, Inflation, Unemployment…” Weigh On Dealers, Too
Yeah, so here’s a chart:
The market is currently waiting for Friday’s release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the state of inflation as measured in consumer prices (CPI). That’s last month’s report, and it’s not great. Everything getting a little more expensive is just what happens, but energy prices are there like a big middle finger to consumers.
It’s impacting everyone, and the cause is pretty clear: a war being waged against Iran for reasons I personally do not understand, for goals that aren’t particularly clear. Thanks to China, this hasn’t caused the most catastrophic increase in fuel prices, but it’s been bad (especially for diesel).
Cox Automotive tracks dealer sentiment in quarterly surveys, and dealers in Q3 have started to trend negative in their views.
The index remains below the neutral threshold of 50 and has now been in negative territory for more than four years. Independent dealers continue to be more pessimistic than franchised dealers, with many citing inflation, fuel prices, elevated interest rates and economic uncertainty as factors reducing consumer confidence and limiting purchasing power for usedvehicle buyers.
As one Honda dealer told Cox, “Gas cost, war, inflation, unemployment and increase in the cost of doing business have impacted business.”
It’s not possible to go back in time and see what would have happened if the White House hadn’t decided to start a trade war, cancel EV incentives, and then follow all that up by starting an actual war. Maybe we’d have ended up in the same place? The market has remained resilient even with all of the above, though I wonder for how long. My guess is that the overall economy and car market would have been happier without the disruption.
DOT Secretary Duffy Attacks Ford
The old joke is that the most dangerous place in the world is the space between Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and a camera. I’d just add that perhaps the more dangerous place is anywhere near an airport since Sec. Duffy took over the department.
Sec. Duffy has, for some reason, decided to absolutely rail Ford for its connections to Chinese automakers:
I am writing to express the profound concern of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding the strategic trajectory of Ford Motor Company (Ford or Company), specifically as it pertains to American national automotive manufacturing integrity, supply chain exposure, and reliance on technologies of foreign adversaries. While DOT recognizes the intense competitive pressures of the global market, the Company’s recent strategic decisions paint a troubling picture of a foundational American brand actively intertwining its future with Chinese state-backed enterprises.
The letter goes on to criticize Ford for building a factory in Michigan that uses technology sourced from CATL, that it’s “delaying” the return of the Lincoln Nautilus, and doing a joint venture with Geely in Spain.
I’m not sure where to even start with this, but the hypocrisy is a little hard to swallow. At the highest level, this administration and the Republican party in general (Duffy was formerly a Republican Congressman) have been resistant to electric car development. In particular, the One Big Beautiful Bill took a hammer to investment in EV technology and manufacturing. That makes this criticism fairly galling:
DOT remains deeply alarmed by Ford’s continued reliance on licensed technology from Chinese battery manufacturer CATL at the operational BlueOval Battery Park facility in Marshall, Michigan. Although the facility has commenced production and assembled initial Lithium Iron Phosphate or LFP cells, the prioritization of imported Chinese technical expertise and operational know-how—even in a scaled-back capacity—challenges the spirit of American national and economic security and supply-chain independence policies.
I gotta say “challenges the spirit” is such a perfectly meaningless phrase in this context. These are new jobs, in America, and by dropping the ball on battery development, Ford is in a situation where the CATL LFP technology is basically the best there is right now.
Ford has its own response, which you can read here, calling the letter a “wrongheaded attempt to capture headlines at the expense of a company that has done more for American manufacturing than virtually any other in the nation’s history.”
As Ford points out, there’s a White House press release from two weeks ago that touts the plant as a response “to the Trump Administration’s America First agenda.”
You can read the dueling letters and make up your own mind. Duffy’s epistle seems like a random hit at an automaker that has seemingly tried to placate the current administration. Toad, scorpion, et cetera.
People Seem To Like The VW ID.Polo
My general sense is that the new VW ID. Polo is cool. The base model us under $30k, and though the shortest-range battery gets you just over 200 miles on the WLTP test, that’s probably fine for a lot of people
As Automobilewoche reports, the car is already sold out:
With its ID. Polo electric city car, VW has clearly struck a chord. Even before the car is officially on sale, thousands of orders have already been placed. Demand for its sister models from Skoda and Cupra is also significantly higher than expected.
Neat!
Ineos Is Going After The UK’s New Light Mobility Vehicle Program
The UK Ministry of Defense is looking to replace its Land Rovers and Pinzgauers, and it has a number of potential vehicles vying for a spot in its £2 billion Light Mobility Vehicle program. Up top is the Ineos application, which gives a very The Troubles kinda vibe to me.
Everyone is going after this award, which prioritizes basing vehicles on existing production cars, as opposed to new vehicles. Different defense companies are looking to base vehicles on the GM Colorado, the Toyota Land Cruiser 70, the G-Class, the new Defender, and the Ford Ranger.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
For the video of “Walking on the Moon” there’s a moment where the drummer for The Police plays drums on a Saturn V rocket. That’s pretty good.
The Big Question
Which current production car would make the worst military vehicle?
Top photo: Adobe Stock, Depositphotos.com
The id.Polo (or however it’s capitalized) is nice to look at, and probably nice to sit in too. Which makes sense, since it seems to be a scaled-down version of the Golf, which has always been among the nicest cars in its class.
However, the Polo is competing in a class below the Golf, sizewise and pricewise. In that class, $30K doesn’t seem all that great. What does a (full size) base Golf start at these days? I asked duckduckgo “what does the current base VW Golf cost today in us dollars” and it came back saying “The current base price for the Volkswagen Golf is approximately $23,195.”
I honestly don’t know where it got that figure. Canada? Do they sell Golfs there still? I just assumed it would hunt various VW country sites to find an answer and then present it in US dollars.
Well, the Jetta which is still sold in the US MSRPs for $25,270.
I guess $30K is supposed to be competitive with comparable cars in places where the Polo is sold, and not compared with its stablemates, the Golf and Jetta? The Polo is an EV, whereas those Golf/Jetta prices are (I think) just for gas cars (does VW even make an eGolf anymore?).
Not that I’d buy a new VW given my experiences owning several of course. But the Polo is nice looking.
I’m pleasantly pleased with the fuel mileage my two Audi Alllroads get, somewhere around 25 in continuous city driving (the bride’s car) and 35 on trips (my usual gig), and since we’re both retired now – 3K miles a year is about it for us, so manageable even with the now $5/gal price for local no corn premium. Even my classic Mini can’t quite manage that mileage……but that said, I’m disgusted that our so called leadership has decided to spend billions of dollars and countless lives pursuing this Epstein diversion tactic.
My wife has a 2018 Kia Sedona and I have a 2016 Mazda6. I never paid much attention to gas prices because prior to the Sedona, we had a Mazda CX-5 (same engine and platform as the 6). Well, the Sedona gets TERRIBLE gas mileage – we’re talking as low as 12 MPG in the winter on its worst tanks – and basically rivals a Chevy Suburban in fuel efficiency (or the lack thereof). Without the 4WD or towing capacity, so that’s fun.
And no, there’s nothing wrong with the Kia. It’s just a pig. I’ve had it strictly maintained with all recommended and scheduled stuff done and even some extra stuff. It has been checked and re-checked by mechanics and myself and it’s fine. Just drinks the gas thanks to our driving habits of short, around town trips. A hybrid Sienna would be ideal, but who the hell can afford one? Not us. There’s a reason I still have the paid-off Mazda6 I bought new 11 years ago, and it ain’t just because I like it (I do, but still).
If gas keeps creeping up as do all other expenses (groceries, am I right?), we will be piling myself, my wife, and my 2 kids + the dog into the Mazda more often. We’ve done it before, prior to buying the Sedona, so we can certainly do it again.
And, if anything happens to either vehicle, we’re totally screwed as taking on a gigantic car payment right now is so far beyond our reach.
Worst military vehicle?
If we’re talking ‘worst military vehicle for the previous owner’s reputation,’ I nominate the Mark-1 Plumbing F250 from Texas.
But for a current production car, I’ll go with the ID.Buzz (it is still in production somewhere, right?).
TBQ. Any production vehicle would be bad in a modern battlefield. Drones would spot it and turn it into scrap instantly.
I’m going to say Cybertruck. Sure, it has a lower heat signature and would seem to have room to put a big machine gun in the back. However, it’s off-road capability doesn’t match what it looks like it could do and the drones would home in on it in a heartbeat when it starts looking to do an overtheair update.
Yeah, I can think of worse vehicles in a battlefield, but I can’t think of a vehicle I dislike more than the CT, so I’m going to say that my general loathing for it trumps any good points it might have.
What I listening to. The drummer is Stuart Copeland. He’s a REALLY interesting guy and makes great interviews. Three things stand out about the drums in this song.
The drums absolutely make this song.
Every interview of Stuart on Youtube is great. From him pretend screaming at Sting (he and Sting did NOT get along, although they respect each other now) and his concept the drummer is the lead instrument for the band and that the song only exists for him to beat on them. He’s funny, weird and great fun to listen to, but I’m sure a complete pain in the rear as a bandmate. Stuart is a genius and so is Sting and having them both in the same band was always going to end in disaster (and broken ribs), but they made some exceptional music on the way.
3 wheeled Morgan
I’ve always owned relatively fuel efficient vehicles, so I’ve never thought too much about gas prices. I don’t like paying more for gas, but it was never a huge hit to my budget.
But while my Sportwagen waits for a new exhaust, I’ve been daily driving my ’97 F150 beater truck. It has the 6cyl, and probably manages 15mpg on a good day. I use this as a reference point because there’s still tons of those trucks on the road, and plenty of other vehicles that get sub-20mpg. I drove it to my parents house, something that hardly moves the fuel gauge on the Sportwagen. I burned at least four gallons of gas in the truck, probably closer to five. That adds up really fast, especially if you’re someone on a tight budget. Which is a lot of Americans right now.
“Dealers worried about affordability” = “Oh noes, now people might actually start taking a hard look at their financial decisions again, and we can’t hoodwink them into 84 months at 22% APR!” Cry me a river.
So what does that leave, then? Wheelchair basketball?
Wheelchair Dodge-Accountability Ball.
TBQ? Miata Is A Terrible Answer
I was going to say a supercar would be the worst military vehicle, but then I remember those lifted Porsche 911s that went to the top of a mountain or something? That could actually be okay in certain military capacities as they would be quite fast and maneuverable compared to normal military vehicles, but they wouldnt be armored….
Stewart Copeland is a hell of a drummer.
Dealers certainly should be relatively concerned, at least for brands who don’t offer anything compelling at a reasonable price. Ironically this should concern Ford, which our dealer never seems to have a single vehicle under 38k on the lot, yet seems to be replete with 65k Broncos and the sort.
This.
He could probably play on damn near any object and it would sound good!
BMW has to be up there always something breaking and it would be terrible to have some system ask for a subscription when you need it a war zone. That’s basically how the Republic South Vietnam lost their war.
The US is just so goddamned stupid. My entire life has been a cycle of the country electing republicans who break shit, democrats then fixing most of it, and then electing republicans again. We are the rake-steppingist country on the planet.
No healthcare, jobs vanishing, prices up, absolutely unjustified “not wars”, etc.
The only reassuring thing is solar continues to grow despite the orange menace trying to kill it, wind and anything renewable.
Stop voting GOP, morons!
I am a huge fan of the ID Polo design language, if only VW gave us one that was golf sized.
Its wider than a golf mk8 and only about 20cm shorter.
Amend my previous. I thought it said vehicle but it says car
An electric scooter?
Duffy still on his I-have-no-self-awareness ‘MURICA! road trip or did he come back to the office to write this?
“Challenges the spirit of American national and economic security”
FFS. That’s the goddamn unspoken motto of this administration. Hell of a thing to say when his boss just drove energy costs through the roof with his war.
Oh no, the leopards are continuing to eat faces, including my own. They swore they’d never eat MY face and even though they lie constantly I assumed they meant it! What the FUCK!
…anyway, nothing screams combat readiness like a British SUV with a turbocharged German engine that came to be as a billionaire’s side quest because he, presumably, was quite upset that he couldn’t drink tea in a classic Defender without spilling. Why don’t they have him drive it through a war zone to prove how worthy it is? That seems like a good idea to me!
A billionaire who was all for prioritizing the UK until it came time to build his pet SUV.
Didn’t he try to buy an old Land Rover factory in the UK, and JLR said “no”?
I think that is when he went to the continent to purchase a different factory.
I believe he offered to buy the entire Defender factory so he could continue production, and LR said no.
Any Chevy /GMC truck with the 6.2 liter engine.
They have a reputation of quitting on you just when you need them most.
The British prefer their vehicles to have electrical issues, not mechanical. Though dated GM motors are something they like.
Beat me too it
There are a lot of EV nominees for worst military vehicle. I posit that EVs would have some inherent advantages in a battlefield such as low noise, a much lower thermal profile, and better reliability.
To me, any high performance sports car would be ill-suited for military service (Corvette, Mustang, Ferrari, etc…)
Just what I expected someone in the pocket of Big Ironclad to say.
Regarding the Polo, I read that it’s not technically “sold out”. They have plenty of cars in multiple configurations slated for dealers, but if you want to place an order for one with a weird option or color or whatever, then you’re looking at an 18mo wait.
Tl:dr: Orders are backed up, but you shouldn’t have trouble finding one on a lot.
TBQ: I don’t care what James Bond says, pretty much any modern Aston Martin – Valhalla especially, I’m looking at you, 007 First Light videogame! – would make a pretty terrible military vehicle. Without Britian’s GDP worth of Q-Branch upgrades. The one exception might be DBX, and even then…ehhhhh…
Actually, any expensive, low-slung hypercar is probably a terrible military vehicle. “Right, you spent enough money to have purchased a fully equipped MRAP or two, and it doesn’t even have any guns or armor. How precisely are we supposed to use this?”
“…Senior Officer transport?”
“Only if you want to look corrupt. Get it out of my sight!”
Perfect for the current SecDef (or as he insists, SecWar). Wrap it up and wire in his blow-to-go!
The DBX gets lousy mpg – not good for an army on the move.