Electric DeLorean due this August, Porsche ponders IPO, NHTSA probes 1.7M Hondas
DeLorean’s new EV concept will bow this August in California
Intake: A lot has happened in the world of DeLorean in recent months. The marque associated with the iconic stainless steel–bodied “DMC-12” has split into two companies following its Texas-based resurrection in 1995: DeLorean Motor Company, which sells parts for and restores the original DeLoreans, and DeLorean Motors Reimagined, the group that will be building a recently-teased EV inspired by the DMC-12. ItalDesign, the Italian design house whose founder, Giorgetto Guigiaro, penned the original DMC-12, is involved with the new EV project. According to a report from Car and Driver, the fledgling EV—which we’ve only seen silhouettes of thus far—will bow at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 21.
Exhaust: We’re looking forward to seeing that DMC-12-inspired EV in full this summer. However, we also can’t help but wonder what this means for the run of “new” DMC-12s with updated drivetrains that were reportedly in the works at DeLorean’s production facility in Humble, Texas. We’ve reached out to DMC for details and will update if we hear back.
The last Elise goes to the person behind its name
Intake: Elisa Artioli, granddaughter of Lotus’ former Chairman Romano Artioli, is the owner of the last vehicle to bear her name. Lotus tweeted that “the last Elise built for customer” is an Elise Sport 240 in Championship Gold, and confirmed it’s going to Elisa. Judging by the smile on her face, this was a win-win for everyone involved with this famous sports car.
Exhaust: While it never hurts to have a strong family connection with an automaker, not every final vehicle is lucky enough to get such a worthy owner. We previously profiled Elisa here, so we are confident she’s the perfect person to receive such a special piece of automotive history.
Aston Martin is almost guaranteed to lead a Grand Prix in 2022
Intake: With new regulations for Formula 1 shaking up the grid the 2022 season could be full of surprises. However, one thing is all but certain: Aston Martin will lead the field at some point as its Vantage is an official safety car, for the second year running. A DBX crossover will also serve as the medical car for 12 of the 23 races on the calendar. The Aston duo will make their debut at the Australian Grand Prix weekend on April 8-10.
Exhaust: Aston Martin is sharing safety and medical car duties with Mercedes-AMG which will provide an AMG GT Coupe and a C63 wagon for 11 rounds of the championship. Hopefully the safety cars won’t be cause for consternation again this year as they were at the season decider in 2021.
Porsche ponders a stock market float
Intake: While thousands of Porsches may be in danger of sinking at sea aboard a stricken and smoldering transporter, the German sports car maker is eyeing up a more successful floatation. The VW Group and Porsche Automobil Holding SE have said that they are exploring an initial public offering (IPO) before the end of the year. The planned stock market listing could value Porsche at up to $95 billion, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. “The actual feasibility of an IPO depends on several different parameters as well as general market conditions. No final decisions have yet been taken,” said a VW statement.
Exhaust: A stock market float would inject a huge amount of cash into Porsche which would help fund the brand’s transition over to an EV maker. If you’re interested in getting in on the action then, according to Autocar, the shares will be split into two portions: 50 percent will be ordinary shares with voting rights, and 50 percent will be preference shares that give early access to dividend payments. However, Autocar says that only 25 percent of the preferred shares will actually be put on the market, leaving Porsche Automobil Holding and the VW Group firmly in charge.
NHTSA investigating 1.7M Honda vehicles for “inadvertent” automatic emergency braking
Intake: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into more than 1.7 million Honda Motor Company vehicles for unintended automatic emergency braking. The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 278 complaints—107 for 2018–19 Honda Accords and 171 for 2017–19 Honda CR-V compact crossovers—for “inadvertent activation of the collision mitigation braking system,” which prompted the probe. The ODI document summarizes that activating the braking system while driving “can cause unexpected speed reductions that can lead to increased vulnerability to rear end impact collisions. The complaints allege that the inadvertent braking events occur without warning and randomly.” Honda spokesman Chris Martin told the Automotive News that Honda is aware of the situation and will cooperate with the NHTSA while continuing its own investigation.
Exhaust: At least a dozen automakers—including Acura, Honda’s luxury brand—install automatic crash-avoidance technology as standard equipment on their newer vehicles. So, considering that the Honda probe comes on the heels of last week’s news of a NHTSA investigation into 2021–22 Tesla Model 3 and Y vehicles, other automakers are most certainly taking note.
