In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. The Los Angeles Auto Show wrapped up this week, and we talk about some of the highlights from the show, and the events surrounding it, like the new Toyota Prius, Genesis X Convertible concept, new Lucid Air trims and the Lucid Gravity SUV. John talks about traveling to Sweden for the reveal of the Volvo EX90. They also talk about the cars they’ve been driving, including the Nissan Leaf, Nissan Kicks, Mercedes EQB and Jeep Wagoneer. They also shoot the breeze about late fall beer, courtesy of an email from a listener.

Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com.

Autoblog Podcast #756

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Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or “Alexa, open Autoblog” to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives.

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The Lucid Air has managed to truly impress as a premium EV that combines luxury appointments and blistering performance in an elegant package. The company promises to carry over that aesthetic to its next offering, an SUV called the Lucid Gravity. Lucid’s latest teaser provides a glimpse of how that translation might look.

Like the Air, the Gravity will be about maximizing efficiency, Lucid says. That manifests itself in areas like the company’s compact electric motors, which allow for better packaging and more interior space. Engineers and designers have also prioritized aerodynamics; the Air sedan boasts a very slippery 0.197 drag coefficient. Lucid isn’t revealing numbers for the Gravity yet, but lead designer Derek Jenkins promises that it’ll be “by far the most aerodynamic SUV, ever.”

Head on, the Gravity offers a taller version of the Air’s face. With an illuminated horizontal bar that stretches headlight to headlight and vertical DRLs, it remains on-brand alongside its sedan sibling’s distinctive light signature. Out back, a taillight bar mirrors that of the Air as well, and we can see a commonality with its C-pillar shape.

A massive roof spoiler overhangs the rear window, giving the Gravity very boxy proportions. An extremely short front overhang gives the vehicle a long cabin area. It almost looks minivan-esque, but a cool one like the Kia Carnival. A massive roof wing overhangs the rear window, and the cut lines for the hatch look like they’ll make for an interesting rear aperture. 

The Gravity will offer three seating configurations: two rows, a six-seater option with captain’s chairs in the second row, and a 7-seater layout with a 3-person bench in the second row. “Cargo space is going to be off the charts,” Jenkins told us. “We’re taking packaging to a new level.” A panoramic glass roof looks to be one of the largest in the biz. 

No performance specifics were given, but the folks at Lucid say that, like the Air, the Gravity will have a very long range. It’ll be quick, too. “I dare to call it a hypercar, except it’s not a car,” Jenkins said. Lucid has stated that the 1,200-horsepower Air Sapphire, which costs $249,000 and goes from 0-60 mph in under 1.9 seconds, will not be the only model to wear the Sapphire moniker. So it’s implied that there’ll be a Gravity Sapphire at some point, especially since Lucid reps say the Air and Gravity together will complete the company’s flagship lineup.

Specifics will likely be revealed next year. Reservations are scheduled to open in early 2023, while the Gravity itself is planned for a 2024 arrival.

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SAO PAULO — Kevin Magnussen shocked Formula One in Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying by earning pole position for the sprint race at Interlagos on Friday.

It was the first pole after 142 races for the Danish driver, who celebrated by making faces at the cameras before the third qualifying session was over. Then he jumped on his car and punched the air in the drizzle. He gave his Haas team boss Guenther Steiner an emotional hug.

“The team put me out on track exactly at the right moment,” an exultant Magnussen said.

Asked whether he expected to earn pole, he replied: “Not even close. It is incredible.”

Magnussen started in F1 in 2014 and returned to the series this year after a one-year absence as the replacement for Russian driver Nikita Mazepin.

On team radio, Magnussen was even more excited: “I never felt like this in my life,” he said. Minutes before, when he was told he was in first position, he replied: “You’re kidding.”

Meanwhile, Haas teammate Mick Schumacher, who is still seeking a seat for the next season, finished not surprisingly in 20th and last place.

Steiner said on Thursday he has yet to decide whether Schumacher will race for the team next year, adding he hopes a decision will be made next week. Schumacher has earned only 12 points this season. Magnussen has a paltry 24.

Magnussen was almost five seconds faster than Schumacher. World champion Max Verstappen was second by almost two-tenths of a second. Mercedes’ George Russell was third.

Qualifying was delayed by rain, which helped Magnussen. The last five minutes of the session were severely affected by the wet track.

Haas spoke about Magnussen’s pole position with a touch of disbelief: “What did we just do?” the team posed on Twitter. “That was a Viking performance!”

Friday’s results set the grid for Saturday’s sprint race, which will determine the starting positions for Sunday’s race at Interlagos.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who will start the sprint in fifth position, will have a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race. The Spaniard has added a new internal combustion engine for the weekend, a penalty-inducing sixth of the season.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who is still fighting to secure the runner-up position in the drivers’ championship, was first during free practice earlier on Friday. He had a design on his helmet in collaboration with Disney.

“It is for the Black Panther movie, a movie that represents a lot of my country,” the Mexican driver said. “The helmet itself is unique and I really like it.”

Perez will start the sprint, which is expected to go under rain again, in ninth position.

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Some hummingbirds instinctively fly south when the weather turns cold.

This one hitched a car ride instead.

The tiny rufous hummingbird, measuring only eight centimeters long (just over three inches) and weighing four grams, was the subject of an extensive rescue effort last month in the Canadian community of Prince George, about 500 miles north of Vancouver, B.C.

As told by the CBC, the bird first caught the attention of Clive Keen, an expert bird photographer and author of dozens of essays on the subject. It was first spotted by his wife, Susan, in early October. Because the weather was mild that month, the Keens assumed the hummer was holding off on his journey south until the frost set in.

But when Keen saw the hummingbird again in late October, after a snowfall and with temperatures forecast to 5 degrees above zero Fahrenheit, he thought, “Clearly, it wasn’t going to survive if it stayed around. I kept thinking … ‘Surely, you’re going to take the hint and head off south.’ But no, it kept hanging around in my tree.”

After reaching out to the birder community throughout Canada for advice, he elected to entice the animal into a birdcage. After the Keens spent several hours spent watching and waiting, the bird flew into the cage and was trapped.

So, what did the Keens do next? They fired up their car, turned on the heater, loaded up the cage, and Susan Keen headed south. She drove nine hours to Vancouver. Maybe the hummingbird will head south from there on his own, or maybe he’ll hang around. While Prince George is inland and cold, Vancouver enjoys a milder maritime climate, and some hummingbirds overwinter there. She released the little guy in a park.

“What can you do?” she said. “You’ve got this tiny thing.” If left in the cold, she said, “it has no chance at all.”

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• Tom Hartley buys and sells classic cars at his private estate and showroom in northern England.
• He started out on the grey market and now finds cars through wealthy owners.
• His estate offers a resort-like experience, with a private spa and cinema available for visitors.

In 1992, Tom Hartley was in a traffic jam on the edge of Hyde Park in London when a classic Bentley caught his eye. He immediately rolled down his window and struck up a conversation with the man in the back seat, who was being driven by a chauffeur.

“I bought the car off him in the traffic jam. We pulled over, he got out, I did an invoice, and we picked up the car from his address that day,” he told Insider. “And, of course, we sold it a few days later.”

This is typical for Hartley, who spends his days brokering deals for supercars and classic cars, focusing on manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini. “I’ve bought cars in saunas, in swimming pools, on airplanes — you can’t name where I haven’t bought a car,” he said.

Hartley, now 60, runs an eponymous showroom on a 48-acre family estate in Derbyshire. He said his team sells between 40 and 50 vehicles per month, and past clients of his include Elton John, Rod Stewart, Nicolas Cage, and Rory McIlroy. The average sales price of his vehicles is £250,000, or around $286,000 — but a rare Ferrari could fetch $30 million.

He shared with Insider how he got into the trade and what his job entails.

He learned the art of selling from hanging out in his father’s store

Growing up, Hartley’s father owned a carpet business, and Hartley said he spent most of his time at the shop watching deals being made. He itched to follow in his dad’s sales footsteps, and as he watched his family change cars every few months, it seemed like the perfect industry to get into.

His first deal was brokering the sale of a luxury Range Rover between two of his father’s acquaintances when he was a teen. “I made myself 150 quid on that car, which was a lot of money then,” he said. “By the age of 12, I had the experience of an 18-year-old.”

After selling the Range Rover, he stumbled onto what’s now known as the grey market, where barely-used luxury goods can be traded at a premium on the secondary market. If you could source an in-demand car like a Range Rover, Hartley’s theory was, there was easy profit in reselling it to a buyer unable to find one.

He began buying cars from manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche, which were mostly based in Germany, directly and imported them to the UK to resell to hungry buyers.

When car brands began cracking down on nonauthorized dealers, he quickly pivoted to buying up supply from car owners.

Soon after, he saw a man pull up outside a luxury hotel in London driving a brand-new Jaguar Daimler XJ40, a particular model launched on the market just days earlier, and offered to buy it for £3,000 over asking price. Within days, he said, he’d sold it to a C-suite executive who’d been unable to secure one from the manufacturer for £42,000, a profit of just over 16% in a few days.

Customers can come via appointment only and enjoy resort-level amenities

Hartley started out primarily in the supercar market, but he added classic cars to his roster in the wake of the Great Recession, when he saw wealthy clients turning to assets rather than keeping money in cash or stocks.

“It was an addition to what we were doing, but we didn’t change our method of buying and selling,” he said. “We wanted cars with great history, low mileage, and real rarities.” He handles all his sales from his family estate in northern England, a property he bought in 1981 to serve as both a home and a showroom.

At any one time, he said, there are 75 cars worth more than $150 million onsite. The key difference between his assortment and that of conventional dealers, he added, is that he stocks different brands like Mercedes and Ferrari in one place — a move aimed at his ideal customer. “Back in the 1970s, a successful guy would have one car, maybe two. A lot of buyers mix and match now and might have anything from six to 10 cars,” he said.

Hartley said he gets about five customers a day and takes visitors by appointment only. Despite the car world being mostly dominated by men, Hartley said around 20% of his clients are women.

Those that stop by his showroom can expect more than just a selection of unique cars: Customers can enjoy the estate’s private spa and cinema, as well as a full restaurant. Sometimes, they’re even invited to stay overnight in one of the estate’s four bedrooms. “I wanted to create an experience around buying a secondhand car,” he said. There’s a helipad for those that travel by air, but Hartley can also send a chauffeur to collect someone from a nearby private airstrip.

Despite being around expensive cars 24/7, he’s never owned one himself. “It’s a personal statement that I can’t get attached to them,” he said.”I always say when you walk on the Hartley estate, everything has a price, except my wife.”

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Another near doubling of new car registrations from Ford was led by the doomed Fiesta hatchback during October, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data shows.

The blue oval delivered 94.7% more cars than in October 2021 last month to lead the market with 13,295 registrations, with the long-time hatchback favourite leading the best-selling car rankings with 4,230 units.

It meant that the Fiesta – facing the axe from the brand’s model line-up in 2023 – made the difference as Ford accelerated ahead of market rival Volkswagen with 108,072 registrations year-to-date, versus 104,975 for the German OEM.

Despite falling behind Ford – up 1.9% year-to-date – Volkswagen grew its October registrations by 41.5%, to 12,804 units, in October but remains 19.5% down year-to-date.

Several carmakers grew their registrations volumes by over 100% last month as the sector delivered 26.4% growth on a bleak October 2021 which experienced a 24.6% year-on-year decline.

Cupra was up 104.9% to 1,543 units, Land Rover 103.4% to 3,275, while MG continued its march to growth with volumes up 103% to 4,749 units.

The VW Group’s fastest-growing brand continues to deliver significant growth following the launch of its Born electric vehicle (EV), which is currently the subject of a long-term road test by AM editor Tim Rose.

Its growth appears to be coming to the detriment of sister brand Seat, however, which suffered a further 38.4% decline (to 1,532 units) in October to leave its annual registrations down 54% at 18,463 year-to-date.

Cupra’s year-to-date registrations are now up 94.4% at 12,016, with an identical 0.9% market share to VW brand Porsche, which has seen its registrations rise 35.8% to 13,155 in the same period..

Among the key year-to-date market share winners are: MG, at 3.2%; Tesla whose sales have risen 45.4% to 32,229, resulting in a market share of 2.4%; Kia, up 9.3% YTD to 89,146, to deliver a 6.64% share; and Hyundai, up 19.5% YTD at 69,757 with a market share of 5.2%.

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Icon 4×4 broke out the first in its Derelict series 11 years ago, a 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe Business Coupe. It pulled into SEMA that year looking like it had been driven nonstop since 1952. But under that worn skin, Icon had tucked goods like a brand new 6.2-liter LS3 V8, six-piston antilock brakes, alligator and buffalo hides for the bench seats, Wilton wool carpets, and one-piece CNC-machined wheels. It was a winning formula then, it’s still a winner on the newest Derelict, a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL. Jonathan Ward, founder and lead designer at Icon, said, “Our specialty is preserving everything that we love about vintage cars while making them more fun and enjoyable to drive.”

As with that Business Coupe, it starts with a powder-coated Art Morrison chassis sprung with coil-overs at all four corners and an independent rear suspension. A 6.2-liter LS9 has been tucked well back in the bulkhead, putting an unknown chunk of power through a rebuilt 4L85E four-speed transmission. New rack-and-pinion steering makes maneuvering easy, and Hydratech-assisted Brembos keep a leash on the one-piece machined aluminum EVOD wheels. New wiring and plumbing throughout ensure the new bits communicate with one another clearly. The classic interior looking fresh from a showroom floor hides a modern HVAC system and heated front seats, and modern audio with four Focal two-way speakers, a sub and amp, and Bluetooth connectivity.   

In Derelict fashion, the sheetmetal wears its age, accented with touches of stainless steel and chrome. The newest member of the club will be on show at SEMA in the Optima Batteries booth before being parked in its new owner’s garage. Icon is ready to take more commissions, Derelicts starting at $450,000. 

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Rivian has taken two popular features for its R1T pickup out of rotation. The powered tonneau cover is being redesigned to address problems, the Camp Kitchen and Gear Tunnel Shuttle are being redesigned for unknown reasons. Starting with the tonneau cover, it’s an aluminum panel that slides along the integrated bed rails. Owner complaints about the cover not opening completely and noisy or jerky operation prompted an investigation that found a flawed subcomponent. Rivian told owners it needed to rework the component in a way that “improves the tonneau cover’s robustness against manufacturing build variations.” The automaker doesn’t know when the engineering job will be complete warning interested parties, “For foreseeable future, all R1Ts will be built with either a manual tonneau cover or no tonneau cover.”

New shoppers aren’t so much affected. They can choose no bed cover or the manual cover, or wait for the powered tonneau to return. That manual unit is four interlocking aluminum and composite panels that slide into the integrated bed rails, can be locked, and protect “against light weather.” When not in use, they fit in a carry bag and stow in the gear tunnel between the cab and the bed. It seems these are in short supply, however, Rivian saying the manual tonneau panels aren’t expected to be available until early 2023. 

Buyers who have taken delivery of truck with the powered tonneau will have their covers fixed free of charge.

Buyers who haven’t taken delivery are stuck with unsavory options. Those who ordered the powered cover will have the powered option removed. The insult salting the injury is that the powered tonneau can’t be added later, so buyers need to choose the manual cover or go with no cover. For Launch Edition buyers, switching to the manual cover cuts their truck price by $700, omitting any cover cuts the bill by $1,500. Rivian doesn’t mention a lower price for trucks with the Adventure Package. 

The carmaker’s support page explaining the situation says “In early 2023, we will transition to a design without the integrated siderails.” That could explain why the powered tonneau can’t be added later. It could also mean a partially redesigned bed is on the way, or Rivian plans to make side rails an upgrade, or something else. We’ll find out next year when the updated trucks arrive. The company says R1T delivery times will not be affected by any of this.

As for the Camp Kitchen, it doesn’t appear to be flawed in a way customers have noticed. All Rivian will say about the production pause is that its in-house team “continued testing Camp Kitchen in various environments [and] found opportunities to refine the design and make our version of cooking in the wild even better.” The company’s Gear Shop used to sell the Camp Kitchen x Snow Peak Package for $5,000, which included the kitchen, the Gear Tunnel Shuttle slide-out platform the kitchen sits on, and the integrated 30-piece Snow Peak cooking and dishware set. 

What’s arguably even stranger about Rivian removing this feature is that owners weren’t complaining about it. At least the Camp Kitchen can be added at a later date, although we suspect the kitchen and shuttle are going to be more expensive when they come back. The support page answers a question about the future cost with, “We’ll share pricing details once we’ve finalized design updates,” and worse, answers a question about price protection for those who ordered the first version with, “We’ll share details once we’ve finalized the Camp Kitchen redesign and set new pricing.” 

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Are there really more recalls in the past few years or are we simply paying more attention to them? Stellantis has three more to add to the pile, focused on the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator, and Ram 1500. The first is an add-on to the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 fuel high-pressure fuel pump recall that has already snared nearly 140,000 Jeep and Rams from the 2014 to 2020 model years. Seems EcoDiesels from the 2020, 2021, and 2022 model years didn’t get fixed in time, either, and now they’re joining the herd.

The 60,413 Jeep and Ram models at issue are:

• Jeep Wrangler: 21,244 units built from August 20, 2019 to November 2, 2021
• Jeep Gladiator: 7,375 units built from June 4, 2020 to May 13, 2022
• Ram 1500: 31,794 units built from May 29, 2019 to January 21, 2022

The potential issue and recourse are the same as previous. The pump failure can introduce mechanical debris to the fuel system, cutting off the supply of fuel to the engine. Earlier comments from parent company Stellantis suggested failure could come on gradually rather than spectacularly, meaning drivers may notice noise from the pump or even a Check Engine light before the vehicle becomes undrivable. Owner notification letters are expected to go out by December 2. The fix is a trip to the dealer for replacement of all components in the fuel system that have failed or suffered from failure. Owners can get in touch with Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403 and refer to recall Z96. They can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) and mention campaign number 22V-767.

The remaining recalls are new. The 2021 Jeep Wrangler, 2022 Ram 1500, and 2022 Jeep Gladiator need some hands on their front seat belt retractors. The automaker’s internal investigation team uncovered some improper friction welder maintenance at a supplier resulted in badly welded micro gas generators on the retractors. In an accident, faulty retractors might not provide the proper occupant restraint in a crash, increasing the possibility of injury. The 2,802 models involved in this one are:

• Jeep Wrangler: 1,280 units built between December 1, 2021 and December 20, 2021
• Jeep Gladiator: 622 units built between November 22, 2021 and December 9, 2021
• Ram 1500: 900 units built between November 22, 2021 and December 23, 2021

Letters will go out to owners by December 2 telling owners to hit up dealers for new seat belt retractors. Owners can contact Chrysler customer service at the above number and refer to recall Z95. The NHTSA campaign number for this one is 22V-766.

The last action is all about the 2022 and 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid. There are 13,722 units of the off-road PHEV that need their high-voltage packs looked at. Some of them might have incorrect fasteners securing the 200-amp fuse in that pack, potentially causing so much excess heat around the fuse that the it fails. If that happens, the battery can’t provide any power. Drivers might be alerted with a dashboard light or altered driving performance. 

The units at issue were built from January 13, 2022 to May 18, 2022. The fix is a day at the dealership to have the fuse fastener inspected and possibly replaced. Owners can contact Chrysler customer service at the above number and refer to recall Z71. The NHTSA campaign number for this one is 22V-768.

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