#246, New Ferrari, LA Auto Show, Dumb Car Names

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As we do periodically throughout the year, on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast co-host Bruce Aldrich and I get caught up on the automotive industry news. There’s always a lot happening, and our topics cover a wide range.

First, car names can mean a lot toward the success or failure of an automobile. We found a recent list on a prominent auto site that lists the top-25 worst car names in history.

The list comes to mind with the not-too-long-ago naming of the pending new Ferrari sport utility vehicle. It will be called the Purosangue.

Ferrari, of course, has long been associated with horses and its “Prancing Pony” logo. The new Ferrari is named after the word for an Italian thoroughbred. It’s pronounced PURO-o-SAN-gue, and it’s a hideous name. The list of the 25 oddball names of cars is a fun read, so have a listen.

Also on this episode this I will be attending the LA Auto Show this week (Nov, 16-18) while Bruce produces my daily podcast interviews from the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Electric vehicles will again be emphasized this year, and VinFast, the Vietnamese manufacturer, will be again be part of that portion of the show. VinFast will be the first Vietnamese car available in the United States with the pending debut in 2023.

Speaking of debuts, as always the LA Auto Show will have its share of global and North American debuts.

The 115th The LA Auto Show will be held Nov. 18-26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Charge Cars, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, ElectraMeccanica, Fiat, Genesis, GMC, Hummer, Hyundai, INDI EV, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Porsche, Subaru, Supernal (Advanced Air Mobility), Volkswagen, Volvo and the abovementioned VinFast will have all exhibitions.

But arguably the best bets, the most consistent, the cars for the every person, are presented every year. New models from the top-10 best-selling vehicles from 2021 will all be presented.

Ford continued its dominance with the F-Series pickups accounting for 726,004 sales. The Ram pickup (569,388), Chevrolet Silverado (519,774), Toyota RAV-4 (407,739), Honda CR-V (361,271), Toyota Camry (313,795), Nissan Rogue (285,602), Jeep Cherokee (264,444), Toyota Highlander (264,128) and Honda Civic (263,787) completed the top-10.

Despite the continuing chip shortage and Covid-19 ramifications, only the Chevrolet Silverado (down 13 percent), Ford F-Series pickup trucks (8 percent) and Toyota RAV4 (5 percent) had lower sales tallies in 2021 than in 2020.

Manufacturers aren’t required to detail what vehicles will be shown at the LA Auto Show. Some new offerings have been announced, others will be unveiled as late as the week of the show.

Honda recently announced the public availability of the 315-horsepower 2023 Civic Type R. It’s the most powerful production vehicle the manufacturer has ever sold, and its will have a starting MSRP of $42,895.

Toyota has eliminated V6 Highlander, replacing for 2-23 with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder. The new model will also feature new multimedia dashboard-area screens and new exterior paint choice, Cypress Green.

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