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Category: Highlight

  • “F9,” the ninth “Fast and Furious” film, delayed a third time to June 25, 2021

    The virus continues to go viral.

    On Thursday a post was released on “The Fast and Furious” Facebook fan page stating the ninth installment in the film series, “F9“, was postponed for a third time to June 25, 2021. The second delay was due to the latest James Bond flick “No Time To Die” being pushed back to April 2, 2021, which has since been pushed back to October 8, 2021. “F9” was originally scheduled to hit theaters May 22, 2020, but the North American premiere was pushed back to 2021 last March.

    The first trailer released in January 2020 showed Jacob Toretto (played by John Cena), the brother of Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, is the main antagonist. Cena drives a Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang in one scene, while Toretto appears set to stick with his Dodge Charger. A Toyota Supra is expected to make an appearance in the film as well.

    The original trailer also had a surprise reveal. Han is still alive, despite his apparent death in the third film in the franchise “Tokyo Drift.”

    A new trailer was released in Feburary during Super Bowl LV with the expected mayhem and drama one finds in these films.

    It’s unclear how the postponement of “F9,” and the general concern about coronavirus, might affect plans for an all-female “Fast and Furious” spinoff previously discussed by Diesel.

    The “F9” originally announcement came shortly after Jeremy Clarkson confirmed on Twitter that season 4 of “The Grand Tour” is delayed due to coronavirus concerns.

    A nearly completed episode has been held up, and filming of further episodes won’t be possible under current conditions, Clarkson said.

    Pressure to cancel or postpone large gatherings has also affected the schedules of Formula One, Formula E, and IMSA.

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  • GM filed a patent for an in-floor foot-massaging system

    Massaging seats are nothing new, but General Motors has filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent on an in-floor foot massaging system.

    First spotted by Carscoops last week, the document describes the use of small air bladders placed in the passenger-compartment floor. Inflating or deflating them massages passengers’ feet. That’s how current massaging seats work, so it seems GM is just looking for a new application of existing technology.

    GM wouldn’t be the first automaker to offer a foot massager. The Audi A8 is already available with one, Carscoops noted, but it’s embedded in a footrest, rather than the floor. That footrest folds down from the front passenger seatback, so the function is only available to the right rear passenger.

    General Motors in-floor foot massaging system patent image

    General Motors in-floor foot massaging system patent image

    That makes sense in a big sedan like the A8, which is more likely to be chauffeur driven. It’s already standard practice to leave the front passenger seat unoccupied to maximize legroom for a single rear passenger, so this seems like the next logical step. While GM hasn’t discussed any production plans for a foot massager, it has a large luxury sedan of its own in the works.

    A feature like this would be a good fit for the Cadillac Celestiq, the brand’s upcoming all-electric flagship. Cadillac has already confirmed that the Celestiq will feature a four-quadrant glass roof and a massive display screen, and it will be mostly hand-built.

    The Celestiq will be Cadillac’s second all-electric model, after the Lyriq SUV scheduled to start production in 2022, and part of larger plan that could see the luxury brand go all-electric by the end of the decade. That means, if future Cadillacs get built-in foot massagers, there won’t be internal-combustion engines to mask whatever  sound they might make, though GM will likely deal with that as well.

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  • The NHRA is preparing for an electric drag racing future

    The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is the latest racing sanctioning body to take a serious look at electric cars. Organizers are asking for input on how to make electric cars a bigger part of drag racing, the association announced on Monday.

    The NHRA plans to host a series of meetings on the topic, beginning with one during the Gatornationals at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway later this month. It’s an “open invitation to interested parties to participate in an open dialogue on the topic,” the organization said in a press release Tuesday.

    That invitation, includes, but is not limited to, automakers, aftermarket parts suppliers, race-car builders, and safety-equipment manufacturers, the NHRA said. The organization hopes to gauge interest in electric drag racing, and discuss safety protocols for electric race cars.

    “When it comes to drag racing electric vehicles, we want NHRA to be the leader, not a follower,” Ned Walliser, NHRA vice president of competition, said in a statement.

    Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype

    Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype

    Electric drag racing is nothing new. The NHRA noted that electric cars and motorcycles have been included in its rulebook “for many years,” and YouTube is full of videos of Teslas humiliating internal-combustion cars at the dragstrip. Long before Tesla, drag racing was a major outlet for homebuilt EVs, with cars like the “White Zombie” 1972 Datsun 1200 showing the potential of electric power.

    However, the NHRA believes now is the time to get more invested in EVs, hoping it will bring in a younger demographic and dovetail with automaker efforts to electrify road cars. While this might make room for a class of cars like the Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro and Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototypes, don’t expect electric cars to replace traditional dragsters anytime soon.

    “We certainly have no intentions of abandoning our current platform, which has proven to be extremely popular with racers and fans alike,” Walliser said.

    Like road cars, race cars are slowly getting greener. Formula E has carved out a niche for electric single-seater racing, and is adding the Extreme E off-road racing series. Formula One already uses hybrid powertrains, and IndyCar plans to follow suit in 2023 (one year later than planned due to coronavirus delays). NASCAR is also considering hybrid powertrains.

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