Le Journal

Sartène organise sa première Saint-Vincent, fête traditionnelle du patron des vignerons

« C’est un premier exploit » : la voix du roi Henri IV recréée grâce à un modèle 3D fonctionnel de son conduit vocal
Les équipes de chercheurs emmenées par Philippe Charlier et Robin Baudouin ont dévoilé mardi les premiers sons de voyelles obtenus grâce au travail mené sur la tête momifiée d’Henri IV.

Découvert bancaire : près d’un quart des Français dans le rouge « tous les mois ou presque »

Cité scolaire de Montesoro - Les représentants des personnels d’éducation persistent et signent

This $190K Canadian Truck Spins, Crosses Lakes, And Saves Grandma In A Blizzard
Argo Sasquatch XTX uses a 1.8-liter Hyundai turbo-diesel engine. Huge 71-inch tires let this pickup cross snow, ice, and open water. Built for commercial work, the Canadian truck also excels at rescues. For over six decades, Argo has been quietly building some of the most capable vehicles to emerge from Canadian soil. Now, the company is setting its sights even higher. Drawing on a long history of go-anywhere vehicles, the Ontario-based manufacturer has unveiled a new flagship model that’s already attracting interest far beyond its home market. Read: Canada Just Let Cheap Chinese EVs Back In The new model, called the Sasquatch XTX, echoes the blocky profile of Russia’s Sherp, an amphibious, four-wheeled crawler purpose-built for punishing conditions. Pricing isn’t officially listed on Argo’s website, but third-party sources peg the Sasquatch XTX at around $190,000 before delivery and dealer fees, which can top $3,500. Well-equipped examples climb beyond $250,000. Built for the Brutal At its core, the Sasquatch is designed around a high-strength crew cab with several access points, including a front-mounted door with a fold-out ladder and more conventional side doors. This setup allows easy entry even in uneven or elevated terrain. Once inside, you’ll find a pair of front seats and two rear fold-down seats. While the cabin is quite basic, it includes an audio system with Bluetooth, air conditioning and heating, and a roof hatch. Like the Sherp, the Sasquatch XTX can float and power itself through water thanks to the massive 71-inch tires. What sets the Argo apart from its Russian counterpart is the design. Rather than following the same compact layout, the Sasquatch XTX adopts a pickup-style form, incorporating a sizable rear storage area. One standout feature is the Argo Terrain Control system, a clever interface that lets the driver select from pre-programmed terrain modes. Press one of the buttons, like Water, Mud, Snow, or Trail, and the vehicle will automatically inflate or deflate the tires to the perfect pressure for greater traction. The Sasquatch also boasts a neat trick: it can spin in place, turning 180 degrees without moving forward or back. Power comes courtesy of a Hyundai-sourced 1.8-liter turbo-diesel engine. There’s no word on how much power this engine has, but we know it’s enough to allow the XTX to drive at up to 25 mph (40 km/h) on land and 4 mph (6 km/h) in the water. Mated to the engine is an automatic transmission. The Ultimate Rescue Machine? Not only is the Sasquatch XTX perfect for off-roading enthusiasts with money to burn, but it also serves as an excellent rescue vehicle. It’s already delivered one to Ontario-based GlobalMedic, a charity that provides disaster relief and rescue services. “We know with climate change, we get these significant weather events,” GlobalMedic founder Rahul Singh told CTV News. “So, if people are trapped by snow and we’ve got to get in and rescue them. Sure, we can come in by snowmobile. We can pull drivers off the highway. But if grandma slips and breaks her hip, we can’t pull her out on a snowmobile. But this unit, we can do it.” According to Argo’s Director of Commercial Sales, Michael Kelly, the Canadian firm has received interest in the Sasquatch XTX from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries worldwide.

Blob Be Gone! The EQE Gives Way To A Proper Sedan

Drivers Say It’s Entrapment, LAPD Says It’s A Teaching Moment

GM’s New SUV Is Bigger Than An Equinox And Starts Under $8,600

Mirai Owners Say Toyota Told Them Not To Pay During RICO Suit, Then Sent Debt Collectors
Toyota told owners they could pause payments amid lawsuit. Owners say they received written payment pause assurances. The $5.7B RICO suit accuses Toyota of hiding hydrogen flaws. Shortly after being hit with a $5.7 billion lawsuit accusing it of running a “criminal operation” to conceal safety issues in its hydrogen-powered Mirai, Toyota now faces fresh criticism from owners who say the company has sent them to collections, even after assuring them they could pause payments during the ongoing legal battle. According to attorney Jason Ingber, who represents many of the plaintiffs, Toyota told some customers they could suspend monthly payments due to widespread problems with the hydrogen fueling network, which has left many Mirai owners stuck with expensive cars they can barely drive. Read: $5.7 Billion RICO Lawsuit Says Toyota Ran A Hydrogen Crime Family Several Toyota Mirai owners now allege that what seemed like a gesture of goodwill on Toyota’s part has seen them take substantial hits on their credit scores. Ingber, who is spearheading the RICO lawsuit, says owners received written assurances from Toyota that payments wouldn’t be demanded while the lawsuit is ongoing. “This was a big relief, and then with the uncertainty of it, now some people have gone back to making payments,” Ingber told KTLA. “Some people threw their arms in the air because they already got negative credit reported. This is a fiasco within the fiasco that’s really cruel, in my opinion.” Payment Pauses Gone Wrong One of those owners, Anthony Escobedo, told the news station that he had worked his credit score up to 814. Following Toyota’s guidance, he paused payments on his Mirai. Not long after, he was sent to collections. His credit dropped by 100 points overnight, disqualifying him from securing an interest-free loan he needed to cover medical expenses for his wife. Toyota later reversed the missed payment report, though his credit score did not fully recover. The same thing reportedly happened to Julie Doumit. She told KTLA she paused payments based on Toyota’s guidance, after making 46 consecutive monthly payments on time for her Mirai. Still, she was reported to debt collectors, and her credit score dropped by 70 points. Fellow Mirai owner Alejandro King said his score also took a steep hit, falling by roughly 150 points from a peak of 835 after he paused payments as well. “I’ve been building my credit since I was 18 years old. I have never missed a payment. I have paid everything off all the time. My credit score was like 835, which is phenomenal, and I’ve always kept it that way. And for me to see that happen, I was so depressed that I couldn’t sleep,” King said. Internal Miscommunication In some cases, it’s believed that Toyota representatives simply missed the notes on customers’ accounts indicating that payments had been paused. As a result, those accounts were mistakenly flagged and sent to collectors. The RICO lawsuit against Toyota claims that it coordinated with its financing arms and dealerships in California to market and finance the Mirai, despite technicians describing them as “ticking hydrogen bombs.” It’s also alleged that Toyota concealed multiple flaws in the Mirai, including the risk of hydrogen leaking near hot engine components.

The First Mustang Dark Horse SC Is Hitting The Auction Block
Ford is auctioning the first Mustang Dark Horse SC later this month. The car is being offered by Barrett-Jackson and money goes to charity. Newest pony car has an aggressive look and a supercharged V8. Ford recently unveiled the Mustang Dark Horse SC and now the company is giving you the chance to buy the very first one. However, it likely won’t be cheap as the automaker has teamed up with Barrett-Jackson to offer the supercharged pony car at their Scottsdale auction later this month. While the auction listing hasn’t gone live as of this writing, the winning bidder will secure VIN 001. Barrett-Jackson went on to note the car will be equipped with the Track Pack and “100% of the hammer price will benefit Breakthrough T1D, supporting research and advocacy for those living with Type 1 diabetes.” More: First 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Fetches $300,000 At Auction Ford is still playing it close to the vest when it comes to details, but the Dark Horse SC is designed to slot between the standard $64,080 Dark Horse and the $325,000 GTD. As a result, it has an aggressive exterior with larger intakes and a ventilated hood. The optional Track Pack takes things even farther as it includes a ducktail rear spoiler and a carbon fiber wing, which helps to generate 620 lbs (281 kg) of downforce at 180 mph (290 km/h). The model also sports a Brembo carbon-ceramic braking system as well as Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 R tires. However, that’s only half the story as the Track Pack also focuses on weight reduction. As part of this effort, the package includes carbon fiber wheels as well as a revamped suspension that trades steel components for forged links and a magnesium strut tower brace. Thanks to these and other changes, the variant drops 150 lbs (68 kg). The Dark Horse SC’s interior cribs from the GTD as it uses the flagship’s flat-bottom steering wheel. The Track Pack also sees the car outfitted with Recaro leather and Dinamica front sport seats, while the rear seats are replaced by a storage shelf. Pictures also show carbon fiber trim, red contrast stitching, and a rotary shifter – which looks out of place. Power is provided by a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine, which is paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Ford isn’t saying much about this combination, but the F-150 Raptor R has 720 hp (537 kW / 730 PS) and 640 lb-ft (867 Nm) of torque. However, we can expect the Dark Horse SC to be even more powerful.

This $6 Million Bugatti Uses The Same Airbags As A $30K Audi A3
Wrecked Chiron Pur Sport is being rebuilt outside Bugatti’s control. Factory repairs were quoted as high as $1.7 million in France. Bugatti restricts parts sales unless repairs happen at headquarters. Only 60 units of the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport were ever made, each one a rare specimen priced from around $3.6 million when new, and that’s before ticking any option boxes. Today, some used examples fetch well over $6 million. With numbers like that, you might expect every part to be engineered exclusively for this car. That’s not entirely the case. Read: Bugatti Wanted $16K For A Switch, I Fixed It For The Price Of A Pack Of Gum Last year, one of the rare Chiron Pur Sport’s to call the US home was seriously damaged in a front-end collision. The owner, influencer Alex Gonzalez, received a payout from his insurer and later repurchased the wrecked car at a Copart auction for just under $1.9 million. Now, with YouTuber Mat Armstrong in tow, he’s attempting a full rebuild. Mat Armstrong / YouTube Bugatti initially stepped in with an official repair quote: $1.7 million to restore the car at its Molsheim headquarters. Eventually, that estimate dropped to somewhere between $600,000 and $700,000. Still, the job required shipping the car to France, something Gonzalez wasn’t interested in. Instead, he opted for a more hands-on approach, keeping the project stateside in Miami and working alongside Armstrong. Can You Fix a $5M Hypercar? In the first episode of what’s likely to become an extensive YouTube series, Armstrong started to strip down the Chiron, removing all of the damaged components. But because Bugatti won’t sell spare components unless the car is physically at its facility, the duo will have to improvise. A set of replacement headlights, for instance, comes in at a staggering $150,000 from Bugatti. Finding someone to repair the cracked originals is the far cheaper route. Borrowed Parts and Shared DNA The airbags used are particularly intriguing. If Bugatti were handling the repair, it would use the same airbags the car came with, no doubt with a significant premium attached. Also: Servicing And Maintaining A Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Costs A Fortune But, after looking at the part numbers of the Bugatti’s knee airbags, as well as the front passenger airbag, Armstrong discovered that they’re identical to the airbags of an Audi A3, available for less than $50 each. He also found that the steering wheel airbag is the same part as an Aston Martin DB11. Bugatti is, of course, part of the VW Group, so parts-sharing isn’t entirely unexpected. Still, when you’re spending the cost of a small island on a hypercar, finding out it shares safety components with a hatchback might leave you with mixed feelings.

