Auto Industry News: Joey D Departs from UTV Underground, More Tariffs Drama, Land Rover “Eye-Pod” & More

The auto world had a busier week than usual (if you can wrap your head around that), and it’s been stranger than fiction. Joey D, the beloved co-founder and CEO of UTV Underground is leaving for other pursuits. Trump took tariff talks with the EU to a whole new level of sad. Land Rover made a fitting public vehicle for inevitable dystopian times. And you have to check out the hellish beast of build by an Avergae Joe enthusiast in Idaho.

Joey D Steps Down from UTV Underground 

This past week we learned that Joey D, founder of UTV Underground, is stepping down and away from the company. Reports say that he will be the new Director of Creative Marketing and Social Media at Transamerican Auto Parts. Being that UTV Underground has been his brainchild, Joey made an emotional final written statement on the website Friday. “The only thing I can compare it to is raising a child or falling in love,” Joey wrote of building the site from the ground up. His contributions will be missed, but he leaves the company in capable hands.

Matt Martelli, former COO and trusted co-owner of the site, will be Joey’s successor and have the advisement of his brother Josh Martelli, a longtime executive of the site. Neither has any plans of slowing things down. “I have every confidence that Matt and Josh will continue to grow the site and the business and take the UTV World Championship series to a global level,” said Joey D. For those of us who love to follow their social media accounts, get ready for fresh faces and fresh content!

Trump Shuts Down Proposed EU Tariffs Lift

EU president Jean-Claude Juncker has stated that if Donald Trump goes back on his promise to not impose car tariffs, then the EU will have no choice but to do the same. This is just the latest event in a long saga of trade chicken taking place between the two, with Trump having the final statement (as yet) in the petty exchange. When the EU offered to reduce its car tariffs to zero in recent negotiations (if the United States did the same), the U.S. president responded simply with, “It’s not good enough.” Trump went on to say, “Their consumer habits are to buy their cars, not to buy ours.”

The effects of this stalemate have already been felt in the American market. Now we are learning that Ford will not bring the 2019 Focus Active to the U.S. because of the administration’s tariffs. Why can’t we all just be friends?

Creative or Creepy? Land Rover Thinks Outside the Box

Rather than dwell on the unfortunate present, let’s go ahead and take a peek at the…erm… unsettling future. Jaguar Land Rover has apparently developed an autonomous pod that “improves pedestrian safety” by incorporating technology that supposedly assesses the level of eye contact made with a person at the cross walk. If that wasn’t terrifying enough, they gave this thing a face. And it looks like the antagonist in your worst mushroom trip nightmare. Oh yeah, and they’re calling it the “Eye-Pod.” Yikes.

“Alright, team! How can we improve the safety of autonomous public transportation?”

“I’ve got it, sir! We scare the living daylights out of anyone who tries to walk in front of it! With massive, electronic googly eyes!”

Chalk that up as another grain of sand to drop in the “Wall-E Predicted Everything” hourglass. And welcome to your autonomous hellscape.

A MEAN RAM 2500 Build 

Let’s take a breath, and check out a rig built by a passionate, hard-working human for other humans to enjoy. Brett Allen of Idaho took his 2014 crew cab Cummins and made it into a high-riding monster that is downright metal. Brett lifted the truck 12″ with a modified BDS Suspension kit to add to its imposing stance. Not only that, but the truck sits on 40″ Toyo M/Ts wrapping 20×12 Hostile Sprocket Wheels. And to top it all off, he added a Road Armor bumper in front and back, completely murdered out to match the rest of the truck’s aesthetic.

We say the move paid off big time. It lets the world know that this 6.7-liter Cummins with a TurboTimeUSA 67mm VGT means business. Though, I’m willing to bet most people figure that out when they hear him start’er up.

Around the Circuit

F1 is back from spilling tea, and the field is finally racing again. Things got off to a hot start at the Italian Grand Prix. Literally. Daniel Ricciardo’s car caught fire in the middle of the 25th lap and he did not complete the race. Apparently, (according to Renault, who made the car’s engine), the flame out was a result of a clutch issue, and it is uncertain if Ricciardo will be back in time for Singapore. Either way, Lewis Hamilton was not to be denied as he dominated the race, outpacing Kimi Raikkonen and company, for his sixth Grand Prix win of the year.

In desert racing news, Johnny Angal of Mesa, Arizona took home the victory at the Best in the Desert event over the weekend. He squeaked it out by a little over half a second, beating the teams of Menzies, Mantney, McMillian, and MacCachren. (That is far too many M’s after a Labor Day weekend filled with umm, soda of course…) The 500-mile race saw a neat change this year, which allowed motorcycles to ride out before dawn to enhance rider safety, accounting for their speed, which added even more excitement to the day. It’s safe to say that after 22 years, the event is still going strong, and we’re here for all the action.