Motor Morsels: Kia Boyz, Trailhunter, and Indian Teslas

👩‍⚖️🤠🚓Hyundai and Kia will pay a hefty $200M over the Kia Boyz trend. The settlement follows hundreds of thefts, 14 reported crashes, and the loss of 8 lives stemming from an easy-to-bypass security system in some Hyundai and Kia models. The companies have offered free software updates to extend the length of the alarm and require a key in the ignition to start the car, but it has been too little too late. $145M will go to consumers directly affected by the thefts. 

In Wild-West terms, the Kia Boyz gang escaped to the hills, but the guy who build the flimsy bank vault is gonna pay. 🤠

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🛻🗺️🤑 Toyota has redesigned its Tacoma to retain its US midsize pickup market leadership. The fourth generation truck will feature a new Trailhunter model for offroading enthusiasts or just people who want to look like offroading enthusiasts (money is money, they don't check referrals). Since Ford and Jeep reentered the midsize truck market in 2019, Toyota's 60% market share has dipped to 40%. A little refresh on their best-selling model could reshift the balance. 

Most the people we know would by a 20 year old Tacoma right now no questions asked, so we can only assume, from a completely business standpoint, this is a dope-tastic move from our friends in Japan. 🌋

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🇮🇳🔋🤔 India's deputy minister for technology says Tesla is serious about establishing a manufacturing base in the country. Last week the automaker spoke with Indian officials about incentives for car and battery manufacturing that left, at least the government officials, feeling pretty good about moving forward. 

When asked if the minister expects Tesla only to make cars, he said, "You don't talk about cars alone, "You talk about cars; you talk about energy; you talk about manufacturing technology. So all of that figures in the conversation. What they will want to do in India, it's too far for me (to tell), and it's not for me to say,"

Really makes you think; in bygone eras India was the place to go to get spices, and NOW Mr. Spicy-Takes-On-Twitter himself is coming to build a new home there.  🌶️