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Oscar Mayer plumps up Wienerfleet with Wienermini, Wiener Rover, Wienercycle and Wienerdrone

Contrary to popular belief and the song that's now going to be stuck in your head the rest of the day (you're welcome), not everyone loves an Oscar Mayer wiener. But everyone, bar none, loves the Wienermobile. And that's why we're so happy to see that Oscar Mayer has expanded its fleet of wiener-inspired vehicles to include a downsized wiener car, a scooting wiener, a radio-controlled wiener, and, perhaps most inspiring of all, a wienerdrone. Can a wiener-shaped Power Wheels be far behind? Before we get to the hovering coup de grace, let's dissect the other wieners on wheels. The Wienermini, quite obviously, is built atop the chassis of a Mini Cooper. It can surely go places the larger OG-Wienermobile simply can't due to its massive dimensions. Then there's the Wiener Rover, which, despite its name, was not built to introduce Martians to the joys of processed meats. The third new wiener is a Vespa in orange and yellow with a wiener-shaped sidecar. Here's hoping those wieners don't stink of two-stroke. And finally there's the Wienerdrone. In retrospect, it's amazing that it has taken this long for someone to invent the world's most perfect hot dog delivery system. We imagine hundreds of these wiener-shaped copters autonomously delivering wieners at sporting events all across the country. Make it so, Oscar Mayer. Only then will everyone truly love an Oscar Mayer wiener. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Some younger drivers relish the idea of stick shifting

Part way into the 21st Century, obsolescence isn’t what it used to be, especially in the minds of younger consumers; consider the renaissance of vinyl records and film cameras. To that list, add the automobileÂ’s stick shift. Manual transmissions are no longer just about lower car purchase prices, better fuel economy or more control on the road. TheyÂ’re about being hip. At least, thatÂ’s part of the thesis offered in a recent article in The Wall Street Journal. “The 20-Somethings Fueling a Stick-Shift Renaissance”  examines a modest but real resurgence in the sales upticks of manual-equipped cars, and focuses on the enthusiasm of younger people to acquire them, and the challenges—no longer so challenging—of learning bow to drive them. But, as readers of Autoblog have learned in recent years,, the future of manuals, as author Rachel Wolfe succinctly points out in the Journal piece, is essentially doomed in the longer term. Blame the electric vehicle. She writes that car makers sold 43 different manual models in 2022, according to J.D. Power, compared with 69 in 2019. “While a few EVs do have more than one gear,” she says, “auto makers are still figuring out how to translate the experience of maneuvering a manual to their electric car lineups. ‘’ Did we mention “doomed”? But Ms. Wolfe does offer some positivity. “MINI just opened a manual driving school of its own at the BMW Performance Center in Thermal, Calif.,” she writes. “A January company survey of just over 1,000 drivers found that two-thirds of 18-to-34-year-olds are eager to learn how to drive a manual, versus 40% of older respondents who donÂ’t already drive stick.” The author quotes a couple of drivers who became enamored of manuals, including a teenager from Ohio who took his driving test with a manual. “I thought it was cool to learn how to drive on a stick, just because I could tell my friends that I was a better driver than them,” he says. She also visits the other side of the issue, talking to a 24-year-old, who said that she found the stick “cool,” but only until “her leg grew sore from the clutch as she navigated traffic commuting back and forth from law school every day in Tampa, Fla.  ‘I think they are very fun to drive for about two hours, and then youÂ’re like, OK, I would like to put it away and just drive like a normal person again.’’” The full article is available online here.

Watch feds crush classic Mini caught in importation dragnet

Fair warning for any classic car fans that suffer from high blood pressure: this story might not be good for your health. US Customs and Border Protection is teaming up with British law enforcement to keep unsafe, imported vehicles off the road here – like this Mini. In the government's view, the only way to make things right is to crush the cars, apparently. The destruction is part of Operation Atlantic, a crackdown on Minis and Land Rover Defenders that are being illegally imported. According to Yahoo Autos, this is just one of about 100 vehicles from the dragnet. This specific car came into the US in June, and its VIN indicated a model from 1988. However, the vehicle had a different engine than it should have, and the steering wheel was on the wrong side. It was likely actually from around 2000. To emphasize the crackdown, government officials and press gathered at a New Jersey junkyard to destroy the car. Check out the video below to watch the carnage and listen to the horrible crunching noises, and read the sad press release below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Trans-Atlantic Partnership Seeks to Crush Illegal Trade of Unsafe Vehicles NEWARK, New Jersey-U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) destroyed an illegally imported and unsafe Mini Cooper Thursday at a salvage yard in New Jersey following a recent seizure at the Newark Seaport. CBP captured photos, b-roll and principal sound bites for use by news media. This Mini is just one of dozens of vehicles intercepted at ports of entry across the U.S, including ports in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Jacksonville, Florida, Houston and Tacoma, Washington. Over the past year, CBP has increased targeting and inspections of suspect imported vehicles, specifically Minis and Land Rover Defenders, as part of Operation Atlantic, a new trans-Atlantic partnership between U.S. and U.K. regulatory and law enforcement officials. "Intercepting illegal and unsafe imports is a top priority for CBP," said Brenda Smith, CBP's assistant commissioner for International Trade. "Through Operation Atlantic, we are stopping illegally imported, unsafe vehicles from driving on our roadways, and at the same time, partnering with our colleagues in the UK to stop this criminal activity at its source." Launched in March 2014 by CBP's Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC), U.S.