Archives for November 2023

If you want a real Mercedes G-Wagon to show everyone that you’ve got more money than time spent off-road, go for it. But if you have neither money nor time off-road, then I’ve got a quirky little alternative for you. Behold, the Chinese electric knock-off of a G-Wagon!

It’s a perfect choice for this week’s Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week entry, since it has so many quirks and so much charm stuffed into its shrunken down body.

It may look a bit like a purebred G-Wagon at first drunken glimpse, but don’t be fooled. A cursory glance at the hood ornament shows it actually appears to have a Mercedes father and an Acura mother.

No doubt brewed in the debts of Alibaba’s secretive EV laboratory, this little four-wheeler comes steeped in nearly G-Wagon design.

At just 2.9 meters long (9’6″), it’s never been easier to pull up onto a sidewalk while you run in to a store “for just a minute!”.

The entire thing only weighs 500 kg (1,100 lb), meaning the parking cop can just pick up one end at a time and shimmy you back down onto the pavement.

The top speed is listed at 35-45 km/h (21-28 mph), which seems a bit odd. I’ve never seen a top speed given in a range before, but perhaps it depends on how many people you’ve got in the car.

There are four seats, but the rather diminutive drivetrain may find itself struggling with a full load of entitled country club members.

That’s not the end of the quirks in this Chinese G-Wagon knock-off. In fact, it only gets better from here.

The air conditioning is listed as “manual”, which is a bit unclear but certainly doesn’t bode well. I’m a bit worried that there’s going to be one of those folding paper fans in the glove box with a label on it that says “air conditioning”.

And checking out the video below, the engine compartment seems to have been reimagined as a “frunk”. Or at least it could have been, had they put some sort of bottom in it. Instead, standing over it and popping the hood just gives you a good view of your shoes.

That’s apparently where the range extender motor goes, should you choose to install it. Adding that accessory boosts the range from the lead acid battery pack from 50 km (31 miles) all the way up to 110 km (68 miles).

Hmmm, maybe you will be able to reach those trails after all.

When it comes to pricing, I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that it’s ridiculously cheap, priced at just $2,200. The bad news is that the price doesn’t include batteries, which will add a good bit more to that figure. Oh and there’s more bad news: the minimum order quantity is three. You better get that shipping container ready.

And while we’re shoveling it on, keep in mind that the “real” price is likely to be significantly higher. I once bought a $2,000 electric pickup truck from Alibaba, only to end up paying closer to $8,000 by the time it dropped onto my folks’ driveway in Florida. To be fair, it was worth it. That thing has become a veritable workhorse on the family ranch, but suffice it to say that you’re going to have to reach a bit deeper into your trust fund than you expected if you want to make one of these knock-off G-Wagons yours.

And as usual, please remember this disclaimer: I absolutely, positively, unreservedly implore you not to take the risk of ordering something like this from China. Not only is it not even close to being street-legal in the US and thus not legal to import, but you’ve got a very real chance of never seeing the vehicle or your money again. I recently got scammed buying a mini-excavator from Alibaba (that story is still coming, once I cool off) and so despite having several positive purchases behind me, it’s still easy to get screwed royally.

So instead let’s just enjoy this thing from the safe distance of our computer screens. Or let’s get real, probably from your phone screen in the bathroom. Yep, there are a bunch of dudes out there who feel awkwardly seen right now.

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After women arguably built Matt’s career, the comic has sparked backlash for using his Netflix special to “prove himself” to men through “misogyny.” @matt_rife GILF gang👵🏼😈 #comedy #standup #standupcomedy #funny #mattrife #crowdimprov #widow #old #improv ♬ original sound – Matt Rife @menshealthmag Because who wants to laugh at the really, really ridiculously good-looking person? #mattrife #mattrifecomedy #mattrifeedit #comediansoftiktok #tellingjokes #tryingtobefunny ♬ original sound – Men’s Health @netflixisajoke who else am I going to blame… myself?? Matt Rife: Natural Selection drops in TWO DAYS (11/15) on Netflix #mattrife #standup #comedy #astrology #mercury #netflixisajoke #watch #netflix ♬ matt rife mercury – Netflix Is A Joke the way women catapulted matt rife into popularity and the second he gets a comedy special on netflix he immediately betrays them with a joke about domestic violence — kay 🍄 (@akhasarya) November 20, 2023 crazy innit I think Matt Rife’s special is so bad because he’s trying SO hard to prove himself to other men through misogyny. It’s desperate and sad. — Cooper (@Cooperstreaming) November 20, 2023 Got through about 8 mins of Matt Rife’s Netflix stand up. Typically his crowd work is phenomenal but to open a comedy special with DV and pandering to frat bros, nuh uh. It wasn’t funny. — Cheryl with a C 🇨🇦 🐕 🌞 🌳 💉 🐈 🌸 (@Cheryl_Swore) November 21, 2023 matt rife is a grown ass man making domestic abuse jokes along with misogynistic comments & basically blaming the victim. then responds with ableism.. its nearly 2024, theres no fucking excuse for this behavior its disgusting — charlie ☆ (@charliesfilming) November 21, 2023 Stephanie Soteriou is a Celebrity Reporter for BuzzFeed and is based in London Contact Stephanie Soteriou at stephanie.soteriou@buzzfeed.com. Got a confidential tip? 👉 Submit it here

KILLING JOKE Guitarist KEVIN ‘GEORDIE’ WALKER Dead At 64 November 26, 2023 KILLING JOKE guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker reportedly died earlier today (Sunday, November 26) in Prague, Czech Republic, two days after suffering a massive stroke. He was 64 years old. The news of Walker ‘s passing was confirmed by his close friend Luca Signorelli , who wrote on his Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker had died few hours ago in Prague, following a massive stroke last Friday.” Calling Geordie “the closest friend and most important person I’ve ever had outside my family,” Signorelli wrote in part: “I don’t remember even one moment Geordie was around that was awkward or boring. Geordie had a reputation for being abrasive and sometimes curt with people who tried to approach him, but the reality is that he didn’t want to waste his time with people he didn’t like. And ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ was for Geordie entirely a matter of instinct.” KILLING JOKE ‘s Martin Atkins also confirmed Geordie ‘s death by sharing a video of THE DAMAGE MANUEL ‘s “Laugh Track” with the caption “gutted”. In the comments section, Atkins wrote ” Geordie has passed”. He also later posted on X , the platform formerly known as Geordie Walker “. KILLING JOKE emerged in the post-punk early 1980s, their eponymous debut album exhibiting funky heavy rock influences before electronic and synth-pop styles also filtered through their music. They would, in turn, influence later generations including METALLICA , NIRVANA and SOUNDGARDEN . “Love Like Blood” would give KILLING JOKE their greatest commercial success, a hit across Europe, peaking at No. 16 in the U.K. singles chart in 1985. Walker and Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards) had been ever-constant members of the lineup and had been reunited with fellow founding members Paul Ferguson (drums) and Martin “Youth” Glover (bass) since 2008. In a 2006 interview with MTV , Coleman stated about Walker : “Working with Geordie Walker — he’s a magic player. It’s my deepest pleasure to have spent more years with him and more time with him than my own blood[-related] brother.” This past March, KILLING JOKE released a brand new single, “Full Spectrum Dominance” , via Spinefarm to celebrate the band’s sold-out headline show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The epic track was mixed by Tom Dalgety ( GHOST , PIXIES , ROYAL BLOOD ) and was accompanied by a remix from Youth and artwork by longtime designer Mike Coles . Under the banner “Killing Joke – Follow The Leaders” , KILLING JOKE performed its first two albums in their entirety at the Royal Albert Hall — 1980’s self-titled debut LP followed by their second full-length, “What’s This For…!” This special event was preceded by four intimate warm-up shows, including an appearance at London’s legendary 100 Club. God bless #GeordieWalker my @Killingjokeband murderinc #damagemanual band mate – tell Paul Raven I said hi xxxx pic.twitter.com/XMtwPu3mFr — Martin Atkins (@marteeeen) November 26, 2023 “It feels like an axe-blow near the roots”, wrote JRR Tolkien to his daughter Priscilla speaking of the death of C.S…. Posted by Luca Signorelli on Sunday, November 26, 2023