Road Trip

Canoosa Events launches North American luxury grand touring events

Canoosa Events is organizing luxury multi-day road rallies.

Photo by leekris/Getty Images

Canossa Events, a European luxury automotive touring provider, expanded to North America last year. This year, the company is launching several private, small group excursions on the East and West Coast of the U.S.

Beginning this autumn, guests of the tours will indulge in picturesque drives, one-of-a-kind gastronomy experiences, and luxury accommodations all curated with an eye toward beauty, elegance, taste and personalized service.

Highway 1 near Big SurCalifornia's Highway 1 is a world famous grand touring destination.Photo by Getty Images

"We have longed to bring Canossa's version of la dolce vita to North America," says Canossa's Founder, Luigi Orlandini. "And in this current climate, we have the opportunity to deliver our experiences to our fans who are unable to leave North America. With Canossa Events North America, we will safely celebrate the freedom to drive, indulge in culinary delights, and soak in the beautiful sceneries among old and new friends."

The white glove service extends to the entire event and includes strict safety and social distancing guileless to "deliver a carefree and pleasant experience for guests".

Canossa Events North America is currently accepting reservations for its Fall Rallye New England, and will soon announce additional excursions, including:

  • Grand Tour of California - This excursion will highlight the coastal byways, wine country and farm-to-fork culture of California's Central Coast.
  • Rallye of Enchantment - Attendees will xplore some of America's most iconic landscapes of New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona and Utah.

The Fall Rallye lasts four days and three nights. It's limited to 25 cars and comes with a $9,900 price tag that is based on double occupancy. The event includes nights at New England's heralded Cliff House Maine hotel.

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New hot hatch

This is the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla

The GR Corolla is headed for our shores later this year.

Toyota

Car enthusiasts in the United States frequently have to watch as automakers release wild performance cars, particularly hatchbacks and wagons, that we can't get. Surprisingly, it's Toyota that is here to save us all. The automaker's GR Yaris hatchback made waves in global markets when it landed a couple years ago, and now it's bringing a beefed-up GR Corolla to the U.S. that will get many of that car's rally-inspired go-fast bits.

Two trims will be available at launch. The "entry-level" model is the Core trim, which comes later in 2022. In 2023, Toyota will release a limited Circuit Edition that gets upgraded performance components and a nicer interior.

The Corolla hot hatch shares its turbocharged 1.6-liter engine with the GR Yaris, but in the Corolla it got a bump to 300 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. The car comes exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission and Toyota's GR-Four AWD system. The driver can change the GR's power distribution to suit the situation and driving style. The system can send up to 70 percent of power to the rear.

2023 Toyota GR CorollaThe GR Corolla gets a turbocharged three-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive.

Though it's based on the standard car, the GR Corolla is wider than its counterpart, and features more weld points for better structural rigidity. Toyota says it used extensive structural adhesive throughout as well, which should further improve handling. The car rides on 18-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires standard.

The GR's interior features a driver-oriented setup with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a short-throw shifter positioned for easy reach by the driver. The Core trim comes with cloth upholstery and the Circuit Edition gets suede and synthetic leather. Both models offer sport seats with GR logos and the Circuit Edition brings heating for the front buckets.

Toyota will offer three packages to upgrade the Core Edition:

  • Performance package: front and rear Torsen limited slip differentials (LSD)
  • Technology package : JBL premium audio, navigation, and wireless smartphone charging
  • Cold Weather package: Heated front seats and heated steering wheel

2023 Toyota GR CorollaA six-speed manual transmission is the only option. Toyota

Toyota hasn't given out pricing details for the GR Corolla, but we should learn more soon. The Core trim is due out later this year and the Circuit Edition will be sold as a 2023 model year exclusive for the car's first year on sale.

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New mail delivery vehicles

USPS orders almost $3 billion in new mail trucks

The new mail trucks are scheduled to hit the streets next year.

USPS

Your mail carrier is about to get a huge transportation upgrade. The United States Postal Services (USPS) is retiring its current fleet of mail trucks, many of which have been on the road for more than 30 years. The Oshkosh Defense Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) is expected to hit the streets in 2023, and will mark a big step forward in safety, comfort, and even styling for the classic mail truck.

The $2.98 billion order is for 50,000 vehicles, around 10,000 of which will be electric - more than double the original number of EVs expected in the contract. The USPS' current fleet contains nearly 200,000 vehicles, many of which have been on the road for decades. They lack current safety features, are massively inefficient, and have long been a maintenance nightmare. The new trucks will be able to carry larger loads and will offer basic comfort and convenience features, such as air conditioning, a camera system, and traction control.

Oshkosh NGDVThe new vehicles offer numerous upgrades over the previous model. USPS

Even with the steep increase in the number of EVs, the USPS deal is still heavily tilted toward gas-powered trucks. As Reutersnotes, 80 percent of the trucks purchased will be powered by internal combustion engines. The Postal Service estimates its 20-year costs at $9.3 billion for gas mail trucks and $11.6 billion for EVs. Those numbers cover 75,000 new trucks and includes fuel, maintenance, and related costs.

Oshkosh won the USPS contract in 2021 after a years-long selection process. Controversy over the deal began almost immediately, as many were surprised at the number of gas vehicles. The current Grumman LLVs (long-life vehicles) were only intended to run for 24 years, but at this point, all of them have served much longer than that. A fleet of gas powered mail trucks purchased today could theoretically still be on the road deep into the 2040s, at which point most major automakers will have shifted to EVs.

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