Welcome to AdFeeder’s web Wednesdays, your weekly dose of the latest news and stories that have caught our eye. From technology news to the latest vehicle releases and everything in between, we aim to bring you a quick run down of what you need to know each week.
We never thought we’d be seeing such juicy news in what is usually the quietest of months! 2022 is already looking like it’s going to be a very busy year for all things automotive and tech!
Maserati are heading to Formula E
We start with some news that no one really expected. Maserati have a rich history in motorsport, not just in great looking road cars. That rich history has led them to success in some of the highest forms of motor racing, but in recent years the brand has kept itself very much under the radar. This is all about to change in 2023.
It’s been confirmed that Maserati will return to top-flight international motorsport in Formula E in 2023, to help showcase the planned electrification of its revamped road car range. The firm will join fellow Stellantis brand DS in the all-electric single-seater championship, and will be the first Italian manufacturer on the grid.
It’s a great move for Maserati, and will be its first international motorsport programme since the MC12 dominated the FIA GT Championship from 2004 until 2010. The aim is to help showcase the electrification of its road car range, where they are currently revamping its line-up, including the MC20 supercar, the forthcoming new Grecale SUV and next-generation GranTurismo and GranCabrio.
It’s the end of the road for DriveTribe
It’s been running for an impressive five years, and it one of the most shared automotive platforms across Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram – but we sadly have to say goodbye to DriveTribe. The online community has grown to hundreds of thousands, spanning every continent and is bursting with insightful car chat and motorsport stories.
For many months the company has been facing significant industry challenges, which unfortunately aren’t going anywhere. The protracted global shortage of computer chips has caused a number of challenges for the automotive industry, and led to severe reductions in marketing budgets across the industry. This has made for an incredibly difficult operating environment for businesses like DriveTribe which are dependent on advertising.
“We, therefore, unfortunately will be bringing the DriveTribe and FoodTribe websites and apps, and the business behind them, to a close at the end of this month.”
However, it’s not all bad news. Richard Hammond will be keeping the DriveTribe community alive through their existing social media channels, which will remain very much in action. Richard is currently working on new projects including his Smallest Cog Workshop. Other favourites Jeremy and James will be with him every step of the way and may even make an appearance from time to time. Whether this will actually happen will all be revealed!
Instagram begin testing algorithm-free feeds
It feels like we’ve been discussing this one for months, but it looks like Instagram is finally getting to work on the algorithm free feed we so sorely miss. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has today shared a preview of how its new options on this front will work.
The top left tab will now become interchangeable. There will be a tab for ‘Favorites’, which would enable you to view a listing of accounts based on those you add to your ‘Favorites’ list, and ‘Following’, which will display the accounts that you follow, free from additional recommendations, in reverse timeline order. The latter is particularly important, because as Mosseri notes, your algorithm-defined ‘Home’ feed is going to feature ‘more and more recommendations over time’, as Instagram looks to boost content discovery, and get people spending more time, and money, in the app.
Elliot is our resident tech-lover and petrolhead, who is in charge of spreading AdFeeder to the masses! Having previously worked with brands such as Porsche and BMW, Elliot specialises in content creation and social media.
