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’ve made it to a brand new month, but the big news stories just keep on coming! This week’s week’s article features a brand new look for the Tesla Model S, another new Instagram feature and the ever-changing future of taxis!

The Solberg name returns to WRC

Growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s being obsessed with motorsport led to a number of names that stood out as being heroes behind the wheel. McRae, Schumacher, Rossi, Plato. All were fiercely competitive in their own disciplines, and like all good action movies, there always needs to be another character that is just as competitive. In the world of Rallying, for me that was Petter Solberg. The Norwegian rally driver took the 2003 WRC Championship in a nail biting finish, beating the equally legendary Sebastian Loeb by a single point. Solberg went on to be a pioneer in rallying, offering his extensive knowledge in both driving on the absolute limit and how to set up the perfect rally car.

In 2017, the world rejoiced to see the Solberg name return to rallying, this time with Petter’s son, Oliver. Just like his father, Oliver is a complete manic behind the wheel, maintaining that perfect blend of being completely on the limit whilst understanding the importance of being in control. Oliver made quite a statement back in 2019 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, treating fans to one of the most exciting hillclimb runs in recent history, only to be beaten by his old man by a few hundredths of a second.

Oliver has now got back behind the wheel of a fully fledged WRC car, a Hyundai Motorsport i20 Coupe after impressing on his way to seventh during his debut run with the team at February’s Arctic Rally Finland. Sometimes, having one of the most famous names in sport can be both a blessing and a curse, but it seems Oliver is set to make his own history in a sport once dominated by his dad.

Instagram released auto caption stickers to Stories

Another week, another update for us social media lovers to get stuck into. Instagram now has a captions sticker for Stories, which will automatically transcribe speech in videos. The sticker will be available only in “English and English-speaking countries” for now but will eventually roll out to other languages and countries. Instagram says it will also start testing automated captions in Reels soon.

Captions have been available in IGTV and the Threads app, and Instagram says it’s adding them to Stories and Reels to make them more efficient and inclusive to watch. The feature should be a welcome addition for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, are not native English speakers, or just generally watch videos without sound.

In fact, much of the content that is shared on both Instagram and Facebook is watched without sound the first time round, with many opting to save the content for a later date when they can give it their full attention.

Like other text options in Stories, users can adjust the style and color of the captions after they’re generated. People can also edit individual words in the captions to correct spelling, punctuation, or any words that weren’t transcribed accurately. We’ll wait and see if it can perfectly understand a thick Welsh accent!

An even faster Tesla is coming

Not content on making the fastest accelerating production car ever, all whilst in total silence and comfort, Tesla are pushing the boat out even further with an even faster model this year.

Since going on sale in 2012, the Tesla Model S has been one of the benchmarks for electric cars. It’s proved to be one of the most popular EV on sale, and has proved to be just as fast as alternatives including the performance-focused Porsche Taycan. For 2021, the Tesla Model S has undergone its first major refresh, with a new, monstrous 1,100hp Plaid+ variant, a headline range of 520 miles and a radical overhaul of the interior. Tesla plans to start production of the new Plaid models in spring 2021, with the first cars being delivered to customers in the US as early as June.

As well as a fresh new look on the exterior, the interior has undergone a huge transformation. The original portrait screen has been replaced with a colossal 17 inch landscape display that can be angled towards the driver if required. You’ll also notice the steering wheel, that isn’t actually a wheel. The square wheel looks more like something you’d find in a Boeing 737 aeroplane than a car and does away with stalks for lights and wipers in favour of touch control buttons.

Using three electric motors, it produces 1,100hp and is claimed to be able to cover the 0-60mph sprint in under two seconds!

Are we about to see an Uber car in the UK?

Some cars are destined to be taxis more than anything else. Germany has the Mercedes E Class, American has the Town Car, Britain has the Skoda Octavia. But what if we told you a U.K based start-up is looking to make a purpose built car just for taxis? Interesting, right?

The company, called Arrival, is working with Uber to develop an electric car that will be “purpose-built” for ride-hailing. Arrival plans to put the car into production in late 2023 and says it will not be exclusive to Uber. Instead, the startup says the goal is to create an affordable vehicle that would appeal to the millions of ride-hailing drivers around the world.

Founded in 2015, Arrival is also developing electric delivery vans (with UPS as a customer) and buses. It also has backing from Hyundai and Kia. Arrival and Uber released a handful of renderings of the new car’s interior and said a final design will be revealed by the end of the year. Between now and then, the companies plan to get some drivers involved in the design process, too.

This is actually a pretty genius move for a company to make, Taxis makeup for a huge amount of the cars that are on our roads, therefore making a vehicle that is specifically designed for this is only going to make everyone involved happier!