Giant tires and jet fuel helped this Hyundai Santa Fe cross Antarctica

By Stephen Edelstein Published January 25, 2018

It may be named for a city in the sunny American Southwest, but the Hyundai Santa Fe has proven its mettle in some colder conditions.

A modified Santa Fe crossed Antarctica, making it the first passenger car to do so, according to Hyundai. In December 2016, one of these SUVs traveled from from Union Camp to McMurdo on the world’s southernmost continent, the automaker now says. The Santa Fe was driven by Patrick Bergel, great grandson of Ernest Shackleton, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition. Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice before it could cross the continent, but Shackleton went to great lengths to rescue the stranded crew.

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A stock Santa Fe isn’t exactly off-road worthy, yet Hyundai claims only a handful of modifications were made for the drive across Antarctica. Granted, those modifications included fitting massive low-pressure tires covered by fender flares, and also converting the Santa Fe to run on jet fuel. It’s the only fuel available on Antarctica, according to Hyundai.

The suspension was also modified, and the fuel tank was altered both to increase capacity, and to accommodate a heater. The modifications were done by Arctic Trucks, the Icelandic firm that famously supplied beefed up Toyota Hilux pickup trucks to Top Gear for the show’s North Pole and volcano stunts.

“It was a pretty standard Santa Fe. The engine, management system, the transmission, the front differential and driveshaft were all completely standard,” Arctic Trucks’ Gisli Jónsson said in a Hyundai press release. He noted that the tires were run at one-tenth normal pressure to prevent the SUV from ploughing into the snow and getting stuck. That’s “so soft you can drive over someone’s hand and it won’t hurt them,” Jónsson said.

The expedition took 30 days and covered 5,800 kilometers (3,603 miles) in temperatures as low as -28 degrees Celsius (-18.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Bergel, who decorated the Santa Fe with the names of his great grandfather Shackleton’s crew, said the team averaged only 27 kph (16 mph) across the continent. That’s slow going, but trekking that distance would have been even harder in Shackleton’s time.

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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Archer’s flying taxis head to LA for the 2028 Olympics

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Remember the buzz about flying taxis zipping through Paris for the 2024 Olympics? That sci-fi fantasy never got off the ground —Germany’s Volocopter dream was denied certification, leaving fans staring at the same old ground traffic. But now, the skies are opening again for a second shot at glory—this time over Los Angeles.
Archer Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, has been named the exclusive air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted electric air taxi designed to carry four passengers, will be whisking around VIPs, fans, and stakeholders between venues and key locations like LAX, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and even Orange County. Think 10-20 minute flights that skip the infamous LA gridlock and land you right where the action is—on the roof, basically.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation.
And Midnight isn’t just a pretty rotor. It’s a whisper-quiet, emission-light aircraft with 12 rotors and a redundant, airline-level safety design.
What’s more, Archer and LA28 are working together to electrify vertiport hubs around the city—think futuristic sky stations—to serve not only Games-time needs but also to plant seeds for a post-Olympic air mobility network.
The air mobility market has been fast developing over the past few years, featuring the likes of Hyundai partnership with China’s XPeng HT Aero and Toyota's backing of Joby Aviation, a U.S. venture. Joby bought Uber Elevate in 2020, hoping to someday pair its air taxis with Uber’s ride-hailing app.
Archer, for its part, has been busy building a strategic partnership with United Airlines, which has already placed orders for the aircraft and is helping with logistics to integrate air taxis into airport-to-downtown travel. More than a demo for the cameras, the LA28 partnership will showcase urban air travel for real-world daily use, starting with one of the most high-profile events on Earth.
After raising false hopes in Paris, the air taxi dream is aiming for liftoff in LA—and this time, it might just stick the landing.

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Electric Muscle Misfire? Dodge Pulls Charger Daytona R/T from 2026 Lineup

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The Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, once hailed as the vanguard of Dodge’s electric muscle car future, is being dropped for the 2026 model year.
According to a report from MoparInsiders, the Scat Pack variant will now lead the Daytona lineup, marking a significant pivot in Stellantis’ EV strategy.
Originally introduced with bold ambitions, the Charger Daytona R/T was designed to offer an accessible gateway into electric performance. With its 456-horsepower dual-motor setup and optional 509-horsepower Direct Connection stage kit, it seemed poised to excite both muscle car fans and EV newcomers. However, market realities have painted a different picture.
Industry and media reports highlight the core issue: buyers just weren’t biting. Despite its impressive specs and nostalgic design cues, the R/T struggled to justify its price tag, starting near $60,000. At that level, buyers expected either more performance or more premium features. Without strong sales traction, Dodge made the tough call to shelve the R/T variant for 2026, opting instead to focus on trims that resonate better with customers.
As we reported in December, the Charger EV was launched with an off-beat marketing message to “save the planet from self-driving sleep pods.” The goal was to retain Dodge’s brand identity—muscle, aggression, and driver engagement—even in the electric era. The Charger Daytona R/T was supposed to be the perfect balance of price and performance, but it seems the target audience wasn’t ready to make that leap at that price.
Importantly, this doesn’t spell the end of the Charger Daytona altogether. Higher-performance models like the Scat Pack and Banshee are still in the pipeline and, interestingly, are being adjusted for price competitiveness. Several trims are reportedly seeing price cuts, suggesting Stellantis is serious about making these vehicles more appealing and accessible.
For enthusiasts, the takeaway is clear: the electric muscle car isn’t going anywhere, but automakers are still figuring out how to sell it. The demise of the R/T is less a failure and more a recalibration—proof that even the boldest plans need to stay flexible in the face of consumer demand.

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The all-electric Cadillac Vistiq makes the Escalade redundant

2026 Cadillac Vistiq front-quarter view.

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For a modern luxury brand, a midsize three-row crossover is key. Customers for whom a Toyota Highlander is too déclassé need something to take their kids to lacrosse practice, but may not want something as big as an Escalade. This isn’t the most exciting design brief, and that’s reflected in the gasoline Cadillac XT6, which has always felt like nothing more than a placeholder. Its new electric counterpart, the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq, is anything but.