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Dukes of Hazzard reruns dropped amid Confederate flag controversy

Those Duke boys are in a mess of trouble again, as TV Land announced Wednesday that it will be dropping the classic 1980s action-comedy the Dukes of Hazzard from its roster. But it may not be Bo and Luke's fault this time. Rather, it appears to be the changing political landscape. Entertainment Weekly reached out to TV Land, which is devoted to airing episodes of classic TV series, but it had no further comment. While the network didn't say why the episodes were removed, EW speculates that the cancellation is part of the reaction to the racially motivated murder of nine people in a historic black church in Charleston, SC, last month. The shooter was often photographed carrying a Confederate flag and other trappings of white supremacy. Since the tragedy, Confederate flags are being dropped from state houses, license plates, and toys. Last month, Warner Bros. said it would stop producing toys featuring the rebel flag, including a die cast miniature version of the Dukes of Hazzard's trademark ride, The General Lee, which was a bright orange 1969 Dodge Charger with a Confederate flag plastered to the roof. The same week as the shooting, the Supreme Court decided that states can reject license plates featuring the stars and bars as part of the states' right to free speech. Nine states currently use the flag in license plates, and the ruling will allow Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee to remove the motif from their state's plates. Georgia is also considering redesigning its plates in the wake of the shooting. For our younger readers, the Dukes Of Hazzard was a television show that aired from 1979 to 1985 on CBS. It feature the antics of the Duke boys in a fictional place called Hazzard County, GA. Related Video:

Chrysler recalling 49K Chargers for headlight components

Chrysler has issued a recall for about 49,375 2011 and 2012 Dodge Chargers with halogen headlamps due to a problem with the lights. The automaker says that there could be an issue with the jumper harness and other related components.
The automaker says that 43,450 cars are affected in the US, 2,850 in Canada, 375 in Mexico and 2,700 outside of North America. The vehicles will have their headlight assemblies, including the jumper harnesses and bulbs, inspected and potentially replaced. Dodge says that its engineers investigated reports of that were similar to what was found when it recalled about 10,000 police Chargers in 2012 for overheating light components. There have been no injuries or accidents related to fault, according to Chrysler.
The automaker will be in contact with affected owners, and schedule the service. Naturally, any repairs will be free of charge. Scroll down for the company's full announcement.

Are supercars becoming less special?

There's little doubt that we are currently enjoying the golden age of automotive performance. Dozens of different models on sale today make over 500 horsepower, and seven boast output in excess of 700 hp. Not long ago, that kind of capability was exclusive to supercars – vehicles whose rarity, performance focus, and requisite expense made them aspirational objects of desire to us mortals. But more than that, supercars have historically offered a unique driving experience, one which was bespoke to a particular model and could not be replicated elsewhere. But in recent years, even the low-volume players have been forced to find the efficiencies and economies of scale that formerly hadn't been a concern for them, and in turn the concept of the supercar as a unique entity unto itself is fading fast. The blame doesn't fall on one particular manufacturer nor a specific production technique. Instead, it's a confluence of different factors that are chipping away at the distinction of these vehicles. It's not all bad news – Lamborghini's platform sharing with Audi for the Gallardo and the R8 yielded a raging bull that was more reliable and easier to live with on a day-to-day basis, and as a result it went on to become the best-selling Lambo in the company's history. But it also came at the cost of some of the Italian's exclusivity when eerily familiar sights and sounds suddenly became available wearing an Audi badge. Even low-volume players have been forced to find economies of scale. Much of this comes out of necessity, of course. Aston Martin's recent deal with Mercedes-AMG points toward German hardware going under the hood and into the cabin of the upcoming DB11, and it's safe to assume that this was not a decision made lightly by the Brits, as the brand has built a reputation for the bespoke craftsmanship of its vehicles. There's little doubt that the DB11 will be a fine automobile, but the move does jeopardize some of the characteristic "specialness" that Astons are known for. Yet the world is certainly better off with new Aston Martins spliced with DNA from Mercedes-AMG rather than no new Astons at all, and the costs of developing cutting-edge drivetrains and user interfaces is a burden that's becoming increasingly difficult for smaller manufacturers to bear. Even Ferrari is poised to make some dramatic changes in the way it designs cars.