Peugeot Partner Rapid, another rebadge of the Brazilian 3rd-generation Fiat Fiorino

It's well known that some brands within the Stellantis holding have a better positioning outside Brazil than Fiat, so the Brazilian Fiat Fiorino had already been exported as part of the Ram range for regional markets, both as Ram Promaster Rapid or Ram V700 Rapid to Central America and even parts of South America where the brands formerly tied to Chrysler prior to the merge with Fiat used to have a stronger foothold. And even though Fiat seems to be good enough for Brazil, another rebadge had to be done for the local market, so the Fiorino had another rebadge in order to satisfy Peugeot dealers due to the earlier generation of the Peugeot Partner previously imported from Argentina being phased out as the emission regulations became stricter in Brazil in 2022. Economics of scale ended up dictating another rebadge of the Fiorino being easier than improving the first-generation Peugeot Partner, and so that was an obvious choice, just like other vans with heavier GVWRs and higher passenger capacity are offered as Peugeot, Citroën and Fiat simultaneously.

Powertrain remains much the same good old Fiat Fire Evo 1.4L engine, in the flexfuel trim required by most customers in Brazil even though some never even use the pure ethanol available in the country, so it may eventually sound pointless at a first glance as Peugeot dealers would eventually have to also get parts for a Fiat engine in stock, and the EC5 engine still fitted to the Argentinian Partner is also used in some Peugeot and Citroën cars and SUVs in Brazil. On the other hand the Fire engine is often reported as quite dumbproof, so naturally it's a favorite among Brazilian commercial operators, no wonder it was much welcomed by some who were already served by Peugeot dealers. Just like the Ram rebadges for other Latin American countries, maybe another market opportunity for the Peugeot Partner Rapid could be there in French-speaking African countries, as it's technically simpler than the European models and Peugeot tends to have a better reputation in Africa than Fiat in general.

Humvee with externally-mounted air conditioner condenser

Seeing a Humvee in my hometown is not exactly so common, but recently I have seen it more often than I could ever guess. I have already seen a green one and this tan, both with the naturally-aspirated 6.2L Detroit Diesel V8 engine, and the same soft-top crew-cab pick-up truck bodystyle too. But only the tan one had a modification that caught my attention at a first glance, as it was adapted with an air conditioner, with the condenser placed in a position that may seem unexpected to say the least. Placed right behind the cab, on the cargo deck, it's easily noticeable. The location and power provision for the compressor are unknown to me, just like the evaporator box type and its location inside the cab. I'm also not so sure if the canvas top and doors are insulated and airtight enough for a regular vapour-cycle air conditioner to be so efficient at all, in contrast to other devices such as an air-cycling machine like the ones fitted to jet-engined aircraft or even a swamp-cooler which is still quite usual on commercial trucks in Brazil.

Brazilian Honda CG 150 of the 7th and 8th generations converted from EFI to carburettor

Even though electronic fuel injection became favored in Brazil even on motorcycles, with the Honda CG featuring it since 2009 on some versions, and flexfuel ability since 2010 for the CG 150, it's still quite common to find people who are diehard carburettor endorsers, and go as far as getting rid of the EFI and revert to a carburettor even in a motorcycle factory-fitted with EFI. The 7th generation was the very first to feature EFI for the 150cc versions, while the 125 retained the carburettor, so it was quite surprising for me to see the one above which was originally a 150 fitted with the carburettor-fed 125 engine, notable not only for the carburettor but also for the position of the catalytic converter.

The short-lived 8th generation which ran from 2014 to 2016 retained the carburettor only for the 125 while the 150 always featured EFI at least in Brazil, before the 150 was phased out and a 160 engine was introduced for the 9th generation. As the 6th generation still had a carburettor with the 150 engine, it was quite a straightforward makeshift for those who would rather get rid of the EFI in a newer one such as the one above which is of the 8th generation. As if converting to a carburettor was not enough, this one also had the battery removed.