Man, this has been a rough week. Automotive-wise. The Los Angeles Auto Show sucked on so many levels. I haven't seen so many crossovers in one place since the Soccer Mom Annual Meeting. Oh wait, that doesn't sound right. Give me a minute here... Since the... uhm... wait, I got it... since the... Ah, screw it, I'm not in a mood for jokes. It just sucks! Then there's the Urus, which isn't a real Lamborghini and everyone gets excited as if they just launched the second-generation Miura. Do millennials even know what a Miura is? But the worst thing about this year's L.A. show is that some automakers were set to remind me that press releases have more bullshit than a dairy farm.

Stop calling mild facelifts "brand-new," you half-baked hippies! You're not fooling anyone.

Yeah, they're at it again. Especially Lincoln and BMW. The American brand, which is struggling to stay afloat these days, just launched a mid-cycle facelift for the MKC with a new front grille. That's it, a new grille! And they call it "new" with a "commanding new design." Hello?! It's a new grille, not a new car. Now repeat after me: a new grille doesn't make the entire car new. But wait, there's more. Lincoln also introduced the Nautilus, a brand-new SUV according to the company's PR division. Except it's not new. It's the MKX with a new grille and a new name. Hey, I like the fact that you're using actual names now Lincoln, but it's not a brand-new car! I can't change my name and pretend I'm a new person. Okay, I can actually do that, but I may be spending my final years in a nuthouse. And trust me, the nuthouse isn't good for business; there's no room for a car production line in there.

But Lincoln isn't the only company pretending customers are stupid. BMW also called the facelifted i8 new. Sure, the Roadster version is new indeed, but the coupe is identical to the car launched in 2014, save for the wheels, mildly revised headlamps and taillights, and the 12 extra horsepower. This is the most pathetic facelift I've seen in years. It's not a new car, just a BRAND-NEW way to be lazy and pathetic! Go home BMW; you're drunk!

References

Lincoln MKC

Read our full review on the 2019 Lincoln MKC.

Lincoln Nautilus

Read more about the 2019 Lincoln Nautilus.

BMW i8

Read our full review on the 2019 BMW i8.

Read our full review on the 2019 BMW i8 Roadster.

Read more Pops' Rants news.