SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Motor Bella, the "one-off" alternative auto show held at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac was, how should I say this, underwhelming. A lot of time, effort and money went into this event - much of it outdoors - but to say the venue is challenging is an understatement. The "media days" were to occur Tuesday and Wednesday, but there really wasn't much going on. (And Wednesday morning's media activities were cancelled due to heavy rains and flooding, which couldn't help but add to the overall gloom of the proceedings.) Yes, the new Toyota Tundra was there, and there were more Ford Broncos than anyone has seen in one place before, and Ford tried to convince the gathered media that the refreshed Expedition would have great appeal for young families seeking adventure, although I wonder how that's going to fly when a loaded Expedition is anything near affordable, but I digress. I have no idea if the public will come out to walk around what looks to be a giant new car lot - at least before the chip shortage - although they're promoting the hell out of it, I wouldn't expect much. It qualifies as a giant "we'll see" as we like to say. Thankfully, this event is for this year only, as it will be easily - and instantly - forgotten. -PMD 

(Toyota images)

Is this the year that Toyota finally gets its act together with the Tundra pickup? It should come as no surprise that the all-new Tundra was redesigned from the ground up. Designed, engineered and assembled in the U.S., Toyota PR minions are calling the 2022 Tundra "the toughest, most capable, most advanced Tundra to date. Improvements and enhancements abound, including a new high-strength boxed, steel-ladder frame, aluminum-reinforced composite bed and fully redesigned multi-link rear suspension. The development efforts gives the new Tundra a maximum towing capacity of up to 12,000 pounds and a max payload capacity of 1,940 pounds. The 2022 Tundra has the i-FORCE 3.5L twin-turbo V6 that produces up to 389HP and 479 lb.-ft. of torque, standard. The available i-FORCE MAX powertrain produces up to 437 HP and 583 lb.-ft. Other stuff? Up to 12,000-pound maximum towing capacity; a bold exterior complements spacious, a well-equipped, competitive interior; available 14-inch touchscreen highlights an all-new Audio Multimedia system; a 12.3-inch Instrumentation Panel display is available and Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 active safety is standard on all grades. And, of course, there's much, much, more. The 2022 Toyota Tundra will go on sale late in 2021. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date. Editor-in-Chief's Note: People are already dissing this new Toyota Tundra because it's not electric. I disagree. There are a lot of buyers out there who aren't ready to get on the EV train. And there are a lot of buyers who have been waiting for Toyota to finally get the Tundra right. This truck looks to be it. How will it do? A giant "we'll see" as we like to say. But I bet it finds its market. quickly. -PMD

(Honda images)
Honda and its Associates at the Indiana Auto Plant (IAP) celebrated the start of mass production of the all-new 2022 Civic Hatchback at the Greensburg plant on Monday (9/20). Honda has built Civic models in America since 1986, but this is the first time the Civic Hatchback has been built in the U.S. Honda invested $50.2 million in the IAP to help prepare the facility for mass production of the all-new version of the Civic. IAP started production operations by building the Honda Civic in October 2008. As the first Honda plant in the U.S. to build the 2022 Civic Hatchback, this all-new model represents yet another production first for the Greensburg plant. IAP also was the first Honda plant in the U.S. to build the Acura ILX (2012), Honda Insight (2019) and CR-V Hybrid (2020). Reintroduced to the U.S. market with the 10th-generation Civic in 2016, sales of the Civic Hatchback have grown to account for more than 20 percent of all Civic sales. The 2022 Civic Hatchback also offers driving enthusiasts a treat with an upgraded 6-speed manual transmission available (!) with both the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter and 1.5-liter turbocharged engines.

 

(Honda images)
Honda has introduced its refreshed 2022 Honda Passport "with a new, more rugged exterior design that better matches its true off-road capability," according to Honda PR minions. Now that auto manufacturers have become obsessed with the whole "adventure" thing, Honda decided that it wasn't going to be left out, apparently. The "adventure-ready" Passport features a new, more aggressive front end and a new rear bumper with larger exhaust outlets. But the big news, according to Honda, is the Passport TrailSport (shown), which will be the new halo for Honda light trucks. Created for active buyers "who thrive on adventure" (there's that word again), the new Passport TrailSport combines Passport's durable unibody construction, independent front and rear suspension, and available class-leading torque-vectoring AWD system with exclusive exterior styling and interior touches. The new Passport TrailSport features a unique grille treatment, and more aggressive front and rear bumpers with skid garnish designs prominently painted silver. Orange TrailSport badges grace grille and tailgate, while the Passport and AWD badges are painted gloss black instead of the chrome used on the rest of the lineup. New machined 18-inch wheels with Pewter painted highlights are also unique to TrailSport, and its front & rear track widths are increased 10 mm to improve stance and stability. The unique design of its 245/60R18 tires includes sidewall tread for a more rugged look. TrailSport also features Honda's i-VTM4™ torque-vectoring all-wheel drive and Intelligent Traction Management systems as standard. In the cabin, TrailSport has orange contrast stitching on the steering wheel, door panels and seats, with the TrailSport logo embroidered on the front seat head rests and molded onto the standard all-season rubber floor mats. TrailSport's gauge cluster features the same new gray lighting and white needles as the rest of the Passport lineup, but with a grade-specific black chrome gauge surround. At night, the interior features exclusive amber ambient lighting in the footwells, overhead console, door handle pocket, door tray and cupholders.

 

(Jeep images)

Jeep® brand, Wallace Detroit Guitars and Cherrytree Music Company’s DETROIT DREAMERS have joined forces to launch a multi-faceted marketing collaboration. Jeep brand and music enthusiasts will have the opportunity to pre-order a one-of-a-kind, custom-built guitar crafted by Wallace Detroit Guitars using historic old-growth wood sourced from historic Detroit buildings. Cherrytree Music Company’s rock group DETROIT DREAMERS created a custom track, “Dreamers” which is available now on all digital platforms.
 
 Wallace Detroit Deluxe Jeep Guitar features include: 

• Graphic of the iconic Jeep version of the U.S. Army star on the front of the guitar, hand applied by a branding iron
• The back of the guitar features engraved and hand-painted Jeep brand logo and Detroit topographical map
• Humbucker (TM) neck pickup with the iconic Jeep grille graphic
• Maple neck and fretboard
• Deluxe beveled edge white pickguard
• Chrome hardware with traditional bridge and controls
• Single coil bridge pickup
• Guitar straps that come with every guitar are made from recycled car seat belts
• All guitars also come standard with a Gator hard-shell guitar case
• Hand-applied oil finish
• [WU1] 100% handmade IN Detroit OF Detroit for the Jeep brand
• Each guitar will be individually numbered as part of custom build as below:

         Reclaimed Wood: Packard Plant
         Detroit, Michigan
         313-JEEP-(unique identifier #)  

The AE Song of the Week:

I am a passenger
And I ride and I ride
I ride through the city's backside
I see the stars come out of the sky
Yeah, they're bright in a hollow sky
You know it looks so good tonight

I am the passenger
I stay under glass
I look through my window so bright
I see the stars come out tonight
I see the bright and hollow sky
Over the city's ripped-back sky
And everything looks good tonight

Singin' la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la

Get into the car
We'll be the passenger
We'll ride through the city tonight
See the city's ripped backsides
We'll see the bright and hollow sky
We'll see the stars that shine so bright
The sky was made for us tonight

Oh, the passenger
How, how he rides
Oh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He looks through his window
What does he see?
He sees the silent hollow sky
He see the stars come out tonight
He sees the city's ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive
And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me
'Cause it just belongs to you and me
So let's take a ride and see what's mine

Singin' la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la

Oh, the passenger
He rides and he rides
He sees things from under glass
He looks through his window's eye
He sees the things he knows are his
He sees the bright and hollow sky
He sees the city asleep at night
He sees the stars are out tonight
And all of it is yours and mine
And all of it is yours and mine
So let's ride and ride and ride and ride

Singin' la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la
Singin' la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la

"The Passenger" by Iggy Pop, from the album "Lust For Life" (1977)*. Written by James Jewell Osterberg Jr. Watch the Official Music Video here. 

*Iggy Pop's real name is James Jewell Osterberg, Jr. In high school, he was the drummer for a band called The Iguanas, so when he was a member of the band The Prime Movers, his bandmates gave him the name "Iggy." His first stage name was Iggy Stooge, which became the basis for his band, The Stooges. With The Stooges and as a solo act, he became one of the most influential and authentic Punk performers. Pop is famous for bleeding on stage. The first time he cut himself was by accident when he fell on a drink glass. The crowd went nuts, so he made the blood part of his show. He was also one of the first to incorporate stage dives and crowd surfing into his shows. Iggy was raised in a trailer park in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was addicted to heroin for much of the '70s. David Bowie produced his albums Raw Power, The Idiot, and Lust For Life. He toured with Bowie in 1976-1977, and helped him write "China Girl" in 1983. He got the name "Pop" because he once shaved his eyebrows for a show, making him look like a friend with the last name Popp who had recently undergone chemotherapy and was eyebrow-less himself. When Jim Morrison died, Iggy was considered as his replacement in The Doors. The remaining Doors decided to continue on as a trio, so this never materialized. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)