Sunday
Jul102022
JULY 13, 2022
Sunday, July 10, 2022 at 09:45AM 
(Cadillac images)
Speaking of Design Matters, Cadillac shared a final preview of its CELESTIQ hyper-luxury sedan on Wednesday, July 13th, ahead of its formal reveal later this month. Rooted in heritage and advanced technologies, each CELESTIQ will be handbuilt with globally sourced parts to exacting standards at a special facility at General Motors’ Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Through a creative collaboration, "each CELESTIQ created will evoke a personal connection with every customer," according to Cadillac PR minions. “Every CELESTIQ will be instantly identifiable as one of a kind, giving each client a personal connection to Cadillac’s newest flagship,” said Erin Crossley, design director, Cadillac CELESTIQ. “With Cadillac reimagining the future of American luxury, we are entering an era of limitless possibilities and the future of design.” Follow General Motors Design on Instagram to see the CELESTIQ show car in its entirety for the first time on July 22, 2022, at 9 a.m. ET. CELESTIQ availability will be announced at a later date.
Speaking of Design Matters, Cadillac shared a final preview of its CELESTIQ hyper-luxury sedan on Wednesday, July 13th, ahead of its formal reveal later this month. Rooted in heritage and advanced technologies, each CELESTIQ will be handbuilt with globally sourced parts to exacting standards at a special facility at General Motors’ Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Through a creative collaboration, "each CELESTIQ created will evoke a personal connection with every customer," according to Cadillac PR minions. “Every CELESTIQ will be instantly identifiable as one of a kind, giving each client a personal connection to Cadillac’s newest flagship,” said Erin Crossley, design director, Cadillac CELESTIQ. “With Cadillac reimagining the future of American luxury, we are entering an era of limitless possibilities and the future of design.” Follow General Motors Design on Instagram to see the CELESTIQ show car in its entirety for the first time on July 22, 2022, at 9 a.m. ET. CELESTIQ availability will be announced at a later date.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: The (bad) hits just keep on comin' for Ford. From the Detroit Free Press (7/12): 2021-22 Mustang Mach-E owners slap Ford with federal lawsuit over safety defect. Three owners of the 2021-22 Mustang Mach-E have filed a federal lawsuit against Ford Motor Co., claiming the Dearborn automaker has known of a design flaw in its popular electric vehicles that causes them to lose power while driving down the road — and has not figured out how to fix the problem. "Companies go through recalls all the time," lawyer Aashish Desai of the Desai Law Firm in Costa Mesa, California, told the Free Press. "But when you have damages that affect a safety issue and the company doesn't appear to have a solution, then you get into a problem that nobody wants to drive around a car that may stop working while they're driving," he said. "I'm shocked they still have these cars out on the road." Ford spokeswoman Cathie Hargett told the Free Press on Monday the company does not comment on active litigation. The lawsuit, filed July 1 in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of California, raises questions about "a uniformly designed defective high voltage battery main contactor that could overheat, thereby immobilizing the vehicle or making it lose power during operation. The contactors on these vehicles are prone to fail during ordinary and foreseeable driving situations." The lawsuit says, "Ford has actual knowledge that, because of the way in which the battery contactors were designed and integrated into the Defective Vehicles, the contactor switch could suddenly fail during normal operation, cutting off engine power and certain electrical systems in the cars, which in turn, disables key vehicle components, safety features or other vehicle functions, leaving occupants vulnerable to crashes, serious injuries, and death." All together now: Not. Very. Good. -PMD
(Honda images)
The all-new, 6th-generation 2023 Honda CR-V has debuted with a notably better exterior design design, along with a new, more advanced 4th-generation hybrid-electric system. CR-V hybrid models are positioned as the top of the CR-V lineup and will represent about 50 percent of sales, a key step in Honda's electrification strategy. The 2023 CR-V will arrive at dealerships this summer, with the hybrid model launching later in the year. The new CR-V is longer and wider with a significantly broader stance. Honda’s most popular SUV backs up its strong new looks with "a more fun-to-drive personality, more confident and refined dynamics, and increased torque and capability," according to Honda PR minions. The CR-V will be available in four trim levels, including the new hybrid-powered CR-V Sport and Sport Touring as the new top of the CR-V model line. With a total system rating of 204HP and 247 lb.-ft of torque from the new generation two-motor hybrid system, they are the most powerful CR-Vs ever offered. Inside, the new CR-V is more contemporary and has the more cabin and cargo space. Standard safety features include a new Honda Sensing® safety and driver-assistive technology with a new wide-view camera and radar, next-gen front airbags, as well as new rear side-impact and knee airbags. The previous generation CR-V was an unwieldy design that sold well in spite of its mediocre looks. We expect this one to do much better. Watch a video here.
The all-new, 6th-generation 2023 Honda CR-V has debuted with a notably better exterior design design, along with a new, more advanced 4th-generation hybrid-electric system. CR-V hybrid models are positioned as the top of the CR-V lineup and will represent about 50 percent of sales, a key step in Honda's electrification strategy. The 2023 CR-V will arrive at dealerships this summer, with the hybrid model launching later in the year. The new CR-V is longer and wider with a significantly broader stance. Honda’s most popular SUV backs up its strong new looks with "a more fun-to-drive personality, more confident and refined dynamics, and increased torque and capability," according to Honda PR minions. The CR-V will be available in four trim levels, including the new hybrid-powered CR-V Sport and Sport Touring as the new top of the CR-V model line. With a total system rating of 204HP and 247 lb.-ft of torque from the new generation two-motor hybrid system, they are the most powerful CR-Vs ever offered. Inside, the new CR-V is more contemporary and has the more cabin and cargo space. Standard safety features include a new Honda Sensing® safety and driver-assistive technology with a new wide-view camera and radar, next-gen front airbags, as well as new rear side-impact and knee airbags. The previous generation CR-V was an unwieldy design that sold well in spite of its mediocre looks. We expect this one to do much better. Watch a video here.
(The Petersen Automotive Museum)
Appearing for the first time in North America in over 30 years, "Andy Warhol: Cars – Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection" will go on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA. The groundbreaking exhibition will open to the public on July 23rd and will present a rare and exclusive look at the relationship between the “Cars” artwork series and the vehicles it depicts. Taking place in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery on the museum’s first floor, the unique display features five of the eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles ultimately depicted in Warhol’s final commission. Among the extremely rare assemblage are some of the most iconic cars in the world, including a 1937 W 125, which is on loan from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany. The machine was initially built for Grand Prix racing and features a supercharged eight-cylinder engine producing 637HP, making it one of the most powerful road-racing cars for three decades. Also making its way from the German museum is the unique 1970 C 111-II. This experimental Mercedes-Benz used a highly-aerodynamic fiberglass body and tri-rotor Wankel engine (later replaced with a turbo-charged diesel) to reach speeds of 200 mph. On loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is the spectacular 1954 W 196 streamliner. A Formula One car piloted by racing legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, the W 196 model won two world championships before Mercedes pulled out of competitive racing for three decades. Forty original Warhol works from the “Cars” series, all on loan from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection, are presented accompanying the historical vehicles.
(The Petersen Automotive Museum)
The AE Song of the Week:
Well you know your time has come and you're sorry for what you've done
You should've never have been playing with a gun
In those Complicated Shadows
Well there's a line that you must toe
And it'll soon be time to go
But it's darker than you know in those Complicated Shadows
All you gangsters and rude clowns
Who were shooting up the town
When you should have found someone to put the blame on
Though the fury's hot and hard
I still see that cold graveyard
There's a solitary stone that's got your name on
You don't have to take it from me
But I know what I spake
You think you're like iron and steel
But iron and steel will bend and break
In those Complicated Shadows
Go!
Sometimes justice you will find
Is just dumb not colour-blind
And your poor shattered mind can't take it all in
All those phantoms and those shades
Should Jump up on Judgement Day
And say to the Almighty "I'm still stinking of sin"
But the jury was dismissed
Took his neck and they give it a twist
So you see you won't be missed in those Complicated Shadows
You can say just what you like in a voice like a John Ford film
Take the law into your hands
You will soon get tired of killing
In those Complicated Shadows
Complicated Shadows Go!
"Complicated Shadows" by Elvis Costello, from the album "All This Useless Beauty" (1996).* Written by Declan MacManus; produced by Geoff Emerick and Elvis Costello. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. Listen here.
*Editor-in-Chief's Note: One of my favorite songs by Elvis Costello, made even more famous when it was used in The Sopranos. If you know, you know. -PMD
Appearing for the first time in North America in over 30 years, "Andy Warhol: Cars – Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection" will go on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA. The groundbreaking exhibition will open to the public on July 23rd and will present a rare and exclusive look at the relationship between the “Cars” artwork series and the vehicles it depicts. Taking place in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery on the museum’s first floor, the unique display features five of the eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles ultimately depicted in Warhol’s final commission. Among the extremely rare assemblage are some of the most iconic cars in the world, including a 1937 W 125, which is on loan from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany. The machine was initially built for Grand Prix racing and features a supercharged eight-cylinder engine producing 637HP, making it one of the most powerful road-racing cars for three decades. Also making its way from the German museum is the unique 1970 C 111-II. This experimental Mercedes-Benz used a highly-aerodynamic fiberglass body and tri-rotor Wankel engine (later replaced with a turbo-charged diesel) to reach speeds of 200 mph. On loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is the spectacular 1954 W 196 streamliner. A Formula One car piloted by racing legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, the W 196 model won two world championships before Mercedes pulled out of competitive racing for three decades. Forty original Warhol works from the “Cars” series, all on loan from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection, are presented accompanying the historical vehicles.
(The Petersen Automotive Museum)The AE Song of the Week:
Well you know your time has come and you're sorry for what you've done
You should've never have been playing with a gun
In those Complicated Shadows
Well there's a line that you must toe
And it'll soon be time to go
But it's darker than you know in those Complicated Shadows
All you gangsters and rude clowns
Who were shooting up the town
When you should have found someone to put the blame on
Though the fury's hot and hard
I still see that cold graveyard
There's a solitary stone that's got your name on
You don't have to take it from me
But I know what I spake
You think you're like iron and steel
But iron and steel will bend and break
In those Complicated Shadows
Go!
Sometimes justice you will find
Is just dumb not colour-blind
And your poor shattered mind can't take it all in
All those phantoms and those shades
Should Jump up on Judgement Day
And say to the Almighty "I'm still stinking of sin"
But the jury was dismissed
Took his neck and they give it a twist
So you see you won't be missed in those Complicated Shadows
You can say just what you like in a voice like a John Ford film
Take the law into your hands
You will soon get tired of killing
In those Complicated Shadows
Complicated Shadows Go!
"Complicated Shadows" by Elvis Costello, from the album "All This Useless Beauty" (1996).* Written by Declan MacManus; produced by Geoff Emerick and Elvis Costello. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. Listen here.
*Editor-in-Chief's Note: One of my favorite songs by Elvis Costello, made even more famous when it was used in The Sopranos. If you know, you know. -PMD
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG