JANUARY 18, 2023

(Chevrolet Images)
Exactly 70 years after the Corvette debuted at Motorama in New York City, Chevrolet has returned to introduce the first-ever electrified Corvette with all-wheel-drive and a powerful 6.2L LT2 Small Block V-8: The 2024 E-Ray. “In 1953, the enthusiastic reaction to the Chevrolet Corvette concept kicked off seven decades of passion, performance and American ingenuity,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors president. “E-Ray, as the first electrified, all-wheel-drive Corvette, takes it a step further and expands the promise of what Corvette can deliver.” Developed to be the Corvette owners can arrive in anywhere, no matter the season, the new E-Ray — available in removable roof coupe and hardtop convertible models — uses electrification to enhance the driving experience with intense straight-line performance, all-weather confidence and sure-footed grand touring capabilities that can only be achieved with eAWD. E-Ray is also the only sports car pairing two separate propulsion systems to provide naturally aspirated V-8 power with electrified responsiveness powered by eAWD, making it "one like none," according to Chevrolet PR minions.

 The 2024 Corvette E-Ray’s electrified propulsion system is designed to provide exhilarating acceleration to power out of corners and effortlessly complete passing maneuvers. It can also provide limited all-electric propulsion at the driver’s discretion upon startup. E-Ray’s standard Active Fuel Management system uses the electric motor to extend 4-cylinder operation in various driving scenarios. The amount of electric assist is tailored within each of the Corvette E-Ray’s six driver-selectable modes: Tour, Sport, Track, Weather, My Mode and Z-Mode. Drivers can also select the Charge+ feature, which maximizes the battery’s state of charge. The E-Ray Performance App on the infotainment system provides the driver with technical insights into how the propulsion system is operating. There are three primary display layouts: Gauges (displays dynamic power output from electric motor and V-8 engine); Dyno (provides graph of power/torque across selectable time intervals) and Data (showcases electrical system performance and efficiency). The Corvette E-Ray’s electric motor over the front axle is compact, preserving space in the front storage compartment. The Corvette E-Ray’s two driver-initiated electric modes enable the car to travel under electric propulsion in certain conditions. The electric motor also optimizes track performance. Stealth Mode enables all-electric driving, when selected at start-up, for a period of time before the engine turns on for normal driving. It is designed for quietly exiting a neighborhood, with a maximum speed of 45 mph. The engine automatically engages if the vehicle’s speed exceeds the limit, additional torque is requested by the driver, or the E-Ray’s battery pack is depleted. When it comes to leveraging the electrified propulsion system for enhanced track performance, E-Ray's eAWD control system applies torque to the front axle as needed. The Charge+ feature can be used to maximize battery state of charge for extended lapping. The custom-designed Performance Traction Management (PTM) modes are optimized in concert with the eAWD propulsion system.
The E-Ray is the quickest production Corvette in history, achieving 0-60 mph in 2.5-seconds and the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds. “Corvettes must provide an exhilarating driving experience on backroads and tracks, and E-Ray nails it,” said Tadge Juechter, executive chief engineer, Corvette. “The electrification technology enhances the feeling of control in all conditions, adding an unexpected degree of composure.” The E-Ray packs plenty of low-end torque. Power comes from the 6.2L LT2 Small Block V-8, putting 495HP and 470 lb-ft of torque to the rear axle. It is complemented by an electric motor that channels an additional 160HP and 125 lb-ft of torque through the front wheels via a 1.9 kWh battery pack, which is located between the seats. In total, E-Ray produces a combined 655HP from both the electric motor and Small Block V-8.
E-Ray’s intelligent eAWD system is constantly learning the road surface, seamlessly adapting to meet traction conditions and driver needs. During spirited driving and in low traction environments, E-Ray’s eAWD system applies additional power to the front wheels, helping to enhance vehicle stability. There is no need for plug-in charging for the E-Ray’s battery system. The battery is charged via regenerative energy from coasting and braking, as well as during normal driving. Additional features and technologies of the all-new E-Ray include: Stealth Mode, an electric drive mode for the street, up to 45 mph; New lightweight lithium-ion 12-volt battery that supports the LT2 V-8 engine’s stop/start functionality; Standard Brembo Carbon Ceramic brake system for optimal braking performance; Standard Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 with three distinct suspension settings; Staggered 20- and 21-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport all-season tires. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires are available with an optional performance package; The low, wide stance has crafted body styling from the Z06 that is 3.6 inches wider overall than Stingray; Enhanced roster of driver assistance technologies (shared with all 2024 Corvette models), including Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and Automatic Emergency Braking. 
There are multiple options for customers to select when it comes to personalizing their E-Ray’s interior including two carbon fiber trim packages, three seat choices, seven interior colors, and more. E-Ray also introduces the all-new Artemis Dipped interior, which features complementary deep green tones on nearly every interior surface and will only be available on 2024 Corvettes. Additionally, there are new Charge+ and Stop/Start buttons on the console and updates to the infotainment system and instrument cluster aimed at providing a more integrated appearance.
The E-Ray shares its purposeful, wide-body proportions with the Z06, accommodating wide wheels that help manage the car’s greater torque delivery. The lightweight alloy wheels have a twisted five-spoke star design that is exclusive to E-Ray. E-Ray design highlights include: Four aluminum wheel finishes; Fourteen exterior color choices — including new for 2024 Riptide Blue, Seawolf Gray and Cacti; An E-Ray-exclusive body-length stripe package in Electric Blue; Standard carbon flash badging and Available black exhaust tips and bright badging. 
Carbon fiber ground effects are available and carbon fiber wheels are available in carbon flash, visible carbon fiber finish or visible carbon fiber with a red stripe.  The 2024 Corvette E-Ray goes on sale in 2023, with an MSRP of $104,2954 for the 1LZ coupe and $111,2954 for the 1LZ convertible model, with production to take place at GM’s Bowling Green Assembly facility in Kentucky, from U.S. and globally sourced parts. Go to chevrolet.com for more information.

(Acura)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Acura and its ad agency continue to try to position Acura in the market, and they continue to fail miserably. Their latest foray is this new brand campaign based on the theme New World. Same Energy. Acura PR minions describe it as "taking viewers on a fast-paced journey across the Acura multiverse in the brand’s Precision Crafted Performance vehicles. The new action-packed 60-second spot celebrates Acura performance and includes a first look at the brand’s all-electric future." Who they're aiming this spot at exactly is anyone's guess, but here's the High-Octane Truth: It's a visual kaleidoscope of Sound and Fury signifying not much, and it will do nothing to raise awareness or drive purchase consideration for the brand. Watch it here. Oh, and by the way, using "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix in another spot in this campaign makes my head - and heart - hurt. -PMD




The AE Song of the Week:

"Beck's Bolero" by Jeff Beck from the album "Truth" (1967).* Written by Jimmy Page. Watch a video of Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page performing together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2009 here. And watch Jeff Beck and Stevie Wonder performing "Superstition" together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary here. 

*"Beck's Bolero" was recorded by Jeff Beck in a single-day recording session in 1966 with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon and Nicky Hopkins. They planned to record a whole album, but contractual obligations prevented them from recording together again, and this was the only song from that session that was released. This Beck/Page/Jones/Moon/Hopkins combination had the makings of a supergroup, and it nearly happened, but they couldn't find a suitable lead singer, failing to pry Steve Marriott away from Small Faces. Page and Jones then went on to form Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page is the only credited songwriter on the cut. In a 1977 interview with Guitar Player magazine, he explained how the song came together after Simon Napier-Bell, who was producing the track, vanished. "On the 'Beck's Bolero' thing I was working with that, the track was done, and then the producer just disappeared," Page said. "He was never seen again; he simply didn't come back. Napier-Bell, he just sort of left me and Jeff to it. Jeff was playing and I was in the box (recording booth). And even though he says he wrote it, I wrote it. I'm playing the electric 12-string on it. Beck's doing the slide bits, and I'm basically playing around the chords. The idea was built around (classical composer) Maurice Ravel's 'Bolero.' It's got a lot of drama to it; it came off right. It was a good lineup too, with Keith Moon, and everything." "Beck's Bolero" first appeared in 1967 on the B-side of Beck's first single, a novelty-ish song called "Hi Ho Silver Lining," which has a rare lead vocal by Beck (on some pressings, the song is titled "Bolero"). In 1968, it was included on Truth, the first Jeff Beck Group album. It's the only instrumental on the album, which has lead vocals by a young Rod Stewart, the group's frontman. The album title comes from something Rod Stewart would say. Before going on stage, he would ask Beck, "Shall we tell them the truth tonight?" meaning should they deliver the goods. Beck loved the saying and the intention behind it, so he used it as the title. "He was a great soul who did great music,” Wonder told the Detroit Free Press. “I’m glad that I was able to meet him and have him in my life, giving some of his gift to my music.” Wonder and Beck were introduced to one another by Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, producers who had worked with Wonder on 1972’s groundbreaking “Music of My Mind” and were now involved in its follow-up, the album that would become “Talking Book.” In the early days he performed with The Yardbirds and Beck, Bogert and Appice. In 1975 he switched to a largely instrumental style of play. Beck was one of rock's foremost guitar players, a virtuoso in every sense of the word. He was considered a "guitarist's guitarist" and Rolling Stone described him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock." he was inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame twice; with The Yardbirds in 1992, and as a solo artist in 2009. He was presented to the Hall by Jimmy Page in 2009. Jeff Beck passed away last week from a bout of bacterial meningitis at a hospital in East Sussex, United Kingdom. He was 78. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com and from various news reports.)

(Detroit Free Press)

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG