The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG 

Editors' Note: THE GM MARKETING MESS. As I have said repeatedly over the nearly two-and-one-half decades of writing for this website, the automakers that have a brand image and don’t have the first clue as to what to do with it, or worse – have squandered a great brand legacy because of cluelessness, ineptitude, or both – draw zero sympathy from me. We have a living, breathing example of this playing out right now at General Motors, which has completed the ad agency "review" that began in January and announced a major overhaul of its agency roster this past week. According to a report in Automotive News, incumbents Commonwealth/McCann and Leo Burnett Detroit are losing large chunks of business, as GM brings a new group of agencies on board to oversee creative content and customer relations management. Agency additions include Stagwell’s Anomaly and 72andSunny, along with independents Mother and Preacher. (Anomaly will have lead duties on Chevy, Mother will lead Buick, 72andSunny has Cadillac and Preacher gets GMC.) They will be supported by S4-owned Media.Monks, which will “bring a modern approach to real-time, efficient content development,” GM said in a statement. (Cough, hack, right.) This latest brilliance is courtesy of CMO Norm de Greve and his much-loathed henchman, Tony Weisman, a guy who painted himself in the "un-hirable" category before de Greve resurrected his stagnant career. Together with longtime GM Executive Molly Peck, now GM's Chief Transformation Officer, this stumblebum trio (brain trust?) is hell-bent on shaking things up and is convinced that this is the way to go. Clearly, they think they've got it goin' on, but this just in: They don't. This is such a giant, steaming bowl of Not Good that it makes me physically ill. Explaining the shakeup, Peck explained that GM brand leaders will "hold the strategy," (there's mistake number 1), while the creative agencies will “lead the creative vision — the brand, the look, the tone, the feel, the major campaigns. And then Media.Monks will take those assets and leverage them to reach consumers in a very fast, efficient and prolific way.” (Talk about quintessential Marketing Hack speak!) We're feeling that this is a recipe for disaster. The on-boarding of these agencies alone will take a full twelve months at least, in an environment that doesn't even remotely have that kind of time. The most telling bit in the announcement? "Peck suggested GM’s new creative shops could move some people to Detroit. GM is also beefing up its hiring of internal marketing staff in the region. “We sought out the very best agencies possible, no matter where they were located, geographically speaking,” Peck said. “That doesn't mean that we’re moving away from a Detroit-based presence, though.” Guess what? Every single one of these agencies will be expected to have offices here, and then the cycle will start all over again. Are these shops good? Yes, of course, but once they get sucked into the swirling maelstrom that has defined GM marketing for decades, they will become deballed in a matter of months and lose their collective soul. You can count on it. Why did this even happen in the first place? As I've pointed out previously, CEO Mary Barra continues to listen to the ex-Silicon Valley hacks on GM's board, which is akin to GM's True Believers consulting New York Ballet operatives for advice on how to build the next Corvette. The High-Octane Truth is that Barra has never had even a shred of a feel for marketing. She - and GM - continue to flail in the marketing arena, and this latest agency upheaval just kicks the can down the road. The current roster of GM marketing operatives is inept and incapable, and sadly, we predict this won't move the brand image needle one bit for GM, or its divisions. Pathetic. -PMD & WG

The electric motors are powered by a 25-kWh oil-cooled 800V battery housed in the central tunnel and behind the passengers. With four-wheel-drive and full torque-vectoring, it offers ultimate traction and agility. The front e-axle houses two electric motors, with a further motor on the rear axle, for a total of 800HP from the electric powertrain system. The electric powertrain, with the electric motors spinning up to 24,000 RPM and a fully integrated dual silicon-carbide inverter, is amongst the most power-dense in the world. The e-axles are delivering over 6 kW per kg of e-axle mass, including inverters, motors and gearboxes. While power, throttle response and torque-fill are priorities for the electric powertrain, the relatively large energy content of 25 kWh allows for an all-electric range of more than 60 km/37 miles.

In the automotive industry, it is fairly common when a new model is heavier than its predecessor, especially when the new model adds a hybrid powertrain or more performance. But the new Bugatti Tourbillon goes against the grain by offering significantly improved performance with a very powerful electric powertrain system, plus a large battery pack and yet, it weighs less than the Chiron, which "is a testament to the incredible engineering behind the Tourbillon," according to the manufacturer.

Mate Rimac, Bugatti CEO, said: “We look back through Bugatti history at the creations of Ettore and Jean and you can immediately see that they refused to compromise. The amount of patents Ettore had to his name was incredible, because he didn’t ever want the simplest solution, he always wanted the best solution, even if it didn’t exist yet. He’d go away and he’d build it, test it and refine it until it was perfect. And then he’d make it beautiful. It is why the cars are so revered today, and it is the driving force behind everything we have done with Tourbillon.

So yes, it is crazy to build a new V16 engine, to integrate with a new battery pack and electric motors and to have a real Swiss-made watchmaker instrument cluster and 3D-printed suspension parts and a Crystal Glass center console. But it is what Ettore would have done, and it is what makes a Bugatti incomparable and timeless. Without that kind of ambition, you might create a great hyper sports car, but you wouldn’t create an icon Pour l’éternité’."

The Bugatti Tourbillon now enters its testing phase, with prototypes already on the road in anticipation for customer deliveries in 2026. A total of 250 examples will be built, with a starting price of (ahem) 3.8m EUR net. Hand assembly will take place at the Bugatti Atelier in Molsheim, following the final W16-powered Bugatti models, Bolide and W16 Mistral. Watch a video close-up - with great audio - of the Bugatti Tourbillon accelerating through the gears to top speed, with all 1800HP present and accounted for here.

(Jeep images)

Editor's Note: Check out Peter's podcast with Andrea Hiott of Forever Motoring here. -WG 

Letter from L.A.

By Tom Pease

Beverly Hills. This Sunday was the 29th iteration of the annual Rodeo Drive Concours D'Elegance, the free event that closes the shopping area of Rodeo to show off some pretty cool cars. This year was sponsored by O’Gara Coach, which showed off the Lucid line of electric cars, and the upcoming “Beverly Hills Cop 4.” As is usual, it was a warm morning and crowded even upon opening so I skipped the Lucid display (I can see it at Century City mall) and the movie stuff (I’m still owed a refund for BH Cop 3). But there was much serious eye candy, including a Bugatti Type 57, a rare Kaiser Darrin with a factory (removable) hardtop, a gorgeous Rolls Silver Wraith convertible, and the annual appearance of Beverly Hills’ first fire engine, a 1928 Ahrens-Fox that was one of only five built, in service until 1966, and kept in showroom condition at the Rexford Drive fire station. The (stunning) 300SL Cabriolet looked almost pedestrian by comparison.

If you’re in SoCal on Father’s Day next year plan on stopping by. But bring a hat and sunscreen.