DECEMBER 8, 2021

(Audi images)
Audi of America is offering 50 limited-edition units of its 2022 Audi TT RS Heritage Edition. While it still will be available outside of the U.S., the 2022 Audi TT RS Heritage Edition marks the end of the road for this high-performance coupe here in this market. The TT and TTS models will continue to be available in the U.S. and international markets. The limited number of the 50 TT RS Heritage Edition models will be available in five different color combinations, limited to only ten units of each. The colors include: Alpine White with Ocean Blue leather and Diamond Silver stitching; Helios Blue metallic with Diamond Silver leather and Ocean Blue stitching; Stone Gray metallic with Crimson Red leather and Jet Gray stitching; Tizian Red metallic with Havanna Brown leather and Jet Gray stitching; and Malachite Green metallic with Cognac Brown leather and Black stitching.
The interior leather and contrast stitching combinations are leveraged from the current Audi exclusive portfolio of upholstery selections, and include several first-time color combinations for the U.S. market. To further underscore the exclusivity of the limited-edition model, the TT RS Heritage Edition exhibits an understated, yet distinctive etch of “HERITAGE EDITION” script followed by the firing order of the five-cylinder engine “1-2-4-5-3”, underlined by a “quattro” script in the rear quarter glass on the right side of each car. Other stuff? Standard equipment includes 20” 5-arm cutter design wheels in bi-color anthracite finish; 174 mph top speed limiter; Alcantara covered steering wheel with 12 o’clock marker in leather color; Alcantara covered shift lever; Alu-optic exterior elements including mirror housings; OLED taillights; RS logo floor mats with contrast stitching; Sport exhaust with black tips; Electric spoiler/rear wing delete.
The unique and distinctive sound of the five-cylinder engine in the TT RS is due to the odd number of cylinders, and more specifically, the 1-2-4-5-3 firing order. The engine remains one of Audi’s more powerful engines with 394HP and 354 lb-ft of torque, which brings the TT RS Coupe from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Audi of America originally brought the TT RS in a limited production run for just two model years, 2012-2013. In both years, Audi of America offered a total of approximately 1,200 TT RS models outfitted exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission, which became the final manual transmission offer in any Audi RS- model, globally. The 2022 Audi TT RS Heritage Edition and the 2022 Audi TT RS model are expected to go on sale in the U.S. toward the beginning of 2022. How much? The TT RS Heritage Edition stickers for $81,450. The TT RS will cost $73,200 (excluding a $1,045 destination charge, sales taxes, title, options and dealer charges). 

(Hyundai images)
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 made its press debut this week. When equipped with a single motor (2WD), IONIQ 5’s maximum EPA estimated driving range on a single charge is 303 miles. The maximum EPA estimated range of the dual motor all-wheel drive models is 256 miles. What do you get? The IONIQ 5 features 800-volt multi-charging (10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes). Its Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function can power small appliances, devices and even charge other EVs. Its new E-GMP platform "improves performance, enhances driving dynamics and optimizes interior volume (spaciousness of a large car in a compact SUV)," according to Hyundai PR minions. The IONIQ 5 also has "Eco-friendly" interior materials and nature-inspired colors at many touch points. IONIQ 5 customers will receive unlimited 30-minute charging sessions for two years on Electrify America’s growing network of chargers. IONIQ 5 is the first model in Hyundai’s new family of IONIQ electric vehicles.

(Mercedes-Benz images)

On December 1, 2021, in lieu of an intimate press event, Mercedes-Benz pays tribute to Virgil Abloh by opening the doors of the Rubell Museum to showcase Project MAYBACH to the public from December 1st – December 2nd. A humble contribution to Virgil's vast legacy, the Mercedes-Maybach show car "exemplifies the possibilities of future design and is the result of an on-going cooperation with the polymath artist, architect, creative director, fashion designer and philanthropist; driven by a shared passion to enrich the conversation around luxury design," according to the manufacturer. "Mercedes-Benz is devastated to hear of the passing of Virgil Abloh. Our sincere thoughts are with Virgil's family and teams. Now opening the world of our collaboration, and Virgil's unique vision, to the public, we want to respectfully celebrate the work of a truly unique design talent, who created endless possibilities for collaboration through his unbridled imagination and inspired all that knew his work." Every element of Project MAYBACH has been built from scratch. Abloh, collaboratively with Gorden Wagener, has interpreted Mercedes-Maybach's luxury identity with a new design language that pushes the boundaries of function, style, and creativity. Inspired by the great outdoors and executed from a distinctly off-road perspective, the 2-seater, battery-electric off-road coupe combines huge Gran Turismo proportions - it's nearly 20 feet long - large off-road wheels and distinctive attachments. A key focus for both Abloh and Wagener was a responsible vision of future design. Complete creative freedom – untethered by production requirements - enabled the design teams to conceptualize what the future of electric travel could look like. For example, under the transparent surface of the front hood of the concept are solar cells that increase the imagined range of the Project MAYBACH. The concept channels Abloh's passion to challenge the status quo and re-write the rule book of aspirational design. The X-Factor nature of Project MAYBACH results not only from its breathtaking size, but above all from its unique contrasts; most notably how Mercedes-Maybach design elements are combined with a new Outdoor Adventure design motif. The Project MAYBACH design teams teams thank Virgil Abloh for the inspiration to explore the power of cross-industry dialogue to imagine a better, more inclusive future.

The AE Song of the Week:

I hitched a ride with a vending machine repair man
He says he's been down this road more than twice
He was high on intellectualism
I've never been there but the brochure looks nice

Jump in, let's go
Lay back, enjoy the show
Everybody gets high, everybody gets low,
These are the days when anything goes

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer to feeling fine

He's got a daughter he calls Easter
She was born on a Tuesday night
I'm just wondering why I feel so all alone
Why I'm a stranger in my own life

Jump in, let's go
Lay back, enjoy the show
Everybody gets high, everybody gets low
These are the days when anything goes

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer to feeling fine

I've been swimming in a sea of anarchy
I've been living on coffee and nicotine
I've been wondering if all the things I've seen
Were ever real, were ever really happening

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer to feeling fine

"Everyday Is A Winding Road" by Sheryl Crow, from the album "Sheryl Crow" (1996)*. Written by Brian Macleod, Jeff Trott and Sheryl Crow. Publisher: Warner Chappell Music, Inc. OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT Inc. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind.

*This bit of fortune cookie wisdom was written by Sheryl Crow along with her collaborators Jeff Trott and Brian MacLeod. The trio wasn't thrilled with it when they wrote the song, so they were happy to give it up for the 1996 film Phenomenon, starring John Travolta. Once they started stripping it down at the request of the movie's music supervisor, something great began to emerge. Trott told Songfacts: "We realized by pulling back all that stuff that, wow there actually is a really good song in there, and it's just being covered with layer, upon layer, of instruments." The song debuted in the movie, but didn't appear on the soundtrack. The film was released in July 1996 and the song was included on Crow's self-titled sophomore album, which was issued in September. Released as the second single, it made a slow climb up the charts, peaking in the US at #11 in April 1997. Trott had the idea to swap out the original guitar bass for a fuzzy bass sound from a Moog Synthesizer. "I was just trying to get a sound on the Moog, and I started playing along with the song, but I wasn't playing the right bass line, like the original bass line. I was playing just something to get the sound. And [Sheryl's] like, 'Oh my, God. Jeffrey what are you playing? The groove's so hard. Wow. That is amazing.' I ended up just playing this Moog bass line like any dummy could play it, but it just worked so great in the track." Crowded House lead singer Neil Finn provided backing vocals. The Australian band's former drummer, Paul Hester, was the inspiration for the song. Crow explained before a Top of the Pops performance in 2003: "He inspired the song because he was so... he was such a character and so full of life, and it's basically about the search for the meaning of life." Crow opened for Crowded House while promoting her first album and witnessed Hester's sudden departure from the band. He allegedly told his bandmate Finn: "Every Day is a Winding Road, mate, it's time for me to veer off..." The lyrics, "He's got a daughter he calls Easter, she was born on a Tuesday Night," reference Hester's daughter, Sunday, and Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club. Crow elaborated on the song's theme in an interview with CMT: "'Everyday is a Winding Road' started out as kind of a road song, and it really wound up being about being in the moment and not always looking to the next moment and analyzing things. As I look at this record, stepping away from it, I realize thematically a lot of it is about levity, finding levity in life and balance and trying to figure out how to make all things work simultaneously without grand disruption. That's kind of what the song is about. It's about jumping in a truck with a guy who just lives life every minute, by the minute. Every once in a while, I have to catch myself and remind myself that life is right now. It's not two minutes from now." The song was nominated for Record of the Year at the 1998 Grammy Awards, but it lost to Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home." This was also featured in the 2000 biographical drama Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts. Prince also covered it on his 1999 album, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)