APRIL 3, 2024
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 08:11AM 
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
Editor-in-Chief's Note: At Ford, mediocrity is bliss, apparently, especially if you're Jim "I'm a genius just ask me" Farley. The Ford CEO's 2023 compensation rose to $26,470,033, a 26 percent increase, according to our colleagues at Automotive News. Farley's base salary remained unchanged at $1.7 million, while his nonequity incentives fell slightly as he hit 71 percent of his annual bonus plan award target. According to AN, Ford didn't break down specifically where Farley fell short, "although it said that 40 percent of this year's bonus criteria was tied to adjusted earnings before interest and taxes, 30 percent was tied to quality, 20 percent was tied to electric vehicle growth and 10 percent was tied to value-added services." This is all very interesting, as in ridiculous. Ford still leads the industry in product recalls, it is still plagued by massive problems every time they attempt to launch a new product, and the company is in the tank with its overcommitment to EVs (although to be fair, Ford certainly isn't alone in this, by any means). As I see it, Farley's compensation should have been reduced by at least 30 percent for the company's piss-poor quality performance alone, and another 20 percent for being egregiously bullish on consumer EV adoption. But this is the auto industry as it is practiced here in the Motor City, and the notion of "accountability" is a loosely applied concept - as in, hardly ever - when it comes to CEO performance. Is it any wonder why people outside this Detroit-based auto industry are annually puzzled by the outrageously bloated compensation packages for its CEOs? This is a giant bowl of Not Good. -PMD
The all-new Mercedes-Benz G-Class will be arriving soon, offering "improved performance from the electrified powertrain, expanded driver assistance systems, elevated comfort and enhanced technology," according to Mercedes-Benz PR minions. Established in 1979, the G-Class has evolved from its utilitarian roots while retaining its unmistakable character. The all-new Mercedes-Benz G 550 is powered by a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with turbocharging via an exhaust gas turbocharger and an electric auxiliary compressor, delivering 443HP and 413 lb-ft of torque. A 48-volt integrated starter generator (ISG) provides support at lower engine speeds with an additional 20HP and 148 lb-ft. The engine is coupled to a 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission with torque converter that is specially adapted to the needs of the G 550. The wide spread of gear ratios "makes driving comfortable and quiet, especially at low engine speeds, while also optimizing efficiency," according to Mercedes. Three speed sensors allow for what is known as skip shifting, in which – depending on the driving situation – several gears are skipped. The shift behavior changes based on the preselected DYNAMIC SELECT drive program. Drivers can also manually control gear changes using the DIRECT SELECT shift paddles on the steering wheel. The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 550 arrives at U.S. dealerships in second half of 2024.
And his adventures in the great wide open
Eddie waited till he finished high school
He went to Hollywood, got a tattoo
He met a girl out there with a tattoo too
The future was wide open
They moved into a place they both could afford
He found a nightclub he could work at the door
She had a guitar and she taught him some chords
The sky was the limit
Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue
The papers said Ed always played from the heart
He got an agent and a roadie named Bart
They made a record and it went in the charts
The sky was the limit
His leather jacket had chains that would jingle
They both met movie stars, partied and mingled
Their A&R man said "I don't hear a single"
The future was wide open
Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue
Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue
"Into The Great Wide Open" by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, from the album "Into The Great Wide Open" (1991).* Written by Jeff Lynne and Thomas Earl Petty. Publisher: Gone Gator Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Wixen Music Publishing. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Official Music Video here.
*"Into The Great Wide Open' had a lot of dark humor," Tom Petty told Mojo in 2009. The song tells the story of a guy named Eddie who moves to Los Angeles, meets a girl and becomes a rock star. On their journey, there is struggle, but always possibility, as the future is wide open. Eddie plays from the heart, and it pays off with a record deal and a hit. But once he's achieved his dream, the sky is no longer the limit, as his A&R man spouts that industry cliché, "I don't hear a single." Petty, who knows a thing or two about record company machinations, leaves it to the listener to decide what happens next. There's a good chance it doesn't go so well for Eddie. In the music video, Johnny Depp stars as Eddie. It was directed by Julien Temple and also features Faye Dunaway as Eddie's manager, Gabrielle Anwar as his girlfriend, and appearances by Matt LeBlanc, Terence Trent D'Arby and Chynna Phillips. As in many of his videos, Tom Petty opens the book to reveal the story. In this one, Petty also plays the roadie Bart, the tattoo artist, and the reporter. In the video, Eddie becomes a boorish narcissist, and his career tanks. Dropped by his label, he goes into the same tattoo parlor where he started, and sees himself inking up a newcomer (LeBlanc). This was the first music video in which Johnny Depp starred. He was a big deal at the time (it was after Edward Scissorhands but before What's Eating Gilbert Grape), and Petty remarked, "I never met so many women in my life as when we had Johnny Depp in this video." Depp later featured in videos for Lemonheads ("It's A Shame About Ray"), Johnny Cash ("God's Gonna Cut You Down") and Alice Cooper ("I'll Bite Your Face Off"). He also played guitar on songs by a number of high-profile artists, including Oasis ("Fade In-Out"), Patti Smith ("Banga") and Paul McCartney ("My Valentine"). (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG
