MAY 22, 2024
Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 07:53AM 
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
Honda has tweaked its 2025 Honda Civic, adding "more style, more tech and with the available two-motor hybrid powertrain, a lot more power," according to Honda PR minions. Positioned at the top of the lineup and expected to receive an EPA combined fuel economy rating nearing 50 mpg, the new Civic hybrid will be offered as either a sedan or hatchback, and will be available in four trim levels, starting with LX (sedan only) and Sport, and topped by the hybrid-powered Sport Hybrid and Sport Touring Hybrid. With an anticipated combined 200HP and 232 lb.-ft. of torque, the new Civic hybrid-electric powered trims are the most powerful non-Type R Civics ever, resulting in performance that's even quicker than the outgoing 1.5L turbo-powered Civic. The Honda two-motor hybrid system is optimized for the Civic to deliver a sporty driving experience, with the refined Honda two-motor hybrid-electric power unit featuring two large and powerful electric motors. In addition, the new Civic hybrids have four levels of regenerative-braking deceleration available through selector paddles on the steering wheel. The multiple levels provide a wide range of control during deceleration. The 2025 Civic sedan will begin arriving at Honda dealers next month, while the Civic hatchback will arrive later this summer.
(Porsche)
- Cayenne: $84,700
- Cayenne E-Hybrid: $97,200
- Cayenne S: $101,600
- Cayenne S E-Hybrid: $105,100
- Cayenne GTS: $124,900
- Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid: $157,000
- Cayenne Coupe: $89,800
- Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe: $101,200
- Cayenne S Coupe: $108,000
- Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupe: $110,400
- Cayenne GTS Coupe: $129,500
- Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe: $161,500
- Cayenne Turbo GT: $203,800
(Chevrolet images)
The new Chevrolet Equinox EV is most pivotal new product entry from General Motors. Aiming at affordability, the Equinox EV has a starting MSRP of $43,2952. (The base Equinox EV LT with a starting MSRP of $34,9952 will be available for ordering later in the year.) The Equinox has an EPA-estimated range of 319 miles on FWD models. In addition to the Ultium-based propulsion technologies, key features on the new Equinox EV include a large, 17.7-inch-diagonal infotainment screen, a suite of standard and available driver assistance technologies, and available Super Cruise " hands-free" driver assistance technology on compatible roads. Editor-in-Chief's Note: To be blunt, the Chevrolet Equinox EV must succeed in a market looking for reasons to embrace the EV "thing." (It will definitely not be the new Silverado EV, which enters the market with an RST First Edition priced at a jaw-dropping $94,500.) How crucial is the new Equinox EV? Oh, it's only that GM's viability as a builder of mainstream EVs available to a broad spectrum of the public hinges on the success of this vehicle. It's that crucial. It's the ballgame for GM, in fact. And it's a giant "we'll see" from where we sit. -PMD
The Porsche 911 Hybrid Era is upon us. Following an extensive development and testing program, the new 911 – complete with a performance-focused hybrid system – is ready for series production. “For the first time in our icon’s 61-year history, we are installing a hybrid drive system in a roadgoing 911. This innovative performance hybrid makes the 911 even more dynamic,” Frank Moser, Vice President Model Line 911 and 718 said. “We left nothing to chance during development and tested the new 911 under all sorts of conditions all over the world from the freezing cold to scorching heat, as was the case during the final stages of testing in Dubai. Whether at a high drivetrain load in the demanding conditions of mountain passes or in the stop-and-go traffic of an urban environment, the new 911 has mastered even the most difficult challenges with aplomb. All in all, our engineers and test drivers clocked up more than 3.1 million miles of development driving." Porsche brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister completed a lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:16.934 minutes, 8.7 seconds faster than the corresponding version of the predecessor model. (The test car was equipped with standard road tires, plus the aero kit with a fixed rear wing that has been available as an option previously, providing increased downforce at high speeds.) “We have more grip, significantly more power, and the spontaneous response of the performance hybrid is a great advantage,” Bergmeister said. The digital world premiere of the new 911 Hybrid will happen on May 28 at 9 a.m. EST in the Porsche Newsroom at newsroom.porsche.com, and on the Porsche YouTube and LinkedIn channels. It will also subsequently be available to watch on demand.
I'm headin' down the Atlanta highway
Lookin' for the love getaway
Headed for the love getaway, love getaway
I got me a car, it's as big as a whale
And we're headin' on down to the love shack
I got me a Chrysler, it seats about twenty
So hurry up and bring your jukebox money
The love shack is a little old place where
We can get together
Love shack baby
A love shack baby
Love shack, baby love shack
Love shack, baby love shack
Love shack, baby love shack
Love shack, baby love shack
Sign says, woo, stay away fools
'Cause love rules at the love shack
Well it's set way back in the middle of a field
Just a funky old shack and I gotta get back
Glitter on the mattress
Glitter on the highway
Glitter on the front porch
Glitter on the hallway
The love shack is a little old place where
We can get together
Love shack, baby
Love shack, baby
Love shack, that's where it's at
Love shack, that's where it's at
Huggin' and a-kissin', dancin' and a-lovin'
Wearin' next to nothing 'cause it's hot as an oven
The whole shack shimmies
Yeah the whole shack shimmies
The whole shack shimmies when everybody's movin' around
And around and around and around
Everybody's movin', everybody's groovin' baby
Folks linin' up outside just to get down
Everybody's movin', everybody's groovin' baby
Funky little shack
Funky little shack
Hop in my Chrysler, it's as big as a whale
And it's about to set sail
I got me a car, it seats about twenty, so come on
And bring your jukebox money
The love shack is a little old place where
We can get together
Love shack baby
A love shack baby
Love shack, baby love shack
Love shack, baby love shack
Love shack, baby love shack (oh baby that's where it's at)
Love shack, baby love shack (baby that's where it's at)
Bang bang bang on the door baby!
Knock a little louder baby!
Bang bang bang on the door baby!
I can't hear you
Bang bang bang on the door baby!
Knock a little louder sugar!
Bang bang bang on the door baby!
I can't hear you
Bang bang bang on the door baby, knock a little louder
Bang bang on the door baby, bang bang!
On the door baby, bang bang!
On the door, bang bang!
On the door baby, bang bang!
You're what?
Tin roof
Rusted!
Love shack, baby love shack!
Love shack, baby love shack!
Love shack, baby love shack!
Love shack, baby love shack!
*The "Love Shack" is in many ways a state of mind; a place where people of all stripes come for a groovy good time. The band drew inspiration from the club in the movie The Color Purple, and also from a real club outside of Athens, Georgia, called the Hawaiian Ha-Le, where they would hang out. This place drew a multifarious crowd of hippies, scenesters, and lots of students from the nearby University of Georgia. Drummer Keith Strickland has also mentioned keg parties out in the country as another inspiration. In a Songfacts interview with B-52s singer Cindy Wilson, she explained: "When you're jamming, everybody is conjuring up their own images. Sometimes we're all singing at the same time and later you go back and you hear what you're doing. I personally was thinking about this bar that was out in the country [the Hawaiian Ha-Le]. It was a really cool place - a run-down love shack kind of thing, but it was a disco. It was a really interesting place." In 1970, the Temptations released a song called "Psychedelic Shack" which has the refrain: "Psychedelic Shack, that's where it's at." This was clearly an influence on "Love Shack," although Fred Schneider insists, he wasn't thinking of any other song when he came up with the title. The album was recorded at Dreamland Studios near Woodstock, New York, a town famous for giving off lots of love vibes (although the Woodstock festival took place 50 miles away in Bethel). According to Fred Schneider, he was driving up there, thinking of song titles when "Love Shack" popped into his head. When he, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson worked on the lyrics, they thought about what the "Love Shack" meant. For Schneider, it was the Hawaiian Ha-Le. This song introduced The B-52s to a mainstream audience. They had a strong cult following, especially in the gay community and on college radio, but "Love Shack" broke them big. Many listeners who discovered them through this song had no idea they had been around for over a decade and had released four previous albums. "Love Shack" was their first entry on the US Top 40 (their most popular song to this point: "Rock Lobster"). The follow-up single, "Roam," also made #3, but pop success proved fleeting and they never got higher than #28 ("Good Stuff" - 1992) with any subsequent releases. One of the most famous breakdowns in pop music comes near the end of this song, when the music stops and Fred Schneider asks, "You're what?" Cindy Wilson replies with one of the most famous misinterpreted lines in pop music, as she wails, "Tin Roof, Rusted." The line is commonly misheard, often as something like, "Hennnnn-ry, busted." This section came from a happy accident: the track stopped as Wilson was doing her vocal, and she just kept singing, which gave them the idea to stop the music in this section. As for the line itself, there were rumors that "tin roof, rusted" meant a pregnant woman. According to Wilson, it's just her recollection of the rusty roof at the Hawaiian Ha-Le. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG
