READER MAIL
Editors' Note: If you have a comment, please include your name or initials (AND YOUR HOMETOWN TOO, PLEASE). We do not print email addresses. If you want to read previous issues, click on "Next Entry" on the bottom of each section (we do not save emails from previous issues, however). Thank you. -WG
Something's gotta give.
I read in the business section that the tariff portion ALONE of all of these executive orders will cost a minimum of 2 million American jobs in the upcoming year, and burden the average household with an extra of at least $5K in debt.
And again, that's the collateral damage of just tariffs, alone. Add together all of the other ill-advised havoc and mayhem being deliberately and steadily unleashed upon the country, in the not-too-distant future we'll all bear witness to a veritable tsunami of "...trickle UP" economics, in some form or another. "Buyer's remorse", and the fallout of same, practically guarantees that the current status quo has absolutely no chance whatsoever of celebrating its fourth and final year in office...
Its first three months are testament to that fact. This is all simply non-sustainable, and cannot last without some sort of pushback, be it planned and premeditated in an orderly fashion from on-high, or at a basic grassroots level, from below.
Either way, SOMETHING'S gotta give...
EPS
Newcastle, Ontario, CANADA
Back in the day.
Reading your latest column, pretty much spot-on as per usual, for some reason made me immediately think back to the day many moons ago when you and I were at a top-level Chrysler management meeting in the 'crow’s nest' at the company's Auburn Hills HQ, and you straight-out, varnish-free, told the senior execs including Dr. Z that they didn’t have a friggin' clue how to market their latest lineup. My immediate thought now was "ahh, those were the days!", as they say, compared to the global chaos, confusion, and uncertainty that has gripped not only Detroit but the entire global economy since January 20th. How far we have come, and not in a good way at all!
Jan Zverina
San Diego, California
Keep on keeping on.
It’s astonishing to believe there are still gas bags in the media that get paid to say “let’s wait and see how this will play out”. We already know. We have 6 bankruptcies on record. How many more do you need before realizing this guy can and does fuck up a cup of coffee. Do we really need to include American personal bankruptcies in Trump’s sorry story of business ineptitude? Because that’s coming next. Keep on telling everyone PMD, because they need to be told what a total shit show this administration is.
JRR
Plymouth, Michigan
Nobody cares.
I have no doubt it's a shock to the system for the auto-intelligentsia to have to face the reality that Detroit and its Auto Manufacturing Masters are not the center of the universe. While the proposed tariffs bring new attention to the fragility of the US automotive market, one could not have missed the damage the rush to government mandated BEVs did to these guys. It's the perfect storm. As the saying within Ford goes, the first step to problem solving is figuring out who to blame. Thankfully AE has found the culprit. That and a couple of bucks will get you a strong cup of coffee. But all the cheerleading and bellyaching won't improve the fate of the US automotive industry. But we can keep pretending.
JB
Formerly of Motown
Somewhere in Florida
Why?
Regarding the 2026 Mercedes-AMG E 53 HYBRID Wagon, please help me understand why I need/want the instrument panel on my automobile to look like the Windows 10 display screen on my computer? And, interestingly enough, many of the software problems associated with "modern" vehicles can sometimes be fixed by the same old procedures that work for my home computer. That is, "turn it off, un-plug it from the wall outlet, wait 2 minutes, plug it back in and restart it." I can remember when that was the joke of the day in the engineering halls at the "Big Three" car companies.
DJV
Wilmington, North Carolina
Prices and... Ick.
I recently read, in some prescient publication, penned by a charismatic, witty, and stunningly handsome scribe, that coachbuilders should refocus on the affordability part of the car-buying equation. Lo and behold, but what do I see on my telly but ad after ad extolling the number of various Belchfires to be had at or near 30K. Shocking, said no AE reader, ever.
Love that GM Corvette concept. Even if one loathes electrification, it does offer a relatively clean slate for design and I hope GM can right the ship after it ran aground with the Cadillac Cimmoroniq. Yes, I know you love it, but, um... ick. Why didn't they just electrify the Sollei instead of putting it in the Fly teleporter with a Citation? But that Corvette concept is just right, right down to the simple Vette logo that you immediately recognize without all of the clutter that GM design seems to be addicted to.
Tony W
Mount Musing, Pennsylvania
A giant miss.
The English Corvette design study styling exercise misses the boat. The gapping maw for the ground effect tunnels strike me as though someone forgot to complete the front end. In the overhead view it is a Corvette. It just needs more finishing.
Here’s my suggestion – go back 50 years and resurrect the original 4 rotor Corvette from 1973 and/or its progeny the 1976 Aerovette. They both had a split windshield that beats the divided windshield by a mile. Bill Mitchell had it right. Just add the split rear window homage to him.
The Honda Gameboy on wheels is a poor excuse for a transportation device. I’m with Tom.
Jack Jason
Melbourne, Florida
The EV deal.
This is way off-topic for tariff week but it's something that's been on my mind for quite a while so it'd be good to get AE's perspective. Every BEV review seems fascinated by their blistering fast acceleration. "0-60 in 1.7 seconds" and so on. But here's the deal: I'm not 17 anymore and looking to take on all comers off the line at a stoplight on Woodward. It's great that they have instant acceleration but really, how often would you need or use that?
RM
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Editor-in-Chief's Note: I don't find the "OMG" 0-60 numbers to be a compelling reason to buy an EV. Yes, it's cool and all, but beyond that it really does nothing for me. And it doesn't mask the fact that EVs in general are grossly overweight, cumbersome and unwieldy to drive. Yes, EV engineers have done wonders to take advantage of the lower center of gravity provided by the location of the batteries to dial-in handling, but again, the overall efficacy of EVs still lacks appeal for me. And on top of all of that, the lack of a visceral sound, or even worse, the addition of "electronically manufactured" sound, makes the EV "thing" a non-starter for me still. -PMD