MARCH 17, 2021

(Kia Corporation)
Kia has revealed the first images of the exterior and interior design of EV6 - its first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) - ahead of the car’s world premiere in March. EV6 was designed under the brand’s new design philosophy ‘Opposites United,’ which takes inspiration from the contrasts found in nature and humanity. At the center of the design philosophy is a new visual identity "evoking positive forces and natural energy, with contrasting combinations of sharp stylistic elements and sculptural shapes." The EV6 is based on the brand’s new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The Opposites United design philosophy makes its debut on EV6 and will inform the design of all future Kia models. What is it? The philosophy is based on five key design pillars: ‘Bold for Nature’, ‘Joy for Reason’, ‘Power to Progress’, ‘Technology for Life’, and ‘Tension for Serenity’. Editor-in-Chief's Note: And right there is where the wheels come off. When designers get lost in their navel-gazing and talk to themselves way too much, it usually goes very badly. That's exactly what is happening here. This new BEV design from Kia shows real promise, but they need to show it more and talk about it less. Please and thank you. -PMD

(Volkswagen)
Since the VW Golf GTI is our perennial favorite all-around car, this news about the all-new 2022 VW Golf R is of interest (at least to us). The all-new 2022 Volkswagen Golf R is expected to arrive late this year with more power than any Golf R to date: 315HP and 310 pound-feet of torque. To ensure that power gets to the road properly, Volkswagen engineers have designed a new 4Motion® all-wheel-drive system with rear-axle torque vectoring. This serves as the foundation for the updated handling abilities of the Golf R, "delivering a new level of performance for its category," according to VW PR minions. “This is one of the key technologies that makes this the best Golf R yet by far,” said Jan Schiedek-Jacht, Volkswagen’s head of technical development for the Golf R. “It transforms the vehicle, giving a dynamic, intuitive feeling to the driver. It delivers a planted experience on a winding road or track while minimizing over- and understeer.” The new torque vectoring system in the 2022 Golf R uses a rear differential with two multiplate clutches that can now distribute up to 100 percent of the rear torque to an individual rear wheel. This system is designed to decide how to apportion power between the wheels based on speed, power application, yaw and other factors. In a typical corner, the system can direct more power to the wheel on the outside of the curve in a matter of milliseconds, reducing the cornering radius. For the first time, the 4Motion system has been connected to the Vehicle Dynamics Manager, an intelligent system that in the Golf R integrates the torque vectoring axle, the electronic differential locks (XDS®) and cornering performance of the DCC® adaptive damping system. The Vehicle Dynamics Manager monitors the vehicle handling on every corner, adapting individual wheel damping up to 200 times a second, and can use a combination of selected single-wheel braking or the torque vectoring clutches to correct moments of oversteer or understeer. The torque vectoring technology was the key enabler of the new track-only “Drift” mode in the updated Driving Mode Selection. The Golf R also has a new “Special” setting configured for highest performance around Germany’s famed Nürburgring Nordschleife race track, with torque vectoring optimized for the track’s cornering profile, along with softer suspension damping settings.

(BMW images)
The BMW Group has revealed the i4 at its Annual Conference. “With its sporty looks, best in class driving dynamics and zero local emissions, the BMW i4 is a true BMW. It makes the heart of the BMW brand now beat fully electric,” said Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer, Brands, Sales. The fully-electric i4 is a 4 door Gran Coupé and will enter the market sometime in 2021. There will eventually be a BMW M Performance model as well. The BMW i4 model line will be available in different versions covering ranges of up to 300 miles (EPA). With a power output of up to 530HP the BMW i4 can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in around 4 seconds. More details to come. Does it remind you of the Mach-E? Trust us, they will all blend together eventually. 

(The Petersen Automotive Museum)
The Petersen Automotive Museum will reopen to the public on Thursday, March 25, 2021, with new exhibits, new vehicles and a new schedule of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. To express its gratitude to all those on the front line during this challenging time, the museum will offer verified health care workers and first responders complimentary admission for themselves and up to three immediate family members for the rest of 2021. The museum will follow the health and safety guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of California and the county of Los Angeles to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Staff members and visitors are required to wear protective face coverings. Social distancing guidelines of at least six feet will be enforced with designated entrance and exit signs. There will be designated navigation paths for each exhibit. The museum will also increase the frequency of routine cleaning and offer hand sanitizing stations on each floor. Interactive exhibits including the Forza racing simulators and Discovery Center will remain closed. During the closure, the Petersen virtually launched three exhibits including “Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed,” which showcases the evolution of the supercar; “Extreme Conditions,” which highlights 11 custom competition, recreational, and utilitarian off-roading vehicles; and “Redefining Performance,” which features Porsche’s most innovative road and race vehicles. Other blockbuster exhibits currently on display at the Petersen include “Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantasy,” “Reclaimed Rust: The James Hetfield Collection” and “Building an Electric Future,” presented by Volkswagen. All tickets must be pre-purchased. Online tickets go live on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. PST. Tickets for all visitors must be purchased in advance on the Petersen website, and all guests will be required to wear masks during their visit. For more information about the Petersen Automotive Museum and its exhibits, visit Petersen.org/tickets.

(Lamborghini images)

Exactly 50 years ago at the Geneva Motor Show, one of the most famous supercars ever built was introduced: the Lamborghini Countach LP 500. At ten o’clock in the morning in the exhibition space of Carrozzeria Bertone, this prototype made its first public appearance. Its unveil was so successful that the company raced against time to satisfy the customers’ requests and transform the futuristic show car into a production car, though in a small series. The decision to unveil the Countach LP 500 in Carrozzeria Bertone’s space was motivated by the fact that Lamborghini’s stand featured the latest arrival of the House of the Raging Bull: the Miura SV, perfected after five years of production. In the months following Geneva, the Countach LP 500 was featured in all the international automotive magazines. The Countach project, with internal code number LP112 - where LP indicates the rear longitudinal position (“Longitudinale Posteriore” in Italian) - of the 12-cylinder engine, stemmed from Ferruccio Lamborghini’s desire to maintain the image of a company at the forefront of style and technology following the Miura. Engineer Paolo Stanzani, who had been with Lamborghini since 1963, and in 1968 was named General Manager and Technical Director, was directly responsible for the mechanical part of the Countach. The beautiful, clean, futuristic lines of the Countach - the original LP 500 is still by far the best (PMD) - were styled by Marcello Gandini, Design Director of Carrozzeria Bertone. Gandini was also responsible for the decision to use the scissor doors, which since that time have characterized the production of Lamborghini’s 12-cylinder models. The LP 500 was a substantially different car than the Countach that would go into production in 1974. It had a platform frame rather than a tubular one, it was equipped with a 12-cylinder 4971cc engine (one of a kind), the engine air intakes had a shark gill design, and inside it featured sophisticated electronic instrumentation. The origin of the name of this car lies in the dialect of the Piedmont region. In its final stages of assembly, the car was hidden in a shed for agricultural machinery on a farm near Grugliasco (province of Turin) to avoid possible work stoppages related to labor unrest, and was “discovered” by a farmer who exclaimed in amazement and enthusiasm, “Countach!” (a word in the Piedmontese dialect expressing wonderment). When Piedmont-born Marcello Gandini became aware of the fact, he thought that this word had a particularly strong communicative force and also convinced Nuccio Bertone, Ferruccio Lamborghini and his colleague Paolo Stanzani of this. Following the LP 500’s success in Geneva, Lamborghini’s chief test driver Bob Wallace used the car, equipped with a more reliable 4-liter engine, for every possible kind of road test. The career of this extraordinary car ended at the beginning of 1974, when it was used for the crash tests required for the homologation of the production car and subsequently scrapped. From 1974 to 1990, 1,999 Countachs in five different series were produced, representing a model that, in addition to ending up displayed on the bedroom walls of an entire generation and being used in dozens of films, allowed Lamborghini to survive the most difficult years of its history.    

AE Song of the Week:

There's somethin' wrong with the world today
I don't know what it is
Something's wrong with our eyes

We're seein' things in a different way
And God knows it ain't his
It sure ain't no surprise

Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge

There's somethin' wrong with the world today
The light bulb's gettin dim
There's meltdown in the sky

If you can judge a wise man
By the color of his skin
Then mister you're a better man than I

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all
Livin' on the edge
You can't stop yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge (everybody, everybody)

Tell me what you think about your situation
Complication, aggravation is getting to you

If chicken little tells you that the sky is fallin'
Even if it wasn't would you still come crawlin' 
Back again
I bet you would my friend
Again and again and again and again and again

Tell me what you think about your situation
Complication, aggravation is getting to you

If chicken little tells you that the sky is fallin'
Even if it was would you still come crawlin' 
Back again
I bet you would my friend
Again and again and again and again and again

Something right with the world today
And everybody knows it's wrong
But we can tell 'em no or we could let it go
But I'd would rather be a hanging on

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all
Livin' on the edge
You can't stop yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge (everybody, everybody)

Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all
Livin' on the edge
You can't stop yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself
You can't help yourself
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all

Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself
You can't help yourself
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself
You can't help yourself
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

"Livin' On The Edge" by Aerosmith, from the album "Get A Grip" (1993).* Written by Mark Hudson, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler. Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Official Music Video here. 

*This song talks about how the world is a crazy place, but people remain stuck in their routines and refuse to change. According to the Aerosmith autobiography Walk This Way, the song was inspired by the Los Angeles riots of 1992, which took place after the white police officers accused of beating the black motorist Rodney King were acquitted. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith wrote this song with Mark Hudson, who has had one of the more intriguing careers in the entertainment industry. Hudson was a teen idol in the '70s, starring with his brothers on a kids TV show called the Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. The Hudson Brothers charted three times with songs they wrote, including "So You Are A Star," which became their biggest hit.In the '80s, Mark hooked up with the producer Phil Ramone and did songwriting and production work in addition to some acting roles (he was on a short-lived TV show with Geena Davis called Sara). Mark got the gig as bandleader on Joan Rivers' late night TV show in 1989, and continued working on the program after it morphed into The Arsenio Hall Show. When Aerosmith started writing for the Get A Grip album, their record company sherpa John Kalodner set up a session with Hudson, which is where they wrote this song. Kalodner was a proponent of outside songwriters, which he felt was key to keeping the band's sound fresh. Other songwriters who wrote with Perry and Tyler on the album include Jim Vallance, Lenny Kravitz and Desmond Child. According to Steven Tyler, those three big drum hits that you hear near the end of this song were made with the bass drum he stole from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, New York, where he was in the marching band. Tyler was kicked out of the school after an undercover cop posing as a student busted him for drug possession. He walked off with the drum after his band played the Roosevelt senior prom. "Livin' On The Edge" won the Grammy award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - the band performed the song at the 1994 ceremony. It was just Aerosmith's second Grammy - they won the same award in 1991 for "Janie's Got A Gun." The lyric, "If you can judge a wise man by the color of his skin then mister, you're a better man than I" comes from the song "You're a Better Man Than I" by The Yardbirds. Aerosmith recorded The Yardbirds' "Train Kept-a Rollin'" in 1974. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)