SEISMIC SHIFTS AND CRUSHED SOULS, AS THE INDUSTRY CAREENS ON A RUNAWAY TRAIN TO STUPIDVILLE. WE'RE STUCK IN A TWILIGHT ZONE OF THE NOT GOOD, THE REAL BAD AND THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE. YES, IT’S THE PERFECT TIME FOR THE AUTOEXTREMIST YEAR IN REVIEW!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Editor's Note: Join us this week as we look back on a Swirling Maelstrom of a year in the AE Year in Review. In On The Table, we have a special note from Peter about the event announcing Trump's rollback of U.S. fuel economy requirements, complete with some preening to the camera from Jim "I'm a genius just ask me" Farley. Then, we preview the Lexus LFA Concept, a BEV sports car concept model being developed alongside Toyota Gazoo Racing's GR GT and GR GT3. And we take a look at a bespoke expression of the McLaren 750S presented by McLaren during Miami Art Week. Our AE Song of the Year is "Fixing A Hole" by The Beatles. In Fumes, Peter reminds us of GM's remarkable Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle program; it's hard to believe it actually happened! And in The Line, we'll have results from the F1 season finale at Abu Dhabi. Any news over the holiday break will be posted in On The Table. We will return in January with an update on our plans. Until then, enjoy, and best wishes for the holidays. -WG

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. As we rumble, bumble and stumble toward the end of this year, I have a couple of questions, best explained by Queen:

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality

 

The auto business has a way of crushing souls. It is a rollicking, rolling, seething cauldron, an up-at-down pride swallowing siege, a swirling maelstrom marked by waves of seismic shifts between the not good, the bad and the incomprehensible. And this year? Well, 2025 has been peak Swirling Maelstrom, to put it mildly.

At the beginning of the year, some industry prognosticators were touting that this was going to be a huge year marked by new sales heights and most of all, big profitability. But that was back in January, and as savvy industry veterans know, if things seem to be going great, just wait five minutes and the winds of change can and will blow you well and truly off course. And 2025, being 2025, that is exactly what happened.

 

Nonsensical tariffs dictated by an ill-equipped Dear Leader, factory fires, oversold EV investments (and questionable product decisions based on those investments), trying to pretend that consumer demand for anything other than SUVs, trucks or crossovers will end anytime soon. And all this while completely ignoring the fact that fundamental affordability had become the Number One issue with car-buying consumers (Something that Peter has been writing about for at least three years -WG).

All this is happening while GM CEO Mary Barra seems to be leading by whichever direction the wind is blowing: "We're an EV company; wait, no, we're an AI-driven company; wait, no, we will build products that people want; wait, no, we will build cars that will become robot assistants! Oh hell, I don't know, it depends on what's happening this week," or something like that. All together now: Not Good. And what of Jim "I'm a genius just ask me" Farley, the Ford CEO? Well, let's just say he deserves special mention below.

 

Speaking of the current occupant of the Oval Office, at an event in the White House where he rolled back fuel economy requirements, he spoke highly of the tiny Kei cars that he saw on the streets of Japan: "They’re very small, they’re really cute," he said. "And I said, 'How would that do in this country?' Everyone seems to think good, but you’re not allowed to build them. I’ve authorized the secretary to immediately approve the production of those cars." At the same time he praised the Ford F-150, which made Ford CEO Jim Farley (who was in attendance) positively giddy.

Here's a hint, you'll never see the Kei cars on the streets of America, despite what the Orange Dictator says. 1. Remember the Mercedes-Benz Smart car? It was a dud. Why? People just didn't want to be caught dead in the little things. Literally. 2. There is no rational scenario where those cars would meet any of our safety standards. And 3. 5,000 lb (and up) pickup trucks and SUVs will not mix well with Kei-sized cars on the streets and byways of America. Period. But when we're being "governed" by whims and knee-jerk reactions, this is the kind of "thinking" we end up with. Truly pathetic.

Meanwhile, about that affordability issue. This is not going away anytime soon, in case those of you out there are wondering. The ugly reality is that new cars, trucks and SUVs are just too damn expensive. I know that “they” say that the average transaction price of a new vehicle hovers at or just below $50,000, but who’s kidding whom here? Have you walked around a dealership lot lately? Cars and trucks routinely push $70,000 on the sticker and much more. Car payments that once were around $500/month are now pushing $750/month. And worse? Car payments of $1,000/month are becoming far too common, and this trend is accelerating at a prodigious rate.

 

To this I have to ask, WTF? And why?

 

This is where I should point out that my critics say, in so many words, “You’re quick to criticize but offer no solutions. Typical. Asshole.” Really? Is that what you’re going with? How about this? I’ve said this many times before and I’ll say it again, car companies should be working overtime on de-contented vehicle packages, cars and trucks with a drastic reduction in the “gadget-sphere” while still safely fulfilling consumer needs. This isn’t hard, but it’s something that the Detroit-centric auto companies in particular are loath to do, which is flat-out wrong and borderline stupid. Oh, and by the way, to my dearest critics: Boo-Fucking-Hoo.

Editor's Note: I've always been fond of Mr. Dickens' "best of times, worst of times" phrase, but that doesn't apply here. The year 2025 in the auto biz was, quite simply, the worst of times. As in, mind-numbingly bleak, punctuated by moments of abject stupidity and full-on delusion. It was hard not to pack it all in and wallow in despair (okay, some days we did just that). But we always managed to rally, and it's always enlightening to prepare the AE Year in Review, to remind ourselves what exactly defined the past 12 months. We start with some very specific auto company Rants, which feature Peter in full Autoextremist mode, presenting the High-Octane Truth about some of the truly incredible industry goings-on in 2025. From there, we move on to a reminder about just how dreary and - not to mention how pathetic and dispiriting - the current state of our country truly is. Miraculously (and as always), Peter offers some much-needed perspective, which, while not a finger-snap fix to all of this, helps us reflect on what really matters. (Hint: It ain't all the Sturm und Drang that seems about to swallow us whole.) And so here we are, still standing, as we prepare to close the book on another year of crazy. I'd like to believe that there is nowhere to go but up. Unfortunately, that may be wishful thinking at this point. In the meantime, enjoy this special version of Holiday Cheer, aka The High-Octane Truth. -WG

 

And now, some more about 2025. I had a few things to say, it seems…

 

And so, the case of Jim “I’m a genius just ask me” Farley continues to haunt the Dearborn automaker. In case you forgot, Farley was supposed to right the listing Ford ship from the get-go, “fixing” the company’s recurring quality issues and returning it to the glory days of past eras.

 

It’s funny, but it hasn’t worked out that way, not by a long shot. As reported by FordAuthority.com, this is what Farley said last February: “Well, I’ve been at Ford for over 15 years, and there’s really been one period of time where we did have our costs in a competitive zone, which is in ‘08, ‘09, but we restructured to do that in North America, and then the cost came screaming back,” Farley was speaking at a fireside chat at the Wolfe Research Auto, Auto Tech and Semiconductor Conference in New York. “So, for us as a leadership team, it’s been a humbling journey, but it became very clear to me about a year and a half ago that we had to change our approach to cost.”

 

Wait a minute. Farley said on the record that it only became clear to him “about a year and a half ago” that the company had to change its approach to cost? Last time I checked, this guy has had the Ford reins in his hands since October 1, 2020. And what has he accomplished, exactly?

 

Well, let’s see. Did he fix Ford’s recurring quality issues and launch problems? No. He has spent his reign reacting to Ford’s quality missteps and launch problems, after the fact. He hasn’t fixed a damn thing. As for the company’s fundamental cost issues, again, as reported by FordAuthority.com: “Ford CEO Jim Farley has long made it quite clear that the automaker needs to cut costs in a big way, as he sees a huge perceived cost gap between The Blue Oval and its rivals. In fact, then-Ford CFO John Lawler pointed out that this very same cost gap stood at somewhere between $7-$8 billion back in 2023, which is precisely something Ford has been working to trim back in the years since. However, according to Farley, it seems as if Ford hasn’t been cost competitive in quite a few years.” I could say something pithy right now, but how about this: noshitdotcom?

 

“FARLEY’S FIFTEEN MINUTES ARE UP” – February 2025

 

 

There are plenty of eye-popping numbers roiling The Biz this week. There are the threatened 35 percent tariffs against Canada, just because it has the temerity to exist, apparently. If you’re looking for any rhyme or reason beyond that you’d be sorely disappointed. We are living under the Regime of Whim and Capriciousness, after all.

 

But, by far the most startling number to surface this week – as reported by Reuters - was the announcement that Ford was recalling 850,318 vehicles in the U.S. due to a potential low-pressure fuel pump failure, which could cause an engine stall, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (A faulty fuel pump can reduce fuel flow from the tank to the engine, causing an engine stall and increasing the risk of a crash, NHTSA said, and failures are more likely when fuel levels are low or in hot weather, it added.)

Even though no injuries or accidents were reported, this was Ford’s 89th U.S. recall so far in 2025, which, according to NHTSA is the most of any automaker, and by a giant margin too. How giant? Stellantis – which is not known for its manufacturing discipline when it comes to recalls - is a distant second with 18 recalls.

 

(And in late breaking news, Ford announced yet another recall on Wednesday, July 16, of 687,000 SUVs in the U.S. due to a problem with fuel leaks that could heighten the risk of the vehicle catching on fire, the NHTSA said. The company will take a $570 million charge to its second-quarter earnings because of it. -WG)

 

Now, it’s no secret that when Jim “I’m a genius, just ask me” Farley assumed the reins at Ford, he claimed that fixing the automaker’s manufacturing processes, execution and quality – and ending the constant onslaught of costly recalls that was crippling the company – would be his highest priority.

 

And what has transpired since Farley was appointed CEO in August of 2020? Ford has recorded the highest number of recalls in the industry each and every year since.

 

Now, I’m sure Farley’s apologists in Dearborn will be quick to point out that he had plenty of distractions along the way. There was Covid, which isn’t really an excuse since everyone in the industry – and we, the people – had to deal with that. In other words, there was nothing he could do about that.

 

And then there was the massive pivot to electric vehicles, with the Ford CEO leading the charge touting a “new look” for the Dearborn automaker, which would now be re-positioned as a tech company first and foremost, and an industry leader. This became Farley’s raison d’etre, and he became an EVangelist overnight. Ford would be pumping out EV F-150s and Mach-Es at a furious rate, and it would all be good.

 

Until it wasn’t.

 

F-150 EV pickups are dead in the water, as the entire EV pickup thing became a pipedream. It seems that the fundamental pickup capabilities that customers demand are decidedly missing in action with EV pickups; in other words, they don’t work when it comes to doing work. Who knew?

 

But that was a mere bump in the road for Farley, as his latest obsession is studying the Chinese EV automakers and gleaning as much knowledge as possible from the acknowledged global leaders in that discipline. That’s all well and good, but meanwhile, Ford still can’t manufacturer vehicles here in the U.S. without generating costly recalls at every turn. And it’s absolutely killing the company’s bottom line.

 

Ford’s Chief PR Minion, Mark Truby – one of the best in the business, by the way – has done a masterful job in transforming Farley’s image from being a sullen, Unctuous Prick, who parachutes-in and helicopters-out, a malicious dictator who runs over people, leaving chaos in his wake at every turn, to a switched-on “man of the people” who cares about everybody and cares deeply about Ford and his place in it. As if. As I said, Truby has done a masterful job in fabricating a squeaky-clean image and orchestrating the "smarm" offensive for Farley, but the Farley presented on the talk shows, podcasts and at industry symposiums simply isn’t that guy.

 

Others may be fooled by Farley’s “transformation,” but I’m not. In fact, I never have been and never will be. Which brings me back to the numbers. Ford’s recall record under Farley is simply inexcusable. He can throw suppliers under the bus all he wants – which he is now doing with full effect – but to me he’s still the CEO whistling past the graveyard, while laying down distractions – “I have seen the EV Future and it’s in China!” – in order to keep people – especially Bill Ford – from focusing on the fact that he has been an abject failure when it comes to manufacturing top quality products that don’t need to be brought back to be fixed. Which is, come to think of it, the simple essence of this business.

 

In case you’re wondering, there’s only one guy who can fix this situation, and he has repeatedly demonstrated an unwillingness to deal with Farley’s Folly. Will this charade continue indefinitely? Probably, or at least as long as ICE F-150s continue to prop-up company profits. Should that start to waver, all bets are off.

 

“FARLEY’S FOLLY BY THE NUMBERS” - July 2025

 

 

It’s not often that a major auto manufacturer launches a new global brand advertising campaign. And the reason for this is that manufacturers traditionally view the money needed for a brand campaign as superfluous and wasteful, especially in a land dominated by a “How much is that a month?” retail environment.

Needless to say, for marketing minions at the auto companies, it’s an extremely tough sell to get a new brand campaign off of the ground. But that doesn’t mean they don’t try.

The latest auto manufacturer to attempt it? Ford. The Dearborn automaker hasn’t launched a new brand campaign since 2012, and upon seeing this new attempt - titled “Ready, Set, Ford” – perhaps they should have waited another thirteen years or so.

That the spot is tedious right out of the gate is no surprise. It is filled with action shots, forced human “lifestyle” involvement, pseudo off-road adventure and the like. It is an old, recycled story, full of sound and fury, signifying not much.

The spot ends with a quote by founder Henry Ford: "Someone once said, 'Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.'" Then, the words "Ready, Set, Ford" appear on the screen.

Wow. Not exactly breakthrough stuff by any means, but I’m not surprised, because the current Ford CEO is notorious for not having a golden gut when it comes to advertising. In fact, he royally sucks at anything to do with marketing and advertising. That said, the current Global Chief Marketing Officer for Ford, Lisa Materazzo, dutifully presented the rationale behind the campaign to the Detroit Free Press, suggesting that the spot is more than just advertising, that it is meant to convey to the world Ford's shift from a product-first to a human-first company that emphasizes aspects of Ford beyond its vehicles, showing how Ford fits various lifestyles. (And they needed a new ad campaign to do this? The constant stream of recalls has been conveying "Ford's shift from a product-first company" for years! -WG)

Fitting various lifestyles. Wow. Again, breakthrough stuff. Not.

 

“READY, SET, RECALL” – September 2025

 

 

I will spare you the quotes from Stellantis executives touting the excellence of the Recon, because it’s all unmitigated bullshit. And they know it. The decision was made to go ahead with this product after years of hand-wringing, and it is a huge mistake. In fact, it broke the AE Stupid Meter. This is nothing more than marketing at gunpoint. Or, as Mr. T famously said, “I pity the fools.”

If there’s one auto company that consistently takes two-steps forward and five-back, it’s Stellantis. In fact, it shoots itself in the head on a regular basis. Think about it. Fiat is an afterthought (and deservedly so), Alfa Romeo as a brand is woefully underserved and perpetually on the ropes because of it, and Jeep is promising twelve months of special Wranglers, signaling that Jeep operatives are, in fact, completely out of ideas. And now, here comes the Recon. The reality for Filosa & Co. is that if it weren’t for Ram Trucks they’d be boarding up the windows out in Auburn Hills.

The Jeep Recon is simply the wrong product, at the wrong time, from the wrong car company. And it’s the winner of the 2025 Autoextremist “Answer to The Question That Absolutely No One Is Asking” Award, hands-down.

Congratulations to all involved.

 

“STELLANTIS BREAKS THE AE STUPID METER. AGAIN.” – November 2025

 

 

This business is caught in this seemingly perpetual automotive Twilight Zone between the end of the ICE era and the dawn of the mainstream BEV era, and throw in the insane complications due to Generalissimo’s tariffs, and things are bound to be more than a little unsettled. Or boring. Or both. It seems like the entire industry is pretending that reality is somehow not real, while losing themselves in that time-honored mindset of "It won't be long now!" Translation? Give us another year and we'll be smokin'. It’s a kind of “What, us worry?” whistling past the graveyard, Alfred E. Neuman-esque mentality, and it’s bound to have a sad and pathetic end as long as the current blockheads are in power in Washington. Good luck with that scenario, folks. In the meantime, have another SUV and you'll be fine. Or something like that, because this industry is officially out of ideas.

 

“SAME AS IT EVER WAS.” – OCTOBER 2025

 

 

It’s no big revelation that we’re living in the midst of the most inelegant age in American history. Everything about life as we know it today is infested with rancor, outrage, dismissiveness, relentless self-promotion, unwarranted “celebrity” status and rampant boorish behavior everywhere we look.

It’s sue me, sue you; fuck me, fuck you. It’s mindless video blurbs that garner ridiculous amounts of attention while raking in obscene amounts of money. And for what, exactly? We’re being inundated by a seemingly relentless shit storm of fluff generated by mindless people pumping out vapid videos signifying nothing and amounting to less than zero - except for those stupefying profits, of course.

I have often contemplated where it all went wrong for our current societal makeup; the “whys” and the “wherefores” and the “WTFs?” But it’s really no use. It’s like we’re on a runaway train to StupidVille, and even if we don’t want to go along for the ride we’re dragged along unwillingly through piles of crud while being bombarded with one illiterate proclamation after another.

Serious discourse has been permanently sidelined by belligerent musings and dumbbell comments by legions of Unctuous Pricks who actually think they matter and are worth listening to. They’re not, of course, but after all, the stupidity seems to be the point. Why make sense when you can make noise instead? Why add worthwhile discussion points when you can blow up the conversation with nonsensical and crude rejoinders that add nothing of value or substance?

Yes, all of this royally pisses me off. I’d like to say we’re better than this, but are we really? I’m not so sure. The degradation of our educational system over the decades is starting to wreak havoc on our daily lives. Stupidity has emerged as a sick badge of honor, the new currency of the misinformed and the ill-prepared. This has traveled far beyond the “everybody gets a trophy” trope too. We’re now existing in a lowest common denominator world punctuated by “who cares?” and “what’s it to you?”

Is there a way out of this? I am really fearful that there isn’t, or if there is, the window of opportunity to do something about it is rapidly closing. Paying teachers more and emphasizing the teaching of critical thinking is fundamental, but it’s only the beginning. A real premium must be placed on the accumulation of actual knowledge - there will never be a practical substitute for that. And a 30-second read on the Internet or a feverish trip through social media will never constitute learned behavior, either, especially when people can’t tell the difference between what’s real and worthy and what is just so much bile.

Living in this Land of Self-Aggrandizement is debilitating and depressing. People who shouldn’t be given the time of day are assigned substance and value on a whim, which is both offensive and unwarranted. And the fact that some are even bestowed with celebrity status because of it is simply unconscionable and unforgivable.

David Byrne (of the Talking Heads) once famously said in “Life During Wartime”:

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
This ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey-dovey
I ain't got time for that now

Indeed, the clock is ticking on what used to be the American conceit. We’ve become the United States of Mediocrity, an airy, vapid wasteland of unserious people spewing flat-out stupidity 24 hours a day. The collective “we” dines on a cotton candy menu devoid of substantive ideas and purpose. Fewer and fewer things have true meaning and retain genuine, legitimate value because people are all too busy with relentless self-absorption and the pursuit of “more” to pull their heads out of their asses and actually see where this is all going. And oh, by the way? That downward spiral is accelerating.

I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again before I stop creating content for this website, but this country needs an enema. It needs a total rethink and a brutal reminder of what matters, because we’ve become a rumbling, bubbling, stumbling paean to mediocrity and an embarrassing homage to “less than” and “why bother?”

And if you don’t see it as a giant, steaming bowl of Not Good, I don’t know what to tell you.

“THE UNITED STATES OF MEDIOCRITY, REDUX.” – JUNE 2025

 

After a tumultuous few weeks filled with hate mail, personal attacks (and this is different from any other week, how? -WG) and an intense heightening of the Sturm und Drang that’s roiling the “Biz,” I’m finding it useful for my mind to wander on to other things. Well, sort of, anyway.

I was reminded of this need to meander away by one of my favorite Paul McCartney songs from the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album (let’s face it, every track from this legendary 1967 album is a favorite) – “Fixing A Hole.” He opens this whimsical song with:

 

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go

I'm filling the cracks that ran through the door
And kept my mind from wandering
Where it will go

 

Yes, indeed. Where will my mind go in this Graceless Age of division, rancor and hatred? Or where should it go? Needless to say, the auto biz and this website offer no safe haven from these odious times. The national downward spiral is so pronounced right now that I’m finding it extraordinarily difficult to keep writing about what is, for all intents and purposes, an insignificant sidebar to the crisis at hand. Except that I have to remind myself that it really isn’t insignificant. The auto industry has always served as the canary in the coal mine when it comes to the industrial fabric of this nation. When “Detroit” gets hammered, it doesn’t take any time for the manufacturing sector of this country to feel the effects, even in this Starbucks and silicon chip-driven “we don’t build anything anymore” economy.

 

And as I and many others have duly predicted, the effects of these capricious tariffs as orchestrated by the current occupant of the Oval Office – aka the Dictator-in-Chief – are just now starting to decimate this business and the greater economy at large. It’s no secret that the effects are gathering momentum too, and as an industry and a nation we’re pirouetting into a Giant Bowl of Not Good.

 

You may disagree, as many who pledge their allegiance to the Orange King vehemently do almost every single day here, but they’re collectively whistling past the graveyard, trudging through the gathering quicksand. Or, as Sir Paul put it:

And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right
Where I belong I'm right
Where I belong
See the people standing there who disagree and never win
And wonder why they don't get in my door

 

But I’ve found that engaging with the hate-filled missives and the unending vitriol is not a value-added activity, because there is simply no “there” there. I don’t need to, as I have never had a compelling need to be “liked,” nor do I want to; my time is too precious at this point. So, I’m moving on to other things, at least in fleeting moments.

I'm painting a room in a colorful way
And when my mind is wandering
There I will go
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ah
Hey, hey, hey, hey

 

No, I’m not painting a room, as my rooms are already brimming with bold. vibrant colors, but I’m allowing myself to soak in and finally relish the chill of fall around here, after a super-heated September. And as Sir Paul continues to remind me:

And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right
Where I belong I'm right
Where I belong
Silly people run around, they worry me
And never ask me why they don't get past my door

 

I’ve been reminded in no uncertain times in the last year that life is fleeting and there are absolutely no guarantees. There’s an enduring saying that has been floating around for basically forever that suggests that no one is promised tomorrow. That’s easy to say, of course, but when it’s staring you in the face, it takes on a different, more urgent meaning entirely.

I'm taking the time for a number of things
That weren't important yesterday
And I still go
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ah

 

Yes indeed. Things that weren’t important yesterday have become extraordinarily important to me, and that’s quite alright; in fact, it is perfectly fine. Life in this business will go on in its lurching, one step forward, three steps back, cadence. It is inevitable. Mistakes will be made, so-called “geniuses” will continue to be exposed, breakthroughs will be realized, and promises will fall by the wayside. The Swirling Maelstrom isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, folks. In fact, it is swirling and churning at an unprecedented rate.

 

As for the country, all we can muster, apparently, is a hope and a prayer that somehow, someway, things will work out. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for optimism, but that’s all I have for now.

 

In the meantime, I will let my mind wander a little – okay, a lot – and where it goes is just fine with me.

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go
Where it will go
I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering*

 

“FIXING A HOLE” – OCTOBER 2025 

 

*“Fixing A Hole” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Read more about this song in this week’s “On The Table.”

 

 

And now, a few final thoughts.

 

I know I have opened our readers’ eyes to a few thousand things over the past 26-1/2 years. Stranger things. Ugly realities. Oh, and some hopeful things and people too. After all, where would this business be without the True Believers of all stripes in Design, Engineering and Product Development who still give a damn? (Yes, there are still a few left in Marketing too, but it’s such a small, sad minority.)

 

We took you on a wild trip that went beyond the press releases and the orchestrated PR blabber, and you’ve come to know this auto business as something altogether different from what it appears to be on the outside, because of us.

 

And no, the years didn’t fly by in case you were wondering. We were immersed in this business every single day and we took pride in the fact that we never “phoned it in” while bringing you The High-Octane Truth each and every week.

And one more thing, I must say that the industry's latest infatuation with "off-road" is the dumbest trend since the last dumbest trend that took hold of this industry. (There have been thousands, in case you're wondering.) I cannot believe the parade of faux "off-road" packages and the associated crap that come with it proliferating throught the business right now. It's disheartening, to say the least. Why? Because it demonstrates emphatically that this business is completely out of ideas, and genuine strategic thinking always takes a backseat to short-term profits. It never changes, which is also truly pathetic.

You’re probably thinking, is this The End for AE? We don’t know yet. Janice and I are going to take a break and consider everything to do with what we’ve accomplished here with Autoextremist.com. And then consider it again.

 

I am still tending to a serious health issue, and to be honest, it has been weighing on me. A lot. It has been difficult mustering the energy to deliver my columns at the high-quality level we’ve established here, and I have no intentions of letting that slide in the least. So, this break is really necessary. (Although we will update "On The Table" and "The Line" as we see fit -WG)

 

We will see you at some point in the New Year with an update as to what our plans are.

 

In the meantime, Janice and I sincerely wish all the best to you and your families for the Holidays. And thank you for listening and reading. We really do appreciate it.

 

And that’s The High-Octane Truth for 2025.

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG