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Fake Porsches.
Porsche has stepped into new territory with the upgraded Taycan. Synthesized noise so it sounds, well, more "emotive" and more real. Eight simulated gears. Can you say fake orgasm?
Jack J.
Melbourne, Florida
The Bro Automaker.
PMD, I’ll take your word that Ram was a part of the UFC event on the People’s Lawn. I didn’t pay any attention to it. I have seen Ram’s current advertising slant. The toxic masculinity target audience is getting heaping helping of eagles, monster trucks, the troops and any other angle Stellantis can exploit. Getting in bed with Trump always ends in catastrophic break ups. It’s a fools errand but they continue to get in line. Ram is nothing more than a Bro Automaker circling the drain of MAGAism.
JRR
Plymouth, Michigan
Our fathers in heaven.
Well, it’s Fathers Day. How appropriate to remember ours.
Mine was an accomplished physician, revered and loved by four generations of Detroiters for whom he provided loving compassionate care throughout his professional life. He would have marveled at the scientific advances of today that bring comfort, health and longevity for people in ways he could never have imagined. But there was always more to do.
Yours was an exquisite accomplished industrial diplomat, the public face of General Motors at the dawn of Consumerism and massive government interference with business as we then knew it. As the Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations for the largest company in the world at the time, your father shaped the contour of modern corporate public relations tasked with countering and explaining to the public those tectonic changes. But there were always more minds to change tomorrow.
Time passed and now things would never be the same in the worlds of both of them.
I wonder what my father would think as he viewed a PET scan of early but now treatable heart disease or the ultrasound image of an infant he would soon deliver. Or how your dad would artfully dress the $52+billion Grand Transition black hole or the East Lawn cage fight and still deliver us an optimistic and hopeful message on all of it.
Men that they were they could do anything because they were our dads.
Dr John
Phoenix, Arizona
More on the Ferrari Luce.
Here's Harry Metcalf, former British motor journalist, from his HARRY'S GARAGE YouTube channel, and his Up Close and Personal with the Ferrari Luce, where he was granted a 30-minute time block to make this video of his impressions.
Probably the most balanced consideration of it I've seen and thought it might interest you. Of course, he mentions the Johnny Ive styling, but watch the first two or three minutes where you can see the dashboard under the windshield: I doubt it was intentional, but the three vents and the curved welt at the windshield base I swear look like a Smiley Face.
J Wilson
Nashville, Tennessee
Lost their way? That’s one way of putting it.
I don't really care whether you like the current administration in the White House. For this topic, it's irrelevant. What I do care about is the image that Stellantis seems intent on developing for the RAM and Dodge brands. Is "fire breathing Hemi" engines the best we've got? (Not really true Hemi's by the way) Do we really need to be generating enthusiasm for tearing up the countryside with supercharged pickups that will likely die in the driveway from software malfunction? What's the goal here? One time sales to people who will never darken the door of one of our dealerships for a second time? Or should we be trying to generate a range of high quality machines that people might wish to purchase again? I'm afraid that the lads in Auburn Hills have lost their way.
DJV
Wilmington, North Carolina
Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Actually, for this discussion, it couldn’t be more relevant. But you do you. - PMD
Bad taste.
I was lucky I didn’t see the Ram truck at the big celebration but any time I see a corporation sucking Trump's ass it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
MLH
Salem, Virginia
Ram-Rock.
I was surprised to see Ram involved, even though I certainly didn’t watch two men beat each other to a pulp in front of the White House.
Ram is now the Kid Rock of the Auto Industry.
Casey Raskob Esq
Green Leafy Burbs, New York City
Continuing Ram’s downward spiral.
Brainstormed future transitional marketing campaign for Ram: The trucks massacring a fluffle of rainbow-dyed rabbits. Superbowl gold!
DG
Berwick, Maine
Sad but predictable.
Sad about Stellantis, but completely predictable. They're in a deep, deep hole when it comes to sales, reliability, and array of offerings, and then to douse yourself with Trump-stink is suicidal. How many Rams do you think Billy Bob can afford?
Dave M.
Houston, Texas
Stellantis.
A brutal rant this week. But I really couldn't take issue with any of the point made. Can't wait for the "Bunny Rabbits & Rainbows" RAM reboot. That will be real interesting to say the least.
Frank S.
Rochester, Michigan
This just in.
Mr. Francois needs to heed the advice offered Dr. Samuel Johnson on April 7, 1775: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."
Jim Jones
Cole County, Missouri
From the "Clean Slate" File: A True Believer Rediscovers His Faith.
Why did I just plunk down $300 on a Slate pre-order? Today's vehicles and their business models leave me cold, annoyed, and too far in debt.
Then Slate came along and rekindled the excitement I had about my first car (Scirocco Mk1 4-spd).
What Slate has:
- Slate has a distinctive style
- Does 99% of what I actually need it to (I can rent something for the other 1% of the time)
- The "user experience" is mine to create and modify
- Affordable
- Economical - even more so when charged via my home solar panels
- Support for independent/local repair shops and my right-to-repair (looking at you Jim Farley)
What Slate doesn't have:
- Feature bloat / Usurious trim groups - I can add/delete exactly what I need now or later
- Connection to the cloud, over-the-air updates, or subscriptions
- OEM/proprietary infotainment system
- Reliability should improve because of everything it doesn't have
- Dealers or their service shops
NOG
North Oakland County, Michigan