READER MAIL

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The Commentator.

Pete: You're the best commentator on our sad situation. You're right in every way. You’re lucky to have lost those readers. I accept that the days we loved are gone forever. Thank God I lived through the ‘40s to the '70s and everything in between. Best cars, best music, prettiest girls. I feel sorry for my grandchildren who will never experience that except through my stories and yours. For a clearer understanding of where we are today, every thoughtful American should read Maureen Dowd’s column in the NYT today. I’m starting to feel glad that I will be gone before we completely destroy everything we built.

Joe Folz
Bonita Springs, Florida



Insipid driving experience.

From the category of "Nobody Cares What You Think" I will share my ownership experience of the New Modern Car. I've put 6000+ miles on my new Toyota Corolla Hatchback. It's been mostly good, BUT it's horribly let down by an uninspired milk toast drivetrain. Though I aspired to a manual car, they are not to be found. The combination of a non-boosted 2.0 four with a CVT singularly ruins what is otherwise a competent ride. Whoever said a CVT get will get more performance and economy out of a motor must go around looking at the world through his sphincter. I'm averaging just barely 30 MPG, even though I baby the accelerator. What performance there is, well, there is none. The gas pedal is merely a volume control for motor noise. A basic five- or six-speed autobox would make the car a much more engaging proposition. Buyer Remorse? Perhaps, but after paying through the nose for VW repairs, I decided I can stand an insipid driving experience in exchange for proven reliability. But boy, what a let down!

Jim Jones
Cole County, Missouri



Not digging AE.

More car stuff and less political commentary...Please!!!

DJV
Wilmington, North Carolina

Editor-in-Chief's Note: No. -PMD



Unreal.

Way back when, there was steak, and it was good. Then, it was decided that steak would be better with sizzle, and that too was good. Over time a few decided the sizzle was more important than the steak, and many did not care nor notice. Then the steak was removed leaving only the sizzle. Some cried out to no avail, as the many had been trained that there is only the sizzle. And so here we are, with fake flesh, fake wealth, fake importance, fake performance, and cars that makes fake sounds.

DG
Berwick, Maine



Unvarnished thoughts.

I will piss off some race fans here, but I guess I am cool with that. Cadillac spent $20 million to advertise the F1 livery on the Super Bowl on Sunday. Why?

There are answers in the C-suites and ad agencies, but I don't care. The dude in the recliner is not your target audience. Lamborghini famously said they didn't do commercials because their target audience doesn't sit around watching television.

In addition, GM/Cadillac spent $250 million on just getting into F1 and they expect the costs for this endeavor to be more around $1 billion. Yet, GM took a loss of $3.31 billion in the last quarter of 2025. They have been laying off thousands of workers in a "$1.6 billion realignment." They abandoned EVs after spending millions on manufacturing and marketing them. They jettisoned Brightdrop. They built a 9,000 lb. Hummer. For what?

Don't get me started on Cadillac naming their EVs with the "Q" names (IQ pronounced "ick" so stupid that you have to teach people how to say your product's name). The Celest"ick" with a base price of $340,000. Ah, ok. With the average vehicle price today at $50k and the average lease price at $652, we can see how vital it is that GM pour money into F1 for the good of the mission of the company, which by the way was announced as the following:

General Motors' mission is "to earn customers for life by building brands that inspire passion and loyalty through not only breakthrough technologies but also by serving and improving the communities in which we live and work around the world."

Let me address how they have abandoned this altogether:

1. They are not "building brands" as they have completely stopped building entry level vehicles for young buyers to get into and build loyalty. There is no "loyalty for life" if I can't afford a vehicle starting out in life.

2. Inspire passion? That requires making vehicles that aren't all pickup trucks and SUV's that when lined up in a parking lot you couldn't tell one from any other. Harley Earl and BIll Mitchell are rolling over in their graves.

3. "Breakthrough technologies and improving the communities." That was what they said about their commitment to EVs. Zero emissions, blah, blah, blah.

Blessedly, I am not a stockholder, or I think I would be bald from pulling my hair out at the siloed, bubble of decision-making that is GM. So, I will disgustedly sit by and watch as the ad agencies in town are gutted, auto workers' jobs are getting cut and GM/Cadillac continuing to tell itself how great and cool it is in their new headquarters (after spending a fortune remodeling the Tech Center). The waste is staggering and every car buyer is paying for it. So, when you lose your job to AI or "realignment," at least you will be home to catch the race on tv.

My unvarnished thoughts.

RMH
Troy, Michigan



NASCAR Suburbans?

Racing is going to be in a bit of quandary as we now find ourselves where street cars are far more complex than the competition cars are allowed by their sanctioning bodies. Open wheel and dedicated prototypes are one thing, but it will be particularly interesting to see what cars they will run in NASCAR as the Big Three essentially no longer manufacture automobiles.

I can't wait to see NASCAR Suburbans.

J. Wilson
Nashville, Tennessee