MAY 29, 2019

The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

Editor-in-Chief's Note: The FCA-Renault merger? Does FCA need a merger? Absolutely. They pissed away years and years not worrying about future technologies, but they know that this can't possibly continue. But will this merger proceed smoothly? Given the players involved, I seriously doubt it. Too many egos and too many loose ends at the very least. Let's just say it's a giant "we'll see" for now and leave it that. -PMD

(BMW)
The updated 2020 BMW X1 Sports Activity Vehicle is a big deal for BMW. Why? Because since its introduction in 2015, the X1 has gone on to become BMW’s best-selling X vehicle worldwide. In the U.S., the X1 is the third most popular X model, behind the X3 and X5. The updated X1, available in front-wheel drive X1 sDr28i and all-wheel drive X1 xDr28i versions, "offers one of the roomiest cabins in its class combined with the technology, performance, comfort and agility attributes which make up the heart of all the models in BMW’s Sports Activity Vehicle line," according to BMW PR minions. The update to the X1 includes new exterior design revisions (the blown-up grille is now de rigueur for BMW), new interior enhancements, new colors and new wheel designs. It will arrive in the U.S. late this year, with pricing announced closer to its intro date.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Yet another Ferrari supercar is on its way, the new SF90 Stradale. The all-wheel-drive SF90 Stradale will have a 769HP V8 with 590 lb.ft. of torque, plus three electric motors (two at the front and one in the back), which generate another 217HP for a total of 986HP. Watch a Ferrari video here. -PMD

(Cadillac Images)
Cadillac unveiled the 2020 CT4-V (in blue) and CT5-V (in orange) in Detroit tonight (5/30), expanding the choices for the brand’s V-Series performance sub-brand. The new V-Series machines "represent Cadillac’s realigned sedan portfolio, characterized by new proportions, innovative technologies and more appearance and performance choices. Each is built on Cadillac’s award-winning rear-wheel-drive Alpha architecture, with the V-Series models developed to deliver the ultimate blend of performance, presence and road-going refinement," that is straight from the Cadillac PR minions. Both sedans share the latest standard V-Series performance technologies, including Magnetic Ride Control 4.0, which is tuned specifically for V models to enhance comfort without sacrificing performance-oriented responsiveness, and drive modes that include new V-Mode personalization. Each model is available in RWD or AWD and features a 10-speed automatic transmission, Brembo front brakes with eBoost electronic assist and a limited-slip rear differential on CT4-V and electronic limited-slip differential on CT5-V. Cadillac’s exclusive Super Cruise, the first true hands-free driver assistance feature for the freeway, is available on more than 130,000 miles of limited-access freeways in the U.S. and Canada. It will be available on both new V-Series models. "The new lineup expands the V-Series ethos, drawing more customers into the Cadillac Performance family, and the newest Vs are focused on elevated athleticism and luxurious refinement for customers wanting a dynamic daily drive,” said Mark Reuss, GM president. “And this is only the beginning of the V family. Cadillac’s passion for performance shines on a racetrack. Stay tuned." Editor-in-Chief's Note: These new V machines are part of a two-pronged strategy that revolves around the idea of getting more people into the V-Series. I applaud that, because although the current V-Series machines to date have been magnificent, not enough people have been able to experience them. But this doesn't mean that the True Believers at Cadillac are going soft, far from it. When Reuss said "stay tuned," you can expect wilder V-Series machines are on the way. -PMD
The CT4-V is based on the car formerly known as the Cadillac ATS. It is powered by Cadillac's high-output 2.7L Turbo 4-cylinder featuring a unique three-step sliding camshaft that helps optimize performance at all speeds. It is rated at a Cadillac-estimated 320HP, pending SAE certification. The CT4-V and CT5-V go on sale early in the 2020 calendar year, with production at GM’s Lansing Grand River facility in Michigan. Additional product information, as well as details on additional V-Series variants and CT4 Luxury, Premium Luxury and Sport models, will be announced at a later date. 
The CT5 is powered by Cadillac’s high-output 3.0L Twin Turbo V-6, which uses low-inertia turbochargers to enhance power production across the rpm band. It is rated at a Cadillac-estimated 355HP, pending SAE certification.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: The CT5 is yet another effort from GM Design that looks good from the front 3/4 view, but then suffers horribly once you get around to the side and rear 3/4. The C-pillar is a mess and has nothing to do with Cadillac, in fact it looks more like a Cruze. This is a disappointing effort. -PMD

(Cadillac images)
Mark Reuss, president of General Motors, promised that there was more to come in Cadillac’s new V-Series family. So, Cadillac surprised Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix attendees on Saturday with a sneak peek at the future of Cadillac’s V-Series when two prototypes took to the track. Drivers were Reuss and Ken Morris, vice president of Product. Cadillac PR operatives say that the cars you see in the photos take the V-Series to the next level and will offer customers a track-capable experience, but no more information was forthcoming, only that "we will keep you informed as more details are made available."

 

"Welcome to autoextremist.com. It's gonna be one helluva ride."

And so our first Rant came to a close on June 1, 1999. Seems like only yesterday,...Hold it right there! That is a lie. It actually seems like a lifetime ago, and at two decades, it's certainly a very good chunk of a lifetime. I must say, this whole 'TWENTY YEARS' thing has me a bit misty-eyed (or could they just be crossed from too much editing???). I was around in 1986 for the original AE MANIFESTO (I was just a very small child at the time, of course). And somehow, I managed to be around (still slogging away in advertising) when Peter said "Let's do this!" in 1999. Autoextremist makes me laugh, it makes me cry, it makes me sad, it makes me mad (and that was just Issue Number One). So much unbelievable shit has gone down over the last 20 years that if I hadn't lived every minute of it, I would think I must be trapped in some crazy dream (nightmare?). Why me, why then, why now - yes, indeed, why still now? I'm still here because I still love cars (from my '68 Camaro to my '57 Jag to my '76 2002, and everything in between - and yes, I wish I had kept more than just a few of them). And because I still believe in the power of words, and their ability to make us think and feel and sometimes even change things. So, yes, I am bittersweet as this June 1st approaches (the inexorable march of time and all that), but like Peter, I remain undaunted. Basically, we HAD to do Autoextremist.com Peter HAD to get out there and say what no one else wants to say - and more important, say what very, very few people want to hear. From Day One, AE has been about a whole new idea in cars and car advertising and car executives and car design…the Truth (what a concept!). And the past 20 years have made me more than a bit partial to The High-Octane Truth. So I guess I'm all-in for the duration. -WG

Take a few deep breaths now and quiet your mind, as we travel back in time to that Wednesday morning in June of 1999 and the way it all began...

Detroit, June 1st.

The Bare-Knuckled, Unvarnished, High-Octane Truth.

You've come here for a reason. You're either curious, bored, or in some internet-fueled haze that's taken over your body and turned you into a quivering jellyfish that has lost all concept of time and space. Well, for whatever the reason, welcome. I'm not going to sit here and make promises about what autoextremist.com will or won't do for you. I will say, however, that you will not read anything like it when it comes to the weird world of automobiles, because the people here are the most committed automotive enthusiasts in the world. So much so, that we operate in a dimension that other so-called "car people" find bewildering and even frightening. The Truth will do that to people. Especially in Detroit, which is one of the strangest places on earth. This place is dominated by the automobile companies. Ford in Dearborn. DaimlerChrysler in Auburn Hills. And of course General Motors, who appropriately enough, has taken over the monolithic Renaissance Center on the Detroit river. And we mean dominated. People outside of this city can't comprehend how dominant and pervasive the automobile business is in this town. It is stifling. Oppressive. Demented. And flat-out crazy. Executive changes merit front page space in the daily newspapers and lead stories on the local TV news. It is beyond being a "company town." It is a company philosophy. A company social structure. Company clubs. Company communities. Company morality. And of course, company cars. And it isn't just the car companies themselves. It's the multi-billion-dollar juggernaut suppliers like the Lear Corporation, all the way down to the guy who knew how to work a lathe pretty well, who is now knocking down a million a year out of some skanky building in Madison Heights. Yup, it's crazy alright. Which brings me to our lead story for autoextremist.com No. 1.... 

Editor's Note: This Anniversary Celebration would not be complete without a reprise of some of our favorite headlines and phrases over the years. -WG

AE Rant Headline Highlights from the First 20 Years. Just a few of our favorites...
WHITE BOY CULTURE. (6/1/1999)
WRITE HARD, DIE FREE. (11/9/1999)
IN THIS 'AGE OF ENTITLEMENT' WE ALL GET SCREWED. (10/25/2000)
THE DAY THE RACING DIED. (2/21/2001)
CAPTAIN ZARRELLA, YOUR SPACE SHIP IS WAITING. (5/16/2001)
ONE MAN'S PASSION - A LEGACY STILL VIBRANT TODAY. (6/13/2001)
HELL FREEZES OVER, AS PORSCHE BECOMES JUST ANOTHER CAR COMPANY. (10/2/2002)
MEMO TO CHRIS BANGLE: 'THE EMPEROR' IS NAKED. (11/27/2002)
GM'S CULTURE OF INVINCIBILITY. (2/12/2003)
DETROIT'S REAL CHALLENGE? SELLING THE IDEA OF AN AMERICAN CAR. (10/29/2003)
HOW MUCH LONGER CAN 'DETROIT' EXTRACT BLOOD FROM A STONE? (3/31/2004)
BENCHMARKING - DETROIT'S TICKET TO OBLIVION. (9/15/2004)
TOYOTA'S SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE PEG THE STUPID METER. (6/15/2005)
TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE PARTY'S OVER - DETROIT IS OFFICIALLY OUT OF IDEAS. (7/13/2005)
THE AUTOEXTREMIST SELF-HELP GUIDE: HOW NOT TO BE A PR WEASEL. (8/24/2005) 
THE NASCAR BUBBLE - COMING TO A BOARDROOM NEAR YOU. (8/31/2005)
SOUL SURVIVOR OR JUST DUST IN THE WIND? (3/1/2006) 
THE PLAYERS, THE SCHEMERS, THE SMOKE-AND-MIRRORS DREAMERS. (8/23/2006) 
INTERVIEW WITH A ROBOT. (2/14/2007)
AFTER THE SMOKE CLEARS, IT'S TIME FOR AMERICA, INC. (10/29/2008) 
QUEEN LAGREENA AND THE DUNDERHEADS. (12/10/2008)
THE 2008 AUTOEXTREMIST YEAR IN REVIEW: 'THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT' EDITION. (12/17/08) 
PMD UNPLUGGED: THE 'OLD BROKEN DOWN PIECE OF MEAT' EDITION. (3/11/2009) 
STATE OF THE MOTOR CITY NATION: THE 'POLISHING OF THE PITCHFORKS' EDITION. (3/25/09)
GOING, GOING, GONE. (5/27/09)
THEY CAME, THEY SAW, THEY BORED US TO DEATH. (11/4/09) 
IT’S TIME FOR A TRUE BELIEVER TO RUN GM. (12/2/09) 
CAMPBELL-EWALD IS FORCED TO WALK THE PLANK AS THE TRAIN WRECK CALLED GM MARKETING CONTINUES. (4/28/10) 
STILL CLUELESS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. (6/16/10) 
CAUTION: YOU’RE ENTERING THE NOTGONNAHAPPEN.COM ZONE. (6/30/10) 
THE SHIT DISTURBER COMETH. (7/14/10) 
THE ULTIMATE SELLOUT MACHINE: BMW COMMITS BRAND SUICIDE. (10/6/10) 
THE LOOMING TRAIN WRECK AT GENERAL MOTORS. (1/26/11)
BROTHER SERGIO’S TRAVELING SALVATION SHOW GETS DERAILED. (2/9/11)
THE UAW’S SOLIDARITY TRAIN TO NOWHERE. (3/23/11) 
ALL BUNNY RABBITS AND RAINBOWS FOR DETROIT? NOT SO FAST. (5/4/11) 
THE SERGIO SHOW GETS PREACHY AND THE MEDIA GENUFLECTS. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?(8/10/11) 
MINIMUM BOB'ASCENDS TO THE DELUSIONAL THINKING HALL OF FAME. (10/5/11) 
HOW BRAND DELUSION CAN LEAD TO BRAND DILUTION. (5/2/12) 
MR. AKERSON, YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES ARE UP. (8/15/12) 
THE PENALTY OF (BAD) LEADERSHIP. (4/15/13) 
THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF LUXURY, COMING TO A MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER NEAR YOU. (11/12/13) 
THE UNCTUOUS PRICK TAKES HIS LEAVE AND SCREWS GM ONE LAST TIME. (12/10/13) 
A KALEIDOSCOPE OF THE PRETTY GOOD, THE REALLY BAD AND THE JUST PLAIN UGLY. WELCOME TO THE LAND OF OVERPROMISE AND UNDERDELIVER, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 2014 DETROIT AUTO SHOW.(1/15/14) 
WE MAY NEVER PASS THIS WAY AGAIN. GM AT A CROSSROADS. (4/4/14) 
ARROGANCE + DELUSION = THE INDUSTRY’S MOST LETHAL COCKTAIL. (5/19/14)
THE UNCTUOUS PRICK RETURNS FOR ONE LAST HURRAH. (7/28/14)

THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF STUPIDITY. (9/15/14)

ENDURING MONOLITHIC MONUMENTS TO MEDIOCRITY, ETC. (10/6/14)

MARKETING "GENIUSES" AND OTHER FALLACIES OF THE CAR BUSINESS. (11/18/14)

AT ODDS WITH ITSELF, INSIPIDNESS REIGNS AT CADILLAC. (11/23/14)

GOODNESS VS. STUPIDITY: THE ONGOING BATTLE. (12/8/14)

PRESENTING A DELIGHTFUL HOLIDAY ASSORTMENT OF CRACKPOTS, RECALCITRANT TWERPS, SPINELESS WEASELS, THE OBLIGATORY EGOMANIACAL DICTATORS AND, OF COURSE, THE TRUE BELIEVERS. NO, YOU CAN’T REALLY CONTROL IT; YOU CAN ONLY HOPE TO CONTAIN IT. THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S THE AUTOEXTREMIST YEAR IN REVIEW! (12/15/14)

BOLTS, DOLTS, VAPOR MARKETING AND THE ANNUAL DANCE OF THE DRONES: THE HITS AND MISSES FROM THE DETROIT AUTO SHOW. (1/13/15)

WRESTLING FOR THE HEART AND SOUL OF AN ICONIC BRAND. (2/16/15)

CHASING GRAVITAS. (3/17/15)

THE END OF AN ERA. THE AUTOEXTREMIST: JUNE 1, 1999 – APRIL 1, 2015. (3/29/15)

OF MEN AND MICE. (4/28/15)

BROTHER SERGIO’S TRAVELING SALVATION SHOW IS RUNNING OUT OF GAS. (6/7/15)

THE AUTOEXTREMIST BRAND IMAGE METER IV, OR, “HOW CAN WE GET THERE IF WE DON’T KNOW WHERE WE’RE GOING?” (6/22/15)

THE PLAGUE OF LOWEST-COMMON-DENOMINATOR DESIGN. (7/21/15)

THE COMMODITIZATION OF EVERYTHING. (8/18/15)

THE KEY ESSENTIALS IN AN AUTO CEO’S SURVIVAL KIT. (8/25/15)

THE DAY THE (VW) MUSIC DIED. (9/20/15)

EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING. (10/13/15)

SERIOUSLY, IS THIS THE BEST WE CAN DO? (10/27/15)

PURE, UNADULTERATED, EGOMANIACAL ABSURDITY, PART II.  (11/1/15)

THE INVASION OF THE MARKETING BRAIN SNATCHERS. (11/9/15)

DISRUPTION IN THE LAND OF EXCLAMATION POINTS!!! (11/23/15)

VW BLOWS IT, SERGIO LOSES IT AND QUEEN MARY DISRUPTS IT. AND A NEW KING OF THE AUTO WORLD? OH NO, WALTER, I THINK WE'RE SCREWED. CUE THE DANCING DRONES, IT'S TIME FOR THE AUTOEXTREMIST YEAR IN REVIEW! (12/11/15)

“THIS IS JUST LIKE TELEVISION, ONLY YOU CAN SEE MUCH FURTHER.” (1/4/16)

LEXUS GOES LONG, VW FALLS ON ITS SWORD, BIG AUTO WRESTLES WITH THE NEW WORLD ORDER - WE LOATHE THE SMELL OF VAPORWARE IN THE MORNING, BY THE WAY - AND SOMEWHERE IN THERE THE DETROIT AUTO SHOW HAPPENED.  (1/12/16)

THE END OF CARDOLATRY. (1/25/16)

I’VE SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE. IT NEVER ENDS WELL. (2/15/16)

FIAT DEALERS BAIL AS BROTHER SERGIO’S TRAVELING SALVATION SHOW CHUGS TO AN IGNOMINIOUS END. (2/21/16)

MARKETING COTTON CANDY, CADILLAC STYLE. (2/29/16)

WANKERS, WEASELS AND ULTIMATE ROBO MACHINES. YES, THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD HAS GONE FLAT-OUT CRAZY. (3/14/16)

BEHOLD THE CAR THAT PROMISES ETERNAL LIFE. (4/4/16)

THE FOOLS ON THE HILL. (4/18/16)

NASCAR’S CHIEF ENABLERS. (5/3/16)

TWO EMPERORS. NO CLOTHES. (5/9/16)

SMOKE, MIRRORS... AND COFFEE. (5/16/16)

THE AUTOEXTREMIST BRAND IMAGE METER V, OR, LEARNING TO LIVE IN A WORLD OF REDUCED EXPECTATIONS. (6/6/16)

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN THE “DIE, YOU SCUM!” AGE. (6/13/16)

MASTERS OF THEIR IMAGINARY UNIVERSE. (7/5/16)

KING CHAOS REIGNS IN AUBURN HILLS. (7/19/16)

STEP RIGHT UP, FOLKS, EVERYBODY GETS A TROPHY! (8/1/16)

THE OVERHYPED, THE OVERBLOWN AND THE OVERRATED. (8/9/16)

THE DE-AMERICANIZATION OF CADILLAC. (8/22/16)

THE FIRST AUTOEXTREMIST AUTOMOTIVE ADVERTISING REPORT CARD, OR, CAN THIS STUFF REALLY BE THAT BAD? (9/21/16)

SHINY HAPPY RIDERS IN ZOMBIE CARS. (10/3/16)

A ROGUE’S GALLERY OF SELF-INDULGENT BAD ACTORS. (10/19/16)

THE MAGIC FORMULA AND OTHER AUTOMOTIVE ATROCITIES. (10/31/16)

CROSSOVER HELL. (11/15/16)

A FINAL OUTRAGE FOR FIAT; AND THE ABJECT FALLACY OF DIGITAL INTIMACY. (11/28/16)

WANKERS, WEASELS, ZEALOTS, ZOMBIE CARS AND ENOUGH TWO-BIT HUSTLERS AND CONNIVING HUCKSTERS TO FILL FORD FIELD TO THE RAFTERS. ARE YOU READY FOR A LITTLE REGRETTABLE UNPLEASANTNESS? THEN YOU’RE READY FOR THE AUTOEXTREMIST YEAR IN REVIEW!  (12/9/16)

WELCOME TO THE YEAR OF SELLING AIR. (1/2/17)

MOBILITY FIRESIDE CHATS, AUTONOMOUS GROUP HUG SESSIONS AND AN UNWANTED REMAKE OF SHAKESPEARE’S “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.” WELCOME TO THE BRAVE NEW AUTO WORLD, FOLKS. AND BY THE WAY, WE JUST "GOTS" TO KNOW: WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE DETROIT AUTO SHOW? (1/10/17)

DETROIT HOMERS AND THE RIGHTEOUS ORDER OF THINGS. (1/17/17)

ZERO TO IRRELEVANCE IN 60 SECONDS. (2/7/17)

OUR AMERICAN WANDERLUST IS BEING BURIED ALIVE. (3/28/17)

IN THE LAND OF SMOKEY MIRRORS, RATIONAL THOUGHT IS A RARE COMMODITY. (4/11/17)

VOLKSWAGEN TURNS ITS LONELY EYES TO… AMERICA. (5/1/17)

STILL INCENDIARY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. (5/30/17)

MR. HACKETT’S QUIXOTIC QUEST.  (6/19/17)

ON DEMON FRENZY, SMOKY BURNOUTS AND THE FOG OF WAR. (7/24/17)

SERGIO POLISHES THE GOLDEN CANNOLI AS THE SALE OF FCA IS NIGH. (10/2/17)

TESLA BURNS. WALL STREET FIDDLES. (10/9/17)

HUCKSTER’S PARADISE. (11/28/17)

MOBILITY FIRESIDE CHATS, AUTONOMOUS GROUP HUGS, PITCHFORK-WIELDING TECHNO-HORDES AND THE USUAL ASSORTMENT OF SPINELESS WEASELS, RECALCITRANT TWERPS AND UNMITIGATED HACKS. WELCOME TO THE END OF THE BEGINNING OF A BRAVE NEW AUTO WORLD. THAT’S RIGHT, KIDS, IT’S TIME FOR THE AUTOEXTREMIST YEAR IN REVIEW! (12/16/17)

UNBRIDLED OPTIMISM FOR NO APPARENT REASON, ASSORTED PHANTOM THREADS AND ENOUGH OFF-SITE REVEALS TO KILL THE WHOLE DAMN THING ALTOGETHER. YOU CALL THIS AN AUTO SHOW? TRUCK, YEAH! (1/16/18)

BEATING A DEAD (FLYING) HORSE. (2/20/18)

WHY I’M NOT IN THE PLATITUDES BUSINESS. (6/11/18)

CHASING THE NEW GHOSTS OF MOBILITY, DETROIT FACES AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE. (6/18/18)

AMERICA WIDE OPEN. (7/2/18)

SHINY HAPPY RIDERS IN ZOMBIE CARS. (7/31/18)

A FULL-BLOWN MUSKIAN NIGHTMARE. (8/27/18)

CRAPTASTIC ODES TO MEDIOCRITY, AND A LIFE OF ENDURING RESONANCE. (9/5/18)

WELCOME TO THE LAND OF SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT. (9/11/18)

RAGING AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT. (10/9/18)

THE DETROIT EXECUTIVE MINDSET GETS DERAILED. AGAIN. (11/12/18)

#IUSEDTOWORKFORGM. (11/26/18)

ZERO TO OBLIVION IN JUST THREE YEARS. (12/3/18)

DIGITAL DISCIPLES, ZOMBIE CARS, AND ENOUGH DELUSION AND HUBRIS TO POWER THE NEW EMERALD AUTO CITY JUST OVER THE HILL. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG, BESIDES EVERYTHING? THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S TIME FOR THE AUTOEXTREMIST YEAR IN REVIEW!  (12/15/18)

NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING. (1/5/19)

GM PHONES IT IN, FORD DRAINS THE WELL, AKIO UNVEILS HIS VANITY PROJECT, AND A MONUMENT TO BAD-ASSERY SAVES THE AFFAIR FROM BEING A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME. WE EXPECTED THE END OF AN ERA, BUT WE DIDN’T EXPECT A SNAPSHOT OF A FADING INDUSTRY WHEEZING THROUGH ITS LAST GASPS OF RESPECTABILITY. ON THAT NOTE, WELCOME TO THE DETROIT AUTO SHOW! (1/15/19)

AFFORDABILITY: THE NEXT FRONTIER. (2/12/19)

HE’S A REAL NOWHERE MAN, SITTING IN HIS NOWHERE LAND, MAKING ALL HIS NOWHERE PLANS FOR NOBODY: FORD’S “PROFESSOR MOONBEAM” PUSHES THE COMPANY TO THE BRINK. (2/23/19)

WELCOME TO THE SEETHING CAULDRON. (3/26/19)

AE Words & Phrases from the First 20 Years. We've become known for words & phrases over the years (for better or worse) and we thought we'd remind you of a few of them... 
"The Tubes" 
"The Answer to the Question that Absolutely No One is Asking" 
"Shiny, happy, flatulence-powered balsa wood smiley cars" 
"The Green Horde" 
"Heaping, steaming bowl of Not Good" 
"The Rick" 
"Maximum Bob" 
"Dead car company walking" 
"Minimum Bob" 
"The Ghosnster" 
"The Jimbotron" 
"Klinkian nightmare" 
"The Trifecta of Not Good" 
"Halle-frickin-luja" 
"Starbucks Nation of Zombie Consumers" 
"Finger-snap Environmentalists" 
"Anti-car, anti-Detroit intelligentsia" 
"Queen LaGreena" 
"It's all over but the hand-wringing" 
"The Product is, was, and always will be King" 
"Bush League Bullshit" 
"Unmitigated Bullshit" 
"Racertainment" 
"Chrome-plated pitchforks" 
"Mo-faux" 
"Go Big or Go Home" 
"The more you know the more you just never know" (Dr. Bud). 
"Fu-King Motors" 
"Captain Queeg"
"Prosciutto-encrusted T-bone"
"Espresso-swilling minions"
"Accidental tourist of a CEO"
"Swinging dickism"
"The Soy-Based Chlorophyll-Specked Self-Driving Module"
"Keyboard-stained wretches"
"From the 'Sergeant Schultz 'I Know Nothing' File'" 
"Olivier 'I'm a genius, just ask me' Francois." 
And of course, "notgonnahappen.com"

 

We have had a few fearless advertisers over the past two decades, and we always made sure everyone knew what they were getting into by aligning with The High-Octane Truth...    

No free hunting trips to Wales. No bought-and-paid-for content "acceptable" to the auto manufacturers. No PR puff pieces lauding a convicted hack and his mediocre automotive career. No wishy-washy reviews. Just the bare-knuckled, unvarnished, high-octane truth about anything and everything to do with the car business. From the cars themselves, to the companies and the people who design, build and market them, Autoextremist.com is everything you wanted to read about the business of cars. We say the things that the others don't have the balls to say, and we do it with a relentless ferocity and an uncanny accuracy that resonate throughout the industry.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Part of the fun of Autoextremist.com has been being afforded the opportunity to meet all sorts of interesting - and talented - people. One of our favorite people is Casey Shain, or, as our readers know him, "artandcolour." Casey does whimsical, sometimes fanciful and always downright beautiful automotive illustrations. We haven't heard from Casey in a while, but because it's our 20th Anniversary here at AE, he sent along some illustrations for us. The first is a concept for a Cadillac V12 Eldorado Coupe, the next is for a modern day Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, and the last is for a short-wheelbase Jaguar Coupe. Enjoy! We sure did! -PMD