ITOLDYOUSODOTFRICKINGCOM.

Editor's Note: This week, we have the Autoextremist at his unvarnished best, as he reminds us all of what he predicted would happen with the tariffs and the other atrocities emanating from Washington over the last few weeks. In On The Table, we preview a new addition to the Mercedes-Benz portfolio -  the 2026 Mercedes-AMG E 53 HYBRID Wagon. We also have details on General Motors new advanced design studio in Royal Leamington Spa, England. And we hear from AE's West Coast Correspondent Tom Pease, who attended the preview of the new Sony/Honda AFEELA, the company's "vision of Mobility as a Creative Entertainment Space." (Wow.) And our AE Song of the Week is "Stoney End" by Laura Nyro. In Fumes, we have the next installment of Peter's riveting new series, The Great Races. And in The Line, we'll have F1 results from Bahrain, INDYCAR and IMSA from Long Beach, and MotoGP from Qatar. Enjoy! -WG

 

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

 

Detroit. If I was in the “I told You So” business these last going-on-26 years, damn-near every third column would be a recitation of assessments, analysis, predictions and outcomes that I have called correctly. Yes, I’ve been wrong on occasion, but I’ve been right on the majority of developments in this business. And I have been constantly reminded of that fact by CEOs, CMOs, designers, engineers and the “True Believers” in this industry from Day One and over the ensuing years of publishing this website.

 

There have been many, many instances when I wish I wasn’t correct with my analysis and assessments, but the reality is that more often than not, “The High-Octane Truth” has been deadly accurate, week-in and week-out.

 

In the last few weeks, it has pained me to witness the serial incompetence coming out of our nation’s capital, the relentless governance by “whims” or “the last person who was talked to,” the shockingly capricious application of tariffs that is holding this region – and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people – hostage, while bludgeoning our neighbor and longtime ally to the north for no logical reason.

 

It’s infuriating, disgraceful and disgusting, and I do not apologize for my assessment for one second. As a reminder, here are some highlights of what I had to say in recent weeks:

"That vast swaths of this business have a major case of 'buyers’ remorse' with what’s going on right now is understandable, but it’s definitely not forgivable. That these people weren’t paying attention, and that certain CEOs were actively courting the current occupant of the Oval Office figuring that it would hold them and their companies in good stead is simply naïve and laughable, if it wasn’t so painful. Those CEOs and key supplier executives got played by a person who not only doesn’t understand anything about this business, but simply doesn't care. He is, after all, someone who is only interested in dominating media coverage any which way he can, and if the U.S. Auto Industry becomes collateral damage in the process, then so be it. Remember this always: He and his handlers simply don’t give a shit.

 

The Tariffs being actively held over this industry’s head on an ongoing basis is the new – and ugly – reality for Detroit. Congratulations to all for signing up for four long years of this mayhem. You knew better, but you failed yourselves and everyone associated with this business. Will some of these CEOs and leaders of the big suppliers fall by the wayside because of their serial incompetence? One can only hope. Wait a minute, check that: you can count on it." –March 9, 2025

 

“When Detroit finds itself in the crosshairs of woefully ill-equipped and flat-out incompetent politicians in Washington, it’s not new. Detroit has always been the convenient whipping boy when the hot front burner of political discussion turns its ugly glare toward the Motor City, which is exactly where it finds itself right now.

That the tariffs being capriciously applied are nonsensical and offensive to people in this region and basically everyone else in the rest of the world has already been established. And these tariffs threaten to decimate this town and the business that drives it. Not that anyone cares in Washington. After all, politicians have consistently demonstrated that they only care about Detroit when they’re looking for campaign contributions. That this calculated ugliness is compounded by the reactionary, juvenile hack who currently sullies the Oval Office makes it that much worse.

With the business waltzing to a pathetic two-step forward, five-back dance of mediocrity as part of its standard operating procedure, trying to establish a predictable cadence for what’s next is pure folly. It just can’t be done. And as the various CEOs and our own Governor make treks to the White House in order to explain how absolutely devastating these tariffs will be to our founding industry and the quality of life in this region, it has become apparent that their pleading means absolutely nothing. Why? Because the people charged with the stewardship of this country right now have a very limited capacity for understanding the real world, and zero empathy for anyone who falls out of their sphere of give-a-shit.

Pretending that the fundamental nature of this business isn’t precarious is not a value-added activity. It is, and it always has been. And as I’ve said previously, yes, as a town and as a region we do have a long way to go. But this is who we are, and this auto thing is what really matters to us. We don’t need sympathy, and the glossy stories that occasionally crop up are nice, but they will never define us, or what it’s really like to be here and be from around here.

 

As I said in my recent columns, the current administration has the U.S.-based automakers by the balls. Doing a redirect of plants, supply chains and suppliers, etc., is simply not feasible. There is no quick turnaround on offer, no quick fixes, no knee-jerk solutions due to the knee-jerk politicians currently wreaking havoc in Washington.” –March 18, 2025

“And now that the Stumblebum-in-Chief has gone ahead with his arbitrary and capricious tariffs, and in true dictator fashion has threatened the automakers with hell to pay if they have the temerity to raise prices because of those tariffs, the automakers find themselves immersed in a Shit Storm of gigantic proportions with no relief in sight. Oh, wait a minute, now he says "he couldn't care less" if the manufacturers raise prices. Good luck with trying to plan anything with this guy. And while I'm at it, hats off to the painfully short-term thinkers in the hierarchy of the UAW, who actually believe that these tariffs will benefit them somehow. As if. Wait until these automakers and their suppliers start cutting jobs and stopping production left and right. And then watch UAW operatives scream bloody murder when all of this turns to shit. Predictable and pathetic. –April 2, 2025

 

And, as I also said previously, if the current climate in Washington persists and this onslaught of abject stupidity continues unabated, then Detroit as we know it will not survive.

That was the deal on Detroit in March, and it remains the same in April. And there’s no reason whatsoever to think that this will change anytime soon.

ITOLDYOUSODOTFRICKINGCOM.

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.