Sunday
Apr062025
APRIL 9, 2025
Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 07:08AM 
The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo.
The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG
(GM Design Photos)
General Motors has expanded its global design studio footprint with the official opening of a new advanced design studio in Royal Leamington Spa, about 20 miles from Birmingham, England. In connection with the opening, GM revealed an advanced design study Chevrolet Corvette concept car developed by the UK team as part of a global design project involving multiple studios that will see additional Corvette concepts revealed throughout 2025.
The studio opening also provided a first glimpse of a GMC concept vehicle to be revealed later in 2025, developed in partnership with the GMC design team in Detroit. GM’s design teams regularly work on conceptual design studies that are intended to drive ideation, innovation, and collaboration across the company. With the opening of the UK studio, GM continues to demonstrate its commitment to Europe as the company scales its Cadillac electric vehicle business there, while also preparing to launch Corvette sales across the UK and mainland Europe.
The UK design studio is an integral part of GM’s global design footprint, providing valuable insights into European customer and cultural trends and introducing new talent and fresh perspectives into GM’s global network. GM’s global design footprint also spans studios in Detroit, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Seoul.
The UK studio is led by Julian Thomson, a deeply experienced automotive designer who has worked with some of the industry’s most recognized brands. The 24,584-square-foot Royal Leamington Spa studio, which employs more than 30 designers and creative team members, is outfitted for both digital and physical clay model development.
"Our advanced design team’s mandate extends well beyond creating production vehicles," said Michael Simcoe, senior VP of global design. "While they collaborate within our global design network on production and concept vehicle programs, these teams are primarily tasked with imagining what mobility could look like five, 10, and even 20 years into the future and driving innovation for GM."
The Corvette nameplate has long been leveraged to introduce experimental cars, concepts and prototypes that push the boundaries of automotive design and engineering, and the new UK design concept is no exception. While there is no production intention behind this concept, the GM UK Design team undertook this exercise to rethink what a Corvette could be with a true blank-page approach.
“As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we’ll see more of later this year,” Simcoe said. “It was important that they all pay homage to Corvette’s historic DNA, but each studio brought their own unique creative interpretation to the project. That is exactly what our advanced design studio network is intended to do – push the envelope, challenge convention and imagine what could be.”
The UK team’s concept subtly incorporates Corvette’s iconic design heritage into a futuristic aesthetic focused on clean forms and muscular shapes. The design draws inspiration from the aviation industry, both in the sculptural and functional elements.
“One of the most unusual and significant aspects of our concept’s design is a feature known as Apex Vision,” said Thomson. “A nod to Corvette’s centerline focus, and inspired by the iconic ‘split window’ 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, this feature emphasizes a singular vertical central spine that is also a structural element, also providing a panoramic view of the road and surroundings.”
(Genesis Images)
Genesis unveiled the X Gran Coupe Concept and the X Gran Convertible Concept at the Seoul Mobility Show 2025 in Goyang, Korea. The X Gran Coupe Concept and the X Gran Convertible Concept are derivatives of Genesis’ flagship model, the G90. Both concepts "demonstrate the brand’s future position as an emotional luxury brand through distinct typologies," according to Genesis PR minions. “Each concept car is a unique expression of Genesis’ luxury ethos designed to provide a sophisticated and immersive driving experience,” said Ilhun Yoon, Head of the Genesis Design Center in Seoul.
The studio opening also provided a first glimpse of a GMC concept vehicle to be revealed later in 2025, developed in partnership with the GMC design team in Detroit. GM’s design teams regularly work on conceptual design studies that are intended to drive ideation, innovation, and collaboration across the company. With the opening of the UK studio, GM continues to demonstrate its commitment to Europe as the company scales its Cadillac electric vehicle business there, while also preparing to launch Corvette sales across the UK and mainland Europe.
The UK design studio is an integral part of GM’s global design footprint, providing valuable insights into European customer and cultural trends and introducing new talent and fresh perspectives into GM’s global network. GM’s global design footprint also spans studios in Detroit, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Seoul.
The UK studio is led by Julian Thomson, a deeply experienced automotive designer who has worked with some of the industry’s most recognized brands. The 24,584-square-foot Royal Leamington Spa studio, which employs more than 30 designers and creative team members, is outfitted for both digital and physical clay model development.
"Our advanced design team’s mandate extends well beyond creating production vehicles," said Michael Simcoe, senior VP of global design. "While they collaborate within our global design network on production and concept vehicle programs, these teams are primarily tasked with imagining what mobility could look like five, 10, and even 20 years into the future and driving innovation for GM."
The Corvette nameplate has long been leveraged to introduce experimental cars, concepts and prototypes that push the boundaries of automotive design and engineering, and the new UK design concept is no exception. While there is no production intention behind this concept, the GM UK Design team undertook this exercise to rethink what a Corvette could be with a true blank-page approach.
“As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we’ll see more of later this year,” Simcoe said. “It was important that they all pay homage to Corvette’s historic DNA, but each studio brought their own unique creative interpretation to the project. That is exactly what our advanced design studio network is intended to do – push the envelope, challenge convention and imagine what could be.”
The UK team’s concept subtly incorporates Corvette’s iconic design heritage into a futuristic aesthetic focused on clean forms and muscular shapes. The design draws inspiration from the aviation industry, both in the sculptural and functional elements.
“One of the most unusual and significant aspects of our concept’s design is a feature known as Apex Vision,” said Thomson. “A nod to Corvette’s centerline focus, and inspired by the iconic ‘split window’ 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, this feature emphasizes a singular vertical central spine that is also a structural element, also providing a panoramic view of the road and surroundings.”
(Toyota)
Toyota is Introducing the GR Supra MkV Final Edition at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. The MkV Final Edition Features Optimized Tuning, Improved Braking and Chassis and Suspension Updates. 3.0 and 3.0 Premium Grades Available and all grades Offer 382HP with 368 lb-ft. of Torque.
(Genesis Images)Genesis unveiled the X Gran Coupe Concept and the X Gran Convertible Concept at the Seoul Mobility Show 2025 in Goyang, Korea. The X Gran Coupe Concept and the X Gran Convertible Concept are derivatives of Genesis’ flagship model, the G90. Both concepts "demonstrate the brand’s future position as an emotional luxury brand through distinct typologies," according to Genesis PR minions. “Each concept car is a unique expression of Genesis’ luxury ethos designed to provide a sophisticated and immersive driving experience,” said Ilhun Yoon, Head of the Genesis Design Center in Seoul.
(GM Design/Cadillac images)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: I've decided to revisit Cadillac's Opulent Velocity Concept, which GM Design presented last August. I wasn't particularly kind to it at the time, but upon further review, I decided to give it another look. First of all, I admit that the name was and still is a nonstarter for me. Cadillac PR minions called the concept "a pure expression of innovative design and prestigious performance. By combining advanced technology with bespoke luxury, the concept represents the future vision of electric performance for Cadillac V-Series." That's all well and good, but this was the first Cadillac concept from GM Design in more than two decades that didn't wear a proper name, and I feel it hurt this concept immeasurably. Cadillac's PR minions went on to say that, "The Opulent experience imagines the personal freedom that full autonomous mobility could enable." And, "The Velocity experience provides the user with the maximum thrill of a hypercar vehicle, while keeping the sense of luxury that has become synonymous with Cadillac V-Series." Again, all well and good, but it does a terrible disservice to this concept to hang a positioning statement on it in lieu of a name, which was a major misstep by the operatives involved with the project. As for the concept itself, if I remove the tedious nomenclature from the equation, it's actually is exceedingly good. So, there's that. Is it as impactful as the Cadillac SOLLEI Concept? Not even close, but the SOLLEI is simply the most beautiful Cadillac concept to come out of GM Design in history, so it was an impossible task to eclipse it. -PMD
The Cadillac SOLLEI Concept.
The AE Song of the Week:
"Panama" by Van Halen.* Watch the Official Music Video here.
*Panama is a country in Central America famous for its canal, but it has nothing to do with this song. The lyrics are about a stripper David Lee Roth met in Arizona. As he explained on The Howard Stern Show, the song came about after an interview Roth gave in the early '80s; the interviewer accused him of only writing lyrics about sex, drugs, and fast cars. Sometime either during or after the interview, Diamond Dave realized he'd never actually written a song about fast cars, so he started working on the lyrics to "Panama," which he later admitted in another interview that, as it turns out, he had been writing about a stripper he knew without realizing it. The finished lyrics were inspired by both the stripper and the car. "Panama" was one of the last Van Halen songs recorded with David Lee Roth as lead singer before he left the band to go solo. With Roth at the helm, the group built a huge following with five albums released from 1978-1982. They took a little more time before issuing their sixth, 1984, early in 1984. With the synth-driven lead single, "Jump," they landed a #1 hit and crossed over to a much wider audience, but they didn't leave their core fans behind. The rocker "I'll Wait" was the next single, followed by "Panama," which left no doubt where the group's priorities lay (girls, guitars, cars). "Hot For Teacher" was the last single, keeping the group on the airwaves throughout 1984.
With Roth gone, Van Halen entered a new era with lead singer Sammy Hagar. Their first album with him was 5150, released in 1986. Hagar's lyrics were more mature but still rocked. Hits from that album include "Dreams" and "Why Can't This Be Love?" Roth reunited with the band in 2007; they released their last album, A Different Kind of Truth, in 2012.
The car David Lee Roth drives in the video is from his own collection. It's a 1951 Mercury convertible (with four doors) christened the "California Girl." It later appeared in his video for "California Girls."
In the video, Michael Anthony plays a bass shaped like a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey, which the company custom made for him. This was a product placement coup, since MTV had a strict policy against advertising within videos - they made ZZ Top remove a shot of Schlitz beer from one of their clips before they would air it. By integrating the product into Anthony's bass, there was no good way to remove it, and MTV wasn't about to turn down a Van Halen video in 1984.
During the bridge, after David Lee Roth says, "I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off it," you can hear the sound of a car revving in the background. The car is Eddie Van Halen's 1972 Lamborghini Miura S, a gift from his wife, Valerie Bertinelli, when they got married.
"Panama" was one of the first songs recorded at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 studios. "5150" is California police code for a mentally unstable person causing a disturbance. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
With Roth gone, Van Halen entered a new era with lead singer Sammy Hagar. Their first album with him was 5150, released in 1986. Hagar's lyrics were more mature but still rocked. Hits from that album include "Dreams" and "Why Can't This Be Love?" Roth reunited with the band in 2007; they released their last album, A Different Kind of Truth, in 2012.
The car David Lee Roth drives in the video is from his own collection. It's a 1951 Mercury convertible (with four doors) christened the "California Girl." It later appeared in his video for "California Girls."
In the video, Michael Anthony plays a bass shaped like a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey, which the company custom made for him. This was a product placement coup, since MTV had a strict policy against advertising within videos - they made ZZ Top remove a shot of Schlitz beer from one of their clips before they would air it. By integrating the product into Anthony's bass, there was no good way to remove it, and MTV wasn't about to turn down a Van Halen video in 1984.
During the bridge, after David Lee Roth says, "I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off it," you can hear the sound of a car revving in the background. The car is Eddie Van Halen's 1972 Lamborghini Miura S, a gift from his wife, Valerie Bertinelli, when they got married.
"Panama" was one of the first songs recorded at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 studios. "5150" is California police code for a mentally unstable person causing a disturbance. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
