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While out walking the dogs, I saw one of the new Amazon Rivian electric vans for the first time. Pretty cool.

A random spotting Pensacola, FL - I had never seen this vehicle by Chevrolet before ... a "City Express." The angled front driver and passenger windows made it look like something you'd see in Europe

Some pony car and sports car spotting Pensacola Beach, FL - "Smile, you're on C&G" ... I just know it's a Corvette ... I have a hard time telling the MYs apart "Treasure Coast" area, FL - here's a grumbling and rumbling Camaro of 1970 to 1973 vintage. I only liked from second-gen models from 1975 onward ... hey, there's a Wawa "Treasure Coast" area, FL - here's what is probably a 1988 (+/-) Ford Mustang convertible, with burgundy cloth bucket seats (cloth? in a convertible?) and a 5.0 (302 c.i.) V8

My second favorite Tina song ... also the title cut from a subsequent album: With respect to female vocalists, Tina seemingly owned the '80s and Donna Summer seemingly owned the '70s. The types of music were different, albeit both popular and mainstream, but it's the vocal horsepower that is unforgettable.

And it's insane that vehicles are, by far, more expensive than they've ever been, to just be disposable appliances.

Oh yes, just what I wanted. A 2024 Saturn SC Tesla hasn't gotten Gigacast fully operational and GM, VW, and several others have gotten those presses too. It's not a technology that will be unique to Tesla for more than a minute. There is a big downside to gigacasting though. It greatly increases the likelihood of a vehicle being totaled in an accident.

Tesla makes a great powertrain... I'll give them that. But the "This is nice for a mid-level Passat" interior by Ikea and used bar of soap exterior is what kills it for me. It's been proven that you can do aero and look amazing.

GM also has to counter @smk4565's wild claims of 'if' Cybertruck has better handling. Musk didnt think of crab walk. Like I said... He could have had an awesome toy AND and awesome truck had he put SERIOUS thought into revolutionizng American pick-up trucks. AND...he could have all THAT 2 years prior. He didnt. He let his ego and hubris dictate but alas, his mouth writes checks that his a$$ cant cash. And so GM beat him to the punch... So...GM comes along with a HUMMER EV and makes for a BETTER toy. GM takes this classic bad boy that GM make into a toy then adds the smaller version of said toy Both that were HUGE successes I might add and creates to ressurect the EV version But GM also KNOWS what truck buyers NEED so GM continues on IMPROVING their work trucks and ADDS crab walk TO their work trucks and crab walk now becomes a USEFUL tool in the workplace AND for offroading... But GM is not done... GM out-Musks' ludicrousness by adding FREEDOM mode Tesla has the right stuff as we speak. And is selling like crazy. HAs been selling like crazy since Tesla has been selling EVs. But...everybody is gonna be sellin' NEW EVs soon enough. GREAT EVs. Tesla has to contend with dated models. Albiet their cars are great technologically, their cars suffer from age and quality. And Musk hasnt announced ANY 2nd generation of ANY of its vehicles. Aside from the roadster but roadster's mean nothing when Porsche, Corvette Ferrari and all others are about to enter the EV zone... Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche ALL have brand recognition and their performance numbers equal Tesla's whether ICE or EV so moot point... Tesla has to contend with dated models. Refreshes wont cut it when BRAND new CUVs await the car buying public. Soon enough. When Tesla gets 2nd gen versions...the COSTS will shoot up again. You know...R&D. Renovations to the production factories to assemble the NEW vehicles... Tesla is making bank now when the cars are old and the R&D has been paid for. Lets wait to see the costs go up when NEW tooling is required and see what that does to thier BOTTOM LINE. And they will NEED to spend R&D money for NEW generations because the Model Y cannot sustain 1 million units as NEW FRESH models from OTHER OEMs arrive. Its the nature of the automotive business... Lets talk about THOSE 'ifs' shall we? The 'if' Tesla's 2nd generation of Model S will sell as compared to its competion vis-a-vis what the original Model S accomplished a decade ago. The 'if' Tesla's 2nd generation of Model 3 and Y will sell as compared to its competion vis-a-vis what the original Model 3 and Y accomplished almost a decade ago. And will the Model Y BE a best seller? The 'if' Tesla has learned to be efficient in producing WITHOUT quality hiccups with their 2nd generation models. The 'if' Tesla could get investors to invest untold BILLIONS again with a BLIND eye...

RIP Tina. @trinacriabob Yes! What a comeback! I INSTANTLY fell in love with her the very second I saw her video and listened to her song in 1984. My 11 year old self never knew she was a star before I was born. But I instantly knew that other awesome songs were to come. THAT video and song would be And my all time favorite song from her: And to no surprise about hearing her again and loving her, a duet with Bryan Adams is released and beomes another hit. Another song that I LOVE from her And with this next song, came a lyric that I still use today as an expression for me to announce my greatness to people. Especially when I was playing hockey and baseball but in my everyday life, I mock people with my arrogance of me being the best and better than all the rest. I point to the useless souls that I mock as I loudly say " I am better than ALL THE REST!!!" I am simply the best and BETTER than ALL THE REST!

You went to so much effort to construct… what is an opinion… in only the most technical sense of the word. It is almost entirely ?. Eventually, cost and physics will catch up with Elon's promises. The most range the Model X can manage is 348 miles. The Cybertruck is heavier and has much worse aero. Tesla will need to put nearly 100% more battery in the Cybertruck to get it to 500 miles. Can you imagine the costs of a double stacked Model X battery? It's not going to be the $70k version that gets that range, it's going to be the $130k version. GM will have 450 miles of range available in a truck at the bottom end of the Cybertruck's price range. For $80k, you'll be able to get a Silverado EV with 450 miles of range or a Cybertruck with likely around 350 or less. And just like on the Model-X, if you opt for the Plaid, you get a reduction in range... so Cybertruck won't be both 500 mile range and 2.9s acceleration. It will be one or the other. A $15k option. SuperCruise and BlueCruise are like $2,500. It's a truck, who cares? And GM has magnaride, the best shocks on the planet. GM has 4-wheel steering and even their ICE trucks turn well for their size. Already explained why unless it's an 8-foot bed, it doesn't matter. GM and eventually RAM win on this anyway because they have mid-gates. RAV-4 sales are up and there's waiting lists for the Plug-in. If you want to know who the Model-Y is stealing sales from, go look at the BMW and Mercedes sedan sales charts. LOL, they're not going to get 20% of the US market with a $70k base price. Keep in mind that "the truck market" includes the Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado, and Canyon which base in the high $20k range. You can buy two Tacomas for the price of one base Cybertruck. No one tell the Europeans, they've been buying Fords for years. The catch is that Europeans buy European Fords that are built in Europe. Tesla's explosion in sales there coincided with the construction of Berlin-Brandenburg. It also helps that EVs avoid the fuel taxes. The Euro companies are going to catch up to Tesla pretty easily.

I saw that picture and I immediately knew that I had to post it. JUST for you!!! I should have personalized the post to you, but... Its OK

The flexibility of Ultium means that they can offer "city" version of these trucks for a lower price. If I'm a commercial fleet master and Chevy can offer me a bunch of 2WD work trucks in 2WT trim with a 300 mile range that I never have to fuel and cut my maintenance costs way down, I think I'd seriously consider it. We have four 2wd V6 Ram Classics at work, but they almost never leave the 11 sq miles of the town. If I stay there long enough, I want to convince the public works director to put chargers in soon. GM never said what the lowest range of battery they would build for these trucks would be, it's always been shown as "up to" 400 miles, now 450 miles, of range.

Musk's mouth is known to write checks his a$$ cant cash.

The ICE Silverado today has: 4 engines, 2 transmissions, 5 bed/cab configurations, and 2 driveline configurations. (5 engines were available in 2022, the V6 was finally dropped from WT models) It has 8 trims (WT, Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, ZR2, High Country). Plus each of those trims have levels, like several levels of WT, the ZR2 Bison Edition, Several editions of LT, Sub-packages like Z71. Ford has even more with 8 trims, 3 cabs paired with 3 boxes, 2 drivelines, and I can't even get a clear answer on how many engines. (3.3 V6, 2.7 EB V6, 3.5 EB V6, 5.0 V8, 3.5-Hybrid, 3.5 HO V6 Raptor, 5.2 V8 Supercharged... the 3.0 V6 diesel was dropped, did I miss any?) and while all transmissions are 10-speed, they have a light-duty version, a heavy duty version (V8s and Raptor), and the hybrid version, so really it's 3 different transmissions. At the risk of beating a dead horse, Ram has 8 trims, 4 engines, several suspensions including air and not-air, 4 different sizes of infotainment system, several "special editions" that Ram loves to make.... and the Ram Classic is also still in production with a bunch of its own configurations. Nissan simplifies it for you by only offering trims configured certain ways, and if you don't like it, too bad. Before you even get to pick out a color, you have 17 different trim/bed/cab/driveline configurations to choose from. Luckily, you have only one choice of engine. Your list would be significantly less complex than the current situation. That said, I expect that the LT levels might be trimmed a bit, down to 2 or three. For example, LTZ might be dropped completely in favor of a High Country trim. Or we might not get a High Country at all. (though I hope we do)

Tesla has none of that. It's all still vaporware until the official specs are released. And even already, the Silverado has those vaperware specs beat with its own vaporware specs. The initial RST has a 10,000 lb tow rating, sure, but there will also be a tow package that takes it to 20,000 lbs. Comparing payloads doesn't tell the whole story. It's a legal definition rather than a technical one. If the Tesla Cybertruck keeps that 3,500 lbs payload, then it will have to be registered as a Class 3 truck, that's the same as a Silverado HD 3500 or Ford Super Duty F-350. That's not because of some amazing capabilities but because of its curb weight plus max payload rating. Having to register the Cybertruck as Class 3 means higher registration costs, higher tolls in many states, higher insurance costs, and higher inspection costs in many states. There is absolutely ZERO chance that Chevy engineered the Silverado EV to only have a 1,300 lb. payload. That's less than a Colorado. It's a sticker compliance rating so that buyers can register it as a Class 2, the same as a Silverado 1500. How do I know this? That the work truck will eventually be available with a 20,000 lb tow package gives it away. Towing requirements dictate that the tow hitch supports 10% of the trailer weight and 10% of 20,000 is 2,000. 2,000 is higher than the 1,300 lb. current payload rating of the RST. This tells me that all Chevy needs to do to make an HD version of the Silverado EV is swap out some badges and the GVWR compliance stickers. Chevy Silverado Payload Capacity Chart Year Silverado 1500 Silverado 2500HD Silverado 3500HD 2020-2021 1,750-2,280 pounds 3,614-3,900 pounds 4,353-4,572 pounds 2019 1,745-2,543 pounds 2,968-3,435 pounds 3,283-6,137 pounds 2017-2018 1,739-2,018 pounds 2,968-3,559 pounds 3,283-4,415 pounds 2016 1,734-1,990 pounds 2,967-3,559 pounds 3,305-6,288 pounds 2015 1,738-2,011 pounds 2,975-3,583 pounds 3,305-6,288 pounds Wonder why payload capacity went down on the newer trucks? It's not because the trucks got less capable, it's because their curb weight went up. GM had to down-rate them to maintain their legal classification. This is true across the industry. You've been told about this. Hummer had a stop sale while a battery issue was addressed. There are people still on the Hummer waiting list and deliveries have resumed. Lighting has a frunk (much larger than Tesla's), Silverado and Sierra both have a frunk and lockable storage. Silverado has a mid-gate. Locking beds are an option on all of them. As a truck owner, I can tell you there isn't much difference in a 5.5 to a 6.5 bed. In either case, long items will have to travel with the tailgate down. Bed length doesn't matter much in the incremental units until you hit 8 foot and can fit a full sheet of plywood back there and still close the gate. Something the Silverado can do with a short bed beacuse it has a mid-gate that the Cybertruck doesn't. For example, in the Lightning, Silverado EV, or Cybertruck I'd have to leave the tailgate down on all three to transport my motorcycle (7 feet) in the bed. So I'd rather take the more maneuverable and shorter bed. Do you really think people like my parents, who have been buying F-series pickups since the 1970s, are going to buy a funky-looking aluminum doorstop instead of going back to the Ford dealer? F-150 and Silverado/Sierra, and even Ram have some of the best brand retention in the US market. Cybertruck may win sales from newcomers to the truck market who are trading in a Telluride or X5, but I don't think Tesla will make many inroads into the legacy truck makers. Do I think Cybertruck will sell? Yes... but not at those numbers.

Sex sells. Did you hear me? Sex sells. - - - - - I'm just kidding. Enjoy. Every home in a northerly latitude needs one of those in the back yard.

You've read a sensationalist article that misinterprets a report from GM Authority. We already knew that the initial release was only going to be to fleet buyers, and those would be 3WT or 4WT trims only. But those are the two highest WT trims that Chevy will build. As production moves into 2024, the lower-level trims will arrive and get closer (but not hit exactly) that $40k price point. The article I'm assuming you read, or a variant of such, incorrectly implies that there will not be any Silverado EV trims below 3WT. You are correct about the price points for those trims, but not that those trims will be the lowest trims available. Yes, for consumers, only the RST will be available late this year, and likely only the first 100. I have an RST reserved, but not a launch edition. However, it's not the RST that I really want. Based on what I've seen so far, I'd want a Premier/LTZ/High Country or equivalent or the Trail Boss depending on what they do to the suspension. I'm aiming for 400-mile range, air suspension, and if I can swing it, Super Cruise. I don't need crab walk, 4-wheel steering or any of that. Just a 2025 EV version of my truck would be fine.

This picture is awesome and you can see Busch Stadium 3 (where my beloved Cardinals play) under construction in the upper left. By the looks of nothing being built up yet, this was taken in 2004, the year the Cardinals lost to the Red Sox in the World Series and I was only a freshman in high school. Ohhhh how time flies!

Good question. But if we go with Tesla precedence and not with Musk's lyin' words, the Cybertruck will probably be priced ABOVE GM and Ford... And a big NO to that regardless of where the Cybertruck is priced at. And do you know why? Ive ranted about this sort of thing on another thread. Its about normalizng EVs. Not subjuctating them to some irrelevant childish toy. Childish toy. The Ford Lightning has a plethora of actual work truck related features that NORMALIZE it as a legit electric vehicle work truck... If Elon wasnt so gung ho about saying that he wants to re-invent the pick-up truck, the Cyber truck works PERFECTLY as a childish toy for the rich folk. But the Cybertruck is NOT about BEING a childish toy you see. It is suppose to BE a legit work truck meant to revolutionize the American pick-up truck... The thing is, Ford actually put some thought into it and actually DID revolutionize the pick-up truck by NORMALIZING the Ligntning by it looking like an actual vehicle with some gosh darnit features... If Elon didnt go with a shock value design and Elon never went with useless with bullet proof windows for a work truck that didnt actually do any bullet proofing as per the ONLY advertising reveal it did and had Elon KEPT the stainless steel body and the some sort of magic frame and FOCUSED on ACTUALLY revolutionizing the work truck and put some thought into it, he would have done it. And if he actually DONE the Cybertruck as he said he would and actually RELEASING it 2 years ago, he WOULD HAVE HAD a GREAT childish toy. But he did NONE of those things. ZERO!!! And last but not least on my point to make. GM has MORE THAN a couple of electric trucks that will go on sale or that are on sale as of NOW that just do the childish toy a helluva lot better... To come shortly Eventually And just newly announced

What Im proposing doesnt mean that I want the Lyriq to be called Sedan deVille. What I am saying is that the name Lyriq doesnt reflect the idea of this particular CUV to be THE Cadillac that every hard working succesfull American strives to buy and drive. Sure, the Lyriq name suggests that Cadillac would be THE luxury brand that is most sung about, but its such an insignificant suggestion that actually, honestly, NOBODY gives a shyte about!!! This particular CUV/SUV should have had a name that INSPIRES hard working succesfull Americans to be PROUD of their Cadillac purchase. It has the looks. It has the goods.. It doesnt have the name.... And...the NAME is a HUUUUUGE part of it, in MOST cases in the automotive world.

Off-topic, but I saw my first one in the wild yesterday, and it's a really handsome vehicle.

You're the second person to mention $80k (the other was on Facebook). Where are you getting that number? The base truck with a 350-mile range was originally going to be $39,995 + delivery, only the top level 4WT will be $79k. I don't expect it will release at that price after 18 months of inflation, but even at 7% inflation, it's still at $42,700. I can see consumer-grade "LT" models clocking in at around $80k base and going up from there. I expect the Trailboss to be mid-80s. Going from an LT to a Trailboss costs about $5k in ICE models..

Maybe to counter Tesla’s Ludicris mode, they can have ‘Psychotiq’.

Saw a gorgeous silver blue ‘67 Thunderbird on Saturday, no vinyl top. Also saw a clean dark red ‘66 Impala ht at my new favorite ice cream/custard shop. The moving adventure continues. I took the week off from work, rented a Transit high roof today for the week. Drives pretty nicely, had to get used to the funky shifter.

I'm saddened by what I just read. It was reported that Tina Turner passed away today. I didn't know she had been sick. She was unstoppable. I thought she'd have a good many more years left. I was hoping she'd keep going and enjoy her later years living outside of Zurich, Switzerland. Many good songs on the album of the same name launching her new solo career, but the title cut up above is its best song, IMHO. What a comeback story! RIP Tina.

$80,000 is a lot for a work truck, but they may already have commercial fleet buyers lined up. Question is still how fast GM can scale these EV's up, analysts are predicting 76,000 this year which are mostly Bolts and about 328,000 next year. Although that probably puts them ahead of any of the Asian brands.

$79,800 is for the 450 mile WT and $74,800 for the 350 mile WT and those are fleet only pricing, not for retail. Retail customers only get the $100k RST this year. I don't think we will ever see a sub $45k Silverado EV. I don't see how they get a $74,000 retail truck down to $40k, even if you cut the battery down to 250 mile range, that is what, $10,000 worth? So the question is where will the Cybertruck price out? If Tesla beats Ford and GM on price, it is kind of game over for Ford and GM.