In this newsletter, youโll read about why itโs equally silly for an automaker to show off a minimalist sculpture as it is to build overweight vehicles โsustainablyโ.
My energy level today has been up and downโmostly downโmore on this for subscribers!
contโd below
Pu+Ra Zero = Pure + Radical Zero โข via Lancia
Lancia.
I wonder what other Stellantis employees think when a brand like Lancia can hold multiple events with classic cars previewing a relaunch. On the day, thereโs a nipโd and tuckโd logo, a fou-fou design language, and a giant key fob. None of those three items are carsโin case Iโm not being clearโno matter how effervescent Micalized Blue looks inside the Mad Hatterโs second dining room.
(Meanwhile, the moneymaking Jeep staff are enjoying less sunlight in Michigan, longer hours, and IBS flare-ups from styrofoam-encased takeout hastily eaten between meetings about supply issuesโฆ)
Let it end here and now. Automakers, I beg you. This never works.
We all want the same things. Everyone LOVES Lancia. We want Lancia to succeed. We even have money to buy Lancias!
But first, thereโs this thing called showing off a car to buy. Then people Venmo 55,000 Royal Simoleans or whatever it is Lancia will charge, and skilled Lancia workers make A Thing!
Allowing the long shadow of past greats to dictate Lanciaโs current ethos doesnโt make sense to meโthe brand has one exit plan (as I see it) and this ainโt it.
Crafting these narratives on classic cars, building to a launchโthen showing a giant ergonomic computer mouseโis like having a fashion show by pushing the clothing racks onto the stage. OhโฆI clap now?
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Style, distinctiveness, fashionโฆtheyโre all subjective, driven by trends, sure, however not immediately fruitful if youโre an exec trying to sell cars. Brace for a continued period of courtship between Lancia and a mirage of style, influence, elegance. No doubt with compelling, enjoyable professional events, and plenty of handshakes.
Lancia builds cars. To rebuild a car brand you must firstโฆbuild cars. Chicken then egg: pollo, poi uovo.
Whatever comes out wonโt be good enoughโbut thatโs OK, youโre Lancia! You are driven by the fire to perform, and miraculously, maybe, thereโs still someone left over from 1974 who can gently articulate (and wildly gesticulate) why itโs important you simply MAKE SOME CARS.
You are Lancia. Lancia began by building cars for racers and enthusiasts. Engineering and quality are features sorely missed from modern vehiclesโboth combined is, in large part, why Lanciaโs style is so rooted in utilitarian elements. Box flares. Vents. Flaps. Driving lamps (fog lights).
To paraphrase Lanciaโs history, how else can a maker build a high-performance, driverโs machine without those elements?
Lancia could be slugging it out with Polestar for premium EV supremacy, and instead the brand is stuckโfor whatever reasonโholding tea parties for toboggans.
Iโm convinced pros like Jean-Pierre Plouรฉ and his design staff know where Lancia is going. Weโre all rooting for you. So letโs skip the executive lounge and get there on a direct flight next timeโฆ
Thereโs an Amazon company fan and employeeโseriously, stay with me hereโwho has been vlogging his experiences with various (Amazon) delivery vehicles. From mishaps during the day to spotting semi-autonomous delivery robots, Friday Adventure Club has made his channel pretty much all about Amazon.
A bit strange for a creator, but heyโif you want to know EVERYTHING about the Amazon delivery vans made by Rivian, this is what to watch. Not only will you immediately start scouring auction sites for used examples, but now youโll have a better idea of how one of the largest companies on earth is integrating EVs onto its routes.
From what Iโve seen, Rivian is producing the most clever delivery vanโฆever?