Cars bring together people from various industries and help with the creation of marvelous stories. A good example that sustains this argument is nonother than Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra. He likes electrified cars, regrets the disappearance of a certain Chevrolet model, owns an old G-Wagen, and drives a Lucid Air. But that’s not all. Here’s what he has to say about Carroll Shelby!
When was the last time you thought about the Chevrolet Volt? The hybrid vehicle used an interesting recipe to power itself. Known as the range-extender propulsion system, it encompassed a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that served only as a generator and an electric motor that together made 149 HP (151 PS) and 294 lb-ft (298 Nm) of torque. The car was almost always operated by the electric motor. The engine kicked in only when the driver wanted to accelerate quickly.
This meant the gas engine was optimally used to charge up the 18.4-kWh battery. That’s why the all-electric range of around 50 mi (80 km) didn’t matter much. The car was always going to use the engine as efficiently as possible to add more kWh after the battery was depleted or temporarily help with accelerations. The total EPA-estimated mpg was 43 mpg (5.4 l/100km) for city driving.
But Chevrolet discontinued the vehicle in 2018, with the last vehicle leaving the assembly line in March 2019.
In an interview with Jason Stein, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra says he drives a four-year-old Chevy Volt every day which is also his favorite car. He’s even sad about it being discontinued by the carmaker. “I had three of them. (…) They’re terrific cars. But I do understand that it cost more to make them than they sold them for. But they’re just great cars. (…) I drive it to work every day,” said Vinciquerra.
He also owns a Lucid Air, an old G-Wagen that is rarely driven, and now waits to take delivery of a brand-new Corvette Z06.
In the fiscal year 2020, Sony Pictures had a revenue of over $7 billion. Its CEO still uses a Chevrolet Volt as his daily driver. That in itself is a story worth telling.
But the man also talks about his relationship with the great automotive designer and racing driver Carroll Shelby whom he calls “a very entertaining guy.” Vinciquerra also says he owned or drove almost all his cars. You can watch the interview down below to learn more.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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