With Two Billion Vehicles We Need More Automotive Podcasts Like This

The age of the U.S. auto fleet is at its highest level ever, and that makes Ford's marketing chief think that sales will continue to be strong, especially as shoppers see how much better and fuel-efficient new vehicles have become.

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If those sales do keep increasing, the world will end up with more than 2 billion vehicles in 2035, twice as many as today.

Los Angeles is perhaps the center of car culture in the U.S., so the L.A. Auto Show has become a place where car makers show off some very cool designs and significant new models. This year the Koreans and the Japanese dominated, with Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru and Toyota all revealing new models or cool concepts. We review the action, and recap my trip to the Seattle auto show.

A car full of the future.

One of the most significant vehicles in L.A. was the all-electric Chevrolet Spark, which also features integration with Apple's Siri. That makes Mathew wonder why Apple isn't making car infotainment systems yet.

Beyond entertainment, the next thing that auto electronics will do is tell you when you are tense and ask you to chill out. Toyota hopes some of its new technologies will prevent drivers from doing unintended things.

Finally, would you like a gas station at your house? If you have a natural-gas vehicle that may be possible and affordable.