This Automotive Podcast Is Not Distracted by Tepid Car Sales or New Taxes

There were no surprises in February auto sales, nor is it surprising that a recent study supported by Zipcar found that phones are more important to young people than cars.

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While in Florida, David spotted several rare Chevrolet Captivas, which are selling well enough to get a refresh. But that's not a vehicle which would help improve Consumer Report's brand rating, which was released and the Japanese brands did the best, as usual.

Infotainment systems were some of the reason that American brands didn't do well. But GM is hoping that adding 4G services will help drive demand.

That might add more to the average cost of a vehicle, which according to one study is already more than most people in the U.S. can afford. Speaking of costs, the loss of gas-tax revenue is enough that states like Oregon are looking to charge more taxes for electric vehicles. That might be enough to dent sales, but probably not as much as the bad NYTimes article did to Tesla.

Speaking of bad news, Hyundai and Kia are looking to settle all the outstanding lawsuits related to their  sloppy fuel-economy numbers.

New parents, specifically moms, are the most distracted drivers. Teens are probably second on that list, and that might account for an increase in teen driver deaths.

Finally, Los Angeles is synchronizing all of its traffic lights to speed people along and save energy.