And the Aluminum Medal for Automotive Podcasts Goes to ...

What's the story with car sales? Well, it depends on what you read. WSJ says U.S. auto makers struggled against the resurgent Japanese brands that suffered with inventory issues last July. Autoblog says that most car makers did fine when you consider there were two fewer selling days this year. GM may be boosting sales with subprime loans.

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Smart and Mini had strong months, probably because gas prices remained high, and that could also be helping Volkswagen sell so many diesels.

In whatever the Italian word for irony is: Chrysler is now helping push Fiat -- which bought it at it's nadir two years ago -- to a profit.

Gas prices remain high.

Consumers remain frustrated with gas mileage numbers and now Hyundai is getting sued for it's Elantra 40-mpg claims.

Fuel taxes are always a sticky subject, but San Francisco is considering an even more absurd tax plan that would require them to track how much people drive.

The folks who drive lightly used luxury cars should consider trading them in right now to get the best value.

Farmers are finding that genetically modified crops are creating problems for their farm equipment tires.

Perhaps GM can use it's experimental pedestrian detection technology to avoid pointy stalks.

Apparently, child-detection systems for harried parents aren't as effective as NHTSA would like. Or at all.

Finally, when you think of Winter Olympics you think of Russia, but how about road rage? Or wheeled bobsleds.

Podcasting Like We're Inside the Comedians Camaro

Car sales for June were strong and leasing has been making a comeback with buyers, dealers and auto makers as values help drive down the cost compared with purchasing.

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Batmobile documentary

One company that isn't offering many deals is Hyundai, which is just about turning buyers away because they are limiting production.

The Volt may have had a slow start in the market, but it's catching on, with nearly 100 million miles driven by all Volts almost two-thirds are battery powered.

Technology is catching up with dealers as well, as one Audi shop putting in a fancy immersive system to drive sales. Drivers are also getting better gizmos, with a new device from Parrot that promises to be an in-car concierge.

OnStar is now helping RelayRides, a car-sharing service, make it easier to offer it's service. It's just one example of how location-based technology and apps are improving transportation.

The cure for car apathy among kids? Lego cars.

Finally, two new car-related shows: A Batmobile documentary and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, look interesting.

An Automotive Podcast That You Can Share with Friends And Won't Cost A Lot To Repair

Car sales are coming and they are looking good. Forecasts are calling for June to show the highest auto sales in five years. (Sort of)

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Those strong sales could be the result of high-quality vehicles. The latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study shows that the car industry has reached an all-time high in overall quality with its 2012 model year, improving 5% overall, presenting fewer defects and problems than ever.

Honda and Mercedes-Benz are the two strongest auto brands in America according to its survey of more than 38,000 people.

America will halve its reliance on Middle East oil by the end of this decade and could end it completely by 2035 thanks to declining demand and the rapid growth of new petroleum sources in the Western Hemisphere, energy analysts now anticipate.

A new report ranking average state-by-state repair costs to correct check engine lights, shows that Wyoming leads the nation.

Would you use a social media app and find a stranger to be your personal taxi/limo service.  That's the goal of the new Sidecar App that David will be testing this week.

Loyally Raising the Podcast Standards

Loyalty is vital to auto makers success and Hyundai, which as we have discussed, continues to roll, with the highest retention rate for its owners.

Owners have also been more loyal to their vehicles, driving up the average age of cars and trucks on the road to a record 10.8 years old.

Get away from Prius camper.

One reason that could be so high is that people are driving less due to the stumbling economy and perhaps higher gas prices.

But higher gas prices and and the increase in CAFE standards coming in 13 years will probably cost drivers more, at least initially, but could save money in the longer run. Dealers are very concerned. Are you?

Speaking of concerned, Detroit is a place where you need to be concerned about the safety of your car, but police aren't increasing the patrols, they are just banning parking on the street.

Finally, need to get away. How about a Prius camper? It's hideous.

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Bob Lutz Would Perfect This Podcast Since It's About Autos

Bob Lutz is the man. Really. He confirms this in a very long and interesting essay in WSJ recently, by saying that an autocratic style is the kind of leadership needed to be successful in the auto industry.

Note the license plate. Healthy car.

We wonder if Mr. Lutz takes care of his car better than he takes care of his health. Most men polled in a recent study take better care of their cars than themselves.

We've been seeing more Nissan Leafs on the road these days, and now a Seattle-area blogger has found that the auto maker's optional Carwings data service has a loophole that could allow someone to track a vehicle through an RSS feed.

Toyota is hard at work on the next version of the Prius. Coming in the next edition, the ability to turn on and off the all-electric operation.

Did you just get in an accident? Bad news. At least you can now use your smartphone to file the insurance claim.

Speaking of accidents, some vistors to David's neck of the woods followed their GPS right into a slough, which is the West-Coast word for swamp. I hope they grabbed their smartphones as they jumped out of the sinking Mercedes SUV.

Perhaps those drivers will buy a Hyundai to replace their waterlogged Mercedes. The Korean auto maker is ramping up production further as it seeks to top 600,000 in annual sales.

Finally, we discuss art cars, which are usually old, ugly quirky vehicles that have been tiled or painted or sequined for use in parades in kooky places like Seattle's Fremont Fair.

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Hyundai's iPad Owners Manual One More Step Towards Luxury Brand?

David and I recently talked about Hyundai possibly creating a luxury brand under the name Genesis. Whether or not they actually create a separate brand, they are making themselves competitive in the luxury segment. Evidence of this is clear with the Hyundai Equus' new owners manual, a fully interactive app preloaded on a 16gb Apple iPad that comes with the car. The video (which I found while scrolling through engadget.com) is fairly impressive.



Not just text and corny diagrams in ebook format, but an actual app that looks pretty slick.


Im just wondering if Hyundai could at least release a Tucson owners manual even if they dont provide me with the tablet computer to read it on.

Do Toyota's Recent Troubles and Sales Slump Remind You of GM?

While I haven't been blaming Toyota for all of the panic and fear around the faux unintended acceleration claims, this article about the auto maker's recent troubles did remind me of General Motors in the late '90s and then just before the bottom dropped out and it went bankrupt.

Hyundai's new Elantra may eat the Corolla's lunch.

The recent sales slide can surely be attributed to the fact that other than the Prius and some Lexus models, the rest of its lineup is pretty boring. This was equally true of GM a few years back when it let its passenger car lineup go stagnant while it focused on profitable, crude and oversized SUVs. Like a bad gambler, GM kept rolling the dice on SUVs and pickups and then could only watch as the market's tastes shifted back to cars as gas prices rose.

The revamped Hyundai Elantra that got a very good review from Autoblog this week makes the current Toyota Corolla look stodgy and plain. Add to the fact that it will probably be a better value than the Corolla and at this point the Korean brand has a better reliability reputation than Toyota, means things aren't going to improve very soon.

Of course, Toyota is still profitable and has new leadership that appears determined to reverse the current slide. But it takes years to refresh a model lineup and its possible the designs coming from Toyota in the near future may reflect the hubris and lack of inspiration seen recently.

While I think a GM-style debacle is unlikely, it may be a slow slide to a less-significant position in the market for Toyota.

What do you think?

This Rebranded Luxury Podcast Comes With Mud Flaps

Is Hyundai's brand upscale enough for you? No? Then perhaps the auto maker's plan to develop a new luxury brand will meet with your approval. We spend a long time debating the positives and negatives of the idea.

Nice mud flaps. Will they fit a BMW?

What Hyundai hopes to have is the same problem that some other luxury-car brands: Strong demand and tight supplies according to WSJ's Joe White. But can you get a Mercedes with mud flaps?

Electric vehicles are just hitting the market for consumers, but businesses are getting more interested in electric trucks because of the potential cost savings, even after higher purchase prices.

People looking to get a good test drive going before buying an electric vehicle can charge down to Hertz right away. Meanwhile, Chrysler and it's parent company Fiat are considering offering natural gas vehicles, leveraging the Italian company's existing expertise.

John DeLorean was an expert in cars and a colorful character and now there are rumors about a biopic starring George Clooney.

Speaking of colors, we have this year's update on the most popular vehicle hues and there is a race developing between silver and black for supremacy.

Safety is also all the rage, and now NHTSA is considering mandating back-up cameras in all cars later in the decade.

Finally, a Belgian group has developed a smartphone app designed to get drivers to slow down. Mathew gave it a test drive and found a few glitches.

GetThisShowOnTheRoad, December 8, 2010.mp3

Among Our 10 Best Podcasts, Cheap to Insure With High Efficiency Listening

The EPA finally got its efficiency on and gave ratings to the all-electric Nissan Leaf. We discuss the numbers and the tradeoffs.

The Leaf didn't make Car & Driver's Ten Best list, but the Chevrolet Volt did. As did some other usual suspects, but Hyundai continued to garner awards by placing the Sonata sedan on the list.
That roll continues in Europe, where Hyundai-Kia topped Toyota in sales numbers for the first time.
Meanwhile the Genesis, both sedan and coupe, are selling strongly, according to a recent report.

In Europe, small cars are the thing and while they are catching on in the U.S., sometimes auto makers have to get creative to sell compacts. That's what Fiat is doing with the coming 500. But with almost half a million potential option combinations are there too many. Will dealers be smart about what they order?

They should, because a J.D. Power survey found that price is less important to car shoppers than how they are treated by the dealer.

One place where drivers can save money is through insurance, and buying a vehicle that is cheap to insure. The secret: stick with minivans and boring cars.

GM's blue logo must have been getting boring, since the revived auto maker is de-emphasizing it.

Finally, Top Gear USA premiered this week. David watched and reviewed, one of the 1.9 million mostly men who tuned in. Mathew didn't and now has some homework for next week.

GetThisShowOnTheRoad, November 24, 2010.mp3

Drinking and Driving Without a Helmet to Celebrate GM's IPO (and Mathew's Birthday)

GM is going big with its IPO, hoping to cash in on strong demand by raising the price and increasing the size.

The Chevrolet Volt is just about ready to hit the streets. The one thing missing: A fuel-economy sticker from the EPA.

Perhaps the Volt will help continue the trend of higher fuel economy across the industry, and lower emissions.

Watch out. Wear a helmet.

One company pushing efficiency is Hyundai and they are expecting gains the overall auto sales and their sales in 2011.

Tweeting to drive sales might help, as Toyota and some other car makers are experimenting with.

In Los Angeles, some new designs and cool concepts are on display at the auto show. Autoblog has some excellent coverage from LA.

Perhaps a new Meter Maid car is what you might want to drive. WSJ has a fun piece on a mini-trend of people buying retired parking patrol machines.

Those three-wheelers don't need a helmet, but the NTSB is saying there should be mandatory motorcycle helmet laws across the U.S.

MADD is looking to force drivers to prove to their cars they aren't drunk to get the engine to start. Really.

Finally, more old people are getting behind the wheel. Mainly because people are just getting older.

GetThisShowOnTheRoad, November 18, 2010.mp3

Steal This Podcast! (Auto Sales Thrive, David's New Ride)

The calendar has rolled around to another month so that means car sales are here. Our favorite story line. Last year's numbers were skewed by the hugely successful Cash for Clunkers program. Even so, July auto sales were fairly strong with larger vehicles getting a boost and small car sales slipping compared with last year.

Cadillac sales topped the list in terms of percentage gains but buyers of the giant Escalade beware, the Highway Loss Data Institute says it gets the highest rate of theft claims. But Volvo's S80 doesn't get stolen much, no surprise.

China's 3D Express Coach 

If you are looking for something safe, and probably less desirable for thieves, then check out Consumer Reports' list of ideal vehicles for teens and senior citizen drivers.

We know that teens like the Internet and they may be helping Nissan's Leaf win the search battle over the Chevrolet Volt. The all-electric Leaf is still getting most of the attention from Web searchers.

China is considering a cleverly designed bus that is jacked up to ride over traffic. Smart yes, realistic, probably not.

Finally, David is getting a new set of wheels. Listen in for the details and check back on the blog for photos and reviews.

GetThisShowOnTheRoad August 4, 2010.mp3