An Automotive Podcast for Automotive Podcasters

Being the largest auto maker has been VW's goal for the last few years and they claim they have moved up to number two, edging out GM. Or did they?

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But selling cars doesn't always mean profits. Ford and Fiat Chrysler seem to have figured out how to make money, even if they are far from the largest auto makers.

Tesla is surprising folks with its speed, including a Corvette driver at a drag race. Now the auto maker is looking to set a record, even if it is a questionable record.

VW massages its numbers

Snow has snarled the South. We can't blame anyone, but we can question, why it was so bad.

Apparently keeping all their old vehicles turns out to be expensive for car makers. We think that there are some better ideas for these.

And we have some other news. This will be the last GTSOTR podcast, as we look to create a new empire.

Research Says This Auto Podcast Is Attractive to Wealthy Drivers

We have a good debate about whether the U.S. government made a good investment in General Motors, as the Treasury sells most of its remaining stake, for a loss



There were several questionable "research" studies this week. The first claims that the government shutdown pushed used car prices lower.

This list is less questionable: Five vehicles that people in wealthy areas buy.

Do you think that a Tesla pick-up truck is reasonable. We debate it.

Apparently parking is at a premium, particularly parking spaces with plugs, and that is hampering adoption of electric vehicles.

According Audi's research, Americans don't even want electric vehicles, they would rather have diesels. Really?

Young people still want cars. Particularly ones they can customize. That goes against all the recent data we have seen.

Finally, the holiday season is coming and we both want a yacht pod. They are Italian. Enough said.

Don't Get Too Amorous While Listening to This Automotive Podcast While Driving

The end of year awards season kicked off with Motor Trend's Car of the Year: It's the 2014 Cadillac CTS.



How much do those awards boost sales? It's hard to say, but October auto sales remained strong in the U.S. and that demand pushed up transaction prices as well.

The SEMA show in Las Vegas is a place where you can see cars that won't ever get sold, at least not for road use.

The outrageous designs probably inspired J Mays in his younger days. The famous designer is now retiring from Ford.

Many of his designs ended up in car rental fleets. Hopefully, they are in the better rental car companies.

Highway deaths are on the decline again, with the number of traffic fatalities falling for the first six months of 2013.

There are lots of things that you can do behind the wheel, but should you? And why would you want to? One of those things is wear your Google Glass while driving, which might get you a ticket.

Drooling Over a Tesla Store

The other day I was killing time in the Short Hills, NJ mall when unbeknownst to me, I see my very first Tesla store.  Remember, this is not a dealership, this is simply a retail store that sells assorted Tesla Swag and where large touch screen computers on the wall connect you to their website where you can make an appointment to drive the all-electric vehicle or customize and order your very own.  The store will take your down payment and just a short time later your car will be delivered right to your home. According to the lady in the store, they've sold at least 500 across the Garden State (take that for what its worth).

I had already been intrigued by the Tesla, namely its all electric drive train that reduced the cost of regular maintenance as well eliminated the need fore regular (and often) expensive fill-ups at your local gas station.  But my fascination and interest in the car exploded after seeing this piece of American ingenuity up close and personal.

To your left you see a shot of the vehicles front trunk. Remember, this is an all electric vehicle and there are actually four individual motors that provide power to the wheels, so no big rig taking up the front of your car.  Plenty of storage right there for all your belongings.  This is obviously not the first car in the world that has front side trunk space, but its uncommon in the automotive world and a bit of treat.  Plus, this was in the days leading up to Halloween so the stash of pumpkins was quite nice.

As you circle this vehicle, you think, oh wow, could there be trunks? Plural to this seemingly small vehicle?  It is and that means you can carry a lot of stuff and not have to worry about all of that precious cargo space you lose if you downsize from a crossover or SUV to this sedan.  But the option they were highlighting is this Model S was even cooler and hearkens back to the days of station wagons and long drives with the family.  That's right, rear facing seats in the trunk provide kids a safe and alternate view of the road.  It also gives drivers behind you the chance to be taunted by kids staring into your eyes as you drive.  Awesome feature for the Tesla owner, a little creepy for everyone else on the road who has the awkward experience of making direct eye contact with someone else while they are driving down a highway.

All right Elon Musk, you have managed to turn my youthful and geeky curiosity for your all electric vehicles into a a consumer who sees both the value and practicality of your alternative technology transportation device.

Now its time to go inside the ride and be able to fantasize first hand what it would be like to own this piece of future tech.  Right away, you can see where Tesla's Silicon Valley based ingenuity has made this vehicle completely different from its competition that probably originated in Detroit, Korea, Japan, Germany or one of the other popular auto producing regions of the world.  The first thing you notice is the giant monitors that make up the dashboard and infotainment system.  Already you start to feel like you a piloting a piece of future technology that could have been featured in your favorite sci-fi thriller.

I didn't have too much time to actually go through and see how customizable the interfaces can be but I'm guessing its pretty solid.  My one caveat/concern would be the all touchscreen controls which I have argued lately can be distracting while driving but that's not going to be a dealbreaker today.


The next thing I noticed when I actually sat down in the car is just how much bigger it is insider the cab when

A) There's no axle running under the car and therefore no raised section between the two seats

B) (More importantly) The gear shift is a tiny control off the steering while with options for only D, R and N, leaving the space between the driver and the passenger completely unoccupied.  Its amazing how this one small change can make the interior of the car feel 100x bigger.

All that being said, there are still plenty of legitimate concerns when it comes to this vehicles practicality in every day life beyond the hefty price tag.   I myself have to immediately take it out of consideration because I don't live somewhere with access to a plug and I often find myself driving more than the 200 mile range where stopping to juice up would be more hassle than its currently worth.  But, I hope in time that the battery technology improves to greatly increase the vehicles range, quick charging becomes as common finding an air pump and I move somewhere that would accommodate a plug because I am pretty certain I want to own one of these cars.

Congrats Elon Musk, I can't wait to see what changes and other creations you have in store for us.


~MP

An Automotive Podcast Designed to Fit in Any Type of Vehicle

Auto makers around the world are feeling good and reaping trunkfuls of money, as demand continues to grow. Ford, Daimler and Hyundai -- each from a different continent -- all had extremely profitable third quarters.


But don't call Ford a rusty old auto maker, it considers itself a tech firm now.

That's not unusual. Technology is allowing all car makers to speed the design process, quickly improve or correct flaws and perhaps soon print out parts instead of machining them.

New technology could be what is helping auto makers create vehicles that accommodate more body types and sizes in greater comfort.

Nothing much new in the color department, with white, silver and black continuing to dominate the hues of new car lots.

Not the optimal design for this driver

Car color isn't something that kids these days care about. But neither do they care about driving or owning cars, apparently because they can't afford them.

Perhaps if they made driver testing a game, that would lead to more teenage drivers.

Perhaps app-powered slot cars, which are cool for kids and for some car podcasters, will drive even more interest in cars.

Feel like you are getting bad recommendations from your mechanic, ask for a video of your repair.

But don't ask car people for car buying recommendations, they are lousy at it.

Plug In This Automotive Podcast to Hear Some of Our Favorite Worthless Features

Drivers who are renting cars are choosing not to try electric cars. While the industry has added many electric vehicles to rental fleets, the belief is that range anxiety is limiting demand.


While short range may be an issue for electric vehicles, loan ranges appear to be increasing for many buyers, which might be a bad thing for the economy and auto sales.

GM is experimenting with online sales, but dealers are wary of it hurting their sales.

These rarely work

Some cars are zipping off of lots, while others languish. Here is a list of 10 vehicles that are sitting for a long time on dealer lots.

Toyota hopes it's new systems will bring nearly autonomous vehicles to the market much sooner than most other auto makers plan.

There are still some car technologies that aren't really worthwhile. Here is another list.

Finally, Alfred Morris got his car back and it's really better than new.