This Automotive Podcast Is Efficient Enough to Not Get Caught in Traffic

The advertising overdrive that was the Super Bowl featured several auto makers vying for attention. We go through the best and the worst of the commercials, which of course leads us to a discussion of Dodge Ram and Jeep's efforts.

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The goal of those ads is awareness and ultimately sales, and given that sales incentives were down in January, perhaps not as much money was needed for those fancy ads.

Too lazy to plug it in?

One place where more money is going is toward gasoline. While the overall fuel economy of the new-car fleet has gone up, the price of gasoline has pushed up the percentage that families pay to drive each year.

Much of that fuel goes to engines that are idling in traffic, particularly in these cities where you should budget hours for trips that should take minutes.

Fuel economy suffers in all kinds of engines while stuck in traffic, but Consumer Reports says the batch of new smaller turbo engines aren't as efficient as auto makers claim. Perhaps induction charging can help drive demand for electric cars because it eliminates the need for the cord.

Finally, a daft driver in Ireland tries to thwart the boot.

Be Perceptive, Catch The Buzz On This Automotive Podcast

The year in car sales started off strong with January auto sales posting strong gains compared with both the year earlier and December. There were few surprises in the numbers and with the brands that did well.

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Toyota retook the global sales crown last year, but Volkswagen is coming up quickly.
In terms of perception, Ford owns that crown as well, but Chrysler and Dodge are coming out of the basement.

There are a bevy of auto commercials in this year's Super Bowl, but VW's ad is causing the most controversy -- even if we don't think it is a big deal.

And other bad habits behind the wheel

A recent study found that the people who use their cellphones while driving probably do a bunch of other dangerous things behind the wheel.

Apple's Siri could help retrain those bad habits, and Honda is planning to use it in some upcoming vehicles.

Finally, smartphones can be great to keep track of your lives, and your car. Here are a bunch of automotive apps that make that really easy.

A No Frills Podcast About Cars

These are dicey economic times, so when folks are shopping for a new car we discuss nine things that they should avoid if they are looking to make a smart car deal.

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Costs are just one of the reasons that young people aren't driving or buying cars as much as they used to. A new study looks at more of the reasons why youngsters aren't getting on the road.

4000-mile-per hour Vactrains

Graduated licenses are one reason for that reduction in driving, but they are also saving lives and reducing accidents.

Glympse is an excellent location-sharing service, and now they are partnering with Mercedes-Benz.

Cadillac rolling out the new CUE infotainment in the XTS and getting good reviews.

Demand is far outstripping supply for the Subaru BRZ, not just in the U.S., frustrating frugal enthusiasts all over the world.

New York to London in an hour without travelling through the air? Vactrains could make that possible, but probably at a cost far beyond what would be realistic to build.

Finally, in a bit of hopeful news, the star of the iconic VW Superbowl commercials underwent successful heart surgery recently -- without the help of the Force.

Flash Your Headlights If You Just Podcasted About a New Car

Those of you who are avid listeners to our podcast know that David is perpetually car shopping. But after this week, he'll be taking a break for at least a few weeks after trading in the big Benz for a VW GTI.

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More images of the new ride to come.

It may not have been a graduation gift, but many parents and grads are out car shopping right now and Joe White offers some ideas that are more interesting than a Toyota Camry.

The Facebook IPO didn't make as many millionaires as folks thought, but there are apparently enough wealthy car collectors that the high-end classic car market remains strong.

The rest of us working stiffs are at least getting to work faster thanks to the weak economy, which may have helped clear the roads of enough cars to make traffic less of an issue in most cities last year.

GM is hoping to save money next year by skipping the Super Bowl. We think it's a penny wise and pound foolish plan.

Finally, we enjoy the right of free speech, especially with this podcast, and now so do Florida drivers. A judge ruled that flashing your brights to alert other drivers is protected under the Constitution.

It's Halftime for This Podcast

Coming in a bit late, but we take a deep look at car sales for January, including hybrid and diesel sales. Also, Chevrolet is cannibalizing sales of their fancy Volt with the more pedestrian Cruze subcompact.

Dealers are all about sales and the brands they like the most are Hyundai, Subaru and Lexus. We discuss why these brands made it to the top of the list and why dealers are bullish about sales this year.

Fisker is another brand that is struggling, and may be on the ropes.

This week Nissan, Hyundai and Kia were showing off some compelling new vehicles at the Chicago auto show.

While those cars are appealing, David is less impressed with all the new designs coming out of Formula 1 teams. While they are technologically advanced, they are also ugly.

The Super Bowl is the place where auto makers make big bets and we discuss the best and worst of the ads. Did Chrysler hit or miss with "Halftime in America?"

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Toyota Is Out of the Dog House, Eminem Is Chrysler's Big Dawg

Toyota was mostly cleared by federal investigators of the issues surrounding the rash of unintended acceleration claims. Now Toyota's reputation is already improving according to new research.

Someone else may also be getting revived. Bob Lutz may get a consulting gig from former employer GM, if it can overcome government objections.

Chrysler T-Shirt

Chrysler won the Super Bowl ad battle with its iconic Eminem ad for the 200, going so far as to come out with t-shirts. But GM got sneaky and grabbed some Web search traffic away from Chrysler. Unsurprisingly, Subaru went alternative and sponsored the Puppy Bowl and asked people to walk their dogs during the big game.

What kind of cars do men want? Pickups and sports cars. But the list of what women want is a bit more eclectic ... and suspicious.

Key fobs are handy, but do they make cars less safe. Probably not, but the NYTimes looks into whether they have the right safety mechanisms to prevent people from leaving them in Drive.

Finally, this podcast is all digital, thank goodness, because the cassette deck is finally dead as an option for new car buyers.

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