This Automotive Podcast Is Sucking Up the Great Cars at The New York Auto Show

The automotive world has converged on New York this week for the auto show and we go through some of the interesting and surprising new models and refreshes. David's pick is for a vehicle that totally sucks, far more than this minivan.

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Some of those new models will engender loyalty, but right now Ford is garnering the greatest loyalty from existing owners. That kind of loyalty may be pushing people to finance their new-car purchases for as long as 72-months, a once unheard of loan length.

Cadillac's striking CTS from the
 NY Auto Show via Autoblog 

More than 85% of Americans rely on their cars to commute to work and the AAA offers their picks for the best commuter cars.

Honda has a brilliant app idea to get drivers to pay attention to their style of driving so that they don't cause congestion. The NHTSA has a far less inspired app.

Speaking of inspiration, a British inventor has created an air car, that is one that runs on air. But not very far.

Finally, moving to air travel, soon you may be allowed to use electronic devices to distract yourself from those stressful moments during takeoff and landing.

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.

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.

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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DWI: Driving While Intoxicated . . . by This Amazing Podcast

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan has had a huge impact on the auto industry, idling assembling and parts plants across the world, and now even limiting color supplies. Black Fords are on hold as are some reds. The Prius is back into production but the larger Prius V has been delayed.

Cars are getting more connects and Ford's coming Focus Electric with have its own mobile phone plan thanks to AT&T. The wireless service will allow the vehicle to communicate with it's owner through an app that will provide charging information.

Drive happy, and safely

Sprint is hoping that users will pay them for a service that limits phone access when it detects driving, but we're skeptical of the $2 per month charge will catch on with drivers.

Some Senators are skeptical of some new apps that provide drivers with information on speed traps, red light cameras, speed cameras, school zones and most importantly DUI checkpoints. They have asked the apps be removed and RIM has already complied.

That might not be helpful, but Cambridge, Mass., by installing bicycle repair stations. Maybe they can also add some of the things that drivers should keep in their trunk for emergencies.

Finally, Facebook allows you to find our what your old girlfriend or boyfriend is up to, and now Check My Ride from AutoCheck allows you to find out where your old car is.

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Distracted While Driving on Glass Roadways With Spiders and Slippery Key Fobs

We hope we don't distract you while you are driving with this podcast, because apparently there is a growing number of people who are using the Web while driving. We debate the validity of this study and distracted driving in general. After all, Americans traveled 3 trillion miles last year, most without incident, but with lots of traffic.

Buick tops Lexus on the lot

Buick has cause to celebrate after topping Lexus, the current luxury-car brand champ, in sales during February. Is it a blip or a trend?

Some weird recalls caught our eye, including spider webs in Mazda fuel tanks and “inadvertent ignition key displacement” in Chrysler minivans.

A new app aims to connect electric car drivers who would be willing to let other electric-car owners charge their rides at their homes.

And finally we debate the feasibility of an inventor's idea for glass roads with solar panels and LED messaging built in.

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Dealing With Speedy "i"s

Dealers are rebounding after their numbers were slashed by the auto companies. Fewer dealers means more profits for those still around. But Ford continues its roll and now has more dealers than GM's Chevrolet brand for the first time in a long time.

GMC's Granite concept has suicide doors

Do you speed? Well, CNBC has a list of the top 10 cities for speed traps, so don't move to these places, most of which are in Texas. But if you do, and get nabbed, one enterprising tech geek has a story of how he thwarted a ticket using a GPS app that records the details of his travels.

That was smart, and several cities in Spain are hoping to make their parking spaces just as smart so that drivers can be alerted to available spaces.

BMW is planning a smarter, more eco-friendly brand, and rolled out the "i" for the name. Toyota added an "i" to Prius to create Prii, the plural of its popular hybrid brand.

Finally, GMC is planning to make its funky Granite compact city vehicle, complete with rear-hinged doors.

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Real Smartphone Integration

Oxygen Audio O Series radio could mark the beginning of the next generation of car stereos. This device (another posting i found on Engadget.com) is made specifically for docking an iphone and gives you access to a ton of features according to the manufacturers site.

Enjoy your entire iTunes music collection, hands-free and Bluetooth™ calling, and access to all of your iPhone apps including: internet radio, travel itineraries, GPS, Google Maps™, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio™, Tripit, GasBuddy, BeatTheTraffic, RepairPal, etc, while at the same time charging your iPhone.

Seems like this could get picked up by auto makers who could use them as just one more customizable feature. Of course, I didn't see any other phones listed but with a few tweaks it could be done.

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.

This Is a 100% Electric-Powered Podcast and We Don't Lie About It

Who cares whether the gas-engine powers the wheels or the electric motors if you get 127 miles per gallon. The controversy about the Volt powertrain has put Chevrolet in the hot seat this week, but it probably won't hurt GM's stock price next month. Still, it's nice to inject some truthiness into your marketing.

Will GM's bad marketing doom the Volt?

Best Buy is betting on electric vehicles and planning to install charging stations at some of its stores. Probably a good way to kill some time in the store while getting some juice in the batteries. But remember the eitiquette rules of the charger that All Cars Electric has composed for would-be electric car owners.

More corn is coming to your gas tank. The EPA is getting ready to allow more E15 fuel (up from 10% ethanol to 15%) to reach consumers.

It used to be that the design or style of vehicle you bought was determined by what you did with the vehicle. The increase in alternative fuel powerplants means drivers need to know how they drive to determine the right engine, writers Joe White.

Ford has worked with Ideo to come up with design principles around dashboard and interfaces to ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Need an electronic babysitter to stop from texting in the car? A new app will pay you to keep your hands off the smartphone while you drive.

I care about the color of my car and silver is the right color. I'm not alone. According to PPG, 31% of new cars in the U.S. and Canada are silver or some shade of grey or charcoal.

GetThisShowOnTheRoad October 14, 2010.mp3