Ending Our Dependence on Foreign Automotive Podcasts

Oil is a precious commodity and the U.S. may be on the way to producing enough of it to support it's needs.

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But that might be helped by vehicles like the 2014 Ford Transit Connect sort-of minivan. Even if it's a little ugly. One Ford vehicle that isn't ugly is the Ford Escape which nabbed a new award from Popular Science. Another award -- the Motor Trend Car of the Year -- went to the Tesla S, we think deservedly so.

Young drowsy drivers. 

But is the Tesla a good deal. Most electric cars aren't, unless you keep them for a long time. Here's a list of brands that get long-time love from owners.

Now Paris is going after old cars as a way to clean up it's air, but we think it's too drastic a measure.

Finally, new studies show that young drivers are most likely to fall asleep behind the wheel and women are better drivers than men.

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.

Safely Podcasting With Fewer Deaths and Recycled Parts

The holidays are upon us and that means people are hitting road. Please stay safe out there, and the IIHS just came out with the list of 66 cars that you will be the safest in. No big surprises except for the fact that only one minivan is on the list.

Driving deaths have decreased in recent years and while safer cars are part of the reason, WSJ's Joe White point out that many factors are behind increased safety numbers.

Fewer people on the road is one of the reasons for fewer deaths, and it is contributing to lower gasoline usage in the U.S. That trend is likely to continue and fossil fuel usage is expected to continue to decline.

GM will make Volt parts out of oil booms

Hybrids and electric cars are fostering that trend, and the Nissan Leaf, an all-electric vehicle, is just reaching the driveways and garages of the first buyers. Fox Business decided to use one of these initial buyers as a tee for a feisty discussion about unions and electric-vehicle incentives. You stay classy Fox.

Speaking of classy, Toyota got hit with yet another set of fines by the government, boosting its overall tab to about $49 million. A record fine for any car maker.

On the other end of the spectrum, Chevrolet is going to make some auto parts out of the oil-soaking booms used to clean up the BP oil spill in the gulf, proving that you can grind up just about anything and recycle it.

Ford is doing a little recycling with the Explorer name, introducing a new design that is more fuel efficient and more refined. But will it be enough to bring back buyers to big SUVs? Probably not.

Finally, Chrysler is refreshing its high-style 300 sedan for the Detroit auto show. Photos were released this week of the new design, which is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. What do you think?

GetThisShowOnTheRoad, December 22, 2010.mp3