The Recession Did Not Kill Car Interest or This Automotive Podcast

More tales from the automotive world:

Americans started curtailing their time on the road well before the economic collapse hit.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Toyota is fulled recovered from its PR and safety debacle of a couple of years ago and is now the most valuable automotive brand.

Driving drops off 

Detroit's auto makers have closed the gap and are now creating more top quality vehicles in the U.S., according to a recent study.

The vehicle segment rebounding the strongest is pickups, with sales up 20% so far this year.

The skys above N.J. highways may have drones watching over them soon.

A Car Podcast About a Pickup in Pickup Sales That's Worth a Share

It's our favorite time of the month:

April was not as rosy for car sales as previous months, but the auto market is still on firm footing. That was helped a resurgence in truck sales, thanks to a recovering housing market in the U.S.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

After 20 years of declining market share, the three U.S. auto makers: GM, Chrysler and Ford, saw an overall uptick in their market share, just over 1%, to 45.6%

That market share growth has helped Chrysler return to profitability, but profits slipped a bit in the first quarter. Mazda returned to profitability last year, but the North America market continues to drag the company.

Finally, the Nissan Leaf saw sales charge past the Chevrolet Volt and diesel vehicles are drawing a larger share of the market.

Chrysler and other U.S. auto makers have seen truck sales rebound.

This Automotive Podcast Won't Try and Sell You the Undercoating

The car buying process remains one of the most painful parts of owning a vehicle, but new efforts by dealers could improve that, even if the laws governing the industry are extremely antiquated.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

But in China, an airline is looking to sell cars to travelers, during flights. That won't fly with a growing number of owners who are hanging on to their vehicles for a long, long time -- out of love.

One market that has engendered loyalty has been the small-pickup market, though most auto makers have abandoned the segment. Now they are looking to get back in. One way to make those vehicles more appealing might be to put diesel engines, which ExxonMobile predicts will be the dominant fuel in only seven years.

How long?

Meanwhile, electric and hybrid vehicle sales continue to grow, but the environmental impact is probably more significant than most people think.

Sensors are increasingly moving into vehicles and assessing and communicating with drivers. One company -- Automatic -- has a low-cost gadget to add that functionality to most modern cars.

Commuting time is one metric that potential home owners should consider and a new site provides a realistic look to shoppers.

Finally, Jeff Gordon gives a car dealer a scare, and we debate whether its real.

We're Driving This Podcast Into the Ground -- Like Our Cars

Home builders buy trucks. And thanks to a reviving housing market in the U.S., pickup sales are rebounding. That will be a relief for the many people who have hung on to their aging trucks for a long time, but that looks to be the norm going forward, according to a new study.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

GM hopes to kickstart sales by introducing a new program that allows buyers to return their cars and not haggle over the price. Meanwhile, Dodge is hoping a plethora of options and combinations will draw buyers to the its new Dart.

One reason to buy a newer car: They are harder to steal. Meanwhile, here are four things to avoid doing to prevent your car from getting stolen.

Traffic deaths are soaring this year, perhaps thanks to better driving weather. Or fewer angry women driving. A new study found that women suffer more from road rage.

Perhaps more coffee will help. Fiat has put an espresso maker in it's 500L. Maybe Mercedes airbag seatbelts are safer.

Finally check out Seinfeld's car, coffee, comedian video and some Florida police officers' career-ending prank.