Our Show Is Back From the Road

And we are back from a long summer break, that was enhanced by vacations, hurricanes and earthquakes.

We missed car sales, but got to see lots of car commercials as the end-of-model-year sales get going in earnest.

Drive, don't look at the screen.

Unfortunately, deals on Saabs might be great because the Swedish car company filed for protection from creditors, but might not get liquidated.

Telematics, infotainment, connectivity and the like are all the rage for auto makers and they are racing to develop new services to vehicles. Mercedes, Ford, Kia and even software company Nuance are getting in on the act.

Car games are always big on consoles, but how about a Sim City style online game that allows you to design cars and build a car company? Try Automation.com.

Gas prices are holding steady, despite weaker demand, as refiners export gasoline. At the same time, car makers such as Chrysler and Porsche are adding more gears to their transmissions to squeeze out even more efficiency out of their drive trains.

Finally, car collecting is an ongoing passion around the world and as new generations get into the hobby, different vehicles become more popular to collect. The newest collecting trend: Country cars.

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The Podcast That Could Have Helped You Buy a Car Yesterday

The most wonderful podcast of the month: Car sales. They rose in November, except for Toyota, which is still suffering from the aftereffects of its unintended acceleration.

Deals are to be had for car buyers.

Most surprising data point: The week between Christmas and New Year is the busiest time for new-car sales. But the best auto deals are usually at the end of November, and for 2010 it was November 30th. And KBB has its list of the vehicles with the best resale value.

The Volt is just rolling off of the factory line, and the EPA finally got around to slapping a sticker on Chevrolet's extended range electric vehicle. GM, which is on a small roll, was able to pay back some of its debt.

Also, a new study says the auto industry bailout saved over 1 million jobs.

Too bad those working stiffs still had to sit in traffic, particularly in New York City and around Washington D.C.

Finally, Sony released Gran Turismo 5 for the PlayStation3 after years of development and Autoblog's review doesn't have us revved up to buy it.

GetThisShowOnTheRoad, December 2, 2010.mp3