James Raia

Articles by James Raia

#61, LA Auto Show, Day 1: Byton concept, new Airstream

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:20 — 30.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreWelcome to our special podcast episodes from AutoMobility LA and the Los Angeles Auto Show. For the past few years, AutoMobility LA has showcased the ever-advancing technology in the automotive world. Our first episode is direct from the technology tent on the eve of the opening day of the traditional show. Co-host Bruce Aldrich is producing the show remotely, but James Raia (that’s me) will be reporting live from the showroom floor for three days. We’ll start with two diverse guests, Florian Bauer from the concept electric vehicle Byton and Jeremy Levi, a sales consultant for Airstream. Bauer is director of product management for

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Byton concept set to challenge Tesla but with China debut

Byton, the much-touted electric concept SUV and sedan with Chinese financing and projected as a challenger to Tesla, is getting closer to its production launch. Company representatives showcased the M-Byte crossover and K-Byte sedan and spoke about the company’s plan at AutoMobility LA, the precursor days of the LA Auto Show, Nov. 30-Dec. 9. The M-Byte will be on display throughout the show. If projections materialize, the vehicle will be available in China at the end of 2019 and six months later will be available in the U.S. market. With an advertised base price of $45,000, the Byton is marketed for drivers and passengers to operate the vehicle with Amazon Alexa voice commands or hand gestures. The command operation is

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2019 Genesis G70 debuts with Car of the Year honors

The 2019 Genesis G70, the entry-level compact luxury sport sedan new to the two-year manufacturer morphed from Hyundai, has been named Car of the Year by MotorTrend. Held in conjunction with the opening of the Los Angeles Auto Show, the award is presented annually by the esteemed publication. The Genesis G70 competed against more 19 vehicles in the publication’s determination of the most competent, desirable and capable vehicle to debut for the 2019 model year. MotorTrend editors examine each contending vehicle in street and track testing. Genesis to date in 2018 has won highest-ranked brand in the automotive industry awards for quality and owner satisfaction from industry experts such as J.D. Power, AutoPacific and Strategic Vision. Hyundai launched Genesis Motors two years

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#60, Bay Area tow truck driver videos interstate idiots

Ray Elliott of Los Gatos, California has been a tow truck driver in the Silicon Valley for more 20 years. He witnesses stupidity on the freeway daily. Elliott has arrived on the scene of every kind of accident imaginable, sometimes before law enforcement personnel or first responders. He has seen fender benders and death. As a former paramedic, Elliott has helped saved lives at accidents. He’s seen so much go wrong, he decided years ago to document much of his daily work life on a website titled. idiotsontheinterstate.com. Elliott is our guest on Episode #60 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Elliott his website and its varied video content. The videos are raw

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Underdog 2019 Kia K900 joins luxury sedan elites

Introduced four years ago, the Kia K900 is the South Korean manufacturer’s flagship luxury sedan. The vehicle had an unheralded debut and newly designed 2019 edition remains under-appreciated. But perhaps not for long. Hyundai owns about one-third of Kia and the two manufacturers, despite independent vehicles, share much. The new K900 is based on the Genesis G90, the luxury sedan now on its own as a brand from its original mothership, Hyundai. Key Takeaways Second-generation flagship built on Genesis G90 architecture: Kia’s top sedan shares bones with Hyundai’s luxury arm, gaining a 2.3-inch longer wheelbase and more extensive structural adhesives for a quieter, more rigid body. 365-hp twin-turbo V6 with new all-wheel drive: A 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 and 8-speed automatic

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#59, Technology, Chinese influence on tap for LA Auto Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:58 — 49.4MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe LA Auto Show began more 100 years ago and it’s always changed with trends in the automotive industry — pick-up trucks to alternative fuel vehicles. This year’s show, scheduled Nov. 29-Dec. 10 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will be no different. More than 60 vehicles are confirmed to make their North American or global debuts. Lefteris “Lefty” Tsironis, the show’s marketing and communications director, is our guest on episode #59 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Tsironis takes co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia through the show, concepts to the increase of Chinese manufacturers to the enduring tradition of manufacturers’ ambassadors, once known

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2019 Mazda CX-5 (Signature)

The new, top-line trim of the 2019 Mazda CX-5, the carmaker’s compact crossover SUV and its best-selling vehicle, was unveiled at the recent Seattle Auto Show. The new Signature SUV includes the turbocharged SKYACTIV-2.5T engine and new G-Vectoring Control Plus. It incorporates premium materials, such as Caturra Brown Nappa leather and genuine layered wood trim. Other features in the 2019 Mazda CX-5: Apple CarPlayTMand Android AutoTM compatibility, a reconfigurable 7.0-TFT gauge display, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, a BOSE 10-speaker premium sound system, windshield-projected Active Driving Display head-up unit and a 360°View Monitor with front and rear parking sensors The powertrain lineup adopts the SKYACTIV-2.5T direct-injection turbocharged gasoline engine also found in the Mazda

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VW plans electric car to compete with Tesla Model 3

Volkswagen may be giving up on the Beetle, but its continuing its quest to regain public trust and modernize its offerings with a new all-electric mid-sized sedan for $23,000. The German automaker cheated for years on its diesel emission tests, but its pending electric sedan has the name I.D. Aero. According to a Reuters report, it will cost nearly $12,00 less than the basic price of a Tesla Model 3. Reuters’ sources also reported VW will convert three of its factories in Germany to produce its Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) entry. The carmaker’s goal will to manufacture 200,000 vehicles using the platform to make a family of electric vehicles. Volkswagen said its goal is selling 10 million by the

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2019 Lexus ES 350 luxury sedan improves but not enough

Now beginning its seventh generation, the Lexus ES 350 is the upscale Toyota nameplate’s midsize luxury sedan. For 2019, it’s available in four trims, including the new F Sport. As its designation implies, it has a sporty look and feel. Nearly every major manufacturer has a midsize luxury sedan. Lexus received top honors in Consumer Reports’ yearly most reliable brand survey for 2018. But the previous generation of the ES 350 had its time and other manufacturers, including Hyundai, Genesis and Kia, now all offer legitimate competition. Audi and BMW have a long-standing rivalry with Lexus. The new ES 350 (ES stands for elegant sedan) has the same fuel-injected 3.5-liter V6 engine as its predecessor. But it’s now more powerful

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#58 Consumer Reports’ expert discusses reliability survey

Mike Quincy is an expert among car experts. For nearly 20 years, he’s purchased, driven and evaluated cars for Consumer Reports. The well-respected magazine and website has tested vehicles for decades, and it’s considered the automotive industry’s most objective resource. Mike is our guest on episode #58 of The Weekly Driver podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Mike the publication’s recently released Most Reliable and Least Reliable vehicle lists for 2018. As Mike details, Consumer Reports purchases all of its test vehicles. The publication’s annual reliability survey analyzes data in 17 areas from more than 500,000 vehicles. Areas for potential problems include interior wear-and-tear, transmission repairs and squeaky brakes. Predictable results occur in the survey, so do

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BMW, electric start-ups set for big presence at LA Auto Show

Much like the unusual circumstance of new vehicles debuting throughout the calendar year, the global auto show circuit begins at the end of the year at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The show, preceded since 2016 by press and trade days and a connected car expo, AutoMobility LA, doesn’t bill itself by age. It’s had several hiatus years. But since its debut in 1907 when 99 vehicles were showcased on a skating rink, the LA Auto Show has become a go-to event for automakers to unveil new models and concept vehicles. The tradition will continue this year, beginning Nov. 26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, when established manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Toyota and BMW will have several models making

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#57, Jeep gets depreciation honors, Nissan Leaf falls

Depreciation isn’t often the top priority for car buyers, but it’s particularly important for consumers who keep their cars for many years. The online automotive search engine iSeeCars.com recently released its survey of vehicles with the most and least depreciation. The site analyzed more than 4.3 million new and used vehicles to identify models with the lowest and highest depreciation after five years. Julie Blackley, communications manager for iSeecars.com, is our guest on episode #57 of TheWeeklyDriver podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Blackley the trends of the survey’s data, including result variance in different geographical areas of the country. According to iSeeCars.com, sport utility vehicle and trucks retain the most value after five years of ownership.

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2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback redefines nameplate

The automotive industry is ripe with contradiction. Who could imagine a four-door sports car or a sub-compact also defined in the sports realm? Porsche may have its old-guard enthusiasts who still don’t consider the four-door Panamera a sports car, but it is. The Toyota Corolla is at the opposite end of the car-buying spectrum. Once firmly positioned in the entry-level malaise of boxiness and boredom, the Corolla is now offered in a hatchback with hard-to-hide sports car tendencies. It’s available with a more expensive continuously variable transmission, but the smooth-shifting six-speed manual is the way to go. The base level Panamera begins at about $85,000, but it’s easily a six-figure vehicle perfectly capable of daily family duties. But it’s also

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Volvo, Tesla get Consumer Reports’ dubious reliability honors

Consumer Reports has long been recognized for its reliability to compile and present objective information. So who’s better than the service-oriented publication to provide lists of the most reliable and least reliable automakers? The publication’s annual reliability survey analyzed data in 17 areas from more than 500,000 vehicles. The areas for potential problems included interior wear-and-tear, transmission repairs and squeaky brakes. The annual list usually has surprises and this year is no exception. Volvo was the least reliable career in this year tabulations. The reason: The Swedish-made, Chinese-owned manufactured dropped six places from last year and had an average reliability score of 22. Volvo owners complained about three models was the S90. Its issues ranged from screen freezes and a

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Lexus, Toyota get Consumer Reports’ reliability honors

From transmission issues to troublesome turbocharged engines to 15 other areas, Consumer Reports studies in its annual automobile reliability survey. The 2018 compilation, like in every year, has surprises. This year, Toyota and its luxury sibling Lexus, reversed positions. While tabulating the results of more than 500,000 vehicles, Lexus gets the top spot. Lexus had six models in the study, earning an average reliability score of 78. The brand’s least reliable model is the IS while its most reliable model is the GX. This year, all Lexus models with sufficient data were rated average or above. Toyota had 14 models supplying reliability data, with the Japanese automaker receiving an average reliability score of 76. Its most reliable model is the

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Newly designed 2018 BMW X3 eases highway burdens

Purchasing a BMW is often considered a sign of status. It’s ownership of a sedan, sports car or sport utility vehicle possessing superior qualities on the open road. The luxury carmaker offers vehicles, including the newly designed 2018 BMW X3, that uniquely ease the burdens of highway commutes and long hauls across state borders. It’s what Bavarian Motor Works has always done well. But the once-dominant German manufacturer has increasingly been challenged by automakers wanting more of a share of the SUV sales deluge. Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Infiniti and Acura all have debuted worthy offerings in recent years. With sales down, BMW altered the X3 for 2018. Changes include a longer wheelbase and a three-bumper opening, one

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