Covid-19 oddity: dirtier, older trucks, cars, RVs

The automotive industry has been affected in many ways by Covid-19, including an increase in the average age of vehicles on the road. If the prediction holds, the average age of cars, trucks and RVs still on road will soon surpass 12 years — the highest level among American drivers in nearly two decades — according to industry analysts. The current rate is 11.9 years, a slight increase from 2018 reports IHS Market Ltd., the England-based global data company. Covid-19 could help some auto businesses While vehicle longevity was increasing before the Covid-19 pandemic, the health crisis has resulted in

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Land Rover Defender, Ford Bronco as mini-RVs

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GehoCab has taken its current expertise in off-load motorhome conversion in the Volkswagen Amarok into a far larger market for RVs. The German-based company has announced it’s reconfiguring its carbon-shelled, chassis-mount campers for installation in the Land Rover Defender, Ford Bronco and other popular off-road SUVs. The company’s goal is to create the lightest available off-road 4×4 campers. Gehocab makes carbon fiber modules for RVs Unlike typical bed-top and chassis-mount truck campers, GehoCab’s original Kora camper has a sleek, glossy carbon fiber construction. It has wide-stretched windows, flush integration with the base truck and color-matched paint. Now, GehoCab is designing

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#148, Tow truck driver talks COVID-19, airbags

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Ray Elliott, a tow truck driver in the south San Francisco Bay Area, has viewed the mistakes motorists make so often he started a website several years ago called Idiots on the Interstate (idiotsontheinterstate.com). The site is void of advanced graphics and is perhaps best described as primitive. But it’s chock-full of information, videos and Elliott’s opinions about the pathetic, often tragic and often preventable accidents and incidents he’s witnessed throughout his long career. 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

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Solar power-generating pickup truck covers? Who knew?

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Worksport, the manufacturer of Tonneau covers and accessories for trucks, has debuted TerraVis, a platform for versatile and cost-effective pickup truck solar power. The system combines the tonneau covers with a solar generation and energy storage system. Solar panels built into the cover will collect the sun’s rays and store energy in multiple battery banks. The stored energy can be used to provide power to an electric motor or removed and used remotely. “Worksport is excited to launch the website with this preliminary information, as this is a system that not only has the power to revolutionize truck use now,

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New Ram 1500 pickup truck fastest ever

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The manufacturer has announced its 702-horsepower 2021 Ram 1500 TRX. It's expected to be the fastest accelerating pickup truck ever sold by any major automaker.

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Underdog 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia excels

Automobile manufacturers try to outmaneuver each other every year for advertising honors during the Super Bowl. Prices escalate and commercials succeed and fail with carmakers’ futures at stake in million-dollar-minute increments. Fiat Chrysler gambled a few years ago with its Alfa Romeo brand — and won. It promoted the new Giulia, showing the sports car blazing along winding country roads, past vineyards and through a tunnel with narration provided by a sultry voice. The commercial, titled “Dear Predictable,” needles Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz, the German frontrunners, while touting the Italian alternative. Alfa Romeo sales falling The second of the

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#147, Electrify America debuts new coast-to-coast route

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:54 — 50.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreDriving across the United States in an electric vehicle takes planning and patience. For car owners driving an EV or considering a green car alternative, the challenge has been simplified. Electrify America recently announced the completion of the first of two cross-country routes. It allows EV drivers to travel from coast to coast using the largest open DC fast-charging network in the United States. Rich Steinberg, Senior Director of Green Cities, Marketing and Communications for Electrify America, is our guest on this episode of

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Rare Ferrari sets 2nd sales mark, $3.08 million

Is there any more lucrative manufacturer in the vintage car market than Ferrari? Doesn't it seem like it's almost always collectors' top choice?

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Don’t ignore your car’s aging brake system

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Don't ignore car's aging brake system. Beware of the warning signs and make sure proper maintenance is followed. It can help ensure disaster on the road for all.

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#146, Carmel (Ind.) mayor Jim Brainard has city in circles

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:16 — 41.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreJim Brainard has a law degree, but he’s spent the past quarter-century thinking about circles. It’s a compliment, and it’s likely the reason why Carmel, Indiana is internationally famous. The mayor of the 102,000-population city, located 23 miles northeast of the state’s capital of Indianapolis, is the country’s leading expert on the benefits of roundabouts. Brainard, who has overseen the construction of 132 roundabouts in the 47-square-mile city, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James

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2020 Ford Expedition: bravado and big bucks

Car manufacturers are big on adjectives and embellishment. There may be no better example than the promotion of the 2020 Ford Expedition. It’s big, no doubt, and the SUV’s facts and figures tell the story. The Expedition (Max Edition) has a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 375 horsepower and a 10-speed automatic transmission. It can weigh as much as 5,800 pounds depending upon its configuration. When equipped with its optional towing package, the Expedition can haul 9,300 pounds, an impressive capacity. The Expedition is standard with rear-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is an option. Consumers who wish to transport RVs or

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Two 1970s Chevy Silverado pickup trucks thrive as one

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Eric Wright can’t drive far before people point, shout, make jokes and take pictures. Wright hasn’t done anything wrong. It’s just that most observers can’t figure out what’s going on when they view him in his truck on city streets, on the highway and in parking lots. Is Wright driving on the wrong side of the road? Is he going against traffic? Or just what exactly is he doing is in his Chevy Silverado? Specifically, what is he doing in two 1970s Chevy Silverado pickup trucks, the cabs of which are advancing in opposite directions? Wright, who was seeking a

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Tesla Cybertruck: build me big in Texas, color me rainbow

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As if the pending Tesla Cybertruck hasn’t received enough attention, leave it to company owner Elon Musk to generate more attention for the futuristic-looking machine. After announcing the electric-vehicle manufacturer’s plans to build a new factory in Austin, Texas, Musk hinted at a few of his new truck‘s color choices. The possible options are as unique as the car. Musk suggested a pure white option or a treatment to offer a rainbow option. If the Cybertruck in rainbow adornment is ever offered, it will likely be an aftermarket option, not a dealership choice. And it wouldn’t the first rainbow-colored Tesla.

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VW has a new mini-van with a camper slinky

Many companies make unusual-looking RVs, campers and mini-vans. Volkswagen‘s new entrant among the fraternity of the odd is the Mini-Camper. The small camper is called a Caddy Camper. The full-sized model was launched in 2018. Its innovative junior sibling transforms a small van into a larger “glamping lodge.” It will replace the outgoing larger Caddy Beach van. Versatility is a premium attribute of the new van. Its small size means easier parking and nimble handling. It also adds to VW’s lineup of vehicles with multitasking abilities. The vans are ideal as daily drivers but work equally in what the manufacturer

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#145, Author unloads on Takata in new Killer Airbags book

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:17 — 59.4MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreJerry W. Cox has a stark warning for the driving public. He says 12 million cars and trucks on U.S. roads have defective Takata-made airbags that still have not been replaced. Cox, a former consultant for the now-defunct Japanese automotive parts company, discusses the details in his new book “Killer Airbags: The Deadly Secret Automakers Don’t Want You To Know.” Now an automotive consultant, Cox is our guest on Episode #145 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with

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#144, Rolls-Royce is back with a wicked ghost of a machine

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:16 — 40.2MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreRolls-Royce has long represented elegance and sophistication in automobiles most often named after ghosts. There have been years of exception. Used Rolls-Royce models, particularly in the company’s native England, were hard to sell for years. But now the bespoke machines are back in a big way. In 2019, Rolls-Royce sold more than 5,100 vehicles worldwide, the best annual sales volume in the company’s 116-year history. Elizabeth Williams, the company’s product communications manager, discusses the Rolls-Royce return to prominence on this week’s episode of The

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