#118, Alex Guberman: YouTube electric vehicle expert

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:45 — 57.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreAlex Guberman is a force in the electric vehicle industry. A recent new resident in Sacramento, Guberman publishes the increasingly popular YouTube Channel, E For Electric. A native of Moscow, Russia, the former resident of the Silicon Valley, is also a former Tesla owner. But he’s also passionate about Byton, for which he’s worked as an ambassador, and other prominent and pending electric vehicle manufacturers. Guberman is our guest on Episode #118 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss

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2020 Cadillac XT6 worthy newbie, won’t alter buying trends

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Cadillac entered the sport utility vehicle segment 21 years ago to compete with several luxury rivals new in the family mover revolution. It’s now further expanding its presence in a saturated SUV segment with the 2020 Cadillac XT6. It’s the manufacturer’s first three-row crossover, joining the stately, apartment-sized Cadillac Escalade. It has three rows of seating as a truck-based SUV about weight 1,200 pounds more than its new sedan-like smaller sibling. Cadillac’s debut in the class — the Audi Q7, Acura MDX, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Volvo XC90 are main rivals — is presented refreshingly. It has only two

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Tow truck driver Ray Elliott pans 2019 Chrysler Pacifica, GM Sierra

Ray Elliott is a veteran tow truck driver in the San Francisco Bay Area who also publishes the website idiotsontheinterstate.com. In addition to his vast expertise helping motorists, he posts commentaries and videos that ideally define his online platform’s name. Elliott has twice been a guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast and the subject of a column I wrote several months ago for the San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times. He knows the industry from a unique perspective. It’s when vehicles aren’t running properly after breakdowns or involvement in accidents. For the past several years, I’ve written end-of-the-year articles,

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#117, New decade auto predictions from Cars.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:12 — 45.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe automotive industry is ever-changing. Advancement in technology, autonomous driving and alternative fuels, keep manufacturers moving quickly. Joe Wiesenfelder, executive editor of Cars.com and a 25-year automotive expert, knows the industry trends as well as anyone. He’s our guest on episode #117 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Wiesenfelder discusses with co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia the top five trends in the industry that will shape the automotive future for the next decade. The prominent automotive website believes increasing consumer expectations, connected technology, rising

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2020 Nissan Versa: Still cheap, worthy and vastly improved

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Nissan worked hard for more than a decade for an unusual honor. Its Versa, named after an acronym for versatile space, was the cheapest new car available in the United States. Not many years ago, the subcompact’s base price was just under $10,000. The Versa’s designation was via price only, not a rap on its quality. It was likely the best new car a buyer on a tight budget could purchase, and served its clientele well.  The 2020 Nissan Versa no longer has its long-held title. It’s the country’s third-cheapest new vehicle with a starting base price of $15,625. The

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Consumer Telematics Show 2020 offers auto tech immersion

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SPONSORED CONTENT TU-Automotive has powered B2B automotive technology events for over 20 years. Having recently combined with WardsAuto and Wards Intelligence, we are able to offer much more top industry-led expert content through conferences, exhibitions, reports, digital media and more. Join us in 2020 for the first in our series of events, Consumer Telematics Show 2020. Join us on January 6 and immerse yourself in the future of automotive technology. Automakers are no longer just focused on the exterior. Increasingly, the consumer is being swayed by the in-vehicle experience. To stay competitive, automakers are adopting new consumer-centric technology that seamlessly

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#116, The Weekly Driver Podcast’s 2019 Best Cars, Trucks

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and the Kia K900 to the Toyota Camry. These four diverse vehicles are on the list of the 2019 Best Cars and Trucks of the Year, announced by The Weekly Driver Podcast. Podcast co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the list on episode #116 of the weekly program that reports on all things automotive. As is our logical way, we wait until the end of the year to name our selections. As in previous years, the 2019 choices were selected only from the list of 35-40 cars and trucks manufacturers

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2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 paces luxury SUVs

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Mercedes-Benz may be the most diverse vehicle manufacturer. It introduced gull-wing race cars and station wagons in the 1950s, about 30 years after the brand debuted. The enduring carmaker’s modern-day sedans still define automotive maturity. The marque also made a hybrid in 1906 and it customized sedans in the 1930s with bullet-proof windows for the WWII German regime. With the 2020 GLC 300, one of its nine sport utility vehicle options, Mercedes-Benz is also at the forefront of the luxury people mover market. It’s the carmaker’s youngest segment; SUVs have been part of the brand since 1997. As a five-passenger,

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TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2019 Best Cars, Trucks

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Welcome to the 13th annual Best Cars and Trucks of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. As is our logical way, we wait until the end of the year to name our selections. As in previous years, the 2019 choices were selected only from the list of 35-40 cars and trucks manufacturers provided for weekly reviews. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I will discuss the list on The Weekly Driver Podcast. The 10 vehicles on the 2019 Best Cars, Trucks list include manufacturers from the United States, South Korea and Japan. The Weekly Driver has been writing about our main automotive

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#115, Charity sweepstakes starts for 36 rare Corvettes

It’s difficult to imagine a more impressive integration of charity, automotive history and philanthropic generosity than “The Lost Corvettes” sweepstakes. The group called Corvette Heroes has launched a national sweepstakes in which 36 classic Corvettes will be the prizes. The collection includes one vehicle from 1953, the year the iconic car was introduced, through a 1989 model. Chris Mazzilli of the Gotham (New York) Comedy Club and a renowned Corvette expert as the owner of Dream Car Restorations on Long Island, N.Y., is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Mazzilli, who’s among the group of New

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#114, Indianapolis Motor Speedway set for driverless race

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:48 — 43.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the home to many of motorsports’ greatest drivers and races. In less than two years, the renowned racetrack will host another iconic racing event — without drivers. The speedway (IMS) and Energy Systems Network (ESN) recently announced a two-year, $1 million prize competition that will culminate in a head-to-head, high-speed autonomous vehicle race Oct. 23, 2021, around the Speedway’s famed 2.5-mile oval. Matt Peak, director of mobility at Energy Systems Network, is our guest on this episode of

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North Dakota, California have best, worst highways

Lousy newspaper delivery, telecommunication company hassles and increasing utility costs are constant common public annoyances. But poor highways may be the leading frustration. The Reason Foundation embraces the issue. Among other public issues it investigates, the Los Angeles-based Libertarian think tank recently released is 24th Annual Highway Report. It analyzes via a varied list of considerations, the best-performing and most-efficient highways systems state-by-state and the worst. The report details what drivers may think seems obvious. After years of improvement, overall the nation’s highway systems are deteriorating. California ranks 43rd in performance and cost-effectiveness, one position worse than the previous report.

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#113, Fiat 500, Maine cheapest car, state for insurance

Where you live and what kind of vehicle you drive has a lot to do with how much your car insurance is going to cost. carinsurance.com has all the data. It’s crunched the numbers and determined the cheapest cars to insure in every state and the cheapest state in which to insure vehicles. Penny Gusner, a Consumer Analyst for the website, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Gusner talks with co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia about the cheapest cars to insure in every state and how the results were determined. She details how cars

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2020 Toyota Prius: hybrid sedan still worthy after all these years

The Toyota Prius, a combined gas-electric hybrid, was introduced into the United States in 2000, three years after it debuted in Japan. It was a dream car for the ecologically minded. But its freakish looks and sluggish engine prompted brutal criticism. It was called hideous to a larva on wheels. Two decades later, hybrids in all variants still haven’t swayed buyers’ purchasing habits. In recent years, only a fluctuating 2 to 3 percent of vehicles sold in the United States are alternative fuel offerings. The original Prius and its expanding family, the tiny Prius C to the spacious Prius V,

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Kia President Michael Cole stars with new Seltos SUV at LA Auto Show

The name Michael Cole is shared by a television actor, professional wrestling announcer and a prominent Southern California psychologist. Michael Cole, the recently named President of Kia Motors America, has some of the other Michael Cole traits — all intriguing. The latter Michael Cole was named to his new position two weeks before the just concluding Los Angeles Auto Show, and he was ready. A career automotive executive who previously worked for Toyota, Cole, 55, presented the new 2021 Kia Seltos under the show’s bright lights and theatrics and with the enthusiasm of an actor and showman. After the pending

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Brembo, Bollinger, Kia presidents interviewed at LA Auto Show

The Weekly Driver Podcast co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia spent three Media Days at the LA Auto Show and interviewed the presidents of Brembo, Bollinger and Kia. The show’s public days began today (Nov. 22) and continue through December 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The multi-floor, multi-hall extravaganza will feature more than 500 exhibits and dozens of manufacturers and the North American or global debuts of their vehicles. It’s all about entry-level cars, top-end luxury vehicles, the ever-expanding alternative fuel industry, custom made machines and unique concepts. But unlike visiting a car dealership where the goal of

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