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Sam Abuelsamid

The Tech Guy #1557

Sam is back from CES and he says that while more companies are featuring technology for cars, it is by no means a huge car show. That’s the domain of the Detroit Auto Show. But Sam says that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t some cool car tech there. Alexa for Auto is becominng a thing. Sam says that cars are becoming far more computerized. Chips have been in cars since the 70s, but most cars now have about 75-100 separate computers built into them. We’re starting to see a trend towards fewer, more powerful computers that will run your car for you. That leads to the issue of security in your car. The more connected your car is, the more a risk for your car to get hacked. Sam says that in many ways, Tesla has the advantage because it didn’t have to contend with… Read More »The Tech Guy #1557

The Tech Guy #1555

This week, Sam is in Las Vegas for CES and he says it’s rapidly become the largest auto show in the world. The north hall is crammed with auto tech now. Everything from car audio, to smart assistant enabled technology for cars, to smart cars. But the big change over the last fear years is how the aftermarket head units and stereos have disappeared, as people are streaming from their phones. Leo says that makes sense because your phone will be updated and that stereo won’t. Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

2019 Jaguar i-Pace

In my formative years as a car enthusiast, having any kind of affection for British cars was fraught with peril. While many of them were attractive and enormously fun to drive, they also had a well-deserved reputation for unreliability. As often as not, the source of a failure to move could be traced back to electrical gremlins. After what seemed like an interminable wait, I finally had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the all-new all-electric Jaguar i-Pace to see if it could live up to the hype and not let me down. Read the full review at Forbes  Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

2019 Volvo XC40 – The New Small Swede With Surprising Value

The first-phase of the ground up revamp of the entire Volvo product portfolio is nearing completion. Like most brands, Volvo has shifted heavily toward utility vehicles such as the midsize and large XC60 and XC90 as well as the slightly higher riding car variants like the V90 Cross-country. This year Volvo finally has an entry in the fast growing compact utility segment as well with the new XC40 and it has a lot to recommend it. Read the full review over on Forbes Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

2018 Toyota C-HR XLE Premium: It Crosses Over, But It’s No Utility Vehicle

Over the history of the automobile, we’ve come up with a wide variety of descriptors that immediately give us a pretty solid idea of the type of vehicle being discussed. When we here pickup, station wagon or minivan, we largely know what to expect. But ever since marketers coined the term crossover utility vehicle sometime probably in the early 1990s, it has come to encompass such a broad array of designs so as to become essentially meaningless. A current prime example of that is the 2018 Toyota C-HR. Read the full review at Forbes     Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

2019 Hyundai Nexo – The First Really Complete Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

Twelve years ago when I first started writing professionally about cars, the very first review I ever wrote for AutoblogGreen was a fuel cell electric car, the Ford Focus FCV. In the years since I’ve had the opportunity to drive a number of different concept, prototype and production fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) from Ford, GM, Honda and Toyota. While the technology has absolutely advanced over that time, all of them have had some compromises. Until now that is. Aside from the obviously limited network of hydrogen filling stations, the 2019 Hyundai Nexo felt like the most finished fuel cell vehicle yet. Read my full first impressions of the 2019 Hyundai Nexo at Forbes Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric Brings Zero Emissions To Small Crossovers

If someone were to ask which automaker offers more electric vehicle nameplates in America than any other, your first instinct would probably be Tesla. But note the qualifier in the question – nameplates. Tesla currently only has three, the Model S, X and 3. Within the next few months, Hyundai Motor Group will offer five across its Hyundai and Kia brands. The Ioniq electric and Kia Soul EV have already been on sale for some time. The Hyundai Nexo arrives in a few weeks and electric versions of the Hyundai Kona and Kia Niro crossovers will be here soon. Read my full first impressions of the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric at Forbes Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

2019 Audi e-Tron Quattro Makes Global Debut In San Francisco

Tesla has won. Not in the sense that the Silicon Valley electric vehicle maker has taken over the industry because they haven’t and probably won’t. But in the sense that the ultimate goal of the founders was to push the industry to electrification. Regardless of whether Tesla’s share price goes to $4,000 or zero, virtually every major automaker is or will soon be selling very compelling zero emissions vehicles. Joining the party this week is Audi with its new e-Tron quattro which got its global reveal today in San Francisco. Read the full story Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

The Quietly Luxurious 2019 Lincoln Nautilus

Earlier this decade, Ford had to make some tough decisions about the future of the Lincoln brand. Over at least the past ten years, the entire brand has consistently been outsold by most of the Ford nameplates including Mustang. The powers that be in Dearborn decided not abandon the brand, but to focus on a theme of quiet luxury rather than taking on the German heavyweights directly. The latest weapon in Lincoln’s battle to bring serenity to the world is the refreshed and rebranded 2109 Nautilus. Read the full review Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

2019 Cadillac XT4, Is Being Competitive Enough In 2018?

Since the turn of the current century, Cadillac has struggled mightily to transform its brand image from a purveyor of old-school American land barges to a creator of engaging drivers cars. In that time, particularly the last half decade, GM’s premium brand has created some excellent cars. Unfortunately, the market is increasingly disinterested in sedans. In response, Cadillac is expanding its crossover utility lineup, slotting in the compact XT4 at the leading edge of the spear. Is it sharp enough to win over customers? Read the rest of the review   Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia