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Swap or Charge

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Swap or Charge
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Robbie and Nicole are both traveling this week so Stephanie Brinley from S&P Global Mobility and Jeff Gilbert from WWJ radio in Detroit are stepping in with Sam. Stephanie and Jeff both got to drive the new Cadillac Optiq and Escalade IQ and Jeff also moved stuff with the Chevrolet Suburban. Sam drove the Lincoln Nautilus and BMW X5M Competition. In the news we discuss BYD’s 1MW charging announcement and the CATL/NIO battery swapping partnership and which is a better solution. There are reports that Honda may buy hybrid batteries made by Toyota in North Carolina and Jeff moderated a session with the CEO of LG Energy Systems about slowing investments in battery production. We touch a bit on tariffs and discuss GM’s decision to switch from Qualcomm to Nvidia chips for its next generation in-car compute. Check out Express VPN: https://expressvpn.com/WHEELBEARINGS Links BYD 1MW chargingHonda… Read More »Swap or Charge

Yes, Car Buying Still Sucks

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Yes, Car Buying Still Sucks
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Robbie is under the weather this week so Nicole shares her thoughts on the 2025 Ford Explorer ST and then Sam discusses the Acura ZDX Type-S. While we get to drive new cars every week sometimes we also buy some for ourselves. This week, Nicole finally took delivery of her new Jeep Wagoneer S and tells us about the buying experience. Honda has some performance and range upgrades to the 2025 Prologue but holds the line on pricing. Buyers of the EREV version of the new Scout trucks and SUVs might be a bit disappointed at the towing capability. In the name of safety, EVGo has banned extension cords and breakaway adapters at its DC chargers. Honda may not want to publicly admit it, but its hybrids do have CVTs. VW showed off the concept version of its upcoming $21,000 ID.1 and it has buttons… Read More »Yes, Car Buying Still Sucks

Good And Bad Cold Weather Advice

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Good And Bad Cold Weather Advice
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Nicole is back after driving both the Hyundai Palisade and Kia K4 GT-Line turbo. Sam did some truck stuff with Hyundai’s trucklet, the 2025 Santa Cruz and Robbie has some tire feedback. Ford has confirmed its plans to offer extened range EV powertrains in large trucks and SUVs. Someone has developed a wide-body kit for the already wide new Dodge Charger Daytona, and VW has teased a new $21,000 EV that will be revealed next month. Nissan apparently doesn’t want to just be a subsidiary of Honda and is looking for other partners. Subaru has unveiled the new Forester hybrid coming this spring with 35 mpg. There’s a Faraday Future FF91 on bring a trailer. Tesla sales are crashing all over the place and apparently, most of them still don’t have the hardware needed for unsupervised self-driving. Finally we answer a listener question about starting… Read More »Good And Bad Cold Weather Advice

Canoo Without A Paddle

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Canoo Without A Paddle
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This week as we prepare for our next round of driving new cars, Nicole tells us about driving the Hyundai Ioniq6, Robbie fills in the details on the BMW Z4 as well as the Subaru WRX tS and Sam has the Chevrolet Blazer EV LT. Acura releases an image and name for its new electric crossover coupe. There’s disscussion of what engine Scout will use as a range extender. VW plans to bring its Cupra brand to America in partnership with Penske. The Auto Alliance sues to block the new automatic braking regulations. Subaru is adopting Toyota’s infotainment system. Ram is dropping plans for the big battery Ram REV and Canoo finally unplugs. We also have interviews with Stellantis executives Aamir Ahmed, Bob Broderdorf and Christine Feuell and some listener questions. Check out Express VPN: https://expressvpn.com/WHEELBEARINGS Links Acura RSXHow big a range extender does Scout need?VW… Read More »Canoo Without A Paddle

Happy New Year

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Happy New Year
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In the final show of 2024, Nicole discusses her experiences with the Buick Enclave, while Robbie shares his Hyundai Ioniq 5 charging journey. News highlights include a potential Honda-Nissan-Mitsubishi merger, affordable electric vehicles from Toyota and Subaru, and a new safer EV chassis design from CATL. The team reflects on favorite drives and 2025 expectations.

Tacos At Every Charger

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Tacos At Every Charger
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This week, Robbie didn’t drive anything, but Nicole got time with the Ram 1500 RHO and Honda Civic Hybrid hatchback while Sam had the Kia Niro PHEV. At Art Basel Miami, Jaguar showed off its new design direction with the Type 00 Concept and it’s different. Toyota is taking advantage of its joint venture factory with Mazda to offer Soul Red Crystal as an optional color on the Corolla Cross. Carlos Tavares has been ousted as CEO of Stellantis. Hyundai has a new version of the Palisade coming and Genesis is building a race car to go to Le Mans in 2026. Nissan’s Ariya can use Superchargers now but it needs an extra adapter for its adapter. Ion Dynamics has a cool little mobile EV charger and we recommend tires for winter driving in West Virginia. Get your Wheel Bearings merch at https://shop.wheelbearings.media Links Ram… Read More »Tacos At Every Charger

Let’s Go Racing

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Let's Go Racing
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This week Sam has been driving the Ford Ranger with the 2.7-liter V6 and Kia Carnival Hybrid. Nicole had the Toyota Tacoma and Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Robbie had the outgoing VW Tiguan. In the news, Acura has a new entry-level crossover, the ADX and Toyota is working on a new generation Celica. California’s governor has a plan to preserve EV incentives in the states if the Trump administration pulls the plug, and it doesn’t include Tesla. Cadillac is joining the F1 circus in 2026 and Dodge is slapping some big money on the hood of the new Dodge Charger Daytona and Jeep Wagoneer S. ConnectDER has a solution for installing EV charging on older homes and smaller apartments. Edmunds range tests the Chevrolet Equinox EV and decides to unload their Fisker Ocean while they still can and we answer listener questions. We’ve updated the… Read More »Let’s Go Racing

Are Bad Font Choices A Bad Sign?

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Are Bad Font Choices A Bad Sign?
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The whole team is back this week with lots of LA Auto Show news. Nicole drove the Audi SQ8 around Los Angeles for the week. Robbie had the new Toyota Land Cruiser. In the news, Jaguar has launched new branding ahead of the reveal of concept version of its next new EV. Stellantis talked about the STLA Frame platform for its new EV an EREV large trucks and SUVs, and we spoke with Stellantis executives including NA COO Antonio Filosa about where Jeep and the other brands are headed. Nicole got to try out the new GMC Sierra EV Denali. Lotus is also bringing out some EREVs. We also discussed some of the products announced at the LA Auto Show including a refreshed Genesis GV70, new VW Tiguan, the Hyundai Ioniq 9, and the NACTOY finalists. We also answered some listener questions. Links Nissan N7More… Read More »Are Bad Font Choices A Bad Sign?

Working for the WKNDR

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Working for the WKNDR
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Kia WKNDR conceptMercedes-Benz CLA previewVolvo EX30 arriving in America this yearMazda Iconic-SP to get produced2026 Cadillac Vistiq first lookCadillac XT4 to give way to new BoltBentley To Launch EV in 2026, delay full transition to 2035SEMA 2024 RoundupMercedes-AMG Electric SUVA2RL Roman’s New G-Wagen 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