Wheel Bearings

Latest Episodes:

Live From Nebraska Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

This week Robbie and Sam are on the road as part of Operation Frodo Electric 2026, transporting rescue dogs from the midwest to the Pacific Northwest in a fleet of EVs and they recorded live from a Kia EV9 somewhere on I-80 in Nebraska.

This week Robbie drove the Kia K4 hatchback and Sam had the Honda Prelude.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How We Cruise May 31, 2026

Show notes

This week Nicole drove the new Subaru Outback Wilderness, Robbie had the Mercedes-Benz EQS 400 SUV and Sam had the Kia EV9.

In the news, GM opened a new Pasadena design studio and showed off a couple of GMC Hummer concepts. Waymo is having some challenges with its Robotaxis while Zoox is making improvements. Slate will announce final pricing in a few weeks and Mitsubishi is partnering with Nissan for a new truck for North America. Honda is pausing production of the Ridgeline and Ford is decontenting the Bronco Sport and planning to revive the Escape as an EV. Mercedes could get barred from the US market if a new bill becomes law and Volvo gets approvals to keep selling its vehicles. Nicole went to see a crash test at IIHS.

Links

GM officially opens new Advanced Design Pasadena Studio, reveals GMC HUMMER X truck and SUV concepts

Viewer video shows Waymo stuck in floodwaters as flash flood warning hits Atlanta - YouTube

Same Driver, new vehicle: Welcoming our first riders trips in the Ojai

Las Vegas Zoox May 2026

Slate Auto

Mitsubishi's Getting Serious About Trucks in North America Again: TDS

Production of Honda Ridgeline Pausing Through 2028

2026 Ford Bronco Sport First Look: A Lot Less Stuff, But at Least It’s Cheaper

Mercedes-Benz may be shut out of U.S. market under bill aimed at Chinese automaker ownership

Volvo Cars receives a specific authorization in the United States under the ICTS Connected Vehicles Rule

Ford Escape Revival Set For 2029 On Universal EV Platform

Testing The Hansshow Tesla Supercharger Extension Cable Didn't Turn Out As Expected

Watching the Mazda CX-5 IIHS Crash Test Changed My View on Safety

1959 Chevrolet Bel Air vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu IIHS crash test

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Selling To Little Old Ladies May 27, 2026

Show notes

This week Nicole was driving the 2026 Subaru Solterra and Sam had the Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid.

In recent days, both AMG and Ferrari have revealed new four-door GT models with over 1,000-hp electric propulsion and the response has been very different between the two. Stellantis had their big investor day last week and announced a bunch of new products and Sam got to try out a couple of European models and see a bunch of secret stuff. Citroen is also bringing back the 2CV. Rich Rebuilds bought an $800 Audi A8 with slight corrosion issue.

Watch out for AI images for ride share damage and whatever you do don't buy a Lordstown Endurance.

Links

The 777 HP 2027 Ram Rumble Bee is The Most Powerful Muscle Truck Ever!

2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Recreates Signature V8 Thrills-signature-v8-thrills/

AMG Goes Electric with the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe

Grande Panda | FIAT | Stellantis Media

Stellantis Announces FaSTLAne 2030

A State Trooper Sold Me This $87,000 Luxury Car for $800

ITS OFFICIALLY 😵 - YouTube

Citroën Is Bringing Back The 2CV Because EVs Got Too Expensive

Rideshare Passenger Got A Damage Bill — Then Noticed The Photo Had An AI Logo [Roundup] - View from the Wing

I Bought the Ultra-Rare Electric Truck You've Never Heard Of

LandX Motors

2028 Ferrari Luce First Look: Ferrari’s First EV Revealed—So Long, Comfort Zone

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Lots of Honda Hybrids May 17, 2026

Show notes

Nicole is back from Disney World and she caught lots of fish. Robbie got to drive the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Sam had the latest Nissan Sentra.

Robbie and his wife also got a great deal buying a new Hyundai Ioniq 5 to replace the one that is ending its lease shortly which means he probably won't be getting the new 2027 VW ID Buzz Tourer. Honda had their annual business briefing where they made a big commitment to hybrids and showed prototypes of the new Accord and RDX. Tesla is testing supercharger waiting lists and Chrysler might be planning a sub-$30k car. Toyota is planning a new factory in Texas and also selling a driver ed special Corolla in Japan with no radio and a manual gearbox. Volvo wants to fill its South Carolina factory and will build cars for whoever needs capacity. BMW showed two wild concepts Concorso d"Eleganza.

Links

The VW ID Buzz Took a Year Off and Came Back With a Mattress

Honda Previews Hybrid Sedan Prototype During Global Honda Business Briefing

Acura Previews Hybrid SUV Prototype During Global Honda Business Briefing

Summary of 2026 Honda Business Briefing

Lotus unveils Focus 2030: Reinforcing brand DNA with all-new hybrid-V8 supercar

BMW of North America Introduces Preferred Pricing at IONNA Charging Network.

Tesla Is Now Testing A Virtual Waitlist For Superchargers

Chrysler Showed Dealers A Sub-$30,000 Compact Resurrecting The Pronto Name From Great '90s Plymouth Concepts - Jalopnik

After 60 Years Of Corollas, Toyota Again Makes A Basic Manual Version With No Radio - The Autopian

Volvo Is Opening its US Factory to Other Brands

Alleged Toyota Service Bulletin Warns of Looming Motor Oil Shortage

BMW Motorrad presents the „BMW Motorrad Vision K18“ at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.

VISION BMW ALPINA: SPEED, REFINED.

‘Project Orca’: Toyota looks to Texas for new $2 billion U.S. assembly plant, filing shows

Jeep 4xe Fire: Insurance Denied! Now What?

This Wood-Clad, Talking 1983 Chrysler LeBaron Was WAY Ahead of Its Time!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Driving Old Cars May 10, 2026

Show notes

Nicole is spending mothers day at Disney World so our friend Stephanie Brinley has stepped in again. Steph drove the Volvo EX30 and Hyundai Tucson PHEV. Robbie drove the oldest car any of us has ever been in (or on) the Benz Patent Motorwagen and Sam had the new Nissan Leaf.

Sam and Stephanie both got to visit the Ford EV Development Center in Long Beach, home of the skunk works. VW has launched the ID Era 9X, a very impressive 3-row EREV built only for China. Lexus announced the new TZ 3-row electric crossover. BMW announced pricing and range for the US spec iX3 and the addition of a pre-chamber ignition system for its six-cylinder engines. The Japanese and Chinese are developing a new joint charging connector called ChaoJi.

Ford unveiled a new Carhatt edition Super Duty truck and Nicole went to see it and spoke with designers Steve Gilmore and Bhavna Mistry from Ford and Ben Ewey from Carhatt.

Links

Somebody Put 223,000 Miles on a 3-Year Toyota Camry Lease and Walked Away

Ford's Secret California Outpost Where It's Rethinking Its EV Strategy

Ford's Next Model T: Inside the UEV Program

Volkswagen ID. Era 9X Is On Another Planet From Any Other VW Sold! You Have To See This

ALL-ELECTRIC THREE-ROW LUXURY: THE ALL-NEW 2027 LEXUS TZ

2027 Ford Super Duty Carhartt Package: Built to Take the Same Abuse as Your Carhartt

ChaoJi Standard

BMW M Ignite technology: Innovative new technology for all six-cylinder in-line engines from BMW M.

BMW Officially Announces Pricing and Range for 2027 BMW iX3 50 xDrive.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Powdered Sugar Everywhere May 03, 2026

Show notes

Nicole has returned from the Big Easy after driving the Acura MDX and eating beignets with too much powdered sugar (is there such a thing as too much?). She also drove the Infiniti QX65, Dodge Charger R/T and Kia Sportage. Sam had the Toyota Corolla FX and Robbie rented a Kia Carnival for a mini vacation.

Fiat inexplicably raises the price of the 500e by $5,000 while Motor Trend drives a $10,000 Chinese EV that doesn't suck. The US spec BMW iX3 is projected to get 434 miles on a charge. The New York State Police are using new Mustang GTs to catch speeders. Dreame has created a ridiculous EV with solid rocket boosters. Lynk&Co has shown off a gorgeous electric GT coupe. Tesla is again shipping Chinese built EVs to Canada and Cadillac is building a very limited run of F1 edition CT5-V Blackwings.

Links

2027 Infiniti QX65 Review: Tennessee-Built Luxury SUV Offers Refined Ride

Is the 2026 Acura MDX Type S Worth It? | NewsNation

Fiat Raises 500e Price by $5,000 With Almost Nothing New - Autoblog

2027 BMW iX3 Range Quietly Jumps To 434 Miles In The U.S.

480-HP Ford Mustang GT Joins Police to Crack Down on Speeders - Autoblog

We Sent An Engineer To Check Out A Chinese Household-Appliance Company’s EV Rocket Car That Promises 0-60 in 0.9 Seconds. Here's What He Found - The Autopian

This Chinese EV Coupe Wouldn't Look Out Of Place In Monaco

Tesla starts selling Chinese-made Model 3s in Canada at the EV's lowest price ever - Engadget

I Just Drove a $10,000 Chinese EV. No, It Didn’t Suck

Blackwing hits the track: Introducing the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing F1® Collector Series

Sierra Meadows Cabins

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Too Many Brands Apr 26, 2026

Show notes

This week Nicole is off in New Orleans with Acura so our buddy John Voelcker is sitting in. He's been driving a bunch of stuff including the Ford Maverick hybrid, Porsche Taycan, Cadillac Escalade IQ, Jeep Cherokee and Subaru Trailseeker. Robbie drove the Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT and Sam had the Lexus GX550 Overtrail.

At Milan Design Week, Hyundai unveiled its new Ioniq 3 compact and Kia showed off the Vision Meta Turismo. Hyundai also showed off the new Ioniq V in Beijing. GM has paused development of a next set of electric full-size trucks and Rivian has launched production of the R2. Stellantis now has pet accessories under the Mopaw brand looks likely to focus on just four main brands going forward.

Links

New Hyundai Ioniq 3 breaks cover with stunning sci-fi looks | Auto Express

Stellantis Introduces Mopaw

Kia Presents Vision Meta Turismo at Milan Design Week, Redefining the Grand Tourer for the Digital Age

First Production Rivian R2 Drives Off The Line Just Days After A Tornado Hit The Factory - Jalopnik

GM Is Reportedly Delaying New Full-Size Electric Trucks As It Pivots Back To Gas-Powered Trucks And Hybrids - The Autopian

Hyundai Motor Reaffirms China Commitment at Auto China 2026, Unveils IONIQ V as First Step in New Product Offensive - Releases

Exclusive: Stellantis to focus funding on core car brands as CEO drives turnaround, sources say | Reuters

Automakers Pull Back on EVs

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

All The Switches Apr 19, 2026

Show notes

After last week's travel challenges, Robbie and Nicole are back. Nicole has driven the Chevrolet Equinox EV and the Honda Pilot Elite while Sam had the Mazda MX-5 Miata 35th Anniversary Edition.

Robbie tells us about the new Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLS and we discuss the company's new drive by wire system. GM is apparently going to build a new Buick sedan as well as a new Camaro. Nissan has a new electric Juke for the rest of the world and Porsche has a convertible 911 GT3 S/C with a manual transmission. Uber is pouring $10 billion into robotaxis. VW has a revamped with ID3 Neo with all the switches. Doug Field is leaving Ford and that might signal the end of the Model E division as it basically gets rolled back into the main Ford. Ford's cancelled 3-row electric crossover has been visible on Field's linkedin page for at least a year. Honda is killing it's e:Ny1 in the UK and the Ontario government and Unifor have rejected Stellantis' plan to assembly Leap Motor knockdown kits in Canada. The NTSB has issued its report on a pair of fatal BlueCruise crashes. Nicole interviews Mazda director of safety strategy and communications Jennifer Morrison and Lucid head of Air and Gravity product Rob Whitley.

Links

Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLS

Mercedes-benz steer by wire

GM preps new Buick sedan alongside redesigned Cadillac CT5, Chevrolet Camaro, source says

The First Electric Nissan Juke Is A Radical Departure

The 2027 Porsche 911 GT3 S/C Is a Manual, Drop-Top Salute to the NA Flat-Six

Uber eyes $10B robotaxi investment: Financial Times | Smart Cities Dive

World premiere of the ID.3 Neo: new name, new design, new interior and new technologies | Volkswagen Newsroom

Doug Field leaves and Ford Reorgs

Honda e:Ny1 Withdrawn from Sale in U.K. —

DefinitelyNotAGuru Stellantis Brampton plant plans stall after Leapmotor kit cars pitch rejected

Ford's Never-Seen, Canceled Moonshot EV Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight Online for a Yearlain-sight-online-for-a-year

https://www.gminsidenews.com/threads/ford-aeros-photos-cancelled-3-row-ev.311092/?post_id=7445625&utm_click_loc=title&utm_source=threadloom&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ed1081&utm_content=iss445&utm_campaign=ed1081&utm_content=iss445&utm_medium=email&utm_source=threadloom#post-7445625

NTSB Finds Automation Overreliance Contributed to Two Fatal Ford BlueCruise Crashes

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Going Rogue Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

Robbie and Nicole both ran into travel delays today so Chad Kirchner is jumping in. Sam makes the case for buying an Acura Integra A-Spec over the ADX.

Nissan has revealed its next-generation Rogue and teased the upcoming XTerra. Kia is laying out its plans through 2030 including a midsize pickup with hybrid and EREV drivetrains and more EVs. Hyundai is launching an Ioniq sub-brand in China. BYD wants 20 dealers in Canada by the end of this year and is planning to install 300 1,500-kW charging stations in the UK in the next 12 months. VW has ended production of the ID4 in Chatanooga and the Scout Traveler and Terra might be delayed. Listener Michael Burns jumps in from the Discord to tell us about his recent car shopping experience and we have Nicole's interview with Nissan CMO Allyson Witherspoon from the NY Auto Show.

Chad's Star Trek podcast

Greyhound Nation

Links

2026 Kia CEO Investor Day: Kia to Drive Exponential Growth and Manufacturing Innovation by Expanding Its Full Electrified Vehicle Lineup and Strengthening Future Business Capabilities

Next-Gen Toyota GR86 Set for Hybrid Era Without Losing Its Soul - Autoblog

BYD confirms UK's fastest EV chargers: 1500kW network detailed | Autocar

Volkswagen Updates Chattanooga Production Strategy | Releases

Scout's Terra Pickup May Not Arrive Until 2030: Report

BYD to open 20 Canada stores, eyes local EV factory - Automotive News

Hyundai Motor Company Launches IONIQ Lineup Brand in China with the Premiere of Two New Concept Cars - Releases

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Boulder Incoming Apr 06, 2026

Show notes

Unfortunately, it's Robbie's turn to lose his voice this week so our pal Perry Stern stepped in which worked out well because he was also at the New York Auto Show with us last week and we have lots to talk about. Before that Nicole shares her thoughts on the Dodge Durango Hellcat, Perry drives the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and Sam has the VW Jetta GLI.

From the New York show we have the Hyundai Boulder, Kia Seltos, Kia EV3, Kia PV5 taxi, Volkswagen Atlas, and Subaru Getaway. Stellantis wants to build Leap Motor EVs in Canada and ride hail drivers are paying exhorbitant fees to rent cars.

We also have a conversation with Gentex VP Craig Piersma about full display mirrors and Dodge/Chrysler CEO Matt McAlear.

Links

Hyundai Boulder Concept Takes Aim at Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco

2027 Kia Seltos HEV Overview

2027 Kia EV3 Overview

All-new 2027 Volkswagen Atlas debuts at the New York International Auto Show | Releases

Kia and BraunAbility Unveil an All-Electric Wheelchair-Accessible Taxi Concept for New York

2027 Subaru Getaway EV: 420 HP Three-Row Family SUV | KTLA

These Are The BEST And WORST Trucks At The 2026 New York Auto Show! - YouTube

Stellantis wants to build Chinese Leapmotor EVs at its idled Canadian plant | Electrek

How a Family of 3 Lives on $25,000 in Corona, Queens

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy