Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Jack Nerad Exploring the Automotive World: EV9 Test Drive, Auto Strikes, and the Alpha Romeo Tonale!

Transcript

Jack Nerad Exploring the Automotive World: EV9 Test Drive, Auto Strikes, and the Alpha Romeo Tonale! · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30 minute mini version of the In Wheel Time Car Show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11am.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: See you then.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Yes, friends, it is the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Coming up.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: We hope to have Julian Mendoza from the Marshall Center for Advanced Careers.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: We'll have the upcoming events calendar Mars Reviews, the Alpha Romeo Tonail.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Tonali.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: It's a Tonali it's a Kanona.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: It says here it's a Tonail, t-o-n-a-l-e, tonali, you gotta have the Tonali.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Jack Niran's supposed to join us.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: I say, suppose, on these guests, because we don't know.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: And I'm a little paranoid now Because Mars has burnt us on one already.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: Oh no, the first one was not my fault.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: This one is going to be my fault.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: I thought you were on a straight Conrad.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: You left.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Well, in any way, it's a mess and we invite you to stay tuned to the mess to see how messy it really gets.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Howdy, along with Mike out of this world, mars, who doesn't even raise his hand because he doesn't want to.
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: Because he's got his hands dancing on the keyboard.
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: Oh, man.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: He's tickling the keys.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: He's got dancing hands.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: Magic fingers.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: We have King Conrad DeLong.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: We always need more Jebsi.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: I'm, don Armstrong, glad you could join us on this Saturday.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: At least you joined us.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: None of our guests have 40 countries.
• 1:24
  Speaker 4: Count them Well.
• 1:25
  Speaker 4: George says nice decoration in wheel time team.
• 1:29
  Speaker 4: Too bad, you guys look more like the Adams family, so we'll give.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: So who would you be on the Adams family?
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: I'll be Lurch.
• 1:38
  Speaker 4: I can be it.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: It, cousin it.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: You got Pugsley down in the end.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: And who are you, jeff?
• 1:44
  Speaker 5: I'll be Wednesday.
• 1:44
  Speaker 5: No well, I'll be Gomez.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: Faster.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Faster, faster.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Faster, Uncle Fester.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: He was the most popular.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: I think no doubt.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Yes, jackie Coogan.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I remember that Jackie Coogan?
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it was Jackie Coogan, wasn't it?
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: It was.
• 2:02
  Speaker 5: Okay.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: Make it sure.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: Why do you remember that?
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: I don't know, I don't know who remembers Jackie Coogan.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: You do.
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: You do Apparently, but you're also paranoid.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Previdence kicking in, you don't stop taking the privilege Really.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe that's a good thing.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Apparently so.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: I remember Jackie Coogan.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Okay, so we don't have a guest yet, and in the meantime and in between time, we, oh, I, I.
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: Mars is trying to enter a one-time password and he didn't have his mouse in the right place.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: No, that's for that computer.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Mars has got multiple computers and cell phones.
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: He's got his ears and all kinds of stuff.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Somebody asked me not too long ago what?
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: What is it that?
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: That guy on the end down there?
• 2:47
  Speaker 5: do Got in the black shirt, are you all this?
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: I said, I said nothing because we.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: He doesn't do anything.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: He's our eye candy.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: He is our eye candy.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: Isn't that it, mars?
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: That's it.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: I like it.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: So once a week, hemmings you familiar?
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: with Hemmings.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Oh, hemmings is great.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: All right, got your scorecard, get your scorecard Get the scorecard ready.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: Okay, so let's get this out, this thing you can sell your car on Hemmings and it's an online thing and you put a minimum amount that you'll take for the car and you may or may not get that.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: You dropped your at any rate.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: So once a week they come out with the cars that have been sold, and so I take this information and we kind of have a little guessing game as to what we think they sold for, and you can do the same thing.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: Now we don't have pictures, but you don't need them because you already know what these cars look like.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: A 1993 Chevrolet Corvette.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: So this would be a C4 1993 Corvette Okay.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: This would be a C4.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Mine's a C5.
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: This was the last year of the C4 before the C5, because there was no 94 Corvette.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: Okay, whatever 1993 Corvette, it looks stock, it's got the stock wheels on it.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: It's white in color.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: It is a coupé and not a convertible.
• 4:14
  Speaker 4: Crossfire fuel injection.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: Okay, not the greatest engine in the world, but whatever, a 1993 Chevrolet Corvette sold for Conrad.
• 4:25
  Speaker 4: I'll say 14,000.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: I'm going to go 17.
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: Mars is busy.
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: Are you going to join in or not?
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: I'm getting Jack unmuted, Ah oh, he's there.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: Okay, it's sold for $9,250.
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: Now I don't know what the mileage is on it but it looks like it's a clean.
• 4:41
  Speaker 5: It could be a factor I know, but whatever.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: And then we have the 1967 Ford Mustang and it looks kind of like a rest or mod or something it's got.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: It's had some changes to it, but all I can see is the front grill.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: Anyway, 30.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: Mars says 30.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: What are you?
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: saying Rest or mods, you're bringing big, big money.
• 5:03
  Speaker 4: I'm going to say 40.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Okay, 23, 31, five, you win.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: That would be Mars.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: That would be Mars.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: Jack ready, yes, oh, jack's ready, yeah, okay.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: So we're going to pause the sold car roundup.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: We are men of pause.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: We are men of pause, but before we, before we hit the button to Jack, I had this thing that I wanted to read because I know that we know Jack and, but I don't know.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: We love Jack, we do, and, but I don't know if everybody that watches or listens to the show knows about Jack.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: So I got this off of Amazon.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Jack, you can tell me later if it's wrong, but I'm going to read this because I think it's pretty spot on.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Jack R Nierad began his career at 17 as a sports writer for three Chicago area newspapers and he hasn't stopped working since.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: A prolific writer of true crime and auto related books, his most recent is dance in the dark suspense thriller that is inspired by his extensive study of real life crime.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Perhaps his best known book is fatal photographs, the definitive true crime examination of the notorious bathing suit model murder case that rocked Hollywood.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Because of his, because of its explosive nature, it is now being considered as a potential limited run streaming series.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: Ooh and his famous case.
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: The murderer was Nierad's coworker.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Oh, I thought to ask him about that.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: In a completely different vein, nierad's Nierad's latest nonfiction title is the GR factor, unleashing the undeniable power of the golden rule that outlines a potent philosophy for business and personal success.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: The former editor of Motor Trend Magazine, nierad is the author of several auto related titles, including the complete idiots guide to buying or leasing a car and the complete idiots guide to hybrids and alternative fuel, that's why he talks to us.
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: We see you smiling, jack.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: We'll get to you in just a second.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: Nierad has won numerous awards and honors for his work, including a Maggie nomination for best feature article of the year, the magazine industry equivalent of an Oscar nomination.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: The host of the SportsMap radio network show America on the Road, nierad serves as vice president of the North American car of the year jury.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: He is president of the motor press guild and he's an active member of mystery writers of America, always writing.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: He is completing a new crime novel that is due to be published in 2023.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: So, ladies and gentlemen, there he is, the man that we are talking to.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: It's Jack Nierad.
• 7:49
  Speaker 6: Well, thank you very much.
• 7:51
  Speaker 6: I feel like I should be laid out in front of you there with a lily in my paw.
• 7:57
  Speaker 4: You and the Seuss right there, me and the Seuss.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: Jack is all that true.
• 8:04
  Speaker 6: Yeah, essentially it's all true.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: Well, so we want to know what the 2023 part about the new crime novel.
• 8:11
  Speaker 6: Obviously it's not true because that has yet to be published, but it will be published in 2024.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: And Kathy loved the book you sent her.
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: She's waiting on another one.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, that's sweet.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: Well, well, Jack, it's always an honor and a pleasure to talk to you today, and I guess my first question to you, sir, being the man of knowledge, is what do you think about?
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: First of all, that the auto writers, auto writers, United Auto Workers?
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Obviously their strike is coming to an end, or at least we think that it may be.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: What are your feelings on that?
• 8:49
  Speaker 6: Well, I think all the big three auto manufacturers are between a rock and a hard place.
• 8:54
  Speaker 6: So you know that proverbial rock and hard place right?
• 8:56
  Speaker 6: I mean, they can't have their workers be on strike.
• 9:01
  Speaker 6: Obviously they're not building cars.
• 9:02
  Speaker 6: And then they're not selling cars and they're not making money.
• 9:05
  Speaker 6: And even though the industry is gigantic, billions and billions and billions, you know, essentially each month, they can't go long without selling cars, or without selling a large number of cars, or they're on the edge.
• 9:18
  Speaker 6: It's a financial problem.
• 9:19
  Speaker 6: On the other hand, if they totally give into demands of the United Auto Workers and pay their workers essentially a third more, twice as much, you know, depending on how you look at it, much more than their competitors are paying, that's not a recipe for success either.
• 9:38
  Speaker 6: So it's a difficult situation to figure out and you know, ford obviously was the first one to crack here and decide okay, we've got to make a make a deal and start cranking out vehicles again.
• 9:51
  Speaker 6: The others are holding out a little bit, but we'll see what happens with that.
• 9:56
  Speaker 6: And it's a difficult situation for the American economy.
• 10:00
  Speaker 6: It's not as big a deal as it used to be because so many cars the majority of cars sold in the United States are built by non-union workers, so that's something to keep in mind too.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's my take on the fact that you know, here we've got the Auto Workers Union, workers that are building American cars in the United States, and now those prices of those cars are going to rise to the point where I don't think that they'll really be able to go head to head with the quality of cars in many cases that, for instance, you know, a Mercedes, a BMW, a high-end Honda, whatever the case may be, are they going to be able to compete with that?
• 10:45
  Speaker 6: It's very difficult.
• 10:45
  Speaker 6: I mean they've got to shave their margins because the market won't let them raise prices very much.
• 10:49
  Speaker 6: You know we've seen such escalation in prices.
• 10:53
  Speaker 6: Now Prices are escalating at the same time.
• 10:56
  Speaker 6: We have the highest interest rates in what 20 years, or something like that.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 11:01
  Speaker 6: Most people are buying with a car loan and car loans are what?
• 11:02
  Speaker 6: 12% or 14% in a lot of these days.
• 11:05
  Speaker 6: You know that's a very difficult time for car manufacturers and it hasn't really come home to roost yet, but I think at some point it's going to.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: All right, let's shift gears and let's talk about something that you have driven lately that impressed you.
• 11:22
  Speaker 6: Well, I've driven a lot of vehicles lately that impressed me.
• 11:25
  Speaker 6: I just came off the North American car that you're testing in Ann Arbor, michigan.
• 11:28
  Speaker 6: I was there most of the week and a lot of very interesting vehicles there.
• 11:33
  Speaker 6: I think that the key EV9, a three-row all-electric sport utility, was impressive to me.
• 11:39
  Speaker 6: I mean, that's an EV of a kind of different type.
• 11:44
  Speaker 6: I think there's only one other three-row out there right now in the marketplace and three-row SUVs.
• 11:50
  Speaker 6: Of course there was the bread and butter of the market.
• 11:52
  Speaker 6: A lot of people buy those.
• 11:53
  Speaker 6: Those are the family vehicles of today.
• 11:55
  Speaker 6: Very impressive vehicle from a lot of points of view and at the same time it's expensive for the average household and that is the problem with electric vehicles.
• 12:07
  Speaker 6: I think you guys have all driven them.
• 12:09
  Speaker 6: You like them when you drive them.
• 12:11
  Speaker 6: I certainly like them when I drive them, but the combined problem of cost and lack of range or lack of flexibility with range, are big problems, I think, for a lot of people.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and the fact that the charging stations may or may not work.
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: If you can find one, and the added cost of putting a level two charging station in your house doesn't include the cost of the car.
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:37
  Speaker 6: And that could be $5,000 or something like that, depending on what your car is.
• 12:42
  Speaker 6: And that's a pretty big commitment to put it in your house with the idea that, well, maybe I'll try an electric car, but the next time I'll buy a gasoline car.
• 12:50
  Speaker 6: Well, a study we saw recently, reported on the radio show, actually is pretty fascinating.
• 12:55
  Speaker 6: About half the people who own an electric vehicle say the next vehicle they're going to buy is a gasoline-powered vehicle, which I think you guys all get.
• 13:06
  Speaker 6: That that makes sense.
• 13:08
  Speaker 6: I think having an electric vehicle in the household isn't a bad idea necessarily, but having it as your single car or relying on a fleet of just electrics, I think that's probably not the best idea.
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: Not right now, not today, right yeah, maybe five years from now.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: I think that it'd be something to consider, but we'll see how that goes.
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: Have you gotten any insight into your governor running for the presidential nomination?
• 13:38
  Speaker 6: Well, I have a sense that our esteemed governor, gavin Newsom, is going to speak at the Los Angeles Auto Show, a media day of the Los Angeles Auto Show, which is coming up in November.
• 13:49
  Speaker 6: I think it's the 16th of November.
• 13:50
  Speaker 6: I happen to know that because we're going to announce the finalists in North American Car of the Year, truck of the Year and Utility of the Year also at that event, so I have a little insight into what might happen there.
• 14:04
  Speaker 6: The governor's schedule is fluid, different than my schedule.
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: And there's never been a camera.
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: He's not afraid to step in and he doesn't impress me as a car guy either.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: Well, and I also understand that you accompanied him on your visit to China last week.
• 14:23
  Speaker 6: I didn't do that.
• 14:24
  Speaker 6: No, I didn't see him on the China visit.
• 14:27
  Speaker 6: I've been to China once.
• 14:28
  Speaker 6: I'm not really eager to go back.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: No, didn't impress you.
• 14:33
  Speaker 6: Well, it impressed me in a lot of ways, but it also was kind of chilling in a way or two.
• 14:38
  Speaker 6: Yeah, that I'm not certain.
• 14:42
  Speaker 6: I want to go back.
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: You should write a book about it.
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: Back to cars, jack.
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: You know, stellantis is pulled out of SEMA.
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: They pulled out of CES and the LA Auto Show.
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: That's what it was.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah, don't know what's going to happen after the CES show, the first part of January.
• 14:56
  Speaker 6: Well, it's difficult times and, as I was saying, these companies are more on the edge than you would think.
• 15:02
  Speaker 6: And that's a pretty quick way for them to save four or five million bucks, maybe more, and in the scheme of a global car company whose turn is billions of dollars, maybe that's not a lot of money, but that's where they're at.
• 15:20
  Speaker 6: They're kind of conserving right now Interesting stuff, and their future is a difficult one to conceive of.
• 15:29
  Speaker 6: I mean, they're not all in on electrics, but they're not really renewing their gasoline powered cars at least, as they would normally do.
• 15:39
  Speaker 6: So where does that lead them?
• 15:41
  Speaker 4: Well, and especially with Mary Barra's interview this week talking about how much GM is lost on electric vehicles and there is very little consumer demand for them, and that's the direction they're going.
• 15:55
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean I really worry about GM's direction.
• 15:59
  Speaker 6: I worry about any car company he has done the same thing, really committed to electrics, and in the short term at least, and probably in the medium term, that might not be the right play.
• 16:11
  Speaker 6: It's looking more likely that that isn't the right play and you see companies like Ford Motor Company say you know, kind of pumping the brakes a little bit on some of the select Three billions about enough that we want to lose right now.
• 16:25
  Speaker 3: Let's slow down a little bit.
• 16:27
  Speaker 6: So it gets to be real money.
• 16:29
  Speaker 6: You know that's three billion dollars.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: What else besides Delana's pulling out of the LA auto show, which was kind of a shock to me?
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: Do you see that happening more and more at new car shows across the United States?
• 16:45
  Speaker 6: Car shows are kind of on the edge too, and I think auto shows are terrific.
• 16:50
  Speaker 6: I just think they're wonderful and I remember being as a kid going to I grew up in Chicago going to the Chicago Auto Show and spending a lot of time there as a teenager and just really falling in love with the whole thing.
• 17:02
  Speaker 6: You know just the great cars and the elaborate displays and you know the whole.
• 17:08
  Speaker 4: Thing.
• 17:09
  Speaker 6: It was yeah, exactly.
• 17:10
  Speaker 6: I can't say I didn't like that too.
• 17:13
  Speaker 6: So I love that and I think it's a great opportunity and a totally non-pressure situation for the average person to go in and try out a bunch of cars and fall in love with a particular car.
• 17:26
  Speaker 6: This industry depends on emotional attachment to vehicles.
• 17:30
  Speaker 6: You know, otherwise we'd all drive behind a Civic or something like that, right, but that isn't what we drive, because cars express us.
• 17:38
  Speaker 6: The industry needs people to fall in love with cars and I think an auto show is a great place to let them do that.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I know that last year anyway, that Cadillac decided not to join the Houston Auto Show and so the dealer stepped up.
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: They got together and they supplied some cars, that the cars were locked and you know they had representatives from the dealership there that you could talk to about the car, but they wanted to sell you a car.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: So it was a different atmosphere and I fear that that is the way that new car shows are going to go.
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: They'll all get together and have a new car show, but it'll all be dealers in the area the Chevy dealer group, the Ford dealer group, the GM dealer group, however it may be that they all get together and it's basically going to be one big sales pitch on every place that you go to see.
• 18:34
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I heard the Chicago Auto Dealers put together a consumer drive event.
• 18:39
  Speaker 6: That was very successful and they're probably going to repeat that.
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: They recently did that with the Cadillac Lyric in the area here a week or so ago.
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: Thursday to Sunday Thursday to Saturday.
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: And they also do that at the show.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: They do the driving rides yeah, they do.
• 18:56
  Speaker 6: So, Jack, I really fear, especially with most of the luxury brands pulling out of auto shows, and that seems more prevalent.
• 19:04
  Speaker 6: I think Porsche has also left the LA show and Porsche basically had its own exhibit hall as he was into the show.
• 19:13
  Speaker 6: It was one of the most elaborate exhibits.
• 19:15
  Speaker 6: It was always terrific and again a place to fall in love with that kind of car, and I think they're missing a bet here.
• 19:24
  Speaker 6: But it's short term thinking.
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: Particularly out there in LA.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: I mean, that's the motor capital of the world out there.
• 19:31
  Speaker 6: Yeah, it's a Porsche capital world too.
• 19:33
  Speaker 6: Exactly.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: You see more.
• 19:35
  Speaker 6: Porsches than Chevrolet's out here.
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: Well, Jack, it's always great to talk to you and thanks so much for joining us today.
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: You're a great guy.
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: We love talking to you.
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: Let's surprise the gas out there today.
• 19:47
  Speaker 6: It's about 550 gallon for regular yikes.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: Well, we're still.
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: We're right underneath $3.
• 19:53
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I paid 284 the other day.
• 19:55
  Speaker 6: So that's pretty good.
• 19:56
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I was in, as I said I was in.
• 19:58
  Speaker 6: Michigan was 350 or something like that when I was there.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: Well, the invitation is still open.
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: Come on to Texas.
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: We'll love to have.
• 20:04
  Speaker 6: I'm looking forward to it.
• 20:05
  Speaker 6: I can't wait to get there and then sit with you guys and thanks for the eulogy today.
• 20:09
  Speaker 6: I appreciate.
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: Let us, let us know when you come.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: We'll have to clean up the studio, get the beer cans out of the back and all that.
• 20:16
  Speaker 4: And you can't wait, and you can't wait until Gavin gets completely out of California.
• 20:23
  Speaker 6: Thanks again so my pleasure, great to see you guys every week you too, didn't need to cut you.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: Amazing, amazing guy.
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: It really is a very talented guy and Love talking to him All right time.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: Now for the events calendar.
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: Conrad has events.
• 20:39
  Speaker 4: Well, first thing is a north side Mustang club is having their fall open car show November 4th and that'll be at Bulls Dallas Park in New Caney Labor Day weekend.
• 20:50
  Speaker 4: The 11th or the 10th and 11th will be the 17th annual heroes and hot rod Veterans Day weekend in downtown Bastrop, held by the Bastrop area cruisers.
• 21:01
  Speaker 4: Also on 11-4 is the fourth annual benefit and taps and Turbo cars show at no label, brewing in cats and turbos, taps, tap, tappers, oh tap beer, oh beer.
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: Oh, beer, I think it's.
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: That's like tattoos, like ink, yeah that'd be a good one.
• 21:22
  Speaker 4: Come get inked up.
• 21:22
  Speaker 4: Don can get the Corvette flags on it.
• 21:25
  Speaker 4: The lower part of his back Hide that Butterflies had for years.
• 21:30
  Speaker 4: Why would you know with?
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: wings.
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: Why would you know that I?
• 21:35
  Speaker 4: Because I've seen his butterfly is now turned into my.
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: I don't know that.
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: I need to turn to the box.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: Anyhow that, what?
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: Do you have anything else?
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: It back to you, mike.
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: No, that's it.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: That's it All right Time now for this hour's car review, mr.
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: Mars has got a review.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, oh no, it's not the Kia Kota, it's the Caesar Romero toenail.
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, it's the 2024 alpha Romeo.
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: How do you remain Romeo?
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: Romeo Romero.
• 22:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, anyway these are Romero finale, the velocity finale e all who will drive?
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: That's a plug-in hybrid.
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: That's best.
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: That's best Italian I got.
• 22:17
  Speaker 5: I'm sorry, it's.
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: Guido, so this is a plug-in hybrid.
• 22:21
  Speaker 3: 2024 and I wanted to note I found in my research 2025, alpha Romeo will all be electric.
• 22:28
  Speaker 3: They will not produce any more gas Comes in three trim levels.
• 22:32
  Speaker 3: The velace is the top trim level, is subcompact by passenger vehicle and it's it's new for 2024.
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: Got the special PH eb badging on it.
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: Good, the grill Lighting on it's got a lot of little touches on it that relate to the heritage of alpha Romeo.
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: That's all.
• 22:52
  Speaker 4: Notice, he's got a talk.
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: I'm trying.
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: I'm trying to learn how to do that anyway.
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: So up front You're gonna find the LED lighting in the front.
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: In the rear Got power heated folding mirrors, the hands-free power liftgate on the back of it, power moonroof.
• 23:05
  Speaker 3: It comes with 19 inch standard wheels, but we had the 20 by 8 inch Greasio wheels that really look pretty good on it because it's got the fatter tires and things on it.
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: Inside you're gonna find you got leather seating.
• 23:17
  Speaker 3: The front seats are heated and ventilated.
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: Got a 12.3 inch color display for the driver.
• 23:22
  Speaker 3: So you're gonna have all your gauges and all your.
• 23:24
  Speaker 3: Your meters and monitors are all right there.
• 23:26
  Speaker 3: 10.25 inch touchscreen where you connect five is Surround view camera.
• 23:32
  Speaker 3: Your nav, all your good convenience controls are all right there.
• 23:35
  Speaker 3: Got a wireless charger on it and the Harman Kardon audio will really fill it up at jimmy's buff Sound.
• 23:42
  Speaker 3: Oh, lots of things on it.
• 23:44
  Speaker 3: Up under the hood You're gonna find a 1.3 liter turbo.
• 23:47
  Speaker 3: Now this is back to you, jeff.
• 23:48
  Speaker 3: 1.3 liter turbo, that is for the front wheels, the 121 horsepower equivalent Electric component of it's for the rear wheel drive.
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: And once you take off in the electric mode, when you shift into second gear, the gasoline motor starts.
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: Got you.
• 24:07
  Speaker 3: So first gear uses that torque of that E-motor to really get it up and rolling.
• 24:11
  Speaker 3: So you get a combined 285 total horsepower in this all-wheel drive vehicle backed by a six-speed automatic transmission.
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: Now the EPA says, on gas only, you're looking at about 29 miles per gallon.
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: Dang, get the mpg E.
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: The electronic component says 77.
• 24:30
  Speaker 3: So it's basically, uh, I don't know, it's kind of around 30 combined thing.
• 24:36
  Speaker 3: But I drove this thing 287.1 miles and, best I can tell, putting all this together on all the gauges that are on there, I got 26.6 overall Mile per gallon.
• 24:46
  Speaker 3: Equivalent for the week that I drove comes to three drive modes, uh, and that's where you get into the whole.
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: One of them I thought was interesting, d Is for the dual power and that's really what you could manually control the ev and the uh first gear and then the second gear.
• 25:03
  Speaker 3: It kicks in, uh, the gas motor.
• 25:05
  Speaker 4: Did you notice a difference in it?
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I know, because normally if you to do that, you know you use the torque of the ev.
• 25:12
  Speaker 3: You're kind of doing the uh On ramp entrance, the freeway entrance test, and it's already under such more acceleration Uh so it was in a hard transition.
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: No, it's not.
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: If you're just in a normal drive mode or in a normal driving pattern, in that dual power mode, I could tell that's why it's good.
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: I like the car.
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: You know there was a little bit noise.
• 25:33
  Speaker 3: I mean you could tell something else kicked in.
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: But other than that, just that was it.
• 25:37
  Speaker 3: I think it's appealing to suspension levels and all that's based on the drive mode and but overall it's.
• 25:43
  Speaker 3: It's a sports car ride, it's got a firm ride to it and no doubt about it, and it's got those performance tires on it's what's contributing to that.
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: Uh, overall, the base model price on a vehicle like this is 44,590 dollars.
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: The base trim price is 47495, now the as tested price 50.
• 26:01
  Speaker 3: That's 57,450 dollars for this vehicle.
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: So if you're looking for something to compare it to, 57,000.
• 26:09
  Speaker 3: Yes, sir, that's what I said the uh, you're looking for something to compare it to Audi Q3, it's a little tough trying to find a plug-in electric hybrid to compare all this to, but if you look at the sizing of it and the pricing, audi Q3 is at $38,790, the BMW X1 is at $41,495, and then Mercedes-Benz GLB is at $42,000 for this Alfa Romeo tonale vehicle.
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: You know, did you have issues?
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: I know if you both have had issues with the plug portion of it to the house.
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: was there anything like that that you I did concerns try and do that Did you?
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: Was it a 110 plugger that you had?
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: That came with the plug.
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it had that adaptability, but I could never get situated where I could leave it for the nine hours that it said would take to charge it.
• 26:57
  Speaker 3: Oh, why not?
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: Well, just because it get Well, I'd have to run a long extension cord.
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: I didn't want to do that.
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: I mean, I wanted to get close enough that the cord would, they're all wires they're all right there.
• 27:07
  Speaker 3: I couldn't find them.
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: They were all in the case.
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: No, yeah, just situations where I just couldn't get it situated right to do that, if you dare.
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: This program is available 24-7 on iHeart Radio to search for InWheelTime Car Talk.
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: We also video stream on Facebook, youtube, twitch and sometimes on InWheelTimecom, but not today.
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: 30-minute podcast at your fingertips and over a dozen of the most popular podcasts out on the top there.
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: The InWheelTime Car Talk show continues right after this quick break.
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: Tailpipes and tacos is back.
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: It's been a while, but the popular Tailpipes and Tacos cruise in returns to the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Max in Katie, and it's an extra special one.
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: Bring your hot rod classic or modern classic to compete for one of the famous chili pepper trophies and get a free breakfast taco.
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: Just make a donation of any size to God's Garage and Loopy's will match it.
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: You'll be helping single mothers who need a set of wheels.
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: It's been almost a year in the making, so you won't want to miss Tailpipes and Tacos.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: Saturday, november 11th, 8-11am.
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: Towers in, donate what you want to God's Garage and grab a free Loopy Tortilla Breakfast Taco.
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: Tailpipes and Tacos only happens at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Max in Katie at 703 West Grand Parkway at Kingsland Boulevard, just south of the Katie Freeway.
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: It's car show season and what better way to kick it off than a free taco and comradery at Tailpipes and Tacos.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: Saturday, november 11th, 8-11am.
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: The InWheelTime Car Talk show will be there too.
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: Proceeds benefit God's Garage.
• 28:37
  Speaker 5: Rodgers Dab, chevrolet and GM Performance have the absolute best price that you will find on GM Parts, plus Transmissions and engines, over $25 million in parts and powertrain inventory and customer service that will be not matched by anyone in the country.
• 28:53
  Speaker 5: Rodgers Dab, chevrolet and GM Performance.
• 28:56
  Speaker 5: Whether you are a drag racer, an oval track racer, a hot rodder, it matters not.
• 29:01
  Speaker 5: Rodgers Dab, chevrolet and GM Performance will have the best price in the country, the best customer service and the best delivery times that you will find on your GM Parts.
• 29:12
  Speaker 5: It can be on your dock at your front door in a matter of days.
• 29:16
  Speaker 5: It's Rodgers Dab, chevrolet, gm Performance and Customer Service to boot.
• 29:20
  Speaker 5: Contact our Texas team.
• 29:22
  Speaker 5: Gina Shial knows at 713-907-0906, or Rodney Rodry is at 512-300-4445.
• 29:31
  Speaker 5: You will not find better service or better inventory in the country.
• 29:35
  Speaker 5: Rodgers Dab, gm Performance.
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: Houston's finest cars are invited to another Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social Saturday, december 2nd, and you're invited too.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: Show off your personal pride and joy or just stop in to see the likes of Lucid Lamborghini, porsche, ferrari and more.
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your one-stop shop for paint detailing, coatings, window tint, clear bras and wheel repair.
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: The Car Social is your opportunity to get a tour of this state-of-the-art facility located at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway, just south of the Southwest Freeway.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: It all takes place Saturday, december 2nd, 9 to noon.
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: This is the perfect opportunity to connect with other car enthusiasts, from BMWs to mentallys, corvettes to McLaren's.
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: The Car Social is a different kind of show Talk to the owners.
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: See Gulf Coast Auto Shield's facility.
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: You'll be amazed.
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: Put it on your calendar now the Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social Saturday, december 2nd, 9 to noon at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway, just south of the Southwest Freeway.
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show will be there too.
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: We'll see you then.
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning, 8 to 11 am, central on Facebook, youtube, twitch and our InWheelTimecom website.
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: This is available on Apple Podcasts, spotify, stitcher and other websites.