Alan greets Josh Hancock, a Hollywood car consultant, who is making a brief visit. They discuss VinFast, a new Vietnamese automaker that hasn’t gained much attention yet due to its lack of a track record. Josh is test driving a 2023 Aston Martin SUV with the plate number DBX 707. The vehicle is impressive, with exceptional handling and comfort. However, it comes with a hefty price tag of $270,000. Overall, they agree that selling an unknown brand like VinFast would be a challenge.

Our next featured writer is George Kennedy III, who co-founded Cartender.com and serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association. He writes for U.S. News & World Report, CarGurus, Forbes Wheels, and The Drive. George recently test drove two vehicles: the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss diesel, which features an inline 6 cylinder and a tow package capable of hauling up to 13,000 lbs. This half-ton truck is built for hard work, with bench front seats, a column shifter, and rubber flooring. George also tested the 2024 Kia Seltos, a subcompact SUV that surprised him with its ample cargo space and comfortable seating and legroom, even for taller individuals. The Seltos handles turns well and delivers a smooth ride on most surfaces, all for the affordable price of $31,000. Kia continues to impress with its budget-friendly yet high-quality offerings.

Our dear friend and contributor, Lauren Fix, is enjoying the tropical weather in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, while reporting to us from the Toyota Ride and Drive event where they have just unveiled the 2024 Toyota Tacoma. Toyota has provided car enthusiasts with a wide range of choices, offering eight different trim levels and four different engines to choose from. Lauren also test-drove the 2024 Grand Highlander, a 2024 Ranger, and a 2024 Ranger Raptor during the event. For more information, you can visit her at www.carcoachreports.com. Before saying goodbye, she shared that there is a recall of over sixty-seven million airbags. You can easily check if your vehicle is affected by typing in your vehicle information and the word “recalls” in the Google search bar.

To end the show today with Alan is friend and contributor Brian Moody – Executive Editor of Auto Trader.com and KBB.com. Brian is here to explain the tax credit situation—the ups and downs of the new bill that the Biden Administration passed. The good thing is that the vehicle has had to be built in the United States to get the credit—no outsourcing for the most part. Brian’s next topic is interest rates, which you can get more info by visiting www.kbb.com/car-advice. The average interest rate for leasing a vehicle is 9.5%, while the average car payment is $766 monthly. For the middle of America, paying for this vehicle per year would take 43 weeks’ worth of someone’s paycheck. Who can afford that?

[00:00:00] – Contributor Josh Hancock[00:06:36] – Aston Martin[00:13:01] – A Gentleman’s Car[00:20:52] – Contributor George Kennedy III [00:30:15] – 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500[00:37:23] – 2024 Kia Seltos[00:43:43] – Contributor Lauren Fix[00:50:25] – 2024 Toyota Tacoma[00:56:45] – 67 Million Recalls on Air Bags[01:04:35] – Contributor Brian Moody[01:13:22] – Tax Credits[01:21:06] – Interest Rates

CREDITS

Host: Alan TaylorProducer: Dave MilliganCopy Editor: Colleen Mahi

Contributor: Josh Hancock Contributor: George Kennedy IIIContributor: Lauren Fix ...