The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid has been named North American Car of the Year, and nobody knows more about the car and process than NACTOY jurors Jack Nerad and Matt DeLorenzo, who host and co-host this week’s show. They’ll take you behind the scenes to discuss not only the winning vehicle but also the procedures that resulted in the choice of Honda’s highly popular compact car.

At the same time, Nerad and DeLorenzo will offer long looks at the winners of the North American Utility of the Year and North American Truck of the Year — the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz and the 2025 Ford Ranger. You’ll hear commentary on these vehicles you won’t get anywhere else.

In our interview segment this week, you’ll also hear a discussion you won’t hear anywhere else. Russell Wager, Kia America’s vice president of marketing, is our guest. Jack Nerad sat down with him to talk about the opportunities and challenges presented as the country transitions from the Biden years to the Trump era.

Speaking of Biden, as one of his last acts in office, he and his Administration essentially banned Chinese-built cars from entering the U.S. market and, at the same time, banned vehicles with Chinese technology and hardware. We’ll discuss the ramifications of that coming up.

In our road test segment, guest co-host Matt DeLorenzo will detail the special virtues of the 2025 Infiniti QX55, and Jack Nerad will provide an in-depth report on the 2025 Hyundai Kona Electric — a vehicle that might be the best value among battery-electric vehicles right now.

Listener Question of the Week

“It seems like electric cars are more expensive than gasoline vehicles, but some people tell me that you can quickly make up the difference because they cost much less to own and operate. Is that true or are folks just blowing smoke?”

Rudy, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Matt DeLorenzo's Book

Pick up a copy of co-host Matt DeLorenzo's terrific new book How to Buy an Affordable Electric Car: A Tightwad's Guide to EV Ownership.

Special Offer

Jack is now offering his suspense novel, Dance in the Dark, for just $.99, a $9.00 saving from its original published price of $9.99. Click here to buy from Amazon at this special limited-time price.

Brought to you by:

• DrivingToday.com

• Mercury Insurance: Find out how much you can save at DrivingToday.com/auto-insurance.

• EMLandsea.com, publisher of Dance in the Dark.

We have a lot of shows for you this week. Thanks for joining us, and don’t forget to look for new content on our YouTube and Rumble channels. Please subscribe. If you do, we'll like you forever.

America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Show

03:00 North American Car of the Year Discussion

09:16 Banning Chinese Vehicles: National Security Concerns

10:25 Honda's Aggressive Strategy in the Market

11:10 Matt's Book on Affordable Electric Vehicles

12:48 Road Test: 2025 Infiniti QX55 Review

17:00 Road Test: 2025 Hyundai Kona Electric Review

25:55 Exclusive Interview: Kia Marketing VP Russell Wager

39:30 Listener Question: Cost of Electric Vehicles vs Gasoline Vehicles

Keywords

automotive, electric vehicles, North American Car of the Year, Honda, Chinese vehicles, 2025 Infiniti QX55, 2025 Hyundai Kona Electric, car reviews, automotive news, EV ownership

Summary

In this episode of America on the Road, hosts Jack Nerad and Matt DeLorenzo discuss various automotive topics, including the North American Car of the Year awards, the implications of the Biden administration's ban on Chinese-built vehicles, Honda's renewed market strategies, and insights from Matt's book on affordable electric vehicles. They also review the Infiniti QX55 and the Hyundai Kona Electric, highlighting their features and market positioning.