While we were in Ojai California last week to drive the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland and C-HR, friend of the show Tanya Gazdik and Sam sat down for a chat with chief engineer Masaya Uchiyama. 

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This week Nicole white knuckled it through a tunnel at Boston Logan Airport with a Ford F-250 Platinum diesel and Robbie and Sam had almost identical Toyota Corolla Cross XSE hybrids.

Sam and Robbie go deep on the 3D printed pistons that F1 teams might be using to "cheat" on the new power unit rules. The Vinfast VF8 has so much creep torque, it could be a safety issue. Ferrari announced its new EV will be called the Luce and it has an interior designed by former Apple design chief Jonny Ive and his pal Marc Newson. Toyota revealed its next-generation Highlander and its all electric. VW is previewing the 2027 Atlas on the snow and ice in Quebec, and the Trump adminstration has effectively killed the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. China is continuing to introduce regulations to address some of the worst design decisions of recent years, including banning steering yokes and requiring physical controls for the most commonly used functions.

Sam had a conversation with Mazda North America CEO Tom Donnelly about where the brand is going and we have a couple of tangents about corgis and furniture dollies.

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Links

How 3D-Printed Pistons Let F1 Engines Bend the Rules on Compression - Autoblog

VinFast VF8 Creep Torque Insane Problem! I've Never Seen Anything Like This

Why ‘Luce’ Is the Perfect Name for the First Electric Ferrari

New Ferrari Luce: 1000HP Electric Supercar - INTERIOR Reveal

2027 Toyota Highlander EV Reveal | GreenCars

Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Updates EV Charger Program to Include Buy America Requirements

Here's The ALL-NEW Volkswagen Atlas Before You're Supposed To See It!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zvvz9h7u4m7brdndeskoe/China-takes-aim-at-screen-heavy-dashboards-in-new-safety-push-Automotive-News.pdf?rlkey=l05zgpen0kwvzh9z2l1px9w74&st=1d2th28d&dl=0

China Just Banned Steering Yokes, But Not For The Reason You Think - The Autopian

Westminster Kennel Club Pembroke Corgis

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Robbie, his wife and the dogs are taking a weekend off at a cabin in Sonoma so it's just Nicole and Sam. After a intro discussion of winter driving, Nicole discusses driving the Hyundai Ioniq 9 in frigid weather while Sam reviews the Mazda CX-70.

Hyundai unveiled a camper version of its new electric Staria van in Stuttgart. We have more detail on China's new rules banning retracting door handles. Autocar got to drive the new Jaguar Type 00 prototype in Northern Sweden. Stellantis is doing a major reset under CEO Antonio Filosa and taking a $26 billion dollar charge including selling it stake in a battery joint venture to LG for just $100. Some cars need to be hatchbacks and Jim Farley teases the upcoming $30,000 electric truck and Ford promises its dealers 5 vehicles under $40K. You might soon be able to use other chatbots with Apple Carplay and Nicole discusses a new SAE/NACTOY scholarship for aspiring automotive journalists.

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Links

A New Vision of Travel Freedom: Hyundai Unveils STARIA Camper Concept at the CMT in Stuttgart

New China Door Handle Regulations

NEW JAGUAR DRIVEN | First review of prototype electric Jaguar 'Type 00' | Autocar

Stellantis Resets its Business to Meet Customer Preferences and to Support Profitable Growth | Corporate Communications

LG Energy Solution to Acquire Full Ownership of NextStar Energy in Joint Strategic Decision with Stellantis | Corporate Communications

These Cars Would Be Better If They Had A Hatchback Or Liftback, According To Our Readers - Jalopnik

https://x.com/jimfarley98/status/2019388693866271070?s=42

Ford Promises 5 New Cars Under $40K by 2030, Including Midsize Electric Truck

Apple might let you use ChatGPT from CarPlay | The Verge

SAE/NACTOY Scholarship

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This week both Sam and Nicole had the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy although in different colors.

Nicole has had several first drives to report on including the Kia K4 hatchback, refreshed Honda Pilot and Honda Prelude. Congress voted not to kill the mandate for a drunk driving disable system while Tesla has decided to kill the Model S and Model X and Hyundai is ditching the Santa Cruz. Rolls Royce is working on an electric Cullinan and Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a next-generation S-Class. Ineos tweaked the steering on the Grenadier and Genesis has a high-performance off-road concept the X Skorpio.

Chery is launching an electric mid-size pickup in China for just $18,300 and Mary Barra isn't sure why Canada is going to let people buy cheap Chinese EVs. Use of hands-free Super Cruise and BlueCruise is growing and people are willing to pay for it while Tesla robotaxis are crashing more often than human drivers. Finally we answer some listener e-mails and Nicole talks with Honda sales chief Lance Woelfer.

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Links

2026 Kia K4 Hatchback Road Test and Review | Autoweb

2026 Honda Pilot first drive: The family hauler gets even better

Car ‘kill switch’ rule divides GOP

Tesla is killing off the Model S and Model X | TechCrunch

Rolls-Royce priming electric Cullinan with dramatic new look | Autocar

The 2026 Ineos Grenadier’s Steering Sucks A Bit Less And Its Electronics Suck A Bit More - The Autopian

GENESIS UNVEILS OFF-ROAD X SKORPIO CONCEPT; NEW CONCEPT CAR STRATEGY

China Just Got an $18,300 Electric Pickup That Puts the U.S. Market to Shame

GM CEO 'Can't Explain Why' Canada Would Welcome Chinese EVs - Jalopnik

Ford Drivers Logged 264 Million BlueCruise Miles as Comfort With Autonomy Grows - Autoblog

Hyundai Santa Cruz faces early end with larger pickup planned - Automotive News

Tesla's own Robotaxi data confirms crash rate 3x worse than humans even with monitor | Electrek

The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Refined in every detail.

Robbie rides the Honda Motocompacto

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At CES 2026 Sam and friend of the show John Voelker sat down for a conversation with Giovanni Lanfranchi, CEO of Zeekr Technology Europe to learn more about the Geely Group's approach to product development

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Unfortunately, Robbie had a migraine this morning so it's just Nicole and Sam. Nicole has been driving the latest Toyota Prius with AWD in New Hampshire snow and Sam had the Cadillac Lyriq Signature Sport AWD in Michigan winter weather.

Volvo finally dropped all the details on its new EX60 midsize electric crossover including the missing door handles and touchscreen vents. Tesla has moved the safety monitors from some of its "robotaxis" to a following vehicle. Tesla also killed off Autopilot and moved lane centering to its subscription only full self-driving. GM is moving production of the next-gen Buick Envision to Kansas and the current administration in Washington will no longer seek criminal penalties against businesses that remove diesel emissions devices. Chinese automakers now have 1/5 of the Mexican market and may soon do the same to Canada. Subaru is launching a lower priced base model of the WRX that keeps the 271-hp turbo boxer. Rivian is driving its manufacturing validation R2s across Route 66 and might, maybe, hopefully put some switches and knobs in future models. Finally, a dealer in Michigan is asking nearly $70K for a 35 year old Toyota pickup.

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Links

The car that changes the game – meet the new, all-electric Volvo EX60 | Volvo Cars Media Intl

The Tesla Robotaxis Roaming Austin 'Without Safety Monitors' Are Accompanied by Cars Full of Safety Monitors

Tesla finally kills Autopilot in a bid to boost FSD subscriptions | The Verge

GM to move production of China-built Buick SUV to U.S. plant

Rolling-Coal And Emissions Cheating Devices Are No Longer A Criminal Offenses In Donald Trump's America - Jalopnik

Don’t Hate — eCVTs Are Genius Transmissions!

Led by BYD, China’s cheap EVs, cars take over Mexico’s streets as tariffs take hold

2026 SUBARU WRX BRINGS BACK THE AFFORDABLE RALLY-INSPIRED SPORTS SEDAN STARTING AT $32,495 MSRP

Route 66 roadtrip in R2 - Rivian Stories | Electric Vehicle Adventures

If You're Willing to Pay $70K for a 35-Year-Old Toyota Pickup, Get Some Help

Rivian May Be Giving the R1S a Smarter Tailgate—and Bringing Back Buttons - Autoblog

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We're back and this week all voices were recorded all the way through the show. Sorry again about last week. Nicole lucked out and had the Land Rover Defender Octa during some serious New Hampshire winter weather and Sam had a Porsche Macan 4S Electric with winter tires during a Michigan snow storm.

Ahead of the Detroit Auto Show this week, Ford previewed the new Mustang Dark Horse SC taking the place of the former Shelby GT500 and the Bronco RTR that's been breathed on by Vaughn Gittin Jr. Sam spokee with Mustang color and materials manager Sarah Watson and Dark Horse SC chief engineer Arie Groeneveld. Chevrolet dropped some details on the acceleration capabilities of the Corvette ZR1X and it is insanely quick off the line. Honda is ending production of the current Acura RDX while it prepares a new hybrid replacement and it has also developed a lightweight camper that can be pulled by a CR-V.

Alfa Romeo brings the refreshed Tonale to America sans the plug-in hybrid and drops the Hornet. Nicole and Sam talked with Stellantis head of North American brands Tim Kuniskis and the Jeep Gladiator will live on for another generation. Canada has signed a trade deal with China will lower tariffs on Chinese EVs north of the border and imported vehicles have become significantly more expensive in the past year.

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Links

Ford’s GT500 Successor Arrives As The 2027 Mustang Dark Horse SC – Wheel Bearings

Born in the Desert, the Bronco RTR Is the Fun High-Speed Racer That Won’t Break the Bank

What's New for 2026: Alfa Romeo Tonale

America's Quickest Production Car: Corvette ZR1X Does 8.675-Second ¼-Mile, Sub 2 Second 0-60

Next-Generation Acura RDX Will Go Hybrid

Honda Unveils Base Station Prototype: A Lightweight Towable Travel Trailer with Modular Design, Smart Technology & Clever Packaging to Democratize Camping

Canada wants to be 1st in North America to build EV with Chinese knowledge: senior official | CBC News

That Dodge Charger Got a Hemi In It? Only If It’s a Hellcat.

That New Car Is About $6,400 More Expensive Than Before, Here’s Why

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Unfortunately, the audio is a bit weird this week, Robbie's audio stopped recording after 26 minutes so there are some gaps, but most of it is there.

Nicole is back and she drove the new 2026 Subaru Outback Premium. It doesn't look much a like a wagon anymore, but its still a Subie through and through. Sam had the Honda HR-V AWD EX-L and Lexus UX300h, two very different compact crossovers.

Lots of news this week with both Sam and Nicole attending CES. Nicole spoke with BMW about the new iX3 and learned about the Tensor robocar. Sam went to the Nvidia keynote to learn about their new world driving model Alpamayo that debuts in the Mercedes-Benz CLA this quarter and is coming to Lucid later in the year. Lucid plans to have eyes-off driving in 2028 and brain-off in 2029. Ford is also bringing eyes-off driving to the new universal EV platform in 2028. If Afeela ever actually starts selling cars they may have brain off around then along with a second model that that they showed at CES. Aptiv's new Pulse sensor could make auto parking a lot faster. Volvo is teasing out its new EX60 and Stellantis is killing off all of its North American plug-in hybrids. Sam went for a ride in a Zoox robotaxi while he was in Vegas. We've got more listener suggestions for Nicole's car buying journey and Sam has a conversation with Glen de Vos, CEO of Microvision.

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Links

NVIDIA Announces Alpamayo Family of Open-Source AI Models and Tools to Accelerate Safe, Reasoning-Based Autonomous Vehicle Development

Lucid Gets Nvidia Driving Model, L3 in 2028

All Jeep and Chrysler Plug-In Hybrid Models Are Officially Dead: Exclusive

AFEELA Prototype 2026

Kodiak AI and Bosch Partner to Scale Autonomous Trucking Hardware

Ford's Simple Vision for Smart Tech: Make It for Everyone

Aptiv PULSE™ Sensor

Walk-Around of the Pre-Production Afeela 1 at CES 2026

The new Volvo EX60: best-in-class 810km range and charging as fast as a stop for fuel and coffee

250000-Mile Champions: Commuter Cars That Last The Longest

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Nicole had a last minute family emergency and couldn't make it, but Sam drove the Subaru WRX tS and Robbie provides an update on the Verge electric motorcycle he recently rode.

In the news the least surprising announcement of the week came from Ram with the return of the TRX plus a diesel version of the heavy duty Power Wagon. Over on the Rich Rebuilds Youtube channel, Sam stumbled across his merger of a Honda Beat and an Arcimoto electric trike. We've been talking for a while about what a terrible idea electronic door releases are and now some Rivian owners are coming up with DIY mechanical solutions. Some college students in Japan are transforming a Daihatsu Copen Kei Roadster into a cool mini GR Supra for the Tokyo Auto Salon. We discuss some cool pickup truck bed features and a nearly 20 year old Ford sedan concept. Is the Fisker Karma the cockroach of the automotive world? VW shows the interior of the ID Polo and hurray! it's got physical controls.

We also answer some listener messages.

Links

The Ram TRX Is Back For 2027, One-Trick Pony?

You Asked, Ram Delivered: Ram Power Wagon With 6.7-Liter Cummins HO Turbo Diesel and Best-in-Class 1,075 lb.-ft. of Torque

Building a Budget Tesla Roadster

Honda e-Beat

Honda Beat-offRivian Owners Are Adding DIY Emergency Door Releases for Their Kids - Autoblog

Japanese Students Turn a Kei Car Into a Mini Toyota GR Supra - Autoblog

These 9 Trucks Have Super Cool Bed Features - Jalopnik

This Ford Concept Could’ve Been a Modern Crown Victoria - Autoblog

Live from Dearborn: Driving the Ford Interceptor Concept

It Feels Like The Fisker Karma Will Never Actually, Truly Die - The Autopian

Volkswagen unveils a new cockpit generation – debuting with the all-new ID. Polo 02

Verge TS Pro electric motorcycle with solid state battery

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This week, Nicole continues her stint with the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and her family was wondering if it was ok when they heard the sound it makes. Sam had the opposite end of the scale with the Lexus TX 550h+, a 3-row plug-in hybrid crossover.

The team discusses the EVs that InsideEVs is looking forward to in 2026 and what they are expecting and then devolves into the biggest surprises and disappointments of 2025 (at least in the automotive space). Buying a car used is generally a better financial decision than buying new, but there are segments you should stay away from. Consumer Reports suggests the best all-season tires for winter driving. It turns out that just because a car costs millions of dollars, not all of the parts are bespoke. VW launches a very cool new electric crossover in China. Car buyers looking for a cheap ride with a warranty no longer have a choice under $20,000. There are some fascinating options that used to be available on cars and TFL puts their 1927 Model T on the dyno. Finally, we discuss some more suggestions about what car Nicole should buy next and why Ford is making the Mach-E frunk optional.

Links

The cars InsideEVs is looking forward to in 2026

7 Cheap Used Cars That Aren't Worth The Trouble - Jalopnik

Best All-Season Tires for Winter Driving - Consumer Reports

These Supercars Save Money Using Parts From Boring Everyday Cars - Jalopnik

Volkswagen Unveils a 450-Mile China-Only Electric SUV With 800V Fast Charging - Autoblog

America Loses Its Last Subcompact Sedan as Nissan Kills the Versa in 2026

Options to Remember, or Maybe Not

Putting Our 100-Year-Old Ford Model T On The Dyno!

The Order of Time

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