Wheel Bearings

It's just Sam and Robbie this week and Robbie has the BMW M5 Touring while Sam drove the Rivian R1T Quad.

Audi took the wraps off its new Q9 three-row SUV this week while Mercedes-Benz went for the opposite end of the scale with the new GLA crossover. Zoox got a NHTSA waiver for its robotaxi and the feds are finally going to start working on AV regulations. Nissan and Honda are expected to partner on next-generation software platforms. If a bill in congress goes through, Mercedes-Benz could get booted from the US market and Jim Farley expects the Chinese to be here within a decade anyway. BYD is launching its new Racco Kei EV in Japan and NHTSA may also try to make door handles safer. Walmart is pushing ahead with deployment of its charging network while Florida wants to use EV charging funds to build infrastructure for eVTOL air taxis.

Links

The 2027 Audi Q9 Is the Largest Model In Automaker’s History and Its New Flagship

Shaq’s One-Off Electric Coupe Just Turned Up In A Salvage Yard - Autoblog

2027 Mercedes-Benz GLA

Zoox granted first-ever NHTSA commercial exemption for purpose-built robotaxi

Honda and Nissan to jointly develop next-generation car operating system - The Japan Times

Walmart Is The Future Of EV Charging In America - The Autopian

Ford’s Jim Farley Warns Staff Chinese Cars Could Hit America Within 5-10 Years | Carscoops

Under pressure over China backers, Mercedes CEO pledges to defend U.S. business

Aurora reports Q2 results, details per-mile pricing - FreightWaves

BYD launches the 'world's first' SDV kei EV, starting at just $13,000

It Was a Trap? Electronic Car Door Handles May Finally Get Safer

Florida Got $200 Million For EV Chargers. It Wants To Spend It On Air Taxis Instead

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This week Sam had nothing scheduled so he drove his 1990 Miata around. Robbie joined in a bit late to tell us about the Lucid Gravity and Kia Telluride X-Pro SX Prestige while Nicole shared some thoughts on driving her spouse's Wrangler PHEV.

Jalopnik provided a reader listicle on concepts that didn't translate well to production. Recurrent provided some data on rising prices of used EVs. Ford invited us out to Michigan Speedway to sample some products from its custom garage and see the new Bronco Desert Rising Edition. Ford also announced a partnership with GenerLink to make connecting an F-150 to the house for power backup easier. Ford is also going to be the first automaker to use Apple Maps in its upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle platform. Stellantis is adopting Mobileye's REM maps to enhance its ADAS systems and Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua is retiring. Honda teased the next-gen Ridgeline that is still 2 years away and has stopped producing the Civic Si and Integra A-Spec with manual transmissions. We also have some listener emails.

Finally we end the episode with some sad news, but don't worry, the show is going on.

Links

These Concept Cars Spawned The Most Disappointing Production Vehicles - Jalopnik

These Are The 5 Best Used EV Deals For Range: Study

Used EV values climbing

Apple Maps to Power the Navigation Experience for the Ford Universal Electric Vehicle Platform

Ditch the Extension Cord Spaghetti: An Easier, More Affordable Way to Power Your Home

Mobileye to Supply Cloud-Enhanced ADAS for Select Future Stellantis Vehicles

Some People Love DIY Customization. Ford Built a Shortcut for Everyone Else

How Utah's Desert Landscape Inspired New, Bold Ford Bronco Design

Mobileye announces planned leadership transition

Honda Confirms Third-Generation Ridgeline Midsize Pickup with More Rugged Design, Arriving Within Two Years

Honda Civic Si And Manual Acura Integra Are Going To Die, But Only For A Little While - Jalopnik

Hyundai’s 2027 Kona Shows Boxy Exterior Look, New Cockpit Design in Fresh Renderings - autoevolution

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This week Robbie has been driving the Ford Mustang Mach-e GT and Sam had the Ford F-150 Lariat PowerBoost Hybrid

There's lots of news including a Ford patent that could immobilize cars, a proposal for a VW Thing revival as an EREV and an Abarth version of the Fiat Topolino. A wagon version of the Polestar 4 has been spotted testing with a rear window and Volvo is planning to bring sedans and wagons back to the US. Horse has a range extender system with an axial flux motor and VW is considering building its China developed EVs in Germany.

Sam drove the Rivian R2 and got a demo of the new interface from Wassym Bensaid. The Nissan Altima is dead in America and the Gordie Howe bridge is finally opening but Dongfeng EVs may not be allowed to cross it. GM is offering a discount to its customers for using the Ionna charging network and we have a bunch of listener mail. 

Links

Ford Can Now Stop Some Vehicles Starting, Even With The Key - Autoblog

How I'd Redeem Volkswagen With A Revived, Range-Extended Type 181 'Thing' - The Autopian

Abarth May Turn Fiat’s Tiny Topolino Into A 25-MPH Hot Rod - Autoblog

First look: Polestar 4 SUV breaks cover ahead of September debut | Autocar

New range-extender hybrid uses supercar tech for efficiency boost | Autocar

Volkswagen could build its Chinese saloons and SUVs in Europe | Autocar

Volvo Could Bring An Electric Sedan And Wagon To U.S. By 2028: Report

This Class-Action Lawsuit May Decide If an Automaker Owes You a Tariff Refund

The Nissan Altima, Once Inescapable, Is Finally Dead

Trump's 'Much Better Deal' For Gordie Howe Bridge Isn't Much Better, But At Least It Has An Opening Date - Jalopnik

Dongfeng Wants To Sell These Two EVs In Canada Next Year For Less Than $25,000 USD - Jalopnik

General Motors EV drivers can now charge at over 120 IONNA locations nationwide

Flock Says Its Cameras Worked 'Correctly' When Police Tracked and Ambushed Me for No Reason

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This week Robbie was driving the Chevy Trax and Sam had the Ford Maverick XLT Hybrid AWD and Subaru Uncharted GT.

In the news we discuss our friend Joel getting tracked by flock for an allegedly stolen license plate on a press car. We also have longer loans, right to repair, testing driver response time with touch screens, AVs and first responders, the Fiat Topolino, new EU safety rules, an electric hot hatch from MG, and a proposal to require multiple sensor types for AVs in New Jersey.

Links

How Flock Cameras Wrongly Tracked Me For Days over ‘Stolen’ Plates and Sent Police After Me

Almost A Quarter Of New Car Buyers Got 7-Year Loans Last Quarter - Jalopnik

Touchscreens in cars are moving in the wrong direction | Vi Bilägare

Farmers Finally Get a John Deere Right to Repair Agreement That Doesn’t Screw Them Over

NHTSA calls out autonomous cars for interfering with first responders - Engadget

America’s cheapest new EV is smaller than a ping-pong table and tops out at 19mph | The Verge

Safer cars, safer roads: New rules take effect - European Commission

This New MG Concept Car That Recalls The Old MGB GT May Be Part Of A Coming Wave Of Hatchbacks - The Autopian

New Lexus LFA aims to win over EV sceptics with V10 feel | Autocar

The robotaxi law that could ban Tesla | The Verge

New Jersey could ban Tesla’s Robotaxi with one line about sensors

DeFlock

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Sam and Robbie both had the Ford Explorer Tremor this week and Nicole rounded out the Ford fest with the F-350 King Ranch PowerStroke duallie.

Diesel cars are fading away in Europe and BMW has launched the next-generation X5 including an all electric iX5. California is bringing back some EV incentives for first-time buyers and the Kia Niro is going hybrid only for 2027. Thieves have been stealing truckloads of batteries from a Tesla factory and Ferrari is bringing back a simulated manual transmission.

Sam also has a conversation with Christopher Maiwald, CEO and Founder of charger manufacturer Lectron.

Links

Diesel's demise nears as Volkswagen axes diesel Golf after 50 years | Autocar

Why Ford's 3.0L Power Stroke Diesel Died An Ignoble Death - Jalopnik

New California Incentive Gives Some First-Time EV Buyers $3,500 Instant Discount - Jalopnik

Our Readers Came Up With These Honest Auto Company Slogans - Jalopnik

The New BMW X5 and iX5.

UPCOMING 2027 KIA NIRO SHARPENS ITS HYBRID CROSSOVER FORMULA WITH REFRESHED STYLING AND EXPANDED TECHNOLOGY

Someone Keeps Stealing Entire Truckloads Of Tesla Batteries

Polestar Is Offering Up to $25,000 Off Its 3 and 4 EVs

The Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale Might Just Save The Manual Transmission With A Modified DCT - The Autopian

Toyota Announces $3.6B Expansion, 2,000 New Jobs at its San Antonio Plant

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This week Nicole shares her adventure of trying to get a test drive in a BMW, and testing the Subaru Crosstrek hybrid and Ford Maverick hybrid. Robbie went on an adventure in the new Subaru Outback and Sam did truck stuff with the Ford Maverick Lobo.

In the news, Jeep teased the new Cherokee Trailhawk, a Toyota engineer said he's like a Rav4 Ute, and we discuss bad old car ads. IIHS crashed old and new Blazers, Polestar pulled out of the US market, Honda is bringing back the Element, our pal Andre tries a restomoded 23-window VW bus and we look at the new Hyundai Elantra. We also spend a lot of time discussing Slate. 

Links

Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

Thrill To Four Dull Commercials For Dazzlingly Boring '70s And '80s Cars! - The Autopianngly-boring-70s-and-80s-cars/

Toyota RAV4 ute market would be 'quite appealing', says top engineer

2026 vs. 1996 Chevrolet Blazer IIHS crash test

Polestar strengthens its focus on Europe following decision under the U.S. Connected Vehicle Rule

Honda Element Returning in 2029

U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) | JD Power

Is This EV-Converted Volkswagen Microbus Brilliant or Blasphemy?

Vintage Vehicles | Modern Classic Cars | Kindred Motorworks

Next-generation Hyundai Elantra brings striking new look | Autocar

GMC introduces the most advanced, luxurious, and powerful Sierra 1500 ever

Study: People Wanted Tech-Savvy Cars, And Now They Can't Afford Them

Everyone Loves The Slate Truck. I'm Not Ready To Celebrate Yet

We Ride Along in Slate's $25,000 Electric Pickup - Mobility Engineering Technology

We Ride Along in Slate's $25,000 Electric Pickup

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This week Sam drove the Polestar 4 and Kia Sportage Hybrid. Robbie had the Sportage plug-in hybriid and Nicole had the Chevy Silverado EV Trail Boss.

The Porsche Taycan is looking its wagon variants in America and gaining fake shifting. Chevrolet is redesigning the Silverado for 2027 with bigger V8s. Electrify America has opened a new 20 bay charging station in Santa Barbara. The Jeep Recon's range is even worse than anticipated and the Chevy Bolt has no battery reserve. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 N has beat the Lexus LFA's Ring time. Carvana is now selling new vehicles and GM's battery boss isn't confident in solid state cells.

Links

Porsche is enhancing the driving experience of all Taycan models

Chevrolet Introduces the Next-Generation 2027 Silverado 1500, the Most Powerful and Advanced Silverado Everen/2026/jun/0516-chevrolet-next-generation-2027-silverado.html

Electrify America Opens New EV Fast Charging Station in Santa Barbara, California

The 2026 Jeep Recon’s EPA Rating Confirms It’s An Energy Guzzler

Hyundai’s Electric Sedan Just Beat The Lexus LFA Around The Nürburgring - Autoblog

Rivian faces a class action lawsuit over self-driving in its early vehicles - Engadget

The New Chevy Bolt Was Driven Until It Died. Here’s What Its Battery Buffer Looks Like

Carvana Quietly Bought Several Stellantis Dealerships And Now Sells New Cars Too - Jalopnik

Here's Where GM Will Install New Sodium-Ion Batteries | Podcast

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This week Robbie has been driving the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid and Sam talks about the Cadillac Escalade IQ.

We discuss the effect of speed on efficiency. BMW revealed a concept version of the upcoming electric M3. Audi showed the new Q7, the Nuvolari supercar and matrix LED lights for the new Q9. Genesis has a Magma GT3 sportscar coming. Mitsubishi has a rebadged Leaf and Subaru has 3 new manual transmission models. GM hosted a battery event in San Francisco and Dodge has a new fragrance for dads.

Links

TTD June 12, 2026 - Operation Frodo EV 2026

Design meets Performance: The BMW M Concept Neue Klasse – World premiere at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

GENESIS UNVEILS MAGMA GT3 CONCEPT AND OUTLINES NEXT-DECADE VISION AT 24 HOURS OF LE MANS DEBUT

Mitsubishi Motors to Debut New Electric Vehicle in North America, Vehicle to be Named “Eclipse Sportback”

2027 Audi Q7

Audi Nuvolari Concept

An Audi-first for the US: Adaptive Lighting with Digital Matrix LED headlights arrive on the all-new Q9 flagship SUV

Subaru Teases Three New Manual Models for 2027, Including New WRX STI

Dodge Charger Fragrance: One Spray Will Have Dad Firing on All Cylinders

GM Empower 2026: Scaling the future of electrification, batteries, and energy

How Redwood Materials Prioritizes Safety

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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.

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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

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