The Drivecast

Bring a Trailer redefined how enthusiasts and collectors buy, look at, and even price collectors cars. Sometimes it's even boring pedestrian Ford pickup trucks. But what was once a blog throwing up Craigslist links you might text your friends has morphed into an online auction house listing Bugattis and Ferraris alongside E30 3-Series and classic Chevys.

From eye-popping sales to reordering the market to a rabid comment section to kicking off an entirely new industry, Bring a Trailer has become a juggernaut. But how has the site kept the secret sauce, fended off the competition, and dealt with controversies?

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by Howard Swig who nows serves as the President of Bring a Trailer to discuss how the site has kept the secret sauce, fended off the competition, and dealt with controversies.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

This 1992 Volkswagen Golf GTI Sold for $87,000 on Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer Says $87,000 VW GTI Auction Was Legit

Extremely Normal Ford F-150 on Bring a Trailer Begs the Question: Do Boring Vehicles Belong on Auction Sites?

Recently Unearthed 1983 Ford Probe IV Concept Hits Bring a Trailer

00:00 - Intro

05:48 - The evolution of Bring a Trailer

10:35 - The team today

12:25 - How listings are vetted

15:31 - In-house inspection services and extra services

19:12 - How regular cars get into Bring a Trailer

21:17 - The comments

27:22 - Shill bidding, AI-created photos for a listing, and suspect listings

32:39 - The Bring a Trailer tax and setting records with outliers

35:56 - The fees and business end

38:52 - Money laundering claims

40:59 - Cars being sold repeatedly on the platform

42:45 - Market trends

45:28 - Competitors after creating an industry

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General Motors just laid out its future and it's wrapped around bets on AI, new EV battery chemistry, new EVs, and autonomous vehicles. But the automaker's in the midst of launching new clean-sheet V8s, what gives?

The automotive Goliath is still committed to and sees EVs as the end game with an electric future, but the road to get there seems to be filled with curves. But regardless of what's powering a vehicle the race to have the best technology and most impressive features is on. From how vehicles are being designed and manufactured to the features, capabilities, and services offered, GM says it wants to be the leader.

The Drive's Director of Content and Product Joel Feder is joined by Jaclyn McQuaid, who is the senior vice president of vehicle products at General Motors, to discuss the automaker's future including vehicles, technology, services, and how it aims to compete in an ever evolving, and competitive, marketplace.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

GM Just Laid Out Its Entire Future. It Runs on AI, Eyes-Off Driving, and One Central Computer

GM Is Rebooting OnStar as Your Personal AI Assistant—and Killing Off Its Brand Apps

GM Wants Your Truck to Run Errands Without You

GM’s Next-Gen EVs: The Two-Pronged Strategy to Unlock Maximum Efficiency and Space

GM’s New 8.3L Duramax Diesel: Here’s the Full Spec Download

New GM Truck V8s Beat Ford and Ram on Horsepower: Here’s the Full Spec Download

2027 GMC Sierra Gets Even Fancier With Articulating Screen and Headrest Speakers

2027 Chevy Silverado Enters the Fight With New Small-Block V8s, Fresh Looks

00:00 - Intro

05:51 - New V8s, but the future is electric

07:17 - Using AI to half development time

12:55 - Next-gen EVs

20:00 - Rebooting OnStar

27:21 - Software-defined vehicles and central compute

34:47 - Autonomy

41:40 - Electric trucks

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Arguably the Corvette is General Motors' most iconic and important vehicle even if it's not a sales leader. As the possible finale of the C8 Corvette lineup arrives in the form of the Grand Sport a new leader is taking over the team and all of GM Performance. It's a critical moment, and Tony Roma has big shoes to fill.

As the next-generation Corvette takes shape, the next-generation Blackwings start development, and the Camaro nameplate sits in the corner on hiatus, again, for now, Roma must make tough decisions that include V8 engines, maybe manual transmissions, and much more. Enthusiasts are watching, anxiously with anticipation. But cars require business cases and Roma knows what has to meet the mark to get approved in a board room.

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by Tony Roma who now serves as Executive Chief Engineer for the Chevy Corvette and Performance Cars at General Motors to discuss the automaker's most prized sports cars now and into the future. And yes, there's Camaro talk.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

We Drove the New LS6-Powered 2027 Chevy Corvette Lineup. Here’s the One to Get

Corvette ZR1’s Chief Engineer Will Be Immortalized Forever on the Car

Corvette Team Loses Another Key Member in GM Performance Shakeup

The Corvette CX Concept Is the North Star for the Future of America’s Sports Car

This New Six-Speed Manual Could Fit in the C8 Corvette and Ford Mustang GTD

‘It’s Not Real’: Corvette Engineers Squash Manual C8 Rumor

Tremec Politely Disagrees With Team Corvette That Its 6-Speed Manual Transaxle ‘Isn’t Real’

GM’s Rumored Car Comeback to Bring Camaro Revival, New Cadillac CT5, and Buick Sedan: TDS

It Looks Like GM Design Teased a New Chevy Camaro—and It’s Not an SUV

00:00 - Intro

03:45 - What the biggest difference with today's Corvette team from the previous team?

06:45 - The C8 finale and current lineup

17:01 - The electric Corvette

18:17 - The Nurburgring

22:24 - Why does the Camaro keep dying?

29:33 - The C9 Corvette

31:11 - Manual transmission in the Corvette

35:52 - The C9 Corvette

43:59 - Corvette as a subbrand

45:30 - The Blackwings

48:28 - Cadillac in Formula 1, tech trickle down

51:23 - Where's the Raptor competitor?

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Cars are more complicated, connected, and software driven than ever. The tuning industry is growing, but awash in shady characters promising big power gains if you yank out your car's brain and send it to them to modify. AutoTuner aims to show you can run a legitimate business in this space, but this is at odds with what automakers want.

AutoTuner is building its business by primarily offering the tools and services to jailbreak ECUs, not the actual codes. But this all crosses into the battle over right-to-repair, not to mention automakers themselves wanting to sell you more performance via upgraded software for a cost.

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by AutoTuner USA CEO Arin Ahnell for a frank discussion about the state of and future of software tuning, the right-to-repair movement, and modification culture in a timeline of complex powertrains and EVs.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

⁠Why Drivers and Mechanics Are United Against Automakers: ‘Right To Repair’ Explained⁠

Ford’s CEO Doesn’t Want You Fixing Your New Bronco. He Says It’s About Safety

The Feds Are Coming for Diesel Truck Owners. They’re Starting With Your Phone

DOJ Orders Apple, Google to Hand Over OBDII App User Data in Emissions Probe

John Deere to Pay $99 Million in Monumental Right-to-Repair Settlement

Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Right To Repair Comment Should Make Every Car Owner Uncomfortable

Rivian’s RAD Tuner Is Like An Equalizer For Your EV’s Powertrain

00:00 - Intro

05:13 - What is the state of chip tuning in 2026?

07:14 - What does it take to unlock ECUs at scale?

08:09 - Automakers getting into the tuning game

09:30 - Warranties and tuning

11:18 - OEM collaboration

12:48 - Right-to-repair

15:51 - How do you know when an ECU's unlocked

16:50 - Getting around security protocols

19:37 - Difference between different types of cars from different countries

20:45 - Subscription model

22:05 - AutoTuner One app

24:05 - Legal issues

31:28 - Stories of people sending in their ECUs

32:33 - EVs and tuning

36:22 - Vertical stack integrations

38:53 - Tractors, agricultural market

42:32 - Accessibility and business growth

43:37 - The next cracking goal

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America's EV charging situation is a mess. So much so that eight automakers banded together to create a joint venture, dubbed Ionna, and try to fix the situation. It's an unprecedented move on multiple levels that shows the gravity of the situation, how seriously automakers take the future of electric vehicles, and an entirely new business venture that diversifies these companies beyond just building and selling vehicles: now they are selling the fuel too.

Ionna has a big goal: build a reliable, high-powered electric vehicle fast-charging network across North America with at least 30,000 chargers and 2,000 stations in the U.S. by 2030 followed by Canada.

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by Ionna CEO Seth Cutler to discuss the where the landscape sites today, why chargers are placed where they are and look like they look, and future of EV charging in America.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

New Automaker Super-Alliance Plans to Nearly Double EV Chargers Across America

Rivian’s Charging Network Is 4% of Tesla’s. Here’s RJ Scaringe’s Plan to Change That

Unreliable Charging Networks Plagued 1 in 5 EV Owners Last Year: Study

00:00 - Intro

04:48 - Why is America's charging situation a hot mess?

05:41 - What's taking so long to get EV charging stations up and running?

09:14 - How many Ionna stations exist today? Status report

10:42 - The business model

19:44 - How are charging station sites chosen?

23:46 - Partnerships

27:25 - Software, reliability, broken chargers

34:20 - Eight automakers own Ionna

37:31 - Charging speeds, how fast is fast enough?

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A new law in California relaxing emissions tests for classic cars is being hailed as a “landmark” victory for the car community and common sense. But it’s not what it seems.

California has the toughest emissions standards in the country, requiring any car made after 1975 to pass a biennial smog test in order to be registered. By design, the system forces thousands of old cars off the road every year as the cost of compliance rises—even if the vehicle runs just fine, a stubborn check engine light will cause it to fail.

Now, a group backed by industry lobbyists and Jay Leno has succeeded in changing the law to make it easier for owners to keep their classics. It’s being celebrated as an unprecedented win—but in reality, it's not going to do much at all to fix the state’s broken approach to emissions tests, or help the people who are affected the most.

This week The Drive's Editor-in-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder separate fact from fiction and break down why Leno's Law isn't the solution everyone is claiming.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

‘Leno’s Law’ Finally Passes: Here’s What That Really Means for Classic Car Owners

Video: The Problem with US Emissions testing (YouTube)

00:00 Intro

04:34 The fight over smog testing

8:54 How the system works

12:25 Devil's in the details

14:51 Long walk to Leno's Law

17:14 Missed opportunity

20:30 Where do we go from here?

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Honda's top executives have watched Toyota's reliability crisis play out with the Japanese competitor's new turbocharged engines, and it keeps them up at night.

Honda Motor Executive Vice President Noriya Kaihara and American Honda President and CEO Eiji Fujimura told The Drive how the automaker's quality control systems are evolving as the automaker prepares a new wave of next-gen powertrains. The goal? Avoid the nightmare that is currently playing out with Toyota and its turbocharged V6 engines in the Tundra.

This week The Drive's Director of Content and Product Joel Feder and Deputy Editor Jerry Perez go behind the scenes with Honda's top executives and discuss how the automaker's making sure its engines don't grenade themselves.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Honda’s Top Bosses Explain How They’re Avoiding Toyota’s Engine Nightmare

Toyota Built Its Reputation on Reliability. The Tundra Is Threatening to Undo It

Honda’s New V6 Hybrid Will Have More Power and Better Fuel Economy Than Competitors Turbo-Four Hybrids

Next-Gen Honda Civic Hybrid Prototype Drive: A Fuel Sipper That Feels Like An Automatic Si

2026 Honda Prelude Long-Term Test Begins: Living With Honda’s Most Controversial Car

00:00 - Intro

03:57 - Toyota's nightmare recap

05:34 - Honda execs can't sleep over Toyota's issues

07:10 - Evolving quality control systems

07:36 - Speed to market

08:37 - Three words

12:04 - Who is Honda? How can Honda compete?

13:16 - Honda turbocharged path

14:13 - Honda's next-gen V6 hybrid

21:02 - No one is perfect

21:45 - Quick action

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You would not know it from the posts on Instagram during Monterey Car Week last month or the barrage of expensive debuts that have been touted, but the luxury segment is in trouble.

While Bugatti and Ferrari are doing just fine the story isn't the same for other luxury automakers. Bentley is spiraling, Aston Martin is a mess, Maserati is a train wreck, and Porsche is in trouble and it's not clear that the Macan and Cayenne SUVs can save the iconic automaker this time.

This week The Drive's Director of Content and Product Joel Feder and Editor Byron Hurd break down the situation, go behind the scenes on the luxury market crumbling, why it's happening, and what comes next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

The Luxury Car Market Is Crumbling from the Top Down

00:00 - Intro

05:41 - How did we get to this story?

06:11 - What's happening?

09:18 - Facts and figures

11:26 - Depreciation

12:30 - Second-hand market

17:59 - The blurry line of "luxury features"

26:00 - Pricing and stealth wealth

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One year ago, the average cost of a gallon of diesel fuel in America was $3.70. Today, at the time of this recording, it’s $5.60. That’s 50% higher, and some forecasts have it touching a record $6 a gallon by the end of the year. Not good.

America, and arguably the world, runs on diesel. So when prices go up by 50%... well, that pain can only be contained for so long. From multiple wars to oil refineries going offline there’s no easy fix. Everyone's about to feel the pain.

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder break the situation down with Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Diesel Prices Are About to Break Records. Here’s Why They Keep Rising

The Government Is Still Messing With Fuel Formulas to Try to Curb Gas Prices

The Feds Say Cutting Fuel With Ethanol Will Bring Down Gas Prices. We’re Not Buying It

The Feds Plan To Start Diluting Gasoline This May: Explained

00:00 Intro

0:55 - Current diesel pricing reality

5:18 - Why has diesel gotten so expensive?

6:37 - This is a global issue

8:54 - Goldman Sachs prediction

10:27 - Modern realities

11:38 - Napkin math

15:42- Who's talking about this?

17:35 - Not at record levels, yet

18:56 - The new normal?

19:17 - Ripple affects on schools

22:05 - The holidays are coming

22:36 - This affects everyone

23:49 - There's no diluting like with gas

25:08 - There's no backstop

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While most people could not care less about tires they are in fact one of the most important aspects of a car's performance and safety. Goodyear is one of the most iconic tire manufacturers in the world, but its name, legacy, and blimps haven't kept it insulated from the turmoil the auto industry is going through.

Goodyear recorded a net loss of $1.7 billion in 2025 and $249 million in the first quarter of 2026. The company brought in a new CEO, Mark Stewart, in 2024 to "transform the company." Stewart's been swift and decisive in a bid to turnaround Goodyear's business.

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by Goodyear CEO Mark Stewart to discuss whether the company can actually grow its business by selling more expensive tires to fewer people, the company's support of tariffs, and the competition. And yes, there's blimp talk.

00:00 Intro

07:23 How did Goodyear get into trouble?

10:33 Are we done with layoffs?

13:36 Stewart's background isn't tires

16:42 Tariffs

21:54 OEM supplier business

30:52 Chasing those whales

33:13 Are expensive tires actually better than cheaper tires?

37:31 Should Goodyear be more involved in cultural events?

42:04 The Goodyear blimps -- Blimp talk!

48:20 Goodyear in motorsports

52:38 Smart tires

55:44 Airless tires

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The U.S. is laughably behind the rest of the world when it comes to headlight technology. It’s not because the technology didn’t exist, but rather because outdated U.S. laws have prevented automakers from bringing these modern technological marvels to U.S. roads. Until now.

New laws that were finally enacted years ago are finally allowing automakers to bring adaptive headlights to the U.S. with a handful of automakers now launching the modern tech in America.

The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder, Head of Exterior Lighting for Audi AG, Michael Kruppa, and vehicle lighting and regulation subject matter expert Daniel Stern break down the differences in these upcoming modern headlight technologies and why it took so long for the U.S. to catch up to the rest of the world.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Audi’s Matrix LED Headlights Are Finally Coming to America

Audi’s New Q9 Will Project Your Turn Signals Onto the Road

Here’s Why Modern Headlights Are So Unbelievably Annoying

It’s Not Just You: Six of 10 Drivers Say Headlight Glare Is a Problem

See Audi’s New Micro LED Digital Matrix Headlights in Action. Yes, They’re Still Illegal in America

Adaptive Headlights Will Finally Come to the US, Thanks to the Infrastructure Bill

00:00 Intro

04:58 Laws had to change to enable modern headlight tech

09:21 Addressing headlight glare

13:48 Adding communication to lighting

15:06 Rivian's adaptive lighting system vs. Audi's

21:56 Retrofitting adaptive lighting to cars on the road

25:22 One lighting regulation for the world

28:12 What took so long for America to get into this century?

28:40 One world headlight

30:42 Different implementations of the tech

33:26 Safety, light pollution, and blinding people

36:58 Audi vs. Rivian's system

38:35 Lighting tunnels: U.S. vs. The World

40:40 Is this a safety item?

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Millions of people have read Joel's report and seen the body cam footage after he was mistakenly tracked, and then ambushed, by police for what was believed to be grand theft auto after Flock license plate readers flagged the car he was driving for days.

The story, and topic of Flock and automatic license plate readers, is a lightning rod and at the heart of a national debate and various discussions in America. People's concerns about warrantless tracking, their 4th amendment rights, their privacy, and the constant stories surfacing of cops misusing the technology to stalk people can't be overlooked.

The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley sat down for a candid conversation about what happened, what's happening in America, and the future.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

⁠How Flock Cameras Wrongly Tracked Me for Days Over ‘Stolen’ Plates and Sent Police After Me⁠

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

I Reported on Flock’s Cameras. Now I’m One of the System’s Mistakes

⁠Cops Are Already Using License Plate Readers to Stalk People⁠

⁠License Plate Cameras Are Tracking Your Life Without a Warrant⁠

⁠License Plate Cameras Will Soon Track Phones, Wearables, Infotainment, and Even Your Pets

00:00 Intro

03:55 - What happened?

06:16 - What's changing and what did Flock learn from this?

14:02 - Addressing the hundreds of millions of misreads a month

18:00 - What's the future look like?

21:21 - The 4th amendment and privacy concerns

24:28 - Congress members threatening anti-Flock bills

27:00 - Publish pushback on Flock

31:52 - Police misuse and abuse of Flock

35:26 - Addressing Garrett calling people "domestic terrorists"

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Sometimes we report the news, and sometimes we ARE the news. That’s exactly what happened two weeks ago when Joel published his report about being mistakenly tracked by police via Flock license plate cameras and ambushed by the police in a strip mall parking lot. We can't make this stuff up.

This story hit so hard is because it landed in the middle of a heated debate around the country about Flock Safety’s growing network of AI-powered surveillance cameras, which police can use to track a lot more than just license plates. Every week, there are more headlines about one city entering a new partnership with Flock, another city ending theirs after residents pushed back, or people running around and cutting down every Flock camera they can find.

What happened? What have we learned since? And answers to people's questions that go beyond the stories we've published so far. The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder break it all down.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

⁠How Flock Cameras Wrongly Tracked Me for Days Over ‘Stolen’ Plates and Sent Police After Me⁠

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

⁠Cops Are Already Using License Plate Readers to Stalk People⁠

⁠License Plate Cameras Are Tracking Your Life Without a Warrant⁠

⁠License Plate Cameras Will Soon Track Phones, Wearables, Infotainment, and Even Your Pets⁠

00:00 Intro

04:23 - What happened?

07:31 - Flock cameras tracked me

14:11 - Flock reached out

16:27 - What did we learn? How did this happen?

34:12 - Why four squad cars and four cops?

36:22 - Now what? Where do we go from here? What comes next?

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The business of concept cars is faltering. Every year, automakers spend many millions of dollars building full-size, one-off concept cars to market-test new ideas, flex design capabilities, experiment with new technologies, and just get people excited about what's next. They are a showcase of what a company can do when they're freed up from pesky things like crash regulations and mass production budgets. Most never make it to the showroom, at least not without a lot of compromises, but that's not the point. The point is to push, see what happens, and apply those findings to the cars of tomorrow.

The signal that a concept car is supposed to create for both sides, for companies and consumers, is getting weaker. When people are geared to greet concepts with suspicion because they represent anxieties about the future instead of hope, the market research aspect breaks down. When car companies can't get valid data from that response, their aim falters. And when companies build fewer ambitious concepts because it feels like a waste of money, the one window for both sides to have a conversation about what the cars of tomorrow should look like or do or represent gets smaller and smaller.

Are concept cars going to disappear? Why? What will happen? The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha is joined by Jon Ikeda from Honda and Acura to break down the business of concept cars.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

How Flock Cameras Wrongly Tracked Me for Days Over ‘Stolen’ Plates and Sent Police After Me

Do concept cars matter anymore? 5 top Designers explain

00:00 Intro

04:19 - Jon Ikeda and his background

5:40 - What's the ROI of concept cars?

11:39 - How expensive are concept cars to create?

15:53 - The Internet and digital consumption changed things

17:33 - Design studies vs. public concept cars

28:33 - Powertrains and proportions

37:38 - The Precision Concept

42:48 - Public reactions

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For a moment in time it looked like a hard shift to the electric future was taking place. When America's best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150, is available with an electric powertrain, there were signs. But various automakers took different paths towards the electric future, and by many accounts history might show the first round of electric trucks were a failure with large price tags, sales volume that quickly cooled off, and what resulted in massive losses for automakers.

Now the next-generation of EVs are taking shape, and of course, because this is America, trucks are at the forefront. But this time things are going to be different. From how these electric trucks are being designed and built to how much they will cost, what they can do, and even what they offer in terms of features.

But do electric trucks even make sense? The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder, Executive Editor Andrew P. Collins, and Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs break down the electric truck segment, what happened, where we are today, and what's coming next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Ford F-150 Lightning EV Is Dead, Next Gen Will Have Gas Engine Backup

GM Delays Full-Size Electric Truck and SUV Redesigns: Report

Ram Gives Up On Its Electric Truck

2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough

2024 Tesla Cybertruck Review: Impressive Engineering Hamstrung by Hubris

Spied: Ford’s $30,000 Electric Truck Caught Next to an Expedition

Slate’s $24,950 Electric Truck Gets More Range, More Tow Capacity—and 450 More Pounds

I Rode in Slate’s $24,950 Electric Truck. It Didn’t Feel Like a $24,950 Electric Truck

Pour One Out for Canoo, the EV Startup That Dared to Be Different

00:00 Intro

08:59 - Quick history lesson

13:58 - Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck paved the way into the future

16:58 - Ford's $30,000 electric truck

17:39 - Slate

19:41 - Lightning replacement

22:31 - Telo

27:11 - Today's trucks are big

29:41 - Canoo

31:06 - EREVs are coming

36:51 - Do electric trucks make sense?

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Who's allowed to fix the car you own? Who's allowed to choose the mechanic that wrenches on the vehicle you own? As cars have become more complex and computerized, and corporations have become more fixated on gathering data, the topic of right to repair has become more intense. It's been thrust back into the limelight with recent comments from automaker CEOs and the White House.

The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Executive Editor Andrew P. Collins break down what right to repair is, what's happening, how we got here, and what it means for you.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Feds Might Flip the Script on Right to Repair Vehicle Emissions Systems

Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Right To Repair Comment Should Make Every Car Owner Uncomfortable

Want To Stop Your New Car From Transmitting Your Personal Data? It’s Possible

Replacing Brake Pads on a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Requires a Professional Mechanic’s Login

00:00 Intro

06:05 - What is right to repair?

07:53 - How did we get here?

10:49 - Why are we talking about this? Where are we now?

12:44 - Ford CEO Jim Farley claims it's about Safety

21:14 - Modern cars are complicated and computerized

22:49 - The future

32:32 - What can consumers do?

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The devices you carry will enable law enforcement and the government to track your every move. Scary thought. Time to break out the tin-foil hats.

A new kind of license-plate reading camera is said to be far more than its name. It will be able to scrape the smart devices you take with you and wrap all that data in a nice little bow for law enforcement and government agencies.

The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Senior Editor Adam Ismail are joined by security expert Matt Hurewitz, who is currently the CISO at Ent.AI, to sort fact from fiction and dissect what's really going on here.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

License Plate Cameras Will Soon Track Phones, Wearables, Infotainment, and Even Your Pets

Want To Stop Your New Car From Transmitting Your Personal Data? It’s Possible

Cops Are Already Using License Plate Readers to Stalk People

00:00 Intro

04:14 License plate cameras are about to track you

07:42 Should you be concerned?

13:56 The danger that lurks

16:42 Slippery slope

18:40 Cars are incredibly complicated and connected now

20:37 What can people do?

23:04 Final thoughts

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Almost two decades ago General Motors almost changed pickup truck history, and would've changed the entire market. A new, smaller, Baby Duramax turbodiesel V8 was set to launch and reset the bar for torque, fuel economy, and technology in the half-ton market.

The engine was done, but the entire thing was scrapped with the crash of 2008 when GM filed bankruptcy. The automaker claimed all the prototypes were crushed, but at lest one escaped into the wild.

So today, we dig into the history books and dissect the story of the unreleased Baby Duramax and a prototype surfacing in the real world.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

The Recession Killed GM’s 4.5L Duramax V8, But One Escaped the Factory

I Found the Canceled 4.5L Duramax V8 Prototypes, Then They Disappeared

We Found GM’s Lost Duramax V8 Prototype That Could’ve Reinvented Modern Trucks

00:00 Intro

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Rivian, by many accounts, has become the darling of the automotive industry. It’s a hot topic despite its current volume and scale. To date, it’s not a mainstream brand with a mass-market offering. But that changed yesterday with the launch of the R2, which costs between $45,000 and $60,000 while hitting at the absolute heart of the compact crossover SUV market at 186 inches long, which is the size of the Toyota RAV4 and Tesla Model Y. The former is one of the best selling vehicles period while the latter is one of the best-selling EVs by the widest of margins it’s not even funny.

Now it’s Rivian’s turn to step into the arena and aim for the masses. This is the moment RJ Scaringe and his team has been building towards for years. Everything is riding on this.

This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe to dissect how we got here, missteps, where the company is today, and what's about to happen in both the immediate and longer-term future.

So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Rivian going into the mass market arena, what that looks like, how it plays out, and addressing how the automaker aims to tackle it all.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

2027 Rivian R2 First Drive Review: The Perfect Car for So Many PeopleSomehow, Rivian’s Cheaper R2 Is Its Most Refined Vehicle

The Rivian R2 Needed a Rear Wiper That Didn’t Exist. So Rivian Invented One

2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough

Rivian Is Going RAD. But Can It Stick the Landing?

Rivian Won’t Talk About the Missing R2 Tri-Motor. The Reason Why Is Big

Rivian Sidesteps Apple CarPlay With Built-In Texting

00:00 Intro

04:05 R2 profitability

07:43 R2 launch

10:49 Service

16:54 Rivian Adventure Network

20:03 RAD

25:47 R3X

26:25 R2T?

29:13 R4

29:31 Patents and a winch for R1

30:57 Repairability

35:32 Buttons, knobs, and the Halo wheels

37:43 Voice controls

39:07 RJ's final thoughts

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Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, who for decades has been known for building more reliable cars than anyone else. But lately, some big cracks are starting to form in that foundation.

Last month, Toyota added another 44,000 vehicles to its ongoing recall of Tundra pickups and Lexus SUVs with the company’s troubled 3.4-liter twin turbo V6, bringing the total to nearly 270,000 trucks over the last two years. And this isn’t some precautionary move—metal debris left in the engine during assembly is causing sudden and catastrophic failure, a previous attempt to stop it didn’t work, and so far Toyota has had to replace tens of thousands of engines for free.

So today, it’s Toyota’s reliability crisis—how it ended up here, what’s really happening beyond the headlines, and what might be next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Toyota Turbo V6 Recall Campaign Grows to Include More Than 250,000 Trucks

We Finally Know Why the Toyota Tundra V6 Keeps Self-Destructing

‘Total BS’: Engine Teardown Specialist Says Toyota’s Explanation for V6 Failures Doesn’t Make Sense

Toyota Will Replace Over 100,000 V6 Engines in Recalled Tundras, Lexus SUVs

Toyota Recalls Another 127,000 Tundras and Lexus SUVs Over Self-Destructing Turbo V6s

Is Toyota’s New Twin-Turbo V6 Really Less Reliable Than Its Old V8s?

Toyota Dealers Brace to Replace 100,000 Tundra V6s

00:00 Intro

06:07 How did we get here?

09:40 What's happening?

18:26 Where do we go from here?

25:51 What do you tell potential buyers?

30:06 The competition

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