Car Dealership Discrimination Scandal, Recalls and Market Shifts

Episode Introduction

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast , a 30-minute mini version of the In Wheel Time Car Show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am Central . The award-winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Coming up . Our automotive story of the week . We've got the recalls for you . Got a bunch of those Guess who's in it Sold car roundup as well . That's all coming up Later . Jeff has the racing calendar . Mars has this week in auto history . It's a jam-packed half hour . Oh boy , I'll get you caught up on the stories making automotive news headlines . Howdy Along with Mike out of this world . Mars , we always need more . Jeff Zekin on Chief Engineer David Ainsley is with us today . I'm , don Armstrong , so glad that you could join us today .

Speaker 2 0:41

All right All right .

Speaker 1 0:42

So this is kind of a free for all , if you will . All right , is that okay ? Can I say that ? Sure , yeah

Dealership Discrimination Lawsuit

Speaker 1 0:48

. Okay , all right , the story of the week . It's hard to imagine in my mind a lot of things , but this particular thing is going to be people , people still . Sex discrimination , age discrimination , all of it . How does it continue to go on ?

Speaker 2 1:12

Every Saturday morning .

Speaker 3 1:13

I feel , that Do you yeah .

Speaker 2 1:16

All three of those things , all of it .

Speaker 1 1:18

From 10 to noon . Us Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and two Missouri dealerships Candace Thackeray have settled a lawsuit alleging sex-based discrimination in the store's hiring processes . Landmark Dodge Ram and Landmark Chrysler Jeep two dealerships located across the street from each other agreed to pay $275,000 in this settlement . The lawsuit filed in the District Court of Western Missouri in September of 2022 alleged the Independence Missouri dealerships refused to hire women for sales positions and men for office positions . Hmm , what ? Why ? You can't do that ? Hear this . You can't do that ? Hear this .

Speaker 1 2:05

Two former human resources employees , jacqueline McKinney and Jeanette Barron , were responsible for recruiting applicants for open positions at the dealerships . According to the lawsuit , during their employment they noticed that women were not considered for sales positions , despite being more qualified than male candidates . The lawsuit said In one case , a female employee requested to be considered for an opening on the sales floor and allegedly was told Landmark did not hire women for those positions . Oh my God . It was the same for male employees who requested to be considered for office positions . According to the lawsuit , mckinney and Barron heard Landmark's owner and sales manager say that women didn't have the respect necessary to be successful at car sales and that training women for sales positions was a waste of time , as they would end up quitting because it's not a clerical job .

Speaker 2 3:02

The complaint said because it's not a clerical job .

Speaker 1 3:04

The complaint said they also witnessed sales managers steer women toward office jobs , telling one candidate that women sit at their desks and that she was the perfect height to sit at a desk . The lawsuit- alleged .

Speaker 3 3:18

Oh , that's absolutely a hiring criteria is how well you sit behind your desk .

Speaker 1 3:22

Landmark managers also asked sex-based questions during the hiring process . The complaint said McKinney and Barron were both asked about their marital status and their children in their interviews . According to the lawsuit , none of the children were married . In January 2018 , barron and McKinney attempted to discuss the practices with the dealership's general manager . The complaint said he allegedly became angry , yelling at them and calling them liars . He threatened to fire McKinney , call the police and have her escorted off the property . The lawsuit alleged Because of a hostile work environment and the inability to report discriminatory work practices , baron McKinney left Landmark that year .

Speaker 1 4:05

The complaint said the alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , the commission said Under the settlement , landmark will adopt procedures to ensure managers do not consider applicants' sex when hiring and institute mandatory training for employees . According to the consent decree , as part of the $275,000 , landmark will pay $100,000 each to Barron and McKinney . The consent decree said Dealership will also provide compensation for six women denied sales jobs and eight men denied office jobs . The dealerships also must produce quarterly reports to the commission on its hiring practices .

Speaker 2 4:50

Now that is the EEOC . You just read it from that's who filed all the that's who they went through to file all this information . That's correct . What about the dealer principal and the manufacturer ? How are they going to correct it ?

Speaker 1 5:01

Because obviously , if it's going on , what manufacturer was the Well , one was Dodge Ram and the other one , across the street , was the Chrysler Jeep .

Speaker 2 5:10

Is Stellantis involved in that ? Did it go all the way up there ? Probably not .

Speaker 1 5:13

I would imagine that the contract that the manufacturers have with the different dealerships probably state in there that they can't do that Right Now . Are they able to enforce that ? Probably not , because you'd have to send people in to see whether or not they're discriminating against people and you started out the two , the two , uh , ladies , their former hr yeah , they quit , they quit right , they didn't get fired over it , they just quit because it wasn't happening legally .

Speaker 2 5:40

Yeah , I got you yeah , it's .

Speaker 1 5:43

It's hard for me to believe in this day and age . I mean this . This was a law that has been in place since the 1960s I think 62 or 64 , yeah , 64 eeoc law . It's been in place . So all I could think of is is that the owners of this dealership , or their siblings , or whoever it is that has inherited this dealership group , that they have had this in place forever , yeah , and they've never come to light . Have you not even looked at the Internet and see what's legal and what's not anymore with the EEOC ?

Speaker 2 6:24

Or how is your business ? Is your business that good that you don't want to make any positive changes ? You know , having a young lady sell a car , I bet you she could probably Do very well , when I was selling for AutoNation , you wanted a young female on your team .

Speaker 1 6:40

And they probably did very well , they did very well .

Speaker 2 6:43

Yeah , they did very well . Yeah , absolutely young female and they probably did very well they did very well .

Speaker 1 6:46

Yeah , they did very well . Yeah , absolutely I .

Speaker 2 6:47

I just I don't see how that could happen today but it's not just in the automotive industry , it's in everything . It's in restaurants , yeah , it's , it's across the board and in a lot of things and I think , not to get too far off track .

Speaker 3 6:59

I I think that we have created an environment where there's a lot of people that are very self-centered because they've been isolated . Covid , there's lots of social things going on to where I know what I'm doing . I can do anything I want .

Speaker 1 7:14

It's my dealership .

Speaker 3 7:15

That's right . It's my dealership and the children the dealership . Children grow up , the ones I've ran across , they grew up with the same mentality . It's my dealership . This is my little world . I can do what I want .

Speaker 1 7:25

Yeah .

Speaker 3 7:26

And .

Speaker 1 7:27

I don't like it , yeah , and I don't have to abide by the laws .

Speaker 3 7:30

No , Well , I make my own laws , yeah , and I think there's a lot of that goes on in the world besides that right now .

Speaker 2 7:37

What's that number to EEOC ?

Speaker 3 7:41

David .

Speaker 2 7:42

Yeah , yikes .

Speaker 1 7:44

It's hard to believe that that still happens today .

Speaker 3 7:46

Yeah , it is .

Speaker 1 7:47

Time now

Vehicle Recalls Roundup

Speaker 1 7:48

for some recalls . Shall we do that .

Speaker 2 7:49

All right Ford .

Speaker 1 7:50

What . Is recalling one and a half million vehicles in the United States , because the rearview camera may show a blank or distorted image on the center display screen while the vehicle is in reverse . Why have it ? Which can reduce or distort the driver's view of what's behind the car and increase the risk of a crash .

Speaker 3 8:09

Can you imagine looking up in the rearview mirror and there's a killer clown up there ?

Speaker 1 8:17

Hey , what a great idea .

Speaker 3 8:18

I don't know why . Just there's a lot of that on the internet people do do that they they put .

Speaker 1 8:23

You put a little picture of the killer clown . So you put it in reverse there it is . Look at that the recall includes certain vehicles from model years 2015 to 2019 . Lincoln Navigator , lincoln MKC , mustang , ranger , transit , transit Connect , ecoline , econoline sorry , edge Expedition F-250 , super Duty F-350 , 450 , and 550 .

Speaker 2 8:50

So this is dating back all the way to the Edsel . Pretty much .

Speaker 1 8:56

You know , I will tell you that there are a lot of recalls on these rear-view cameras and my guess is it's probably the same supplier across the board to all these manufacturers Kind of like the old airbag thing . I think I would probably be out of business by now , my neighbor had his Model T just recalled .

Speaker 1 9:13

That's right because of the rear-view camera . Loss of drive power for the Jeep Grand Cherokee 2022 to 2026 . That ain't good . Jeep Wagoneer incorrect cross-car beam for 2025 . Vehicle rollaway risk Dodge Charger 24 to 25 , and the Jeep Wagoneer 24 to 25 . Wow , improperly sealed side curtain airbags . They just kind of go poof .

Speaker 3 9:45

Are you saying it's a poofer ? It's a poofer .

Speaker 2 9:49

I don't know what happened .

Speaker 1 9:49

We could say it that way my airbag just poofed all over me . Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager for 2025 . Lower suspension may damage the rear tires . Jeep Renegade 2026 . The Renegade Verona 24 to 25 . And the Renegade Verona LE 24 to 25 .

Speaker 3 10:12

Wasn't that a song ? My Verona , my Verona that's right .

Speaker 1 10:16

Windshield not sealed properly . Martha , my feet are kind of getting wet down here . You got anything going on . Oh , it's my BMW X5 . X5 plug-in hybrid and X7 for 26 and 27 model years .

Speaker 3 10:30

Can you clean the water off my glass ?

Speaker 1 10:32

Yeah , you know , it's smelling kind of funky in here . Do you have any idea ? Oh , it's , the windshield's been leaking for a year yeah . Kind of smells , that damp , funky odor . You're familiar with that , aren't ?

Speaker 2 10:48

you All the time .

Speaker 1 10:49

Yeah , change your socks . You've done everything . You don't know what else to do ?

Speaker 3 10:53

Oh , you're supposed to change them At least once a month , okay , Inside out everything , you don't know what else .

Speaker 2 10:58

Oh , you're supposed to change them at least , at least once a month .

Speaker 1 10:59

Okay , inside out to yeah , all right , yeah , so do we have candace thackeray ? Do we have jeffrey heitzman ? Who else do we have online ?

Speaker 3 11:05

it's gonna help us here okay , well , this this parkman's on here said so long as you leave the edsel alone , you know uh , yeah , um jeff's here heitzman good , uh , because we're gonna do the Soul Cars Roundup guessing game .

Speaker 1 11:18

Is George on there ?

Speaker 3 11:19

Yeah .

Speaker 1 11:19

Oh good , welcome to you all . This is our last show together . Well , mars won't be with us , but he won't be with us in person for the most part , thank God In spirit . Yeah , there's that . Yeah , he likes to press buttons over there and turn the volume off of people . What's wrong ? I didn't do anything . Yeah , we got

Sold Cars Guessing Game

Speaker 1 11:42

it . Okay , time now for this week's Sold Cars Roundup Guessing Game . How much did it sell for First up 1973 Chevrolet Corvette convertible .

Speaker 2 11:53

Hubba hubba . That looks really good , doesn't it ? It's very yellow .

Speaker 1 12:03

Banana color convertible hubba hubba . That looks really good , doesn't it ? It's very yellow color . I love it . It's got the color banana , it's got the beauty rings on it .

Speaker 3 12:06

I really like those , the beauty rings .

Speaker 1 12:07

Okay , that's why he wears them . How much , how much did this sell for ?

Speaker 3 12:11

you said 73 , right , yeah , I did 73 convertible . I'm going to go 22 . George says 32,999 . Heitzman says 33 .

Speaker 2 12:22

I'm going 19 .

Speaker 1 12:23

David , would you like to join us in this ? Yeah , I'll put out a big number . How about 40,000 ? How about $24,150 ?

Speaker 2 12:31

Very good Close this .

Speaker 1 12:31

Mike .

Speaker 2 12:34

Of course it doesn't have any horsepower , but forget that ?

Speaker 1 12:36

Well , that's extra , you're too cool , it does look good , doesn't it ? You don't need to . Yeah , we don't need it . It's a cruiser . It's got an L82 in it . That's on the hood .

Speaker 3 12:41

Bobby said 24.5 .

Speaker 1 12:44

Bobby , you're going to have to be a little quicker getting that in here , or you're going to lose out . Yeah , yeah , all right , firebird . Now my guess is that this is a clone . I didn't dig into it that deeply , but I'm giving you a little hint that this is not an all-original 78 Firebird . Yeah , I don't think those wheels are factory .

Speaker 2 13:07

It's got Gatorback BFGs on it .

Speaker 3 13:09

But the driver has on sunglasses though .

Speaker 1 13:11

Okay , well , there's that . So 78 Pontiac Firebird how much do you think that that sold for on the Hemmings ? $12,000 . $12,000 ?

Speaker 3 13:21

$12,000 . Okay , peshaw . Jeff Heisman says $19,000 . $8,500 . David , $85,000? .

Speaker 2 13:28

Yeah .

Speaker 3 13:28

Y'all are nuts . I'm going to go $16,000 . George says $18,999 .

Speaker 1 13:32

Well , I think the George is going to be the winner here , because it sold for $19,950 .

Speaker 3 13:37

Oh well , heisman had $19,000 even up . Oh well , then , heisman , you know , jeff .

Speaker 1 13:41

Okay , this is one for Jeff Ready . Ready 1985 Cadillac Eldorado convertible .

Speaker 2 13:50

Wow , that's a good-looking car . Yeah , I'm not feeling those wheels . Come on , Jeffrey . No , don't worry about that .

Speaker 1 13:54

Okay , how much did the 85 Eldo ?

Speaker 2 13:57

go for 17 . Drop top Probably 15 , but I'll go 17 . Okay .

Speaker 1 14:02

Jeff says 17 . What do you say , Mr Morris ?

Speaker 3 14:04

15 . Man , I'll go 21 because it's a convertible .

Speaker 1 14:09

Okay , david .

Speaker 3 14:10

I'm 15 . 15 . Bobby Sparksman says 20,000 . Who ?

Speaker 1 14:16

Anybody else ?

Speaker 3 14:18

Jeff's in here at $23,000 . Heisman's at $23,000 .

Speaker 1 14:22

$11,000 .

Speaker 2 14:24

Yeah $11,000 . Got those nasty wheels on it . You don't like those wheels , do you ? I do not like those wheels . Well , you know what .

Speaker 1 14:30

You paid so little for it . You can go out and buy you whatever wheels you want .

Speaker 3 14:34

George said he'd give you $899 for it , although , George would look really good in that car .

Speaker 1 14:42

Everybody that's bidding on it Right in front of the .

Speaker 2 14:43

Metropolitan Theater . If you win the bid , you've got to buy the car .

Speaker 1 14:47

So there you go , all right . Next up , the 1965 Pontiac Bonneville . Look at that , it's got wide whites on it . It's a four-door , it's got the Star .

Speaker 2 15:01

Chief covers .

Speaker 1 15:02

It looks like it's got a vinyl top on it . Does it yeah ?

Speaker 3 15:05

it does yeah .

Speaker 2 15:06

Star Chief wheel covers full . You got the light spotlight on the side there .

Speaker 1 15:10

Yeah , got to have that .

Speaker 2 15:11

I'm going to go $11,000 .

Speaker 1 15:16

Really $11,000 .

Speaker 3 15:18

Really yeah , okay , mars , I'm going to say $19,000 . Jeff Heitzman says $31,000 . I say $20,000 . David says $20,000 .

Speaker 1 15:27

Anybody else ? No , it sold for $21,000 .

Speaker 3 15:30

George came right in at $22,999 . I was just putting half down .

Speaker 2 15:35

I win , I win . I just put half down $21,999 .

Speaker 1 15:37

Oh , it's just putting half down , I win . Just putting half down $21,000 . Wow Boy , that would be really cool to drive that on a hot rod tour there's something there that we're not seeing ?

Speaker 3 15:43

Bobby Spartman wants the wheels .

Speaker 2 15:45

Yeah , yeah , he's got the .

Speaker 1 15:46

Star Chief , star Chief , wheels Next up and don't say this is for you , don . That's not what I had but we can go with that .

Speaker 2 15:55

I must have missed . What is that ? It's a Cadillac of some sort .

Speaker 1 16:02

Did I miss it on the page here ?

Speaker 2 16:04

Let me look .

Speaker 1 16:04

Oh yes , I did A 1993 .

Speaker 3 16:10

Cadillac Elante .

Speaker 1 16:11

Oh boy , Remember , that was the one that was imported , flown over here from Italy .

Speaker 3 16:15

Yeah , it was a Fina Perino , a guy with a Houston Alante Club .

Speaker 2 16:20

That's the one I'm thinking of . What were you saying ?

Speaker 3 16:22

We talked to a guy with the Houston Alante Club . Yes , he actually has a club for those cars .

Speaker 1 16:29

Yeah , so this is a 1993 Cadillac Alante . I knew somebody that had one of these and had all sorts of problems with it . 21 . I'll go 21 . 21 . David , are you joining us ? 8,000 .

Speaker 3 16:42

Oh , so Jeff Heitzman says 29,000 . George says 18,999 . And I'm going to go 21 , I believe , just because I think somebody would want it . That looks pretty sharp .

Speaker 1 16:56

That car sold for $9,500 .

Speaker 3 16:59

Hey , so Bobby came in late , he's too late , but he came in at $9,950 .

Speaker 1 17:05

Oh , very good , there you go . Very good , I can't believe that the car sold for that . I can't either .

Speaker 3 17:11

I mean it's very unique . You're buying problems this one I would like .

Speaker 1 17:16

Yeah , and you know what ? That would look really good in your Neiderville driveway .

Speaker 3 17:19

I'm telling you , particularly with a blown big block in the bed . Well , this doesn't have that , okay .

Speaker 1 17:24

So this is a 1961 , as they put it , a Chevrolet Corvair truck .

Speaker 3 17:30

Yeah , yeah , yeah yeah .

Speaker 1 17:31

If you want to call it that , unibody . Yeah , so the engine is underneath the actual bed of the truck .

Speaker 2 17:39

And air-cooled .

Speaker 1 17:40

An air-cooled motor .

Speaker 3 17:41

Is it ?

Speaker 1 17:42

Yes , it is . It's a flat six that's in it , just like a regular Corvair $12,000 . Yep , I got $12,000 .

Speaker 3 17:51

I was thinking up under the front seat $10,000 .

Speaker 2 17:53

I'm at $10,000 . $10,000 . I'm at 10 . 10 , 12 , and Mark Jeffrey , yeah , 12,000 .

Speaker 3 17:58

12,000 . Nah , I'm going to go 16 . Jeff Heitzman says 7 .

Speaker 1 18:06

I wouldn't give you nothing for it .

Speaker 2 18:08

Why would you want to buy a ?

Speaker 1 18:09

whole package of headaches , because that's what that is .

Speaker 3 18:12

Because I'm thinking big block sitting back there .

Speaker 1 18:16

You know it didn't really have a tailgate per se , it had a side gate , it was a ramp , just so wrong at every level . The 61 Chevy Corvair truck sold for $19,950 . Wow , beat all expectations . Next up , this is for David Ainsley 1930 Ford Model A Yellow .

Speaker 2 18:37

I want one of those .

Speaker 3 18:40

That was just recalled . It was Get it cheap . It's on the recall list .

Speaker 1 18:44

It's on the recall list but you know what it's recalled for that rear view camera with the clown picture that shows up on the dashboard .

Speaker 2 18:51

I thought it was a hair bag 1930 Ford Model A .

Speaker 1 18:54

I actually kind of like it in some weird way . It's yellow Parade car . Well , pretty much . How much did that sell ? For $17,000 . 16 . 16? .

Speaker 3 19:08

Mars Heitzman says 18 , and I'm going to go 18.5 . It's a tight group . Anybody else ?

Speaker 1 19:16

Tight group . Okay , I'm going to tell you that this thing sold for $10,000 . Wow .

Speaker 3 19:21

Because original ones like that for some reason . They really don't hold the value . Now , if that thing had a little small block in it and updated's the 50 000 , I know , but , but that's not the whole thing here well , this is kind of amazes me that something that nice , that original you're gonna mess it up , yeah , well first of all , it's not original because they didn't make that in yellow in 1930 .

Speaker 1 19:43

Okay , next up . I know we need to move on here . This is Jeff's car , 1996 Buick Estate Wagon Gosh With some nice paneling on the side of it . How much , let's go quick Still in the wooden crate .

Speaker 3 19:58

Seven , I'm going to go . Nine , nine , twelve , twelve .

Speaker 1 20:00

Twelve , anybody else ?

Speaker 3 20:03

Bobby Sparkman twelve .

Speaker 1 20:05

Nineteen , 425 . It must be super clean .

Speaker 3 20:08

Jeff , I think it was the 8 . Okay .

Speaker 1 20:11

And the last one this morning is going to be the Ford F100 1966 model . Bobby should get this spot on . Yeah , he should . 1966 Ford F150 . What did it sell for Six grand ?

Speaker 3 20:25

12 , 8 . Heisman says 23 .

Speaker 1 20:28

$30,450 . $30,450 .

Speaker 3 20:31

Oh , bobby , jump on that one yeah $30,000 .

Speaker 1 20:34

And that's our sold cars roundup Somebody was drunk . Apparently so . Okay , let's do the you want to do the racing calendar real quick .

Speaker 2 20:44

Oh yeah , we can sure .

Speaker 1 20:45

I'll tell you what . Let's take a break and then we're going to do the racing calendar and auto history . Okay , okay , and we'll time . Car talk show continues right after this .

Speaker 1 20:53

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Speaker 1 21:57

Whether you're on the road or at home and jonesing for a different kind of car talk show , give In Wheel Time a try Honest . New car reviews , fun , informative interviews with real car people , weekly automotive news , features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations all on In Wheel Time . Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts , iheart Radio or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music . Inwheeltimecom has a list and we know you love lists . Welcome back to the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show . Time now for the racing calendar . Jeff has that sponsored by Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge .

Speaker 2 22:30

And thank you for that . Okay , we've got . Nhra

Racing Calendar & Auto History

Speaker 2 22:34

is going on September 11th through the 14th . It's the Reading Nationals . At Maple Grove Raceway , craftsman Trucks started their playoff round . It was yesterday . I watched a little bit of it . They're in Bristol round . It was yesterday . I watched a little bit of it there in Bristol . I don't know who won , but I think they're all excited about the playoffs because they've got a lot of contention in there going on . You've got the Xfinity is actually the 12th . It was yesterday the Xfinity at Bristol . I watched a little bit of that . I actually recorded it because I wanted to see who won the end of the race . And of course , tonight is the Bass Pro Shops night race . That's in Bristol also and that's on the USA Network at 730 . Imsa is off and you've got Formula One going on on the 21st , so we've got a little bit of time for that .

Speaker 1 23:22

By the way , did you see where Brittany Force is retiring ?

Speaker 2 23:26

I did not hear that .

Speaker 3 23:30

I saw a little meme or something about that , and I figured it was junk .

Speaker 1 23:33

No , no , no . She's officially announced she will not be back for the 2026 season . I'll be darned because she's going to start a family well , that's perfect . She just got married , you know , last year , yeah , yeah , so good for her , it's a girl thing well yeah , and you know she's the fastest woman alive so what else is she gonna to do ?

Speaker 3 23:48

Have a baby , exactly .

Speaker 1 23:50

Okay , time now for this week's auto history , mr Mars .

Speaker 3 23:54

Yes , sir , we'll go through this pretty quick . In 1898 , rudolph Diesel there's actually a guy named Diesel received a US patent for his compression ignition engine . So unlike gasoline engines , the diesel engine ignited fuel . Through the high compression created more efficiency , more torque . It was basically used industry and marine purposes originally , but it found its way into trucks and buses and passenger cars . Of course it's been changed . The diesel technology has changed a lot . It used to be considered very bad for emissions , but they've cleaned all that stuff up and it's become pretty much mainstream . They've cleaned all that stuff up and it's become pretty much mainstream . Then in 1897 , the London Taxi Cabs go electric Now . They introduced the first fleet of electric taxi cabs , nicknamed Hummingbirds for their quiet operation .

Speaker 1 24:40

God , is that ugly ? Yeah , these early EVs they offered .

Speaker 3 24:44

You know , this created the EV , urban transportation more than a century before modern electric cars . They were pretty limited by range and battery technology but they worked and it kind of started things off . Then , in 1913 , the first US license plate was issued . Now this was up in the state of New York and formalized the registration process . Before that , many people just crafted homemade plates or relied on local identifiers so you could tell who was coming down the road . This , so this , provided the uniformity and aiding law enforcement and safety regulations and it quickly became nationwide and it's now what we all have to deal with . Once a year , 18 , 1938 Volkswagen type 1 prototype was actually first shown . Now this is the KDF wagon prototype and it it later became the Beetle . Now this was famous . It was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and it was promised to be affordable , efficient transportation for the masses , had a distinctive rounded body and rear-mounted engine and it became eventually the world's best-selling car design and then , after World War II , it became to symbolize germany's automotive revival .

Speaker 3 25:50

Speaking of porsche 1963 porsche unveiled its legendary 1911 sports car to the public at the frankfurt motor show rear engine 911 911 okay yeah , the rear engine coupe replaced the 356 model , an instantly promised enthusiast and aerodynamic styling , flat six engine and balanced handling . It actually became porsche's flagship model in their motorsports competition then . Not to be outdone , ford in 1974 introduced the mustang 2 .

Speaker 3 26:24

now this is a second generation mustang . It became the mustang 2 , downsized to respond to the fuel crisis and changing consumer designs . It shared a platform with the Ford Pinto , of all things I did not know that and it was criticized for reduced power . It appealed to buyers because it was a sleeker and more efficient car and it actually became a commercial success for Ford . And that was some of the things this week in automotive history Perfect .

Speaker 1 26:50

That hasn't been recalled yet .

Speaker 3 26:51

It was with the Pinto , though .

Speaker 1 26:53

Yeah , the Pinto recall where they quit making it . It was so bad Fire sale

Automotive News Headlines

Speaker 1 26:57

. Some of the stories making automotive news headlines . Stellantis has canceled its electric Ram 1500 pickup under development , citing slowing demand for battery-powered vehicles . The company said the decision follows multiple delays for the truck , which Ram originally showed in 2023 , to arrive in 2024 . The company most recently has told suppliers that production would begin in the summer of 27 . Ram said it still plans to sell a hybridized light-duty pickup that uses an onboard gasoline generator to extend the range of its electric motor and battery . That model , initially called the Ram Charger , will go on sale next year and adopt the name of the canceled truck , becoming the 1500 Rev REV Battery plant co-owned by Hyundai .

Speaker 1 27:47

You may have heard this facing a minimum delay of two to three months following an immigration raid . Last week I told you about it . Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz said the Georgia plant , which is operated through a joint venture of Hyundai and South Korea's LG Energy Solution , was at the center of the largest single-site enforcement operation in the US Department of Homeland Security's history . Munoz said in his first public comment since the raid he was surprised that he heard the news and immediately inquired if Hyundai workers were involved . He said the company discovered that the workers at the center of the raid were mainly employed by suppliers of LG . It is typical for an automotive battery plant to employ these workers as it's getting off the ground . Munoz said , lawmakers in the US House of Representatives Tuesday reintroduced legislation that aims to help law enforcement combat a rise in catalytic converter thefts .

Speaker 1 28:41

Thank God , across the country it mirrors legislation introduced in the US Senate in July . Mirrors legislation introduced in the US Senate in July . The Preventing Auto Recycling Theft , or PART Act , is designed to reduce catalytic converter thefts by requiring new vehicles to have the VIN stamped onto the catalytic converter . That way , law enforcement officers can connect the stolen parts to vehicles . Stolen catalytic converters can garner up to $350 on the black market and replacements can cost vehicle owners more than $2,500 , according to NADA .

Speaker 1 29:18

Thefts can also be violent . The dealer association said , as you know , people have gotten killed over that . Yep Tesla owners defecting to legacy brands in greater numbers for a mix of gasoline vehicles , hybrids and battery electric models , as the electric automaker wants . Sky-high loyalty numbers plummet compared to last year . They're leaving the EV maker because of an aging lineup , a limited product portfolio with just two volume models and a loss of brand value from CEO Elon Musk's right-wing political activism . According to analysts , tesla's loyalty numbers fell 9.4 percentage points from the second quarter last year . The data showed Only the Dodge brand did worse , falling 12.7 percentage points in the same period , because they stopped being an actual powerhouse car manufacturer and decided to go EV all the way .

Speaker 2 30:16

How's that working out for you ? Getting back to your Hyundai plant where they arrested those folks ? Don't companies have crews that when you build out like a Walmart or something , they have crews that go in there and set up all the displays and they set up all that . So is that ?

Speaker 1 30:33

pretty much what this was . Well , this is a manufacturing plant .

Speaker 2 30:36

They're building the plant , so they probably brought a crew in for that . They're all from South Korea .

Speaker 1 30:40

I know the problem with that is they all need to have documentation to be legal in the United States , and that's what the raid was all about they weren't documented Right .

Speaker 3 30:51

And that got into the question . How did that many of them get in here with a company without being documented ?

Speaker 2 30:57

Somebody goofed somewhere , really big time , or you know , hey , I'll look the other way for 10 minutes and you know that kind of stuff Anyway we'd love to hear from you .

Speaker 1 31:05

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Speaker 1 32:08

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