Nov. 29, 2024

Reimagining the VW Bus: Volkswagen ID Buzz, Best Vehicle Brand Awards, and Car Community Events

Reimagining the VW Bus: Volkswagen ID Buzz, Best Vehicle Brand Awards, and Car Community Events
Reimagining the VW Bus: Volkswagen ID Buzz, Best Vehicle Brand Awards, and Car Community Events
In Wheel Time Podcast
Reimagining the VW Bus: Volkswagen ID Buzz, Best Vehicle Brand Awards, and Car Community Events
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What if an iconic vehicle from the past could be reimagined for a sustainable future? Join us as we chat with John Vincent from US News & World Report about the buzz surrounding Volkswagen's nostalgic yet modern ID Buzz. This electric tribute to the classic VW bus is stirring emotions with its retro design, but it also has us debating its limited range and significant price point. We also navigate through Volkswagen's post-Dieselgate journey, discussing their refreshed lineup, including the revamped Tiguan that says goodbye to the third-row seat.

Shift gears with us as we celebrate the winners of the Best Vehicle Brand Awards. We explore Honda's unwavering commitment to sedans, with the beloved Accord and Civic models standing strong amidst an SUV-dominated market. Hyundai impresses with its affordable and stylish SUV offerings like the Kona and Santa Fe, while the luxurious ride of the Ram 1500 and 2500 earns them a top spot in the pickup category. Meanwhile, Texas is bustling with automotive events, from the Grand Central Park Car Show to the thrilling endurance races at MSR Houston, offering a perfect blend of cars, community, and camaraderie. Whether you're a car enthusiast or just curious, this episode promises engaging insights and lively discussions.

Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!

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00:01 - New Volkswagen ID Buzz Review

04:43 - 2025 Best Vehicle Brand Awards

17:19 - Upcoming Events in the Car Community

New Volkswagen ID Buzz Review

Speaker 1

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast From the Sugar Shock Studios near Houston , texas , usa . It is the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Just ahead . Jeff has the cruise in and events calendars and I'm going to bring you stories making automotive news headlines . And we got John Benson from the US News and World Report standing by . Got a nice interview with him . Best Vehicle Brand Awards and Best Certified Pre-Owned Program All right , can't wait to hear about that . Howdy , along with Mike out of this world , Mars . We always need more Jeff Zekin . I'm Don Armstrong . Our chief engineer , david Ainsley , has the morning off today , but we always appreciate his hard work . We do . I know that he's not listening because he's still sleeping .

Speaker 2

We're not home yet from last night .

Speaker 1

We're not home yet it's on its way ?

Speaker 2

Yeah , exactly , he'll be there momentarily , martha .

Speaker 1

So John Vincent has been a guest on our program many times with US News and World Report and John , hey , it's great to see you . Thank you very much for joining us this morning .

Speaker 3

good morning , I feel like I'm in san francisco yeah , I was there a couple weeks ago driving , uh , this the new volkswagen id buzz , the reincarnated volkswagen bus . How fun is that we listen .

Speaker 1

We love the look . I'm sure you do too , because we could all kind of relate and throw back to you know , the 13 window bus and all of that good stuff . But this isn't anything like that , is it ?

Speaker 3

No , this is basically an electric minivan . It costs a whole lot of money .

Speaker 2

Okay thanks for the interview .

Speaker 1

Would you say that this will compete against the Chrysler Pacifica or no ?

Speaker 3

You know this is going to compete against the Pacifica hybrid , certainly , but it's also going to compete against Kia EV9 , the new Hyundai Ioniq 9 , rivian R1S , because it's up in that price range .

Speaker 1

But it's not available yet to the public , is it ?

Speaker 3

It comes out a little bit later this year .

Speaker 1

Well , we've got five weeks to go , john . Five weeks yeah .

Speaker 3

Well , if you don't have your name in line now , you're going to be waiting a long time .

Speaker 1

Yeah , I would imagine Wow . So what are your first ? I assume you got to drive it . I did , yeah . What are your thoughts ?

Speaker 3

You know I like it . It has a lot of really cool features , the retro stuff is done really well , but 231 to 234 mile range on a single charge isn't enough . No , and it's also pretty pricey how much the one you want costs about $80,000 . Wow , ouch , $80,000 . Before dealer markup and you know what dealer markup is going to be on ? Yes , of course .

Speaker 1

Well , that's kind of Do you come with surfboards or anything ? Yes , no , surfboards , you go buy your own . You know , I know , the last time I was in San Francisco they had the hippie bus tours and they were all done in old Volkswagen vans . You know the bus if you will , old Volkswagen vans , you know the bus if you will . And they're still around and they're doing quite well in San Francisco with tours .

Speaker 3

Yep , and those old Volkswagen vans are worth money if they're in good shape .

Speaker 4

Yes .

Speaker 2

Yep , well Speechless .

Speaker 1

I know Well , I was having a little sip of water there .

Speaker 3

I just wonder what in the world ? You know Volkswagen , are they in trouble ? I keep getting this feeling that they're doing as well as some others . You know they had Dieselgate , which knocked them back financially quite a lot .

Speaker 2

Yes .

Speaker 3

It forced them to do some things that they didn't necessarily want to do . I think they're going to climb out of it . They have some good product coming . I just saw the new Volkswagen Tiguan , which is their volume product . I just saw the new one in Los Angeles a couple days ago . It looks really good .

Speaker 1

Does it still have the bad turbo lag that the old one did ?

Speaker 3

You know I haven't driven it yet , but they did get rid of the third row seat , which never should have been there in the first place .

Speaker 1

Yeah , well , you know , and at the time I understand why they did it because they were trying to keep up with the Joneses and , oh you know , we got to compete on the third row . Well , nobody can get back there . And if you can get back there , there's no leg room . It's worthless . I never understood it .

Speaker 3

Oh , even if you hate your kids , you don't want to put them there .

Speaker 1

Yeah , exactly All right , so let's move

2025 Best Vehicle Brand Awards

Speaker 1

on . Let's talk about Best Vehicle Brand Awards by US News World Report . I'm excited to hear what you've got to say .

Speaker 3

So for Best Vehicle Brands , we look at all of the vehicles that they have in their lineup and average the scores , come up with winners in each vehicle category pickups , suvs , luxury and cars . And why don't we start off with cars ? Sure , honda is the winner this year . You know , a lot of automakers have dropped out of the car market . They're building SUVs , they're building pickups , they're building , you know , anything but cars . Honda stayed in it and they have some really strong products in the Accord and the Civic and , and just for fun , the Civic Type R .

Speaker 1

Yeah , Well , I will tell you that that's not surprising . And , of course , with the demise of the Malibu , I saw a new Accord and I was , like you know , it's taken them years to come back around to build a sedan that I actually am attracted to . I think that they kind of lost touch with reality there for several years .

Speaker 3

Yeah , they drifted a little wide there for a while , didn't they ? But it seems like they're back in the core of what people are looking for .

Speaker 1

Yeah , and the Corolla now has grown such that it's almost a mid-sized car . I guess it really is , at least in my terms .

Speaker 3

In the rental car market they call it a mid-size .

Speaker 1

Yeah , there you go , because , let's face it , the Civic used to be a super compact , a subcompact , yes , and it was very successful at that . And why these automakers continue to use the name , although there's no real relationship to the actual size of the car in the past . I don't understand that . But I guess that they're just hanging on to the name . Marketing , yeah , marketing kind of thing , okay , well , so that seems to be a well-deserved reward then .

Speaker 3

Yep , let's jump over to SUVs . Yes , hyundai , jump over to suvs . Yes , hyundai . You know hyundai has a strong competitor in every segment of the suv market . You know the little kona I mean I'm not sure whether you guys have driven that , oh yeah fantastic .

Speaker 1

I know , I love that thing yeah and it's affordable tucson ?

Speaker 3

yep , yeah , very affordable , yeah , except you have . You have the tucson which you can buy as a regular gas car , hybrid , plug-in hybrid . It can go toe-to-toe with the Toyota RAV4 , which is the volume player in that market and has that 10-year 100,000-mile warranty . Yeah , Santa Fe looks like . You know a small Range Rover Defender at a third the price , you know , great , another great SUV . And then you have the . At the top of the range , you have the Palisade which ever since it's been on the road , they've never been able to keep up for demand for that thing .

Speaker 1

Well , because it offers a lot and it's not even competitive I don't think with the rest of its competitors . I think that there's a lot of content for the money there . You know , and I will say this about Hyundai and Kia when they first came on the market you thought , yeah , kind of design is like boring and we really don't know too much about it . And you know , might as well have a daewoo label on it , or something sorry .

Speaker 1

Well , we did . We just didn't know right and it took them years . Let's face . It took them years to get into the styling that we're all familiar with now and is very attractive now , but it wasn't at the beginning and so we kind of dismissed the whole brand itself . But once they started , once they started , getting the design right is like hey , wake up the look .

Speaker 3

There's something that's making making waves in the auto industry I got my father into a hyundai sonata years and years ago by not telling him it was a korean car . I just let him believe that it was a Japanese car and he was all over it .

Speaker 1

Well , there's one way to do it . Does he still have it ? No , he doesn't . He doesn't . Did he stay with the brand he did ? See ? There you go . I think a lot of people are that way as well . Okay , what's next ?

Speaker 3

So let's talk about pickups . You guys know this better than anything down in Texas . But the Ram 1500 and the Ram 2500 , they have the best cabs in the industry , most comfortable cabs in the industry . I totally agree . Yep , the 1500 has a more sophisticated rear suspension than most trucks , gives up a little bit of payload in towing , but it gives a more comfortable ride than anything else out there . Just refreshed for 2025 , it's even better than before . Kind of pricey but , uh , a great lineup of trucks head to head , isn't it ?

Speaker 1

isn't it pricier than the ford and the chevy competitor ?

Speaker 3

I think in the refresh it's just slightly above them .

Speaker 4

Yeah .

Speaker 3

But the pickup truck market spans so much , you know , from the work trucks to the luxury cars with a bed . Yeah , there's a variety in all the manufacturers .

Speaker 4

Yeah , when you get up to that level , that's exactly what it is . It's a luxury car with a bed that most guys aren't going to be driving out on the Montana Ranch in that truck .

Speaker 1

Anyway , I bet they will , and you know , the funny thing about the trucks , at least here in Texas , is the fact that I would say that the majority of consumer retail truck buyers never , ever tow anything or haul anything . The bed is still pristine . It's such a waste to me . If you're going to put a camper on the back of it , do something with it .

Speaker 3

Come on Mars .

Speaker 4

They never tow a house , but they know they can , that's right , my little brother has a Ram 2500 . He puts his little boy on it and he puts his tractor on it , probably four times a year and by golly , when he wants to do it , he does it by golly .

Speaker 3

At the top of the range , those luxury cars . You know we've been joking that the only way they're going to be able to add more leather is if they start putting it on the outside . That's good .

Speaker 4

Like they used to put wood panels on the side , now they're going to put leather on the side . That'd be cool .

Speaker 1

And on the lower scale they'll put Alc al cantera , whatever that is on there , some sort of made-up factory thing , imitation cow yeah imitation cow .

Speaker 3

Put that on the side of it . Very lovely imitation cow it is .

Speaker 1

It's very nice , but it's like al cantera who came up with that name . But okay , probably somebody named al and he had a , had a , and he had a cat named Cantera , something whatever . All right , what's next on the list ?

Speaker 3

Let's talk about luxury brands . Yes , please . Porsche has become an SUV company , Porsche . You know , if they didn't have SUVs , they might not still be selling cars in the United States .

Speaker 1

John don't you remember when they made the announcement that they were going to build an SUV and all the Porsche files are going ? No , you can't ruin our car like that .

Speaker 3

It was heresy but it saved the brand here , wow . But you know , beyond the Cayenne and the Macan , they also have , you know , an electric sedan . They have the iconic 911 . Still , they have their affordable models . You know the Boxster and the Cayman , great brand lineup . You know best luxury brand for us .

Speaker 1

And , from what I understand , one of the most reliable .

Speaker 3

Surprisingly , now they are , which is a good thing . I know , Visiting your Porsche dealer will take $1,000 out of your wallet just for the visit .

Speaker 1

Well , that doesn't surprise me Just to check in , but you know , if somebody were in the market for a luxury vehicle , that Porsche is not top of mind .

Speaker 4

No , that's not what you think about .

Speaker 1

But it's certainly worth a look , and I have a feeling I drove one I don't remember what it was , the Cayenne I think it was and I was thoroughly impressed what a beautiful , well sought after I mean sorted vehicle that I was shocked .

Speaker 3

And it still has buttons and switches for the important stuff .

Speaker 2

Yeah .

Speaker 1

You hear the applause , don't you ? Yeah , yeah , we love it . Well , so do you have any other things ?

Speaker 3

We have one more thing Tell me , it's super important to the market right now and that is certified pre-owned . Yes . The certified pre-owned brand is Lexus .

Speaker 1

Really ? Oh , Does not surprise me in the least . Matter of fact .

Speaker 3

I've been here , since we've had this award .

Speaker 1

Lexus has won this award . I will tell you that I am currently driving a brand new Lexus NX 350 Hybrid and it is , for the size and for what it is , an absolutely wonderful vehicle . And I was talking to Leslie about it and she said , well , a couple , three years , if you can find one on the certified pre-owned list , there it is . I mean , it rides great , it gets great gas mileage . It's beautiful on the interior . This one here is that new copper color . Look , oh , I'm all over it . Yeah , yes , yeah . And so that is not a surprise to me at all . And , um , I think I think that nissan I'm sorry , toyota , and and their lexus brand have really they've changed the entire world and how we , what we expect out of cars these days reliability , affordability , all of the things that you can come up with . I think they hit the nail on the head .

Speaker 3

They have done a fantastic job .

Speaker 1

And where can we find all this good information that you brought to us today ?

Speaker 3

So just go to usnewscom and look on the Autos tab . That's your tab , that's , well , mine and the whole team . You know I work with a lot of super smart researchers who put this all together .

Speaker 1

Yeah , well , as a matter of fact , I did browse that just yesterday , as a matter of fact , and I was impressed . I didn't realize that you guys had such a wide-ranging assortment of things on there under the Autos tab .

Speaker 3

We do a lot of work . We just spent the last week covering the Los Angeles Auto Show , so if you want to find out what happened there , it's all there too . Did you go ? I did , and what did you think ? It was a fairly quiet show , but there was some really cool stuff shown by the Korean manufacturers the new Hyundai Ioniq 9 . Essentially their version of the Kia EV9 . Looks like nothing else on the road . Pretty cool . We'll see how the market responds to that .

Speaker 1

Is it ?

Speaker 3

available now . It will be coming out next year in the 2026 .

Speaker 2

Are you coming to the Houston show in January ?

Speaker 3

I think I have to go to Detroit and Washington DC for their shows in January , so I might not make it to Houston .

Speaker 4

The weather's a little bit better down here than Detroit or Washington DC . I'm just saying , john .

Speaker 3

I know Detroit in January is not a fun place .

Speaker 1

Well , put the word out that there's Houston and you've got some friends down here and you'd like to put on your cowboy hat and drink some bourbon and enjoy the cars and eat some barbecue and Put on your cowboy hat and drink some bourbon , and you know enjoy .

Speaker 3

The cars Eat some barbecue and eat some barbecue . That , okay , all three of those things sound fantastic , John , it's great to talk to you .

Speaker 1

Good to see you again . Call us next time . You've got something new and we'll get you on the air .

Speaker 3

We'll be talking about best cars for the money in January .

Speaker 1

All right , there you go , we've got a date . If we can pin you down wherever you are , you world traveler .

Speaker 2

And I just bought a new Buick , so help me out .

Speaker 1

Yeah , please do . Yeah , exactly , thanks again , john . Thank you , john , Vincent . Us News and it's still World Report . Yes , it is , but online US News Because we're worldwide anyways . We're nationwide Well , and worldwide and worldwide . There you go . And on Odyssey that If you download our app to your phone , you'll have access to In Real Time Car Talk 24-7 . Just look for In Real Time Car Talk in the App Store and check us out on the Odyssey radio app as well . Podcasts available from your favorite podcast provider . We also video stream our weekly show on Facebook , youtube and InRealTimecom 10 to noon Central every Saturday Central Time . The InWheelTime Car Talk Show continues right after this quick break .

Upcoming Events in the Car Community

Speaker 1

The Tex-Mex dining experience is defined by Loopy Tortilla , your destination for Texas' best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas . Since 1983 , Loopy Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients . Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience at Loopy Tortilla , all developed in a little house near Highway 6 and I-10 in West Houston . Visit any of the Loopy Tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail in each and every location . Start your Loopy experience with queso flammeado and guacamole , along with a classic frozen margarita . Dine on famous Loopy beef and chicken fajitas , or pepper , shrimp brochette or a fish or vegetarian entree and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert . Find Loopy Tortilla in Houston , college Station , beaumont , austin , san Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth . There's a Texas location near you . The recipes are authentic and time-tested , the ingredients always fresh . Loopy Tortilla he's pretty good .

Speaker 1

Is your car ready for that all-important holiday road trip ? Gulf Coast Auto Shield is having another Car Social Saturday , december 7th , and you're invited . Bring your car , truck or SUV and find out what it'll take to get that thing looking new again . Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your one-stop shop for paint detailing , coatings , window tint , clear bras , camera installs and wheel repair . The Car Social is your opportunity to get a tour of this state-of-the-art facility located at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway , just south of the Southwest Freeway .

Speaker 1

Join the Car Social Saturday , december 7th , 9 to noon . Talk to other owners and see how good your car can look on the road trip . To Aunt Mary's She'll want that good looking ride in her driveway . I promise Put it on your calendar . The Gulf Coast Auto Shield Holiday Car Social and Road Trip . Get Ready . Saturday , december 7th , 9 to noon . At 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway , just south of the Southwest Freeway , the In Real Time Car Talk Show will be there too . We'll see you then , and you know . Let me just say this about that car social for John over at Gulf Coast Auto Show . I don't want you to think that you're going to go there and he's going to try to sell you something that you don't want .

Speaker 1

That's not it at all Go in there see the cars that he's currently working on and hobnob with the car clubs that are there .

Speaker 4

He's going to have the Porsche .

Speaker 1

Yeah , absolutely . And not only that , but come and see us , yeah .

Speaker 2

Hello .

Speaker 4

You can hobnob with us .

Speaker 1

There are six-figure cars in there . I don't know if we're hobnobbery enough .

Speaker 4

Well , on that day , from 10 to 12 , we are , we are hobnobbery you lived under a bridge one time .

Speaker 1

Oh , it's Hobbit . I'm sorry that's it Wrong . One Close Jeff Zekin has the cruise in and events calendars , jeffrey . Yes , sir , here we go .

Speaker 2

The Saturday November 30th , which is next Saturday , the Grand Central Park Car Show . Spend the afternoon with family cruising around to see all kinds of classic cars . This event is for families and friends . There will also be food trucks , a DJ , a face painting and a balloon artist $25 a car for entry . The first prize is Best of Show , second prize is People's Choice Award and the third prize is Most Likely to Get Pulled Over . So most of the they've got a unique kid's choice and things going on . So if you're interested you can go to lifestyles at gcpraicom .

Speaker 2

What it's at the Lake House ? It's at 1039 Lake House Drive in Conroe . It's from 2 to 5 pm . And again on Saturday you can go to the Family Cruise Inn . Bring out your car , your truck , your bike All makes and models are welcome . Food trucks , live music , cold drinks and more Family and pet friendly . That's important because a lot of these places will take your pet on . So no need to register , just show up , have fun . It goes from 5 to 9 . The lineup is to be determined for the music . So it's the 3 Acres Food Truck Park at 10648 FM 1764 in Santa Fe . It goes from 5 to 9 and that's next Saturday . It's going to be in the dark Could be . And then we've got on Sunday , you've got the normal . What do you talk about Willis ? What do you talk about Willis ? Is that the DNM True Value , 400 West Montgomery Street in Willis , texas ? And then we've got . What do we got , mike ? We've got this going on .

Speaker 4

The cruise in stuff is done . Then you got , uh msr in yeah , the big endurance race on the 30th down at msr . Uh , it's like an all-day deal . It's a an australian type of race where they race in one direction and then reverse the track and you race in the other direction . So if you're a road racer kind of guy and you want to see some of that uh action , that's oh , that's not confusing . Yeah , yeah , I told him . He said you should do it before they stop .

Speaker 1

Don't let them stop , Because you know , if you think about this , you're used to going around clockwise on that road track down there , correct ? Okay , right , all right . So you've got the apexes and where you're supposed to , the lines that you're supposed to hit and what gear you're in and all that it , and where you're supposed to the lines that you're supposed to hit and what gear you're in and all that it completely changes everything .

Speaker 1

when you go the other , it's the same track , but you go in the opposite direction , it looks different , it feels different , yeah .

Speaker 4

So I think it would be a rather interesting Challenging Challenging is a good way to put it .

Speaker 2

Well , you did say Australian . And then you've got the Gulf Coast Auto Shield Social , which is the seventh . So there you go .

Speaker 1

Cupra , you ever heard of Cupra Fran ?

Speaker 2

and .

Speaker 4

Ollie Fran and .

Speaker 1

Ollie , yeah , nope , cupra , no-transcript . That's only four years . Yeah , five years . Five Announced in March . It would enter the US market by 2030 . Wayne Griffiths , the CEO of Cupra and another company called Seat , said at the time that Cupra's US sales would be done through a new distribution model . A new distribution .

Speaker 4

Okay , what would they ?

Speaker 1

consider new .

Speaker 4

I don't know . Tesla considered new . I don't know .

Speaker 1

No details of the potential partnership were disclosed , but griffiths in a news release said that penske's leadership in the industry and experience with the volkswagen group make this a very promising potential partnership .

Speaker 2

So look for cupra now , if they're building it there , what's going to be the tariff ?

Speaker 1

because I hear all these threatening things about tariff advanced auto parts said said November 14th , it will close more than 500 stores by mid-next year and cut some jobs under a restructuring effort as demand for vehicle parts takes a hit from fewer consumers opting to repair their own cars . The company posted a third-quarter net loss from continuing operations of $25.3 million , compared with a loss of $74.1 million during the same period last year . Don't you think that you would have made the cuts last year ? Yeah , I would have thought .

Speaker 1

New vehicle buyers continue to turn to longer finance term lengths in the third quarter to alleviate the strain of higher prices . According to Edmunds , auto Loan Terms of 84 months made up about 18% of new vehicle loans in the third quarter , compared with 17% in the second quarter . 16% in the first quarter . 84 months In other words , forget ever owning a car again . President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration plans to target federal regulations championed by President Joe Biden that aim to make automobiles more fuel efficient and incentivize a shift toward electric vehicles . According to two sources in contact with the transition team , move appears aimed at satisfying a Trump campaign promise to end the EV mandate and would mirror a similar move during the first Trump administration to dismantle Obama era vehicle efficiency rules . Bye bye , cafe , bye , bye . I want to make a prediction .

Speaker 4

Okay , I never predicted anything , write it down .

Speaker 1

Okay , stellantis , dodge , jeep , chrysler , ram , I think that they're going to file for bankruptcy .

Speaker 2

I heard that . I did hear that last week .

Speaker 4

It was on a bathroom wall , I think .

Speaker 2

It's very bad for them yeah .

Speaker 1

They no longer make their top-selling vehicles the Challenger , the Charger they don't make those anymore . Ah , let's not make those . We're going to go all EV . The new Charger . Challenger , the Charger they don't make those anymore . Ah , let's not make those , we're going to go all EV . The new Charger .

Speaker 2

Challenger whatever that thing is called All electric . The story , or the part that I heard of the story , was that they're using the same skateboard platform for the electric and the gas . They're doing that now . That's what they're trying to develop , so that there's one skateboard to do it .

Speaker 1

The reason I say that is because ford plans to cut 4 000 jobs in europe by 2027 as it struggles to sell new battery electric cars amid a slowdown in ev demand in the region . The job losses will reduce the automaker's european workforce by 14% . Most of the cuts will happen in Germany , where 2,900 jobs will be axed , with 800 jobs to go in the UK and 300 in other European markets . Ain't looking good , friends . Ford dialing back Bronco production amid rising inventories and slowdown in sales because it's too expensive . Reassigning 400 workers who build the SUV at Michigan Assembly to nearby locations Uh-huh , they ain't looking good . Nobody can afford the cars anymore . They're too expensive . Thank you , union . Uh-huh .

Speaker 4

Well , that , and the government .

Speaker 1

No same thing ? Not very much . Another finding by CCC was transparency replacing speed as the top factor in customer satisfaction in the overall process . This counters a long held belief by collision shop owners that because customers aren't paying , they don't care about how their vehicle will be put back together . Research shows that a detailed explanation of repair needs was the top moment of truth influencing repair satisfaction , outweighing the speed of repairs . And nissan will cut nearly 500 salaried jobs in the us by year end as the financially struggling japanese automaker acts as 9 000 jobs globally . Us reductions are being made via voluntary buyout offers first reported by Automotive News in August . We've got more . We're going to wrap up today's show after this .

Speaker 1

The holidays are upon us and Pro-Am Auto Accessories is your local one-stop for the auto enthusiast on your gift list . Pro-am Auto has been serving Houston since 1984 , providing world-class products for sports cars , european sedans and American muscle . Pro-am was one of the very first distributors in the US for brands such as Recaro , redline , momo Corbo and Simpson . Located in the heart of Houston's premier shopping corridor , the Galleria area , pro-am's walk-in storefront includes an 8,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom with installation and service bays . Pro-am reaches an 8,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom with installation and service bays . Pro-am reaches a worldwide audience through Pro-AmAutocom , taking its local reputation to the rest of the world . Holiday gift-giving is alive and well at Pro-Am Auto . If you don't see what you're looking for on the website , call and Pro-Am will lend you a hand . Pro-am Auto 6125 Richmond at Greenridge in Houston's Galleria area . Call them at 713-781-7755 .

Speaker 5

Hey , Houston , it's back . America's greatest high-route tradition is Thanksgiving weekend .

Speaker 4

The O'Reilly Auto Parts . Autorama at the George R Prune Convention Center , four days of hot rods , customs trucks and muscle cars .

Speaker 5

Don't miss the Evel Knievel Tribute . The Megaboros Transforming Robot Car Lowrider Showcase . Meet Catherine Bach from Dukes of Hazzard , hip Hop Legend . Flava Play Farm Truckin' Asian from Street Outlaws . Autorama Thanksgiving Weekend Discount Tickets at Riley Auto Parts , part of the Summer Racing Equipment Show Car Series See Autorama Count for more info .

Speaker 1

Well , that's all for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show . Be sure and check us out online at inwheeltimecom . Love and or hate mail can be addressed to mars at inwheeltimecom . We like car pics , so send us some of yours in the description .

Speaker 5

Any info you want to include , we'll feature it on a future show .

Speaker 1

When you're looking for an award car talk . No , I did not , I just wrote it , I didn't read it . When you're looking for award-winning car talk , you can find the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 on the In Wheel Time app . Download it today if you haven't already . Have yourself a great weekend , a live show next week , 10 to noon Central Time on all of our In Wheel Time Car Talk outlets . You take care and we'll see you next week . That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show . I'm Don Armstrong , inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook , youtube , twitch and our InWheelTimecom website . Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts , spotify , stitcher , iheart Podcast , podcast , addict TuneIn , pandora and Amazon Music . Keep listening and we'll see you soon .