Rev Up for the Houston Auto Show: Sneak Peek, Industry Insights, and Exciting Events

Houston Auto Show Preview and Updates

Speaker 1 0:01

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast From the Sugar Shack Studios in Houston , texas , usa . It's the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Just ahead . You ready for the Houston Auto Show ? Yep , I am , I am . I am too , you know , and I kind of like the way it comes around January , february . I like that . It's kind of a time of year that we're ready to see the new things . Anyway , rochelle Salides joins us with a preview . It's only a few weeks away . Jeff has the crews in and events calendars and I'll bring you stories making automotive news headlines this week . Howdy , along with Mike out of this world , mars . We always need Jeff Zekin . Chief Engineer David Ainsley , I'm Don Armstrong . Thank you so much for joining us today . Now let's go directly to the office , the home office of Rochelle Salinas . Vice President , houston Auto Show Incorporated Public Relations . Maven Guru , see , you got a new title this morning .

Speaker 2 1:06

Good morning . I like it .

Speaker 1 1:10

Well , I didn't know whether you were going to put that on your business card or not , rochelle Salinas Maven , but anyway it's an idea .

Speaker 2 1:16

I'll consider it .

Speaker 1 1:18

How are you ?

Speaker 2 1:19

I'm fantastic .

Speaker 1 1:21

I'm really excited . Has Santa Claus got all of his Christmas shopping done for the selena's family ?

Speaker 2 1:27

um , pretty much pretty much .

Speaker 1 1:29

That's good . You have a glow about you today . It's like you know , yeah , this is a wonderful time to have young children , uh , and a mom that works , got all these things going on , and the dad is all involved in everything and it's a great time . And I was telling leslie today I said , you know , I really deeply miss those days they're .

Speaker 2 1:53

They can be fun even with like the elf on the shelf activities . It keeps things very entertaining no doubt .

Speaker 1 2:00

I think jeff came up , not elf on the shelf . What did you come up with ? Don't know , he Don't know .

Speaker 3 2:05

He doesn't know . What does he know ? Well , I'm just wondering where are you going on vacation ? Don't you go somewhere exotic over the holidays ?

Speaker 2 2:12

Oh my gosh , You'll ask me this every year and for the past 14 years we have gone to Mexico and you'll always ask me about it .

Speaker 3 2:19

Well , I'm asking for number , so I had to ask for mike this is our first year ever .

Speaker 2 2:23

We are not going to go , yeah I don't know what to do with myself . I've been asking everybody what do we do in houston for christmas and new year's I've got it .

Speaker 1 2:33

I've got it , I got it . Invite all of your friends and relatives from mexico to come up pile into the house and have a houston merry christmas yeah , reverse it .

Speaker 4 2:44

Exactly , she didn't sound quite as enthusiastic . No , she didn't , I caught that .

Speaker 2 2:49

I mean you can still see my decorations up from having our Mexican Posada party here last weekend , where we had 80 of our closest friends and family at our house so . I think I already checked that one off the list .

Speaker 1 3:00

Gotcha All right . Well , let's talk about the Houston Auto Show , shall we ? But ?

Speaker 2 3:05

I'm also no go ahead , go ahead . I'm glowing because I'm really excited about this year's automotive show .

Speaker 1 3:13

We want to know , we want to go into all the excitement .

Speaker 2 3:17

And I'm excited because of what we came off of last year . We triple worked hard this year and I finally got the news this week that Camp Jeep is coming back to the Houston office Awesome .

Speaker 2 3:30

And we also have brought back a couple of brands that haven't been at the show in a few years , and that includes BMW , infinity and Cadillac . All right and Cadillac , they're all coming back and confirmed in , and it's really great to have the return of these brands along with our steady strongholds of Subaru , honda , kia , ford , chevy , toyota you know all the regulars and Stellantis to come back with a full exhibit as well and a ride-and-drive opportunity , and BMW is even going to do a ride-and-drive out front of NRG Center .

Speaker 1 4:04

So there's so much great things happening , with all of the manufacturers and the local dealers coming up to support the event so , in other words , you're going to kind of push back a little bit on the boat show square footage and take over some more square footage for the car show yeah , I think there will be a visible .

Speaker 2 4:21

I mean we're still dividing NRG Center half and half right . There will be a visible . I mean we're still dividing . Energy Center half and half Right , but there will be a visible difference in how many vehicles are on the show floor compared to last year .

Speaker 1 4:29

For sure , awesome . Well , that's great , great news and congratulations , because I know it's been an awful hard road to try to get these manufacturers to come back Because , let's face it , prior to this year they've really been struggling , hurting financially no cars on the lots , that sort of thing but guess what ? They're back .

Speaker 2 4:49

Yeah , that's what we're trying to shout and make sure that people know that this is going to be a whole new year and the boat show has great things coming to . They have a packed floor plan with hundreds of dealers with boats , lots of outdoor activities , and we're still in the works on building this , but I'm going to bring it up anyway , because I think it's definitely going to happen . I'm excited about it . We're working with Texas Parks and Wildlife and we're going to do a towing course out in the parking lot .

Speaker 3 5:17

Oh , very cool .

Speaker 2 5:18

So you can sign up and register for a time slot and go through a little lesson on how to tow a boat or a trailer with something on it and using , you know , the new technology and the trucks today .

Speaker 1 5:32

Let's bring this up because I think that it's important for those that are real show goers that Houston Auto Show does not have dealers trying to sell cars there , however the boat show dealers trying to sell cars there . However the boat show it's really supplied by the dealers and they are there and they want you to buy their boat Right , right , correct . So there's a different mindset for both .

Speaker 2 5:54

Yeah , you're going to . If you're going to the boat show , you're hopefully planning on buying a boat and getting a good deal that day . I was just with a boat dealer shooting a TV interview last week and he said oh yeah , we've got so much inventory we're able to offer some great incentives on boats at this show and with the interest rates dropping , hopefully more in the new year , people are going to be ready to buy boats , so that's the great place to do it and this is the time to buy because of those reasons .

Speaker 2 6:29

plus , you're not in the boating season right now , so get all that prepared and then , when springtime comes , you can put it in the water .

Speaker 1 6:32

Yeah , exactly , all right , so we got camp jeep coming back . Uh , how about those folks uh over there at ram ? What are they doing ?

Speaker 2 6:37

the ram truck experience is not coming back this year , it'll just be the jeep experience this time . Um , so that left us with some amount of space to try to fill as well , because we were holding space for that and we actually have some really cool exhibits coming that are different . It's not OEM based , but NASA is bringing three space rovers that they will be sending to the moon and to Mars , and this will be the first time to see space vehicles all three of these vehicles in one place and there'll be some virtual reality experiences that they have of driving these rovers and spacesuits and some really cool things to look at .

Speaker 2 7:19

So NASA has stepped up to be a really great partner for this year and we're both really excited to have this exhibit at the event .

Speaker 1 7:25

Have you purchased a ticket for Wyatt to get on one of those and maybe make a moon launch or something ?

Speaker 2 7:34

No , but I did promise my chairman that his son could come watch the move-in of the rovers into NRG Center , because you know they're electric , so they're remote control operated .

Speaker 3 7:43

So if you're doing a towing exercise , maybe have a towing exercise with one of the rovers .

Speaker 1 7:47

Yeah , that's not going to happen , I can promise you that , but I will say this that when they make those moves generally from NASA Ellington Air Force Base over to NRG , they kind of have a major police presence as an escort service over there and it's a big deal I mean it really is and to see those things going down the freeway . Hopefully I'll have a chance to fly over it when it's coming in and be able to see it .

Speaker 2 8:10

Oh , that's a good idea that would be cool .

Speaker 2 8:12

Yeah , it's really we're very excited about it . And then the US Army also reached out to us and they're bringing a big gaming truck so that kids can do video games inside this truck and learn about how you can use your gaming skills in the army today with that technology that exists . And we're also building a remote control racecar track that you can play and race your friends and family on , and we'll have the traditional classic car section too . So there's a lot of really fun stuff . My my , my 10 year old , is on the other side of the computer cheering because he hasn't heard all this stuff . He is really excited .

Speaker 1 8:51

Well , I will tell you this as a you know daughter , dad , I will tell you that I would love for him to pull me around and I want to watch his experience in doing all these fun things . You know , you get to see it . You know , when you're in the throes of raising children , you kind of lose track of the fact that this is really cool and you'll look back later in life and go yeah , I remember that we had so much fun and to see . You know , I've got a two-year-old grandson now and I can't wait him to see the , the great big locomotive that came through town here a month or so ago , oh yeah , and he's still talking about that at two years old . So you can imagine , and uh , to see a 10 year old immersed in all of the car stuff that's going on out there ought to be pretty special . Okay , how much are the tickets ?

Speaker 2 9:39

so tickets right now are on sale until the end of the year , so if you're planning on going or you want some stocking stuffers , get them . I think they're $15 right now . So , get those tickets early . They'll be $20 at the door , and then , starting in the new year , we have some specials on family four-packs too this year which we haven't done before .

Speaker 1 9:58

Yeah , and what is it ? Five and under get in free . How does that work ? Correct Kids Five and under get in free . How does that work ?

Speaker 2 10:02

Correct . Kids under five are free . And we're also bringing a military discount 20% off military discount when you come to the show and buy your tickets at the event .

Speaker 1 10:11

Well , what about Pop Pop , old Pop Pop here ?

Speaker 2 10:15

needs a discount . You're still walking around just fine .

Speaker 1 10:20

Is that how you judge them when they come walking up to the door ? So I know what you're saying is . I need to get my walker out and hobble up there a little bit .

Speaker 2 10:29

Oh no , don't forget , we have the VIP party that we have adjusted for the general public to come , so that VIP night is the night before the show opens to the general public . So that'll be January 28th , tuesday , january 28th , and the tickets are $75 . So you can get those online now as well under VIP on our Houston Auto Show page , and you're going to get entertainment , lots of special surprises and we're doing a tribute to Mr Tony Gullo Sr , who was our chairman of 43 Years and passed away earlier this year . So we'll have a night at the museum with some of his special vehicles from his own private collection there on display .

Speaker 1 11:10

And you know he had quite the collection of classics , hot rods , everything that you can imagine , and it was a real honor and pleasure to be invited , because it was an invitation-only kind of thing to go up there to his museum . I assume that it's still working and running , but if you get a chance to see any of Tony Gullo's cars , do that , yeah , most definitely .

Speaker 2 11:30

And this will be the night to see that for sure . So that will be Tuesday , january 28th a $75 VIP ticket . Also , no kids . So all of those that complain about kids on the weekends at the auto show .

Speaker 1 11:41

So $75, . Does that get you food and booze too ?

Speaker 2 11:44

Yes , food and booze included and valet parking .

Speaker 1 11:48

Really Wow Be a good night out . I was just going to say that's a bargain .

Speaker 4 11:51

They lose money when you show up .

Speaker 3 11:57

Yeah , a bargain .

Speaker 2 11:58

Yeah , they lose money when you show up . Yeah , if I show up , it's the 28th . You said it's a tuesday . That's tuesday the 28th , and then we open to the public on january 29th through february 2nd this year okay , so five , five days five days , five days okay , yeah , very good .

Speaker 1 12:11

Well , uh , I wish you well with uh things to try to come up with for your family at Christmas .

Speaker 3 12:18

Well , here's something I just thought of . Since we're doing the boat , backing up and driving with it , why not have a driver's education course ? Get some of these folks in maybe a breakout session and take a written test and see how many people actually pass ? Oh , I'm going to sign up for that .

Speaker 2 12:35

Yeah , just saying We'll have to give away tickets to the people that actually pass , and so we'll give away how many few tickets . I was just going to say how many few tickets .

Speaker 3 12:42

Two or three of them Two or three .

Speaker 4 12:44

Yeah , Particularly if there's a turn signal question on there .

Speaker 1 12:46

Oh boy .

Speaker 4 12:47

Oh wait , Just an idea .

Speaker 1 12:49

Here's Don what 35 on the test . No , yeah , no , that's not going to happen . I'll embarrass myself on that one probably .

Speaker 4 12:59

But you do have a really big parking lot out there for the trailering training . So you know , if you had like a pseudo boat ramp , it would be a lot of fun to watch people try and back that boat down the ramp Orange cones work great . It's not like going downhill backwards . You're right .

Speaker 2 13:16

Yeah , I wonder what the event insurance would look like for that .

Speaker 1 13:19

I can only imagine . But you have to take a driver's test first . Just the slip and fall alone would be worth the price of admission .

Auto Show and Car Talk Highlights

Speaker 1 13:26

Michelle , it's always great to talk to you .

Speaker 2 13:28

Same guys . I can't wait to see you at the auto boat event .

Speaker 1 13:30

Yeah , you too , and let us know if you need anything in the meantime , and we look forward to seeing you in the end of January .

Speaker 2 13:38

Same Merry Christmas and Happy New Year . Merry Christmas .

Speaker 1 13:41

Thanks , hey . If you download our app to your phone , you have access to In Wheel Time Car Talk 24-7 . Just look for In Wheel Time Car Talk in the App Store and check us out on the Odyssey Radio app , where you can stream us in your car . Podcasts are available from your favorite podcast provider . We also video stream our weekly show on Facebook , youtube and InWheelTimecom , 10 to noon Central Time every Saturday morning , and we look forward to having you join in the fun . The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show will continue right after this quick break .

Speaker 1 14:15

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Speaker 1 15:18

The rescheduled Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social is happening Saturday , january 11th and you're invited . Bring your car , truck or SUV . Meet other enthusiasts and find out what it'll take to get your car looking show-worthy 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 . Join the Car Social Saturday , january 11th , 9 to noon , talk to other owners and see how good your car can look on the upcoming Hot Rod Tour of Texas . Put it on your calendar . At the Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social , saturday , january 11th , 9 to noon at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway , just south of the Southwest Freeway , the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show will be there too . We hope to see you then . Hey , hello , hello .

Speaker 3 16:15

Hello , hello , hello .

Speaker 1 16:17

Hello , this is Airball . Yeah , no , this is that 1960 mixer that I've got down here , that I've got to work with , so it gets a little scratchy sometimes when you don't use it , is that ? Why there's sequins on it . Yeah , that's it . Today's In-Wheel Time Car Talk show is sponsored by Loopy Tortilla , tex-mex , gulf Coast Auto Shield and Pro-Am Auto Accessories . Be sure , and support them through your ride . All right Time now for the cruise-in and events calendars . And , mr Jeffrey , we always need more , jeff Zekin .

Speaker 3 16:45

But first , how about these decorations Look ?

Speaker 4 16:47

at this .

Speaker 3 16:49

Are we ready for Christmas or not ?

Speaker 1 16:58

We are Well .

Speaker 3 16:58

courtesy of Kathy Zekin and Leslie Aniketiko , who came in last night while I was trying to recover . Okay , but this is the In Wheel Time Women's Auxiliary . Did this , yes ? In Wheel Time yes , and if you want to become part of the Auxiliary membership , just be a lady . There you go .

Speaker 1 17:10

And if you really want to be an official one , just email us , don at nwheeltimecom , and I'll get you fixed up . There you go .

Speaker 3 17:20

All right , clear Lake Cars and Coffee . This is part of a ministry outreach group for Grace Church . They've got one going on and this is for the 21st , so this is next weekend . All cars and trucks rides are invited to attend the third Saturday of every month , so this is a continuation thing going every month . It's at 14505 Gulf Freeway . It is going from 7 am to 11 am down there next Saturday . And then we've got the Texas Hope Car Show and Truck Show festival . Don walks behind me , smile . This is December 21st , also From 10 am to 4 pm at the Heights Baptist Church , located at 1591 County Road 144 in Alvin , texas , alvin , texas . They've got Christmas tree themed bounce houses , all kinds of stuff going on , with Santa and Mrs Claus going on there . That's at 1591 County Road 144 in Alvin from 10 am to 4 pm . And then , of course , my favorite , the meetup in Willis next Sunday . Be there . It's at the D&M True Value Montgomery , willis , texas , starts at 3 pm . There you go .

Speaker 1 18:29

Alvin , I heard a lot of those from the what was that ? The 60s or the 50s ?

Speaker 1 18:35

It was the 60s , 60s , alvin , and the Chipmunks and they had a Christmas song and it gets played a lot . Yeah , with Dave , dave , dave , dave . Okay , all right , why don't we do some headlines , shall we ? We shall ? I was looking at the automotive show . This is the kind of press release . It says it's from rochelle selena , so she sent me this and , um , interesting . So , bentley , bugatti , buick , cadillac , chevy , dodge , ford , gmc , honda , hyundai , inios , gmc , honda , hyundai , ineos you got an Ineos or an Audios ? Mine's an Ineos . Infiniti Jeep , kia , lexus , lincoln , lotus , mazda , nissan , rolls Royce , subaru , toyota and Volkswagen will all be at the Houston Auto .

Speaker 3 19:27

Show .

Speaker 1 19:27

Whoa , whoa , whoa .

Speaker 3 19:29

There's no Buick .

Speaker 4 19:31

Yeah , buick was up front , Was it ?

Speaker 1 19:33

Right up front BMW , bugatti , buick .

Speaker 4 19:35

Okay , in the B's it was in the B's .

Speaker 3 19:38

This is in alphabetical order .

Speaker 1 19:40

Would you really rather have a Buick ? No , you would . You got one and apparently you like it , did it tell you I got a Buick , mike .

Speaker 4 19:48

I heard a rumor that you got a Buick . It was bathroom wall . I'm not sure hey , get this .

Speaker 1 19:51

Amazon is expanding , if they need to , the availability of its car shopping marketplace to consumers in 48 cities across the united states , including los angeles , atlanta , dallas , houston , miami and new york . The platform , called amazon autos , will enable shoppers to browse , order , finance and schedule pickup of a new Hyundai vehicle via the retail giant's familiar retail ecosystem . That's what they call it an ecosystem . Hyundai is Amazon's launch partner , but it expects to add more brands as the program grows . While the retailer is building the platform to facilitate new vehicle sales , amazon said dealers will remain on the forefront of each transaction . So order your car , then they'll say go to this dealer and go pick it up . And there you go .

Speaker 4 20:40

Yeah , I was looking for a 65 Impala SS .

Speaker 1 20:42

No , this is not that , but yeah , it wasn't on there . No , it's not . I was disappointed .

Speaker 4 20:45

That's not this , yeah , I was looking on it for Prime . I wanted a Prime delivered . I thought you were looking for a Corvette . Well , I can't afford a Corvette .

Speaker 1 20:53

I thought you had one . That's not true . Yes , you can . I thought Emmons had one for you . Let me tell you something .

Speaker 4 20:59

No , they sold it .

Speaker 1 21:00

There are so many used cars of every make , model type , everything that you could imagine . It's out there . Just do a Google search and it'll pull up all sorts of stuff . You'd be amazed . I have a friend of mine that I work with . He's been looking for a 65 Corvette . He wants a Restomod . Okay , he does not want an all-original , he doesn't want to pay the price on it , but he will pay the price for a really nice Restomod , completely redone , new frame , frame-off , if you want to call it that Right Late model motor , a driver .

Speaker 1 21:35

A driver , that's right , so I told him . I said good , so you get that thing . Come to the Hot Rod Tour with us and you'll be the star , because there's lots of them on the Hot Rod Tour .

Speaker 4 21:43

Yeah , I saw one . I don't remember exactly if that was the year , but it was like $46,000 . I thought cheap yeah it is . But that's what it was . It was a Restomod . It had late model 350 , you know crate motor and some other things on it , Right ?

Speaker 3 21:56

Or just , you know , go to one of the Mecham auctions , if you can do that , or you know Barrett's type thing , probably pay a little bit more money , but still there's going to be a lot of restoration .

Speaker 1 22:06

I think that Mecham has a . There's a curiosity draw to Mecham . It's always fun to go to Mecham , look at the floor and see what's going to come up across the auction block . The only issue is , unless you are really good about marrying what the car is worth and the current presentation that you're looking at , you've got to really know what to look for on the car . Are you buying an original ? Are you buying something that maybe has been restomodded , that you don't know ? Have they put , you know , Chinese fenders on it to make it look spiffy and a new paint job ? You got to know those things so you don't overpay . Sometimes you can run across stuff and you will be amazed at the bargain price you're going to get because they just want to get rid of the car .

Speaker 3 22:56

Well , first of all , you've got to know what you're doing . If you're going to do that , you're going to do your research before you're going to go . That's right . You've got to do that .

Speaker 4 23:03

Yeah , and you might also hire somebody like Michael Wooding to come out there , that's what I would do . I've got a couple of cars I want to check out . I see that they're going to be there .

Speaker 1 23:11

Come go with me . I'll pay you , whatever it is 500 bucks or something . Meet you there , buy you the ticket , we'll go in and I got a couple of cars picked out . I want to look at you . Tell me whether they're worth it . Don't they offer books like a catalog ?

Speaker 3 23:23

prior to bed , usually , yes . Yes , usually they do , so you get a pretty good idea of you going , and then you go , look at it yeah , yeah , exactly um , great news , at least my estimation is .

Speaker 1 23:37

Ram ceo tim kaniska says he came back to stilettos because he missed the fight during a six-month retirement from the automaker . Kaniska's made his first media appearance december 10th since coming back to lead the truck brand during a preview of freshened heavy-duty pickups arriving in early 2025 . Kuniskis was CEO of Ram and Dodge when he retired June 1st . Thank you , carl . I told you that car company was getting ready to go down the toilet into bankruptcy if they didn't get rid of this guy . Oh , he's not going to retire until 2026 . Well , the car brand will be gone because he's ruining

Auto Industry Insights and Updates

Speaker 1 24:17

it .

Speaker 3 24:17

It was swirling . It was swirling in the commode .

Speaker 1 24:19

It was already started . So Tim said he's tough to be focused on the auto business for 32 years and then suddenly stop . Retirement was enjoyable for about two weeks , he said , but then you're bored to death , which is something that I worry about . Kaniski often called his former colleagues during the same time away to ask what was happening with the business . He says I missed the fight , I was bored and I missed the fight .

Speaker 1 24:46

He returned a week after Carl resigned as Solana CEO on December 1st , designed as Solana CEO on December 1st and as Ram battles back from a slow 2024 , the brand's US sales fell 24% in the first nine months of the year . Kaniska said that he feels dealer's pain , but that the situation is getting better every day . He said Ram has a lot of work to do and still has thousands of orders and a backlog it needs to catch up on . I saw a commercial that ran yesterday , as a matter of fact , where they're offering not only what the rebate is , but they're also offering a $2,000 rebate bonus if you'll turn in , sell your Ford pickup truck to them and buy the Ram .

Speaker 4 25:29

Yeah , if you're a conversion , they would give you a little extra bump , wow . You know we talked to Kuniska several times back whenever he was with Dodge and you know he's a car guy through and through . That's correct . And you know , I know how it was when I was at AT&T and the reasons I left a little bit early and I can totally sympathize with him leaving and I understand completely why he came back .

Speaker 1 25:50

I just hope that the trend continues . Why he came back ? I just hope that the trend continues , and the one guy that I really want to come back is Jim Morrison . Jim Morrison With Jeep . Well , he was the Jeep guy . Then they moved him around to different places and they finally said we don't need you anymore .

Speaker 4 26:05

How'd that go for you ? How'd that ?

Speaker 1 26:06

go for you . Yeah , mike rolled up in a very interesting Jeep and it wasn't so much the Jeep sitting out there in the driveway , mike rolled up in a very interesting Jeep , and it wasn't so much the Jeep , that was the eye-opener that you're going to review in a couple of weeks , I assume .

Speaker 4 26:24

Probably next week . I got a little hold up on one of the trucks .

Speaker 1 26:27

So we're going to give you a little preview right now . It is a 2025 ? Correct , 2025 Jeep Wrangler 392 , oh , and the price is 108 hubba hubba for a Wrangler are you kidding me ? I told Mike . I said so go buy you a 10-15 year old Wrangler , drop a big block in it , drop a drop a hellcat in it there .

Speaker 4 26:54

Drop a Hellcat in it . There you go , drop anything in it .

Speaker 1 26:56

Make it your own . Yeah , that's what I'd do . $108,000 for a Wrangler , you've got to be kidding me ?

Speaker 4 27:04

Go rock crawling in it . I had to turn the exhaust down . Turn the exhaust down when I left this morning , because then it would wake up all the neighbors . Potato , potato , potato , potato , potato .

Speaker 1 27:12

Now we have a story for Jeff . General Motors remains committed to autonomy , including in personally owned vehicles , ceo Mary Barra said . But the automakers pivot away from its cruise robo-taxi business reflects its need to stay agile and a changing industry . Barra wouldn't say how soon personal self-driving vehicles could enter the market , noting that developing the technology has taken longer than expected , since they all crashed into each other . But that said , it's our vision , she said In 2022, . Barrow outlined the goal of introducing a personal autonomous vehicle by the middle of the decade . Ask her how the cruise technology has worked for her . Yeah , I'm not a believer in that at all . Cruise robo-taxi .

Speaker 3 27:55

Remember , they all ran into each other .

Speaker 1 27:56

They all met at the same intersection and ran into each other .

Speaker 4 27:58

They blasted their horns . I've got a cousin that travels quite a bit . He's been a couple of places where the taxis did not have drivers . He said it was a little eerie at first but they're all short drives , just a few blocks or a couple of miles or something like that . You know , like around downtown Austin . He is one of them and he got pretty comfortable with it . Okay , don't know about going out on the highway like if you were 40 miles from the airport to town .

Speaker 3 28:26

I don't think they're ready for that , though , yet . Well who knows ?

Speaker 1 28:30

Yeah , I certainly don't know . Well , got the automotive show to look forward to . Absolutely , let's see what we've got coming up next half hour , shall we ? I know that I'm going to review the Mazda CX-5 , but in addition to that we're going to do the Hemings sold car roundup Fun and we're going to do some recalls which you can play at home .

Speaker 3 28:47

You can play along , play along at home , absolutely , absolutely . Yeah , we got some people that do , and you know you can subscribe to the show as well , because we love our subscribers . If you're a subscriber , we'll send Mike to your house to make you breakfast or wash your car or something like that .

Speaker 4 29:01

So there are perks .

Speaker 3 29:02

There are perks to that .

Speaker 1 29:03

Always . Hey , we'd love to hear from you . Shoot us an email . The address here is info at inwheeltimecom . The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues after this .

Speaker 1 29:17

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 a worldwide audience through Pro-AmAutocom , taking its local reputation to the rest of the world , 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 1 30:15

The award-winning In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show brings you great guest interviews each week , from manufacturers and suppliers to the aftermarket , racers , enthusiasts and other friends just like you and me who love to talk about all things automotive . The In Real Time Car Talk Show takes you to the road , too , with remotes at popular cruise inns and shows In Real Time's live video and audio stream can be found on the Odyssey Radio app , youtube , facebook and InWheelTimecom every Saturday 10 to noon Central Time , or grab a podcast anytime from your favorite podcast provider . That's it for this podcast episode of the InWheelTime 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 .