Spider-Man Pops Up In Your BMW.....?

Welcome And What’s Ahead

Don Armstrong 0:06

And welcome to the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Coming up, Mr. Mars reviews the new Subaru Trail Seeker.

unknown 0:15

Yep.

Don Armstrong 0:16

Jeff has the cruise in and events calendars. And I'll have this week's top automotive news stories all coming up on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Howdy, along with Mike Out of This World Mars. We always need more Jeff Zeke, Chief Engineer David Ainsley. I'm Don Armstrong. So glad that you could join us for our live show today. If you're listening or watching or being one with us on a podcast, we thank you for that as well.

Jeff Dziekan 0:47

Absolutely. So thanks. We're kind of mind melding.

Don Armstrong 0:51

We do that all the time. Every Friday night. We do. With a big margarita, right?

Jeff Dziekan 0:57

It's mind melting.

Don Armstrong 0:58

Oh, that's what it is. Yeah. That was quite a crowd last night. Yeah, it was.

Jeff Dziekan 1:02

It was a late crowd, too.

Don Armstrong 1:04

Yeah, got kind of a lot of screaming kids and stuff. Screaming kids and screaming adults and bad managers. Oh, yeah. The whole nine yards. Good food, good margaritas. Well, here's one that uh I somehow, some way, I kind

BMW Owners Get A Surprise Ad

Don Armstrong 1:20

of take joy in this. It's not good for the people that spend a whole buttload of money on BMW. You like Spike, don't you? BMW's decision to place a Spider-Man film promotion on dashboard screens in more than 70 countries turned a short-lived brand partnership into a test of how much unsolicited marketing car owners will accept inside their connected cars. For two weeks, BMW owners were presented with a banner popping up on the control display when turning on the vehicle. Selecting it launched a full-screen festive animation, quote unquote, complete with music and a show using the car's ambient lighting, all part of a promotion for Spider-Man brand new day. I would be ticked. The backlash was swift, particularly on Reddit's RBMW forum and subforums. One post said, Congratulations, you spent $100,000 on a 7 series, but that's not enough money for BMW. So here's a Spider-Man ad in your car. While another one said, ads on a device you own where you are not paying for a service is infuriating. BMW's move is reminiscent of Apple's widely criticized decision in 2014 to gift Irish rock band U2's latest album onto half a billion customers' iTunes accounts. And you paid that marketing person how much money?

Jeff Dziekan 3:02

They should have uh if you're gonna do an advertisement too, like at the drive-thru, where you have to go just concession stand, have the hot dog and the popcorn dancing, and you know, you know, move on, go your stop.

Don Armstrong 3:12

You know, I think that that would be a good idea. As a matter of fact, I would go for that now. BMW told Tech Radar, a consumer technology website, that the Spider-Man promotion was not a form of advertising. No. The reason it gave was that the so-called festive app and the BMW operating system is designed to provide customers with optional themed animations and messages linked to a range of global and local occasions. Customers could choose whether they want to see the Spider-Man content, which was only available when the cars were stationary.

Jeff Dziekan 3:47

I bet you they wouldn't complain if it was like an adult dirty movie or something. Probably not. Hey Martha, watch this. It's two o'clock in the morning. What are you sitting in your car for? Yeah. In the garage with the lights out. Yeah.

Don Armstrong 3:59

Exactly.

Jeff Dziekan 4:00

Wow.

Don Armstrong 4:00

That's crazy. The

Lincoln Slow Plans And US Builds

Don Armstrong 4:02

Lincoln brand's product plans are slowly coming into focus. And I do underscore slowly, because they haven't had a new car in forever.

Jeff Dziekan 4:11

I saw an advertisement, you know, Planet Ford here in Houston. Now they're calling it, they've got a division, Planet Lincoln. So they've got another dealership just for the Lincolns. I guess. I'm just certainly.

Don Armstrong 4:21

Well, Parent Ford Motor Company on August 2nd said the luxury brand would end imports from China in 2030 and bolster U.S. production. Currently pays 52.5% tariffs to bring the Nautilus mid-size crossover across the Pacific Ocean. You've had a nautil, you've driven a Nautilus. They're very nice. There's no doubt about it. Uh Lincoln's dealers have clamored for more products since its U.S. lineup dwindled to three vehicles at the start of 2026. Brand is expected to oblige in the coming years with a small crossover built at the Louisville Assembly Plant on the new Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, as well as a Bronco-based luxury off-roader slated for Michigan Assembly. I've been to Michigan Assembly. At the time when I visited there, they were building F-150 pickup trucks.

Jeff Dziekan 5:11

Yep.

Don Armstrong 5:12

And everything was manual labor down the assembly line, right? Except at the very end when they put the windshield in. It was put in by a robot, and as they they explained to us, the reason being is because the robot can put that windshield in with such preciseness and the right pressure. It doesn't leak and it's put in there exactly the way they wanted it to. Whereas before, with a guy's with the guys Louie and Vinny trying to hey.

Jeff Dziekan 5:41

That's it. Broken windshields and all. I think I worked with those guys before. Did you? Louie and Vinny, yeah. But you weren't at the Ford motor. No, no, no. You were over at Cadillac. Yeah, yeah. And what plant did you work in? A Fleetwood plant, Fisher Body plant. Where was it? Uh Fort Street and in downtown Detroit. Okay. Yeah. Is it still there? No, no, no.

Mike Marrs 6:01

It's gone. Did you have the late shift working with them at night?

Jeff Dziekan 6:04

I I did, yeah, I did the four to midnight. Yeah, I was at the afternoon shift and it sucked. It was terrible. Because you're 18 years old. And you know, 1920. Everything happens between four and midnight. Exactly. So it was it was rough, but it's all right. Yeah.

Don Armstrong 6:19

He's he's definitely brain damaged from it, I can tell.

Jeff Dziekan 6:21

You're darn tootin'. I got most of the brain damage from turbohydromatics making transmission. That's where you get the brain damage.

AI Assistants Move Into Cars

Don Armstrong 6:29

General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and other automakers are deploying artificial intelligence assistants to make their vehicles more personalized and ultimately more profitable. GM this year began rolling out the Google Gemini AI assistant, which you probably have on your home computer, on about 4 million vehicles in the U.S. from the 2022 model year forward, which plans to integrate an assistant created in-house in the future. Ford, meanwhile, is offering an AI assistant through its smartphone app with plans to launch an in-vehicle version starting next year on the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. At the same time, BMW is integrating, as we know, Amazon's AI technology into vehicles so you can buy things. Volkswagen, I just kind of added that. Volkswagen has brought Chat GPT into its voice assistant. And Mercedes-Benz and Google have partnered with on an AI-based system as well. Okay. Wow. Buy stuff. 80 miles an hour. You know. Oh, I need that. Yeah, I need the camera. I need that pair of shorts.

Jeff Dziekan 7:42

I don't like the color. Let me do the. Is it on Prime? Do I do my Prime? Yeah. See, I don't buy if I need something through Amazon or whatever, I ask Kathy to do it for me. I've got all the inside, you know, inside baseball on that.

China Sales Drop Fuels More Exports

Don Armstrong 7:57

Um, you know, China is a huge automotive market. Not only market, but it's also a place where they build a lot of vehicles, including the car that you're currently in.

Jeff Dziekan 8:08

Yeah, Cadillacs, yep, some Chevrolets that are not being exported. But we did that last week. Go ahead.

Don Armstrong 8:13

Well, China's auto market slump is no longer just a domestic story. It's starting to reshape competition worldwide. New vehicle sales fell 25% in July, a seventh straight month of decline, putting the country on track for its first ever double-digit annual sales drop. The reversal ends two decades in which China served as the industry's primary growth engine. To offset the slide, automakers are exporting in record volumes up 73% to 5.35 million vehicles in the first seven months alone, redirecting output from an oversaturated home market and intensifying rivalries far beyond China's borders. That export surge is masking mounting financial strain at home, where operating margins slid to 3.4% early this year.

Jeff Dziekan 9:10

I did it last week, you've got it here. So it's not uh good over there, yeah.

Don Armstrong 9:16

Well,

Genesis Aims For Ultra Luxury EVs

Don Armstrong 9:17

Genesis has come a long way as a standalone luxury brand in just over 10 years, since starting with only two sedans aimed at young, savvy, affluent households. As it inches closer to annual U.S. sales of 100,000, the Hyundai Motor Company brand is making another bold gamble that it can attract wealthy consumers to an opulent electric large crossover. The all-new G V90 flagship, revealed on August the 19th, aims to help position Genesis alongside Mercedes-Benz, Audi BMW, and Land Rover, and even Bentley and Rolls Royce in price and prestige. It's called the Neolin N-E-O-L-U-N, one word, Neolin Concept. That's what they're showing right now.

Jeff Dziekan 10:05

Well, you said this is for the savvy, affluent buyers. Yes. It's still a Hyundai. Well, there is that. Yeah. You put lipstick on it, you know what they say. Yeah, I know.

Mike Marrs 10:17

Isn't that why they spun the Genesis off as its own brand? Yeah.

Jeff Dziekan 10:22

Try to compete with that. Yeah.

Mike Marrs 10:23

Yeah.

Don Armstrong 10:24

They didn't have well, you know, all the big automakers have a luxury brand, right? Right. Well, now they got one, and now they're bumping it up with this Neolin. Good luck. G V90. Didn't he pitch for the Astro? Yeah. Yeah, that. Um, here's one for you that caught my

Brembo Brings Big Brakes To Trucks

Don Armstrong 10:50

attention. That's why I'm passing it along. Brembo, the Italian high-performance brake manufacturer, entered a new segment this summer with its first dedicated calipers designed and engineered specifically for heavy-duty trucks and large SUVs. Brembo's new six pistons, aluminum and steel calipers, the component that squeezes the brake pads against the rotors to slow the vehicles. Squeezes. Debuted this summer on the Chevy Silverado EV Stars and Steel edition. The 760 horsepower, you heard me correctly, electric truck, is a limited production special edition model built to commemorate America's 250th birthday. Brembo says the hydraulic calipers called Boldica. Where did they come up with these names? Buldica. B-O-L-D-I-K-A Buldica will be added to internal combustion engine and electric trucks and SUVs. Wow. I've got more. Calipers painted Brembo's traditional bright red have a braking force of 6,269 pound feet of torque and are the most powerful calipers in Brembo's 65-year history. Calipers feature a technology that pulls the pads completely off the rotors when the driver's foot leaves the brake pedal. That eliminates brake drag, reduces wear, and increases driving range. Yeah, friction, warping rotors, all that.

Jeff Dziekan 12:14

Yeah. So I thought that was an interesting. Why don't they put two calipers per rotor? Like uh, you know, you got your wheel, have one forward and aft of the of the car, and you know, put is there enough room? Well, that's just it. They wouldn't have to be that size, it'd have to be smaller, obviously. But you know, this could be an idea.

Mike Marrs 12:33

Then you've got to use you've still got one piston doing all the work, or else you'd have to have a dual piston.

Jeff Dziekan 12:38

Well, no, this one this one here's got six. So you'd have this if you had just two small ones, you could have four in each, you know, front rear. So we could bump it up to eight pistons. Eight per wheel, but you'd have two calipers per wheel. I'm just thinking outside the uh this is a story. And then we'll recall it a week later. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Dealer Scam And A Missing Mercedes

Don Armstrong 12:59

This is a story you're gonna love. It's a little long, so just be patient with me, okay? A Texas dealership filed a lawsuit against an Oregon dealership over the disappearance of a $152,000 sixty-one dollar car it was buying in a dealer-to-dealer transaction. Okay. Mercedes-Benz of Austin claims it paid the purchase price for a new GLS 450, very nice vehicle, to Mercedes-Benz of Beaverton in April, but didn't receive the car or a refund. The Beaverton store and Lithia Motors, which owns it, denied liability in their August 3rd answer to the complaint and asked to have the car case dismissed. They also asserted the dispute is covered by an arbitration agreement. Whoa, right. Yeah. I'll take my money, please. According to the complaint, Mercedes-Benz of Austin arranged for a transport service to bring the car to Texas. But the transport driver was told that the Oregon store could not locate the Mercedes GLS. It's in his garage. Later it was learned that the GLS was delivered by Mercedes-Benz of Beaverton to an unauthorized third party wholly unaffiliated with Mercedes Benz of Austin, without requiring any bill of lading confirming that the GLS was being transferred to the proper party, the complaint said. The theft of luxury vehicles is a growing concern as tech savvy fraudsters use shell companies and sophisticated fishing schemes to pose as auto transporters and steal cars, often ones traveling long distances. The increasingly common scam costs dealers hundreds of thousands of dollars in vehicle losses, retrieval costs, and lawsuits between stores. The industry is developing countermeasures, but scammers are evolving their strategies to disguise their online identity, according to experts. Did anybody go to jail? Not yet. But don't you know that there are a lot of private investigators out there looking for that?

Jeff Dziekan 15:11

Whoever created that, you know, the the shell companies for the transport companies, that's that's kind of creative thinking there if you're an evildoer. Uh yeah, that's that's something. You got to be really a bad person to think that. No doubt.

Don Armstrong 15:25

All

Sponsor Break And Show Thanks

Don Armstrong 15:26

right. We're gonna take a quick break, and when we come back, Mr. Mars is gonna review the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker right after this brief break on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. The Texas Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas. Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients. Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience of Lupi Tortillas, all developed in the little house near Highway Sticks and I 10 in Houston. Visit any of the Lupi Tortillas and you'll see the stable attention to detail in each and every location. Start your loopy experience with queso flamingato and guacamole, along with a classic roza margarita. Dine on the famous loopy beef and chicken to use or pepper trip crochet, or a fish or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious vlog 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 are always fresh. Loopy tortilla. Then it was a move to the digital world and social media, and you followed. Thank you. We continue to build and grow our fan base, and it's all because of you and your auto-enthusiast friends. We appreciate your support. It's always great to see you at our remote broadcast, too, and we hope you'll continue to stop by and say hello. It's been a great ride, and we hope to bring you more fun and adventure right here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.

2026 Subaru Trailseeker EV Review

Don Armstrong 17:07

Joe, we've got a car review Mr. Mars has actually the car review of the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker.

Mike Marrs 17:14

Yes, sir. Now, I don't get very many EVs, but this is a new EV from Subaru. It's their second all-EV type vehicle. And its final assembly point is in Japan. It comes in three trim levels: the premium, the limited, and the Turing. We happen to be in the premium, which is their base entry level. And it's considered by uh, I guess, by our government as a mid-size electric SUV. I absolutely would go with the mid-size because I was surprised at how big it was. It's five passenger. Like I say, it's all new. It maintains the 8.5-inch ground clearance that Subaru SUVs are known for. It's picked up uh a rugged SUV look. It's got black trim across the bottom of the body cladding, and it rolls up around the wheel wheels and around the back. It's really nice looking, particularly with some of the colors they've chosen. It's got the black ladder type roof rails, it's got LED lighting all around it, including the skinny front lights that are uh it's got the auto folding heated side mirrors, and it's got even heated wipers. Now, these vehicles come with a lot of all-weather type of uh accessories that we don't use much down here in Texas, like the heat heated headlight washers and uh the rear camera washer. Now it's got a power rear lift gate, and we were on 18-inch wheels that are the standard on it. Now inside we had the Startex Upholstery, and the front seats are heated. The back seat is a 6040 folding seat that'll hold down for you. And we had the 14-inch multimedia touch screen on it. So that's where you're gonna find your rear view camera, your panoramic camera, Apple CarPlay, Android, all your convenience controls. And then right below that on the console, I really like the layout for the dual wireless charging. So two people could set their phones down there to get them all charged up nice and good. There's a seven-inch L C D's got a combination of meters for the driver to keep track of things. And I've come to like and appreciate the rear cargo cover in these SUVs because you can keep things out of sight, out of mind, don't tempt somebody to try and break into it. Now it's powered by a dual electric motor setup that produces a total of 375 horsepower. And it does have regenerative braking, and it it works really well in this vehicle. It seemed to me like it worked better than a lot of them I've run into because I could drive some miles and it didn't click off my range as much. Now, the thing it does have it's got the standard North American charging cord on it now. And because of the the improvements they've made, they say it'll take 80%. To get to 80% is only 29 minutes with a 115 kilowatt charger. But I will say this is one of the things that kind of disturbed me. I didn't particularly care for. I went to the Subaru dealer, the Subaru dealer that's not three years old. He has a charger set up for people like me to come out there and charge at all hours. But I had to use the adapter. I had to the the standard cable would not plug into the charger. The Subaru dealer had to use an adapter. Now that's no big deal, except he came out and wanted to know why you're using an adapter on my charger. So we went through all that. It's great to see that they're gonna standardize on that, but it was just a little weird to me to have that. Now the tow rating on this vehicle is 3,500 pounds, which is plenty good as far as an EV goes. You're gonna haul your light boats, maybe uh your kayaks, jet ski, maybe a pop-up camper. Now I drove this vehicle this week because I don't get very many EVs. I drove it like I would drive normal week. I did not intentionally get out and make a trip for a couple hundred miles on it. I just drove it. 112 miles is what it really worked out. Now, the point of that was I could go a week, and I believe on the the range of 280-mile range on it, and I really dropped it down to 162 by going the 112 miles. I could go at least two weeks, maybe even three or more, if I stayed away from the three drive modes, uh the eco, the normal, and the power, just stay in there to kind of keep it and use the regenerative braking that's got different settings on it as well. I was really impressed with the range I got out of it. Uh, it would be interesting to take off towards El Paso to see what happens. Now, the base model price on this is $39.39,995, which is again the entry level. Now, as tested price, it was $41,840. I was impressed by the what I felt like I was getting in an AV for that. Again, I don't live in West Texas and I don't drive it 100 and 200 miles every day. It might be different, but for my purposes around town here, I can see how somebody could take this vehicle and hardly ever buy, you know, need to. Well, you wouldn't buy any gas, but you wouldn't have a problem with any kind of charging or anything. Now, comparables would be uh Toyota B Z Woodland. Now this is the corporate twin to the um Z Woodland at $45,300 is the basic entry on that. So the Hyundai Iconic 5 STE all-wheel drive. Again, these are all wheel drive electric vehicles. $41,000. And then the Chevrolet Blazer EV LT all-wheel drive at $49,495. So the comparables, you know, they're kind of the same price. The Hyundai is about the same, but the others are a little bit higher, so you'd have to look at them and see exactly what kind of features you want, how you set in the seats, you know, those kind of things. Because EVs have gotten a lot better, but I really liked this particular one. And that's my review of the 2026 Subaru Trail Seeker.

Trailseeker Opinions Frunk And Trim

Don Armstrong 22:52

You know, I I know that I had that uh a couple months ago, three months ago, whatever it was. I I I I enjoyed it. I liked it. The one thing that I I I didn't really particularly care for, the the humongous wheel opening black plastic that I thought, could you not have painted those? Remember, Honda had uh, what was it, the Honda element? Yes, that the that the whole fender was not painted. It's like you do you see those things today? Easy to read. Where they're all faded out and everything, it just like no, painted.

Jeff Dziekan 23:25

Did it have a a frunk? Did it have the front front trunk?

Mike Marrs 23:29

No, because of the cargo, the lift gate, the power lift gate, it was all in the back. But the uh it wasn't the the cladding that went around the wheel wells and stuff, it wasn't quite as bad as the element that went up to the windshield, I mean up to the glass line. It was just like uh uh an expanded flare, is really what it looked at. And to me, on the one that I had, I thought it made it look more like an off-road vehicle. But that's all in personal preference, you know.

Jeff Dziekan 23:56

Yeah, I'm disappointed it didn't have a frunk.

Mike Marrs 23:58

No, a frunk.

Don Armstrong 23:59

Because he just likes to say the word frunk.

Jeff Dziekan 24:02

I say frunk using the bad language.

Mike Marrs 24:05

But uh it was uh if you're gonna go shopping for an EV, I this would be one of them I would look at, definitely.

Don Armstrong 24:11

Well, you know, it it and and not only that particular one, but uh the new is it the Outback or the Forester? They they bumped that up, it doesn't look like a station wagon anymore. I mean, they're making some changes.

Mike Marrs 24:25

The Outback's another good looking little car they've come up with.

Don Armstrong 24:28

Now that one is, and uh, I think that they've even got a hybrid version of that one. Um, so Subaru may be worth worth looking at once again. Yeah.

Ford Future Products And Big Truck Talk

Don Armstrong 24:38

Um Ford expected to expand its lineup with a pickup version of the Bronco SUV, four-door Mustang, and a smaller version of its transit van, according to people, with knowledge of its future product plans. The brand is poised for a product blitz in the coming years as it renews its focus on gasoline and hybrid powertrains while scaling back plans for electric vehicles. Um, I will tell you that I talked to Ken Peabody with uh, you know, handles the Ford Press Fleet, and I'm gonna get me a uh four four Fords uh in the coming weeks, and so I'm looking forward to that. And the one that I'm really looking forward to here we go is the Ford F 250 with the long bed diesel. And I I told him I he says, Well, you know, I don't really nobody wants that. I said, I want it. I want to park it out in the back at the HEB because it won't fit in the regular parking spaces. It'd block half the people trying to get in there. I asked him about his driveway. His driveways, but yeah, because it's gonna take up half the half the uh front yard. I gotta we gotta take a break. We'll be right back on the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Stay with us. The Tex Max dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas. Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients. Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience of Lupi Tortilla, all developed in the little house near Highway 6 and I 10 in Houston. Visit any of the Loopy Tortillas and you will see the same attention to detail at each and every location. Start your loopy experience with queso flameato and guacamole, along with the classic frozen margaritas. Dine on famous loopy beef and chicken tour pepper shrimp brochette, or a finished 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. Eats pretty good.

How To Watch Listen And Reach Us

Don Armstrong 26:57

The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show thanks you for 15 wonderful years. Yep, our first show aired May 7, 2011, on the local radio station. Then it was a move to the digital world and social media, and you followed. Thank you. We continue to build and grow our fan base, and it's all because of you and your auto enthusiast friends. We appreciate your support. It's always great to see you at our remote broadcast, too, and we hope you'll continue to stop by and say hello. It's been a great ride, and we hope to bring you more fun and adventure right here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Know what that sound means, don't you? Hot headers. And that's it for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. We're always looking for new, informative, and great automotive things to bring to our global audience. If you've got an idea, event, road trip, or tall tale you'd like us to blab about, let us know. Our email address is info at inrealtime.com. You can find the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 on the In Real Time app and website. Grab a podcast from your favorite podcast store. Video stream our live show Saturdays, 10 to noon on Facebook, YouTube, and InRealTime.com. The In Wheel Time Video Coordinator is We Always Need More, Jeff Zeke. Booking agent and video editor, Mike Out of this World Mars, and Chief Engineer David Ainsley, I'm Don Armstrong. Thanks to show contributors, Jeff Heitzman, George Skelton, the Lost Family, and anybody else that wanted to join that couldn't. We thank you for that. Thanks to all of our guests today. Have a great safe week, and we hope you join us again on the next In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. We'll see you then. 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 InWheelTime.com 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.