The New York Auto Show is a big car event where companies show off new cars and future ideas. People go to see what’s coming next from different brands.
“Cash cow” is a business term for a product that reliably generates a lot of profit for a company. Here, the host uses it to describe the Atlas as Volkswagen’s biggest money-maker.
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is an electric vehicle shaped like a van. The podcast is talking about it as part of Volkswagen’s bigger EV plan. It’s mentioned because it’s one of the key electric models in their lineup.
The Volkswagen Jetta is a smaller sedan meant for everyday driving. The podcast is talking about it in terms of how affordable it can be. It’s brought up as an example of a lower-cost Volkswagen option.
The Volkswagen Passat is a mid-size sedan, meaning it’s bigger than a small car but still meant for normal driving. The podcast is talking about it as an example of a Volkswagen model that can be priced more affordably. It’s brought up along with the Jetta in that comparison.
The Ford Explorer is a larger SUV that can carry people and gear, often with three rows of seats. It’s the kind of vehicle people compare when they’re shopping for a family car with room for more passengers. The podcast brings it up because it’s a well-known option in that category.
The Ford GT is a performance sports car made for fast driving. It’s designed to be more exciting than a normal everyday car. The podcast mentions it while talking about different vehicles in the market.
The GMC Acadia is a family SUV with space for more than two rows of seats. The podcast mentions it because it’s a common option people compare when shopping for a three-row vehicle. It’s part of the same group of popular family SUVs.
The Kia Seltos is a small SUV from Kia. It’s meant to be a step down from Kia’s bigger Sportage, so it’s a bit easier to live with if you don’t want a larger SUV.
This means tech that used to be only in expensive cars is now showing up in cheaper cars too. In this case, it’s about screens and phone-style features.
The CX-50 is Mazda’s crossover aimed at people who want an outdoorsy vibe. Here it’s mentioned as an example of off-road styling more than hardcore capability.
Body-on-frame is a vehicle construction method where the body sits on a separate ladder frame. It’s common on trucks and many off-road SUVs because it can handle heavy-duty use and rough terrain well.
“37-inch tires” refers to very large off-road tire diameter, typically used to maximize ground clearance and traction. In concept vehicles, this signals a serious off-road or truck-like stance and capability intent.
BMW is referenced as having similar dashboard display technology already in production. The point is that the concept’s projected display isn’t brand-new tech—it’s something automakers have already implemented.
Off-roading involves driving on rough surfaces where the vehicle is more likely to pick up debris and experience more vibration and impacts. The host uses this to argue that exposed controls (like a visible shifter area) could be more prone to getting jammed.
Approach angle is how well a car can drive up to a hill or obstacle without scraping the front. A bigger approach angle usually means less chance of hitting the bumper when you go off-road.
Subaru is a car brand that’s especially known for making cars that handle well in bad weather. The speakers are basically saying Subaru fits their kind of people better than some other brands.
and I just think it's going to get jammed up in this area if you're just throwing items in this
area. Like without fully seeing it in person, how they're going to solve that problem. But
it's cool looking. It's very cool looking. It is cool looking. Actually, there's one thing going
back to the Atlas, one feature that the Atlas has got, and actually the new Rivian R2 has got,
which I was like, finally, somebody's doing this. You know, like when you charge your iPhone at night
or around, you have that MagSafe technology where it holds your phone. Well, cars haven't had that,
and so you chuck them into the wireless charging, they fly around, then you get to the end of your
journey and realize it hasn't really been charged at all. The Atlas actually got MagSafe now and
it's got two, because I don't know about you, but I've had fights in the car about who's charging
their phone, who isn't, and it's got, I was like, this is great. It's got two chargers,
his and hers, if you like. MagSafe, so your phone stays in place and you know that it's charging.
So I was like, Rivian's got it. Atlas has got it. I was like, why does not every car have this
featured out? I think we were talking about this when we were talking about Rivian the other day.
Every charge pad in vehicles, they're terrible, right? They never seem to work. They heat up the
phone. It looks like your phone's charging, and then when you touch it, it comes up with some
alert and it's like overheated, charging ended. Like it doesn't work well. So doing a MagSafe version
is music to my ears. I'm glad that somebody's trying to do it. And hopefully it works well,
like with a case on your phone. And if you're doing a lot of off-roading, sometimes you have
that bigger case. That's why you want the MagSafe version. Yeah. And I remember talking to,
you know, years ago, doing a thing with like a UX UI, I think it was from Audi. I was like,
why does it take you so long to do things that seem like such common sense? Like, you know,
I've had a MagSafe charger for my iPhone for probably like three or four years now.
And it's like, oh, it's all to do with like electromagnetic compatibility within the cabin
and crush. So it's like, so it just gave me a list of like a hundred things that you have to do if
you've got a moving vehicle that you don't have to do if it's on your bedside table. And I suspect
it's something like that where putting a magnet in the center of the car has certain ramifications
for the components or something. But it just feels like such an obvious thing. So I was like,
well done. Well done, Volkswagen. Yeah. It just made me think of it when you're talking about the
exposed lever there. Because yeah, that'll never make production. Right. Okay. What else did you
get to see? Well, before we wrap up, is there anything else just sort of top of mind that you
were, you know, through the halls? I know you're trying to get a bunch of meetings and presentations
and stuff to attend. Yeah, I'm just looking just looking at my notes. So like Subaru had a forest
of wilderness hybrid, which is kind of again, like trying to do the off the wilderness thing,
like we're talking about everybody's trying to do these off road trims and wilderness is Subaru's
equivalent. Their styling is always for me a bit challenging. And to do the wilderness,
they've like put a bunch of extra colors on and stickers and it's got a bit of plastic here and
there. And they've like shoveled off the front end to presumably improve the, the approach angles
and stuff. And Subaru just know their audience. You know, it is the pat of go any of a gate,
everybody, everybody a hello dog, everybody. Subaru owners love them. And there's enough
Subaru owners who love Subaru to make it work. But they you just make sure what listening on
on the podcast, well, Matt's dog just appeared on screen. And one thing Subaru do every auto show,
they give away puppies. There's dogs. It's not a prize. There's always dogs. And they've done
this thing for years now and they have an adoption scheme. It's, you know, it's all done properly.
I'm not suggesting that like go like the old days of goldfish where they just like hand them out.
But it you have like this adoption thing, it's become their little signature and it's genius
because even on press days, everybody goes to the Subaru stand to see the dogs and then checks out
the cows as well. Yeah, I like I've been saying for years like Subaru sells love, not cars. And
the byproduct of that is the vehicles that are commercials, everything that they're doing,
like they found a niche for this brand and it seems to be working well for them. And you're
right, every auto show that we go to, they always have like a really cool display and there's just
kind of this wilderness environment kind of thing on the display and and they've got the little,
you know, the little playpen of dogs.
Somebody said to me, we've got a dog over there, it looks like you should adopt it. I was like,
what does that mean? Is that like, is it like, is it like old and gray and stumbling around? I mean,
what does that mean? Yeah, it barely walks around Central Park. It's getting real. All right, guys,
we're going to wrap things up. I think my kids were nearly charging in your dogs came charging
in my kids. I haven't seen me for four days. So they were just they were just at the door. So
now they'll be wondering why I was shooing them away. Everyone's getting anxious. This one's
getting anxious. Everybody's trolling for their for their dinner and stuff as well. They can,
I swear they can read a clock these these dogs. Right at five, they started climbing and pawing
and getting ready to go. But you should be a Subaru owner. That's what you need. But this is it.
This is the brand, you know, they know all the manufacturers that genuinely
Subaru, I feel like it's just got a much better handle on who they are, their audiences, what
they're manufacturing. They don't look the coolest things. They don't necessarily have the ladies
technology, but they're just absolutely nailed on every time. Yeah, they do 100%. My dog loves
my truck because it has a huge center console and sits up there and just stares at the world.
All these new cars are so small and he only does his push buttons and heaters going on and the
auto start stop goes on and off and windows go down and all kinds of stuff. But in the F
150, he's got this big platform to sit on and loves it. But okay, thanks guys. And we'll be back
next week. We'll figure out the schedule on that one. But yeah, we'll be back next week.
We didn't even talk about GLE and GLS as a whole bunch of new Mercedes. It's been a really big,
it's been a really busy news week. But yeah, lots to lots to talk about next week.
In the meantime, definitely check out Edmunds.com slash news and you can get info about all the
stuff that we've been talking about here as well as the Mercedes and a bunch of other
New York auto show things. And likewise on our YouTube channel, we have all of the,
I did a little video of the new Atlas and we've got the Hyundai and all sorts of things as well.
And we've run cars even more from New York. You'd be mad to miss it.
All right guys, thanks so much. And until next week, keep the air in the spare and the bag in the wheel.
About this episode
Fresh off the New York Auto Show, the hosts compare standout debuts and what they mean for buyers. Volkswagen’s refreshed 3-row Atlas targets the “grown-up” family-hauler crowd with improved cabin tech and value, but the long-awaited hybrid is still years away. Kia’s EV3 aims at urban practicality with two battery options and 300+ mile potential, while the gas/hybrid Seltos adds more electrified choice near the $30k mark. Hyundai’s surprise body-on-frame off-road concept signals a Bronco/Wrangler-style push, plus Subaru’s show-floor “Wilderness” vibe and puppy adoption tradition steal attention.
