Shannon Pinto from Trader Interactive discusses how real-time registration data and marketplace behavior are transforming dealer strategies in the automotive and recreational vehicle sectors. He explains how Trader Interactive compiles extensive data from DMVs and consumer interactions to help dealers make informed decisions about inventory and marketing. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding consumer preferences and market trends, especially as the industry adapts to changing consumer behaviors and technological advancements.
Shoppers are researching harder and buying faster, and the old guesswork about what to stock is getting expensive. We sit down with Shannon Pinto, VP of Statistical Surveys at Trader Interactive, to pull back the curtain on how real DMV registrations and real-time marketplace behavior from RV Trader, Cycle Trader, and Boatline turn into a clear picture of demand—down to the ZIP code, make, model, and even RV configurations like slide-outs and sleeping capacity. If you run an RV, marine, or powersports dealership, this is a tactical map for smarter inventory, sharper marketing, and better show results.
Shannon explains how their team blends DMV records with first-party search and click data to show what’s actually selling and what shoppers are hunting for right now. We walk through concrete use cases: choosing which units to haul to a combined auto and boat show, balancing new versus pre-owned mix by neighborhood, and targeting local demographics with creative that speaks to real buyers. We also talk access and privacy—why Statistical Surveys serves businesses, how private info stays protected, and how a Carfax-like history layer is rolling out for marine listings to help reduce risk for buyers and sellers.
Beyond the interview, we round out the episode with racing highlights, a tour through pivotal auto history moments—from early EV experiments and Ford’s moving assembly line to OPEC’s shock and Tesla’s supercharger buildout—and timely industry news, including supply chain impacts to aluminum-bodied trucks and a major lending investigation.
The throughline is simple: when you align registrations (what sold) with marketplace intent (what’s about to sell), you make better calls, faster. Subscribe, share this with a dealer friend who needs fewer hunches and more signal, and leave a review telling us the one metric you’d check first.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
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"Last day today is the Petit Le Mans in Atlanta. It's going to be on Peacock at noon today, Eastern's 11 o'clock central."
Petit Le Mans is a big car race that takes place in Atlanta. It's known for being a long race where different types of sports cars compete against each other.
Petit Le Mans is an endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Georgia. It is part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and features a variety of sports cars competing over a distance of 1,000 miles or a maximum of 10 hours.
"Formula One is going to be on the 19th, which is next Sunday. I think they're going to be wrapping up their season here in about another few months."
Formula One is a type of car racing where specially designed cars race on tracks. It's very popular and has many races throughout the year.
Formula One is a premier international auto racing sport known for its high-speed cars and competitive teams. The season typically consists of multiple races, known as Grands Prix, held on various circuits around the world.
"NHRA is this weekend there at Texas Motorplex. Good luck up there to everyone."
NHRA stands for the National Hot Rod Association, which organizes drag racing events where cars race in a straight line to see who is the fastest.
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is the largest drag racing organization in the world, featuring a variety of classes and events that showcase high-performance vehicles in straight-line races.
"NHRA is this weekend there at Texas Motorplex. Good luck up there to everyone."
Texas Motorplex is a place in Texas where cars race in a straight line. It's famous for drag racing events.
Texas Motorplex is a drag racing facility located in Ennis, Texas, known for hosting NHRA events and featuring a quarter-mile track for high-speed racing.
"And then right after that event in Las Vegas, then they go to SEMA."
SEMA is a big car show in Las Vegas where companies show off parts and accessories for cars. It's a place for car lovers to see the latest upgrades and modifications.
SEMA stands for the Specialty Equipment Market Association, which hosts an annual trade show in Las Vegas. This event showcases aftermarket automotive products and modifications, attracting industry professionals and car enthusiasts alike.
"...Then in 1913, Ford introduces the moving assembly line at their Highland Park Plant. Now, this is the first moving assembly line."
A moving assembly line is a way to make things faster by moving parts along a line where workers can put them together one step at a time. This method helps make products, like cars, much more quickly and cheaply.
The moving assembly line is a manufacturing process that allows for the efficient production of goods by moving parts and assemblies through a sequence of workstations. This innovation significantly reduced the time and cost of production, particularly in the automotive industry.
"...the production time for the Model T. It took 12 hours prior. And they got it down to just 93 minutes to build this car. And that's one of the reasons they could build so many of them."
The Ford Model T was a very important car in history because it was the first car made in large numbers, making it cheaper and easier for people to buy. It was built using a new method that made making cars faster.
The Ford Model T was the first mass-produced car, revolutionizing the automotive industry with its affordability and accessibility. It was produced using innovative manufacturing techniques, including the moving assembly line, which drastically reduced production time.
"I mean, GM, because he was trying to buy Ford, overextended the company. They almost went bankrupt, so they fired him."
General Motors, or GM, is a big company that makes cars and trucks. They own several car brands, including Chevrolet and Cadillac.
General Motors (GM) is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, known for producing a variety of vehicles under several brands, including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. GM has a significant impact on the automotive industry and has been a key player in automotive innovation.
"So he went over and helped form Chevrolet, which in turn started buying a bunch of other companies. And anyway, he ended up getting back into GM as the leader of the GM."
Chevrolet, often called Chevy, is a well-known car brand in America that makes many types of vehicles, like cars and trucks. It's part of a larger company called General Motors.
Chevrolet is an American automobile brand founded in 1911, known for producing a wide range of vehicles, including trucks, SUVs, and sports cars. It is a division of General Motors (GM) and has become one of the most popular automotive brands in the United States.
"Now, brands like Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler actually saw record sales..."
Chrysler is a car brand that makes different types of vehicles, including family cars and vans.
Chrysler is an American automobile manufacturer known for producing a variety of vehicles, including sedans and minivans, and is part of the Stellantis group.
The OPEC oil embargo was when some oil-producing countries stopped selling oil, which caused gas prices to rise and affected many people's ability to buy cars.
The OPEC oil embargo was a significant event in the 1970s when OPEC countries restricted oil exports, leading to fuel shortages and economic impacts in many countries, particularly in the U.S.
"where all the horsepower went away, killed the muscle cars, and just changed everything..."
Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is. When cars have less horsepower, they usually aren't as fast or powerful.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for power, commonly used to describe the output of engines. In the context of automotive history, a decline in horsepower often signifies a shift in vehicle performance and design philosophy.
"And now, 1998 Mercedes-Benz and Swatch watch the smart car. I always loved the name of the smart car."
The smart car is a small car made for city driving. It's designed to be easy to park and use less fuel.
The smart car is a compact two-seater vehicle designed for urban environments, emphasizing fuel efficiency and maneuverability. It was developed as a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch.
"...this is where it really started getting, where electric vehicle infrastructure started coming out. And they extended the routes across America."
Electric vehicle infrastructure means all the places where you can charge electric cars, like charging stations on the road or at home. It's important for people who drive electric cars to have enough places to charge them.
Electric vehicle infrastructure refers to the network of charging stations and support systems that enable the use of electric vehicles. This includes fast chargers, home charging solutions, and public charging networks.
"A fire at a New York aluminum plant of Ford Motor Company's F-150 truck for months will sap up to $1 billion from the automakers earnings,"
The Ford F-150 is a big truck that many people use for work and everyday driving. It's known for being tough and reliable, which is why so many people like to buy it. Recently, a fire at a factory that makes parts for this truck is causing problems for Ford, which is important to know if you're interested in buying one.
The Ford F-150 is a full-size pickup truck that has been one of the best-selling vehicles in the United States for decades. Its significance lies in its combination of rugged performance, versatility, and advanced technology, making it a popular choice for both work and personal use. The recent fire at an aluminum plant affecting its production highlights the challenges faced by automakers in maintaining supply chains.
"Meanwhile, Ford is pausing production next week of the F-150 Lightning Electric pickup in Dearborn because of the aluminum plant fire,"
The Ford F-150 Lightning is an electric truck that runs on batteries instead of gasoline, making it better for the environment. It still has the same strong features as the regular F-150, but with a focus on being more eco-friendly. Right now, production is temporarily stopped because of a fire at a factory that makes parts for it, which is something to keep in mind if you're thinking about getting one.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is the electric version of the popular F-150 pickup truck, designed to offer a sustainable alternative without sacrificing performance. It features advanced technology and electric powertrains, appealing to environmentally conscious consumers. The pause in production due to the aluminum plant fire underscores the ongoing challenges in the electric vehicle market as manufacturers adapt to new supply chain issues.
Select text to request an explanation
Welcome to another In-Wheel Time Podcast.
This is your place for all things automotive, the award-winning In-Wheel Time car talk show
just ahead what manufacturers and dealers need to do to survive in this rapidly changing
automotive marketplace.
Mr. Mars has this week in Auto History, Jeff has the racing calendar and I'll get you caught
up on the stories making automotive news headlines all just ahead.
Howdy, along with Mike out of this world Mars over there in Neaterville, we always need
more Jeff Zeekin sitting next to me along with vacationing engineer David Ainsley up
in the UP of Michigan.
He ate their chatter in a pair.
Yeah, about an hour ago, it was 55 degrees up here.
I'm Don Armstrong, glad you could join us on this Saturday.
Long underwear with him.
Yeah, no kidding.
Well, it's not quite long underwear with him.
Not quite.
He's buttoning up the cabin for its winter hibernation because it won't be long now,
believe it or not, even though we're roasting in 90 degrees heat down here in Houston, Texas.
He's going to have drifts of four feet next week.
Yeah, and a lake, was it Lake Huron?
I think it's Lake Huron that's going to be frozen solid.
So he's pulling up the waterline out of the lake and buttoning up the cabin this weekend.
So he'll be back with us next weekend actually for our big remote broadcast.
At the Bears.
At the Bears over at the Spring Branch, the former site of the Spring Branch High School
over there.
Museum of all the good stuff.
Yeah, all the stuff.
Dub Bears.
Dub Bears.
All right.
Our next guest this morning is Shannon Pinto.
He's the vice president of Statistical Surveys at Trader Interactive.
Shannon, good morning to you and thanks for joining us.
Good morning guys.
Really appreciate you taking the time today.
Well, you know, you you look like a stat guy.
Let me ask you this.
Do you keep up with stats and football like professional football?
Not as much as I do on the on the powers boards or the another another
sides of the of the business here.
Yeah, well, I mean, yeah, what's a stat guy?
Always a stat guy across the board, in my opinion.
But what do I know?
You know, I've got a kind of a stats
daughter, astrophysicist and all that.
So I can kind of relate and I hear where you're coming from.
And certainly lots of respect for you.
So tell me about Trader Interactive.
What what what do you guys do?
Yes, a Trader Interactive is the is the leading marketplace for non
automotive listings.
We have a marketplace for RVs.
We have a marketplace for power sports, specifically cycle trader,
equipment, boat, boat, marine.
The division that I look at under Trader Interactive is statistical surveys.
And what we do is we pull together information from all over the US
and Canada and from the DMVs, and we're able to really understand
what the registrations are across the country and package it up.
And we're able to kind of give dealers, OEM, suppliers, banks,
what's happening in the industry that they can make better decisions.
Give me an example, for instance, let's let's use
an 18 foot ski boat run about open bow, you know,
ski well in the middle of it.
Give me give me an example of something like that.
Is that is that a big seller?
Well, it's hard for me to say right now is I haven't looked at that.
But, you know, we can we can get into at the zip code level exactly
what is selling for that type of boat across the country.
Right. So you think about if you want to use that information for marketing,
if you want to use that for planning, if you want to use it for whatever you want.
The dealer side of things on the manufacturer side of things.
If you want to look at leasing or, you know,
what kind of investment options you want with banking
and things like that, all that information is there for you.
So with your particular example, I'd have to go to look at the information,
but we have it across the country, but down to a zip code level as well.
Would you look at it from that type of description?
Or would you need something more along like a brand name,
like a ski nateek or or or something more generic like Don was talking about?
No, we can we can look at it down to a make and model level, right?
And we can go down to the length of the boat.
If you're looking at an RV as an example,
we can get down pretty granular in terms of, you know,
it does it have slide outs, does it have how many people does it sleep?
So all that information we can kind of get
and compile that and put it out there for people.
So you guys are kind of like the Kelly Blue Book of power sports.
Well, you know, yeah, kind of, you know,
KBB has their their their need for things like that.
But we are giving a lot more information compared to Kelly Blue Books,
right, in terms of registrations and things like that,
in terms of what's happening in the market.
And then what's interesting with the Trader Interactive piece is
we know exactly what people are searching for
and what are they clicking on?
How are they interacting with that
that inventory on the marketplace?
And we can combine both those things with the statistical surveys registration
to give a really interesting round of view of what's happening in the market.
So you make your money from, let's say, for instance,
a water sports outlet here in Houston,
maybe down at the Bay or Lake Connor or something like that.
So if I really want to narrow my inventory down
to what is actually selling in my zip code,
you supply that information to me.
We can. We can.
And look, some some dealers look at multiple states.
You know, they might want to expand in there.
It might be in bordering states.
So we can give them that information to make better decisions.
Like what what are what are people buying?
What are they looking for?
What are they not looking for?
Do you have it in your inventory mix?
You take that up, you know, a couple of layers up
and we can do the same thing for a manufacturer nationally,
but also getting down to a zip code level as well.
Are you pretty powerful stuff?
Are you here in Houston?
No, that's the size based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Oh, OK. And and Trader and Active is in Virginia Beach.
The reason I say that is we have the auto boat of show here in Houston once a year in January
and they combine the auto shows with all the the marine folks.
So they divide the the venue up half and half.
You could you get statistics or maybe support that type of venue
with with your your analytical stuff?
Absolutely. Absolutely.
I mean, we again, we service a bunch of different verticals outside of automotive
and, you know, getting a sense in terms of what's happening now
in terms of listings and what are people looking for and what are they searching?
All that information can be can be generated and provided.
So I'm going to I'm going to show my ignorance here because
I'm not really too familiar with, let's just say a dealer
that sells multiple models, brands of boats
and mainly recreational stuff.
I'm not talking about the great big commercial stuff,
but I'm talking about recreational stuff.
And so I've got an inventory and I buy from manufacturers,
probably a half a dozen of them.
So I can really pick and choose from the manufacturers
what I want to carry based on what is selling in my general area of Texas.
Makes sense. Absolutely.
And that's where we we work with dealers to go in
eyes wide open to really understand what's happening in your in your market, right?
Is new selling well, is pre-owned selling?
Well, how do you want to diversify your inventory?
How do you want to market them?
Because we're also able to understand the demographic profile
of who is purchasing things in your particular area.
So you combine that inventory strategy with a marketing plan.
You can really speak to the audience in terms of who is buying what and where and when.
So do you do you have, for instance, like like an auto trader,
they mainly focus on automotive.
Do you have a publication, whether it's online or in paper,
that that you guys supply this information to?
Yeah, I mean, we because that surveys is part of Trader Interactive.
We're tightly coupled with our marketplace.
So we have cycle trader, we got RV trader, we got boat mark.
You know, so we're able to really share information
with both sides of the business to really get a rounded view.
And if you're a dealer, you can understand what's happening in real time with consumers.
And if you also have that surveys, you also know what are people buying in the market as well.
So how, when you say real time, how real real time are we talking about?
Because I'm thinking like Jeff said, the automotive show comes up at the end of January.
So if I'm a big RV dealer in Houston,
because you can't buy a car at the automotive show, you can look at them,
you can set it up and all that, but you can buy a boat and you can buy an RV if you want.
So if I'm that RV dealer and I'm going,
can I come to you and pull data so I can decide what inventory I want to take?
Is it that real?
Yes, absolutely.
Because, you know, with the, with the, on our marketplace,
an RV trader or cycle trader or boat mark, people are looking at stuff right now.
So we, we get a stream of everything that's happening in real time, right?
When someone asks for it, we don't want to give them, you know, minute by minute,
because it's not very useful.
We want to aggregate that, put it in some sort of like, this is what's happening in a week,
in a month and, you know, quarter a year, 30 days, 40, yeah, absolutely.
So that's absolutely something that we can provide our customers in terms of,
hey, what do you want to take over to the show?
What's actually resonating with consumers right now?
And that way they're not taking a bunch of stuff that they don't need.
Or they can't sell.
Or they can't sell.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I mean, the interesting thing with the, with the internet now, and you know,
and this is very relevant to automotive, people are doing a lot of their research
before they come to the shows.
They're coming at the shows pretty much to, to pull the trigger on things.
Yeah, put your hands on it so you got a feel for it.
You know what you're looking for.
Exactly.
Exactly.
So, you know, the type of research people are doing is also very different.
So making sure that you have, you know, a stock of what people are looking
for is extremely important as well.
So as a consumer, do I have to pay you to access your information?
Well, on the stats survey side, we're only available for like businesses,
like what I was saying, banks, manufacturers.
Now on, on the marketplace side, consumers can go in there like a dealer
and sell their, their units, right?
If they want to sell an RV, if they want to sell a boat, if they want to sell a
motorcycle, an ATV, whatever it is, there is an opportunity for them to push their,
you know, their unit that they're not, they don't want any more to other dealers
or, or other private citizens to, to purchase as well.
So does that transaction become part of your data that you're watching for a certain area?
We don't get any of the private information.
We only get the dealer information.
So if the dealer sells it to a, to a private citizen, such as myself, that's
all registered in, in the DMVs and, and that information we, we do get access to.
Interesting.
Does the information that you supply to the dealers, let's say for instance,
that the boat was in an accident and it got repaired.
Do you happen to make note of that?
Yeah, it's, it's funny that you're saying, saying that we actually are starting to put
that information on our websites, kind of like Carfax where we have a different version of it.
That's actually being applied to each of the listings on the, on the marine side.
We're looking to open that up for other areas that we also do business with.
Interesting.
So, yeah, go ahead, Mike.
Well, I'm just kind of wondering, I'm envisioning the RVs, the motorcycles,
the, the jet skis, cars, all that stuff.
Do you get into other areas or is it kind of based on the fact that you can get your
information from the DMV or a database type thing?
Yeah, that's a great question.
I mean, the DMV information is just very base information, right?
I know where something was, was registered.
I know when, I know what it is, but it's very basic.
So we kind of get that basic information and we supplement it with all sorts of other sources.
We got information directly from the manufacturers, we got it from dealers, we got it from banks.
So we compile all that and kind of give a really rounded view of what's happening in the market.
So it's just not one source that we're depending on.
We are actually gathering it from many different bits of information to kind of get a good view.
So could, could a company, let's say in wheel time,
that was interested in knowing who is selling cars, where's the hot cars in the Houston market area?
Could somebody like us come to you and say, hey, we want these zip codes or this
market area of Houston.
We want to know like who's selling the most cars or the top three cars.
Yeah, so obviously we don't do cars, but anything if you want to know for RVs, we can
definitely tell you who are the top selling dealers in Houston.
And because we're, we're collecting and know who is selling that, we also know what they're selling,
you know, we, and because we're been in business for, for decades since the 60s,
we have data, you know, on the RV side for the last two to three decades in terms of who's selling
what and when and how and stuff like that.
Very interesting.
Well, listen, it's great to talk to you.
We sure appreciate you taking the time to explain all that.
All of us car freaks wonder about that sometimes are going, well, let's see,
there is this little travel trailer I've been looking at.
So you would have that information and probably your dealer would also have that information.
Yeah, absolutely.
And we try to tell dealers to use it as much as they can, go in with all eyes open and make
a decision that that's based on data.
Well, you know, hunting season's coming up down here in Texas and we're kind of looking for
a little two-man travel trailer so we could take the wife out there in the hill country.
Yeah, up to the deer camp.
Two men.
Two men.
Yeah.
Well, there's that.
But Shannon, thank you.
We appreciate your time, man.
Thanks folks.
Really appreciate it.
Yeah, you bet.
That is very interesting.
Thank you very much.
Yeah.
All right.
Well, just ahead, Jeff has the racing calendar and Mr.
Mars has this week in auto history and I'm going to bring you some of the stories
making automotive news headlines this week and we got some goodies for you.
The end-wheel time car talk show is back in a flash.
You've waited all summer and it's finally here.
The Tailpipes and Tacos fall 25 cruise-in car show.
It's been a while but the popular Tailpipes and Tacos cruise-in returns to the Loopy
Tortilla Tex-Max and Katie Saturday, October 18th.
Make any donation to Shirley's Kids and get a free breakfast taco.
There'll be mimosas and Bloody Marys too.
Get to the best cruise-in of the year.
Tailpipes and Tacos car show Saturday, October 18th, 8 to 11am.
Cruise-in, make a donation of any amount and grab a free Loopy Tortilla breakfast taco.
Tailpipes and Tacos only happens at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Max in Katie 703 West Grand Parkway
at Kingsland Boulevard just south of the Katie Freeway.
Join the car.
Conradery and your car will automatically compete for one of three chili pepper trophies at no charge.
All is here and what better way to celebrate than with a free taco at Tailpipes and Tacos cruise-in car
show Saturday, October 18th, 8 to 11am.
It's the cruise-in you won't want to miss.
Loopy Tortillas, Tailpipes and Tacos in Katie.
Time to fire up those engines and pay tribute to the folks who make freedom possible.
Bastrop Zone Heroes and Hot Rides is rolling in for Veterans Day weekend.
Friday night, downtown cruise Saturday, 400 of the coolest rides in Texas.
Proceeds help veterans, shelters, food pantries and scholarships.
Sponsored by Craig's Jewelry.
November 7th and 8th, Main Street, Bastrop.
Don't miss it.
You know, I think one of the things that we miss in that is not only the commercial itself,
but we miss the music.
Have you listened to the music behind it?
Yeah, yeah.
Music's good.
The little picketing grin in there.
Yeah, little cage and stuff going on.
I've got a hankering for Popeyes now.
Really?
Red beans and rice.
Do you eat Popeyes?
I do.
I do eat red beans and rice.
Where do you go?
Popeyes.
Where?
By your house?
It's a Popeyes, but uh, well, I just check it.
Yeah, ours closed down.
Pardon me?
Ours closed down.
It's all boarded up over here now.
Have you checked your phone messages the past half hour, Mr. Mars?
Apparently not.
Okay, well, I'll let you deal with that.
Hey, In Wheel Time, I invite you to join our live broadcast every Saturday,
10 to noon central on InWheelTime.com, Facebook and YouTube.
You hope you check us out.
If you miss us, you'll be able to connect us,
connect with us through your favorite podcast channel.
Hey, a couple of things I wanted to point out.
Tailpipes and tacos is next weekend.
We had a prior commitment with the Spring Branch High School Foundation.
And so we're going to be going there.
But I wanted to remind everybody that's listening out in the Katie area,
tailpipes and tacos at the Katie Lupi Tortilla.
And we hope that you will attend.
Attend, yes, 8 to 11 next Saturday there.
And we hear the spot for the Spring Branch Foundation.
So that's going to be, we'll be on the air, 10 to noon out there.
All right.
Just wanted to make sure that everybody was on board.
Understood.
Time now for the racing calendar by Jeff Zekin,
sponsored by Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge.
Thank you for that.
We've got IMSA.
Last day today is the Petit Le Mans in Atlanta.
It's going to be on Peacock at noon today,
Eastern's 11 o'clock central.
So it's going to be on here in just a few minutes on NBC.
And then you've got Sled Dog Racing coming up,
coming up in December.
We're going to do that.
Are there dashhounds involved in that?
No, no dashhounds.
They're a little too short.
They're little tiny legs.
And you've got mushers in March of next year.
Formula One is going to be on the 19th, which is next Sunday.
I think they're going to be wrapping up their season
here in about another few months.
A few months.
Yeah, this is a long season.
NHRA is this weekend there at Texas Motorplex.
Good luck up there to everyone.
Craftsman Truck, they're off.
They're going to be back next week at Talladega,
I believe on Friday.
I cannot imagine a truck doing 200 miles of that.
Well, yeah.
Talladega.
You know Talladega is two and a third miles long.
Is it a third?
I thought it was 2.6.
Maybe it's two and two thirds.
OK.
It's long.
And listen, you've got to get the binoculars out.
You're sitting in the grandstand
to see them in the back stretch.
Yeah.
That's helpful.
They've got room to get wound up, too.
That's why they're doing all that speed.
And then Xfinity is today, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
And then you've got the cup boys.
It's tomorrow again, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
So good luck to everybody out there.
And wear your helmet.
Put your seatbelt on.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because you know, NHRA in Las Vegas is always the Halloween event.
And then right after that event in Las Vegas,
then they go to SEMA.
But Halloween in Las Vegas is crazy.
And in fact, I saw a thing on the internet yesterday
that the couple that decorated their house for Halloween
had to call the fire department.
Oh, yeah.
Did you see that with windows?
That was on earlier in the week.
And actually the fire department uses that house for training.
Yeah.
And they use it for people to check.
But you drive by and you look at it,
the fire is intense, what it looks like inside the house.
It's all lighting.
It's all lighting and done on the windows.
And they have smoke that bellows from the rafters
to make it look like it's on fire.
And they interviewed the police chief.
He says, yeah, it's unique.
It's a little scary to look at.
Yeah.
It serves a purpose for training.
Yeah.
Interesting.
Mr. Mars.
Yes, sir.
This week in auto history, sir.
We found quite a few things in this week in auto history
that were rather interesting.
For example, in 1901, the very first Detroit auto show
opened with two electric and two steam powered cars.
Now, that kind of gives you an idea
how long we've been jacking around with electric cars
and still haven't figured it out.
Now, William Metzger was the only automobile dealer
in Houston, I mean, in Detroit at the time.
And so he was an organizer of this big event.
It was held at the Light Guard Armory.
And it stayed there until 1907 when the newly formed
Detroit Automobile Dealers Association held their own show.
Now, this was in 1907.
And that first event took place at the beer garden
near the Bell Isle Bridge.
So that kind of tells you where that headed.
Then in 1913, Ford introduces the moving assembly line
at their Highland Park Plant.
Now, this is the first moving assembly line.
They put it in operation.
And it revolutionized drastically the production time
for the Model T. It took 12 hours prior.
And they got it down to just 93 minutes to build this car.
And that's one of the reasons they could build so many of them.
And they actually got it so cheap
and put so many of them out there into the market.
1919, General Motors actually acquired Chevrolet.
Now, this is kind of a weird deal
because originally, Chevrolet was founded by Lewis Chevrolet
and the GM founder, William C. Durant.
Because Durant got killed, kicked out of GM
because he tried to buy the Ford.
Got killed and killed out.
Got kicked out of Ford.
I mean, GM, because he was trying to buy Ford,
overextended the company.
They almost went bankrupt, so they fired him.
So he went over and helped form Chevrolet,
which in turn started buying a bunch of other companies.
And anyway, he ended up getting back into GM
as the leader of the GM.
And that's where kind of moved Chevrolet
into becoming the most popular and profitable brand
that GM had for several decades.
And in 1926, the first US highway numbering system
approved because they had all these auto trails.
So they created all these little road associations.
And you couldn't figure out how to get any place.
So they did this.
And this is kind of what it looked like
when they started doing it.
And they standardized it with a joint board
on interstate highways actually coming around
and making everything and became the American Association
of State Highway Officials, acronym AASHO.
I'll let you say that, Don.
They got the numbering systems.
They rationalized and standardized.
Now, the way it worked, in case you didn't know,
numbers such as US Highway 1 and US 66,
that's how they simplified it down
to where they were going north and south, et cetera.
Then in 1945, post-war auto production
resumed in the United States
because they had slowed this during the war effort
because everybody had to make tanks and cannons
and all the good things that you need for armies.
And so they resumed the civilian production
in October of 1945.
Now, brands like Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler
actually saw record sales and reshaped the US economy
during this time because all the people,
all the pent-up demand for cars because they couldn't get them,
plus the people returning from the war effort
really wanted to buy cars, so they really sold a lot of cars.
1973, the OPEC oil embargo begins.
I know there's a lot of people out there that don't,
they weren't here, they didn't understand
what was going on there.
And I did not understand that this global energy crisis
was caused because the Arab petroleum exporting countries
decided they were going to embargo everybody in the world
that helped Israel during one of their little short wars,
and so that's what they did.
But what that in turn did, changed consumers.
That's where we started buying smaller, more efficient cars
and got us into the 1970s automotive landscape
where all the horsepower went away, killed the muscle cars,
and just changed everything and started us down the pathway.
And now, 1998 Mercedes-Benz and Swatch watch the smart car.
I always loved the name of the smart car.
It was a little two-seater, it was designed for urban mobility,
very compact, fuel efficient, very niche vehicle.
And I remember when they brought them into Austin,
I drove one of them actually, and they thought,
oh, the college kids are going to rent them
and take care of them and all that stuff.
But in Texas, it doesn't work, it's just too far.
You've got to drive 20 miles to get any place.
The car wouldn't go over 50 miles an hour,
at least that one that year wouldn't.
So that was kind of, they moved their lawn out, took it away.
So then in 2013, Tesla launched their supercharger expansion,
and this is where it really started getting,
where electric vehicle infrastructure started coming out.
And they extended the routes across America.
This is the way it looked.
It helped with the EV adoption and pressure competitors.
Everybody else that was trying to build their cars
and build their EV cars, they had to have a way to charge them
until they could go further.
So now we're kind of working around,
hopefully one these days, we're going to standardize on something
that all the EVs can handle and all the EVs can do,
and that'll help the market a whole lot.
But until then, that's just some of the things
that were this week in automotive history.
All right, thank you, sir.
Got a couple of stories we want to get in here.
A fire at a New York aluminum plant
that is expected to affect production
of Ford Motor Company's F-150 truck for months
will sap up to $1 billion from the automakers earnings,
according to Evercore ISI analysts, whoever they are.
This story from automotive news.
Meanwhile, Ford is pausing production next week
of the F-150 Lightning Electric pickup in Dearborn
because of the aluminum plant fire,
according to a union official.
Memo shared with workers at the plant,
viewed by Reuters.
They said the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will be off next week.
Ford began using mainly aluminum-bodied vehicles
on its F-150 truck in 2014 to reduce the weight of the vehicle.
And bankrupt subprime auto lender tricolor holdings
appears to have been a pervasive fraud
of extraordinary proportion,
according to a lawyer helping oversee its liquidation.
They said that October 3rd,
underscoring the scale of the company's alleged misconduct,
even as investigators continue to unravel its finances.
Initial reports indicate potentially systemic levels of fraud,
according to a presentation made in court by Charles R. Gibbs,
who is representing the court-appointed trustee.
While Gibbs didn't elaborate on the nature of the fraud,
a preliminary examination of tricolor's record shows
that at least 29,000 loans pledged to creditors
were tied to vehicles already securing other debts,
according to Bloomberg.
Roughly 40% out of some 70,000 active tricolor loans,
which were used as collateral for bank warehouse lines
and asset-backed scrutinizations, whatever that is,
contained attributes identical to those of at least one other loan,
according and including vehicle identification numbers,
according to people involved in the probe who asked not to be identified.
It's a big mess and I bring that story up
because tricolor is located here.
Several locations.
Great. Way to go.
Hey, we'd love to hear from you.
Shoot us an email.
The address here is info at inwiltime.com.
We are back right after this quick break.
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Gulf Coast AutoShield is your place to go for all things exterior.
Call them today 832-930-5655 or gcautoshield.com.
Wrap up your engines as time to roll back in style
at the Back to the Past car show.
Join the Spring Branch Senior High School Foundation
Saturday, October 18th at Cornerstone Academy,
1916 Westview Drive in Houston.
Classic cars, trucks and motorcycles,
family fun, food, music and memories.
There's something for everyone.
Proceeds benefit local students and programs.
Don't miss the shine, the chrome and the nostalgia.
10 to 2, Saturday, October 18th, Back to the Past car show.
Spring Branch Bears dot com slash car show for more information.
In Wheel Time will be there too.
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 In Wheel Time dot com website.
Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher,
iHeart Podcast, Podcast Addict, Tune In, Pandora and Amazon Music.
Keep listening and we'll see you soon.
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