'Range' means how far an electric car can go before it needs to be charged again. It's important for planning trips and knowing when to find a charging station.
A supercharger is a special type of charging station for electric cars that charges them much faster than regular chargers. It helps you get back on the road quickly.
Turbocharged means that an engine has a special device that helps it produce more power. It allows the engine to use air and fuel more efficiently, making the car faster without needing a bigger engine.
The Toyota Prius is a car that uses both gas and electricity to run, making it more efficient and better for the environment. It became popular for being one of the first widely available hybrid cars.
Hybrid technology means a car uses both a regular gasoline engine and an electric motor. This helps the car use less fuel and be better for the environment.
Electric motors help cars move by using electricity instead of gasoline. They make the car accelerate smoothly and quietly, which is different from regular cars that use engines that run on gas.
Tesla is a car company that makes electric cars and is known for its self-driving technology. They were one of the first companies to work on cars that can drive themselves.
BlueCruise is a feature from Ford that lets you drive without using your hands on certain highways. But you still need to be ready to take over if needed.
Super Cruise is a feature from GM that lets you drive without using your hands on some highways. Like BlueCruise, you still need to be ready to take control if needed.
Hands-free driving means the car can drive itself for a while without you needing to touch the steering wheel or pedals. It's a feature in some modern cars that helps with driving on highways or in certain conditions.
Ford Sync is a system in Ford cars that lets you control things like music and navigation using your voice or a touchscreen. It was designed to make it easier to use your phone and other features while driving.
Dynamic stability control is a system in cars that helps keep them stable and prevent skidding. If the car starts to slide, it can automatically apply brakes to certain wheels to help you regain control.
AI in cars means using computer technology to help the car make smart decisions while driving. It can react quickly to situations, like steering or braking, to help keep you safe.
Throttle is the part of the car that controls how much power the engine gets. When you press the gas pedal, you're opening the throttle to let more air and fuel into the engine, making the car go faster.
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is when cars talk to each other to share information. This helps them avoid accidents and can make driving safer and smoother.
Cars and coffee events are casual meet-ups for people who love cars. They usually happen in the morning and are a great way to see different cars and meet other car lovers without the formalities of a car show.
The Ford Bronco is a tough SUV that can handle rough terrain, making it great for outdoor adventures. It's popular because of its cool retro style and ability to go off-road, which attracts a lot of people who enjoy exploring.
A two-door sports car is a car that has two doors and is built for speed and fun driving. They usually look stylish and are designed for people who enjoy driving fast.
Jeep is a car brand famous for making tough vehicles that can go off-road. The Jeep Wrangler is one of their most popular models, loved by people who enjoy outdoor adventures.
Twill tires are special tires that don't need air. Instead of being filled with air like regular tires, they have a strong structure made of plastic that helps them stay flexible and work like normal tires.
The SUV revolution was when many people started choosing SUVs instead of regular cars. They liked the extra space and thought SUVs were safer for families.
The Lexus RX is a luxury SUV that many families choose because it's comfortable and stylish. It's one of the first SUVs that made families think of SUVs as a good alternative to regular cars.
The Lucid Gravity is a new electric SUV that focuses on being luxurious and environmentally friendly. It's designed to be high-tech and is part of the growing trend of electric cars.
The Volvo 240 is an older style of station wagon that many people love for its unique boxy shape and safety features. It's a classic car that was made for nearly 20 years.
The Cadillac Escalade is a fancy, big SUV that is very comfortable and has a lot of luxury features. People often buy it to show off their success and enjoy a smooth ride.
The Lincoln Navigator is a big, fancy SUV that offers a lot of space and luxury features. It's popular among people who want a comfortable ride and a status symbol.
The Chevy Suburban is a large SUV that can fit a lot of people and cargo, making it great for families or road trips. It's been around for a long time and is known for being reliable and comfortable.
The Chevy Tahoe is a big SUV that can carry a lot of people and stuff, similar to the Suburban but a bit smaller. It's a good option for families who want space without being too hard to drive.
The Ford F-150 is a very popular pickup truck that many people use for work and everyday driving. It's known for being tough and can carry a lot of weight, making it useful for hauling things around.
The Ford Explorer is a medium-sized SUV that can fit a family comfortably and is good for everyday driving. It has a lot of room inside for passengers and their stuff, making it a popular choice.
The Nissan Pathfinder is a medium-sized SUV that can carry families and their gear. It's designed to be comfortable and can handle some rough roads if needed.
LIVE
Hey folks, Lindy Lawson here, The Car Guru, and in today's episode we're going to go
in a little bit different direction.
We're going to talk about what's coming and try to predict that based on the past, what
has happened the last 30 years in the auto industry because a lot has happened, a lot
has changed.
If that much changes in the next 10 to 20 years, a lot of the things that I'm predicting
are going to be overshadowed by something we don't even see on the horizon.
I really think that's a possibility, especially with AI and all that nonsense.
But today I'm going to try to look at the future just a little bit.
That's what I'm going to do first.
I want to ask you a question, of course it's rhetorical because you can't answer it, but
well you can answer it, I just can't hear your answer.
I would like to know what you think the next big things will be in the automotive world
in the next 10 to 20 years.
Now they tried to go ahead and cram EVs down our throats.
And as soon as the Democrats got out of power and the Republicans got into power, all that
went by the wayside because of the loss of the $7,500 tax credit that you could get if
you bought an EV.
And the realization that the infrastructure was just not out there to keep us charged
when we're traveling to the beach or going on any kind of vacation.
We had anywhere from 200 to maybe 350 miles of range.
And then once we got to the, well before we even got to the end of that potential range,
we were getting nervous to find a charger and the infrastructure was just not there.
Plus when you got there, you would have to sit for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour
to get a charge up to 80%.
The way these things charge is that they get to 80% pretty rapidly and then they dramatically
slow down especially when you're on one of those superchargers because it will damage
the battery.
So those were the challenges to full EV adoption.
Now what happens if the Republicans lose?
Democrats take over the White House and Congress.
You'll probably see the $7,500 tax credit again.
And they will try to supercharge the moved EVs by clamping down on internal combustion
engines with legislation, emission requirements.
And so they will make our lives miserable all because of the lie that they love to tell
that EVs are better on the environment.
Now is that a total lie?
Well it's not if you buy an EV and you keep it for like somewhere between four to six
years when at that point it offsets the carbon footprint that it took to build it because
of the fuel savings or not the fuel, well I guess you're saving money on fuel for sure
but you're still paying.
You know my biggest fear with EVs was the fact that you know the gasoline market is
pretty much a free enterprise market, utilities, the people that provide electricity, that's
not, that's a quasi-government agency in most cases.
Look at TVA where we live, Tennessee Valley Authority.
Those rates are determined by a governmental board and they charge whatever they want to.
Let's say that they want us to cut back, they want to create a blackout because or a grayout,
whatever they call it when they want you to use less electricity.
Is that going to control whether you can get around anymore because you have an electric
car? Of course it is. I mean if there's no juice coming into your house you can't charge
your EV. Is that a loss of freedom? Yes and that's why I think the best case scenario
for this country is to have some type of a blend of EVs, hybrids and internal combustion
engines that are extremely efficient and don't throw out a bunch of bad stuff into the environment.
Which they're not now, they're doing a great job but they've just about reached the limit
of what they can do. You know matter of fact the technology on the modern internal combustion
engine has gotten so good that you can build an engine that has six or seven hundred horsepower
that doesn't pollute the environment anymore than a little three cylinder turbocharged
engine. So they've gotten about as far as they can go. Now when it comes to hybrids we've
got a ways to go yet. The most successful hybrid ever is the Toyota Prius. I think it came
out in 2004 and it wasn't widely accepted but the people that did buy those were very
environmentally conscious or they just wanted to get tremendous fuel economy and that vehicle
did. They didn't care what the vehicle looked like because it looked like a jelly bean
and that was fine. A jelly bean with a point on the front. It was not attractive. Maybe
it was to some people. You know beauty is in the eye of the beholder right. So most hybrid
technologies are still dependent on the internal combustion engine. It does most of the work
but whenever the vehicle is under very light throttle it will shut the engine off and the
electric motor will take over. And so that's why hybrids tend to get anywhere from ten
to thirty percent better fuel economy than an internal combustion engine. But the internal
combustion engine the ICE engine is doing most of the work. It is supplemented by the
battery and the electric motor. Now Nissan is coming out with a hybrid this year that
uses a different technology. Basically the vehicle is always driven by electric motors
so it's always silky smooth. That's the one thing I do like about EVs is there's no vibration.
The power is instant. And so Nissan is taking advantage of that. It will have a four cylinder
or a three cylinder gasoline engine on it. But that engine is not connected to the wheels.
Only the electric motors are connected to the wheels. So the when the battery needs
to be recharged then the three cylinder engine fires up and it sends power to the batteries
which in turn power the electric motors which in turn turn the wheels. What's the advantage
of that smoothness and just a different driving experience. It's the opposite of like the
Toyota Prius and the Honda's and so forth. This technology is amazing and I'm really
glad that Nissan is the one that came out with it because I happen to be a Nissan dealer.
Okay I'll take my first break and I'll be back in just one minute. Okay so let's take
a break and let's continue this discussion. So what else is coming out well self driving.
You may not be on board but you will be on board a vehicle where somebody is going to
be not driving it. It might be your your children or your grandchildren. You'll be in a back seat
and say put your hands on the steering wheel and say I don't have to. It's taking us right
to the restaurant pop pop. So that's the way it's going to be. And see one of the beauties
of this that I think is going to be so important to people in their 70s and 80s or people that
have mobility issues or people that you know they've lost their their eyesight or there
might be some other physical problem that keeps them from being able to drive. They'll
still be able to go because they can get into a car and tell the car where to go and it
will take them there and drop them off at the door and then it will park itself and when
they're ready to fetch it they'll just get out their smartphone if they know how to use
that and it'll drive right up the doors will open up and they'll be able to climb right
in this this aspect of of self driving to me is is fabulous. Now we are at the infancy
of this. I know Tesla has been messing around with it for many years and some people have
lost their lives depending on it. They were guinea pigs. I guess Ford is causing a lot
of folks to be guinea pigs with their blue crews. I don't know what GM. I think GM calls
theirs super crews. So it's a very limited self driving feature. I mean the blue crews
works on certain roads almost always interstates. If there's any type of road construction or
any type of tightening of the curves the blue crews will say get your hands back on the
steering wheel and that's what you'll do because it's going to deactivate. But then
when you know it gets past that it says OK you can take your hands back off now and it
continues driving down the road. Is that something that you would use. I've done it. I went to
Cincinnati to see my grandson about 115 miles hands free. There were a couple places where
it said it was going to deactivate and I was supposed to put my hands back on the steering
wheel. And like I said it was mostly when it was getting real curvy or there had been
some road construction. The time that I wanted to grab the steering wheel was when I got
beside a big 18 wheeler or I was beside a car and it just felt too close for me. I mean
I think automatically when I'm passing a tractor trailer I automatically move over just a little
bit. I stay in my lane but I just subconsciously I guess move over and this thing doesn't.
It just stays right in the middle of the lane and to me that's just not far enough away.
So what else is coming other than that. I think just a whole lot more voice activation.
I think that will get better and better with AI. I think they'll recognize our voices better.
We won't have to repeat ourselves. I remember when they first came out with that it was
terrible. The original Ford Sync it was called S or spelled S Y N C. It was a touch screen
and it was you're supposed to be able to voice activate things and it couldn't understand
my East Tennessee accent apparently. It was discriminatory but also the touch screen things
just didn't work but that's gotten way better and the next step is just going to be total
voice control and then after that it will be total mind control. I guess you'll get
in and you just think where you want to go and okay I'll take you there. The next big
advance will be just additional safety things. I don't think you're going to be able to improve
airbags much. Analog brakes, dynamic stability control. I think you'll be able to improve
how they work. I think there will instead of a computer taking over I think AI is going
to just respond a whole lot faster and may even make steering maneuvers for us to get
us out of trouble. Right now it's just the application of additional throttle to a certain
wheel or braking to a certain wheel to straighten the vehicle back up but I can actually envision
the car taking over. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. I think it's great. Anything
to avoid an accident in the further distant future I think they will eliminate traffic
signals, traffic lights and the reason for that is because we won't need them. The cars
will communicate with each other and you'll have multiple cars pull up to a four way stop
and whichever one got there first will get to go first. The others will hold back. You'll
have to worry about somebody running a red light because you won't be able to. The cars
won't let you and that will be government mandated folks. So if you're driving an old
car it's going to age out. You're going to have to park it at the house, put it up on
blocks, make some yard art out of it. I don't know. Put some geraniums in it. Just fill
it full of dirt. Maybe put a potted plants all around it. Maybe some ceramic ducks would
look good. One of those little frogs on a bench holding an umbrella. I really like that one.
Yeah, that's going to be the only use for your older vehicle because the government
is not going to let you drive it on the roads anymore. And that may be the case for vintage
cars. I'm looking at right outside my window is my 57 Chevy. They may not be allowed on
the roads. Have to trailer them around to car shows. Speaking of car shows, I'm getting
ready to fire up my second Saturday cars and coffee events again. When are they? Every
second Saturday. That's why I called it second Saturday cars and coffee. And this year we're
going to do some really interesting things. We're going to invite groups of people who
all love the same thing. Like we're going to have a Bronco Saturday for Bronco Saturday,
a Jeep Saturday, a two door sports car Saturday. Of course, everybody else is welcome to come
to but those are going to be the features. And that's a lot of fun. You know, that's
one of the coolest things that I've done in my career is that second Saturday cars and
coffee. I love cars and coffee events because they're not like a car show. It's just people
show up at like 730. When it's the cooler weather, we get the solo stove out, set it
up right there in the middle of the parking lot. And people just love the coffee from
the creamy cup and also the donuts that I'm so willingly provide whole wheat donuts.
I'm kidding. So that's a great event. If you have cars and coffee event around where you
live, go. You don't have to own a special car to go. You can go and look at all these
cars, but it's not like a formal car show where, you know, they have judges and things
like that. They start at 730 and ended about 1130. Everybody just goes off and enjoys the
rest of their Saturday. So that's just one of the extracurricular activities that we
do with my car dealerships among many others. Okay, let's get back on track here. So we
looked at the future. Those are the only things that I can see on the near horizon. I don't
think we're ready to go to different types of tires. You know, they were going to eliminate
all normal tires that have air in them. They were going to go with these things called
twills. I think Mercedes tested them. So it's got tread like a tire just doesn't have
any air in it. It's got these plastic, I guess they're plastic spokes that are real tightly
wound together and they provide the same level of flexibility that you get with a tire. There's
really no wheel. The twill is a tire and a wheel. Well, that was an innovation that came
out about 15 years ago and it's never hit the market. Well, it has. It's on lawnmowers.
You may have seen some lawnmowers going around with twills on them. So you know, some of
these brilliant ideas that they come out with to really radically change the industry. They
just don't pan out. You know who I think killed the twill? I think the tire companies did
because according to what I understood, the twills would last longer than just a regular
tire. I bet the wheel industry didn't like them much either. Okay, so let's talk about
the last 30 years and who are the biggest winners? You know, sometimes that tells you
what the technology is going to be in the subsequent decade, right? So the biggest winners
30 years ago, the SUV revolution. You remember that one? You know who really kicked that
off better than anybody else turned the SUV into something a family would use. That's
the Lexus RX, the Tahoe Chevrolet Tahoe, the Ford Bronco, the full size Bronco. But they
won because they replaced the family sedan and the station wagon. People saw them as
an alternative. Families wanted the higher seat height. They like that. They felt like
they were safer even though the higher center of gravity probably made them less safe. And
I think buyers discovered that trucks can ride good. You know, they found ways to put
independent suspensions on full size trucks and big SUVs. And so they actually ride better.
And you know, dealers really liked them because they sold like hotcakes. The Ford Explorer
probably alone killed the station wagon market altogether. So you can thank Ford for that.
I've been looking for a nice station wagon lately. If anybody knows anybody that has
a nice, I'd like to have a early 70s, late 60s Volvo 240 station wagon. I just love boxes.
I don't know why. Okay, so another really big trend in the last 30 years was the hybrid revolution.
We talked about some of that. Of course, Toyota Prius was the was the king. Globally,
they started selling those things in 1997. In 2004, it hit the United States. You know,
it really wasn't faster. It wasn't prettier for sure. It was not cheaper. But it signaled kind
of an environmental virtue. People liked it. For that reason, they also liked it because
it got, you know, 30% better fuel economy. So customers sometimes buy a message. You know,
the Prius was a message. I love trees. I love green things. I love my world. And so people,
when they were driving to Prius, they could look at those people driving those big SUVs and just
give them the stink eye. And I think that's the number one reason why people with big SUVs started
using deep tinted windows is so that they could not be seen by people driving Priuses.
That's just a theory. Okay, the luxury SUV. So you had the SUV explosion. Now you had the luxury
SUV explosion. And this was primarily the territory of Lexus, the Cadillac Escalade.
What else? Lincoln Navigator. And so status. People buy for status. Why would somebody go out and
buy an Escalade, especially a black Escalade? Because they think it makes them look cool.
To me, that's the only reason. Otherwise, they buy a Chevy Suburban. If they don't care what it looks
like, they could actually spend 30 or $40,000 less for a Suburban or a Tahoe. But no, they got to
have a black Escalade. They want to be like a gangster rapper, I guess. Is that judgmental?
Yes, it is. Okay, I'm gonna take my last break. I'll be back here in just a minute.
Okay, I am back. You know, I think the biggest thing that nobody saw coming, not even car makers,
was when the truck became a daily driver. When did that happen?
It happened sometime around 1993, because I believe that's when Chevrolet
and Ford came out with the extended cab pickup truck. The next phase was an extended cab pickup
truck that had little miniature doors that would open up. And they put it on one side.
Well, nope, they had another one on the other side. Then it became a daily driver. It became
something that dad or grandpa could take the kids to school or pick them up.
Could go get groceries. Because before, see, if he had just had a regular cab,
he could use that as an excuse. It won't handle all the groceries.
So no more excuses. Pop, pop, you've got to go to the grocery store.
And so, and plus they got to where they rode so much better and came out with all these
beautiful colors. Back in the 70s, when I first got into the car business, the only people that
drove pickup trucks were farmers, people that did construction, people that worked with their trucks.
Very few people used it as a daily driver. There were some, of course, but it just wasn't a big
part of the market. And then when they decided to come out with the crew cab, now the crew cab
had been out since the 50s when they had vehicles that were used in construction, but they were
only for for commercial use. They weren't for just everyday folks. But when they put four doors on
trucks and it filtered down to the midsize trucks and the small trucks, then it just completely
flipped the market. The only thing that I'd drive, well occasionally I'll grab something else just
for the fun of it, but 99% of the time I'm driving my F-150. And I've thought about changing. I've
tried. I've jumped in a Ford Bronco thinking, well, you know, that looks cool. I think I'll drive one
of those for a while. I take it to lunch, take it home overnight. Nope. Doesn't drive near as good
as this F-150. Why would I want to change? You know, it's something you need to do and think about.
See, I can just drive my F-150 and come to work. If I'm tired of it, I'll just turn it in,
sell it, grab something else. You can't do that. Your decisions are more longer term, right?
And so you better make a wise decision. That's why you need to take them home overnight if the
dealer will let you or grab it in the morning, test drive it all day. Now, if you're in a large city,
these really large dealerships, they don't like that because there's too many crooks out there.
But if you're in a smaller town and you go to a privately owned dealership like mine,
not some big corporate entity owns it, then they'll probably let you keep it overnight.
I've got a guy out in an Explorer right now and I've got a lady coming tomorrow that's going,
to test drive a pathfinder. Can I keep it overnight? Yes, you can. Why? Because I own the place.
Well, folks, thanks for indulging me like you do. I appreciate the fact that I get so many text
messages and emails and letters and people come down here and buy cars and that's wonderful.
That's not why I do this. I do this so that I can take something that I know a lot about
and help a bunch of people that I'll never meet. And that's where I get my reward. Well,
thanks again. Call me 423-552-2020 or send me a text and we'll solve your automotive problem.
I'll see you next time.
About this episode
Lindy Lawson dives into predictions for the automotive landscape over the next 10-20 years, drawing insights from the past 30 years. He discusses the challenges of EV adoption, including infrastructure and charging times, and the potential for a blend of EVs, hybrids, and efficient internal combustion engines. Lawson also explores advancements in self-driving technology, voice activation, and AI integration, envisioning a future where cars communicate with each other to enhance safety. The episode is filled with thought-provoking ideas about the evolution of automotive technology and its impact on freedom and mobility.
