Revving Up with Auto Brand Rankings and News with John Vincent, U.S. News

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30 minute mini version of the In Wheel Time car show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am Central.

It's the In Wheel Time car talk show Coming up.

We have John Vincent, US News and World Report we're going to talk about well, they were embargoed until Thursday.

I'll tell you about that here in a minute.

But we're going to talk about Auto Brand Award winners.

Okay, I think that you're going to be interested.

That's coming up.

We also have stories making automotive news headlines this week.

Thanks for joining us here on the In Wheel Time car talk show, along with Mike out of this Rule, Mars King, Conrad DeLong.

We always need more, Jeff Zekin.

I'm Don Armstrong.

Glad you could join us on this Saturday.

It's a beautiful day here in Snuggieland, Texas.

The sun is out.

What is it about?

69, 68 degrees.

Something like that.

Yeah, it's pretty.

It's really a pretty day here.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow and Monday, but at any rate I don't want to put a damper.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be nice, is it Allegedly?

Well, it's good.

Come to the car show.

Speaking of somebody at the car show, it looks like to me that John Vincent, with US News, is on some sort of a junket at some car show.

Hi, john, how are you?

Good morning, how are you?

Gentlemen, this?

morning.

Well, we're doing fine.

Are you at a car show?

I am at a car show.

I love car shows so much.

I spent my whole week down in LA at the LA Auto Show, Got home yesterday, drove to Seattle and this morning I'm on the floor of the Seattle Auto Show.

You are Mr Auto Show.

There's one in New Guinea next week.

Yeah, New Guinea.

John.

So I kind of made fun of the fact that the news that we're about to give by US News is embargoed in 12.01

am, eastern Daylight Time on Thursday, november 16th.

It's a press kind of thing.

So if you go to an event or they release something special that they have, they'll release it, maybe the day before, two days before, but the information in the press release or wherever it is, whatever they're showing, it's embargoed, meaning you can't talk about it.

You can't talk about it?

Well, I guess the embargo is off, because Thursday is two days behind us and we can talk about it now.

So let's talk about the US News report on the 2024 Best Vehicle Brands and Best CPO Program Awards.

How long has this been in the works?

This has been in the works for years and years.

We have done these for about 10 years and they recognize the brands that have the highest overall aggregate scores in our new vehicle rankings and reviews.

Okay, so what are?

the criteria for judging these different brands.

Now, we're talking about automotive brands now, not individual cars.

Correct, correct, yeah.

So US News is a very research-based company.

What we do is we look at all of the solid reviews from all other outlets like us and look at you exactly and look at the overall tone of those reviews, bring them into our system plus add quantitative information on predicted reliability, safety and come up with an overall score which then goes into a ranking so you can compare that car directly against its competitors Interesting

.

Okay, so there is criteria, established criteria for all of these brands.

They don't even know, do they?

But it's not opinion-based it is.

Well it is kind of.

It is based on the aggregate of everybody's opinion.

Okay.

And you know what Plus your, plus your testings are yeah, exactly.

Yeah, we don't have a dartboard in back, we just it's research-based, yeah, okay.

And did you find any surprises in these?

I guess there's five of them, four of them.

Yes, On the luxury brand.

Every year we've had the award.

So far it has been won by Porsche.

This year it was won by Rivian, new comer to the auto market.

Well, I have seen in person a Rivian and I was thoroughly impressed.

Now I've not driven one, I will say that right up front and they're a new automaker that has had some financial difficulties along the way and, as you can imagine, trying to build a car.

Ask John DeLorean how that went for him.

But at any rate, I am surprised and I'm not surprised.

How do you feel about it?

I'm a little surprised, but Rivian has a lot of buzz.

Their vehicles have spectacular performance.

You're talking about a pickup truck that has performance numbers that you would have only found in a Porsche 911 five years ago Some really innovative tech.

They have this gear tunnel that's located between the cab and the bed.

That provides additional weather protected, lockable storage on it.

It has a huge front trunk so you have even more secure storage up there.

The vehicles just work.

So the way that you describe it, you're kind of describing something that may have been relatable to the Tucker back in its day.

Well, hopefully Rivian stays around a little longer.

Well, yes, no that aside, but what I'm saying is that the Tucker, for its day, was extremely innovative and a different power plant that was in the back of the car.

Now, granted, this is an electric car, so it does have that setup, but as far as innovation is concerned, even the look of it is different.

It's not your typical pickup truck.

And why is it considered luxury and not in the truck category?

Price point.

It's not an inexpensive truck.

No, no, no, no, not by any stretch.

Yeah, and it also goes to the SUV.

And it's not.

The R1S is not an inexpensive SUV, so this would be over and above the $150,000 Ford Lightning.

That's all decked out with everything, including the kitchen sink in.

I have yet to see one that high, but they definitely are getting up there.

Yeah, well, I was exaggerating a little bit, but I know that they are in pricey.

They are north of $100,000.

Right.

So they could just drive the $84,000 Chevy Silverado EV work truck, and I can't imagine somebody buying a work truck at $84,000.

No well, unless they've got some special work at some high end bond company or some sort of.

Yeah, that has nothing to do with trucks.

Well, it would be the installer of the electric devices that you recharge vehicles.

There you go, so let's talk about car brands.

When we talk about these things, as far as winners are concerned, you talk about car brands.

Does that include every car known to man?

When we talk about car brands, we are specifically talking about the car segment, so not SUVs, not trucks and not luxury.

But what I'm saying is cars two door, four doors, convertible, sports cars, just cars.

Exactly.

So that category has changed recently, because some manufacturers or some brands no longer offer cars and all they sell are SUV vehicles.

Correct, yes, okay, the company behind me only has two cars in their lineup right now the Civic and the Accord, and which?

One I'm going to go with the winner of our 2024 best car brand of the year.

Honda wins the best car brand of the year.

So this really doesn't include things like trim levels.

It doesn't include things.

Well, I guess it does.

It includes everything, but you don't break it down to the certain criteria.

It's the overall car.

It is the overall brand.

Yes, yeah, yeah.

Interesting.

Okay, that's a good way to look at it, though I think it is, I like that, yeah, I do.

Do you know anybody else that does it that way?

Well, no, I don't.

I don't.

I'm saying reports do it that way.

To an extent I guess they do.

But they still drive it down to models.

Yeah, yeah, so anyway, okay.

So what about the SUV brand?

What did you guys really like as far as SUVs within their brand?

So I love the interesting winner.

For the last few years, hyundai has been our winner, but this year they got dethroned by Mazda.

Mazda has a couple of new vehicles in the marketplace CX-50 and CX-90 that are getting very good reviews.

Plus, the CX-5, which is one of the oldest vehicles in the segment, continues to do extremely well in our rankings and reviews.

I just wish that they would fix their infotainment system in the way that that operates.

That's my complaint about Mazda.

Other than that, I think they build a great car, good looking car too, yeah, exactly.

The new ones are gorgeous.

They are starting to change that.

They do have touch screens in many of their vehicles.

Do you feel the same way that I do?

I do and there are a few things you know with every brand.

There are a few things that just drive you nuts.

Yep With Mazda, that's one of them.

Yeah, Well, it's good that apparently we've gotten through to them.

At least somebody hasn't said hey, you know, my youngest daughter is an astrophysicist, so she's not stupid by any stretch of the imagination.

So I didn't set her up to fail at this.

I said okay, I want you to go in and I want you to use the navigation system in the Mazda.

And then she attempted to do that, and what was her?

Her comment was well, this is stupid.

Not very intuitive.

It's not intuitive, sum it up real quick and you know it's funny because there are so many manufacturers that they all get to the same point, but it's how you get there.

How many screens do you have to go through to drill it down, to say, navigation, I want to go to Mike's house?

Yeah, and it may be something simple like that that for me, as a car buyer, I'm calling it off Because there are too many competitors out there that actually get it right and make it easy for anybody to use, and that's the way I look at it.

Have you, gentlemen, driven the new GMC Canyon yet?

I got one sitting in my driveway.

I was just thinking about it.

Yes, we have.

And we absolutely love it.

How about you no?

No, that makes me give pause, and that is that it does not have a headlight switch.

The headlight switch is in the navigation system.

I didn't notice that.

We didn't notice that.

I will notice that, because I'm not a fan of.

Well, let me just say I'm going to review that next week.

But we're talking about ease of use and stuff buried down in the screens that you got to go hunt for, and Google.

Yeah.

Yeah, I've dealt with that, but I didn't actually.

You know, when we do car reviews here, we don't drill it down quite to the depth that you do, but if you're used, to automatic lights, which I am on all of my cars.

I don't think about turning the lights on and off, no, but I do know somebody the guy that you talked to this morning, mike Silmon he will not use the automatic feature.

I'm not using that.

It goes up there and doesn't matter.

I don't use money, he's one of those kind of guys that goes down the road after sunset with no lights on at all, because he's got a lit up instrument panel.

Yeah, exactly.

I'm sorry, we digress.

So, john, let me ask you something you mentioned.

You know the Rivians knew you mentioned Mazda's got some new models.

Do you see anything about what's new, the new wow factor being an influence?

I mean I know you're looking across everybody Absolutely.

You know people are looking for the latest and greatest, and those latest and greatest always, you know, get a lift in our rankings.

Okay, but here's an interesting one.

The next brand we're going to talk about.

The best pickup truck brand is Ram, and it has.

Then they have the oldest model in the marketplace.

Yeah Well, you've got to wonder what does that say about the others out there with that?

They've put all this money and technology into, but Ram has managed to up the ante, especially with their interiors and the ease of use of their infotainment system.

Do you agree or not?

Absolutely.

Interiors infotainment Uconnect is fantastic and that truck actually also has a spectacular ride that nobody else matches.

I agree Totally agree with you, of course, suspension, yeah, yeah absolutely.

And you know Ram used to be a sponsor of this program and you know we try not to be biased and I don't think that I am biased to any one manufacturer or truck brand or anything but I just got out of a Ram 1500 that was loaded to the hilt and it was fantastic.

Prior to that.

I just gotten out of a Mercedes Benz GLS and I would put the ride of that pickup truck against that Mercedes any day.

I agree.

Yay me, yeah, yeah.

So where where can we find all of this information for our listeners and our viewers?

You can go to usnewscom and click on the cars tab and, just as an aside, while you guys have you here, this car behind me you probably haven't seen before.

What is that this is?

That is the new Honda Prologue, which is a joint venture car between Honda and General Motors, using the same OTM technology as in the Chevy Blazer.

Interesting.

I've seen a picture of it, but that's this is the first I've seen it being shown.

Well, I thought it was an Accord sitting back there.

It is a pretty sharp looking little SUV.

Now, you haven't driven it yet, have you?

I have not.

Yeah, because you know your type when we're talking about.

You know going to car reveals and that sort of stuff by manufacturers and we all have such busy schedules.

I've got a full time, all of us have full time jobs and we just can't do it anymore.

But we remember the day when we would go to reveals all over the United States and boy, we would be all over that car.

Yep.

Yep, All right.

So what's up next on your agenda?

Well, we have one more word we didn't talk about, and that is the CPO brand, which has been won by Lexus every year that we've had it All right, cpo.

Certified.

Pre-owned Certified pre-owned.

I didn't see that in the notes A used car with a warranty.

All of them that way.

All the manufacturer backed CPO programs have factory backed warranties.

Okay factory backed More better than others.

Yes.

And you find that the coverage from Lexus is the best or that the cars All the coverage and the extras it comes with top everybody else, including all the luxury competitors.

Wow, that doesn't surprise me, did it surprise?

you Not anymore, since they wanted, I think, seven years in a row.

Yeah.

Well, and what is it within that program that they do that the other manufacturers don't?

Unlimited mileage, extras such as roadside assistance, travel interruption coverage, no significant deductibles on the warranties, and it's an incredibly reliable car to begin with, so you're probably not even gonna need that warranty.

So what you're saying is is that if you're gonna go buy a luxury used car, buy a certified pre-owned from Lexus, because pretty much can't go wrong.

Exactly.

Oh, unlimited mileage is pretty awesome, yeah, yeah.

I had an if you come over the other day.

He just got a 22 Toyota Camry CPO and he was telling me about it.

It's not quite as good as the Lexus by any means, but he was telling me about what his warranty was from the factory on that CPO.

Well, john, it's always great to talk to you and great information and thank you very much.

I didn't mean to leave out the CPO.

I see it here in the press release, but I but you know, you know I have.

I can come up with many excuses, but I won't cause you'll call me out on them, but that's okay.

No, what I meant was we don't, we will.

Yeah.

So what's next on the US news?

Car front.

So what you'll see in January are our best cars for the money award, and those are specific models that we believe are great values to consumers.

Well, you will you be our first phone call.

Would you please call us and let us know when you're ready and we'll schedule you in.

Absolutely.

I'll do that one from the floor of the Washington DC Auto Show.

Well, are you coming to?

the Houston.

Auto Show I maybe not Maybe.

Okay.

Well, don't then, and we'll just say you did.

Okay, John.

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

Thank you so much.

Have a great weekend, my friend.

Thank you for the time.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

John Vincent US news Cool stuff.

Yeah, it is cool stuff.

It's interesting to find.

You know what the parameters are, and I think we had this conversation earlier in the show about the girl that called here with her her take on whatever the awards that she had doled out, and she was the judge.

I was trying to, I'm trying to remember.

I'll have to go back and look and see no, don't bother, she was working for it at the time.

She ain't working for us, that's for sure.

All right Time now for some of the stories making automotive news headlines this week.

Let me just jot this down here, because you know what I will forget.

It Don't forget.

No, if anybody could do it.

You'll forget to write it down, uh-huh.

There we go, all right.

Continental, are you familiar with them?

Tires, sure?

Well, they don't only make tires, they make a lot of components that are put on vehicles.

Four manufacturers they're cutting thousands of jobs worldwide as the component supplier and tire maker takes step to reduce cost and bolster the competitiveness of its automotive unit.

Duction is part of a plan to produce annual cost by $428 million the exact numbers not yet been decided Expected to be in the mid four digit range, according to the statement.

That's major.

Or if that was impacted by the strike, that's yes, absolutely.

Stellantis and a pair of tier one automotive suppliers have been granted permission to take over the tooling from a bankrupt supplier to avoid enormous losses from shutting down vehicle assembly lines.

The automaker, along with 80 and PLC and Yan Feng automotive interior systems, was given relief late last week in the US bankruptcy court for from an automatic stay on the assets of unique fabricating and a Auburn Hills, michigan, based supplier, plastic, rubber and foam components filed for chapter seven liquidation on Thursday, you know we talked about that, the whole time the strike was going on?

Yeah, well, actually before the strike and that was a tier one.

That's a tier one.

That's pretty high level, yes, in other words, they make a lot of important stuff, right?

So, stellantis, speaking of offering you just see this Mars offering voluntary buyout packages to 6,400 US salary employees in response to quote unquote challenging market conditions.

A statement.

Stellantis said it's taking necessary structural actions to protect our operations and the company vote on tentative labor agreement that provides double digit raises and calls for 19 billion in manufacturing.

So ratify your new contract.

When you do that, you're gone.

Get rid of the salary, people, hey.

I was there happen to me.

But, you got to remember, though, when those UAW contracts are agreed to, there is a rollout effect on the salaried employees that get similar increases.

Yes, I beg to differ.

Well, it might not have been with you, but in the automobile it was when we did a GM.

The strikes always impacted our pay.

We talked to our friend Jack Neerad, and he's involved in this.

At the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota made the cut for car of the year, while two Chevy pickups are up against the Ford Super Duty in the truck category.

The battle for 2024 North American car truck and utility of the year is now set.

The winners will be announced January 4th at the M1 Concourse Race Track in Pontiac, Michigan.

Reengineered Toyota Camry.

When it arrives, the next generation will be exclusively hybrid, have all-wheel drive available as an option for all trim levels and feature new styling and technology inside and out.

Camry remains top selling midsize sedan in the US for the first nine months of 2023.

Well ahead of the second place Honda Accord and also the Chevy Malibu.

Interesting.

Kathy was driving the Camry before she'd landed on Alexis.

And not many others, because car business is shrinking.

Yeah, and I don't know if it'll continue to shrink.

I think that there'll still be some name brand manufacturers Honda, chevrolet, I think, will probably still have a car, maybe two, and Ford virtually out of the car business.

Yeah, they're out of the car business, and how's that doing for their business?

Not too well, I don't understand that thinking.

I think there's an adjustment coming in the next few years.

Well, they are in the car business because they still make the most thing Right, yeah, that's it.

That's the only one I can think of.

Yeah, yeah.

And Mercury doesn't exist anymore and Lincoln, they've kind of fallen off the radar.

They're not making cars either.

They're all SUVs.

I know that.

But they've only got three.

That's all they got.

Yeah, really, how do?

you do that.

Why would you take a name brand like that and not do anything with it?

And purposely?

Well?

you've destroyed it, you keep the profit centers and you let the rest of it go.

That's that's what they're doing, you know.

Look at Cadillac you know how?

about those dealers, how about?

those dealers that are still waiting for some new product to come out.

General Motors has formally registered with Formula One's governing body to provide power units to a proposed Andretti Cadillac team for 2028.

The sanctioning body, fia, has approved an expression of interest from Andretti to enter as an 11th team, but Formula One is still considering the application.

Formula One will have new engine regulations from 2026, with GM set to be the seventh manufacturer if Andretti secures approval.

Mercedes, ferrari, renault, audi, honda and Red Bull Ford are already committed, so Ford is the supplier to Red Bull.

Ford is sneaking in the back door.

I read an article this past week about that as well.

And you know GM's making it.

I wonder if they can make the lifters last.

It's the quiet Ford takeover.

There is that.

All right Time now for a quick break here on the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show.

We'll wrap up today's show right after this.

Houston's finest cars are invited to another Gulf Coast Auto Shield car social Saturday, december 2nd, and you're invited too.

Show off your personal pride and joy, or just stop in to see the likes of Lucid Lamborghini, porsche, ferrari and more.

Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your one-stop shop for paint detailing, coatings, window tint, clear bras and wheel repair.

The car social is your opportunity to get a tour of this state-of-the-art facility, located at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway, just south of the Southwest Freeway.

It all takes place Saturday, december 2nd, 9 to noon.

This is the perfect opportunity to connect with other car enthusiasts, from BMWs to, mentally, corvette's to McLaren's.

The car social is a different kind of show.

Talk to the owners.

See Gulf Coast Auto Shield's facility.

You'll be amazed.

Put it on your calendar now the Gulf Coast Auto Shield car social Saturday, december 2nd, 9 to noon at 11275 South Sam Houston Parkway, just south of the Southwest Freeway.

The in-mull time car talk show will be there too.

We'll see you then.

Hey, Houston, America's greatest hot rod tradition is back Thanksgiving weekend.

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Auto Rod at the George R Brown.

Convention Center for action-packed days of hot rods, customs classics trucks and performance cars.

The lowrider showcase sponsored by Shorties Hydraulics, see Lone Star Throwdowns, texas-sized truck spread, and don't miss the traditional rod and custom section.

Friday, saturday and Sunday see wild, high-flying freestyle motocross stunt shows, shop the Swat Meat and Women's World all weekend On the celebrity stage presented by.

Nick's Auto Repair and Classic Car Restoration.

Friday meet AEW Tag Team Superstars to Looja Bros.

Saturday it's Noel G Hector from the Fast and Furious.

Sunday it's Lou Ferrigno, the original, incredible Hulk.

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Auto Rod.

November 23rd through 26th at the George R Brown Convention Center.

Discount tickets at O'Reilly Auto Parts Part of the summer racing equipment show car series.

See auto-romacom for more info.

The original group of loopy tortilla restaurants will have you telling your family and friends just what the original recipes mean when it comes to the best fajitas in Southeast Texas.

Founders Stan Holt invite you to visit the original loopy tortilla near I-10 and Highway 6.

Here's the original house that inspired the design of all the rest and the original charm that helped make loopy tortilla the go-to destination for Houston Tex-Mex.

Speaking of original, nothing can compete with the original lime pepper marinade that everyone will agree makes loopy tortilla award-winning beef fajitas the best anywhere.

Loopy Tortilla Katie is another location that gives you the same quality and service Houstonians have come to expect at loopies.

It's located just off I-10 of the Grand Parkway, at Kingsland Boulevard in Katie.

Find yourself in Aggie Land.

Head to the loopy tortilla college station, located just around the corner from Kyle Field.

It's a great place to enjoy those famous frozen margaritas before or after the game.

Head to East Louisiana.

Stop in at the loopy tortilla in Beaumont.

It twos on I-10, you can't miss it.

The original group of loopy tortilla restaurants invites you in for the best Tex-Mex anywhere.

Well, that's it for this week's In Will Time car talk show.

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Revving Up with Auto Brand Rankings and News with John Vincent, U.S. News

About this episode

Delorean DMC-12

Rivian R1S

Ford F-150 Lightning

Chevrolet Silverado EV

Honda Accord

Honda Civic

Mazda Cx90

Mazda Cx50

Mazda Cx5

Gmc Canyon

Dodge Ram

Honda Prologue

Chevrolet Blazer

Toyota Camry

Chevrolet Malibu

Chevrolet Corvette

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