Nissan is a car company from Japan that makes many types of vehicles. They have been having some difficulties lately, which may affect their participation in car shows.
Camp Jeep is a special event at car shows where people can try out Jeep vehicles on tough, off-road tracks. It's a fun way to see how well these cars can handle rough conditions.
The overland experience is about using vehicles to go on adventures, often off the beaten path. It involves camping and exploring nature, making the vehicle an important part of the journey.
The Chevy Trax is a small SUV that is easy to drive and park. It's designed for people who want a vehicle that can handle city driving while still having enough space for groceries or luggage.
The Chevrolet Vega is a small car that was made in America during the 1970s. It was designed to be affordable and fuel-efficient, competing with smaller cars from other countries.
An aluminum engine is a type of engine made from a lightweight metal called aluminum. This makes the car lighter, which can help it use less fuel and go faster.
A Verti-pack rail car is a type of train car that can hold more cars by stacking them in a special way. This helps save space when transporting vehicles.
An engine oil baffle is a part inside the engine that keeps the oil in place so it can properly lubricate the engine parts, especially when the car is moving or tilted.
The Jaguar Mark I is a stylish car made by Jaguar in the late 1950s. It's known for its beautiful design and was one of the first cars to show off Jaguar's reputation for making high-quality vehicles. People talk about it because it's a classic and represents a special time in car history.
A turbocharged engine is a type of engine that uses a special device to make it more powerful without being bigger. It helps the car go faster and use fuel more efficiently.
A six-speed automatic transmission is a system that changes gears automatically, making it easier to drive. It has six different settings to help the car run smoothly and save fuel.
A three-cylinder turbocharged motor is a small engine with three parts that help it run. The turbocharger makes it more powerful without using a lot of fuel, which is good for efficiency.
Four-wheel drive means that all four wheels of the car get power from the engine, which helps with traction and control, especially in bad weather or off-road.
The Mazda CX-30 is a small SUV that is good for people who need a practical car but also want something stylish. It's a popular choice among those looking for a compact vehicle.
The Chevrolet Trailblazer is a small SUV that has a lot of space inside and comes with modern tech features. It's a good option for families or anyone needing a practical vehicle.
The Kia Sorento is a larger SUV that has plenty of room for families and comes with many safety features. It's a good choice for those who need more space in their vehicle.
A three-cylinder engine is an engine with three chambers where fuel is burned to create power. They are usually smaller and lighter, but they might not be as powerful unless they have a turbo to boost their performance.
LIVE
Welcome to another In-Wheel Time podcast
Welcome to the In-Wheel Time car talk show
President of the Houston Auto Show
is our first guess out of the box this morning and
I think you're gonna be surprised later in Jeff's car culture shipping Chevy's in a verte pack
Yeah, what yeah and Mars has his driving destinations
How do you along with Mike out of this world Mars and Neaterville, Texas?
We always need more Jeff Zeek and chief engineer David Aisley. We've been on the phone with him all morning all morning
I'm not Armstrong. I don't like to admit it, but it's like you got me whether you like it or not
It's been quite a morning. It's been actually quite a couple of weeks started early and everything. Yeah
You know a couple of weeks ago when we joined you for our full two-hour show
we were at a
car show in Spring Branch, Texas
Spring Ranch High School
Foundation put that on had a great time out there last week. We're ready to do the show and there was that kind of studio mean
Yeah, last week we were getting ready to do the show and come to find out that there was a problem over in Neaterville. No
Wasn't there it was internet
It was everywhere it was in Neaterville is where it was besides the point of you know, what it was
It doesn't make any difference. It was coming from Neaterville. I was there for something. Yeah, you got to be famous for something
well
This week
We had a power out at sure this morning at 10 minutes of my turn
my turn
And then that kind of jacked everything up and
Here we are don't ask me how we're here, but we made it made it, but thank you for joining us anyway
I think we owed you that explanation as jacked up as it was
all right
Joining us now is the newly crowned
President of the Houston auto show ladies and gentlemen here. She is
Rochelle's cleanest
Look the same. She's not wearing a crown. No, but she's got her sunglasses on
Yeah, good morning
Congratulations, how are you? Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm sorry to hear you had such a hectic morning
It makes me feel less bad about coming to you from a baseball game though. So that's
Did you happen to have any Halloween celebrations at your house last night
We had two hours of trick-or-treating. So I think that in a bag full of candy was plenty
How did everybody dress last night? Oh, we had a wide variety
We had a nerd and a scary clown and something these teenagers are calling
Sheisties wearing a vest. I don't really know
So this this what I got the press release I sent it over to Mars and I said OMG
I knew you win and it was yeah, it wasn't in our world. It wasn't that long ago
You've come a long way and congratulations
So what what it what's transpired? What's happened? Give us the skinny. Yeah
well, it's been you know 15 years and I've been working on the auto show and
Representing it being the spokes person spokesperson for everything and you know our board got together this year at their committee meeting with our president
Wyatt and and they for the Houston Auto Dealers Association and they said I think it's about time
We want to make sure Rochelle doesn't start looking elsewhere and stays with the auto show and HADA
So let's go ahead and promote her to the president and and make sure she's you know
Continues on with with the great leadership. She's been doing so I was really really humbled really happy for it
Definitely a good validation of of all the hard work. I've been putting in
We can we can validate it as well because I think that the Houston Auto show is in the best place that it's ever been in
Thanks to you on and many levels
I mean, I know that it takes a lot of people to put that show on but it also takes leadership and you've done such a great job and
You know, you have so many irons in the fire
Beginning now all the way through the show and the funny thing about it is is that you start on the show as soon as this past
What is over right and yeah, that's right
I don't think that people realize that what goes on at car shows
They think all the cars show up and they just put them in slots and yeah, that's all there is to it
And we know that there's a lot more to it and working with manufacturers in particular
Speaking of that, let's talk a little bit about that in the upcoming show
I know that you can only talk about limited things because we are a little bit early here
What's the response like with the manufacturers because let's face it
Manufacturers are kind of in a turmoil right now with with the whole EV thing and the billions and billions of dollars that they put into
EVs and they're having to back off of because they're just not selling like they thought that they would
Yeah
First thank you for the compliment of the show being in a good place, you know, there is a lot of challenges
We've been facing, you know since
2020 after after the 2020 show with COVID and now tariffs and inventory
challenges and it's just there's a lot of hurdles to get through to pull off such a large-scale event and
So it is the best that it can be in in these
Situations and yeah, there are some manufacturers that are definitely having some challenges like Nissan for example
And we're not sure where they'll be for this year at the show if if at all
Which is really disappointing because they've been a long-standing
Exhibitor of ours and so we're hoping maybe the dealers can pull it off and be there and then, you know, there's other high-end ones that have no
So really struggling with being at the show. So we've come up with some few things to do that
We've come up with a few things to kind of make that happen and
We're happy to have camp Jeep back. We got that confirmation yesterday, which is early to tell you that
I didn't and
Then we're working with Modern Luxury magazine and they're going to put on a luxury exhibit
And this luxury exhibit will help fulfill some of those spots of the luxury manufacturers that we don't always have and
They're also going to be really curating some experiences and VIP experiences each night within the show
So I'm happy to have all of those people, you know coming back and then, you know traditional Ford
Chevy Kia Hyundai, you know, we're looking forward to all of them returning and and they've all committed to being at the show
Is Cadillac coming this year? I know last year they they kind of had some reservations and the dealers had to step up in that
Yeah, we'll have a dealer support for Cadillac again this year as well as Lincoln
I had some hopes for Lincoln because Lincoln did come back at is there is coming back to the LA show in
Later this month, but they said they're just doing two shows this year and what they'll consider next year
So we've got West Point Lincoln putting up the display for this year, too
Yeah, no no no no doubt and that's that's really what it's all about
Are you taking over the the boat of side of it as well?
It's going to be an auto boat of again this year or is that all still working? Yes, so this is our
Fifth year with the boat show and so the boat the boat show will continue to run their side of the show
We'll still split the building about 50-50 and they've got some great things coming in
Even some off-roading opportunities out front of the of the energy center this year
So some lots of fun stuff happening on that end, too
Well, that's a and I assume that you're still going to have the riding drives. Yes, we do have yeah
We will have ride-and-drive outdoors. I know right now we have Toyota
Subaru Stellantis and
One more that I'm not remembering off the top of my head at the moment and we'll also have
Some adding I'm adding in a new
Opportunity for tours so working with similar you guys the Texas
Auto Riders Association and I have some expert tour guides
To take you on a tour around the auto show so that you can maybe save some time
Get some opinions from others that that are not the auto that are not the product specialist
But have opinions on all the brands and so you can sign up for one of those tours and go see all the SUVs at one time
All the pickup trucks at one time
Maybe all the family vehicles at one time and really get an expert opinion on someone that's driven these done car reviews on them
And can tell you all about them. That's a great idea. Wow. That's a great idea
We could we could give tours of the concession stand
We could as long as there's hot dogs in
Yeah, so there's that yeah, so are you going to have the preview party? Absolutely. Yes VIP night continues the first Tuesday
That'll be January 27th tickets for everything go on sale right after Thanksgiving and
Modern luxury is also supporting that VIP night and bringing in a lot of good elevated ideas to make some some unique
Experiences for this year
It sounds really exciting. Okay now as far as your responsibilities are concerned
Not only are you doing marketing in PR, but you're also president this year. How's that going to change things for you?
I don't think it'll change too much besides the pressure that comes with the title
You know, I still do a lot of running around and all the interviews and I think that will stand
I just might be even asked even more questions every single day
There you go. Yeah, have you have you visited any other car shows this year that you might perhaps steal an idea or two
Well, we have a new group called the auto
The automotive excellent alliance and we have been going around to a couple auto shows meeting with manufacturers. We've added in some new survey
Survey and data collection aspects to all of our auto shows around the country so we can really exhibit the
Importance of the shows so last year I attended LA. I went to the New York show
Our whole team also went to Chicago
so I've definitely been seeing some great examples and and also things that I know we're doing good at and so we're sharing good ideas of
ways to keep improving our auto shows and
Speaking of the Chicago auto show, you know, I've been a couple of times there and I've also been to the Detroit show
But I will say that that Chicago show in the past anyway has really been a premier show
That I've ever attended the most most attended show that I've ever gone to let me put it that way
It was it still the same this year for you
Yeah, so it's one of the most beautiful shows for me the lighting in that building and the way that they set up all of their
Decor in and signage and everything it is a spectacular show
Jen Moran does a great job leading her team over there another woman president of the auto shows and
It's they are definitely still having the similar challenges that we are and really having to work with their local dealer network to put in some of these
displays but
We're all thinking out of the box another area that they grew in and we're copying is the overland experience
So we know overland is a really growing popular niche in automotive
Aftermarkets and camping and adventure and getting out there with your vehicle as a tool
And so we're adding an exhibit like that as well this year and they did a really good job in bringing that into the auto show space
That's interesting does it isn't going to be coupled with a manufacturer or is it does a standalone?
This is going to likely be mostly a standalone for us this year
So bringing in some private groups, but we're trying to make it experiential
So also working with Boy Scouts in the area
So we've got the camping aspect the you know adventure areas and and really making it a full experience
It brings a smile to my face you bring it in the Boy Scouts
Yeah, that's going to be a very unique and different display. Yeah, and the one other thing
We're also adding this year to do something different as we're hosting Houston give-back day
So partnering with the boat show we're bringing in about 20 nonprofits on the Thursday of the show
And they're going to all be set up, you know creating their aware building awareness about their nonprofits and their missions and causes
We'll also have the Gulf Coast blood bank having a blood donation outside that whole day
And they'll all of those nonprofits will have a discount code for anyone that wants to support them to get tickets to the auto show as well
So it's it's going to be a really good day to really show off every all of the great things in our community that Houston has
Do you have any slots open for for these nonprofits? Yeah, we might be able to fit a few more in
We've got 20 already. So happy to grow it. Wow. Okay, so how does how does that?
I did a charity event here a few weeks ago and really touched my heart. It's out here in the Fort Bend County area and
It has to do with children and I I thought wow that would really be cool if we could get them there as well
Who did they get who did they get in touch with? Yeah, you can send me a message. You've got my my email
You can have them send me a message, you know, I've got your email
Bugger all the time
But yeah, that would I think that would really be a cool thing because you know
Houston auto show it does have the Houston tag to it
Let's face it Houston involves a lot of different communities throughout the Houston area and surrounding it as well
Absolutely. Yeah, and that's I'm not sure if you had it on your list to talk about still
But one of the other upcoming things we've got going on right now
Bringing in all of the Houston surrounding area is our student technician competition
And I believe you guys did an interview with some of the winners
Maybe last year or the competitors and we have grown the competition
So we've got 23 teams this year and you know, it's doubling the first year that we've had it
So now we're in our third year and we're moving out to the Texas State Technical College in Rosenberg because we have so many teams and
Kids involved we've got, you know, almost 70 students competing in this from all over Houston from as far as El Campo
Down to Dickinson and and back up to all of the Cyprus area and across
So it's a really exciting event having these students have a real-life experience
Mentoring in the dealerships and then coming to compete for scholarships and cash prizes and tools from Milwaukee
It's gonna be a really really awesome event
Well, if you need any help with that, let us know I know that campus. It's very nice campus and they do a lot for the students
There's diesel electric. There's gas. There's all kinds of things that goes on and on that camp very cool
Yeah, yeah, you know, I find it interesting
Rochelle that these are the kinds of things that weren't in place at the Houston auto show not that long ago
And I see that smile on your face and
Because I mean, yeah a lot of this has to do with you and you know, congratulations on your new title and
We're so excited when I got that press lease
He sent it immediately to all of us. Yeah, I did I sent it to everybody. So thank you
Congratulations, I know you're at a baseball but game. So who's winning? Who's winning? Do you know? I'm watching you guys? I don't know
Again congratulations and hey, thanks for so much for joining us taking your time today. Oh, thank you guys as always. I really appreciate it
All right, we'll talk to you soon. Thank you. I'm Rochelle Salina with the Houston auto show
Wow
Really cool, you know, I'm looking for a new submarine to a submarine
Yeah, for on the boat. Well, I was gonna say that we on the auto boat aside
They probably have connections there take care to the submarine races. Yeah, huh?
You know, I told my wife that I was going to take her to the submarine races the other day and she said what?
She didn't have any clue coming from you Mars it has a different connotation all together make sense. Yeah, so anyway
Just had to go there
All right, time for a break just ahead Jeff's car culture
Shipping in a verta pack. All right. You're gonna like this one plus
Review the Chevy tracks SUV that more coming up here on the in-wheel-time car talk show stay with us
The Tex-Mex dining experience is defined by loopy tortilla your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas
Since 1983 loopy tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients
Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience at loopy tortilla all developed in the little house near highway 6 and I 10 in West Houston
Visit any of the loopy tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail in each and every location
Start your loopy experience with queso flamiato and guacamole along with a classic frozen margarita
Dine on famous loopy beef and chicken fajitas or pepper shrimp brochette or a fish or vegetarian entree and finish with a scrumptious
Flan for dessert
Find loopy tortilla in Houston College Station
Beaumont Austin San Antonio in Dallas, Fort Worth
There's a Texas location near you the recipes are authentic and time-tested the ingredients always fresh loopy tortilla
He's pretty good
Time to fire up those engines and pay tribute to the folks who make freedom possible
Bastro's own 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
Bastro
Don't miss it
Oh
This is the last week that we get to advertise for these guys. We could still do it though. I mean we used to go
Every show like that. Well, that would be Mars because he's he's he's more he's closer to that kind of action over there
Yeah, and he knows his action. Well, I could record some late at night for you
All right, let us creaming. Well close to that. Yeah
Oh
Hey, and we'll time invite you to join us 10 to noon central time every Saturday for our live show about all things automotive
And we thank you for being with us today. All right time now for Jeff's car culture and today Jeff talks about
Verda pack Chevy shipping what is this and you got to be careful when you say it
Verda pack Chevy shipping
Okay, you just said it all for everybody there you go
Well, the Chevy Vega was a subcompact car sold by Chevrolet during the 70s 70 to 77 mile years
The goal was to take a new Japanese European small fuel-efficient car with an American made
Body innovative features and all kinds of good stuff, but it had to be competitively priced
major cost
Efficiencies of the Vega gained through a quick vehicle development process. It had aluminum engine. It had advanced automation
in the assembly plant
Getting the Vega to the dealers needed to find a cheaper way to ship the cars. So what they did was
Typical car in the 70s could rail car that is could fit about 15 vehicles due to its compact size
It was possible to fit 18 of the Vegas in that same configuration
It was a small game but not good enough
Because one of the things was that to ship a Vega from Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant to the furthest point on the west coast
Was about 4,800 bucks the car itself cost around two grand
So that was not very very efficient. No, so what they did was the new method came from a form of what they call a
Verti-pack rail car developed by General Motors and Southern Pacific Railway
By placing the cars nose down 30 cars could fit where 18 previously did
Getting those extra vehicles loaded into each rail car reduced shipping charges
However, it required additional rail car features and vehicle packaging in order to the have the Vega
Packaged in this the new rail car design each one was fitted with four
Removable cast steel sockets to the undercarriage
Plastic spacers were wedged beside the powertrain to prevent damage to the engine and transmission mounts
These were removed when the cars were unloaded. Yeah, right
The rail the rail ramp doors were opened and closed via forklift what could go wrong there
Not only did the doors double as ramps. They also provided security from weather vandalism and theft
something
Which the typical air the typical tri-level racks were exposed to
then
Chevrolet marketing wanted to put in the tout the Vega as ready to drive off the Verti-pack ramps without any fluid fills
Unfortunately, the cars were not meant to be suspended nose down for any length of time
Since the Verti-pack shipment method was known early Chevrolet engineers were able to design the Vega with this in mind
Check this out
Engineers perform vibration and low-speed crash testing to ensure Vegas did not sustain physical damage in the rail cars
They also included following the
preventative of actually to prevent fluid spills an internal engine damage while the vehicle was vertical an
Engine oil baffle prevented the oil from entering the number one cylinder
Battery filler caps were located on the edge of the battery the battery prevent acid spilling
The carburetor float bowl had a tube that drained into the vapor canister during shipping
When she'll wash her bottle stood at a 45 degree angle nothing could go wrong with any of us
All these design considerations were meant to get the Vega to a market in a safe efficient manner in real life
The Verti-pack system created challenges now. There's more to this story because they interviewed a lot of the rail people
That did this and there were a lot of problems the doors failed the forklifts
Jammed them up in there damaged the vehicles. They fell back. So there was a lot of things that were not actually
Conducive to making this a proper way
They they saved some money
But in a long run it cost them because of all the damages they had to get the rail cars right and then of course the
Broken vehicle so it was and it was an event
It was an expense that they did and for the seven years at the Vega
I don't know if it was cost effective or not
Well, you know, it wasn't that long ago that they shipped cars in open rail cars. Do you remember that?
Yeah, oh my god, and they will arrive to their destination dirty broken beat up
Yeah, it looked like they had gone through hell and back and the ones that you see now
On the on the tracks that we have in the area those were actually designed by General Motors
General Motors designed that for the theft and I think they came out of Detroit doing that
So and you see the pictures there. That's just a little bit about what how they did it back in the 70s. Well, I
vaguely remember the 70s and we'll just leave it at that
But you had two of them, you know that. Yeah, well, yeah to to Vegas
I thought you had two 70s
No, just one. I know I couldn't have survived to all right time now for this hour's car review
I had a chance to drive the 2026 Chevy tracks. This thing is made in the
Shanghwan, Korea province. Oh, yeah, and it comes and I didn't know that you're been there. I have not have you know, no
I
Available trim levels my mind was racing at about a hundred miles an hour come up with something and I did but I can't repeat it
On the air available trim levels LS one RS
LT
to RS and
Active active is the new model. I had the two RS. So pretty much loaded up small SUV seats five
It was all new in
2024
Large split grille with squinty headlights. It's very attractive
Side-sculpting is just the right amount with upswept rear glass
small rear hatch window with a sunshade over it and
Attractive lighting back there in the back wheels they change with the trim level that you select
What I liked about it the overall design in my mind gets high marks. I really did like this
What could use improvement? I'm not exactly sure what the roof rack rails are for anymore
Yeah, it's just a look because they don't serve any purpose other than looking from the side
You can see a rail up there, but why I don't know. I don't get it. They just don't make sense. Well, anyway
interior highlights
Optional big infotainment screen one of the best and it's one of the biggest as well our RS trim
Had attractive red accents
Stitched on the seats and piping which adds some pop to the interior easy to use and find dash controls
Steering wheel controls are not complicated. I'm glad to report
Cargo room more than you would expect in a small SUV like this
But I liked again high marks overall including comfortable seats. What could use improvement? Nothing
Here's a killer. I'm really surprised. All right a 1.2 liter
three-cylinder turbocharged engine
Powers this thing a three-cylinder. You wouldn't know it
137 horsepower you think a lot this thing is gutless. No, it's not
162 pound-feet of torque six-speed automatic transmission and that combination
Actually works very well
You'd think that the thing is a slug from the stoplight. It is not
Toe rating
1263 pounds on a three-cylinder turbocharged motor and this I really like miles per gallon rated 28 city 32 highway for a combined of
30 miles per gallon. I got 29.3 miles per gallon over
477.5 miles in 90% of that is driven on the highway
What I liked zippy
despite that small engine and
Against good gas mileage what could use improvement?
Maybe a little more power as an option, but why because then you kill the price point
Ride and handling smooth and comfortable. Yes, he said that
What could use improvement? It only comes in two-wheel drive now here in Houston
Good because we get to save the money on not having a four-wheel drive now if you
Have the thing in some place that's got a snow. Well, that could be a problem
But then you've got other options when it comes to that in the Chevrolet lineup
This two-wheel drive model keeps the price down for a wheel drive again for the snow belt base trim price
25 3 prices tested 28 385 base model price
21
600 nice base model price 20 starter vehicle. Yeah, 21,600 ice starter vehicle
Competitors Mazda CX 30 starts at 25 975 the VW towels
26 5 and the Chevy trailblazer and I say that because
The trailblazer is just a tiny bit bigger
But it does have a four-wheel drive option if that's what you want. It starts at 23,000
Which again is a couple of thousand dollars more than the base model price of the Chevy
tracks next week we're going to review the
Kia Sorento. Yep something like that. Yeah, I believe it's great
Okay, the thing about the art is aren't the manufacturers
Relying too much on a turbo to do the work. Well three-cylinder turbo
Well, the three-cylinder engine you're not going to get a whole lot of horsepower out of it without the turbo
Why's a four-cylinder turbo and it's got it's got spunk. It does. Yeah, but you know, they don't press it that hard
You know, it's kind of a little boost, but it's not some you know, 65 pound PSI add to it
Yeah, it's it's not that no and I think the way it produces that boost is a little different
You know, it kind of comes on kind of gradually because it's dependent on the engine for its actually drive and
As well as the person that has that right foot, right?
Mine has two-wheel option or all-wheel drive option
So I can go back and forth on that, but it's pretty much the same mileage
I get with mine is that one on the tracks
But Kylie looked at those at the auto show a couple years ago when they first came out
She was interested in that. Yeah, so it's a needle car. I agree. All right time to take a break in real-time car talk continues
Right after this stay with us
Who doesn't like a social event how about one that centers around your love for all things automotive
Another Gulf Coast Auto Shield car social is back Saturday, December 6th 9 to noon at 11 to 75
South Sam Houston Parkway just south of the Southwest freeway
It's a morning packed with incredible cars some of the finest rides in town from classics to modern exotics
Here's your chance to talk to fellow car lovers grab a coffee and check out how Gulf Coast Auto Shield keeps these rides looking perfect
Meet the team take a look around the shop to see firsthand how Gulf Coast Auto Shield gets the most of the look
You're trying to create in real time will be there with their live car talk show
You might just be one of the guests
Don't miss this free fun and fast-paced car gathering of fellow car lovers and their rides
Saturday December 6th at Gulf Coast Auto Shield
11 to 75 South Sam Houston Parkway bring your car bring your friends and bring your love for all things automotive. We'll see you then
The award-winning in real time car talk show now reaches 5.3 million folks each year
Check us out on in real time comm YouTube Facebook and podcasts available from your favorite go-to source
Including our live broadcast every Saturday 10 to noon central time
The end will time car talk show has informative automotive guest interviews new car reviews along with popular features including driving
Destinations Jeff's car culture latest car news cruise ins and racing dates. It's all on in wheel time.com. Join us
for the in-wheel time car show
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 comm website
Podcasts are available on Apple podcast Spotify Stitcher I heart podcast podcast addict tune in Pandora and Amazon music
Keep listening and we'll see you soon
About this episode
Rochelle Salinas, the new president of the Houston Auto Show, discusses her journey and the exciting changes coming to this year's event. With a focus on community impact, the show will feature innovative exhibits, including a luxury showcase and an overland experience. Salinas highlights the challenges faced by manufacturers, especially with the shift to electric vehicles, and the importance of engaging local nonprofits. The episode also touches on the student technician competition and the show's commitment to providing unique experiences for attendees.
We sit down with newly appointed Houston Auto Show president Rochelle Salinas to unpack what it takes to steer a legacy event through inventory shortages, EV uncertainty, and shifting manufacturer strategies while still delivering experiences people can feel.
Rochelle shares concrete updates: Camp Jeep is confirmed, a curated luxury showcase with Modern Luxury is on deck, and outdoor ride-and-drives with Toyota, Subaru, and Stellantis remain a highlight. We’re adding expert-led tours that group vehicles by real buyer needs—SUVs, trucks, family cars—so you can compare fast, ask smart questions, and leave informed. Inspired by trips to LA, New York, and Chicago, we’re bringing an overlanding zone to Houston, complete with camping setups and Scout partnerships to make it hands-on and family friendly.
Community impact gets real with Houston Give Back Day, created with the partner Boat Show to spotlight roughly 20 nonprofits and on-site blood donation. We also celebrate the rapid growth of the student technician competition at Texas State Technical College in Rosenberg—23 teams, scholarships, cash, and tools—building the talent pipeline our industry needs. And for a dose of car culture history, Jeff revisits the Vertipak era, when Chevy shipped Vegas nose-down to pack more cars per railcar, a bold logistics gamble that changed how vehicles move across the country.
We close with a detailed review of the 2026 Chevy Trax. It’s a small SUV with a big value story: clean design, an excellent infotainment screen, surprisingly lively 1.2-liter turbo performance, and near-30 mpg combined, all at a compelling price point. If you’re weighing Trax vs Trailblazer, AWD needs, or interior tech, you’ll get the clarity you’re looking for.
If you enjoyed this conversation, follow and subscribe, share it with a friend who loves cars, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find the show. Your feedback shapes what we explore next.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
---- ----- Want more In Wheel Time car talk any time?
In Wheel Time is now available on Audacy!
Just go to Audacy.com/InWheelTime where ever you are. ----- ----- Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast provider for the next episode of In Wheel Time Podcast and check out our live multiplatform broadcast every Saturday, 10a - 12nCT simulcasting on Audacy, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and InWheelTime.com.
In Wheel Time Podcast can be heard on you mobile device from providers such as:
Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music Podcast, Spotify, SiriusXM Podcast, iHeartRadio podcast, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Castro, Castbox, YouTube Podcast and more on your mobile device.
Follow InWheelTime.com for the latest updates!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InWheelTime
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inwheeltime/
https://www.youtube.com/inwheeltime
https://www.Facebook.com/InWheelTime
For more information about In Wheel Time Podcast, email us at
