TTAC At The 2026 Detroit Auto Show
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Concept
Detroit Auto Show
The Detroit Auto Show is a big event where car companies show off their newest cars and technologies. It's held every year in Detroit, and many people in the car industry attend to see what's new.
Company
eBay Motors
eBay Motors is a part of eBay where you can buy and sell cars and car parts. They make it easy to find what you need and help with the buying process.
Car
Ford Bronco
The Ford Bronco RTR is a special version of the Bronco that has been upgraded for better performance and style. It's made for people who love off-roading and want a more exciting driving experience.
Car
Dodge Charger
Car
Honda Prelude
The Honda Prelude is a sporty two-door car that Honda made for many years. It was known for being fun to drive and had some cool features.
Car
Ford Maverick
The Ford Maverick is a small truck that Ford started making again recently. It's popular because it's affordable and has a hybrid version that saves gas.
Car
Hyundai Palisade
Car
Ram TRX
The Ram TRX is a special version of the Ram truck that is designed for high performance, especially for off-road driving.
Term
6.2 Supercharged
The 6.2 Supercharged is a type of engine that is bigger and more powerful because it has a supercharger that helps it run faster and stronger.
Term
3.6 Pentastar
The 3.6 Pentastar is a type of engine that is designed to be powerful while also saving fuel, and it's used in many Chrysler vehicles.
Concept
F1
F1 stands for Formula 1, which is a type of car racing that features very fast cars competing in races at different locations worldwide.
Car
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a big truck that people use for work and play. It's strong and can carry heavy loads, which makes it a favorite for those who need a reliable vehicle for tough jobs.
Concept
NASCAR
NASCAR is a type of car racing that mainly takes place on oval tracks in the United States, featuring cars that look like regular cars but are specially built for racing.
Car
Ford F1
The Ford F-1 is an older type of truck that people used for heavy work. It's known for being tough and reliable, which is why many people still like them today.
Car
DeLorean
The DeLorean is a unique car that has a shiny metal body and doors that open upwards. It's famous because it was used in a popular movie about time travel.
Term
secure purchase
'Secure purchase' is a way to buy a car online safely. It makes sure that the seller is trustworthy and that your payment is secure, so you don't have to worry about getting scammed.
Term
DMV
The DMV is a government office where you go to handle things like getting a driver's license or registering a car. Sometimes, it takes a long time to get things done there.
Term
gear heads
'Gear heads' are people who really love cars and know a lot about them. They often work on their own cars and enjoy making them better.
Term
Raptor
The Raptor is a special version of the Ford F-150 truck that's built for off-road driving. It has a powerful engine and strong parts that help it handle rough terrains like dirt and rocks.
Term
ICE vehicle
An ICE vehicle is a car that runs on gasoline or diesel fuel. It's the traditional type of car most people are familiar with before electric cars became popular.
Term
MSRP
MSRP is the price that car manufacturers suggest dealers sell their cars for. It's like a starting point for what you might pay for a new car, but the final price can be different.
Car
Ram Ramcharger
The Ramcharger EV is a new electric SUV from Ram, a brand known for trucks. It's designed to be tough and capable, just like the older Ramcharger models, but with an electric engine.
Car
Jeep Recons
The Jeep Recon is a new electric vehicle from Jeep, built for off-road adventures. It combines Jeep's tough design with electric technology, making it suitable for outdoor activities while being environmentally friendly.
Concept
EVs
EVs stand for electric vehicles, which are cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline, making them better for the environment.
Car
Cadillac Escalade
The Cadillac Escalade EV is an electric version of Cadillac's big luxury SUV, the Escalade, offering more space and a quieter ride.
Car
Cadillac Lyric
The Cadillac Lyric is a new electric SUV from Cadillac that focuses on luxury and technology.
Car
Cadillac Celestiq
The Cadillac Celestique is a very expensive electric car from Cadillac that focuses on luxury and advanced technology.
Brand
Toyota
Toyota is another big car company from Japan, famous for making reliable cars and hybrids like the Prius.
Brand
Subaru
Subaru is a car company from Japan that makes cars known for their all-wheel drive and safety features.
Car
Nissan Sentra
The Nissan Sentra is a small car that is easy to drive and good on gas. It's often chosen by people looking for a reliable and affordable vehicle.
Car
Kia K4
The Kia K4 is a car made by Kia that is designed to be comfortable and practical for everyday use. It's a good option for families or anyone needing a reliable vehicle.
Car
Lucid Gravity
The Lucid Gravity is a fancy electric SUV that doesn't use gas. It's designed to be really comfortable and can go a long way on a single charge, making it a cool option for people who want a high-end car that’s also good for the environment.
Car
Nissan Leaf
Car
Ram 1500
The Ram 1500 Hemi is a big pickup truck that has a powerful engine, making it great for towing and carrying heavy loads.
Car
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is a sporty car that looks like it came from the past but has modern features. It's known for being really fast and fun to drive, making it popular among people who love muscle cars.
Car
Hyundai Elantra
The Hyundai Elantra is a small car that's easy to drive and good on gas. It's a practical choice for getting around town without spending too much money.
LIVE
Hello, and welcome to the Truth About Cars podcast. I am Tim Healy, the managing editor, and this
week we are live-ish at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show. We have a lot to cover this week. D-Tech
contributor Matthew Guy and I discussed NASCAR's new playoff format, as well as cabin filters
for stuff we use, and Mr. Guy and I also discussed the Detroit Auto Show. We also get another
look at Detroit from John Vincent from U.S. News and we'll report. But first, a word from
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Here on the Truth About Cars podcast, we are at the Detroit Auto Show. The 2026 Detroit
Auto Show are also known as the 2026 North American International Auto Show. It's
T-Tech contributor Matthew Guy with me. Matthew, how are you doing today?
Doing pretty good, Tim. How about you?
I'm doing well.
It's snowy Detroit.
It is snowy Detroit. It was not snowing this morning. It is coming down pretty hard right
now. So the Detroit Auto Show this year is unique in that there are not many product
unveils. There is the new Bronco RTR, which you and I both saw in person. And that
is about it. We've also had a speech from, or kind of an interview from former transportation
secretary Pete Buttigieg. He didn't make a lot of news. So Matthew, I want to cut your
sense on what's going on on an auto show that doesn't really have much news.
An auto show that has autos, but I'm not sure how many are new. Yeah, because you're right,
Detroit always had, you know, we've had a bunch of posts on the site this week about
the big flashy reveals in the past, right? And that is something that is absent this year.
They kicked off with the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards this year. The
Dodge Charger six pack, one car of the year over the other two finalists, the Prelude and
the, what was the other one? The Prelude and the,
I don't recall the finalist. I took my head. It's all the winners were the Ford Maverick
Lobo, Hyundai Palisade and that's Charger. Yes. That's right. So I mean, the Palisade,
you've driven that too. Yeah, very good. That's a very, very good car. And the
Lobo, you've driven that as well? I've not. You haven't driven the Lobo?
Not the Lobo. I've driven many in Maverick, but not the Lobo. It's interesting with the Lobo because
they have enough, like with that twin clutch rear end in it. I mean, it is different experience than
any other Maverick, right? I mean, in terms of how it puts down the power when you're in that
Lobo mode, right? Which is kind of cool. So I like that. I thought that was kind of neat.
There are a bunch of, like you said, the RTR Bronco that's there. RTR has been made and
ready to rock with Von Gitton Jr. They've been making Broncos, are upfitting Broncos,
I guess for a while. And this is more of an official, quote, unquote, collab between them with
the RTR vehicles coming out of the factory, from what I understand. So that's a bit different than
before. No shortage of other vehicles here in terms of stuff that we saw perhaps last week.
Ram dropped that, the TRX with the 6.2 Supercharge, that means back again. And that's
here on the show floor. So those types, I mean, there's... You mentioned around EV.
Yes, that's right. So the RAM, I know, we know that they're coming out with the extended range
EV, right? With the 3.6 Pentastar under the hood that is not directly driving the wheels. It's
electric. And there's one of those on the show floor. And that's the first one I've seen in
person. Looks just like a normal RAM. And that's the point, I highly suspect, right? It has a
different lighting signature on the front, crawled up and under, has gear heads like
Osir want to do and saw the batteries underneath. I'm not sure how it's going to affect
the ground clearance with that. Interesting. Yeah, a lot about that. Right? If you're going to lose
an HSO ground clearance. Or if indeed, I mean, this did have an actual VIN. But of course,
there's a couple hundred of these, or a few dozen at least, running around Detroit right now,
under validation through Salinas employees. So I don't know if this is the final
permutation of it, if there's going to be more skid plates and stuff underneath. But
I hope it has a, I was going to say, I hope it has a skid plate. Exactly. For the battery. Yeah.
Right. So those types of things just to, just to guard against any sort of truck-like
activity that we hope people will put these things through. But how about you? I mean,
you've been here, you've been here to the show a lot more naiv. There are a lot more shows
than naiv. Yeah. So I've been to almost every year for the past 16 years. Obviously,
there was actually a COVID show because of in 2020, if I remember correctly,
the show would have been in January and when I'm ahead of COVID, I believe 21 might have
was canceled. I don't, because I think we were still in January 2020, 21 battling the pandemic.
That may have been the year they moved into the late summer. I'd have to go back and look
it up. I don't have my memories a little faulty there. But I've been coming to this show,
I may have missed one or two, just because maybe there was a year or two where I didn't
need to come. But it's different this year with, with only the RTR being the only
real product news. It's, it's weird not seeing, not running from press conference to press conference,
not seeing a huge amount of cars, the manufactured plates parked outside of the hall,
you know, having executives running back and forth. I still feel like there's stuff to do and
we're still busy. And I think there's still a reason for media to be here, even those,
even media like myself who don't live in Detroit, but it is different. And this is something
we've harped upon before in the site. And I will not belabor the point too much, but I think it's
because automakers discovered, they were starting to discover this before COVID and they think COVID
kind of forced it upon them. Automakers realized they can do an event randomly on a Tuesday
and invite media and dealer employees and all that and own the news cycle for a week.
Whereas when you've got 10 press conferences in a day and sites like T-Tac are posting every
half hour, every hour, you own the news cycle for an hour. And then, and then you're now you're
not down the page on the websites and you're, so it's a little different. I still think we're
going to see, I also think part of the thing is we're just in the middle of some mid-cycle
refreshes right now. I think we'll see more product in New York, maybe even next month in
Chicago in New York, I think for sure. So, you know, I don't want to sit here and say
auto shows are dead. Certainly consumer days aren't dead. Media days are different than
consumer days and press preview may go away, but people who live in Detroit, the Detroit area
are still going to come to the show and spend money and go see cars. There's not much else
to do in the Midwest in January. It's cold and so there's something to do that's indoors and
can occupy two or three hours of your time. There's stuff to do for, if you have young
children, there's always stuff to do for young children. And if you're a car buyer,
but you won't be bothered by pushy sales people, an auto show is a great way to do it.
Go check out all the cars and if you're a car enthusiast, you know, that's one way
to see all the cars off close to driving from dealership to dealership on a Sunday.
It's a great way to see cars are close for 20 bucks or whatever the price of a ticket is.
So I think consumer days are going to be fine. It's just, it's hard for us to figure out what
to talk about when there's not a new product. It's a little different, but you know,
you and I are here for two days and there's still stuff to check out and stuff to talk about.
And Pete Buttigieg, the former secretary of taxation was here and he didn't break a lot of news,
but it was good to hear his thoughts on the industry. Potential future governor,
maybe not governor, but do be an editorial candidate of Michigan because he lives in
Michigan now. Potential future candidate for the United States president or senate like that
is a young man. He could run for anything in the future. So good to hear his thoughts on
transit, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whether you like him or not,
it's good to have at least know what he feels because he's going to be potentially in a position
of power again. So that was interesting to have someone of his stature be here.
And it speaks to the still relative that these shows are very relevant,
you know, even if it's not, you know, a big crashing through the glass reveal after reveal
those type of things. Yeah, I missed those days. I wasn't here for that one, but I missed
those days. But you're right when you talk about the news cycle, right? I mean, back then,
I mean, there was no internet, right? I mean, then people wrote about stuff and it came out in the
paper today. So the news cycle was completely different than it is now. So it makes sense
for what the automakers have figured out that, you know, we won't have a dozen press conferences
one right after the other on a single day. But even when I started, my first job was
online journalism for automotive. And it wasn't the place I worked wasn't turning news as
fast. It wasn't daily. And the website was probably a little website is mostly car reviews,
and we didn't really have a news section. But we're still watching the news, obviously,
because we had to know what was being launched. And I'm trying to figure out a phrase is
we were aware of what Solantis was doing with the cattle in the streets and all that
sort of stuff got them attention. Even if you weren't writing a story about it
specifically, that stuff still got attention, even in the online era. So it's not just
the shift from print to internet. It's it's the I think it's a shift from being a person to zoom.
It's the it's a shift from being able to do something where everyone kind of has to be there
to really understand it, right, or they can watch from home. I think that's the biggest difference.
Yeah. And early internet didn't have the capacity for those kind of videos because we didn't have
the speed bandwidth speed. You're right. That just simply didn't exist even even 10 years
ago. That didn't exist. Not nearly as not nearly as good as it existed. It wasn't as good.
Hey, we were definitely a lot more pixelated 10 years ago than we are. A lot more buffering,
a lot more. Yeah, I remember the job I worked 10 years ago. And we I did work for home a little
bit during that job. We did occasional occasional zooms with someone who worked at the company,
maybe another part of the country or or whatever. And you're right, a lot of buffering. And
it often was frustrating. Yeah, absolutely. So I mean, those types of things,
just their hallmarks of the show. So glad to be here is good. There's lots to lots here to see,
lots here to do. So it's definitely valuable and worth one's time to come out and see the show.
And it's the background noise. And I do apologize for our listeners for any noise that has
cut us off. We've done our best to be in a quiet spot, but there's no such thing in the
convention center. But speaks to the number of people that I say that's that's exactly it.
Even on a slow quote unquote, you read my mind, even even on a slow year,
there's still a lot going on and a lot of people wandering around.
Seeing a lot of unfamiliar faces that are not medium. So I think there's probably a decent
corporate or dealer presence here as well, which might not have had every other year. So
that's interesting to me too. Although I think in Detroit, that's always a little
unique because so many cars are built here. There probably is a lot of access from
assembly line workers. Yes, you're right. And then I've noticed a few
motorsport accounts like people who run motorsport.
And not just powersport, but motorsport. So we're racing. So whether it's F1,
because Cadillac is over there with an F1 display, Ford's going to be talking to a lot of the F1
stuff. And Dodge is over there. I'm sorry, Ram is over there with their truck. That's going to
be at the track in February. Which we'll be talking about in our NASCAR segment in the
future. The same was self promotion. Do tune in. But yeah, so that stuff is cool. So I have
noticed a few motorsports personalities around the room as well, which is neat.
Very interesting. And to our listeners, we should touch upon this briefly. The podcast will be
live by the time this happens. So I don't believe there's any embargoes. I don't believe
we're breaking any of there are. Ford has got some F1 news that they'll be sharing.
After we record this, but before this, so goes live. So keep an eye on the T-TEC website.
It may already be on the website for this podcast. So yeah, obviously this is pre-recorded. So we are
a little bit, timing is a little bit off, but keep an eye out for Ford F1 news as well.
Coming to you from the future in Detroit. We know what's going to happen.
Is it back to the future or forward to the future? I don't know.
Just get me the DeLorean.
Yeah. In fact, I'll let me see DeLorean here on the show floor. Maybe I'll drive off in one.
So with that Matthew, let's see if anything else to add. I think we should go ahead and wrap this
second here on the truth about cars podcast. Sounds great. Thanks for wrapping me up.
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Here on the Truth About Cars podcast, we are at the 2026 North American
International Auto Show, also known as the 2026 Detroit Auto Show. And we'll have two
perspectives on the auto show this year. So we'll have one from the internal side where
Matthew Guy and I kind of put our heads together and go all TTAC on it. And we also have
John Vincent from US News in a world report, senior director of vehicle testing, senior editor of
vehicle testing. Yes, yes. So John, what do you think of the, for those who can't see,
and obviously most people can't see because we're audio, I'm doing air quotes. What do you think
of the auto show? Well, it's a pretty quiet auto show. Yeah. A whole lot more like a regional
auto show than it used to be. But you know, auto shows have changed. And now today's auto
show is more for the consumer than it is for the journalists who used to cover all of them all.
Yeah, that's what I've been saying for three or four years now on TTAC, whenever we do an auto show
recap. We didn't have one big product available last night, though, the Bronco RTR. Can you talk
about the, this kind of desert running off-road trim that is just a little below the Raptor?
Yeah, it's a pretty interesting vehicle. It's actually, you know,
in a partnership with an off-road racer. So they're getting some credentials there.
It's not, like you said, it's not quite a Raptor, but it's not very far short.
Just expands that Bronco lineup to more and more customers.
Yeah, it feels like they're trying to get every off-road niche they can.
You know, they're competing with Jeep, and Jeep is already in every off-road niche, so,
you know, they're catching up.
Yeah, I think the other big news, at least so far as of the time that we record this, and
things may change between now and the end of the show, but the other big news is Pete
Buttigieg, the former transportation, I probably put your name, the former, the former transportation
Buttigieg, Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary of the United States,
spoke, and I don't know if he made any big news, but you were there. Did you catch
anything that really stuck out to you? I just go with the Mayor Pete, so I don't have to try
and pronounce the last name. He did say some interesting things about what happens in the
next four years after the Trump administration, and how, you know, everything is not going to
swing like a pendulum. It's going to be a new start. Yeah, I caught that too. Go ahead, I'm sorry.
It's going to be a new start, and taking off from where the Trump administration ends,
and moving forward, not rolling back everything that's been done because that creates too
much turmoil in the industry. Yeah, and it also takes us back to a place he made a good
point at, just because it would, even if you don't like what Trump has done, and he
said he didn't, it would take you back four or five years or even 10 years,
and that still doesn't really move you forward. So it might be better than what it is now,
but it's not better than it could be. Correct, and he also talked a lot about how
this pause on EVs, especially, is going to put us further and further behind the
rest of the world. Yeah, that's a big point, especially with China
really poised to eat automakers lunch when it comes to EVs.
Yes, if they come into the United States, or we should say when they come to the United States,
they're going to be, they're going to get bigger head start by the day.
Yeah, and I think that's something that the current administration has dropped the ball on,
because for whatever reason, they just seem to want to push back on EVs. And I think,
like Mayor Pete said, automakers are still going to work on EVs, no matter what the
current administration wants to do, or regardless of who's actually in power.
Whether it's a Democrat or a Republican. Right, and you know, well, politicians tried to push EVs
maybe before they were quite ready. They needed to be pushed because that's what's going to get them
adopted. But the backlash and the political football that EVs have become is really disappointing
when anybody who's ever driven an EV knows that they're a better solution.
Yeah, in many cases, I would push back a little and say for
race track driving and telling you're better off with an ice at least for now.
That is true. But ask yourself this, do we have an ice vehicle that is the Swiss Army knife that
can do everything? We don't. Not very many now. I can't think of one. I'm hard-pressed as well,
yeah. And we're asking EVs to do that. Yeah, and speaking of EVs, one of my personal hobby
forces has been that the main thing, to me, there's three things holding back adoption.
One is fear of range and anxiety, which is getting reduced by the day as automakers get
better and better at producing higher-range EVs. The other thing is cost, MSRP. And that is going
down a little bit too as you get vehicles like the new Leaf and other more entry-level EVs.
They should be involved. They should be involved. The third thing is charging,
and that is still a problem, trying to find chargers that work. And many people can't
charge at home. They live in a multi-unit building, parked on the street, whatever.
And Buttigieg, basically, I'm sure I put your name again, basically said that the federal government
has to be involved in charging because developing better EVs and better EV batteries is mostly a
private sector thing. Mostly something automakers can do without or with very little federal
help. But charging has to have federal involvement. He didn't get specific,
and so I'm not quite sure what he meant specifically. But I think he made a good
point. I want to see what you thought about that. I agree. Charging is still a pain point,
especially if you're in multifamily housing. I think there's a fourth issue that needs to be
addressed as we move forward. And that is the existing dealer networks we have are not very
good at educating consumers on EVs. Yeah, that's not a federal issue, though.
Nope, that's not a federal issue, but it's something that needs to be addressed.
Yeah, and I also like where Buttigieg... I was just saying,
Mayer Pete, because he keeps screwing it up. Where Mayer Pete basically said,
he wants better trains and better train transit, at least in areas that are
urbanally dense enough to support it. But he also said, just because you want better trains
doesn't mean you're anti-car. And then in other parts of the world, there's a lively automotive
scene and a lively automotive market, and they also have bullet trains. And I was kind of like,
man, I drove from Chicago to Detroit in four and a half hours. I would love a bullet
train that got me hearing, too, you know? Absolutely. I live on the west coast where
we actually have decent train service. But decent is not European decent,
whereas it will get you there the same day. Yeah, it will not get you there for your
kind of client meet. Exactly. I could have taken Amtrak from Chicago to Detroit and
probably in two hours late. So that was a big thing with Mayer Pete. Is there now...
We're going to get away from Mayer Pete talk a little bit to finish off our segment.
What else from the show have you seen? I know there's been cars on the
floor that maybe haven't been seen elsewhere or haven't gotten a full press conference,
but they're on the floor. I have not seen it myself yet. I know a Ramcharger EV is out there.
There's some other new stuff out there. Anything you've seen on the show floor that you're like
really interested in? The Jeep Recons here, I was able to see it in Los Angeles,
but I was able to get much more close with it here. That's going to be a pretty
interesting vehicle for them. Yeah, absolutely. Big time for a Jeep.
It's also interesting to see the entire Cadillac lineup in the same place and see
just how far they've embraced EVs. I need to check out their booth because in LA,
they were sort of pushed onto a corner between the two show floors. So they have a big booth here.
They are right up front with their full lineup of EVs, and when you realize they have, what,
five of them now? Lyric, Optique, Escalade EV, the flagship that I'm blanking the name on,
the $300,000 car. Celestique? Celestique. I think I knew began to see it because
couldn't remember the name. Yeah. Yes, that's four right there.
And I think we missed one in there, Optique, Vistik. Vistik, that's it. Yes, Sam.
Yeah, I just drove the Lyric. It's very interesting. Lyric V. I wanted you to comment briefly on
who's not here. I've not seen Nissan Infinity. I've not seen any Asian automakers except
for Toyota. I've seen PR reps from some of them, but I've not seen stands.
And I've not seen really any European presence at all either.
I'm seeing some dealer presence. Subaru is here. I should say Subaru, I forgot.
Some dealer presence, not necessarily manufacturer-supported presence,
which kind of lends that thought that this is more of a regional show than a national show.
Yeah, that's kind of crazy. 15 years ago, this was the show. This was the show.
This is the one where you shut down streets and ran cattle if you were Chrysler.
Yeah. The old firehouse parties, which I've
heard stories. I'm a little too young to have attended one. For journalists,
you'd be used to come for a week. Now you're used to come for a day. Yeah, I used to come here.
I don't want to bore our listeners too much with Inside Baseball, but I used to come here on
Sunday and go home Wednesday or Thursday. Yeah, so it's crazy. Do you think that
the Detroit show will be like this in the future, or do you think there'll be a bounce
back next year? I think it's just the way that auto shows have gone. They're
consumers now, not us. Yeah, I think so too. Except for New York. I think New York because of the
non-New York media, the business media, and Javits being walkable from where their offices are.
I think New York is always going to be a powerful show. Yes, and I've heard that CES this year
was much less of an auto show than it's been. Yeah, I've never been to CES,
but I've heard that it was lower, and we didn't cover a ton of car content on T-Tac.
I mean, there was a lot of technology there that has to do with mobility,
but not a lot of sheet metal. Yeah. All right, John, is there anything else
you want to add about the Detroit Auto Show before we let you go?
Well, you may have heard that this morning we announced our NACA tour.
Yeah, we did. We did cover the T-Tac today. So go ahead and talk about the winners and the
finalists. Dodge Charger was the car of the year, beat out the Honda Prelude
and the Nissan Centra. All good contenders. I think the Prelude is pretty interesting,
but it scares people away. Sure. The Centra is also very good, but it competes in a tough market,
and it's up against vehicles like the Kia K4. Yeah. Some good competition.
Good competition. Trucks, Maverick Lobo, which is a really cool little street.
Yeah, I'm not driven like that. So street trucks used to be a big thing.
I remember. And it seems like the Lobo might be the truck that kicks
back into people's thinking. Interesting. And then Utility, which was by far the most
popular category, was the Hyundai Palisade. Hyundai Palisade, I've driven both the
gas only and the hybrid, and I think the hybrid is probably the best SUV you can buy today.
Wow. Strong statement. And what were the finalists in that category?
Beat out the Leason Gravity and the Nissan Leaf.
And what about the truck finalists? The truck, it was Ram 1500 Hemi and Ram 2500.
Excellent. Excellent. Thank you, John, so much for your time. I'm much appreciated.
And we're going to go ahead and wrap this segment from the Detroit Auto Show
Live-ish from the Detroit Auto Show on Truthwell Cars Podcast. Thanks, John.
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we were always talking about the stuff that we use in our homes, in our cars,
and on our cars. And this segment is brought to you by eBay.
eBay has reinvented vehicle buying from click to curb. Everything's covered.
And so we talk about the stuff that we use with Matthew Guy, T-Tech contributor. Matthew,
how are you doing today? Hey, I'm doing pretty good, Tim. How are you?
I'm doing pretty well. So I understand we're talking about cabin air filters today.
Yeah. And it's something that I was just, you know, replacing a couple on a couple of
different cars over the weekend, right? Not the same car. So I got to see that
replacement process from a couple of different brands. And it's a filter, you know, a lot of us,
especially if we're just day to day with our cars using them as appliances, we might not
think of some of these replacement products that we need to put in our cars to make sure
that they run properly and give us the best experience while we're going down the road.
And probably one of the most forgotten ones is the cabin air filter. And what I'm talking
about is a lot of times you hear, oh, I need to change an air filter, you know, and you might get
that toss in with an oil change or something like that. If you go to a quickly place or
something like that. And that filter is generally under the hood. And it filters the air that goes
and that the engine uses to make power, right? So it filters the engine's air.
The one that we're talking about in this segment is your cabin air filter. So when you turn on
your air conditioning or you turn on your heating system in your car,
it's going to draw in a measure of fresh air under most circumstances from the outside.
And there's going to be a filter there, which allows, you know, just the car to scrub some
pollutants. And you know, if you're driving past something that doesn't smell very good,
your car will filter some of that. But like all filters, they don't last forever.
So it's a really good idea. I got one off eBay the other day for one of the vehicles
that I was working on. It was a Challenger. And then I picked one up
from a different source for an Elantra that I was working on. And both were pretty easy to
replace. I would argue that the Dodge was a little bit easier. You still had to go in
under the hood. A lot of cars, you can access these filters through the glove box, which is
a little bit interesting for someone who might be just getting into wrenching.
The cool thing is, is that there's all kinds of resources out there on YouTube and
making model specific forms and things like that. And this would be one of the,
probably along with the windshield wash that we talked about not too long ago,
this would probably be one of the easier things to replace if you're just getting into working
on cars. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And the cool thing about eBay is that they've got this
Perfect Fit program, and that allows you to buy something, buy a part off of that platform.
And it's a guaranteed fit once it gets to you. And if not, you can,
there are some different ways to get around that. But this Perfect Fit program is pretty cool that
it tries to guarantee that what you're going to get is going to fit.
Yeah. And fit is important with these things for sure. I mean, they're filters. Filters
need to fit. Otherwise, they don't really do their job.
No, there's an awful lot of air going around them instead of through them. And the one on the Challenger
was fine. It just looked a little bit dark, right? So it had been sucking in some dirty air.
But I remember changing one on the charger one time and it was all full of leaves and all kinds
of old stuff. So these, you think that they're not super important to the operation for your car?
And maybe in this case, it's not really directly affecting the operation of the car,
but it's certainly affecting your enjoyment of the car. And I think that it's important to follow
the replacement schedules that you can find in your owner's manual for sure.
Yeah, let me jump in there real quick. As a former dealership employee who worked in service,
yes, who tried to upsell cabin air filters and paid a bonus when that happened,
I would say to avoid being upsold unnecessarily. All right, so I'll make this quick,
but two things happen to the dealership. Some mechanics, not all, many mechanics are honest,
of course, and many service advisors are. The percentage of those who are dishonest is probably
smaller than we think because the people who are dishonest stick out. But there are some people
who try and upsell you when you don't need it because they're unethical. There's others who
just don't know. They think the filter is a little dirty and must be replaced when really
it's a filter. Filters are going to get a little bit dirty even if they're brand new. So
so you know, sometimes you just have a young mechanic, a green mechanic or a green
service advisor who's selling unnecessarily, or maybe they go by mileage and they don't even look
at the filter. They go out and manage the computer and they don't realize it's been
replaced at a different shop. So I've seen that. So to avoid being either unethically or unintentionally
upsold to cabin air filter you don't need, keep, I would stick with your maintenance schedule.
And if someone comes out and it's a little bit dirty, unless there's like a bunch of leaves
in it, I would say let it go till the next time. So if your maintenance schedule says 15,000 miles
for a cabin air filter change and you're at your 7,500 mile service and they try and upsell
you a cabin air filter, unless it's super dirty and it might be depending on where you live,
if you live near a dirt road or in a place where it's windy and dusty and dry, if you
live in a desert area like parts of New Mexico, Arizona, you might have the need. But
normally if it's just a little bit dirty you could probably push it the next 7,500 miles to
the 15,000 mile service. So I would stick with your service interval to avoid being upsold
unnecessarily. And I would also do that to avoid the opposite problem where you push it too long
and it's actually dirty and then you're not breathing clean air in your car. So if your car
has a cabin air filter and almost all new cars do, look up your or use your owner's
manual and go with that mileage just to avoid spending money you don't have to, but also to
avoid having an uncomfortable situation. Absolutely and stick into the schedule and
wise car owners when they're looking at their service schedule will notice there's a severe
service and a regular service. And the severe service would be, as you mentioned, people
living in very dusty areas or somewhere where there's a lot of maybe a lot of wind,
maybe a lot of debris and things like that. So follow your manual. That's probably some
of the best advice anyone can give. Yeah and I would say the severe service actually probably
applies to almost anybody, especially if you're driving in heavy traffic or you can kind of go
in between your, what do you want to call it, between your severe service and your more
regular, maybe go in between a little bit too as well. Agreed. So with that Matthew do you
want to have anything you want to add? Nothing to add. Thanks man. I do think this is an important
topic and a good one for people to try if they're just getting into working on their car.
Yeah it's a simple one too. Like you said you can oftentimes replace these
very easily through your glove box and there's also aren't necessarily expensive repairs. If
they are expensive at a dealer it's probably a labor issue because maybe in some cars the
filter is hard to reach but it's it's worth spending the money on whether it's 20 bucks plus
labor or whatever. Usually the part is like 15-20 bucks American. So definitely worth spending
the money on. So with that Matthew do you want to have anything to add? We'll go ahead and
wrap our Stuff With You segment for this week. No thank you for having me on the show again.
If you like what you hear on the Truth About Cars podcast please give us a review.
You can also find us online at ttech.com that is ttac.com where your home for car reviews,
car news, opinions and so so much more. Here on the Truth About Cars podcast just about every
week we discuss NASCAR that's even true during the off season and NASCAR made some news this week.
So we're going to talk to ttech contributor Matthew Guy about that. Matthew how you doing?
I'm great looking forward to talking about NASCAR some some exciting changes.
Yeah yeah so I think you're excited. I am not quite as excited but I'm not exactly upset either. So
before we get into our opinions let's get into the facts. So NASCAR is ditching the
playoff format that has existed from 2014 through last season. No more playoff. We're going back
to the Chase model which was in place from 2004 to 2013. It determines the champion based on
cumulative points over the final 10 weeks of the season. There's no four rounds of playoffs
with winner taking the whole thing. So that's going to make a big change to NASCAR.
And that's pretty much it. I'm looking at some other details here. Oh let me go
into a few more details before we get into our opinions on this. So the Cup series regular season
remains 26 races and this is from the Daytona Tribune I believe or the Daytona Beach News Journal.
So what better local newspaper to cover NASCAR than the one where Daytona is based
or where NASCAR is based where the Daytona Speedway is. So anyway the Cup series regular
season will remain at 26 races. This is there wording wants to check our flag drops
in the finale. So when the finale ends in August at Daytona. So we were right about that in our
previous episode when we were going over the schedule that Daytona the second Daytona race
will still end the regular season. So the top 16 Tribes and points will qualify for the Chase.
So getting and by the way winning now winning a regular season race no longer gets in the
postseason no no automatic postseason birth there but you get more points now for a victory.
You get 55 and that doesn't include the safe points. So it's up 15 over the previous of 40.
So the points leader went to the chase at 2100 points with a 25 point difference between himself
and the second place driver. Second third was separated by 10 after that each position will go
down by five points. So there's no more playoff rounds no more eliminations.
So that's kind of how it works. And Matthew I want to hear your thoughts first. I've
got mine. I want to hear yours first. Absolutely. And I think this is a this is a good change.
I know that a lot of people have been clamoring for change to the playoff system for a very long
time. Yours truly included. And I think a big big thing for me was hearing I guess reinforcement
from Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast when he was talking about how back in you know before
the playoffs with the whole winning your in system that we had you know you could win the Daytona 500
and then you're into the playoffs no matter what. Right. And so that that was the thing.
And I did not favor that because I liked what junior said that sometimes there would be races
you know throughout the season and you didn't really have to worry about bouncing back from
a bad race in the middle of season. Right. Like if you would want to if you won early in the in the
in the in the season sometime in February or March if you had a string of bad races for
summer well it didn't matter you're in playoffs. Right. So that's gone. And I think that's
pretty good. It's interesting to see some of the finer details of this but one of the
things with the win as you said will now earn the race winning driver 55 points which
is 15 over last time that certainly would encourage I would imagine it would encourage
most drivers to put the pedal to the metal if they're trying to seek those extra 15 points
versus second place right in order to in order to get those points for the win.
And looking through as you were saying Tim with those 16 drivers that's a lot 16 drivers
is just but all the quote unquote good ones all the quote unquote usual suspects for lack of ever
term you know the original chase was 10 it was expanded to 12 you had the year of spin gate
when they had the extra plus one with a put Jeff Gordon in but we've settled on 16 and there's
100 points spread between first and 16th once the points reset at the over the last 10 races
that's a lot especially with 45 I'm sorry 55 points for a site so those are two those are
two races someone's gonna have to make up so if you're deep in the points your chances of winning
are markedly different than some of the others some of the other competitors who might have entered
the playoffs in the or the chase I should say in the top five or even the top 10 and
and thinking back and I didn't you know I mean I'm you know I'm in the mid 40s right so I you always
hold out hope that they're going to go for a season long point stretch I think we all knew that wasn't
going to happen right you can wish but this is a really I think this is better than what we had
last year for sure and it's obviously the other point I was trying to make I can't remember
unfortunately I can't I can't I don't I don't know because you didn't tell me at a time
no I was going somewhere with that but with the 2100 points I think that that's a pretty good
starting point and I'm looking forward to see if there's any other minutiae that comes out of this
you know points for you know the stage points and those types of things I didn't see it mentioned
that they're ending stages in terms of stopping the races I think they're still doing stages
it's that's what it looked like on my initial reading yeah me too and like they're still throwing
the caution so that's man there's something they can change for next year but I don't mind stage points
I mean stage points that's a good thing right I mean because they always used to give out points
for halfway leader at the halfway and stuff like that oh I know what I was going to say I mean
because you know I'm of a certain age demographic where it's like hey you know I've been watching
NASCAR for a million years um it didn't really click that the playoffs have been around for over 10
years right and these the start of this chase was you know well over 20 years ago so you know that's
a long time it shows my age right it shows my age for sure so yeah many ways I was in college still
when they started the chase same bro yeah what's your take what what do you think because
I mean we only learned about this just like an hour ago from this recording yeah so I have
heavily mixed feelings uh I have and we've discussed the playoff format a million times over the past
year and a half thank you for your patience oh no it's fine and we've agreed a little bit that
the format needed tweaking I think we've also hidden the fact that you know go to the playoffs
and there's a lot of non-playoff drivers in the playoffs and they could mess up a playoff
driver's attempt to win I have I have very mixed feelings being a fan of the stick and ball sports
it's easy for me to wrap my head around playoff it's easy for me to wrap around the idea of elimination
I'm stumbling a little because I had mixed feelings about the previous format I like the
idea of playoffs I do but I didn't love the way it was done before because I didn't love the
fact that as we talked about a few times on previous episodes that a non-playoff driver
could mess up someone's playoff attempts or could help I forget what race it was and I forget
which drivers it was but somebody helped a playoff driver who was a teammate last year I forget who
it was the guy was out of the race and it was completely legal and it was not I think we even
agreed was it was totally it was not a metheco or anything but it was just it wasn't unfair
necessarily but it was just weird you know like you've said before and the other other sports
non-playoff teams don't affect playoffs right those guys are just out there golfing so
that's that's always been something weird about NASCAR but NASCAR could never really eliminate
drivers because once you're eliminated out of the final four no one wants to watch four
drivers go on the track for two and a half hours you want to watch 40 drivers go on the
track for two and a half hours so NASCAR always had it tough I always thought they should have
I don't know if they should let more drivers in and then maybe your final race would have
been 12 drivers or something I don't know but then even if you have even if you have 12 drivers
one big crash in a one mile track and take out half the field so um I'm not really sure how NASCAR
could have made playoffs better and that may be why they're going back to the chase now I do
remember and I wasn't following NASCAR as closely as you were during the chase era that was the
that was the time of my life where I wasn't following NASCAR super closely but I do remember
hearing a lot of complaints about the chase and I don't remember what they were specifically I'm sure
I will remember once the season starts and and I'm like oh yeah I remember hearing that 15 20
years ago okay but um you know and the other thing is I always like the original format that I
grew up with where it's just you get points for leading laps pole position winning a race
wherever you finish in a race and just the guy who had the most points at the end of the year
won I always loved that system but it's boring for fans I think in some ways um hardcore fans who
watch every race or almost every race yeah they get early they can get into it and I think and I think
um that you know those type of fans love it but if you're a casual fan I can understand how
having a playoff or a chase with a cup and having the 10 in the final 10 races only so many
drivers go into championship that spikes us up adds drama I get it and I also understand that
it gives a chance both playoffs and this chase give a chance for a driver who's maybe middle of the
pack if they qualify if they're good enough to qualify I can't recall if it was 12 or 16 drivers
of the playoffs last year but if they're good enough to qualify for the chase if they're in
that top 16 now they got a shot at winning the whole thing whereas if it was just all points
the points who accumulate over the season without a playoff or without it you know if you
didn't have a lot of points early it would be hard to come back unless you won a bunch of races
near the end so this this gives a chance to some drivers who might have otherwise been out of it
if I'm doing and if I'm thinking that through correctly if I'm getting my logic and reasoning
correct um so there's that uh I I was mixed feelings in the playoffs before about the
automatic birth from a winner the point you raised that Dale Earnhardt Jr. raised is absolutely
true that you don't that you know if you win a race early you don't have to worry about
bouncing back necessarily for a bad day but I also thought it was kind of a good thing too
you know it gives you gonna set up to win and it also gives the driver who did win and it kind of
the perk of that is okay you want to race now you don't have to stress as much
later in the season if you have a bad day or bad luck you know we both know that a lot of
racing things happen and not necessarily a driver's fault a mechanical failure being
caught up in a wreck that really they couldn't avoid so um you know I think NASCAR excuse me I
think NASCAR probably has to have some sort of chase or playoff system or something other than
just the most points in the season especially since the most points in the season though
someone can just run away with it and hide the way we've seen an Indy car uh with Alex
Palo the past couple years yes but with um so I think NASCAR needs some sort of post season
I think they need some sort of post season that man that keeps all 36 or 40 drivers involved in those
final 10 races so I don't but I'm not sure if I love the chase any more than the playoff I think
both have a lot of flaws and I I would love to see a playoff system that was just better at
managing the non-playoff drivers and a little more equitable but I'm not quite sure how that
would work so Matthew um I'm gonna throw it back to you for a second here yeah and it's it
will be it is tough no matter uh if you have a chase or or a playoff type point system in NASCAR to
not have any non-competing for the championship drivers um not interfere you know what I mean or
not be on the track at the same time it's just because it's so different than stick and ball
sports right but but I do I do think the playoffs a big quote-unquote problem you know with the
playoffs was everyone was racing towards that last event right in November and then I think the system
really reached his breaking point this year when I mean Denny Hamlin he dominated that race right
and it was just a late caution it wasn't anyone's fault in terms of you know the four drivers it
was just racing luck right and it was just simple racing yeah he kind of screwed on racing luck
he really did he really did right and I mean you know we've we've talked all about Denny
Hamlin and and you know and and his his challenges all throughout and then over Christmas right I mean
the you know the the things that happened over Christmas as well I mean the poor man has been
through the ringer yeah and right and then you know but with that race I mean the change the final
sequence and Larson finished what he finished I believe he finished two points ahead or two
spots ahead of Hamlin despite not leading a single lap and mired in like a 20 race losing streak
so I'd never take anything away from Carl Larson in terms of winning another championship I mean
man he is a hell of a wheel man and he put himself in the position to earn that championship right
but it's just so difficult so difficult situation that is just that one race and all he had to do
was finish a couple of points a couple of spots ahead so that you know won't happen
now with the chase right you got to be good over those last 10 races and
it's going to change the water on the beans to use the an old-fashioned term
you're thinking coffee beans right and you're like okay so those are good and those are bad
anyways but it does change the look and I'm sure how teams are going to approach those last 10
races and their strategies so I think we're in for an exciting 2026 season I'm glad that someone
at NASCAR is at least listening right yeah yeah right so yeah so changes in this case I think it's
all right and you know we'll see where it goes as we race towards the homestead because we're back in
Miami again for the final race yeah so that's my thoughts man I'm looking forward to it as well
yeah I should add too I will say I do give NASCAR props for listening to the fans and it did
seem like the playoffs on popular and like I said I'm not a huge defender of the playoff I didn't
I tolerated it the way it was like I liked it well enough and I wasn't clamoring for change I
wasn't quite to the point where you are or you really wanted to see change but at the same time
I'm not like that upset that it's changing it's not like you know when there's big change
there's two types of people who fight against it there's there's ones who just don't like change
in general and there are those who think the system is fine and just can't understand why it's
changing but neither in that case in this case I uh I'm finally changing it I just like I said a
few minutes ago I was hoping that whatever changes they made would stick to a playoff format but
just be a little more fair and avoid some of the some of the stuff that happened to like
Denny Hammond last year but NASCAR listening to fans is really a good thing I do wish they would
have made the announcement a little sooner or well they couldn't have waited until like
till Daytona because the teams need to strategize but it would have made the most sense and announce
it during Daytona but it really would have made more sense to announce it last fall after the
season ended however they had their lawsuit and I think I think they had to hold until they did
until that was determined what was going to happen because if uh if they hadn't gone the
way it had gone we talked about it a few episodes ago NASCAR may have broken up I mean that was
probably a very unlikely outcome but it was not out of the realm of possibility so NASCAR had to
kind of sit back and wait and see what was happening first but um yeah we'll see how it goes and I may
end up liking it better once once we see it I have mixed feelings about the nine like I said
about the nine eliminations I think I said this a few minutes ago but part of me kind of like
the eliminations because it is a little bit like sticking to the wall sports like oh okay well
someone so mage around too now he's he's out because he didn't get enough another part of me is
like well no it's kind of nice that someone can suffer from a bad day and bad luck and still be
in it or or you know maybe like like last like last season we were both kind of you and I were
both kind of hoping to shave in Gisburg and we'll go a little further than he did because
we want to see him on the on the roval I don't think he made it that far if I remember
correctly so that's right yeah so now you're gonna get now you get a chance to see drivers
if they make the top 16 you're going to see some of these drivers battling them out for the chase
on tracks that maybe they do well at or you're going to see storylines like that like like a
road course specialist doing well on the roval or you know again I don't have to schedule in front
of me with those top 10 track or those final 10 tracks if I remember correctly fairly heavy in
terms of the mile mile and a half intermediates that we talk about all the time the kind of
bread and butter tracks as opposed to super speedways and road courses so you might see drivers who
really excel at that type of racing you know getting battling it out and because the NASCAR has a lot
of those tracks and a lot of drivers are used to that type of racing you may see a pretty wide
open field so I you know I'm keeping an open mind here because I'm not like a stalwart defender
of the previous system I given my druthers and again I'm not smart enough to figure out
the answer otherwise I'd give it to you people or you folks in our audience but um I if I was smart
enough I would I would propose an actual playoff that was better than what we had before and maybe
if I sat down and really thought about it I could come up with something but I haven't I
haven't had the time to do that so um yeah so I was gonna if I were in charge I would have
tried to keep the playoffs but tweak it to make it to fix the flaws but that may have also not been
possible and I'm thinking it through my head as we as I talk I'm not quite sure how you could really
fix the idea of non-playoff drivers affecting the playoff race and and by the way it's still
gonna be a problem in the chase it's less of a problem because you're not looking at
eliminations and you've got but you still have uh two-thirds of field give or take
won't be in the chase and they can still affect what happens that's gonna be a problem I think there's
no way around that no matter how you do the playoffs unless you used to straight point accumulation
like they did when I was growing up so there's no way around non-play if you if you designate
X amount of drivers as playoff drivers they're gonna be affected by unless you take unless
you only race the 16 which they're not gonna do because it's not not very good racing for the
fans um if I'm wrong about that we'll find out but I think as I understand it the the chase will
involve non-chase drivers as well so yeah yeah so you're not gonna you're not gonna get around that
problem but it may be less severe because it won't eliminate a guy if if a non-playoff driver
crashes him out or something so I don't know we'll see I don't know if I have much more on
this do you have anything else you want to add no not not in this episode I'm sure we'll
talk about it again next week though yeah not not just next week but probably in the final 10 weeks
of the season all of it we will you're right yeah look forward to it it's gonna be good yeah and I
think for next week depending on if there's breaking news we're still in this we're still in
escarcelia season and there's always the possibility of a driver still changing teams or
something uh in the news that we can't cannot anticipate but we I think we'll talk about
the future and the past of the recently resigned Steve Phelps next week and what that might mean for
nascar and um whether he was good or bad for the sport you've got a lot of thoughts on it I I don't
know I have if I have a lot of familiarity on his time at the helm of nascar and what he
did and didn't do both good and bad for the sport so um I will uh kind of probably let you
take the driver's seat on that one next week but barring any changes to nascar news we will be
discussing Steve Phelps next week and if and if something does happen that is more important
well we'll get to Steve Phelps at some point sooner rather than later so with that that'll
go ahead and close out our um nascar segment here on the truth about cars podcast thank you
Matthew thank you Tim ebay has reinvented vehicle buying from click to curb everything's
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thank matthew guy and john vinson for their time and matt poskey for editing most of all we thank
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About this episode
The 2026 Detroit Auto Show is the focus of this episode, featuring discussions on the lack of major product unveils and the significance of the new Bronco RTR. Hosts Tim Healy and Matthew Guy share insights on the event's atmosphere, the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, and notable appearances, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The episode also delves into the evolving nature of auto shows, the impact of EVs, and the importance of cabin air filters in vehicle maintenance, making for a well-rounded automotive conversation.
Original notes
Hello and welcome to The Truth About Cars podcast. This week, we're at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show!
TTAC contributor Matthew Guy and I discuss what we saw at the show, and we also bring in John Vincent from U.S. News and World Report to get his perspective.
We also discuss the new NASCAR playoff format and cabin air filters for Stuff We Use.
We thank Matthew and John for their time and Matt Posky for editing. Most of all, we thank you for listening!
We'll see you next time!
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