Daily Recap: Tuesday, March 03, 2026
27 episodes · If you only listen to one: VW Women: "Muth" The Super Beetle & the Air-Cooled Sisterhood — To All The Cars I've Loved Before
Kia's U.S. sales have overtaken Hyundai for the first time, a shift several shows unpacked alongside leaked specs for BMW's upcoming EV lineup and Tesla's Berlin plant running well below capacity. The product side included a deep dive into AWX's new wheel acid cleaner formulation and a full review of the 2025 Ford Expedition King Ranch. Listeners also heard analysis on which brands reliably reach 250,000 miles, with the Porsche 911, Toyota RAV4, and Ford Mustang among the most-discussed models.
Headlines
Kia Surpasses Hyundai in U.S. Sales
Kia has surpassed Hyundai in U.S. sales for the first two months of the year, with Kia selling over 130,000 vehicles compared to Hyundai's 121,000.
In February alone, Kia delivered 66,000 vehicles and outsold Hyundai for the second consecutive month.
"Kia surpassed Hyundai in sales for the first two months of the year. Hyundai sold one hundred and twenty one thousand vehicles in the US so far, while Kia sold over one hundred and thirty thousand."
Episode Spotlights
New Product Launch: Wheel Acid Is Here! AWX Makes Cleaning Easier Than Ever. Episode #944
On AWX's modernized acid wheel cleaner chemistry and application:
"we've now launched our product called AWX, which is our acid wheel cleaner. It's just more modern chemistry using some of the old school tricks, but, you know, modernizing them to make a highly effective, highly effective wheel acid."
On Tesla Berlin's factory utilization rate in 2024:
"Tesla's Berlin Gigafactory in Grunheide built 211,000 vehicles in 2024... the annual capacity, according to Tesla's investor relations, is 375,000. And so that would put the utilization rate at 56% according to official data."
The King Ranch, Reliable Cars, Concours Destinations, and the Corolla Cross....
On Tesla's reliability ranking among 26 major car brands:
"Tesla ranks the last place among 26 brands for its used model driven by numerous issues with older models. And while Tesla's new vehicles rank ninth across the new cars reliability, it plummets."
Smart Driving Cars episode 408- AV Regs, Waymo and More
On autonomous vehicle deployment and safety trade-offs:
"I'd be more impressed if there were no cars here. Because I think even at that point in time, I realized that if there are cars here, that means they're not moving anywhere. They're standing here. And if we're talking about transportation, especially logistics, it's all about flow."
On IMS bearing failures and engine replacement costs in 996 Porsches:
"This one did, in fact, fail, and then had a new engine put in through Porsche at the cost of $20,000... in 2010 or 11."
If You Only Listen To One
VW Women: "Muth" The Super Beetle & the Air-Cooled Sisterhood with Marla Aufmuth
Photographer Marla Aufmuth shares the story of her father's 1976 sunflower yellow Super Beetle convertible named "Muth" and her VW Women Project documenting 40 women across 10 states in the air-cooled VW community. A warm conversation about vintage VW ownership, California smog struggles, and the stories cars carry with them. Visit Cars Loved for more from the show.
By the Numbers
Most-Discussed Cars
| Car | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Porsche 911 | 6 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 5 |
| Ford Mustang | 4 |
| Toyota Corolla | 3 |
| Ford Maverick | 3 |
| Dodge Charger | 3 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 3 |
| Toyota Camry | 3 |
Trending Terminology
| Term | Mentions |
|---|---|
| EV | 5 |
| Formula One | 5 |
| hybrid | 3 |
| NASCAR | 3 |
| plug-in hybrid | 3 |
| convertible | 3 |
27 episodes. 221 car mentions. 456 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.