Daily Recap: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
37 episodes · If you only listen to one: You Literally Cannot Mess This Coating Up — The Auto Detailing Podcast
Porsche's profit troubles dominated discussion across multiple shows, while hosts ranked the best driver's cars built since 2000, with the Porsche 911, Ford Mustang, and Chevrolet Corvette all making the cut. Chinese automaker NIO defended its battery swapping strategy against BYD's new ultra-fast charging tech, Consumer Reports drew mixed reactions for its critical take on the new Toyota 4Runner, and other segments covered practical topics like EV efficiency at different speeds and whether portable jump starters beat traditional cables.
Headlines
Porsche's Profitability Crisis
Operating profit fell to 413 million euros in 2025 from 5.5 billion euros in 2024, with 3.1 billion euros attributed to EV writeoffs and 700 million euros to US tariffs.
The company's operating margin dropped to 1.1% from 14.1% in 2024, and China sales fell 26%.
"Operating profit was really hammered, going from about five and a half billion euros in twenty twenty four to four hundred and thirteen million last year. The company says three point one billion euros of that was for its EV writeoffs, while US tariffs ate up another seven hundred million."
Episode Spotlights
On the rules for the list:
"Alright, so today's topic is the greatest or the top five driver's cars made since 2000, but some rules: under a hundred thousand and no Porsches."
On Zeekr's chip supply challenges amid AI competition:
"Zeekr confirmed in January that the updated 007 and the 007 GT would arrive this quarter, switching to the Nvidia Drive 4U chips, and a 900-volt architecture... it's that which is facing severe supply constraints and rising costs, because AI data centers are chasing the same parts as automotive."
Are Portable Jump Starters Worth It, The Most Fuel-Efficient Speed to Drive, Timing Chains vs. Timing Belts
On EV efficiency at different speeds:
"They do. So really they're most efficient for the battery pack when you're going at slow speeds around the city. Yeah, about 30, 35 seems to be the sweet spot."
Mindset Over Metrics: The Community-Driven Growth Model with Jeremy Benjamin
On how community events drive the business:
"You're really not prospecting, you're just getting referral business — and you know what they say about referral business, it's about 75% likelihood of having a discussion."
Bringing back Car of the day!
On pricing strategy for the revived Car of the Day segment:
"I'd really like to think that it has a three at the start of the price. Bring that car in under 40 grand. I think it'll do really well. If not, I don't know that it will."
Consumer Reports Bombs the New 4Runner
On Consumer Reports' critical take on the new 4Runner (Avants):
"We love the new 4Runner, but CR did have some good points about the underwhelming engine choice as well as its ride quality."
If You Only Listen To One
You Literally Cannot Mess This Coating Up
On the evolution of ceramic coating accessibility and how formula quality affects DIY application.
By the Numbers
Most-Discussed Cars
| Car | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y | 7 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 6 |
| Ford Mustang | 6 |
| Porsche 911 | 5 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 4 |
| Mazda MX-5 / Miata | 4 |
| Ford Puma | 4 |
| Porsche Cayenne | 3 |
Trending Terminology
| Term | Mentions |
|---|---|
| EV | 6 |
| horsepower | 4 |
| timing belt | 3 |
| plug-in hybrid | 3 |
| fast charging | 3 |
37 episodes. 441 car mentions. 684 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.