Daily Recap: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
27 episodes · If you only listen to one: How Never Giving Up Led Lee Pulliam to JRM, The Dale Jr. Download
Hyundai's announcement of a mid-sized body-on-frame pickup truck coming to the U.S. by 2030 dominated the conversation across four shows. Mercedes separately committed $4 billion to its Alabama plant to build the GLC locally in response to tariff concerns. Other topics ranged from Ken Block's early WRC career to McLaren Artura specs, car financing advice, and why adding small accessories like light bars can refresh how a vehicle feels.
Hyundai Confirms Plans to Build Mid-Sized Body-on-Frame Pickup Truck in United States by 2030
Hyundai has confirmed it will build a mid-sized body-on-frame pickup truck in the United States by 2030, as part of a broader expansion strategy to manufacture 80 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. domestically.
The company plans to deliver more than 30 Hyundai models and more than 20 Genesis models as part of its stated goal to become the third largest automaker in the world behind Toyota and Volkswagen.
"They've confirmed they are going to build a mid-sized body on-frame pickup truck. But that's not what they showed us today."
Best of The New York Auto Show
"It's a preview of their upcoming body on frame truck that they're going to be building in the United States by 2030"
Headlines
Mercedes Invests $4 Billion in Alabama Plant to Localize GLC Production and Address Tariffs
Mercedes-Benz announced a $4 billion investment into its Alabama factory by 2030, with the bulk of spending dedicated to localizing production of the GLC crossover, which sold approximately 72,000 units in the U.S. last year representing about a quarter of the brand's U.S. volume.
The investment comes as Mercedes currently faces a 15% tariff on every GLC it ships to the U.S., making domestic production more economically viable.
"Mercedes is making a huge investment into its plant in Alabama. The automaker announced it will invest four billion dollars by twenty thirty."
Episode Spotlights
On Ken Block's early career before mainstream Hoonigan fame:
"In 2010, we've only released Gymkhana one and two. So those are just the first two Subaru films? No, San Francisco, no Hoonicorn, no Hoonigan. This is really, really early on."
McLaren's Entry Level Car Costs $255,000?!
On McLaren's sports series positioning and pricing strategy:
"This is McLaren's entry level car. So it's part of their sports series, not the super series."
If you had listened to this 20 years ago, you might not be so broke
On cash car purchases and IRS reporting requirements:
"She paid cash. Well, you know, are they going to pull her credit or something? I said, no, they have to fill out a form for the IRS. Anytime somebody pays $10,000 or more in cash, car dealers are required to make sure that they're not, you know, drug people, terrorists or whatever."
Episode #218 - Budget Overlander Reveal
On finding budget overlander vehicles on Facebook Marketplace:
"I found on Facebook Marketplace and purchased a 2003 Nissan XTERRA SE supercharged automatic, dude, 180,000 miles... Price, let's at least reveal the price up front. Two thousand five hundred dollars."
If You Only Listen To One
How Never Giving Up Led Lee Pulliam to JRM
Lee Pulliam's journey from rural North Carolina to professional racing, building his first race car from scratch with limited resources.
By the Numbers
Most-Discussed Cars
| Car | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler / Rubicon | 10 |
| Ford Bronco | 7 |
| Hyundai Palisade | 4 |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE | 3 |
| Chrysler Pacifica | 3 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 3 |
Trending Terminology
| Term | Mentions |
|---|---|
| EV | 4 |
| light bar | 3 |
| tariffs | 3 |
| Facebook Marketplace | 2 |
| turbo | 2 |
| electrification | 2 |
27 episodes. 235 car mentions. 677 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.