The Car Curious Weekly is a look at what the automotive podcast world is talking about, who's saying it, and what patterns emerge when you listen to all of them at once.
Car Curious tracks over 100 automotive podcasts. We transcribe episodes, extract car mentions and terminology, and surface connections across shows. This recap pulls the patterns from the noise.
This week: 143 episodes across 103 shows.
The Pattern: New Year, New Predictions
The first week of January is prediction season, and every show had one. Total Car Score ran through 2025's sales winners and losers before making their 2026 calls. Autoline After Hours looked at "the surprise of '25" and what it means for the year ahead. The Car Podcast devoted an episode entirely to 2026 predictions.
The consensus themes: hybrid will matter more than pure EV, used car prices will stay elevated, and the Chinese brands are coming.
CES 2026 Coverage
Automotive News Daily Drive filed six episodes from CES this week, covering Hyundai's humanoid robots, autonomous driving developments, and GM's $7 billion in EV charges. They landed interviews with SDVerse CEO Prashant Gulati and former Waymo CEO John Krafcik.
The autonomy conversation is shifting. Ford announced eyes-off driving capability. NVIDIA open-sourced parts of its self-driving stack. Electrek called a new battery chemistry "the holy grail," then immediately questioned whether it was too good to be true.
Bring a Trailer's $1.7 Billion Year
CarCast got Alex Porter from Bring a Trailer to discuss their 2025 numbers. The platform sold $1.7 billion in cars last year. Porter talked through how to list successfully and which eras of cars are gaining momentum.
The BaT Podcast ran their own year-end episode with stats, 2025 awards, and watchlist favorites.
The collector car market had a strong year despite economic uncertainty. The question for 2026: can it continue?
Used Car Market Concerns
CarEdge Live ran four episodes this week, each with progressively alarming headlines. "These Cars Are DEAD in 2026." "Car Dealers Are DROWNING in Inventory." "CARMAX Just Sounded The USED CAR Market ALARM."
The data behind the drama: Edmunds released market data showing inventory levels rising while demand softens. Some vehicles are sitting on lots longer than expected. The affordability gap between new and used has compressed, making the new car option more attractive for buyers who can qualify.
Practical Content Rising
Car Connection Workshop ran a four-part series on brake systems this week: how to know when you're due for service, common mistakes that cost thousands, and winter maintenance. It's the kind of content that doesn't get headlines but gets saves.
Ron Ananian fielded calls across four hours of programming. The question that resonated: "When do you sell the plow truck?"
Not every car conversation is about horsepower and new releases. Sometimes it's about brake pads.
By the Numbers
Most-Discussed Cars
| Car | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Ford Mustang | 27 |
| Honda Civic | 25 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 22 |
| Toyota Camry | 18 |
| Porsche 911 | 17 |
| Toyota Corolla | 14 |
| Ford Bronco | 14 |
| Dodge Viper | 14 |
Trending Terms
| Term | Mentions |
|---|---|
| horsepower | 33 |
| MSRP | 13 |
| EV | 12 |
| suspension | 9 |
| brake pads | 8 |
| all-wheel drive | 8 |
| automatic transmission | 8 |
Publishing Pattern
| Day | Episodes |
|---|---|
| Sunday Jan 04 | 13 |
| Monday Jan 05 | 26 |
| Tuesday Jan 06 | 18 |
| Wednesday Jan 07 | 20 |
| Thursday Jan 08 | 16 |
| Friday Jan 09 | 31 |
| Saturday Jan 10 | 19 |
Friday's 31 episodes made it the busiest publishing day, driven by CES coverage.
If You Only Listen to One
Father-Daughter Restoration on To All The Cars I've Loved Before. A conversation about Edelbrock carburetors, Jeep YJ builds, and what the future of hot rodding looks like when you're teaching the next generation.
More Worth Hearing
How Porsche Got it Wrong on Overcrest: A Pretty Good Podcast - A counterpoint to the usual Porsche praise. What they've missed and where they're headed.
Chinese Cars Coming to USA! on THIS CAR POD! - Doug DeMuro and friends discuss when (not if) Chinese brands arrive.
The Classic Cars To Buy In 2026 on The Truth About Cars - Where to put money before prices climb.
New vs Old: Why Enthusiasts Gravitate Towards Analog Cars on Analog and Grit - The case for mechanical simplicity.
The All Porsche Episode on Bloomberg Hot Pursuit - Their favorites, best buys, and why the 911 remains the benchmark.
Next Week
Watch for: More CES aftermath as shows digest the announcements. Detroit Auto Show is around the corner and will drive January's second half.
Recurring theme: The 2026 prediction cycle continues. Every show will have a take on where the industry is headed.