The Car Curious Weekly for February 1, 2026

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.

January 25 - January 31, 2026 · 200 episodes across 123 podcasts.

Tesla's pivot away from traditional vehicles took center stage this week as the automaker discontinues the Model S and X to focus on humanoid robot production, while the newly redesigned Dodge Charger proved electric powertrains have mainstream appeal by claiming North American Car of the Year. Meanwhile, the collector car market showed no signs of slowing, with Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction approaching $200 million in sales.

Here are the five biggest storylines and where they showed up across the feed.

Tesla Discontinues Model S and Model X Production to Focus on Robotics and Humanoid Robots

Tesla scrapped Model S and Model X production starting Q2 2026, repurposing the Fremont factory space to manufacture humanoid robots with a stated goal of one million units annually.

Despite announcing $20 billion in capex spending (backed by $44 billion in cash), Tesla posted brutal 2025 results: sales down 8%, revenue down 10%, operating income down 38%, and net profits plummeting 46%.

From Autoline Daily:

"Elon Musk announced that Tesla will spend a staggering twenty billion dollars in CAPEX this year, noting the company can easily afford it because it has forty four billion dollars in cash and equivalents. This is all part of Musk's new vision for Tesla, which is focused on what he calls a quote epic future of amazing abundance where everyone earns a universal high income."

Autoline Daily delivered a comprehensive breakdown of Tesla's pivot from retail automotive to AI and robotics.

Dodge Charger Wins North American Car of the Year Award

The 2026 Dodge Charger won the North American Car of the Year award, beating out competitors in a vote by 50 journalists across the US and Canada.

Dodge CEO Matt McAleer confirmed the multi-energy platform allows the company to flex production between battery electric and ICE powertrains based on regional demand, with the coasts expected to adopt EVs faster than the middle of the country.

From The AutoGuide Show:

"We always say on Dodge, we win when we're different. It's absolutely not about building a Me Too product like something else in the industry. It's about breaking pattern, redefining what we've been and giving people something new, unique, better than they've had before, but authentic, authentic to Dodge. And we set out with four golden rules. It had to look like a Dodge, it had to feel like a Dodge, it had to sound like a Dodge, and it had to drive like a Dodge."

Automotive journalists celebrated the Charger's win as validation that muscle cars still matter in 2026, with The AutoGuide Show landing an exclusive interview with Dodge CEO Matt McAleer about the design philosophy and multi-energy strategy. The GAS podcast highlighted how the award caps off what they view as a successful first year for the controversial platform.

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction Approaches $200 Million in Record Sales

Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction approached $200 million in total sales, with Matt Farah noting the event featured everything from $1,000 Aries K cars to multiple Gen 4 GTs and SF90s building throughout the week.

The auction offered serious value plays for enthusiasts, including three 1993 Corvette ZR-1s with under 30,000 miles selling for $25,000 or less — a performance bargain for 400-horsepower four-cam V8 transaxle cars.

From The Smoking Tire:

"If you're within like driving distance of Barrett Jackson of Scottsdale, it's a fucking thing to see. It is absolutely one of the great American car spectacles that's worth seeing specifically the Scottsdale one. It's enormous. There's so many fucking cars. You can get so drunk. Apparently if you buy like even the basic level of bidder's pass it comes with a shocking number of drink tickets. It's like something like 10 drinks a day or something crazy."

The Smoking Tire's Matt Farah walked the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale grounds reporting on the value opportunities and carnival atmosphere.

Lincoln President Joaquin Nuño-Whelan Outlines Growth Strategy Despite Corsair Discontinuation

Lincoln President Joaquin Nuño-Whelan pushed dealers to grow sales in 2026 despite losing the entry-level Corsair crossover, which shrinks the U.S.

lineup to just three nameplates — Navigator, Nautilus, and Aviator.

From Automotive News Daily Drive:

"When I took this role, it was right as the headwinds of tariffs and everything were really starting to take shape, and we didn't think we'd have a year like we did in 24 at the beginning of 25, and we ended up knocking it out of the park. I mean, we surpassed 25 with another year of 100,000 vehicle sales with all the headwinds we had in 2025. We ended up, you know, 2% over that year."

Lincoln grew sales 2% in 2025 to surpass 100,000 vehicles despite tariff headwinds and supply disruptions, with Nuño-Whelan telling dealers at their October retailer meeting the brand has 'a strong plan' to repeat that performance. Automotive News Daily Drive featured an extended interview with Nuño-Whelan about dealer concerns and product strategy, while the Canadian Conversations episode mentioned Lincoln's manufacturing shifts during the same week but focused primarily on Chrysler's minivan business.

Buick Shifts Envision Production from China Back to United States

GM moved Buick Envision production from China to the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas, starting around the 2027.5 or 2028 model year, driven by tariff concerns that made importing from China unviable.

The Fairfax plant will also build the Chevrolet Bolt and Equinox EV, with the Envision and Equinox sharing a closely-related platform.

From Car Stuff Podcast (Consumer Guide):

"The Buick Envision, extremely popular in China, that's one of Buick's most popular models there. It's built in China and they've been importing that to the U.S. and until this tariff situation, it was a fine situation for General Motors but that's obviously not going to work moving forward."

Car Stuff Podcast covered the Envision's return to U.S. production as part of GM's response to tariffs, noting the timing will coincide with the vehicle's redesign and the plant shuffle at Fairfax Assembly.

Recommendations

If You Only Listen To One

Sarajevo Ghost — The Reckon Yard Podcast

This one grabbed me completely. Host Jerry Wayne Longmar weaves between preparing for a Texas freeze and the story of Helga Meyer's 'ghost Camaro' — a ratty red Camaro that secretly delivered aid during the Balkan war. It's part car story, part life philosophy, with Longmar's warm Texas drawl making it feel like you're sitting in his shop. The Camaro tale alone is worth it: a humble beater doing extraordinary things. Even if you're not into wrenching, this episode reminds you why cars matter to people.

More Episodes Worth Hearing

• Record-Breaking Auto Auctions with Power Broker Steve Serio (Bloomberg Hot Pursuit!) — Steve Serio breaks down the bonkers January auction season where nearly a billion dollars changed hands. The banter between hosts Hannah Elliott and Matt Miller keeps it lively, and Serio's insider perspective on why a Ferrari GTO hit $38.5 million — plus the psychology of collector bidding wars — makes this a fascinating peek behind the velvet rope. Great if you're curious about the high-dollar collector market without the stuffiness.

• From Heartbreak to Hands-On Apprenticeships (Beyond the Wrench) — Renae Chrysler's story about losing her son Riley in a motorcycle accident and turning that grief into the Jumpstart Fund is genuinely moving. Riley struggled in traditional education but came alive working on cars — his passion was a '60s Corvette his grandfather once owned. This episode is a powerful reminder that not everyone thrives in a classroom, and that meaningful work can change lives. Emotional but hopeful.

• Jack McNeill Reveals His Next Insane Van Build's & What Nearly Broke Him! (Road To Success with Benedict Fowler) — YouTube builder Jack McNeill gets refreshingly honest about the mental toll of creating viral car content — the highs of a hit video, the crushing lows when a passion project flops. His approach of taking boring cars and doing wild engine swaps with crazy paint is relatable, and hearing him talk about nearly quitting over underperforming videos adds real humanity. If you've ever wondered what it's like behind the scenes of car YouTube, this nails it.

• AAH #776 – The Death of the Dashboard? The Radical Future of Car Interiors (Autoline After Hours) — Olivier Juane from VIAD makes a compelling case that our screens-everywhere dashboard obsession is actually making driving worse. His Air Vision screen tech aims to reduce the information overload, and the conversation about creating calmer, more elegant interiors feels like a breath of fresh air. The nostalgia for his simple Renault 5 dashboard versus today's touchscreen chaos resonates hard.

Next Week

Watch for dealer reactions from the NADA show floor as tariff uncertainty and affordability concerns dominate the conversation.

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200 episodes. 2563 car mentions. 2605 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.