The Car Curious Weekly for June 7, 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.

May 31 - June 06, 2026 · 242 episodes across 169 podcasts.

Ford's sales dropped 13.7% in May as dealers stack unsold inventory, used EV sales rose 17% even as new EV demand fell 27% in early 2026, and Toyota expanded a Tundra V6 recall to 44,000 vehicles. Each story surfaced on multiple shows this week.

Ford Sales Fall 13.7% in May as CarEdge Calls It a Pricing Problem

Ford's May sales dropped 13.7% year over year, with about 55,000 unsold units sitting in inventory, and CarEdge Live blamed price over product.

Distressed pockets include the Bronco Sport's three-cylinder variant and at least one EV model carrying deep discounts.

CarEdge Live:
Ford Can't Lower PRICES Fast Enough | Episode 1083

"I think more than anything, it's a price thing."

On the development side, CarCast reported that Alan Clarke, Ford's Vice President of Advanced Development Projects, has set up a Long Beach team operating like a VC-funded startup, with the explicit mandate to reverse-engineer cheaper Chinese EVs and close the cost gap.

CarCast:
CarCast+Edmunds - Interview with Alan Clarke head of Ford’s Advanced EV Development.

"I know they reverse engineered some of the competitors, particularly the Chinese cars, stripped them apart and the Teslas and said, these cars are way cheaper to build, way more sophisticated than what we're able to do."

Used EV Sales Up 17% While New EV Demand Falls 27% in Early 2026

Autoline Daily reported that used EV sales rose 17% in the first four months of 2026 while new EV sales fell 27% over the same period.

Autoline also noted that a wave of lease returns over the next 18 months could add to that used supply.

The AutoGuide Show:
Gas is Stupid Expensive. So Why Aren't Electric Cars More Popular? Ep 124

"There's a little bit of a disconnect between perception and reality with public charging."

The AutoGuide Show, drawing on JD Power consumer sentiment data, identified affordability as the primary barrier keeping buyers out of the new market, alongside a gap between public charging perception and the on-the-ground reality.

Autoline Daily:
AD #4310 - Tata Pivots from JLR to China; Used EV Sales Surging; Lithium-Air Batteries Could Match Gas

"In the first four months of the year, sales of used EVs increase seventeen percent in the US compared with a twenty seven percent decline of new EVs."

Toyota Tundra V6 Recall Grows to 44,000 Vehicles Amid Engine Failure Reports

Toyota expanded its recall of Tundra pickups and Lexus SUVs with the 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 by nearly 44,000 vehicles last month, and TFL Talkin' Trucks reported that Toyota's response includes a redesigned main bearing.

The Drivecast attributed the failures to manufacturing debris left in engines during assembly, noting that the new engine's high operating pressures and tight tolerances make contamination far more damaging than it would have been in older designs.

TFL Talkin' Trucks:
The Tundra Engine Recall Is Confusing! Here's The Latest! | Ep. 334

TFL Talkin' Trucks observed that used values for the previous-generation Tundra have held firm because buyers distrust the newer powertrain, a sign the damage reaches past service departments. The Drivecast flagged a rising volume of engine failures, transmission issues, warranty disputes, and class action lawsuits tied to Toyota's popular models, a real test of the brand's reliability reputation.

The Drivecast:
The crack in Toyota's reputation

"Metal debris left in the engine during assembly is causing sudden and catastrophic failures."

Hidden Gems

Episodes worth checking out that you might have missed:
- 4,000 Miles to the Arctic Circle: What We Learned About Our Porsche (9WERKS Radio : The Porsche and Car Podcast), Real-world endurance test of classic 911s on a 4,000-mile UK-to-Arctic road trip reveals practical reliability insights, tire/suspension choices, and midnight-sun driving experiences that go far beyond typical review content.
- 354: Subaru Eyesight Model Code Error (Automotive Diagnostic Podcast), Hands-on diagnostic detective work showing how a module-replacement mistake cascaded into misleading fault codes and ADAS failures, with specific scan-tool techniques and CAN-bus logic that reveal real-world module-programming pitfalls.
- Driven Radio Show #356: John Klinger Part 1 (Driven Radio Show), A guest who daily-drove a bone-stock 1934 Model A for a year as a deliberate challenge, with an 'analog' philosophy on mechanical simplicity that lands as a counterpoint to the week's EV coverage, plus a 1958 Thunderbird project-car horror story.
- 0337 - Dream Project on a Budget (B Squad Hotrod), An International V8 swap debate centered on script valve covers sticking out of an old truck, and a scope-creep tale of a 383 big-block Duster build that anyone who's ever started a project car will recognize.

Quotes of the Week

"I found bits of glitter in the oil, which is signs of premature rod bearing..."

S2 Ep36: Buying The World's FASTEST Super Saloon, And Ferrari Have Gone MAD! on The AutoAlex Podcast

"Then for no apparent reason, they add 10 inches."

Jeep's Toyota Secret, MSRP Is a Lie & Why Your Car's Legroom Numbers Are Wrong on Auto Buyers Guide Podcast

"I think it would be a Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II."

S11 Ep8: Mike Fernie: Working with Clarkson, Hammond and May was incredible! on Fuelling Around - Stars Talking Cars!

Recommendations

If You Only Listen To One

Sedans Are Back, Dodge Is Confused & Should Acura Just Die?, Auto Buyers Guide Podcast

Auto Buyers Guide treats the sedan's comeback as a buying question. The hosts run ownership-cost math on sedans against crossovers, weigh Toyota's move to an all-hybrid Camry, and argue that Acura has lost its reason to exist. Their Dodge EV skepticism comes from the numbers rather than a hunch. If you're cross-shopping a daily driver this year, this half-hour earns its place.

More Episodes Worth Hearing

• Episode #227 - When was Peak Volvo? (Another Pointless Automotive Podcast), Debating 'peak' for a brand is a great format because it forces specific, defensible picks rather than vague praise. The hosts anchor their arguments to real cars, T5 five-cylinders, P1 wagons, the Ford ownership era, and the used-car maintenance talk at the end keeps it grounded. Good banter throughout.
• C.R.E.A.M. #85 - Murci Is HERE, Clio Fires and Ben Wants an Alfa? (C.R.E.A.M. (The TDC Podcast)), A Renault Clio catching fire and leaving the hosts with 'no working cars' is the kind of chaotic week that makes for funny listening. The supercar presence debate and Alfa identity tangent add personality, and the ignition coil-pack DIY section is more useful than it sounds coming out of a supercar podcast.
• 996 Turbo: The Porsche Worth the Risk | with Andy from While You're In There (Eleven After Nine | A Porsche Culture Podcast), The 996 Turbo coolant pipe risk is explained clearly enough that even someone without a 996 walks away understanding the buy/fix calculus. The broader conversation about what makes a 'ratty' car worth restoring and how documentation affects resale is useful for anyone shopping project cars, not just Porsche people.
• Mercedes' Michael Schiebe on AMG, Future of EVs (Bloomberg Hot Pursuit!), Schiebe is candid about the tension between AMG's V8 identity and electrification, the 'AMG Force' seat vibration and recorded sound approach is either clever or a compromise depending on your view, and he doesn't dodge that question. The 'one man one engine' and customer build experience details add context you don't get from press releases.
• OMG AMG (Smith and Sniff), Jonny Smith and Richard Porter tear into the new AMG GT four-door's styling, the 'krill mouth' grille, awkward wheel placement, and aero-first softness, then pivot to a practical breakdown of used Bentley Arnage buying logic and parts-car strategy. The opinionated tone makes it entertaining even when you disagree with them.

Next Week

Watch for more fallout from the UAW axle supplier strike as GM truck inventory tightens, and expect sharper takes on USMCA content-threshold negotiations as the July review deadline approaches.

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Also from our team: Suspension News is a daily automotive briefing for people who need to stay informed without spending their morning reading car news. It scans industry news, trade publications, filings, Reddit, and YouTube, then turns the important stuff into one useful email.

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242 episodes. 3028 car mentions. 10260 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.