Podcast appearances and mentions of gary witzenburg

Jill opened the show talking about her new Rebelle Rally team. Listen in for details. Tom shared some information about a not-for-profit organization that packages sundry products for patients undergoing Chemotherapy. The packages include items to help recipients deal with chemo side effects, including loss of taste, dry skin, and dehydration. You can check out Lemons of Love at lemonsoflove.org. The hosts went to discuss the Cybertruck. The polarizing Tesla pickup is no longer being accepted in trade by Tesla, a thing which will likely impact resale value. Also, Tesla has introduced a new, less expensive Cybertruck trim level, which may lure some shoppers back into showrooms. Tom noted the addition of a more affordable trim level to the GMC Sierra EV lineup. The new model lowers the cost of entry for a Sierra EV considerably. Still in the first segment, Jill and Tom talked about Jeff Bezos' new EV startup Slate Auto. The new company is gearing up to produce small, $25,000 electric pickup trucks meant to be customized by the end user. Production begins as early as late next year. In the second segment, the hosts welcome veteran auto journalist Gary Witzenburg to the show. Gary talked about a pair of articles he recently wrote, both about 2-seat Pontiacs. The first, which appeared recently in Collectible Automobile, covered the Fiero. The latter, which appeared on the Haggerty website, covered the brand's Solstice small sports car. Listen in for fascinating insights into both cars. In the last segment, Jill is subjected to Tom's “Sixty More Seconds” quiz. How did she do? Listen in. 

The 2023 Kia EV6 GT isn't just a crazy, in-your-face performance trim level. It is a shot across the frunk of every electric-vehicle manufacturer, including Tesla. With its $61,000 price and 576-horsepower all-wheel-drivetrain, the Kia EV6 GT states quite boldly that the heretofore “value brand” intends to be a global force to be reckoned with when it comes to engineering, manufacturing, and marketing EVs. It is a major step as Kia moves to execute its Plan S, the shift to battery-electric vehicles. And the best news is we had the chance to drive the Kia EV6 GT on both road and track outside Las Vegas. The experience gave us a special perspective on the car. With the capability of rocketing from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds, the Kia EV6 GT has the performance to get people's attention. But the market for a crossover EV with those credentials is untested and likely very limited. That isn't the point, though. The car speaks volumes about the brand's aspirations to be an essential builder of electric vehicles both now and in the future. Its credentials are impressive. The 2023 Kia EV6 GT with dual-motor all-wheel-drive uses a 160 kW front-mounted electric motor and a 270 kW rear electric motor to produce a combined 576 horsepower and 545 lb-ft of torque. That's plenty of horsepower even when squared off against a curb weight that bumps up toward 5,000 pounds. The weight is just one reason why its range on a charge is estimated at 206 miles. Host Jack Nerad, who drove the EV6 GT outside Las Vegas, will have much, much more on this car coming up, including an explanation of its hidden "superpower." In the other half of the road test segment, Co-Host Chris Teague will chronicle his experiences with the 2023 Toyota Tundra during the post-Christmas crunch in Maine. Bad weather and bad roads proved to be no match for the recently revamped Tundra, and Teague will offer even more coming up. Leading the news this week is the announcement of the 2023 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year. And we have special access through our exclusive interview with Gary Witzenburg, the president of the North American Car of the Year jury. Immediately after the awards ceremony, he sat down with our own Jack Nerad for an exclusive, in-depth interview on the vehicles that won the awards and the other finalists in what might have been the strongest field ever. Also coming up in the news, we will examine one car company president's assertion that the shift to electric vehicles will cause the overall car market to shrink. He predicts dire consequences, including major plant closures, if the transition to EVs gathers more steam and goes on unchecked. We'll have the details. Tough times continue for Tesla this week as well. The Texas-based automaker is cutting prices overseas as some markets contract and its market share declines. Tesla has slashed prices of the Model Y and Model 3 electric vehicles in China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Now the question is will we see lower Tesla prices here in the United States? Also this week, General Motors asked the U.S. Treasury Department to take a second look at its Cadillac Lyriq because it believes the department has misclassified it in its new rules for tax incentives for electric vehicles, based on the Anti-Inflation Act. We'll tell you more about the government's latest fit of confusion, and we'll have much more for you as well. Dance in the Dark, a crime novel by America on the Road Host Jack R. Nerad

GUEST: Peter Brock, Designer PANEL: Lindsay Brooke, SAEs Automotive Engineering; Gary Witzenburg, President, NACTOY; John McElroy, Autoline.tv

GTOPIC: New Vehicles in 2021 - What we like, what we’re indifferent to, what we can’t wait to drivePANEL: Jenni Newman, Cars.com; Gary Witzenburg, President, NACTOY; Gary Vasilash, on Automotive; John McElroy, Autoline.tv

In this edition of the award-winning America on the Road we take the brand-new 2021 Ford Bronco Sport on a real-world 500-mile road trip. Host Jack Nerad and his youngest daughter, Greta, set off on a trek to take her back to college. The open question was could the Bronco Sport swallow all the gear a college student needs these days? The results were surprising. On the other side of the road test equation, this week co-host Chris Teague put the 2021 Lincoln Corsair crossover utility through its paces. Does the Corsair offer advantages its opposite number, the Ford Escape, doesn't offer? And can the Corsair hold its head up versus the European luxury SUVs? We'll have the answers for you. In the interview segment of America on the Road, Jack Nerad will have a lengthy discussion with North American Car of the Year jury president Gary Witzenbug about the just-released winners. They discuss how the winners of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards matched up against the other finalists, that are pretty good vehicles in their own right. 2021 Hyundai Elantra wins North American Car of the Year award, and we'll talk to the president of the jury that chose it.   Filled with new tech, the 2021 Ford F-150 has just been named North American Truck of the Year. Big news this week is the cancellation of the annual North American International Auto Show for this year. Originally the 2021 NAIAS was scheduled to take place in September after a series of date changes that were complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the show won't happen at all and in its place the organizers will stage a "celebration of the automobile:" called Motor Bella. And in other news, rumors abound regarding a hot performance version of the Hyundai Kona small crossover SUV. Look back at what was named North American Car of the Year for 2020 The following is a partial transcript of Episode 38 created with AI, so please forgive some occasional grammar, spelling, and usage errors. Jack Nerad 0:03 This is America on the Road, winner of the International Automotive Media Conference Gold Medal Award for radio and now in its 24th year on the air. Thanks for being with us as we bring you the latest automotive information from around the world. And we'll have special coverage of the North American Car of the Year for you today. America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com and the Coalition for Vehicle Choice. I'm Jack Nerad, with me is co host, Chris Teague. Chris is very excited because he's moving from one house in Maine to another house in Maine. And he writes for Ford Authority, Forbes, Driving Today, among others. Tell us all about that exciting new house there, Chris. Chris Teague 0:42 I think it'll be most exciting not to live in a house stacked tall with boxes. But the new house will be great. I'll have a garage to do projects on cars and actually park a car for the first time. And we'll have a little bit of waterfront too so the view never hurts. Jack Nerad 0:55 Wow, a little waterfront. I like that What kind of water? Chris Teague 0:58 A river, not the ocean, unfortunately, but it's still better than nothing. Jack Nerad 1:02 Yeah, I like a little little river view. That would be very nice. This week, our special guest is Gary Witzenburg. He is president of the North American Car of the Year organization. I have a little bit of an in and getting an interview with him because I'm Vice President of that organization. He will give us a close up look on what to expect from the 2021 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year winners. They were just announced this week. He and I both participated in that program outside Detroit. In the car review segment, Chris will give us his opinion of the 2021 Lincoln Corsair sounds like a nice vehicle, I'm going to tell you about my recent 500 mile drive with my daughter, my youngest daughter in the 2021 Ford Bronco sport,

UP FOR DISCUSSION:- Silverado/Sierra: New faces for ’16. How clever is this?- Sergio Shows His Elbows: The start of UAW negotiations- Magna Gets Getrag: “Every vehicle has and will have a transmission in the foreseeable future”SPECIAL GUEST: John Kelly, BMW Product Manager- Join us as we take a deep dive into the BMW i3.All that and much more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design and Production; Gary Witzenburg, Freelance Auto Writer.

UP FOR DISCUSSION:- Was Ross Perot Right? More Move to Mexico- China and India Go After Western Automakers: Is This the Beginning of the End?SPECIAL GUEST: Larry Nitz, GM Powertrain Executive Director, Global Transmission and ElectrificationAll that and much more with Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design and Production, Stephanie Brinley, IHS Automotive and Gary Witzenburg, AutoMedia.com.

It won nearly every serious automotive award and had a huge carbon-free footprint of positive reviews from critics and consumers alike. So if that’s the case, why is the Volt GM’s slowest selling product? More than that, why does there seem to be such a negative charge to the car? People across the country who have never even seen a Volt let alone driven this engineering marvel have nothing good to say about it, confounding both auto analysts and company executives. On Autoline This Week John McElroy and his panel look at the strange state of GM’s engineering masterpiece the Volt. Joining John on the panel are Joe White of the Wall Street Journal, Manny Lopez from the Michigan Capitol Confidential and Gary Witzenburg an auto journalist and former engineer on GM’s original electric project, the EV1.

It won nearly every serious automotive award and had a huge carbon-free footprint of positive reviews from critics and consumers alike. So if that’s the case, why is the Volt GM’s slowest selling product? More than that, why does there seem to be such a negative charge to the car? People across the country who have never even seen a Volt let alone driven this engineering marvel have nothing good to say about it, confounding both auto analysts and company executives. On Autoline This Week John McElroy and his panel look at the strange state of GM’s engineering masterpiece the Volt. Joining John on the panel are Joe White of the Wall Street Journal, Manny Lopez from the Michigan Capitol Confidential and Gary Witzenburg an auto journalist and former engineer on GM’s original electric project, the EV1.

It won nearly every serious automotive award and had a huge carbon-free footprint of positive reviews from critics and consumers alike. So if that’s the case, why is the Volt GM’s slowest selling product? More than that, why does there seem to be such a negative charge to the car? People across the country who have never even seen a Volt let alone driven this engineering marvel have nothing good to say about it, confounding both auto analysts and company executives. On Autoline This Week John McElroy and his panel look at the strange state of GM’s engineering masterpiece the Volt. Joining John on the panel are Joe White of the Wall Street Journal, Manny Lopez from the Michigan Capitol Confidential and Gary Witzenburg an auto journalist and former engineer on GM’s original electric project, the EV1.