The Drivecast

The Drive
  • 4.6 (15)
  • Automotive
  • Updated Weekly

The Drivecast gives you an inside, behind-the-scenes look at the biggest stories, controversies, and people shaping the car industry from one of the top automotive news sites in the country. Each week, The Drive's editor-in-chief Kyle Cheromcha, director of content Joel Feder, and a rotating cast of expert staffers will break down how automakers are navigating a transformative time. Massive shifts in technology, manufacturing, and consumer demands are changing the ways cars are built and sold quicker than ever, and the way car companies are navigating this moment will shape the way our roads look for the next century. It doesn’t matter if you’re an enthusiast since birth or just curious about why cars are the way they are today—we’ll give you the inside line with our exclusive reporting and break it all down for you. If you like what we're doing, check out The Drive for the latest news, analysis, and in-depth car reviews, sign up for one of our newsletters, and subscribe to us on YouTube. We're also posting all the time on Instagram and Facebook.

  1. 2d ago

    The curse of the concept car

    The business of concept cars is faltering. Every year, automakers spend many millions of dollars building full-size, one-off concept cars to market-test new ideas, flex design capabilities, experiment with new technologies, and just get people excited about what's next. They are a showcase of what a company can do when they're freed up from pesky things like crash regulations and mass production budgets. Most never make it to the showroom, at least not without a lot of compromises, but that's not the point. The point is to push, see what happens, and apply those findings to the cars of tomorrow. The signal that a concept car is supposed to create for both sides, for companies and consumers, is getting weaker. When people are geared to greet concepts with suspicion because they represent anxieties about the future instead of hope, the market research aspect breaks down. When car companies can't get valid data from that response, their aim falters. And when companies build fewer ambitious concepts because it feels like a waste of money, the one window for both sides to have a conversation about what the cars of tomorrow should look like or do or represent gets smaller and smaller. Are concept cars going to disappear? Why? What will happen? The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha is joined by John Ikeda from Honda and Acura to break down the business of concept cars. Stories mentioned in today's episode: How Flock Cameras Wrongly Tracked Me for Days Over ‘Stolen’ Plates and Sent Police After Me Do concept cars matter anymore? 5 top Designers explain 00:00 Intro 04:19 - John Ikeda and his background 5:40 - What's the ROI of concept cars? 11:39 - How expensive are concept cars to create? 15:53 - The Internet and digital consumption changed things 17:33 - Design studies vs. public concept cars 28:33 - Powertrains and proportions 37:38 - The Precision Concept 42:48 - Public reactions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. Jul 8

    Do electric trucks make sense?

    For a moment in time it looked like a hard shift to the electric future was taking place. When America's best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150, is available with an electric powertrain, there were signs. But various automakers took different paths towards the electric future, and by many accounts history might show the first round of electric trucks were a failure with large price tags, sales volume that quickly cooled off, and what resulted in massive losses for automakers. Now the next-generation of EVs are taking shape, and of course, because this is America, trucks are at the forefront. But this time things are going to be different. From how these electric trucks are being designed and built to how much they will cost, what they can do, and even what they offer in terms of features. But do electric trucks even make sense? The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder, Executive Editor Andrew P. Collins, and Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs break down the electric truck segment, what happened, where we are today, and what's coming next. Stories mentioned in today's episode: Ford F-150 Lightning EV Is Dead, Next Gen Will Have Gas Engine Backup GM Delays Full-Size Electric Truck and SUV Redesigns: Report Ram Gives Up On Its Electric Truck 2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Review: Impressive Engineering Hamstrung by Hubris Spied: Ford’s $30,000 Electric Truck Caught Next to an Expedition Slate’s $24,950 Electric Truck Gets More Range, More Tow Capacity—and 450 More Pounds I Rode in Slate’s $24,950 Electric Truck. It Didn’t Feel Like a $24,950 Electric Truck Pour One Out for Canoo, the EV Startup That Dared to Be Different 00:00 Intro 08:59 - Quick history lesson 13:58 - Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck paved the way into the future 16:58 - Ford's $30,000 electric truck 17:39 - Slate 19:41 - Lightning replacement 22:31 - Telo 27:11 - Today's trucks are big 29:41 - Canoo 31:06 - EREVs are coming 36:51 - Do electric trucks make sense? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. Jul 1

    Congress could decide who's allowed to fix your car

    Who's allowed to fix the car you own? Who's allowed to choose the mechanic that wrenches on the vehicle you own? As cars have become more complex and computerized, and corporations have become more fixated on gathering data, the topic of right to repair has become more intense. It's been thrust back into the limelight with recent comments from automaker CEOs and the White House. The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Executive Editor Andrew P. Collins break down what right to repair is, what's happening, how we got here, and what it means for you. Stories mentioned in today's episode: Feds Might Flip the Script on Right to Repair Vehicle Emissions Systems Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Right To Repair Comment Should Make Every Car Owner Uncomfortable Want To Stop Your New Car From Transmitting Your Personal Data? It’s Possible Replacing Brake Pads on a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Requires a Professional Mechanic’s Login 00:00 Intro 06:05 - What is right to repair? 07:53 - How did we get here? 10:49 - Why are we talking about this? Where are we now? 12:44 - Ford CEO Jim Farley claims it's about Safety 21:14 - Modern cars are complicated and computerized 22:49 - The future 32:32 - What can consumers do? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Jun 24

    License plate cameras are tracking everything

    The devices you carry will enable law enforcement and the government to track your every move. Scary thought. Time to break out the tin-foil hats. A new kind of license-plate reading camera is said to be far more than its name. It will be able to scrape the smart devices you take with you and wrap all that data in a nice little bow for law enforcement and government agencies. The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Senior Editor Adam Ismail are joined by security expert Matt Hurewitz, who is currently the CISO at Ent.AI, to sort fact from fiction and dissect what's really going on here. Stories mentioned in today's episode: License Plate Cameras Will Soon Track Phones, Wearables, Infotainment, and Even Your Pets Want To Stop Your New Car From Transmitting Your Personal Data? It’s Possible Cops Are Already Using License Plate Readers to Stalk People 00:00 Intro 04:14 License plate cameras are about to track you 07:42 Should you be concerned? 13:56 The danger that lurks 16:42 Slippery slope 18:40 Cars are incredibly complicated and connected now 20:37 What can people do? 23:04 Final thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Jun 17

    GM said they crushed them all. One ended up in Sweden

    Almost two decades ago General Motors almost changed pickup truck history, and would've changed the entire market. A new, smaller, Baby Duramax turbodiesel V8 was set to launch and reset the bar for torque, fuel economy, and technology in the half-ton market. The engine was done, but the entire thing was scrapped with the crash of 2008 when GM filed bankruptcy. The automaker claimed all the prototypes were crushed, but at lest one escaped into the wild. So today, we dig into the history books and dissect the story of the unreleased Baby Duramax and a prototype surfacing in the real world. Stories mentioned in today's episode: The Recession Killed GM’s 4.5L Duramax V8, But One Escaped the Factory I Found the Canceled 4.5L Duramax V8 Prototypes, Then They Disappeared We Found GM’s Lost Duramax V8 Prototype That Could’ve Reinvented Modern Trucks 00:00 Intro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. Jun 10

    Rivian bet the company on R2. RJ Scaringe told us almost everything

    Rivian, by many accounts, has become the darling of the automotive industry. It’s a hot topic despite its current volume and scale. To date, it’s not a mainstream brand with a mass-market offering. But that changed yesterday with the launch of the R2, which costs between $45,000 and $60,000 while hitting at the absolute heart of the compact crossover SUV market at 186 inches long, which is the size of the Toyota RAV4 and Tesla Model Y. The former is one of the best selling vehicles period while the latter is one of the best-selling EVs by the widest of margins it’s not even funny. Now it’s Rivian’s turn to step into the arena and aim for the masses. This is the moment RJ Scaringe and his team has been building towards for years. Everything is riding on this. This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe to dissect how we got here, missteps, where the company is today, and what's about to happen in both the immediate and longer-term future. So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Rivian going into the mass market arena, what that looks like, how it plays out, and addressing how the automaker aims to tackle it all. Stories mentioned in today's episode: 2027 Rivian R2 First Drive Review: The Perfect Car for So Many PeopleSomehow, Rivian’s Cheaper R2 Is Its Most Refined Vehicle The Rivian R2 Needed a Rear Wiper That Didn’t Exist. So Rivian Invented One 2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough Rivian Is Going RAD. But Can It Stick the Landing? Rivian Won’t Talk About the Missing R2 Tri-Motor. The Reason Why Is Big Rivian Sidesteps Apple CarPlay With Built-In Texting 00:00 Intro 04:05 R2 profitability 07:43 R2 launch 10:49 Service 16:54 Rivian Adventure Network 20:03 RAD 25:47 R3X 26:25 R2T? 29:13 R4 29:31 Patents and a winch for R1 30:57 Repairability 35:32 Buttons, knobs, and the Halo wheels 37:43 Voice controls 39:07 RJ's final thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Jun 3

    Inside Toyota's reliability crisis

    Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, who for decades has been known for building more reliable cars than anyone else. But lately, some big cracks are starting to form in that foundation. Last month, Toyota added another 44,000 vehicles to its ongoing recall of Tundra pickups and Lexus SUVs with the company’s troubled 3.4-liter twin turbo V6, bringing the total to nearly 270,000 trucks over the last two years. And this isn’t some precautionary move—metal debris left in the engine during assembly is causing sudden and catastrophic failure, a previous attempt to stop it didn’t work, and so far Toyota has had to replace tens of thousands of engines for free. So today, it’s Toyota’s reliability crisis—how it ended up here, what’s really happening beyond the headlines, and what might be next. Stories mentioned in today's episode: Toyota Turbo V6 Recall Campaign Grows to Include More Than 250,000 Trucks We Finally Know Why the Toyota Tundra V6 Keeps Self-Destructing ‘Total BS’: Engine Teardown Specialist Says Toyota’s Explanation for V6 Failures Doesn’t Make Sense Toyota Will Replace Over 100,000 V6 Engines in Recalled Tundras, Lexus SUVs Toyota Recalls Another 127,000 Tundras and Lexus SUVs Over Self-Destructing Turbo V6s Is Toyota’s New Twin-Turbo V6 Really Less Reliable Than Its Old V8s? Toyota Dealers Brace to Replace 100,000 Tundra V6s 00:00 Intro 06:07 How did we get here? 09:40 What's happening? 18:26 Where do we go from here? 25:51 What do you tell potential buyers? 30:06 The competition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. May 27

    Stellantis Has Big Plans. Tim Kuniskis Told Us Almost Everything

    Stellantis has been rocked. The automaker built its current foundation upon loud noises and fast times at the drag strip all while making loud boom boom noises thanks to the Hemi and a legendary Hellcat V8 powertrain. Then the party ended. It was late to the electric game, many of its EVs didn’t even launch and were just DOA from the get go, SRT was mothballed, and things just looked bleak, again. Stellantis says there’s hope, and even a plan. This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by The Father of the Hellcats, but his official titles include Ram CEO, Head of American Brands for Stellantis, and Head of SRT, Tim Kuniskis. From Cooperhead and Scrambler to the the return of the Rumble Bee with a Hellcat powertrain and the Ramcharger nameplate, Kuniskis dissects it all with Feder. So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Stellantis' turnaround plan and what comes next. Stories mentioned in today's episode: Stellantis Announces Huge Turnaround Plan, 60 new Vehicles and 50 Refreshes by 2030 2027 Ram SRT Rumble Bee Revealed as a Shorty Street Truck With 777-HP V8 Dodge Has a New Completely Unhinged Halo Car Coming and It’s Not Called the Viper Jeep Is Building a Wrangler Scrambler SRT With Removable Roof, Backward-Facing Rear Seats and Probably a V8 Stellantis Promises Dodge Dealers New Small SUV, Refreshed Durango, and More SRT Can Chrysler Be More Than a Minivan Brand? It’s Betting Three New SUVs Under $40,000 Can Prove It Ram Is Bringing Back the Dakota and a New Compact Truck Both Under $40,000 Stellantis Is Launching 9 New Vehicles Under $40,000 Ramcharger SUV Name ‘A Pretty Obvious Guess’ Says Ram CEO The New Dodge Charger SRT Has a Wing Straight Out of the Superbird Era and It Looks Ready to Fly 00:00 Intro 04:59 Copperhead 09:21 Viper 11:57 Scrambler 16:13 Jeep 22:33 Recon 23:49 Ramcharger 26:52 SRT 30:37 GLH/Hornet 33:01 Chrysler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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4.6
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

The Drivecast gives you an inside, behind-the-scenes look at the biggest stories, controversies, and people shaping the car industry from one of the top automotive news sites in the country. Each week, The Drive's editor-in-chief Kyle Cheromcha, director of content Joel Feder, and a rotating cast of expert staffers will break down how automakers are navigating a transformative time. Massive shifts in technology, manufacturing, and consumer demands are changing the ways cars are built and sold quicker than ever, and the way car companies are navigating this moment will shape the way our roads look for the next century. It doesn’t matter if you’re an enthusiast since birth or just curious about why cars are the way they are today—we’ll give you the inside line with our exclusive reporting and break it all down for you. If you like what we're doing, check out The Drive for the latest news, analysis, and in-depth car reviews, sign up for one of our newsletters, and subscribe to us on YouTube. We're also posting all the time on Instagram and Facebook.

Information

  • Creator
    The Drive
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Show Website
    The Drivecast

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