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Kicking off the show, Justice Brothers, Inc. President and CEO, Ed Justice, Jr., discusses the oversupply of oil in the United States and what it means for consumers, how it affects the electric vehicle market, and car companies commitment to making ventilators for hospitals. Then, we chat with Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Dealer.com Executive Publisher, Karl Brauer, about the amazing financing available for car loans right now, how car dealerships are having to catch up with the times and sell online, and the troubles of piecing together a “best cars” list for 2021. Changing gears, Cartender Co-Founder and Freelance Automotive Journalist for CarGurus, Boston Globe, U.S. News & World Report, George Kennedy III, shares how car venues like the LarzAnderson Car Museum are taking their car shows into virtual territory. We also discuss a possible car show rebound after the virus runs its course, why now is a good time to look at the Nissan Versa for an economical vehicle purchase. Closing out the show, Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason, BJ Killeen, explains Kia’s new $25B ‘Plan S’ and how they plan on leading the charge into the future of electric vehicles. Tune in for the latest automotive news, reviews, and banter. 

·[00:00:00] What the Oversupply of Oil Means

·[00:05:31] Gas Price Effects on EV Market

·[00:12:32] Car Companies and Ventilators

·[00:19:52] Financing Deals Getting Better!

·[00:28:37] Dealerships Catch Up With the Times

·[00:35:54] Best Car List of 2021 Not Easy to Make

·[00:42:15] Larz Anderson Car Museum’s Virtual Event

·[00:48:36] Car Show Rebound in the Future?

·[00:54:45] Time to Check Out a Nissan Versa

·[01:02:06] Gas Prices, Nissan Versa; What Is CVT?

·[01:09:52] Kia Announces New ‘Plan S’

·[01:18:07] I Love the Visceral Feel of Combustion

[00:00:00] What the Oversupply of Oil Means

Gas prices are the lowest they’ve been in years! This is great for consumers, but the story goes a little deeper than that. Justice Brothers, Inc. President and CEO, Ed Justice, Jr., explains that the supply and demand for oil is all out of whack right now, with the supply being much higher than the demand. Oil went down to negative $40 a barrel, will oil companies have to pay buyers to take their overly abundant oil supply off their hands? This is a good thing for taxpayers because the government can buy oil at less than it cost to extract it, offering a unique opportunity to fill up the strategic reserve. 

[00:05:31] Gas Price Effects on EV Market

The past few years has seen a surge in startup electric car companies; what will happen to them during this time of extreme gas devaluation? Justice Brothers, Inc, President and CEO, Ed Justice, Jr., thinks that the road ahead could be rocky for the electric vehicle manufacturers that don’t have a solid foothold, but companies like Tesla should be fine. Most of the EV pains could be felt in China, who have put an increasing focus on spearheading the world’s shift away from fossil fuels.

[00:12:32] Car Companies and Ventilators

In light of increasing medical demand, some car manufacturers have temporarily switched over production to ventilators. It is very impressive to see the effort companies like GM have put into pitching in for the greater good. Through battles with Trump and working around local-level restrictions, GM has been able to master the production of an item that is assuredly a complicated machine. Justice Brothers, Inc. President and CEO, Ed Justice, Jr., says some reports have shown that the ventilators are paying off. Tune in for more. 

[00:19:52] Financing Deals Getting Better!

While this may be a tough time to be an auto manufacturer, it’s pretty amazing for consumers. Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Dealer.com Executive Publisher, Karl Brauer, explains that car makers are having trouble gauging demand, so they wouldn’t know if they needed to ramp up or down production when they got back to work. This is good news for us, it’s a great time to buy a car! Alan’s son went into the bank and got seven year financing just below 4% on a used vehicle. That’s unheard of! 

[00:28:37] Dealerships Catch Up With the Times

In this time of lockdown, car dealerships are having to turn to alternative methods for selling cars. Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com Executive Publisher, Karl Brauer, talks about how dealerships are using online platforms to up their sales game. It only makes sense, this way people can see a dealer’s inventory online, which is great for advertising and a tool they should be making use of. Autotrader has been working on this for a while, and now a lot of dealerships are using their site to sell cars.

[00:35:54] Best Car List of 2021 Not Easy to Make

Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com Executive Publisher, Karl Brauer, is trying to come up with a list at Autotrader of the best 2021 car models. This is no easy feat when you can’t actually test drive any of the cars, or if they haven’t even been released yet due to the virus. Car releases will be a little compressed this year since everything is being pushed back. Keep your ears open for more information.

[00:42:15] Larz Anderson Car Museum’s Virtual Event

Cartender Co-Founder and Freelance Automotive Journalist for CarGurus, Boston Globe, U.S. News & World Report, George Kennedy III, tells us about how almost every car event has been shut down due to the Coronavirus. We also learn about the Larz Anderson Car Museum’s virtual ‘cars and coffee’ event; but instead of the normal way of rating cars, people are posting pictures of their cars, and whichever one gets the most likes wins The People’s Choice Award. When do you think we’ll be able to have car shows again? 

[00:48:36] Car Show Rebound in the Future?

It’s nice to see that people are still trying their best to hold car shows, even if they are being held virtually. Cartender Co-Founder and Freelance Automotive Journalist for CarGurus, Boston Globe, U.S. News & World Report, George Kennedy III, postulates that after the virus passes, people are going to want to get outside and car shows could become bigger than ever. The effects of this could be seen from the international level car shows down to local level shows. Wouldn’t it be cool to see smaller towns upping their car show game? 

[00:54:45] Time to Check Out a Nissan Versa

The average person is living paycheck to paycheck in these times of uncertainty; but there is one thing that IS certain. Cartender Co-Founder and Freelance Automotive Journalist for CarGurus, Boston Globe, U.S. News & World Report, George Kennedy III, explains that you can be sure to get great financing and some pretty amazing deals at your local dealerships as they desperately try to get rid of stock. George recently drove the redesigned 2020 Nissan Versa and says that while it’s nothing out of this world, it does it’s job, and for $14,730 base MSRP, you can’t beat that. 

[01:02:06] Gas Prices, Nissan Versa; What Is CVT?

Gas prices are down right now because all of the oil reservoirs in the United States are filled to capacity; but how long will gas prices stay this low? Cartender Co-Founder and Freelance Automotive Journalist for CarGurus, Boston Globe, U.S. News & World Report, George Kennedy III, wouldn’t bet on gas prices staying this low forever, that’s why he suggests working families get themselves a car like the Nissan Versa. The Versa sports a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), which helps the car achieve 40 mpg. What exactly is CVT? Tune in to find out.

[01:09:52] Kia Announces New ‘Plan S’

It’s a strange time for auto manufacturers, and especially weird for their marketing departments. Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason, BJ Killeen, mentions that she’s been getting some pretty cool videos from the press departments of companies like Kia and Audi. Speaking of Kia, BJ fills us in on their recently unveiled ‘Plan S’ which sets a goal for having 11 fully electric models world wide by 2025. Tune in to learn more about this $25B plan.  

[01:18:07] I Love the Visceral Feel of Combustion

Okay okay, Alan has to get this off his chest, he doesn’t HATE electric vehicles, he just doesn’t love ‘em. They’re just missing something – a certain sound, a bit of pzaz, a feeling or a passion. Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason, BJ Killeen, tells Alan he’s in love with the visceral feeling of being in a big ole’ V8 engine. Are you a fan of the vibration, the sound, and the theatrics of the internal combustion engine?

Explore More with Helpful Links:

·Contributor: Ed Justice, Jr. | President/ CEO, Justice Brothers, Inc.

·Contributor: Karl Brauer | Executive Publisher, Kelley Blue Book/ Autotrader/ Dealer.com

·Contributor: George Kennedy III | Co-founder, Cartender | Freelance Automotive Journalist, CarGurus/ Boston Globe/ U.S. News and World Report

·Contributor: BJ Killeen | Automotive Journalist, Voice of Reason

Credits

Host: Alan Taylor
Producer: Dave Milligan
Audio Engineer: Dave Milligan
Copy Editor: Cody Castleberry 
Copy Editor: Caleb Hayward
Contributor: Ed Justice, Jr.
Contributor: Karl Brauer
Contributor: George Kennedy III
Contributor: BJ Killeen

Our Sponsors & Supported Charities:

·Austin Hatcher Foundation

·Brembo

·Dodge

·Foundation of Human Understanding

·Shell

·Subaru

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This episode was produced by Entertainment Right Now (ERN). If you found value in this episode, and you’d like to hear more, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes and be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you don’t miss a beat. Your feedback helps us to reach more enthusiasts around the world! If you have a question you’d like us to answer, please leave a comment below or e-mail us at info@ernlive.com.