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Buckle up for a wild ride this week as Alan struggles with mankinis, riot envy, and much more! First up, Autoweek, Automobile Magazine, and Grassroots Motorsports Automotive Journalist, Steven Cole Smith, discusses recent events like looting at dealerships, the firing of a Formula E driver for cheating in virtual racing, and the lockdown eating habits. Then, we chat with JoshCAR Hollywood Car Consultant, Josh Hancock, about the new Ford Bronco and it’s rumored host of options, including a 7-speed manual transmission. Josh also fills us in on the Mustang Mach 1, and how Hollywood is working to reopen for business. Changing gears, Executive Publisher for Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com, Karl Brauer, compares the Ford Mustang GT350 and GT500, discusses the things he’d like to see on the newly announced Mustang Mach 1, and gives us an analogy for what the auto industry is going through. Closing out the show, Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason, BJ Killeen, reviews the brand new 2021 Kia Seltos, giving it plenty of praise (and a small bit of fair criticism). Tune in for the latest news, auto reviews, and tomfoolery. 

·[00:00:00] Mankinis, Sparkling Water, and Chaos!

·[00:06:15] Can Dealers Find Looted Cars?

·[00:12:31] Formula E Driver Fired for Cheating

·[00:19:51] 7-Speed Manual In the New Bronco?

·[00:28:50] Ford Bronco, Raptor, and Mustang Mach 1

·[00:35:52] Hollywood Working to Open for Business

·[00:42:13] Ford Mustang GT350 vs GT500

·[00:48:41] Our Hopes for the Mustang Mach 1

·[00:54:45] Rebooting the Automotive Industry

·[01:02:05] Joy Rides, Deals, and Leases

·[01:10:03] Kia Seltos is Sporty and Fun

·[01:18:06] Kia Seltos and Getting Back to Work

[00:00:00] Mankinis, Sparkling Water, and Chaos!

From mankinis to sparkling water, we catch up on a wide array of silly topics with Autoweek, Automobile Magazine, and Grassroots Motorsports Automotive Journalist, Steven Cole Smith. We divulge the secrets of Victor’s Secret, our terrible diets, and how we’re handling the chaos our world has descended into. Listen in for a good laugh!

[00:06:15] Can Dealers Find Looted Cars?

There has been a lot in the news about riots and protests; shops, stores, restaurants, and even dealerships have been looted. Can the dealer’s recover the stolen cars? Autoweek, Automobile Magazine, and Grassroots Motorsports Automotive Journalist, Steven Cole Smith, says it doesn’t appear that they have necessarily thought it through. Listen in to learn more.

[00:12:31] Formula E Driver Fired for Cheating

Other than NASCAR, no one has gotten back to the track and it seems the only way to get back to racing is virtually. Autoweek, Automobile Magazine, Grassroots Motorsports, Automotive Journalist, Steven Cole Smith, says Formula E driver, Daniel Abt, got fired after he used a ringer in a virtual Formula E charity event. In addition to Formula E jumping in to the virtual cockpit, the 24 hours of Le Mans will also be held virtually. Steven Cole Smith says it’ll be interesting to see how they pull that one off.

[00:19:51] 7-Speed Manual In the New Bronco?

JoshCAR Hollywood Car Consultant, Josh Hancock, joins us this week to chat about new Ford Bronco speculation. The Ford Bronco was supposed to be released already, but the world has been in chaos and that has prevented the release. Available in either two or four door setups, both layouts of the new Ford Bronco have been pictured being tested in rough terrain. Perhaps most interesting, though, is that some models will be equipped with a 7-speed manual transmission with a crawling gear. Josh suspects the base model will have Ford’s 2.3L turbo engine, the same engine found in the Focus RS and Mustang.

[00:28:50] Ford Bronco, Raptor, and Mustang Mach 1

Ford is still putting the pedal to the metal during the pandemic and civil unrest! JoshCAR Hollywood Car Consultant, Josh Hancock, finishes up telling us about the new Ford Bronco by noting that it will have a 2.7 V6 engine as an option upon launch. This is the same engine Ford uses in the F-150, but Alan suggests they make a Raptor version of the Bronco. We also discuss the unchallenged success the Raptor has had, and the new information unveiled about Ford’s Mustang Mach 1. Catch the details here.

[00:35:52] Hollywood Working to Open for Business

Hollywood has been hit pretty hard by this 3-4 month pause in operations thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. JoshCAR Hollywood Car Consultant, Josh Hancok, tells us about Tyler Perry’s bid to get back to movie production at his studio in Georgia. He plans to put in guidelines to help actors and crew stay safe and healthy, while completing filming for an upcoming season of a television show in just three weeks! We also discuss the obstacles producers in Hollywood are having to get past to get production rolling again. 

[00:42:13] Ford Mustang GT350 vs GT500

Alan was at a local dealership the other day and saw a Ford Mustang GT350 with a window sticker of $69,000! Then he saw the GT500 version and it was at $76,000, which seems like a much better deal considering the price difference; or is it? Executive Publisher for Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com, Karl Brauer, gives his reasons for why he thinks the Ford Mustang GT350 is the better choice (not that the GT500 isn’t great!), and is his favorite car that he’s ever driven on the track.

[00:48:41] Our Hopes for the Mustang Mach 1

With the announcement of the Ford Mustang Mach 1, comes our hopes and dreams for what the Mach 1 could be. Executive Publisher for Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com, Karl Brauer, says the Mach 1 will be the ultimate version of the 5L Mustang GT that we already have out there on the market. Karl just wishes it came with a shaker hood.

[00:54:45] Rebooting the Automotive Industry

What does the automotive industry have to do to get cars selling again? What is going on out there in the auto world? Executive Publisher for Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com, Karl Brauer, has a good analogy for us as to what state the automotive industry is in right now. It’s like you were working on your computer and the power went out, and stayed out for a few months! It’s going to take a while to figure out exactly where everything goes and how to pick up where we left off. 

[01:02:05] Joy Rides, Deals, and Leases

Did you hear that 70 Dodge Hellcats were stolen and taken on a joy ride during a riot recently? That brings new meaning to the phrase ‘drive it like you stole it’. Executive Publisher for Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com, Karl Brauer, discusses some other instances of vandalism that occurred at dealerships, and we chat more seriously about the direction of the industry. As car dealers and manufacturers try to recover from the downturn, they’ve been running some amazing deals to encourage people to make a purchase. Karl also points out that the sudden increase in sales in May could be partially due to the amount of lease returns that were pending suddenly being dropped off at dealerships. Tune in to learn more. 

[01:10:03] Kia Seltos is Sporty and Fun

Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason, BJ Killeen, is finally getting press cars again! This week she’s been in the brand new 2021 Kia Seltos, and though she was skeptical at first, she says it finds a nice place in Kia’s lineup. Not too funky like the Soul, or dressed up like the Sportage, the Kia Seltos hits a sweet spot of aggressive styling and offroady ruggedness. With a 195 HP, 175 lb-ft of torque 1.6L engine, the Kia Seltos feels like it could use just a touch more power to lug around its AWD system, but it’s adequate as it is. Overall, there are more positives to this vehicle than negatives; tune in to hear more from BJ.

[01:18:06] Kia Seltos and Getting Back to Work

Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason, BJ Killeen, finishes reviewing the new 2021 Kia Seltos with a couple of key features. One feature, called Safe Exit Assist, alerts people who are exiting their vehicle of approaching traffic with auditory and visual warning signals. The other feature, dubbed Highway Driving Assist, helps drivers stay in the center of their lanes and maintain a safe speed. BJ closes the show by sharing her thoughts on the reopening auto industry and America getting back to work.

Explore More with Helpful Links:

·Contributor: Steven Cole Smith | Automotive Journalist, Autoweek/ Automobile Magazine/ Grassroots Motorsports

·Contributor: Josh Hancock | Hollywood Car Consultant, JoshCAR

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

·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: Steven Cole Smith
Contributor: Josh Hancock
Contributor: Karl Brauer
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.