Contributor BJ Killeen – Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason kicks off today’s show with Alan as they discuss how people don’t want internal combustion engines to go away. Manufacturers like Ford and Toyota are looking at hydrogen being an answer instead of all-electric. Even Porsche is researching synthetic fuel as an option. BJ attended the New York Auto Show and shared that not too many concept cars were showcased. Ram showed their 2025 Ram 1500 Rev, Kia with their 2024 EV9, Subaru’s 2024 Crosstrek Wildnerness, and Genesis with their GV80 Coupe concept car. BJ liked the GV80 and says it’s a luxury car that doesn’t cost like one. Up next is Brian Moody – Executive Editor of Auto Trader.com and KBB.com. Brian also attended the New York Auto Show and was impressed with a handful of vehicles that were showcased. The 2024 Nissan GT-R TSpec, the 2024 Kia EV9, the Corvette E-Ray, Mustang’s Darkhorse, and of course the 2023 Dodge Demon 170. Not too many luxury vehicle manufacturers, just Genesis, Lexus, and Porsche. Before Brian makes his exit, he did however mention that as many people are jumping on the bandwagon to own the new 2023 Dodge Demon 170, he would rather have the 1970 Challenger, ‘The Black Ghost’. Why? Because it has a story behind it which makes the car what it is. Changing gears, Alan welcomes the President and CEO of Doge, Tim Kuniskis. The hot topic? The Dodge Demon 170 of course. Only 3300 of these are being made of which 300 will be dedicated to Canada. Alan shares that he read somewhere that someone is selling it for $500k over the window sticker price. Wow! Tim says, “it’s an amazing car, but it goes deeper than that.” Dodge’s goal was to cross over from the enthusiast, which many are Demon owners, to the mainstream. It’s called Brand Positioning. To capture an audience that wasn’t interested in cars before. To own the new Demon, before your car is even built, you have to sign an acknowledgment form. This form lets you know what your car is all about, the do’s and don’ts. The things that will break your warranty, and what you can do to add things on. Tim switches gears to talk about concerns that the value of the original Demon will go down, but that’s not what happens. Asking prices are increasing, it is an unintended consequence. People are wanting the original to go along with the new. As a perk, if you own the original you can match the VIN with the new Dodge Demon 170, and be the proud owner of 2 Demons. “It’s Domestic, Not Domesticated!”, Alan asks Tim what that means. “To sum it up, it’s a brotherhood of muscle cars. It’s what makes them stand above the rest. It’s about a team, about family.” Closing the show today is Steven Cole Smith, Editor-in-Chief for Car Coach Reports. Not too much going on in the motorsports world except for the Bristol race on Easter. The track gets filled up with dirt and should be a fun and interesting race. Alan announces that if you purchase a Dodge SRT, you may attend Radford Racing School for lessons on how to drive and handle your vehicle. Steven says he attended something similar at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, where you can drive any of Porsche’s vehicles on their track. From drifting, climbing an “ice mountain”, to a good ole pedal to the metal race around the track. Well, that’s a wrap, thank you to all our contributors and special guests, and of course, our audience, see all you gear junkies on the next episode of, “The Drive.”

[00:00:00] – Contributor BJ Killeen
[00:07:23] – 2025 Ram 1500 Rev
[00:13:00] – Genesis GV80 Coupe
[00:20:52] – Contributor Brian Moody
[00:28:41] – Performance Ready
[00:37:23] – The Black Ghost
[00:43:43] – Special Guest Tim Kuniskis
[00:50:55] – Brand Positioning
[00:56:45] – Matching Vin
[01:04:34] – Kudo’s to Dodge
[01:13:03] – Contributor Steven Cole Smith
[01:21:05]– Driving School

CREDITS

Host: Alan Taylor
Producer: Dave Milligan
Copy Editor: Colleen Mahi

Contributor: BJ Killeen
Contributor: Brian Moody
Contributor: Steven Cole Smith Special Guest: Tim Kuniskis

  • Contributor: BJ Killeen | Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason
  • Contributor: Brian Moody | Executive Editor of Auto Trader.com and KBB.com.
  • Contributor: Steven Cole Smith | Editor in-Chief for Car Coach Reports.
  • Special Guest: Tim Kuniskis | President and CEO of Dodge

Vehicles Discussed:

2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, 2025 Ram 1500 Rev, 2024 Kia EV9, Subaru’s 2024 Crosstrek Wildnerness, Genesis GV80 Coupe, 2024 Nissan GT-R TSpec, 2024 Kia EV9, 2023 Corvette E-Ray, 2023 Mustang’s Darkhorse, 1970 Challenger The Black Ghost

OUR SPONSORS & SUPPORTED CHARITIES:

Austin Hatcher Foundation
AutoTempest.com
Brembo
Dodge
Foundation of Human Understanding
Shell
Subaru

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