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Closing the year with Alan is George Kennedy III – co-founder of Cartender.com and Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association, who contributes to U.S. News & World Report, CarGurus, Forbes Wheels, and The Drive. Alan asked George about his favorite cars of the year. George mentioned the 2023 Cadillac Escalade V, the 2023 Nissan Z, and the 2024 Kia Seltos – an affordable crossover with excellent technology and a ton of safety features. Additionally, George had the chance to test drive the 2024 BMW M2 Coupe, which he described as a fun, small, nimble, athletic and playful performance machine with a focus on performance. The car costs around 63k.

Lauren Fix, the Editor-in-Chief for Car Coach Reports, has some news to share. According to industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffe, Germany is moving away from electric vehicles (EVs) as they have been a massive disappointment in Europe. Dudenhoffe admits he was wrong about EV being the way forward and believes that the electric car is coming to a standstill.

Lauren also shares that the Tesla Model 3 will no longer be eligible for the $7500 tax credit as of 2024. Only a few models including the Chevy Bolt EV, Chevy Equinox, Ford Lightening, Tesla Model 3 Performance, Chevrolet Silverado EV, Tesla Model Y Performance, Chrysler Pacifica Minivan, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Cadillac Lyqir and Tesla Model X will have access to the tax credit.

Looking ahead to 2024, Lauren mentions that Honda is coming out with a ZDX, and she had the opportunity to test drive the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. Among the cars that stood out in 2023 are the Dodge Demon, the Raptor R, and the ERay. Lauren Fix, the Editor-in-Chief for Car Coach Reports, has some news to share. According to industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffe, Germany is moving away from electric vehicles (EVs) as they have been a massive disappointment in Europe. Dudenhoffe admits he was wrong about EV being the way forward and believes that the electric car is coming to a standstill.

Alan welcomes our next contributor, Karl Brauer – Automotive Industry Analyst, Forbes Autos Contributor, North American Car and Truck of the Year juror, board member, and Executive Analyst for ISeeCars.com. They discuss how augmented reality and virtual reality are unavoidable. Slowly, everything is turning into a Matrix. With that said, electric vehicles are trying to take over the world, and we must ask ourselves who is doing more harm to the planet. Emissions versus mining the earth for rare metals that later will be just a collection of unrecyclable materials from their batteries. Before Karl leaves, he gives us the top 10 vehicles with a 20% chance or more to last up to 250,000 miles. To view the complete list visit www.iseecars.com

Closing the show today is contributor Ed Justice Jr., Justice Brothers, Inc.’s president and CEO. He opens with how electric vehicle stocks have crashed after the pandemic high. As they keep trying to shove e.v’s down the throats of America, the same goes for the automakers. What happens if the people are just not interested in buying one? Ed feels that if you have to subsidize and give incentives to convince people to buy an electric vehicle, is it a good product? Ed believes hybrid is the way to go and suggests the listener go to YouTube to “Ted Talks” and find the episode; The Future is Eclectic. Like Toyota, Ed is not buying into the electric vehicles push.

[00:00:00] – Contributor George Kennedy III
[00:06:48] – Favorite Three Vehicles of 2023
[00:13:00] – 2024 BMW M2
[00:20:51] – Contributor Lauren Fix
[00:29:22] – Germany Say’s What??
[00:37:21] – Favorite Car of 2023
[00:43:40] – Contributor Karl Brauer
[00:50:29] – The Matrix
[00:56:41] – Emission’s Vs. Mining
[01:04:31] – Contributor Ed Justice Jr.
[01:14:46] – Forcing EV’s
[01:21:01] – The Future

CREDITS

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

Contributor: George Kennedy III
Contributor: Lauren Fix
Contributor: Karl Brauer Contributor: Ed Justice Jr.

EXPLORE MORE WITH HELPFUL LINKS:

• Contributor: George Kennedy III |  is a co-founder of Cartender.com, and the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association. He contributes to U.S. News & World Report, CarGurus, Forbes Wheels, and here on The Drive
• Contributor: Lauren Fix | Editor-In-Chief, CarCoachReports.com..
• Contributor: Karl Brauer | Automotive Industry Analyst, Forbes Autos Contributor, North American Car and Truck of the Year juror and board member and Executive Analyst for ISeeCars.com
• Contributor: Ed Justice Jr. | Justice Brothers, Inc. President and CEO

Vehicles Discussed:

2023 Dodge Demon, 2024 E-Ray, Ford Raptor R, 2023 Cadillac Escalade V, 2024 Kia Seltos, Tesla Model 3, Chevy Silverado EV, Tesla Model Y, 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, Chevy Equinox, Chevy Bolt EV, 2023 Ford F150 Lightning, 2024 BMW M2 Coupe, 2023 Nissan Z

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• Austin Hatcher Foundation
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• Foundation of Human Understanding
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