Downfall of Tesla, TRX Replacement, Where are the EV Convertibles and Coupes? | THIS CAR POD! EP05

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Welcome to THIS CAR POD! Doug DeMuro & Friends offers weekly expert insight and opinion, on the breaking automotive stories, the car market, and audience Q&A.
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CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:15 Tesla Layoffs
00:04:37 Maserati Convertible GranTurismo Folgore EV
00:07:13 Alfa Romeo Milano (or Alfa Romeo Junior)
00:10:23 TRX Replacement
00:14:39 B.C. Bans Level 3 Self-Driving Vehicles
00:16:10 Car Topics! Doug's Toyota Sequoia
00:17:54 Toyota Gifts?
00:21:57 Fastest Cars in the World?
00:28:44 Lotus Eletre
00:33:41 Electric Convertibles and Coupes
00:38:42 Market Report! The Tesla Cybertruck
00:42:14 Fisker Ocean
00:47:40 TRX
00:49:10 Q&A!
01:06:06 Outro
#dougdemuro #carsandbids #cars #carnews #podcast

[@scottfindley1345]

Audio is solid! Everyones on top of their mics, levels are balanced and you can hardly tell theyre in an enormous echo-chamber. like Stella, i find This Car Pod is finding its groove. Love the content!

[@darienlux4735]

Such a Doug Demuro comment 😂

[@Future-Classic-Comics]

​@@darienlux4735Some people are followers. ^ Some are leaders. 😂

[@D-Rockk]

Sounds is great

[@TheHidalgo99]

solid? I would call it not ideal but not terrible.

[@matthewgrear3260]

I can only imagine an Italian electric car will have all the Italian car electrical gremlins

[@user-sy1ed9ex5m]

The "Junior" is in fact a Peugeot 3008

[@CarsofGlasgow]

Are you thinking the Fiat 500e or the Maserati EV?

[@ycnexu]

Maseratis and Alfas are seemingly reliable now, but market doesn't care. I imagine Folgore EV and Rolls-Royce Spectre EV will be the two hardest-depreciating models ever, beating even the Taycan and the EQS.

[@birdseyeview1543]

and ginormous v12 soundtrack speakers

[@manoman0]

@@user-sy1ed9ex5m Yes. Stellantis will turn into a huge manufacture for many car brands. Buicks are still just rebadged Opels, just as one example.

[@AFluffyMobius]

I dont think when people say "i want buttons for everything", i think "everything" to them just means "The Classics" to me. Like air temperature, which vents the air comes out, air recirculation, track/channel up and down. Those kinds of things. No one, even the people who say they want everything to be buttons, actually wants a dedicated button to control how loud their turn-signal indicator is or a dedicated knob to set how long the interior lights stay on after locking. They just want the old school stuff to still be buttons. The frequently used ones that we all use when we drive.

[@urbanturbine]

What's worse and genius in its way is that Elon sells it as "simplistic design" while it's a cost cutting measure.

[@The_Stanman]

🎯. Doug always misunderstands the argument. He's actually on the pro-button side of the argument, he just doesn't realize it.

[@stuffhappens5681]

In the same vein I also do not care for the move to actuators to direct airflow to floor, windshield, vents. I miss not having complete control over these adjustments. Sometimes I like just a little flow in one direction and more in the other. Nowadays there’s no adjustability. You get what it wants, not what you want. Furthermore the actuators are cheaply made and a known reliability issue that necessitates removing the entire dashboard to replace. Actuators add unnecessary complexity and solved a problem that didn’t exist.

[@The_Stanman]

@@stuffhappens5681 not sure what car you're referrjng to, but most new cars I've driven still allow manual control of the flow - you just have to turn off "Auto" mode. New BMW, Lexus, and Porsches still have that functionality. But sometimes it's buried to far in the screen.

[@MD-vk3bj]

Doug’s taskbar icons are distractingly large 😅

[@MercedesW210MN]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed 🤣

[@michaelcondon8286]

Kennan. Always knows when to speak, when to hold back and let others lean in. True class.

[@DctorSkillz1]

I once saw him double dip. Not really all that classy if you ask me.

[@Future-Classic-Comics]

Kennan is emotionally intelligent unlike Doug.

[@Dozer04r1]

Do you really think it’s him that’s holding back…or suffocating from all the air Doug uses?

[@dominic7114]

it makes me happy that the general viewer base is starting to warm up to kennan

[@DctorSkillz1]

@@dominic7114 You feel bad for him.

[@pira.kathir]

can i just say, its amazing to have a car podcast like this. So easy to talk about cars, for hours on hours.. and this is just another way to enjoy that! keep it up!

[@Aintyourbuddy_guy]

Bot

[@pira.kathir]

@@Aintyourbuddy_guy beep-boop

[@user-vx7vi3vq1c]

Doug, the $15,000 increase for a car built in Italy rather than Poland has almost nothing to do with employee costs - rather massive government regulations in Italy.

[@tivrobobo]

There are many Alfa Romeo Julia and their SUVs (don’t know the name) here on Poland roads, maybe that’s another reason :)

[@John_Hoover]

Bonus points for not dragging out the intro and jumping right into the content. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Nick-qi8de]

19:36 “you could even regift them to Emily” 😂😂

[@AmosDohms]

I hope this joke never dies. Would be even funnier if he married an Emily.

[@jamusloos2859]

"The only yellow bird I agree with ia ls the one that hangs out with elmo" This is the wisdom I watch for

[@genericuser6023]

Kudos for getting right down to business and not wasting time on "podcast banter."

[@qbertq1]

Had they kept the "Milano" name, a delivery option should have been to have your car arrive in a massive Pepperidge Farm bag.

[@daverichmond3228]

Those are going to be Kennan's most reliable socks for the next several decades.

[@ELFKidsVideos]

Doug getting used to studio dynamic mics is awesome. Love the content. This is a very interesting and welcome shift!

[@andycalifornia426]

Cybertruck prices: I just can't understand how people are paying over the sticker for a 2nd-hand car that's in production. Can't people keep in their pants a couple months and get a brand new one for less (at MSRP)??

[@aussie2uGA]

A couple months? It's a lot longer wait than that.

[@Freerider93]

Currently a 2 year wait. People are selling their places in line.

[@MultiSneakerLover]

Smartest californian

[@chartreux1532]

7:05 Regarding what Filippo mentions here is pretty common and a good thing in Europe, at least when it comes to Cultural Foods, Drinks, Alcohol etc. We got this Seal so when for example you make Parmesan Cheese but you're not from where this originates from, you don't get the Seal as "Original Parmesan Cheese". I'm sure to Americans this sounds silly but if you live in Europe with 44 different Countries and hundreds of distinct native Cultures with their own Foods, Alcohol etc Specialties you are very happy to go to the Supermarket and check for such Seals. Because usually if you don't buy the specific Food, Alcohol or whatever from where it originated from originally, it rarely even tastes remotely as good. Now regarding Cars and what the Italian Gouvernment does, that's silly and i don't see any Purpose in that Prost & Cheers from Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps

[@Rimeau]

"The XM is competing with taste". Genius.

[@mercator79]

I passed my driving test with an AMC Gremlin we borrowed from one of my dad's coworkers because it was an automatic and all we had were manuals.

[@manoman0]

Wish I had an AMC Gremlin in my garage....

[@BarryObaminable]

Some tech companies drop 10% of employees every year. They make people list their accomplments and just get rid of anyone at the bottom 10%. they get replaced with new hungry cheaper graduates. This is nothing new. Tesla has had cutbacks before.

[@ozarkliving7263]

Exactly, Doug lucked out with his wit and charm, but he’s likely a terrible business person. He lacks the intellect and education for complex analysis.

[@SichoTech]

@@ozarkliving7263 First of all, that's a very terrible hate comment with no proof or points or arguments, and to add the cherry on top of the cake, you liked your own comment, so invalid.

[@rickroma]

@@ozarkliving7263 sold his business for 37 million dollars, he must be doing something right lol

[@matthewholzmueller6292]

Right off the bat one kid saying that tesla doesn't make much profit. I think he should look at something called the internet. All other manufacturers that have built cars for our grandparents can't make any profit on Ev. let alone strong ice car profit.

[@mattlimberg5763]

I think convertibles in general are just out of fashion for most people. Gone are the days of a Cavaliers convertible, PT Cruiser Convertible, Beetle Cabriolet. I think it's because people value what perceived privacy we have left, so they don't want to pay more to be in a worse vehicle with special problems as they age. The crossover rise is proof enough people do not want to compromise on space and inconvenience in all except cost.

[@andycalifornia426]

Kennan, you're wrong about people buying convertibles to hear the engine. The majority of convertibles buyers buy them to feel the find in their hair, not to hear noises. They buy convertibles for cruising, not for "spirited" driving. Miata buyers too -- that is, the segment that buys Miata BECAUSE it's a convertible (not those that buy it DESPITE it being a convertible). The car not having a noisy engine is actually a benefit in that case as they can enjoy a quieter experience.

[@miataguy7154]

is there any plan to publish these on spotify?

[@_pooo]

They already are!

[@miataguy7154]

@@_pooo what’s it under? i couldn’t find it

[@miataguy7154]

@@_pooo i found it! thank you!

[@nonamewatchamacallit7828]

@@miataguy7154 I can't find it, can you please share the name?

[@John_O_Maoilearca]

Kudos for the Alfasud references from Filipo - a true car fan. If you only know about and like the fastest, coolest or weirdest cars, rather than the ordinary ones, then I’m not sure if you are a genuine car enthusiast

[@user-sy1ed9ex5m]

True, unfortunately the americans never got the Alfasud based cars, including the 33.

[@oshystulla]

1:00:57 Fun facts - as much as the 747s has a bunch of buttons, there are STILL other functions accessed through a screen 😂😂

[@RYTF5]

There's a Lotus service center in my town of 30k in NE Ohio, About 5 mins from my house.

[@freudsigmund72]

in the Netherlands the electric Maserati GranCabrio Forgore will cost € 208.250 (baseprice) (US$ 222.000)

[@yasirkhan4320]

Friday morning just got 1000x more bearable, thanks for the podcast guys!

[@emo3113]

Binged all five episodes over the past 3 days. This pod captures the magic of the Top Gear news segment perfectly. Well done fellas.

[@VindicatorsTwo]

Love the pod, the pace, the subject, totally love it.

[@hmlh]

The icon's on Doug's laptop taskbar are huge 😂

[@theowenstuart]

this entertains me in the same way i am enlightened by top gear 20 years ago...thank you guys

[@dyalanbrain001]

This is the most entertaining episode of this yet imho. Great job guys! its getting so fluid and natural.

[@abandonedtube]

You guys not aware of the MG Cyberster?

[@av_oid]

Is it planned to go to the USA?

[@abandonedtube]

@@av_oid it's Chinese, so probably no. They are available in Europe later this year.

[@DC5Brandon]

35:48 Maybe Porsche's waiting for solid state batteries. I think keeping the size and weight low is key for bringing a compelling EV sports car product to the market.

[@tnhn1903]

these podcasts are so entertaining, please keep them coming!

[@DctorSkillz1]

Doug, you ogre, I appreciate your response to improving the audio quality.

[@Future-Classic-Comics]

MG Cybersex, Chaterham, Polestar, and Lotus are all planning electric sports cars. Not that I like Electric cars but that's facts bruh!

[@ConnectingODots]

10:23 TRX replacement shoukd be a PHEV - Name RHO corresponds to the Greek letter marking electrical resistance. Also, could be Ram Hybrid and an O word (Output? Operations?)

[@truthserum5310]

Love the Podcast guys, please keep this up weekly. I vote to up it to 2 hours if you guys have the time.

[@saidchammas]

As cars get more powerful and sharper handling and electrified, will the doug score weekend category scoring ranges be changed to reflect that

[@snakeeyes9246]

So far, only the Mercedes-AMG GT63s 4-Door has gotten a score of 7 or higher for handling in a car that isn't a 2-door.

[@jacobtewes5679]

An XM rolled through the drive through line at the coffee shop this morning (Omaha, NE). I pointed and laughed in your honor.

[@brianhockstock9466]

This has quickly become one of my favorite podcasts to listen to. Well done, guys.

[@memoalfaro487]

Dont forget the new mg sportscar, i know its chinese but it qualifies to what filipo was talking about!!!! Its called the MG cyberster

[@smideralessandro9124]

this is my favorite podcast. thank you.

[@bistro985]

The way that Doug feel about RUF being a modded 911 is the EXACT SAME WAY that I feel about Hennessy Venom…🤷🏻‍♂️

[@adamnguyen8714]

Fun fact there used to be a standalone lotus dealership off of the I-10 in West Covina CA in the mid 2010s

[@jebediahestabob3646]

Only hard buttons that are needed are climate and media controls

[@lordcorgi6481]

RAM marketing photos of their new truck on a trailer...I don't see the difference between that and the old model 🤣

[@ozarkliving7263]

Both terribly engineered and defect-riddled

[@micknightmare3]

What about the cyber truck recall 😅

[@lukevo6485]

They've only made 3800 of them, and it's a Quick fix. All new cars , have recalls.

[@wonderwatch2239]

@@lukevo6485 no they don’t, false information fan boy👎🏼

[@therealcdnuser]

Mazda should release a MX-5 electric with a small (28-38kwh) battery to keep the weight very low, that can charge in 5 mins.

[@cyjanek7818]

Not possible with current voltages, if Tesla didn't stick to 400V then maybe we could have something like that but overall - smaller battery cannot give away and take high current because it doesn't have that many cells in parallel. Power wouldn't be a problem for Mazda but I don't think they could go any lower than Tesla/Mercedes/Porsche right now, it would still take ~25 minutes for 20-80

[@therealcdnuser]

@@cyjanek7818 I am not an electrical engineer but I would assume they would have to go with the 800v platform and charge with 600kw and 20-80% Zeekr has performed it with a much larger battery (95kwh) in 11 mins. Not something that’s practical today but maybe in the near future.

[@pballfin]

I just love hearing you two talk about seeing all these awesome cars! It is so amazing you 2 can keep your cool talking about those awesome cars live on TV. I'd just be babbling in amazement. 😅

[@ethanlenning]

Wasn’t the EB110 also the fastest briefly?

[@drunkenhobo8020]

I think the Jaguar XJ220 was extremely briefly too.

[@Snappy650]

Galpin Lotus is opening by the end of the month in Beverly Hills. On Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvd

[@ironhorsemedia2881]

The podcast reminds me of the top gear news segment and I love it

[@rudestboyem]

This was great 👏🏾👏🏾

[@gabrielgettman825]

I was literally thinking about the whole emissions regulations stuff in regards to GM. Are hey really selling that many Volts to offset every Tahoe Suburban Escalade Sierra 2500….. does GM get a pass or something haha

[@jordanbloomfield]

Never thought I’d find out local BC news from Doug Demuro’s channel 😂 hadn’t heard about that law. We do have only one insurance choice: ICBC

[@Sethlhmstark]

There’s actually a lotus dealer near me in Ontario

[@gnoxycat]

Doug just increased merch sales at Toyota by 400%. This will be mentioned on the next Toyota earnings call.

[@user-gy7cy2it4p]

All Electric Cars are way too expensive, the auto insurance on these cars are astronomically high, you are required to change tires more frequently with "e" rated tires, and depending on where you reside, at least in California, electricity is too expensive, there are significant blackouts, and there are on and off-peak charging restrictions. Not to mention the range anxiety.

[@jaypioh]

most of the things doug mentions that needs a screen rather than a set of buttons are things i couldn't care any less about being in my cars. if they actually integrated the screen WELL--and i have NEVER seen an example of this--then i'd be more open to having one, but all I see are these shoehorned tablets that control the entire vehicle and have the worst looking and feeling displays. I mean, come on, hi res AMOLED has existed forever now and we're still getting these blaring displays? I still make the argument that at least 40-50% of interior functions should still have buttons. but like doug said, consumers apparently want these functions, which is why I stick to 1990s vehicles. I love my C4 Corvette with all the many buttons and little simple, orange displays. I'd take this car 10/10 times over any tablet on wheels, for what, controllable interior lighting and navigation? apple car play? calling? ...really?

[@JohnSmith-bt4lf]

2 door cars are niche products regardless of powertrain. If an EV is to be offered at a reasonable price, it needs to sell in high volumes, which simply won't be the case for 2 door cars.

[@ConnectingODots]

24:23 Dauer 962 Le Mans is an AMAZING story, not just a souped-up Porsche. In 1994 the ACO moved from group C prototype racing to production car based GT categories. But there was a loophole... GT1 requirement was an INTENTION of making 25 road legal cars, so The Dauer racing team took the ultra dominant (but now aging) 962 they used in Group C racing car and converted a few (13) into road cars. Once it was a road car, this enabled Dauer to enter the 962 group C car into the "production car based" GT1 group and mop the floor against other GT1 cars. Porsche itself helped Dauer transform the road car into a GT1 car. Moreover, making it a road car had them install a larger fuel tank, which enabled them to make fewer refueling stops, so although 1994 had both group C and GT1 cars racing together in Le Mans, Group C cars weee allowed less downforce and had power restrictions, and with fewer stops Dauer's GT1 cars managed to win the overall 1st and 3rd places, beating group C cars! (as well as a similar loophole car fielded by Toyota)

[@Martin_Vachev]

„Junior“ is also a name from Alfa's past, but up until now it was just a trim level albeit a rather famous one on the 105/115 series Giulia Coupé.

[@3omab]

Doug, please review the lexus ISF

[@EmmyJune212008]

I also have always loved the M45, but I actually think it’s a very handsome car. It has a 60s Continental vibe to me both in front and in profile.

[@toms_garage]

Is the MG Cyberstar thing not an EV sports car before the Mazza

[@johnbrobston1334]

If they're going to count anything that somebody could buy and that was street-legal as a "production car" then the Banks Power Trans-Am, which went 268 mph in 1987 (official record, set at Bonneville, recorded by the SCTA), and which Banks would be happy to replicate for anybody with the money to pay for it, should be on the list.

[@kentfrederickireland]

1:01:28 Why is the question screens OR buttons/dials. Keep some buttons and dials, make some configurable and supplement with a screen for all of the exponentially growing amount of functions potentially available. We just need something tactile to do the things we always do while we're moving, change the volume, ventilation settings, cruise, maybe some ADAS settings, then some other personal ones specific to each individual. Just don't take away ALL of the buttons and dials.

[@CarsofGlasgow]

loving this podcast

[@ryanA133]

This whole podcast is doug talks over his employees lol

[@user-ey8up7es9g]

Joe Rogan did the same thing when he started podcasting

[@sonar1357]

​@@user-ey8up7es9g who were Joe's employees?

[@ryanA133]

@@user-ey8up7es9g who listens to joe rogan these days?

[@Future-Classic-Comics]

I agree all he does it constantly interrupt.

[@MultiSneakerLover]

Doug the type of guy who gets money and thinks he can just ignore basic conversational manners

[@asimo3089]

The Tesla fans are gonna be so upset over the idea of the word "Downfall" but their stock and delivery story right now IS a downfall. They have been higher.

[@lukevo6485]

Every company gets revamp from time to time. Good companies that adapt goes through changes to keep up with modernization. Tesla is prioritizing software over hardware now.

[@gabrielgingras814]

​@@lukevo6485 Exactly. They are an AI and robotics company, as well as an energy company.

[@michaelwiggins3663]

Convertible EV makes too much sense. Regular convertibles require additional weight to stiffen the chassis whereas EVs inherently have the battery pack/skateboard built in to serve that function. Wranglers, Broncos, Mustangs, Camaros, Porsches...lots of successful convertibles yet not 1 manufacturer decided to make a convertible EV

[@PaulTC777]

also you dont breathe the fumes of your car

[@Freerider93]

This assumes that battery weight/location is the same as the weight used to stiffen the chassis. It's not.

[@Ty-xm2qd]

That make a lot of sense, but my take on the matter is while the EV platform makes sense for a convertible, it doesn't make sense from a market standpoint. The bulk of EVs out there in common use are, for lack of a better term, "appliance cars", as in they are the most practical vehicle for the lifestyle of the owner, efficient, roomy, low maintenance, easy. They're the kind of car that answer the question, "if you could only own one car, what would it be?" for people who aren't "car people". Convertibles on the other hand tend to occupy the second or third car spot in most peoples lives, a luxury or a toy bought with disposable income rather than something you depend on to go about your life every day. People buying a convertible aren't thinking practicality, they're thinking experience. EVs aren't really congruous with that line of thinking. I think the market overlap of people who want convertibles and want an EV and want them to be the same car is too small to warrant further development of the idea.

[@unggrabb]

Why not a Mazda Mx5 with a 2 ton battery? Some of the nicest and most fun cars i have driven were light and didn't have huge horsepower, they confirmed that it is "more fun to drive a slow car fast, than driving a fast car slow". Everyday use on normal twisty roads, high cornering speeds (as acceleration not hyper car fast). Fun and rewarding.

[@task_master6115]

I love these because this is exactly how my conversations with my friends would go. If I had friends 😢

[@chartreux1532]

23:25 Regarding Ruf, they're definitely their own Brand since quite some Time but i don't know about the BTR, have to look into if that was just a "Modified Porsche" or not. I'm sure this is either Wikipedia Editors being unreliable as with all Topics, or there was in fact enough different with the Ruf BTR that it officially counted as not a "Modified Porsche" by the German Gouvernment. Btw RUF to this Day is still a Family Business and owned by the same Family. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in Germany

[@verdict1163]

Isn't the reason there are no coupe EVs because once you add all the weight of the batteries, there is no reason not to add an additional two doors and larger trunk for practicality. Unlike ICE cars, there is no performance advantage to the smaller, lighter coupe design. Another reason EVs are an appliance, not an enthusiast product. It's an engineering thing.

[@qill.mp3]

Why did stop uploading the podcast to Spotify?

[@noob.168]

will u post camry review?

[@DctorSkillz1]

Fun fact: most of Italy wasn't connected to the electric grid until 1982.

[@IlRovina]

By the early 70s Italy was 99% grid connected, even the rural areas of the south so... no.

[@DctorSkillz1]

@@IlRovina What's your source on that?

[@IlRovina]

@@DctorSkillz1 Enel, the power grid operator at the time, and also wikipedia. And also... being italian. Rural areas were grid-connected by more than 98% already in 1960, which became 99,5% in 1964. And note that we are talking about rural villages. The industrial complex in the north and the big cities were already fully elecrified decades before the war. I can give you a few links if you like but they are all in italian.

[@DctorSkillz1]

@@IlRovina I am Italian and I work as an auditor for the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security of Italy. I've been trying to debunk this myth about grid connectivity. A bunch of crooks here and at ARERA.

[@IlRovina]

@@DctorSkillz1 ahah vabbé incredibile, due italiani a parlare di enel sotto un podcast di DeMuro. :D Comunque scusa ma resto assolutamente scettico sul fatto che all'alba dell'82 ancora il 51% d'Italia non fosse connessa alla rete. E' un numero gigantesco fuori da ogni logica, avendo in mente la cronostoria del paese e cos'era nell'82. Se anche ignorassimo i documenti ufficiali che dicono tutt'altro, fa a pugni anche col fatto che per quell'ora eravamo già la settima economia all mondo.

[@FlyingRocketPenguins]

What’s the buzz in the backseat? This Bumble bee makes every car ride fun - just ask your little one! Each quarterly supplement will feature a new character, so be sure to collect all four. Polyester plush and fill. Screen-printed Toyota logo on front of tee.

[@bryanmiller2023]

You completely missed a major factor in the Tesla sales from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024, that being the federal $7500.00 tax credit on the cheapest model 3. I bought a Model 3 standard range in December before the discount went away which ended up under $29000.00. It has been a fabulous car. Thank the UAW for the discount going away so soon BTW. This also shows how important the price to get into an EV is while Tesla has also pulled back on producing a vehicle that starts at $25000.00 which was also missed. To be fair, the fact that demand isn't entirely down was touched on in a couple comments. You guys aren't the only ones to forget about the tax credit but there's definitely a bigger conversation that the media has missed in general with regard to EV sales in general.

[@petercozzaglio6070]

The car I passed my drivers test was a 1974? Volkswagen square back. Oh how I wished that I brought it off my mom and did a complete ground up restoration. But the first car I drove was my grandfather’s 69 beetle. Another car I wished I brought off him a did a complete restoration.😢

[@KaiPonte]

Good video! I will subscribe to this podcast. I cannot believe how many topics you covered. As for Tesla, I can’t throw a rock without hitting a Model Y. I have a buddy, who bet on Tesla stock about ten years ago, and is now a retired millionaire. He also owns a Cyber Truck, in addition to his Model S Plaid. I absolutely love that truck. Yes, it is a little different, but it is great!

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

34:42 MG Cyberster is the answer 1:05:44 Mitsubishi sells a ton of cars all over the world

[@av_oid]

As Doug says, Mitsubishi sells mostly just re-badged Nissans. They are part of Nissan, and Nissan itself is a sick brand.

[@johnhopkins4920]

@@av_oid Mitsubishi is not a “part of Nissan”. Nissan is a minority shareholder in Mitsubishi Motors. Both are part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi strategic alliance, which share some R&D activities. There are only two known ‘re-badged’ cars, posing as a Mitsubishi (the Renault Captur and the Renault Clio, sold as Mitsubishi ASX and Colt respectively). In the past, some kei cars (only sold in Japan) were Nissan and Mitsubishi co-productions. In summary (1) Mitsubishi is not a part of Nissan and (2) no current Mitsubishi cars are rebadged Nissans. You couldn’t be more wrong.

[@ethanyates28]

Wikipedia is wrong With just over 500 units produced The fastest car in 1988 is the Callaway sledgehammer (a modified corvette )

[@ivanbcanada6454]

Funny to learn about the laws in my province of British Columbia from a podcast in San Diego :D

[@gentlewolf]

Do I get a Tesla or Ferrari for the family car? Doug please weigh in asap before I go Lotus in locust green. Doug?

[@batialexis9339]

Renault modus obviously

[@smortg]

Other than the Abarth 500E convertible, it's hard to picture many cars getting a different option like back in the 2000, such as the Audi Cabriolets and Nissan Micras Many EVs are used as commute cars - no reason why convertible can't be an option for Genesis GV60, Mercedes EQE or Tesla Model 3

[@msm4445]

I have a Lotus Eletre and I agree with Doug. It’s a very fun and fast car. It’s excellent and versatile. Top of the tech that exists. For the brand figure, as Doug said, Lotus is still making the Emira which is their light weight sports car, and the Evija which is their hyper light electric exotic car; but Lotus decided to diversify, just as Porsche did, so they are now making the Eletre and the Emeye, which are life style cars, and that are equivalent to the Cayenne and the Panamera, but are a lot better and more fun (without considering the exhaust’s sound).

[@rickroma]

That's super cool but man I have so many questions. Do you live in the UK? And why did you choose it over a similarly priced Porsche/BMW/etc SUV, what makes it more fun?

[@msm4445]

@@rickroma I live in Belgium. I chose it over these because it’s more fun and more exclusive than the BMW IX. Better build quality and higher performance than the BMW. Porsche simply doesn’t have an equivalent (a mid sized hyper EV SUV); they’ve just released the Macan but it’s smaller. And frankly the used materials of the Lotus is higher than Porsche, because in Porsches you still have plastics everywhere, that you can cover but for a supplement, while the Lotus has high materials as standard everywhere in the car. I didn’t consider the Cayenne because it’s not full electric, and in Belgium the tax system obliges us to buy electric cars.

[@robertide5182]

Tesla has done layoffs like this every other year. They’re still leading the world in tech, margins, and execution regarding BEVs. Everyone else is losing tens of thousands of dollars per car. Autonomy made huge leaps with the newest FSD version. There’s also the battery business which is scaling with growing margins. And they aren’t “focusing” on the Cybertruck. That’s the newest vehicle. They also just redid the 3. The Y also came out 4 years ago so it wouldn’t have made sense for them to redesign it last year or something.

[@Hantov]

I too think the entire downfall of Tesla headline is overblown. They are still the only EV manufacturer outside China that is able to profitably make cars at scale.

[@av_oid]

Facebook sacked more than 10% in 2022 and more than 13% in 2023. RIP Facebook.

[@Hantov]

@@av_oidthat’s my employer! It was quite stressful waiting overnight to see if you’d be among the chosen ones.

[@Hantov]

Also, our stock is 5x since the first layoff, and with the way our comp works, most of the senior swe are making 7 figures. So yeah, rip :)

[@chartreux1532]

Cybertrucks not doing all that great definitely also has to do with the Fact that they wouldn't pass Registration in pretty much all of Europe. And when you buy Cars, especially special Cars and your only Market is the US pretty much, there is far less Demand. Same is true with a lot of special but awesome Cars that are legal in Europe but no in North America

[@Cttechexpress]

Tesla plans to transition into a software company. They could run robotaxis, sell autonomous vehicle subscriptions at $2500/year for your own AI chauffeur (imagine a car that could go pick up your kids for you and drop them off at grandmas), and then there's the much bigger addressable AI based robot market that runs on the same underlying tech. The autonomy part of Tesla and the potential profit could absolutely dwarf what they make on car profits a decade from now.

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

Like FSD … any day now! 😂😂😂 You really believe Tesla will take on legal liability for when accidents happen? That’s the only way FSD/Robotaxis will never get mainstream acceptance Would you get into a taxi’s where if there’s an accident, it’s your fault?… as a passenger? 😂😂😂😂 good luck

[@Cttechexpress]

@RunForPeace-hk1cu Waymo runs robotaxis today. Look it up ok KZbin. It's not the passengers liability if something happens... yet I believe Tesla FSD will absolutely get to the point in the near future where this can be done with close to 100% safety record - thousands of times safer than any human driver.

[@evanjeffrey9677]

I have been hugely annoyed by the lack of electric convertibles. I wish I had bought a tesla roadster before they got expensive despite the maintenance concerns . I'd buy an EV mustang. Or an E-Miata. Not sure if I could afford a boxter EV, but I'd try.

[@MountainMasella]

The Wrangler 4xe is a fairly popular PHEV convertible

[@Yukikazehalo]

Last EV convertible sold in the US was the Smart Four-Two EV Cabriolet.

[@nandakrishnakesavapuram5758]

With horsepower wars the problem is, someone will eventually do something really stupid in a mass production vehicle (thanks to democratization of power), and the government will really step in. There's already talks of electronic speed limiter mandates (that prevent speeds beyond the legal speed limits), so once something happens, it's all over.

[@halmintun5374]

What are your thoughts on the new Dodge Hornet commercial? Back in the day, Pontiac got blowback for a commercial promoting street racing. The new Hornet commercial has a young kid street racing and talking about "frickin" torque with his dad in the passenger seat. Not great.

[@ZackKolev]

Mini sold limited quantities of the Cooper E convertible in Europe. They will almost certainly do a convertible version of the upcoming electric Mini

[@danielczyz8551]

There was Alfa Romeo Spider Junior in 70' and 80' which was cheap version of Spider so it's not something entirely new for Alfa.