Car Stuff Podcast

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the new vehicles they've driven so far this year that impressed them the most. Scott Case, co-founder and CEO of Recurrent--a company that compiles and provides data on used electric vehicles and their battery health-- joins us to talk about Recurrent's services and give his perspective on the growing EV mark...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the new-for-2022 Toyota Corolla Cross subcompact SUV, and the redesigned 2022 Infiniti QX60 midsize SUV. Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, joins us to give his insight on Ford's current spate of production setbacks, including the Ford Bronco's hardtop produc...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the recently expanded recall of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV due to a risk of fire. Next, Jamie Page Deaton, Executive Editor of the Autos team at U.S. News and World Report, joins us to talk about the U.S. News Best Cars for Teens awards. Tom has a tricky "left or right side of the road?" quiz for Damon and Ji...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Jaguar's plans to drop all of its internal-combustion vehicles and become a pure-electric brand by 2025. Next, Sergeant Thomas Mason of the Chicago Police Department joins us to talk about the rise in carjacking thefts, and what you can do to keep yourself safe.  Tom has a quiz on the middle names of auto-indust...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start off the show by discussing Damon's recent drive of the new Hyundai Tucson Hybrid in the Lake Tahoe area, and then we share our "Dead Pool" picks--vehicles we think are soon to be discontinued. Brian Latouf, Chief Safety Officer at Hyundai Motor North America, joins us to talk about current automotive safety topics and fill us in on Hy...

Host Tom Appel and co-host Jill Ciminillo start off the show by discussing several of vehicles Tom drove this week at a local media event; Tom was especially impressed by the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz and 2022 Volkswagen Taos. Tom and Jill also discuss some of their favorite new-car features, such as blind-spot alert systems and rearward-sliding sun visors. John Biel, Editor-in-Chief of Collectible...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start off the show by discussing the recently announced cancellation of the 2021 New York International Auto Show. We also talk about the impending discontinuation of the Acura NSX and Toyota Avalon. Jeanette McGee, Director of External Communications for the American Automobile Association (AAA), joins us to talk about gas prices, fuel-eco...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start off the show by discussing GM's lawsuit against Ford over the BlueCruise name for Ford's hands-free highway-driving feature. We also talk about the significant spike in year-over-year used-car transaction prices. Kelsey Mays, Assistant Managing Editor at Cars.com, joins us to talk about Cars.com's 2021 American-Made Index, a ranking o...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start off the show by discussing  the impending discontinuation of the Volkswagen Passat midsize sedan, as well as VW's other product initiatives. Brian Bell, Marketing Manager for the Ford F-150, joins us to talk about the revolutionary new F-150 Lightning pure-electric pickup truck . Tom has a "which vehicle sold better?" quiz for Damon a...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show with a discussion of the Stellantis "EV Day" future electric-vehicle announcements. Next, we share our impressions of the 2021 special summer edition of the Chicago Auto Show, and the vehicles on display there. Tom has a quiz on the Chicago Auto Show for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show with a discussion of the current crop of minivans--and Damon's and Jill's minivan summer road trips. Paul Herrold, Chief Editor at Sons of Speed, joins us to talk about the SOS crew's "car guys' take" video reviews of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, and whether they think it's a "real" Mustang. Tom has a quiz on the Acura ILX f...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by talking about the current and recently discontinued vehicles they think are underrated. Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, joins us to discuss the current crop of electric-vehicle startup companies and their prospects for success, as well as the ongoing microchip shorta...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the recently unveiled 2022 Infiniti QX60 three-row SUV. Brandon Girmus, Jeep Senior Brand Manager, joins us to talk about the new-for-2021 Wrangler 4xe--Jeep's first-ever plug-in-hybrid vehicle. Tom has a quiz on branded premium audio systems for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Con...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Jeep's new Grand Cherokee L three-row SUV. Harry Moser, Founder of the Reshoring Initiative, joins us to talk about his non-profit organization's efforts to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Tom has another quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide D...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing their test-drive impressions of Volkswagen's first mainstream electric vehicle: the ID.4 compact crossover SUV. Larry Nutson, Executive Producer and Chicago Bureau Chief at The Auto Channel, joins us to give his impressions of the ID.4, and to talk about Ford's recently unveiled 2022 Maverick compact pickup truc...

With co-host Jill Ciminillo out on assignment this week, host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell start the show by discussing  Ford's forthcoming Maverick compact pickup truck and a host of Toyota new vehicles, including the 2022 Corolla Cross subcompact SUV. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great features in the August 2021 issue, including detail...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing one of Jill's  traffic pet peeves, and lamenting the discontinuation of the Mazda 6 midsize sedan and CX-3 subcompact SUV. Chicago radio personality Bill Leff joins us to talk about cartoon cars and his MeTV show "Toon In With Me." Tom has a quiz on electric vehicles for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down th...

With Jill on vacation this week, host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the unveiling of the Ford F-150 Lightning--the landmark pure-electric version of Ford's full-size pickup truck. Frank Hanley, Senior Director, Global Automotive Consulting for J.D. Power, joins us to talk about J.D. Power's benchmark study of OEM electric-vehicle smartphone apps--technology that...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start things off by continuing last episode's discussion of their traffic pet peeves. Justin Pagtalunan, Product Communications Manager for Mazda, joins us to talk about the Mazda brand's focus on moving upscale, as well as the new Mazda 3 and CX-30 2.5 Turbo models. Tom has a "find the fake trim level" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon ru...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start things off by discussing  the Chicago Auto Show's recently announced 2021 "Special Edition" show, scheduled for July 15-19 as a scaled-down indoor/outdoor event. The gang also chats about a couple of their Chicagoland-traffic pet peeves. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great feature...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Jeep's Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid and the muscular Wrangler Rubicon 392--both new models for 2021. Jeremy Barnes, Senior Director of Communications and Events for Mitsubishi Motors North America, joins us to talk about the Mitsubishi brand in the U.S. and the redesigned-for-2022 Outlander SUV. Tom has a "which...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the stand-alone Ford Bronco showrooms that some Ford dealers are planning to build as production of the all-new 2021 Bronco and Bronco Sport ramps up. Mike Evanoff, Manager of Product Planning for Hyundai Motor America, joins us to talk about Hyundai's performance-oriented N and N-Line vehicles. Tom has a  quiz...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the recently unveiled 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz--a genre-bending compact SUV/pickup "Sport Adventure Vehicle" that is slated to go on sale this summer. La Shirl Turner, Director of the Advanced Color and Materials Design Studio at Stellantis, joins us to discuss how she and her team develop paint colors and int...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the upcoming GMC Hummer SUV and pure-electric Chevrolet Silverado, as well as the uptick in EV sales. Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Jenni Newman joins us to talk about the effect COVID-19 has had on car shoppers, based on Cars.com's internal data and survey results. Tom has a "sales-per-dealer" quiz for Damon and...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the their test-drive experiences with the new-for-2021 Ford Bronco Sport. Nina Huesgen, Senior Manager for the Electrify Home and eCommerce business units at Electrify America, joins us to talk about electric-vehicle charging and Electrify America's new HomeStation residential EV charger. Tom has a tricky "wh...