Car Stuff Podcast

With co-host Jill Ciminillo out on assignment this week, host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell start the show by discussing the vehicles they drove at the 2022 Midwest Automotive Media Association Spring Rally, a journalist-only press event held annually at the Road America race course facility in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Michael Buff, Senior Manager, Product and Programs at Electrify America, joi...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the redesigned-for-2023 Nissan Z sports car. Jonathan Levy, Chief Commercial Officer at EVgo, joins us to talk about EVgo's public fast-charging network for electric vehicles. Tom has a "disc brakes or drum brakes?" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Driv...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Jill's plans to participate in the Rebelle Rally, a women-only off-road navigational competition, later this year. We also discuss Volkswagen's recently announced plans to revive the International Scout SUV as a pure-electric off-road vehicle. Robert Duffer, Senior Editor with The Car Connection, joins us to cha...

With co-host Jill Ciminillo out on assignment this week, host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell start the show by discussing the Jeep brand's push to add more Jeep-only showrooms, and the Toyota Supra gaining an available manual transmission for 2023. John Jraiche, Lincoln's Global Director for Luxury Vehicles, joins us to talk about the recently unveiled Lincoln Star Concept, and what it means for...

With co-host Jill Ciminillo out on assignment this week, host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell start the show by discussing the Chevrolet's recent teaser video of an all-wheel-drive hybrid Chevrolet Corvette and official confirmation of a pure-electric Corvette. We also talk about Ford commencing production of the pure-electric F-150 Lightning pickup, and delve into the Lightning's pricing structu...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing their test-drive experiences--and Tom's public-charging-station experiences--in the Hyundai's new-for-2022 Ioniq 5 pure-electric vehicle. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great features in the June 2022 issue, including the ill-fated 1975-78 Dodge Charger and a...

Host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell start the show by discussing the new vehicle introductions at the 2022 New York International Auto Show. (Co-host Jill Ciminillo is out covering the New York Auto Show this week.)  Steve Hornyak, Chief Revenue Officer for BrightDrop--a startup electric-delivery-vehicle manufacturer created by General Motors--joins us to give us the scoop on BrightDrop's Zevo E...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the outrageous new GMC Hummer EV pure-electric pickup truck, and Jill's first-drive experience with it. Geri Hernandez, co-founder and CEO of Savory Crust Gourmet Empanadas, joins us to talk about owning and operating a food truck. Tom has a "Queen Elizabeth or Jaguar" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing Mazda's new-for-2023 CX-50 compact SUV. Robby DeGraff, Industry Analyst with AutoPacific, joins us to talk about a number of new pure-electric vehicles that are slated to hit the market in the coming months. Tom has a quiz on 0-60-mph times for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Co...

Host Tom Appel and co-host Jill Ciminillo start the show by discussing their recent test drives of the smallest and least-expensive model in Audi's lineup: the A3 compact sedan. (Co-host Damon Bell is out on assignment this week.) Kendra Cook, Executive Director of the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, joins us to discuss the museum and its focus on Pennsylvania's automotive history. Kendra a...

Host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell start the show by discussing their recent test drives of the sportiest model in Toyota's midsize car lineup: the Camry TRD. (Co-host Jill Ciminillo is out on assignment this week.)  Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, joins us to give his insight on the current state of the Chinese auto industry. Tom has an eng...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show with a lighthearted discussion of the most-tattooed American brands, according to a study of Instagram hashtags. Chad Kirchner, VP of Content for the electric-vehicle-focused website EV Pulse, joins us to talk about the things auto shoppers should be considering if they're thinking of buying an electric vehicle. Tom has a "Fo...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Ford Motor Company's recently announced corporate-structure changes--electric vehicles will now be under the Ford Model e division, and gas-engine vehicles will be under the Ford Blue division. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great features in the April 2022 i...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the 2022 edition of the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study. Sheryl Connelly, Chief Futurist with Ford Motor Company, joins us for a talk about the Looking Further with Ford Trend Report, an annual study of future social, environmental, and economic trends. Tom has a quiz on the Opel brand for Damon and Jill,...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Damon's recent blog post on the interesting colors of the 2022 Chicago Auto Show. Hollie Heiser, VP of Marketing and Operations and Lead Driving Instructor for CGI Motorsports, joins us for a talk about driving your car on a race track. Tom has a quiz on Brad Pitt and the Subaru Forester for Damon and Jill, and...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the recent global debut of the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale compact SUV. Larry Nutson, Executive Producer and Chicago Bureau Chief at The Auto Channel, joins us for a talk about driving pure-electric vehicles in the winter. Tom has a quiz on the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette vs. the 2022 Chevrolet Corvette for Damon and Jil...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing NHTSA's recent recall of Tesla vehicles to remove a software feature in the Full Self-Driving system that enables the vehicles to not come to a complete stop at some stop signs. Trevor Scott, Maverick and Ranger Marketing Manager with Ford Motor Company, joins us for a talk about Ford's incredibly popular new...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the recently unveiled 2023 Toyota Sequoia full-size SUV. Consumer Reports investigative journalist Ryan Felton joins us for a talk about bad car loans and how you can avoid them. Tom has a quiz on the second -best-selling vehicles for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Gui...

Host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing how Cadillac is paring down its nationwide dealership count as it prepares to become a pure-EV brand. (Co-host Jill is out on vacation this week.) Paul Strauss, publisher of the popular websites The Awesomer, Technabob, and the auto-themed 95octane, joins us to talk about the forthcoming wave of pure-electric pickup trucks--incl...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by chatting with Chicago Auto Show General Manager Dave Sloan about the 2022 edition of the show, which will be held at Chicago's McCormick Place from February 12-20. Next, we welcome Ed Gliss, Senior Subjective Test Driver with Michelin, for a talk about the importance of winter tires. Tom has a tricky quiz on Mexican-mar...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing  the new-vehicle reveals of the CES 2022 show in Las Vegas--particularly the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV pure-electric full-size pickup and the Chrysler Airflow Concept compact crossover EV. Collectible Automobile magazine Editor-in-Chief John Biel joins us to chat about the great features in the February 2022 i...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell open the show with a chat about their test vehicles for their respective holiday road trips: the Audi Q5 Sportback, Subaru Outback Wilderness, and the new-for-2022 Lexus NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid. John Voelcker, former Editor-in-Chief of greencarreports.com and current contributing editor to Car and Driver, joins the show to give us his take...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing the redesigned-for-2022 Subaru WRX. Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, joins us to give his insight on the auto-industry trends of 2021 and discuss the most significant vehicle introductions of the year. Tom has a "which came first?" quiz for Damon and Jill,...

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing the new-for-2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5. Mike DesMarais, Field Operations Specialist for Midas, joins us to talk about the recent rise in catalytic-converter thefts and how you can protect yourself. Tom has a "Hyundai Venue or Rolls-Royce Phantom?" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the...

Host Tom Appel and co-host Damon Bell start off the show by discussing  the Biden administration's recently announced executive order to end gasoline-powered vehicle purchases for the federal fleet by 2035. (Co-host Jill Ciminillo is out on assignment this week.) James Shelton, Technical Field Support Manager for Jiffy Lube, joins us to talk about how consumers should prep their vehicle for winter...