MotoManTV Podcast

Slate Auto has been described as a Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup building a $25,000 electric truck — but that is only part of the story. In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Rod Copes, Slate Auto board director and employee number one, to discuss the real strategy behind Slate: radical simplicity, American manufacturing, affordability, and avoiding the mistakes that crushed so m...

Most car designers are supposed to follow a path. Alfonso Albaisa did not. Before he became the global design leader behind Nissan’s future, he was a Cuban-American kid in Miami who did not learn English until he was six or seven, dressed like Napoleon, drew in a closet, nearly failed engineering with a 0.5 GPA, and found his way through art, architecture, balsa wood boats, New York, Detroit, and...

Greg Tada left software development to chase something far more personal: motorcycles. In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, Greg joins MotoMan at ArtCenter to tell the story of how he went from working in tech to designing motorcycles for some of the most important brands in the industry, including Kawasaki, Indian Motorcycle, Piaggio, Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi. This conversation covers the momen...

What happens when a university engineering project completely upends the power dynamics of the world's most elite supercar manufacturers? In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we meet Dr. Tim Woolmer, the CTO and Founder of YASA Motors. Long before the automotive establishment fully embraced electrification, Woolmer engineered a radical departure from traditional propulsion: the axial flux &...

What happens when you apply the brutal discipline of elite military training and the high-stakes pressure of a two-Michelin-star kitchen to the wild west of the modern digital algorithm? In a total departure from our usual deep dives with the key people shaping the car, tech, racing or business worlds, this episode MotoMan sits down with digital creator Read Choi for a raw, unscripted peer-to-peer...

What happens when you take the collective genius behind Tesla, Lucid, and BYD, and use it to build an EV that completely rejects Silicon Valley tech bloat? In this episode of The MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Mark Tapscott, co-founder of the radical new British automotive startup, Longbow. Mark shares his incredible journey through the EV revolution—from early days spent as Elon Musk's chauffe...

In this exclusive vault episode of the MotoMan Podcast, MotoMan goes behind the scenes at Toyota’s North American R&D center with legendary former Chief Engineer Mike Sweers. Before his recent retirement, Sweers was the driving force responsible for the engineering DNA of Toyota’s entire body-on-frame lineup. But it almost didn’t happen. In this career-spanning deep dive, Sweers uncovers the h...

What does it take to become the ultimate authority on classic car values? In this special vault episode, MotoMan sits down with Dave Kinney—the founder and the publisher of the Hagerty Price Guide. From a fateful, unfiltered conversation at a New York City Shake Shack in 2006 that completely altered MotoMan's career path, to Dave’s own wild journey of turning a 2.3 GPA and severe dyslexia into...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Philipp Skogstad , CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, to discuss the radical shift in how the world’s oldest car company builds for the future. While Philipp’s background includes a rebellious streak—hacking a serial port into his father’s car in the 90s to get internet on the road —his primary focus today is bridging the gap betwee...

How do you build a global automotive media brand from a "B-Tier" city with no budget and zero industry connections? You get scrappy. Today on the MotoMan Podcast , we sit down with Jakub Wrobel , the visionary behind the "Walmart Top Gear" production style that helped The Straight Pipes leapfrog the automotive establishment. Jakub pulls back the curtain on the "psychopathic" decision to quit his s...

What does it actually take to become a racing legend? For Ron Fellows, it wasn’t a silver spoon—it was a shovel. In this episode, the Corvette icon pulls back the curtain on the brutal financial reality of his early career. From spending nearly a decade digging trenches for a natural gas company to fund his passion , to the "red flag" moment of financing a race car through a local bank , Ron share...

For over 30 years, Simon Sproule has been inside the rooms where the biggest decisions in the car industry get made. From working alongside Elon Musk at Tesla… To witnessing the rise and fall of Carlos Ghosn… This is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how the modern car industry actually works. We go deep into Tesla’s early momentum, what made it different, and why the rest of the industry is still...

What happens when a hobby born out of "doomscrolling" turns into a global audience of 11.8 million people ? In this episode, we sit down with Forrest Jones , the pioneer of the vertical car review format who fundamentally changed how we consume automotive media. Forrest opens up about the high-stakes journey of building a massive digital empire, from the "leap of faith" moving...

Most people see the smoke and the sideways Mustangs, but they don't see the payroll, the sleepless nights, or the massive career gamble that started it all. In this episode, Vaughn Gittin Jr. pulls back the curtain on the 20-year journey from a stable 9-to-5 to becoming the CEO of RTR Vehicles . We discuss why he chose to move his entire life to the "Silicon Valley" of racing to stay...

In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, Sasha Selipanov shares the story behind some of the most important modern performance cars — and why he ultimately left the biggest automotive brands to start his own company. From growing up in 1990s Russia and sketching cars as a kid, to shaping icons like the Lamborghini Huracán and Bugatti Chiron, Sasha reveals the tension between engineering and design...

Hyundai is on a design tear — from the IONIQ 5 N to the bold new “Art of Steel” Hyundai Crater Adventure Concept. But what’s really driving Hyundai’s rise? In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, Hyundai Americas Design Director Brad Arnold sits down with MotoMan for a deep dive into the real story behind Hyundai’s design revolution. Brad shares how he went from “not a car guy” to leading design a...

In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Steve Saleen — racing legend, car builder, and the man behind some of the most iconic American performance cars ever made. From selling his house to go racing… to building the original Saleen Mustang… to secretly engineering the Dodge Viper and manufacturing the 2005 Ford GT, Steve shares stories few have ever heard — including the rise and...

What really killed America’s optimism — and car culture along with it? In this explosive new episode, MotoMan sits down with Jack Baruth — automotive journalist, racer, and one of the most outspoken voices in the car world — for an unfiltered conversation about everything wrong (and right) in today’s auto industry. From telling off David Spade at the Tower Bar to why the Lincoln Mark VIII represen...

In this episode, MotoMan sits down with Bob Boniface, Design Director of  @Cadillac  , for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of Cadillac design and the brand’s next chapter beyond the CELESTIQ and Escalade. Bob shares his journey from  @buick  to Cadillac, insights on leading a design team through the EV transition, and why Cadillac is not abandoning internal combustion just yet. From the...

MotoMan sits down with Lucid Motors' Senior VP of Brand and Design, Derek Jenkins, for an unfiltered discussion. We talk about the launch of the Lucid Air, the Gravity SUV, the company's funding journey, and Derek's career through VW, Audi and Mazda. Plus, a deeply personal conversation about his car collection and surviving the Malibu Fires. Chapters:0:00 He Walked Away From His Dream...

In this episode of the MotoManTV Podcast, we discuss the $25,000 EV Revolution: Slate Auto's Customizable EV Pickup. Is this the electric pickup that finally makes EVs accessible for everyone? The Slate Auto is an ultra-minimal, $25,000 electric workhorse with a radical plan: let the owner decide what their truck should be. In this special podcast episode, we dive deep with Jeff Jablansky of Slate...

In this episode of the MotoManTV Podcast, automotive journalist Craig Cole joins us to break down the changing world of car media. From EV startups like Slate shaking up the industry to the evolution of automotive journalism, we explore where the industry has been, where it’s going, and what it means for enthusiasts, journalists, and automakers alike. Craig shares his candid thoughts on: The rise...

In this episode, we sit down with Andreas Bovensiepen, CEO of Alpina, to explore the brand’s unique philosophy and enduring legacy. Founded by his father in the 1960s, Alpina has built a reputation for creating refined, high-performance BMWs that blend speed, luxury, and craftsmanship unlike anything else on the road. Andreas shares stories about growing up in the family business, what defines the...

In this episode of the MotoManTV Podcast, we sit down with Miles Branman, the car content creator behind the popular MilesPerHr cars YouTube channel. Miles has built a career as an automotive journalist at the intersection of cars, storytelling, and digital media. He shares what it really takes to succeed as a modern automotive journalist and content creator. We dive into: How Miles built and grew...

Qualcomm, once solely focused on the device industry, has been making inroads into the Future of Cars for over a decade now. Starting with basic Car Technology then moving into Autonomous Vehicle Safety and Vehicle to Everything Communication, V2X, Qualcomm, through their Snapdragon Digital Chassis technology is attempting to redefine AI Automotive Technology. Their VP & Head of Global Product...