People Say The Economy Is Bad, Then They Buy $50,000 Cars?

About this episode

The episode discusses the contradiction between the car market's performance and the general economic sentiment, featuring insights from guest Jack Nerad.

The car market is doing better than the mood of the country, and that contradiction is exactly where we start. We talk with Jack Nerad from America on the Road about what he’s seeing up close, from California fuel prices to the real-world demand that keeps new vehicles moving even when the media drumbeat says the economy is falling apart. Jack shares highlights from a trip to Georgia to see Hyundai and Kia production firsthand, including how fast modern plants build vehicles and why early al...

People in this episode

Hosts: Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, Jeff Dziekan

Guest: Jack Nerad

Topics covered

• automotive market
• economic trends
• vehicle production
• fuel prices
• consumer behavior

Keywords

• automotive
• economy
• car market
• fuel prices
• Hyundai
• Kia
• vehicle production

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: America on the Road, Hyundai, Kia

Places: California, Georgia

More episodes of In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show

• What Recalls Mean And What Auction Results Reveal · June 12, 2026 · 29 min
• Adventure Vehicles That Actually Earn It? · June 11, 2026 · 32 min
• Brake Fluid On Tires And Other Bad Ideas; Auto History: Speakeasy's: Big Bad GMC EV! · June 10, 2026 · 20 min
• A Texas Muscle Car Cathedral Filled With Neon · June 8, 2026 · 30 min
• Your SUV Is Rolling Away And We’re Still Bidding · June 5, 2026 · 30 min
• How Does A Barn-Built Miata Take On Million-Dollar Teams at Pike's Peak? · June 4, 2026 · 31 min