cars.com

Jill and Tom are joined this week by long-time cohost Damon Bell, who is currently serving as Senior Research Editor at Cars.com. Jill and Tom opened the show arguing about the two-screen dashboard found in the current Infiniti QX50 compact crossover. Jill finds the systems dated, while Tom saw the value in having a single screen dedicated to navigation functions. Damon joined the conversation to help summarize the reveals seen at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. Jill, who was in attendance at the event, noted that the press activity was especially light, as was media attendance. The trio covered the reveals of the freshened Cadillac CT5, Ford F-150, Jeep Gladiator, and all-new GMC Acadia. 

In the second segment Damon reviewed the all-new Hyundai Kona small crossover, noting that the vehicle has gotten larger on the outside, and roomier on the inside. Jill, Damon, and Tom went on to wrap up their “Dead Pool” lists created in way back August of 2021. There is some question as to who did the best job picking vehicles which were soon to be discontinued. 

Jill and Damon were subjected to Tom’s “Lancia or Listeria” quiz, which—big surprise—was decided by a question about gophers. 

Jill and Tom opened this week’s show quickly covering a number of topics, including Jill’s take on Toyota hybrid refinement, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) potentially inadequate use of crash-test dummies, and Tom’s recent encounter with would-be carjackers. Jill also shared her take on the freshened-for-2024 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport midsize crossovers. 

In the second segment, Jill and Tom are joined by Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Newman. Jennifer shared the fundamentals of Cars.com’s 2023 American Made Index. Surprises include the dearth of American-brand products near the top of the list. Jennifer noted that the country of origin of drivetrain components, such as a vehicle’s engine and transmission, can have a profound impact on a vehicle’s placement on the list. Tesla’s performance on the list was a surprise. 

Jennifer elected to join Jill for this week’s quiz, which focused on new-car sales during the first half of 2023. 

And so what is it like to move from a dealership where maybe you had a lot of control and a lot of say, and you could just make things happen to move into a publicly traded corporate environment, where maybe there's different accountability for Brian, there's different ways that he has to manage teams and lead teams. 

And I wanted to talk to him about what that journey has been like, why did he make the jump? And what's going on? The reason is for listeners, as I said, we were always here to help you build up the skills for your leadership initiatives.

Enjoy!!

Brian Kramer: 
EVP, Cars.com | General Manager of Accu-Trade. Prior experience as multi-dealership General Manager specializing in digital transformation with 26+ years of retail dealership experience. Became a dealership General Manager at the age of 24. Operating experience for AutoNation and the Germain Automotive Group for franchises including Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Infiniti, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Toyota and Lincoln franchises in Ohio and Florida. 19 years experience as dealership General Manager, prior to leaving the retail side of the business. 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/briankramer

About Glenn Pasch: 

"Everyone finds themselves in charge at some point in their lives. Yet many of us lack the skills to generate consistent results. My goal is to help you learn the skills to adapt and grow in your personal and business life.”

Glenn Pasch is CEO of PCG Digital, a full service digital marketing agency that specializes in helping businesses create and deliver customers raving, recommending & returning for more. He is author of 2 books including "The Power of Connected Marketing" and has spoken and educated audiences throughout the US and internationally.  

Thanks for making this a top 20 podcast in Personal Development space

https://bit.ly/3pmbArb

Let’s Connect: 

https://linktr.ee/glennpasch

Jill and Tom opened the show calling back to last week’s episode during which guest James Bell of Kia instructed Jill to make use of the “GT” button in her test Kia EV6 GT. Jill did as instructed; listen in for her impressions. The hosts discussed the coming 2024 Lincoln Nautilus, and it’s move to Chinese manufacture. 

The conversation moved to the official list of vehicles that qualify this year for the federal EV tax credits. In the second segment Jill and Tom welcome Jane Ulitskaya of Cars.com to the show. Jane walked the hosts through the findings of Car’s first Affordability Study and Best Value New Cars list. 

In the third segment Jill and Tom shared their impressions of the all-new Toyota Crown. Note: Amy Chao of Toyota joins the team next week for a deep dive into the brand’s newest model. (Jill also complained about Tom’s choice of test-car music. In this case Peruvian Psychedelic Cumbia.)

Jane joined Jill for Tom’s “Wagon or No Wagon” quiz, and Jill and Tom shared some of the newest content posted on Pickup Truck Plus SUV Talk, and Consumer Guide Automotive. 

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell kick off the show by discussing Dodge's "Speedweek" barrage of new-product announcements, including the Charger Daytona SRT electric-vehicle concept and the 2023 Dodge Hornet compact SUV. Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Jenni Newman joins us to talk about Cars.com's 2022 American-Made Index, a ranking of the most American-made vehicles sold in the U.S. Tom has a quiz on Rivian for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a Test Drive review of the 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line.

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing their test-drive experiences with Mazda's first pure-electric vehicle--the new-for-2022 MX-30. Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder joins us to talk about Cars.com's "Guide for the EV Curious"--an excellent primer on electric vehicles. Tom has a tricky quiz for Damon and Jill on the debut model years of semi-recent vehicles, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog--including a test-drive review of the redesigned-for-2022 Nissan Frontier pickup truck.

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 of the most American-made vehicles sold in the U.S. Tom has "where is it made?" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a test-drive review of the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost.  

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 Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a Test Drive review of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra SEL and a gallery of currently available new vehicles powered by 3-cylinder engines.

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start off the show by discussing Mercedes-Benz's reported plans to drop seven of its car models. We also share our test-drive experiences with Lexus's new-for-2021 LC 500 Convertible. Kelsey Mays, Senior Consumer Affairs Editor at Cars.com, joins us to talk about Cars.com's 2020 American-Made Index, a ranking of the most American-made vehicles sold in the U.S. Tom has a quiz for Damon and Jill on option prices, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog, including a test-drive review of the Mercedes-Benz CLA250.    

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing Nissan's plans to revamp its Infiniti luxury division as part of the company's broader restructuring process. Next, we talk about our test-drive experiences with BMW's 8-Series family of cars. Kelsey Mays, Senior Consumer Affairs Editor at Cars.com, calls in to discuss the current state of self-driving vehicles and the semi-autonomous technologies available on 2020-model-year vehicles. Tom has an Infiniti-themed quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog--including a overview of the vehicles of the "Hogan's Heroes" TV show.

Host Tom Appel and co-hosts Jill Ciminillo and Damon Bell start the show by discussing some of the aggressive incentives car dealers are offering to spur sales in the face of  the coronavirus pandemic. Next, we talk about our test-drive experiences with the redesigned-for-2020 Subaru Outback. Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder calls in to talk about the ways auto dealerships are adapting to the challenges of COVID-19 to continue to sell cars, and also how to disinfect your own car. Tom has a clever "Porsche or Pacifica?" quiz for Damon and Jill, and Damon runs down the latest articles on the Consumer Guide Daily Drive blog--including a profile of the all-but-forgotten Karmann SUC concept vehicle.

The show kicks off with a discussion of Ford's decision to discontinue the Flex, its boxy three-row, seven-seat crossover wagon. Next, we talk about the 2020 Toyota Avalon Limited, one of our Consumer Guide test-fleet vehicles this week. Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Jenni Newman then joins us in-studio for a wide-ranging discussion on common car-seat mistakes parents make, Cars.com's 2019 Car Seat Check Honor Roll, and what new vehicles we would buy with our own money--and which "dream vehicles" we'd choose if cost was no object. Tom also poses a surprisingly tricky question for the weekly Car Stuff Power Quiz. Hosted by Tom Appel and Damon Bell.