2024 Hyundai Santa FE Calligraphy Hybrid AWD: The Brand’s Midsize Three-Row Crossover

Highlight:  This Santa Fe Hybrid has a driving range between 602 and 637 miles according to fueleconomy.gov.

Test Vehicle's MSRP: $51,405 (Base Model: $35,565)

Seating Capacity: 6 to 7 (depending on trim)

Standard Safety Features: airbags; ABS; a stability control system; a blind spot collision rear cross traffic avoidance system; a rearview camera; forward collision brakes; lane keep assist system; a high beam assist system; a driver assistance warning system; a heated side mirrors with turn signals; blind spot collision avoidance assistance; temporary spare tire and a tire pressure monitoring system

Its Shop Time Mondays: Tesla Is Recalling Nearly All Cybertrucks

Exterior Trim Panel Can Detach While Driving

A detached panel can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V170000

Manufacturer Tesla, Inc.

Components STRUCTURE

SiriusXM’s Auto Trends with JeffCars.com Presents an Educational Car-Buying Clinic (East Point, GA)

 

 SiriusXM’s Auto Trends with JeffCars.com Presents an Educational Car-Buying Clinic*

What’s Covered:

Buying New Vs Pre-Owned Vs Certified

How to Find a Reliable Vehicle

Electric Vehicles Vs Hybrids

'Auto Trends' Revisits Tesla's Bumpy Racial History With Its Black Workforce (Two Shows)

In 2021, Tesla was winning the electric car race in terms of sales and record setting stock prices. Almost four years later, Tesla has been on a rollercoaster ride. While Tesla is still number one in the U.S. electric car market, both sales and stocks have tumbled. Some of the sales fallout is attributed to more electric vehicle competition in the market, while the lion's share of the luxury brand's ills have been driven by CEO's Elon Musk's new role as what many see as co-President of the United States of America. 

2024 Kia Sorento X-Line SX Prestige: The Brand’s Midsize Crossover/SUV

 

Highlight: The Sorento is available with three rows.

Test Vehicle's MSRP: $48,285 (Base: $31,990)

Seating Capacity: 5 -7 (depending upon trim)

Standard Safety Features: air bags; ABS; hill start assist; stability control system; a tire pressure monitoring system; a spare tire; a rearview camera; an electronic blind spot system; lane keep assist system; a lane departure warning system; a lane following assist system; and a highway beam assist system

Its Shop Time Mondays: Chevy And Cadillac Are Recalling 90,000 Sports Cars And Sedans For Transmission Issues

Transmission Damage May Cause Wheel Lock-Up

Wheel lock-up while driving increases the risk of a crash.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V148000

Manufacturer General Motors, LLC

Components POWER TRAIN

Potential Number of Units Affected 90,081

'Auto Trends' Talks To An HBCU Alum About How The Family Tobacco Farm From The 1800s Laid The Path To Become The Only Top-Tier Black Female Auto Supplier

Lisa Lunsford, CEO of GS3, is the only Black female top-tier auto supplier. (Photo Credit: Lisa Lunsford)

Lisa Lunsford, the CEO and co-founder of the Detroit-based auto manufacturer, Global Strategic Supply Solutions, talks to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the only syndicated multicultural automotive radio program in North America.

At the time of our conversation four years ago, Lunsford was one of two Black women in the automotive manufacturing industry who headed a Tier One company. A Tier One business supplies the parts to build cars directly to a major automaker. To put this in perspective, the average car consist of 30,000 to 90,000 of parts. Today we believe she is the only Black women in this role.

 

'The Daily Show' Creates A Car Ad w/Trump Pimping Out The Troubled Tesla Brand From The White House Grounds (See Video)

These days we find most of the messaging from the White House to be quite unsettling. While Trump is making plans to rescind incentives Biden put in place to stimulate EV sales, manufacturing and the like in the U.S., its ironic that he was literally on the White House grounds earlier this week promoting Tesla. How hypocritical? Take a moment to view this comical car ad created by The Daily Show. Yes, this is America! Just wondering, how does the rest of the automotive industry feel about Trump showing favoritism.

By the way, there are other EV alternatives to consider that rank high on JD Power latest quality study. Those EVs are manufactured by BMW, Hyundai and Kia.  

Also check out our commentary on "What a 25% Tariff Will Mean For Car Buyers."

What A 25 Percent Tariff Would Mean On A Car Purchase

 

To enlarge, click on the image.

Earlier this week Trump delayed placing a tariff on vehicles and/or parts being sourced from our allies: Canada and Mexico. As the President of Ford Motor Company, Jim Farley, stated last month, any tariffs will be passed along to the consumer. And Farley echos the sentiments of most automakers. Essentially tariffs are an added tax.

The above image represents the Monroney Sticker of a 2025 GMC Sierra 1500 truck. The highly contented truck, which is manufactured in Mexico, is being imported to the United States.  

2025 Infiniti QX80 Sensory 4WD: The Brand’s Flagship Finally Gets A Much Needed Makeover

 

Highlight: The big body SUV, with its streamlined exterior design, is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 turbo engine.

Test Vehicle's MSRP: $108,065 (Base Model RWD): $ 84,445

Seating Capacity: 7

Standard Safety Features: ABS; airbags; a vehicle stability system; blind spot warning system; a trailer blind spot warning system; a lane departure warning system; a 360-degree camera; and a tire pressure monitoring system

Its Shop Time Mondays: VW Is Recalling 177,000 Newer Model Atlas And Atlas Cross Sports

Loose Engine Cover May Melt and Cause Fire

A loose engine cover that contacts hot surfaces in the engine compartment can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V100000

Manufacturer Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

2024 Subaru BRZ TS: The Brand’s Sporty Subcompact Coupe

 

Highlight: The BRZ is Subaru’s only rear-wheel drive vehicle.

Test Vehicle's MSRP: $ 36,465 (Base Model: $31,315)

Seating Capacity: 2 (rear seat for small kids only)

Standard Safety Features: airbags; ABS; a stability control system; traction control; vehicle dynamic control; a high beam auto system; a rear camera; hill start assist system and a tire pressure monitoring system

Its Shop Time Mondays: Kia Is Recalling 137,000 Souls And Seltos For Engine Concerns

Engine Damage May Cause Stall or Fire

Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000

Manufacturer Kia America, Inc.

Components ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

'Auto Trends' Women's History Month Spotlight: African American Travel And The Road To Civil Rights (Two Shows)

 

As we kickoff Women's History Month, Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the only syndicated multicultural automotive program in North America, is reaching into our archives re-airing a 2020 conversation centered around cars, travel, Civil Rights and American history. In light of the current state of the world, it seems fitting that we revisit history, seeing the climate the Black community encountered before gaining many of the civil liberties most of us have taken for granted. 

In an exclusive two-part conversation with Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, curator, documentarian, professor and author Dr. Gretchen Sorin literally take us on a historical road trip, exploring the popular acronym DWB beyond the lens of racial profiling. In her book, Driving While Black: African American Travel And The Road To Civil Rights, the effervescent Sorin shares how the car, which has served as the ultimate symbol of independence and possibility, played different roles for both the Black and white community.