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Car buyers are now being confronted with an interesting — and hard-to-answer — question: do I spend my money on an all-new battery-electric or do I spend it on a larger, more accommodating conventionally powered vehicle? This week’s two road test vehicles present just that conundrum. Co-host Chris Teague was at the wheel of the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5, one of the newest-generation of battery-electric-powered crossovers. Host Jack Nerad spent the same week piloting the 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The Ioniq 5 is a five-passenger vehicle with an extra-long wheelbase and an ultra-modern interior. The Highlander Hybrid will accommodate as many as eight in three rows of seating and offers 36 mpg fuel economy. With their as-tested equipment and trim levels, both had suggested retail prices of about $50,000.
So how would you spend your hard-earned cash? Are you ready to make the sacrifices in size and convenience that the battery-electric Ioniq 5 (and other BEVs) entail? Or do you feel the comfort, versatility, and freedom from range anxiety on long trips make the Highlander Hybrid a better choice for your family? We’ll discuss both vehicles and their ramifications in this episode.
AOTR’s special guest this week is Matt McAlear, Head of Dodge Brand Sales Operations. Host Jack Nerad had the chance to sit down with him at a recent driving event in North Carolina to talk about the newly introduced Dodge Hornet and the general direction of the Dodge brand. The Hornet marks the change of an era at Dodge, and McAlear will explain where the brand goes next.
The CEOs of two global car companies, Toyota CEO Koji Sato and Ford CEO Jim Farley, have just gone on record saying their companies must change their ways — and soon — to continue to compete against what appears to be a surging group of Chinese carmakers who are building very compelling EVs. We’ll tell you what prompted their remark and what they intend to do about it.
Also in the news, General Motors confirmed this week it will end production of the Chevrolet Bolt, its biggest-selling EV, later this year. GM is gung-ho about electric vehicles, but the Bolt doesn’t use its heavily touted Ultium platform. It’s likely the next Chevy Bolt will.
All that and answers to your listener questions in this episode of America on the Road.
