Polestar Pulls Out, Durango Booms, Our EV Might Catch Fire, & Luxury Underdog Fight

This week the guys dig into why used EV prices are climbing back up now that federal tax credits are gone, why the Dodge Durango just posted its best sales in two decades, and whether crash test scores actually move the needle for shoppers. They also break down Polestar's decision to walk away from the US market instead of appealing its sales ban, GM's plan to bring the XT5 and XT6 back to Cadillac from China, and the wave of battery recalls hitting the Volvo EX30 and VW ID.4. From there it's a deep dive into car features that quietly became essential (smartphone projection, ventilated seats) versus the ones that aged like milk (giant glass roofs, CD-based nav), plus why car theft rates keep falling despite hacker-level Bluetooth exploits. They close out with a full breakdown of the "almost-luxury" brand wars — Genesis, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Acura — and where each one is headed next.

0:00 Intro – what's on deck 1:18 EV resale values rebound as tax credits vanish 5:43 Dodge Durango's record-breaking sales year 13:27 Do crash test scores actually matter? 19:09 Polestar quits the US market 29:27 GM revives the XT5 and XT6 for Cadillac 34:09 Battery recall fears: Volvo EX30 and VW ID.4 40:44 Honda's new US factory and EV strategy 47:19 Why car thefts are plunging 49:51 Car features: essential now vs. aged like milk 1:14:15 Quirky luxury market: Genesis, Lincoln, Infiniti, Acura 1:29:27 Listener mail and sign-off