Unnamed Automotive Podcast · Unnamed Automotive Podcast

Episode 422: Guest Host Chad Kirchner, 2025 Nissan Versa S, Chevrolet Bolt is BACK

·55 min·3 clips

The new Chevrolet Bolt keeps 65 kWh but switches to LFP batteries and 150 kW charging.

Chad Kirshner sits in as guest host because Sammy is away in Ireland. Ben joins him, and the opening stays loose and a little sideways, which is basically this show’s comfort zone. The first stretch is mostly banter about who is where, who is missing, and how the lineup got shuffled around. From there, the conversation shifts into a longer argument about the car industry and the people it serves. Chad makes the case that automakers should not be embarrassed about being a value brand, because plenty of people need an affordable car to get to work and keep life moving. Ben pushes back on the economics of it, including the way companies chase higher margins instead of volume. The discussion keeps circling the same practical point: if a car payment is part of staying employed, affordability is not some side issue. They also talk about how many automakers seem to have lost interest in selling large numbers of modest cars unless those cars are trucks or SUVs. The Ford Fusion comes up as an example of a car that sold in serious volume before that business shifted. The show also folds in the post-COVID scarcity mindset and how some companies seem to have learned the wrong lesson from it. The broader point lands with some frustration, because the conversation is not romantic about cars for their own sake. It is about pricing, usefulness, recalls, and the people who actually buy the things. The episode does not treat the market as customer-first. Near the end, Chad notes that Sammy will be back after the trip and that the next chat should cover the Jeep Avenger. He also flags a Subaru WRX TS he drove recently and says he has plenty to say about it. The whole thing keeps the show’s dry rhythm, with digressions that still sharpen the main argument.

As heard by us

A guest-hosted car chat that gets sharpest when it talks affordability and margins.

This guest-hosted automotive conversation starts off loose, then finds firmer ground when it turns to affordable cars and the people who depend on them.

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Why you'd press play

You want a blunt car-chat hour about value brands, affordability, and why automakers chase margins.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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