The modern car market is not just expensive at the sticker; the real cost is hiding in insurance, loan rates, tech repairs, recall risk, and the software now built into every dashboard.

Today’s episode breaks down Cox Automotive’s affordability math, Ford and Jeep recall pressure, the possibility of driverless cars without brake pedals, automakers hedging between EV batteries and V8 nostalgia, and why AI-generated dealership ads may erase local identity.

Today's Key Headlines

~Average new vehicles transact near $50,000 while average MSRP sits above $51,000

~Honda CR-V transaction prices rose from about $28,000 to $39,000 but remain nearly flat after inflation

~Ford recalls 540,000 Expeditions and another 255,000 Focus models

~Regulators are considering rules that could allow driverless cars without brake ped ...