The Wonder & the Why of the Automotive World

Veteran auto journalist Steve Wheeler is moonlighting at Thrills and Wheels, where he’s offering a first look at Toyota’s brand-new 2019 RAV4.

Tabetha Hammer was only 15 when she won a tractor-restoration contest and met Mario Andretti in the same year. Now, she is the senior manager of car culture (great title, right?) for Hagerty, and her job is to support the collector community through youth and heritage.

Laura Pierce, the president of Toyota Racing, nearly went to school to be a teacher. Her father saw her potential for engineering and encouraged her to attend Purdue University, and brought her up on classic car shows and stock cars to cement her love of the automotive world.

Not long ago, I had the chance to test drive new Nissan Titans, back to back: one Titan XD PRO 4X King Cab, and one Titan half-ton Crew Cab. Nissan is proud of their truck line, and rightfully so: the half-ton model is projected to be the highest volume Titan in their history. They’re so sure of it that they offer the best truck warranty in the business (bumper-to-bumper coverage of 5 years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first). And that seems like a pretty good sign, to me.

On September 29, 17-year-old Hailie Deegan crossed the last goal off her list for 2018, just in time to celebrate over the holidays – she took the checkered flag and became the first female to win a NASCAR K&N race.

The San Antonio Auto and Truck Show (SAATS), produced by the SA Auto Dealers (SADA), is next week, bringing all things automotive to South Texas, and we’ll be there!  Dubbed “the largest showroom in South Texas”, show visitors may shop and compare all makes and models of cars and light trucks, under one roof. 

Whether you’re single and living in the city or you’re a parent living in the suburbs and looking for a great first car, this compact SUV is a strong choice because of its versatility. It does appeal to the younger market - that is to say, younger than I am. And the choices of trims and styles and colors, and the fact that it’s a Lexus - and Lexus doesn’t scrimp - means that it is a vehicle for a wide variety of people.

With a new survey finding four-in-10 (42 percent) parents of teen drivers don’t talk to their kids about safe driving on a regular basis, Allstate urges teens to flip the script and spearhead this important conversation with their parents and friends during this week’s National Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 21 - Oct. 27).

On Oct. 16 at the Texas Truck Rodeo, presented by the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), 69 journalists voted on winners across several categories. Over the course of two days, the journalists drove 57 vehicles in the rain, mud, and surface streets in Dripping Springs and Bee Caves, Texas, just west of Austin.

Ask a little boy what kind of birthday party he wants, and you’ll get the usual requests: Spiderman. The Avengers. Maybe Pokémon.
 
At least, that’s what Travis Monson was expecting.
 
The Arkansas father of two was planning a birthday party for his son, Holden, and wanted some ideas.