Episode 21: The Car Industry + What Our Vehicles Say About Us

In this episode of Look Both Ways, David & Wes drive straight into the changing car industry and what today’s vehicles reveal about identity, status, and the future of transportation. From cheap Chinese EVs showing up near the U.S. border to the pressure they could place on Detroit, they explore whether companies like BYD and Geely could bring back the affordable car in America and why U.S. automakers may struggle to compete. It’s also a conversation about how transportation has become deeply tied to culture and identity in the United States, why so many people buy vehicles they barely use for their intended purpose, and what all of that could mean for the future adoption of autonomous vehicles.

Other topics:
🔹 Our favorite “buy low” city in America
🔹 Cheap Chinese EVs & whether Detroit can keep them out
🔹 Pickup trucks & the role of identity in vehicle choice
🔹 Rivian’s e-bike spinout

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Additional resources:
The U.S. Wants to Ban China’s High-Tech Cars, but They’re Already Here in El Paso (Wall Street Journal)

Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-Glass World by Eduardo Galeano

You Don’t Need A Full-Size Pickup Truck, You Need a Cowboy Costume (The Drive)

This Rivian spinoff is reinventing e-bikes in California with screens, software and swappable seats (LA Times)

Music by Charlie Van Stee
(courtesy of bensound)

Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.lookbothwayspodcast.com, www.davidzipper.com, and www.wesmarshall.org