Insights

Cars, business and
the claims worth
questioning.

I write about what the automotive industry is doing and how companies explain themselves. AI gets a look when it changes the work, or when somebody's selling more certainty than the facts allow.

September 21, 2026Automotive · Dealer AI

Buying a Car Isn’t Booking a Haircut

Dealer AI can book the appointment. The difficult part begins when the customer brings a trade-in and a loan balance.

September 16, 2026AI Policy · Opinion

AI Doom Has Become a Marketing Campaign

An enormous problem, existential stakes, memorable villains, urgency, legislation and now a Netflix documentary. Before we hand somebody the off switch, what else are we switching off?

September 9, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Tesla Wants Cybercabs in Twelve States. It Has 562 Reported Autonomous Miles in California.

A Cybercab with no steering wheel, doing the speed limit on the 5. California lists Tesla under testing with a driver only, and that permit needs somebody who can take control.

September 8, 2026Automotive · Opinion

No, the EU Data Act Doesn't Put a Camera on Your Face. It's the One Law Written on Your Side.

BMW asked permission first, which is more than we can say for most. It still hasn't said where the footage goes, or what it's worth to you.

September 7, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Audi's Entry Car Is Electric. Its $700,000 Halo Car Has a V8. The CEO Explained Why.

A compact EV at the bottom, a 987-horsepower V8 at the top, and plug-in hybrids helping with the compliance math in between.

September 3, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Scout Motors Welded Its First Body in June. But It Still Won't Tell You What the Truck Costs.

Deliveries slipped to 2028. Four states are suing over direct sales. The plant is real, the price is still a secret, and here's what that silence is hiding.

September 2, 2026Automotive

2026 Volvo XC90 B6 Review: She Traded a Sequoia for It and Got a Hybrid That Barely Is One

A real buyer, a real consideration set, and a 48-volt mild hybrid that cannot move the car on electricity. Every complaint the buff books have is about driving it. She does a school run.

August 24, 2026Automotive

2026 Honda Accord Hybrid Review: I Put Louvers on Mine. Honda Has Since Solved That.

A highly competent, extremely well put together version of boomer elevator music. The trims, the real EPA numbers, the seats nobody likes, and why Honda charges $8,200 more to be looked at.

August 13, 2026AI Search · B2B Strategy

The Buyer Asked the Machine, and the Dealer Wasn't the Answer

Car buyers now ask AI out loud, and it names one business. I ran the check on fourteen independent dealers. Nine weren't in the answer, and a competitor was.

August 6, 2026Craft · B2B Strategy

What 389 Pickups Taught Me About B2B Content That Actually Travels

A commercial bus company's most-syndicated story wasn't about buses. 389 pickups, 54,700 readers, and four leaderboard wins later — here's the content strategy lesson.

August 6, 2026Craft / Process

The Felt, the Miles, and What You're Missing

A 100,000-mile bike, a man who rode 3,007 miles at age 85 on a 50-year-old Schwinn, and what companies get wrong about experienced professionals.

August 3, 2026Automotive Take

2026 Toyota Camry Hybrid vs. Honda Accord Hybrid: Honda's Answer Was to Be More Fun. Toyota Didn't Care.

Toyota went hybrid-only, priced the Camry $4,500 below the Accord, gave it more horsepower, and better fuel economy. Honda's response was to be a better driver's car.

August 3, 2026Automotive Take

Toyota Is Upgrading Your Old Car. The Rest of the Industry Had a Different Plan.

While BMW charged $18 a month for heated seats already installed in your car, Toyota built a program to upgrade the one you already own — with warranty coverage.

July 29, 2026Automotive Take

The 2027 Audi Q9 Is Technically Impressive. The BMW X7 Doesn't Look Worried.

Audi's biggest SUV ever arrives with real numbers and a design that blends into the background of uninterested tourists.

July 28, 2026Automotive Take

The Senate Just Discovered Cars Collect Data

Surveillance packages on wheels. Yes. Every connected vehicle on American roads has been one for about fifteen years.

July 27, 2026Craft · B2B Strategy

What 2,708 Newspaper Pickups Taught Me About What Travels

The story that got published 255 times had a third the readership of a piece about gas prices. What 2,708 newspaper pickups actually taught me about distribution and reach.

July 21, 2026Automotive · Opinion

The Thing You Can't Train

The industry has spent decades building systems to install customer care from the outside in. The 2026 JD Power data shows where that strategy landed.

July 20, 2026Original Work · Case Study

The Daily Deposit: Five Short Films, Written and Cut by One Person

An essay series about what fatherhood actually costs, turned into five short films. Written, voiced, generated and edited solo. The full pipeline, the constraints that shaped the look, and what it cost.

July 7, 2026Automotive · Opinion

The Content Agency Test

Most automotive content agencies use generalist writers. There's a five-question test that tells you in five minutes.

July 7, 2026Automotive · Strategy

Your Dealer Content Is Invisible in AI Answers. Here's the Fix.

44% of car shoppers now use AI to research vehicles. Your inventory page wasn't the answer they found.

July 7, 2026Automotive · Opinion

It Was Never the Vehicle

Cox called it market fragmentation. The buyer they lost calls it something shorter.

July 2, 2026Automotive · Opinion

She Bought the Hybrid to Stay Free. The Car Has Other Plans.

She bought the Santa Fe Hybrid to avoid EV tracking. She got the powertrain she asked for. The surveillance came standard.

June 29, 2026Automotive · SUV Review

Rivian R2 Trim Breakdown: Which Trim to Buy, and Why the Land Cruiser Belongs in This Conversation

The R2 is for sale. The Premium is the trim. And there is one gas-powered alternative worth looking at before you order — especially if towing capacity and mechanical locking differentials matter to you.

June 25, 2026B2B Strategy · Case Study

Buyer Guides for People Who Buy Buses for a Living

Two sourced, conversion-built buyer guides for a used-bus marketplace, built to be found and cited by AI. The case study, the method, and why the format still earns its keep in 2026.

June 18, 2026Automotive · Industry Analysis

It's Not the Vehicle, It's the Price, Stupid

Pickup sales fell 4% in Q1 2026. Porsche axed its wagon. The Audi RS6 Avant is heading into PHEV territory. Three manufacturers, three segments, one explanation — and what it means for content and campaign planning.

June 9, 2026B2B · Content Strategy

Your EV Content Was Written for a Buyer Who Already Chose Hybrid

Hybrids outsold EVs 2.2-to-1 through Q1 2026. Toyota went hybrid-only on the RAV4. The EV content your team built was written for a buyer who already decided. The hybrid buyer — currently the most common buyer — has different questions.

June 2, 2026Automotive · Opinion

The EV Market Nobody Voted For

Germany's sales dropped 28% when subsidies ended. Norway spends $1.6 billion a year. The EU extended its own compliance deadline. The used lot is the only EV market no government has managed to subsidize — and it has been making this argument since 2023.

June 1, 2026Technology · Opinion

China Built It Underwater. We're Still Fighting About Zoning.

China turned on a commercial subsea data center. Iran proved data centers are wartime targets. The US has 78 active moratoriums on construction. The decision at the county commission is no longer really a zoning question.

June 1, 2026Technology · Opinion

The Gutenberg Panic

The Church tried to license printers in the 1480s. The Pope just released a 42,000-word encyclical on AI. The institutional playbook for managing disruptive technology hasn't changed in six centuries. Only the word count has grown.

May 29, 2026Automotive

2026 Toyota Camry Hybrid Review: The Right Car for All the Wrong Reasons

I drove it to confirm my objections. 225 hp, 52 mpg, hybrid-only for the first time in nine generations — and a reluctant endorsement from someone who would never buy one.

May 29, 2026Technology · Opinion

Somebody Has to Host This

The viral claims about data center heat are false. The real environmental concerns are serious. The geopolitical argument is sound. And the people making it have a financial interest worth examining.

May 29, 2026B2B Strategy

What Fleet Content Buyers Read — And Why Your Whitepapers Aren't It

The fleet buyer is a domain expert. By the time they reach your site, the awareness stage is already over. Here's where they actually get information — and what content earns their attention.

May 27, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Buick Is Building a Real Sedan. Now Don't Blow It.

GM is planning a rear-wheel-drive Buick sedan on the Alpha 2 platform at mid-$30K pricing. The bones are right. One question about where they build it determines whether it matters.

May 27, 2026Automotive

The 2011 Mercedes S550 W221: What $15K Buys You Now

The Airmatic reality, true cost of ownership, mileage framework, and a five-year comparison against buying new. The case for and against the W221 at current depreciation.

May 27, 2026Automotive

2026 RAV4 Hybrid vs. 2026 CR-V Hybrid: One of These Is Earning Its Reputation

The two best-selling compact hybrid SUVs. Better efficiency, more power, real towing capacity, lower starting price — and one clear winner for most buyers.

May 8, 2026Automotive · Transportation

The Drivetrain Debate Looks Different at $6.40 a Gallon

The Hormuz closure is not just an oil story. From California's self-inflicted energy vulnerability to diesel margin math in trucking and busing, here's what it actually means for transportation.

May 8, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Porsche Planned to Go All-Electric on the Macan. Buyers Had Other Ideas.

The gas Macan outsold the Macan Electric in Q1 2026 — while being discontinued. Porsche reversed course and confirmed a new gas and hybrid Macan for 2028.

May 8, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Audi Is Giving Up on Sedans. Buyers Might Not Return the Favor.

The Q9 enters the most crowded segment in luxury vehicles. The RS7 exits a loyal one. Audi is making the same bet on sedans it already lost on EVs.

May 6, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Audi Ruined the RS5 and Called It Progress

630 horsepower, 5,200 pounds, 18 miles per gallon. The new RS5 is more powerful than the R8 ever was. Audi added 1,100 pounds and gained one tenth of a second. Audi calls this progress.

May 4, 2026Automotive · Opinion

The EV Moment Arrived. It Parked in a Different Lot.

Three hundred thousand leases are ending. Gas is $6.33 at the pump. The buyer the policy machine couldn't create just showed up in the used lot.

Apr 30, 2026Automotive · Advertising

Why We Make It Simple.

Needham, Harper & Steers and Gerry Rubin found one sentence that separated Honda from every car company in America. The market is proving it again.

Apr 30, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Scout Motors Is Doing Almost Everything Right. That's the Problem.

160,000 reservations. Heritage-true design. A direct-sales model the industry needs. And a parent company that can't get its software to work.

Apr 27, 2026Automotive · Opinion

I Paid Audi Money for a Buick Oil Change. We Need to Talk.

Dealerships lost 13 percent of their service transactions last year. Jiffy Lube gained. And somehow nobody in the C-suite has asked the obvious question.

Apr 27, 2026B2B Strategy

Content Syndication Case Study: What Stacker Actually Produced for a Niche B2B Brand

10 stories. 1,918 media pickups. 292,000 estimated views. 47 states reached. Real data from a used commercial bus marketplace that had no business going viral — and did.

Apr 25, 2026Automotive · Opinion

Hybrids Won. Nobody Will Admit It.

Hybrid sales are up 66 percent. EVs are down. Audi sold 90 e-trons in a quarter. Here's what the numbers say that the press releases won't.

Apr 23, 2026Automotive · Opinion

The Lancia Stratos Had No Right to Exist. It Won Anyway.

A poster on a wall in East Texas. A Fiat X1/9 in the driveway. And the car that had no business existing — and won three consecutive world rally championships anyway.

Apr 23, 2026Automotive · Opinion

The Trabant Is Back. They're Calling It Progress.

Someone finally said "appliance car" out loud in the automotive press. I've seen that car before. It was called the Trabant.

Apr 20, 2026B2B Strategy

What Fleet Tech Companies Get Wrong About Content

Fleet managers don't lose deals because the product is wrong. They lose because your content stopped working at the point where they needed it most.

Apr 18, 2026Automotive

The 2019 RAV4 Was the Last of Something. The 2026 Is Something Entirely Different.

A seven-year generation jump, a hybrid-only mandate, and the upgrade math nobody has done for you. Should a 2019 RAV4 owner trade up to the 2026?

Mar 15, 2026Automotive · Advertising

When Car Ads Were Written for Adults: The Golden Era of BMW Advertising

Two agencies. Thirty years. A lesson the entire industry has spent the last two decades unlearning.

Apr 17, 2026B2B Strategy

A Note on B2B Content: Write for the Meeting, Not the Persona

Most B2B content was written for a spreadsheet. The ICP document. The persona. None of those things ever signed a contract.

Mar 19, 2026Automotive · Advertising

Why Most Rocket Scientists Are German: The Porsche Ads That Made Advertising Nervous

Fallon McElligott had one rule for Porsche. Show the car. Write something great. The industry has spent forty years pretending that formula does not exist.

Mar 18, 2026Automotive · Advertising

Born from Jets: The Three Words That Told the Truth About SAAB

A tagline Advertising Age called one of the greatest in automotive history. A car a kid from East Texas could not stop staring at. A lesson about what honest advertising actually does.

Mar 16, 2026Automotive

2026 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Review: The Most Important Boring Car in America

Toyota just bet the most popular vehicle in America on hybrids. They were right. The car itself is a different conversation.

Mar 13, 2026B2B Strategy

Your Content Isn't Failing Because It's Bad. It's Failing Because It's Obvious.

Most B2B content is written for the person buying it, not the person reading it. That distinction is why the tab gets closed.

Mar 12, 2026Automotive

Audi RS3 Competition Limited: A Farewell Letter Written in Someone Else's Handwriting

750 units, a white digital gauge cluster, and a price north of $117,000. Audi calls it a tribute. A tribute to what, exactly?

Mar 12, 2026Automotive

2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid SEL Premium: Ugly Outside, Brilliant Inside

Half the people stare. The other half look away. And yet Hyundai keeps selling them — which tells you everything about how vehicle purchase decisions actually get made.

Mar 3, 2026Automotive

Montgomery County Went All-In on Electric Buses. Ooops.

A case study in what happens when procurement follows narrative instead of operational reality.

Feb 11, 2026AI · B2B

You're Waiting to See How AI Plays Out. That's the Problem.

What's actually changing in knowledge work — and why the people who figure it out now will own the next two years.

Apr 3, 2025Automotive

McLaren's Big Pivot: Still British, or Just Another Global Player?

What the Forseven merger signals about brand identity and what happens when heritage meets Abu Dhabi capital.

Apr 2, 2025Automotive

Mazda's Still Betting on Gas — and the CX-90 Proves Their Success

Why internal combustion engines aren't going anywhere yet, and what Mazda understands about its buyer that the EV narrative ignores.

Dec 10, 2024B2B Strategy

Going Viral Is Overrated: Why Great Content Is a Long-Term Game

Chasing reach is a distraction. The content that actually builds a business works differently.

Dec 31, 2024B2B Strategy

Making the Complicated Simple: Delivering for Your Brand

The hardest thing in content isn't writing — it's knowing what to cut. How clarity becomes the actual competitive advantage.

Mar 26, 2025Automotive

The 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Roaring Into the Future

Wrong in all the right ways. What this car teaches you about writing for buyers who've already made up their minds.

Mar 3, 2025Automotive

The Mightiest Mercedes: Why the 2011 S550 Stands Above the Rest

The last true king of the S-Class lineage before Mercedes got lost in a sea of hyperscreens.

Dec 2, 2024Automotive · B2B

Jaguar: Zoolander's Derelicte, But Make It a Car

What Jaguar's rebrand signals when a heritage brand decides to torch its equity for a concept nobody asked for.

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