Talking Cars: Lexus LS 500, Tax Credits, and the Rise of Electronic Shifters

Mike Monticello
Updated

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Main themes: The $7,500 federal tax credit will soon start to be phased out on Tesla models since the electric automaker has officially sold more than 200,000 qualifying cars. General Motors is likely to reach that same number by the end of this year. The podcast panel discusses how the phasing-out process of the federal electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid tax credits will work, which cars it affects, and what it could mean for future EV buyers.

Driven this week: 2018 Lexus LS 500.

Audience questions: How much do auto stop/start systems affect the reliability of a car’s starter? How can a car’s Overall Score drop dramatically in CR’s ratings from one year to the next without it being retested? Are all all-wheel-drive systems created equal? What’s with the strange shifters from automakers these days?

As with other “Talking Cars” episodes, this one is available free through Apple Podcasts. (Subscribe to the audio or video.) You’ll also find the audio on Spotify and video on YouTube.

• Nissan Kicks, Hot Car Danger, episode 159
• Special All-Question Episode, episode 158
• Car Tariffs, Chevrolet Blazer, episode 157
• Summer Road-Trip Cars, 2019 Hyundai Veloster, episode 156
• Chrysler Pacifica Shifters, Acura RDX, episode 155

Have a Question?

We’d love to include it in a future show. Click here to upload your video questions to our Dropbox folder. Please send high-definition (1920x1080) MP4 video files with high-quality audio. Or send an iMessage question to our TalkingCars@icloud.com account.



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