The Drivecast

Almost two decades ago General Motors almost changed pickup truck history, and would've changed the entire market. A new, smaller, Baby Duramax turbodiesel V8 was set to launch and reset the bar for torque, fuel economy, and technology in the half-ton market.

The engine was done, but the entire thing was scrapped with the crash of 2008 when GM filed bankruptcy. The automaker claimed all the prototypes were crushed, but at lest one escaped into the wild.

So today, we dig into the history books and dissect the story of the unreleased Baby Duramax and a prototype surfacing in the real world.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

The Recession Killed GM’s 4.5L Duramax V8, But One Escaped the Factory

I Found the Canceled 4.5L Duramax V8 Prototypes, Then They Disappeared

We Found GM’s Lost Duramax V8 Prototype That Could’ve Reinvented Modern Trucks

00:00 Intro

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Rivian, by many accounts, has become the darling of the automotive industry. It’s a hot topic despite its current volume and scale. To date, it’s not a mainstream brand with a mass-market offering. But that changed yesterday with the launch of the R2, which costs between $45,000 and $60,000 while hitting at the absolute heart of the compact crossover SUV market at 186 inches long, which is the size of the Toyota RAV4 and Tesla Model Y. The former is one of the best selling vehicles period while the latter is one of the best-selling EVs by the widest of margins it’s not even funny.

Now it’s Rivian’s turn to step into the arena and aim for the masses. This is the moment RJ Scaringe and his team has been building towards for years. Everything is riding on this.

This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe to dissect how we got here, missteps, where the company is today, and what's about to happen in both the immediate and longer-term future.

So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Rivian going into the mass market arena, what that looks like, how it plays out, and addressing how the automaker aims to tackle it all.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

2027 Rivian R2 First Drive Review: The Perfect Car for So Many PeopleSomehow, Rivian’s Cheaper R2 Is Its Most Refined Vehicle

The Rivian R2 Needed a Rear Wiper That Didn’t Exist. So Rivian Invented One

2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough

Rivian Is Going RAD. But Can It Stick the Landing?

Rivian Won’t Talk About the Missing R2 Tri-Motor. The Reason Why Is Big

Rivian Sidesteps Apple CarPlay With Built-In Texting

00:00 Intro

04:05 R2 profitability

07:43 R2 launch

10:49 Service

16:54 Rivian Adventure Network

20:03 RAD

25:47 R3X

26:25 R2T?

29:13 R4

29:31 Patents and a winch for R1

30:57 Repairability

35:32 Buttons, knobs, and the Halo wheels

37:43 Voice controls

39:07 RJ's final thoughts
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Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, who for decades has been known for building more reliable cars than anyone else. But lately, some big cracks are starting to form in that foundation.

Last month, Toyota added another 44,000 vehicles to its ongoing recall of Tundra pickups and Lexus SUVs with the company’s troubled 3.4-liter twin turbo V6, bringing the total to nearly 270,000 trucks over the last two years. And this isn’t some precautionary move—metal debris left in the engine during assembly is causing sudden and catastrophic failure, a previous attempt to stop it didn’t work, and so far Toyota has had to replace tens of thousands of engines for free.

So today, it’s Toyota’s reliability crisis—how it ended up here, what’s really happening beyond the headlines, and what might be next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Toyota Turbo V6 Recall Campaign Grows to Include More Than 250,000 Trucks

We Finally Know Why the Toyota Tundra V6 Keeps Self-Destructing

‘Total BS’: Engine Teardown Specialist Says Toyota’s Explanation for V6 Failures Doesn’t Make Sense

Toyota Will Replace Over 100,000 V6 Engines in Recalled Tundras, Lexus SUVs

Toyota Recalls Another 127,000 Tundras and Lexus SUVs Over Self-Destructing Turbo V6s

Is Toyota’s New Twin-Turbo V6 Really Less Reliable Than Its Old V8s?

Toyota Dealers Brace to Replace 100,000 Tundra V6s

00:00 Intro

06:07 How did we get here?

09:40 What's happening?

18:26 Where do we go from here?

25:51 What do you tell potential buyers?

30:06 The competition
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Stellantis has been rocked. The automaker built its current foundation upon loud noises and fast times at the drag strip all while making loud boom boom noises thanks to the Hemi and a legendary Hellcat V8 powertrain. Then the party ended. It was late to the electric game, many of its EVs didn’t even launch and were just DOA from the get go, SRT was mothballed, and things just looked bleak, again.

Stellantis says there’s hope, and even a plan.

This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by The Father of the Hellcats, but his official titles include Ram CEO, Head of American Brands for Stellantis, and Head of SRT, Tim Kuniskis.

From Cooperhead and Scrambler to the the return of the Rumble Bee with a Hellcat powertrain and the Ramcharger nameplate, Kuniskis dissects it all with Feder.

So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Stellantis' turnaround plan and what comes next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Stellantis Announces Huge Turnaround Plan, 60 new Vehicles and 50 Refreshes by 2030

2027 Ram SRT Rumble Bee Revealed as a Shorty Street Truck With 777-HP V8

Dodge Has a New Completely Unhinged Halo Car Coming and It’s Not Called the Viper

Jeep Is Building a Wrangler Scrambler SRT With Removable Roof, Backward-Facing Rear Seats and Probably a V8

Stellantis Promises Dodge Dealers New Small SUV, Refreshed Durango, and More SRT

Can Chrysler Be More Than a Minivan Brand? It’s Betting Three New SUVs Under $40,000 Can Prove It

Ram Is Bringing Back the Dakota and a New Compact Truck Both Under $40,000

Stellantis Is Launching 9 New Vehicles Under $40,000

Ramcharger SUV Name ‘A Pretty Obvious Guess’ Says Ram CEO

The New Dodge Charger SRT Has a Wing Straight Out of the Superbird Era and It Looks Ready to Fly

00:00 Intro

04:59 Copperhead

09:21 Viper

11:57 Scrambler

16:13 Jeep

22:33 Recon

23:49 Ramcharger

26:52 SRT

30:37 GLH/Hornet

33:01 Chrysler

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Years ago EZ Lynk was in the news for its products, how they were being used, and what they were enabling consumers to do with their vehicles. Now, five years later, the book has been opened, again, and the department of justice is looking at how EZ Lynk enabled customers in modifying their vehicles in a way that violated laws. This time? The DOJ is targeting consumers and their data, which is a whole new set of issues.

So today, it’s The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs discussing EZ Lynk, the DOJ, diesel defeat devices, and the Pandora's box that is being opened.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

DOJ Orders Apple, Google to Hand Over OBDII App User Data in Emissions Probe

US Government Sues Diesel Truck Tuner EZ Lynk Over Emissions Defeat Devices

Fast Times and Million-Dollar Fines: Inside the EPA’s Messy War on Dirty Diesel Trucks

Trump Administration Guts Framework Behind U.S. Auto Emissions Regulations

Emissions Defeat Devices No Longer a Top Priority for EPA

Feds Won’t Pursue Criminal Charges Against Tuners for OBDII Tampering Anymore

Previously Imprisoned Diesel Tuner Receives Federal Pardon

00:00 Intro

01:33 About last week

05:25 History and how we got here today

08:20 EZ Lynk

09:38 Consumer privacy

13:02 The scale of the situation

14:13 From President Joe Biden to President Donald Trump

17:43 What comes next?
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