Paul Harrold of the Sons of Speed sits in for Jill this week. Tom opened the show noting Ram’s decision to return the Hemi-brand V8 to the 1500 powertrain lineup. Ram had replaced the engine with a more powerful and efficient turbocharged six, but customers have rejected the new motor.

Still in the first segment, Paul recaps his time in the 2025 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. Paul and Sons of Speed partner Brendan Appel share a video of their test drive of the ultra-luxury British sedan below.

In the second segment Sam Fiorani of AutoForecast Solutions joins the show. Sam shared his insights into the new, Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto EV start-up. The new company is scheduled to have vehicles ready to sell by the end of 2026.

Sam also shared his thoughts on the autonomous Tesla Cybercab. The 2-seat, driverless taxi—at least in concept form—has no steering wheel. Tesla plans to have Cybercabs operating in Austin, Texas in the near future.

In the last segment, Paul is subjected to Tom’s “Dead or Alive for ‘25” quiz.

Jill and Tom are joined in-studio this week by colleague Ed Piotrowski. Ed recently wrote a piece for Consumer Guide regarding premium small crossovers he spent time with at this year’s Midwest Automotive Media Association Spring Rally. Ed shared his impressions of the new Acura ADX, sporty Alfa-Romeo Tonale, and speedy BMW X3. Jill also attended the Rally, and shared her impressions of the electric Cadillac Escalade IQ and BMW iX. Listen in for her impressions.

In the second segment Jill, Tom, and Ed are joined by Mike Hanley of Cars.com. Mike walked the crew through Cars’ just published “What’s the Best Compact SUV for 2025?” report. Big surprises on the top and bottom of the seven-vehicle comparison test list.

In the last segment Jill and Ed are subjected to Tom’s “HQ?” quiz. Do you know where Stellantis is headquartered? Listen in.

Tailwind Talks is a podcast for high-performing professionals who want to build...

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Tom is flying solo this week. He opened the show noting that Tesla is now accepting the Cybertruck in trade, though owners aren’t happy about the trade-in values, which are running around 60 percent of original prices.

Tom noted that EV sales have been strong in the first quarter of 2025, though may finally be slowing down. Tom shared a list of the best-selling EV makers of 2025 so far, the number-2 company may come as a surprise.

Tom shared what he knows about the all-new 2026 Toyota RAV4. There’s big powertrain news coming for Toyota’s best-selling model. Listen in for details.

In the second segment Tom welcomes Ford’s Alex Shelton to the show. Alex is Ford Philanthropy Portfolio Manager for Education, and joined the show to discuss the maker’s auto-technician scholarship opportunities. Listen in to hear why Alex calls work in automotive maintenance “future proof.”

In the last segment Producer Randy is subjected to Tom’s “Fiero!” quiz. Listen in.

Tailwind Talks is a podcast for high-performing professionals who want to build...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify