Jill and Tom welcome Mazda Crashworthiness Program Manager Christina Smith to the podcast. Christina discusses Mazda's safety philosophy, and the systems currently in place in the maker's products.

It’s impossible to see the kind of volume pickup makers enjoy, and not assume that everyone, everywhere, is buying pickups, but that’s not actually the case. That said, some States of the Union are FAR more pickup committed than others. What you really need is two charts to fully appreciate where these trucks are going.

We are losing our flagships in a hurry—at least our big-sedan luxury flagships. In the last dozen months or so, the Audi A8 and the Lexus LS have been dropped from U.S. Showrooms, and, for good reasons: large luxury-vehicle consumers are moving to big crossovers--at a alarming rated.

Thanks in large part to the arrival of the R2, Rivian’s 2026 Q3 sales results were the best in the company’s history. Still, at roughly $60,000 to start, the R2 maybe a little too pricey to reach mass-market status. We look forward to the R3’s arrival, and its rumored $40,000 starting price. Oh, and we think the R3 looks adorable. 

Safety-seat expert Jennifer Newman of Cars.com joins the show. Jennifer brings the hosts up to speed regarding trends in seat design, and the vehicles most safety-seat accommodating.