Jerry's Take On Tesla Layoffs, All-New 2025 Toyota 4Runner, Top-Selling SUVs, plus 2024 Lexus TX 550h+ Luxury, 2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL 43 Roadster and 2024 Hyundai Palisade XRT Test Drives

April 19, 2024

Dear CarPro Family,

We hope all is well with you and yours as we pass the half-way mark of April. We have another full-of-information newsletter for you today and I hope you’ll peruse it all to make sure you don’t miss anything. As always, feel free to forward it to anyone who might be able to use some of the information we supply.

I have for you this week the 20 top-selling SUVs in America for the first quarter of this year, regardless of size. Plus, the fastest and slowest selling new and used cars in the U.S. in March. Also, in something I’ve never seen before, Ford is going to overwhelm Ford dealers with 144,000 new trucks that are already built, all at once! Tesla is cutting 10% of its worldwide workforce, we have the story for you below.

We are giving away a beautiful 2024 Chevy Corvette and $10,000 in cash to pay tax, title, and license to some lucky listener! Best of all, this wonderful charity helps our Veterans find healing and a sense of gratitude and community, which they so deserve. Details are below on how to buy chances to win for just $10 and THIS WEEKEND ONLY, DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES!

There are a couple of my favorite SUVs coming your way for 2025 and I have the skinny on them: The Toyota 4Runner and the Buick Enclave. Which automakers have had the most recalls and the most recalled vehicles in the first three months of 2024? I tell you below. Do you always lock your vehicle? You’d better, I report that vehicle thefts were way up for 2023.

I have two reviews for you again this week: the all-new 2024 Lexus TX 550h plug-in V6 hybrid with 3 rows of seating, and the stunning 2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL 43 ragtop convertible. Our Amy Plemons brings you a detailed review of the beautiful and popular 2024 Hyundai Palisade XRT 3-row SUV.

In advice today, I talk about tire safety and I tell you how to tell how old a tire is. This is a critical piece of information since tires become dangerous after they become aged. Sometimes tires sit on the shelf for a long time, and you don’t want to purchase those-they aren’t like wine.

We have another True Story from a Former Car Dealer below. This is a series of 40 stories written by me. Some are really funny, some are incredibly sad. I really peel back the curtain on my career highs and lows in the car business, and also share a lot of personal information. I hope you’ll take a minute and read these each week, I truly believe you’ll enjoy them. #16 is titled: THE EXP. In this adventure, I go into detail about a dealership I ran when very young, how we turned it completely around, and about the time I shot a hole in a customer’s car and had to face the customer. Not one of my more stellar moments.

You’ll find the following stories and more info as you scroll down the newsletter:

Plus, lots of other information you will enjoy! If you have never been to our FAQ page, take a minute and peruse the categories, something there will interest you for sure.

We so appreciate all of you who take this newsletter and listen to the show every week. We know that without you, there is no CarPro Radio Show. So always let us know when we can help you. If you have not been there lately, take a look at our website, www.carpro.com, it changes all the time!

Have a terrific week. See you on the radio!

Act fast this weekend to double your entries and double your chances of winning a brand-new 2024 Corvette Stingray Z51 in the "Corvette for Vets" giveaway! As part of the CarPro.com | Vehicle for Good Sweepstakes, your entries will be automatically doubled, giving you an edge in the competition. Your participation not only puts you in the running for this stunning vehicle but also supports vital veterans' healing and community programs. Roll Call of North Texas and Veterans Freedom Retrea t will directly benefit every time you enter! And as a bonus, you'll receive $10,000 cash to handle any tax obligations! Don't let this opportunity slip away. Head over to CarPro.com now to double your entries and increase your shot at taking home the prize!

DISCLAIMER: No purchase necessary to enter or win. Sweepstakes ends July 5th, 2024. Open to legal residents of the United States, EXCLUDING THE STATE OF NEW YORK OR WHERE PROHIBITED. Must be 18 years of age at the time of entry. See the official rules for more.

Screen Shot 2024-04-18 at 1.35.26 PM Elon Musk is getting a lesson in the real world of automakers. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Musk, how could you not? He’s one of the wealthiest people in the world and figured out how to get the U.S. Government to fund many of his endeavors. However, he wasn’t in the real world of automotive with Tesla until he got competition from virtually every other automaker in the world. It would appear reality is setting in. Tesla struggled for 14 years before turning a profit.

Tesla has dramatically dropped its pricing on most of its models to try to maintain a majority share of the electric vehicle market, however, America is pushing back on EVs until there is more battery range, more charging stations, and more affordable prices.

Tesla is said to have considered getting into the incentive game and there is even talk that they may be forced to (eek!) ADVERTISE. Mr. Musk is faced with the challenges that face even the best car companies in the world. To add even more pressure, Tesla stock has dropped 31% in the last year. Quality issues continue to haunt Tesla, as does growing pressure on whether the Tesla “Autopilot full self-driving” technology is safe.

I give Elon Musk credit for making the necessary, albeit painful, decision to lay off 10% of his workforce worldwide. This will affect over 14,000 jobs, but it is nothing that hasn’t been done by every other auto manufacturer in the world at one time or another. Employees who were being laid off were notified by email this past Sunday night, after midnight.

On Wednesday, Elon Musk sent an internal email saying that the severance pay
for many of the laid-off workers was “incorrectly low.” He apologized for the
mistake and said, “it is being corrected immediately.” Ironically, Wednesday
Musk asked the Tesla Board of Directors to reinstate his pay package, which
would amount to $56,000,000 (56 billion dollars). It was struck down by a
Delaware judge earlier this year who said the pay was “deeply flawed.”
Musk also asked the Board to approve his second request to reincorporate
Tesla from Delaware to Texas.

Read Elon Musk's Memo to Employees →

A few years ago, I started writing a series of True Stories From A Former Car Dealer. Over 40 weeks, I wrote about experiences I had from my days as a dealership owner. Some will make you laugh, others will make you cry. The reaction was beyond my wildest expectations.

For our new subscribers, and for those of you who may have missed one or perhaps simply forgotten the details, we’ll bring these to you in the order they were written.

In this episode, I tell you about a car dealership I went to work for and how it came about. It was a great turnaround of a dealership unbeknownst to me, that was on its last gasp. Remember the horrible Ford EXP? Well, I shot one and I’ll tell you how all that came about. It’s a really funny story.

True Stories From a Former Car Dealer #16→

If you are searching for a particular new or used vehicle, we can help you! The best news is, if you use CarPro to search, when you find the car of your dreams it will be at a CarPro approved dealership.

Best of all, it’s simple to use. Choose new, used, or certified. You can select the make and model, or find a price range you are looking at. Choose the number of miles you are willing to travel and enter your zip code.

From there, you can look through all your matches, knowing you are shopping at a dealership I have handpicked that adheres to the high standards I require.

Start your search on the front page of CarPro.com. If you don't find the car of your dreams, check back regularly.

I had forgotten about this, it happened in my area, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Watch for 30 seconds as an 18-wheeler loaded with tile flies off an elevated overpass, all caught on camera. It then caught on fire, and sadly, the truck driver did not survive the crash.

Do you remember the solar eclipse last week? You know…the life-changing event in the sky that only comes around once in a zillion years? Well if you did, here is the best total black-out time-lapse video I’ve seen in only :30. Enjoy!

You have 5 hours to call the show! From 9AM- 2PM Central, 7AM-Noon Pacific, and 10 AM to 3 PM Eastern, the phone numbers are:

DFW Show: 9 AM to 11 AM Central, 1 (800) 288-9227
National Show: 11 AM to 2 PM Central, 1 (800) 926-7777

Add the numbers to your cell phone; you never know when you are going to need straight talk and honest answers about everything automotive.

So, what is the CarPro Radio Show?

Confused about the car buying process? Worried you won’t get a fair deal? Wondering about which vehicle is best for you? Then tune in to the CarPro Radio Show every week where Jerry Reynolds and Kevin McCarthy will guide you through the car-buying process with confidence.

No matter where you listen to the show or which station you listen to, you have five hours to call in and ask your questions. We take calls every Saturday from 9 AM-2 PM Central time, 7 AM to Noon Pacific. The phone number is different the first two hours, then changes, so keep that in mind.

We would love to help you in any way possible! Keep in mind, we don’t take mechanical questions, but everything else is great!

The CarPro Radio Show is heard every weekend all over the United States, and every weekend we deliver straight talk and honest answers about everything automotive. We would greatly appreciate it if you would take a moment and tell a friend about the show.

new-markets-canva-pro-jan-11

We've recently welcomed some new markets to the CarPro Radio Network:

KTLR 890 AM/103.7 FM Oklahoma City: Sunday 4-5pm CT (replay)
The Mountain WSYY 1240 AM/ 102.5 FM Millinocket, ME:

Saturday 9AM- 12PM PT
KUFO: Portland, Oregon: Saturday 9AM- 12PM PT
Nevada Talk Network - THE Rural News Source: KELY 1230am/98.5fm, Ely; KPVM-TV 25.7, Pahrump, KAVB 98.7 FM, Hawthorne, KPKK 101.1 FM, Amargosa Valley, NV, KDJJ 94.1 FM, Fernley-Fallon all three hours live 9AM- 12PM PT
KFIR 720 AM, Sweet Home, Oregon: Sunday 4PM - 7PM PT (replay)
KBAR 1230 AM, Burley, Idaho: Saturday 6PM – 9PM MT (replay)
KACT 1360 AM, Andrews, Texas: Saturdays 7PM – 10PM CT (replay)
WDOC 1310 AM, Prestonsburg, Kentucky: Time TBD
KLXX 1270 AM, Bismarck, North Dakota: Sunday 10PM – Midnight CT (replay)

Other additions to the CarPro Show family in 2023:

B103 WOWS Indy, Indianapolis: Sundays from 7PM-10PM ET (replay)
WCED AM/ConnectFM , Johnston, PA: Saturdays from 2PM-4PM ET (replay)
KFIR 720 AM ,Albany, Oregon: Sundays from 4PM -7PM PT (replay)
News Talk 98.9 The Word ,Greenville, NC region: Saturdays 12PM-1PM (live), Saturdays 3PM -6PM (replay), and Sundays 11AM -4PM (replay)
WQXL AM/FM 1470 AM and 100.7 FM , Columbia, South Carolina: Saturdays from 12PM-1PM ET
News/Talk 103.7 FM WEEO, Hagerstown, Maryland: 12PM -3PM ET Saturdays WEEO covers parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the Washington D.C. area.
Talk 1370, Austin: Saturdays from 11AM -1PM CT

Most of our listeners tell us that they never thought they would look forward to a show about cars. You may have friends or relatives who feel the same way in the cities below, please make them aware.

Here are the DFW markets the show airs in, times, and stations, and don't forget you can now listen to WBAP on the FM dial at 93.3 FM!

Dallas, TX: WBAP 820 AM/93.3 FM/99.5 HD 2, Saturday 9am to 11am Central
Dallas, TX: KRLD 1080 AM, Saturday 2pm to 4pm Central (replay)
Granbury, TX: KPIR 1420 AM, Saturday 11am to 2pm Central

WBAP DFW Podcast Here →
FOR ALL OTHER MARKETS, CLICK HERE→

Win This 'Vette Promo! Double Your Chances This WKND!

Straight Talk and Honest Answers

U.S. Auto Sales

Read More→

Read More→

Tesla Lays Off 10% Of Its Workforce Worldwide

Ford Is About To Swamp Dealers With 144,000 Trucks!

On The Road: Test Drives

The TX 550h+ Plug-In Hybrid is the fastest and most powerful TX Jerry's reviewed yet, and it's also the priciest.

Gorgeous and fun to drive, yes. But Jerry says he could use more than a few more ponies.

It's easy to see why this roomy, stylish and comfortable three-row SUV continues to be so popular.

Bumper to Bumper: Industry Newse

Read More →

Vehicle Thefts Way Up In 2023

Read More →

Say Hello To Beautiful New 2025 Buick Enclave

Read More →

Automakers With The Most Recalls In The First Quarter

Read More →

Toyota Expands Certified Cars To 10-Years or 125K Miles

Read More →

Weekly Recalls

True Stories From A Former Car Dealer

Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

Factory Incentives

Sell Your Car Through GiveMeTheVin!

Visit GiveMeTheVin→

Exclusive Approved Products & Services

FAQ: Research Your Questions Before You Shop

Our FAQ page offers answers to questions CarPro Show host Jerry Reynolds is asked most frequently.

Visit our FAQ Page →

Searching for a New or Used Vehicle?

Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

Subscribe to the Free DFW Newsletter

CarPro Guide To Online Car Buying

Buying a vehicle online has never been easier.Our step-by-step guide will help you buy a car from the comfort of your living room, starting with selecting your CarPro Friend.

On The Air

On the Air

Closing Message From Jerry Reynolds