Episodes

  • EP23 - The Tesla Robotaxi event and the state of the automotive industry
    Oct 15 2024

    What the hell happened at Tesla's We, Robot event!? Joe and Drew dive in to the design disappointments of that fateful day and reflect on an industry in short supply of inspiration.

    That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

    If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!

    And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com

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    42 mins
  • EP22 - Bugatti's poorly-parked wiper problem & a massive miss for CarPlay
    Aug 12 2024

    Hoo boy, it's been a beat!

    But: Joe and Drew are back with a dissection of everything that's wrong with the Bugatti Tourbillon's windshield wiper, and the massively missed opportunity that is Apple's second-generation CarPlay.

    That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

    If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!

    And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com

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    46 mins
  • EP21 - How to design characterful cars
    Jun 26 2024

    This episode gets personal!

    Join Joe and Drew as they explore the sensory and emotional components of car design through the lens of their beloveds: the Mercedes W140 S-Class and the Porsche 911.

    In this episode, they delve into their stories with these cars and how they came to be so meaningful to them.

    They also discuss the importance of strong convictions around what character means to a brand, and how cars are paragons of multi-sensory orchestration.

    That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

    If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!

    And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com

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    43 mins
  • EP20 - Making Sense of The Software-defined Vehicle
    Jun 5 2024

    In this episode, we dive in to software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and what they mean for the customer experience.

    We cover why car makers are developing them, including their need to diversify revenue streams in saturated markets, and the ability to deliver over-the-air updates.

    We also talk about some of the pitfalls, like accelerated obsolescence and good ol' enshitification.

    And we talk about the character we loose when everything becomes software-defined.

    📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner to the podcast.
    https://automobility.substack.com

    🤝 Connect with us on LinkedIn
    Drew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/
    Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-s-92863a2/

    🔗 Links
    Sam Saha's superb deep-dive on the software defined vehicle: https://sambuddha.com/share/vehiclesoftware/Saha_DefiningVehicleSoftware_002_SDV.pdf

    📸 Follow us on Instagram
    https://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/

    ⏰ Time stamps
    00:00 Pre-roll
    03:42 The impending obsolescence of the software-defined vehicle
    05:31 Background for the show
    11:54 The car as part of a much larger ecosystem
    17:18 The questionable wisdom of trying to do it all
    19:33 Data as the new oil and the enshitification of the car
    23:00 The pros of Ford Pro
    46:11 Post-roll

    🎧 Listen and subscribe to the podcast
    Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/looking-out-the-podcast/id1636199763
    Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0YschSrj672jQOGt3R5eE5?si=59bde6c819844fc8
    Other platforms and streaming - https://podcast.lookingout.io

    That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

    If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!

    And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com

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    47 mins
  • EP19 - From Milan Design Week to the Beijing Auto Show
    May 8 2024

    Joe and Drew take a look at the most significant exhibits and announcements coming out of Milan Design Week, and the Beijing Auto Show. And they touch on Tesla. How couldn't they?

    📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner newsletter to this podcast.
    https://automobility.substack.com

    🤝 Connect with us on LinkedIn
    Drew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/
    Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-s-92863a2/

    📸 Follow us on Instagram
    https://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/

    That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

    If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!

    And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com

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    52 mins
  • EP18 - Revisiting The EV Inferno: how has the EV market changed, five months on?
    Apr 24 2024

    Five months ago, we recorded our most incendiary episode yet. In The EV Inferno, we wondered whether EV sales were about to fall off a cliff, or whether we’d just hit a bump in the road.

    With the benefit of time, the picture’s becoming a little clearer, if no cleaner.

    In this episode, we look at how the EV market might be fracturing between the EU, the US, and China, and what that means for legacy OEMs and startups, particularly when it comes to plug-in hybrids.


    Of course, we can’t escape the travails at Tesla, and we look at the strengths that old-school car makers are bringing to the EV market as companies like Fisker stumble and fall.

    📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner newsletter to this podcast.
    https://automobility.substack.com

    🤝 Connect with us on LinkedIn
    Drew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/
    Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-simpson-92863a2/

    📸 Follow us on Instagram
    https://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/

    ⏰ Time stamps
    00:00 Pre-roll
    00:55 Intro
    04:11 The U.S. Market View
    08:10 Tesla cancels the $25k czar
    19:03 The return of the hybridc
    24:17 OEMs are failing to effectively educate consumers
    32:14 Is China running a different race?
    33:30 The risk to consumers of EV startups failing
    39:49 We were wrong about BMW's EV strategy
    52:01 Outro
    52:13 Post-roll

    🎧 Listen and subscribe to the podcast
    Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/looking-out-the-podcast/id1636199763
    Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0YschSrj672jQOGt3R5eE5?si=a65818eba9de47c1
    Other platforms and streaming - https://podcast.lookingout.io

    That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

    If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!

    And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com

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    53 mins
  • EP17 - Gandini's Top Trumps, BMW's Neue Klasse X, knobs, and our favourite gas station meals
    Mar 25 2024

    Sibilio. Bravo. Stratos. Magnum. And Shamal. Joe and Drew celebrate Gandini’s life and his greatest hits.

    We also cover the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X, Euro NCAP’s physical button mandate, and a conversation about great gas station meals leads to us pondering the future of the road stop.

    📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner to the podcast.
    https://automobility.substack.com

    🤝 Connect with us on LinkedIn
    Drew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/
    Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-s-92863a2/

    📸 Follow us on Instagram
    https://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/

    ⏰ Time stamps
    00:00 Pre-roll
    00:30 Intro
    01:39 Joe's apology
    02:59 The death of Marcello Gandini, and Gandini's Top Trumps
    19:53 BMW's Neue Klasse X
    29:28 Euro NCAP's knob incentive
    41:59 Our favourite gas station meals (and the future of the gas station)_
    52:08 Outro

    🎧 Listen and subscribe to the podcast
    Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/looking-out-the-podcast/id1636199763
    Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0YschSrj672jQOGt3R5eE5?si=b1fb76f852244649
    Other platforms and streaming - https://podcast.lookingout.io

    That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

    If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!

    And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com

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    53 mins
  • EP16 - The hatchback renaissance - the Rivian R3 and Renault R5. Plus the death of the Apple Car, and the state of design leadership.
    Mar 13 2024

    The death of the desirable hatchback has been exaggerated. In the space of two weeks, we've been gifted the new Renault R5 and the Rivian R3 and R3X. We discuss their design, and what they mean for their respective manufacturers.

    Meanwhile, the death of the Apple Car is now (almost definitely) certain and we explore why Apple finally caved.

    And we also discuss what's happening to design in the C-Suite, and whether maybe our time at the big table is up, and whether that's actually a bad thing.

    📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner to the podcast.
    https://automobility.substack.com

    🤝 Connect with us on LinkedIn
    Drew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/
    Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-s-92863a2/

    🔗 Links
    @apolaine interviews Peter Merholz about the state of the design nation: https://www.youtube.com/live/XLQ3hnbdKcM?si=G-SsdVC4fv7XqAPk

    Robert Fabricant - The big design freak-out: A generation of design leaders grapple with their future: https://www.fastcompany.com/91027996/the-big-design-freak-out-a-generation-of-design-leaders-grapple-with-their-future

    📸 Follow us on Instagram
    https://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/

    ⏰ Time stamps
    00:00 Pre-roll
    01:58 How do we stay positive?
    09:20 The Death of Project Titan
    27:53 Rivian's new products!
    40:13 The Reanult R5
    49:48 The big design freak-out
    01:01:52 The need for a new Baccara
    01:04:45 Outro

    🎧 Listen and subscribe to the podcast
    Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/looking-out-the-podcast/id1636199763
    Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0YschSrj672jQOGt3R5eE5
    Other platforms and streaming - https://podcast.lookingout.io

    That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

    If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!

    And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com

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    1 hr and 6 mins