America on the Road’s Co-Host Chris Teague finally went and did it — he bought himself a brand-new 2024 Toyota GR Corolla. Not only that, but he took delivery of his hot, new ride right in the midst of a miserable Maine winter. Now the question is, does the 300-horsepower, all-wheel-drive car live up to his high expectations for it? And how is it standing up to the difficult weather conditions January in Maine is throwing at it? We’ll have the answers to those questions and more in this episode.

While Teague was putting his new ride through its paces, Host Jack Nerad had the opportunity to wring out the 2024 Mazda CX-50 Turbo Meridian Edition. The Meridian Edition is the most off-road-oriented of the CX-5- crossover models. It offers a blown engine that belts out in excess of 250 horsepower, and it’s equipped with a very trick all-wheel-drive system. Mazda is well-known for its excellent on-road suspensions and top-notch handling. But what kind of capabilities does the CX-50 have off the pavement? We’ll offer our opinions.

Beyond the road tests, there is plenty of fascinating automotive news this week. According to an exclusive report from Reuters, Tesla is planning an all-new $25,000 car to be introduced in the middle of next year. The Texas-based carmaker is lining up suppliers for what promises to be its lowest-priced offering ever. We’ll have details on that startling development and our thoughts as well.

In other news this week, that electric vehicle thing isn’t going as well at Ford Motor Company. Its conventionally powered SUVs and trucks are selling so well that the carmaker is bringing in a third crew to meet the demand for the Bronco and Ranger. But at the same time, it is cutting production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck in light of slower-than-expected sales.

And finally, an auto executive has the guts to say what so many are thinking these days. Despite all the hype and buzz around the inevitability of electrification, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda predicts EVs will only reach 30% market share and level off there. We’ll have more of his comments and our reaction coming up.

We also have additional thoughts from Toyota for you this week. Our special guest is Cody Wilhide, Toyota truck marketing manager and an expert on the all-new Toyota Tacoma midsize pickup. We’ll chat with him about the details of that very popular truck a little later in the show.

All that and more are coming up on America on the Road.

America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, YourTestDriver.com, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com