This week America on the Road will enter a new chapter when it begins to air on the nationwide SportsMap Radio Network. The first SMRN episode of America on the Road will air on Saturday, August 14, and it will be heard weekly on the network from that date forward.

America on the Road will also continue as a weekly podcast. Those episodes will be available each Monday, beginning on August 16th. This is one of our favorite previously aired episodes. A new episode will be published this coming Monday, August 16.

The Ford Mustang has a new and very hot new sub-model, the Mach 1. And we’ll get all the details about it from Jim Owens, the Ford Mustang and Shelby brand manager. The Mach 1 brings a 480-horsepower version of Ford’s 5.0-liter V-8 to the performance party, and buyers have the choice of a 6-speed manual transmission with rev-matching function or a sophisticated SelectShift 10-speed automatic. The specs on the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 look a lot like those of the 2020 Mustang Bullitt, but the two cars are actually quite different and we’ll describe how.

The 2021 BMW 540i adds mild-hybrid electric power to its 335-horsepower 6-cylinder powertrain.

In the news from the week, a major automaker has just announced it will build an electric full-size pickup truck, joining a throng of manufacturers that includes Ford, Tesla, Rivian, and Canoo. The Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup will be built at the company's Factory ZERO assembly plant in Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan. The company has said it plans to invest as much as $7 billion in its effort to switch its emphasis from large internal-combustion-engine trucks, SUVs, and passenger cars to electric and autonomous vehicles.

GM said the Silverado electric pickup has been designed from the ground up to be an EV, and it will share a great deal of technology with the GMC Hummer EV pickup that will be built in the same high-tech plant.

In the road test segment of the podcast co-host Chris Teague will take a detailed look at the 2021 BMW 540i. This version of the 5-Series might not be as sharp-edged as some previous generations but there is plenty to like about this four-door with its 335-horsepower engine plus mild hybrid electric boost system.

The Volvo V60 is just the kind of performance station wagon that car writers drool over.

Host Jack Nerad examines the 2021 Volvo V60 T8 Polestar, finding it to be one of those cars that auto journalists seem to love. The plug-in hybrid drivetrain is more complicated than the pending Infrastructure bill, but Nerad was enthralled with the station wagon’s 415-horsepower and deft all-wheel-drive handling.
Hear what we say about the Ford Mustang Mach-E