Looking Out - The Podcast

Drew Smith & Joe Simpson

Connecting the dots across mobility, design, and culture. The partner show to Looking Out - The Newsletter.

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 Looking Out - The Podcast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Looking Out - The Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Looking Out - The Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Looking Out - The Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

EP18 - Revisiting The EV Inferno: how has the EV market changed, five months on?

Looking Out - The Podcast

04/24/24 • 52 min

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

EP04 - BMW's slightly scary i Vision Dee, Joe's EV run across Europe, and what CES teaches us about systems design.

Looking Out - The Podcast

01/23/23 • 31 min

In this episode of Looking Out - The Podcast, Joe and Drew discuss:

BMW's i Vision Dee, why some folk find her scary, and what she says about BMW's future
Joe's surprisingly normal Christmas run in an EV from Gothenburg to Leeds
Why CES left us longing for a more systemic approach from the auto industry to the challenges we face

Joe also gives a preview of an upcoming piece for Looking Out - The Newsletter about the Tesla Semi, and Drew wonders what Apple's struggles in China might mean for the automotive industry.
Show Links:

Looking Out:
Subscribe to: Looking Out - The Newsletter
Subscribe to: Looking Out - The Podcast
Joe Simpson & Drew Smith
Joe on LinkedIn
Drew on LinkedIn
Drew on Twitter
StudioPhro.com
Show produced by: Chris Frith

EP13 - CyberWTF?! - What the new Tesla says about the state of design, and humanity.

Looking Out - The Podcast

12/13/23 • 43 min

Back in 2019, Drew and Joe disagreed on what the Tesla Cybertruck represented. Has anything changed in the past four years?
In this episode, Drew and Joe take a look at what the most polarising car in living memory means as a piece of technology, as a piece of design, and as a cultural artefact.

EP01 - Apple's CarPlay, Micromobility in Europe, and how to name a car

Looking Out - The Podcast

07/24/22 • 29 min

Joe and Drew dive deep on the most popular topics from our recent newsletter.
In this show, they:

cast a critical eye on Apple's expanded CarPlay offer,
explore some of the challenges facing shared micromobility in Europe,
delight in the importance of getting a car name just right, exploring the legacy of the man who's created some of the most iconic names in the industry.

Show Links:
Nimbus One Micromobility Vehicle
Looking Out:
Subscribe to: Looking Out - The Newsletter
Subscribe to: Looking Out - The Podcast
Joe Simpson & Drew Smith
Joe on LinkedIn
Drew on LinkedIn
Drew on Twitter
StudioPhro.com
Show produced by: Chris Frith

EP07 - The Munich Motor Show Review

Looking Out - The Podcast

09/16/23 • 54 min

In this special episode, Joe and Drew take a look - both macro and micro - at the recent IAA, also known as the Munich motor show.
The motor show itself:
This is the second coming of the biennial motor show in Munich. We talked about how it's evolved and what it means for brands who are compelled to show at the Messe, or exhibition grounds, and in the centre of the city.
The Mercedes CLA and the state of Mercedes design:
Although sporting enough Mercedes badges to make a Louis Vuitton trunk blush, Joe's quite complimentary of the CLA concept. And the EQXX blows his mind with its intelligence and execution.
The new BMW 5 Series:
Sadly, the same can't be said for the new, €98,000 5er. A dog's dinner outside and evidence inside of just how hard BMW has had to work to make this new, electrified platform pay, all at the cost of customer experience.
The BMW Neue Klasse:
It's not all bad news at BMW as the Neue Klasse shows a brand returning to form. From its delightful glasshouse to serene interior, it shows a promising future for the 3 Series.
The €45,000 Renault Scénic:
What was once a compact, family MPV has turned in to another crossover for the upwardly mobile. While beautifully designed (and better finished than the BMW 5 Series) it's up against the Tesla Model Y. Old world values versus new world tech: FIGHT!
The geopolitical backdrop:
The Chinese brought it home to the Germans, and the Germans don't like it. The EU is investigating China's subsidies but it better be careful: don't bit the hand that feeds you, as the saying goes.
The death of European automotive design has been exaggerated:
But it is struggling. Automakers desperately need to find a renewed sense of focus, a greater sense of connection to a rapidly evolving younger market and, perhaps, consider a pivot to America in order to thrive.
Any other business:
Joe discusses the emerging AV clustercuss in San Francisco and how Volkswagen's desultory efforts to build an American charging network have driven their competitors to adopt Tesla's charging standard.
Drew, on the other hand, is delighted by a company that's electrifying original Renault Twingos and announces our new Instagram account.

EP03 - Hyundai happiness, the death of design at Apple, and more bad news for small cars

Looking Out - The Podcast

12/01/22 • 37 min

Joe and Drew dive deep on the most popular topics from our recent newsletter.
In this show, they explore:

why Hyundai is giving us reasons to be happy,
what it means when design no longer matters to Apple,
and the future of Europe's small cars.

They also mourn the death of Twitter and explore how you might assess in-car subscription services.

Show Links:

EP02 - The EV charging clustercuss, the unbelievable costs of owning a car, and cars in the cloud

Looking Out - The Podcast

09/13/22 • 38 min

Joe and Drew dive deep on the most popular topics from our recent newsletter.
In this show, they explore:

the EV charging clustercuss,
why a car costs more than your house,
and cars in the cloud.

They also share some thoughts on the end of the age of abundance, and the emergence of AI art.

Show Links:
The Bentley Batur
The end of the age of abundance
Jeep's new EVs
Looking Out:
Subscribe to: Looking Out - The Newsletter
Subscribe to: Looking Out - The Podcast
Joe Simpson & Drew Smith
Joe on LinkedIn
Drew on LinkedIn
Drew on Twitter
StudioPhro.com
Show produced by: Chris Frith

EP05 - Horace Dediu on micromobility, and what it means for car makers

Looking Out - The Podcast

04/12/23 • 98 min

In this very special episode, Joe and Drew revisit Drew's interview with the father of micromobility, Horace Dediu.
This isn't the first time this interview's gone to air. You may have heard it first time around on Drew's other podcast, The Next Billion Seconds, or on Horace's own Micromobility podcast.
It is, however, the first time we've sat down to discuss the many implications of what Horace shares for automotive design and strategy.
If you want to cut to our analysis, fast forward to these points:

what does it mean for the industry to make a worse car, and where might we start? (starting at 24m 57s)
how does looking down versus looking out change how we think about designing for automobility? (starting at 50m)
and just how screwed are the economics of automobiles in a heavily urbanised future? (starting at 1h 14m 57s)

But of course, we'd love you to listen to the whole thing!
Show Links:

Citroen Ami One - a worse but better car
The Entrant’s Guide to Automotive Industry - Horace's perspective on how the auto industry works and the update.
Confessions of a Capital Junkie - Sergio Marchione's pivotal white paper on the automotive industry

EP06 - Reimagining GM's culture for a post-CarPlay world, the Paris Scooter ban, and generative AI in design studios

Looking Out - The Podcast

07/19/23 • 46 min

In this episode:
GM's post-CarPlay Culture
So GM's gone out on a limb and said they're ditching Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for their next generation of cars. To help them on their way, they've hired Mike Abbot, formerly head of Apple's (notoriously) flakey iCloud services.
But we reckon that hiring a big name from another sector won't be enough to fulfil GM's connected car ambitions. The company will need to fundamentally rethink their culture, and we offer a few ideas for how they might get started.
The Paris Scooter Ban
Despite a voter turnout of only 7%, 89% of those voters decided to ban eScooters from the streets of Paris.
In one of the cities we've previously noted as on of the most progressive when it comes to adopting micromobility solutions, one which has invested heroically in reducing the dominance of the car, it was a sad day.
Joe references some research that shows why Parisians might have felt so strongly about the arrival of the scooters (hint: it has to do with parking), and we talk about the long arc of change in our city environments, and how we might work with it, rather than against it.
Generative AI and Auto Industry Biases
As the world debates whether AI is going to kill us or save us, some automotive designers have taken to generative AI tools like DALL.E and MidJourney with unsurpassed glee.
But as Drew reveals, the tools are currently perpetuating the worst of the automotive industry's biases when it comes to gender diversity, representation, and inclusion.
It's a rapidly evolving space and a split is already emerging between designers who love the tools, and those who are against the creative theft that underlies the models on which they're based.
We talk about the need for car companies to consciously and intentionally engage with these topics to make sure they're not caught up in another Volkswagen/Xinjinang situation.

EP11 - The Japan Mobility Show review: Toyota's spray-and-pray EVs, Mazda's stunning new RX, and Honda's disappointment.

Looking Out - The Podcast

11/13/23 • 54 min

The Tokyo Motor Show, now known as the Japan Mobility Show, has always been one of the most surprising on the circuit.
Historically the launchpad for some of the wilder concepts the industry has seen, Tokyo has also represented something of a forbidden garden, full of of pocket-sized delights that preview new Kei car models that are soon to hit the streets.
Once upon a time, we’d look at those cars and think “Cute...” and move on. Yet in a world in which automobility desperately needs new answers to the challenges of increasing urbanisation and increasingly limited resources, Japan’s tiny car and sub-car concepts look more and more relevant.
In this show, Joe and Drew survey the Japan Mobility show, covering the hits (Toyota’s IMV 0, Mazda’s Iconic SP, Honda’s CI-MEV and Motocompacto) and the misses (Handa’s new Prelude and every Nissan at the show).
They also look at the opportunity that micromobility represents for Japanese automakers, and why it might just slip through their fingers.

Show more best episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Looking Out - The Podcast have?

Looking Out - The Podcast currently has 25 episodes available.

What topics does Looking Out - The Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Culture, Mobility, Society & Culture, Design, Automotive Industry, Podcasts, Automotive and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on Looking Out - The Podcast?

The episode title 'EP02 - The EV charging clustercuss, the unbelievable costs of owning a car, and cars in the cloud' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Looking Out - The Podcast?

The average episode length on Looking Out - The Podcast is 51 minutes.

How often are episodes of Looking Out - The Podcast released?

Episodes of Looking Out - The Podcast are typically released every 29 days, 21 hours.

When was the first episode of Looking Out - The Podcast?

The first episode of Looking Out - The Podcast was released on Jul 24, 2022.

Show more FAQ

Looking Out - The Podcast

Drew Smith & Joe Simpson

Top 10 Looking Out - The Podcast Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Looking Out - The Podcast have?

What topics does Looking Out - The Podcast cover?

What is the most popular episode on Looking Out - The Podcast?

What is the average episode length on Looking Out - The Podcast?

How often are episodes of Looking Out - The Podcast released?

When was the first episode of Looking Out - The Podcast?

Comments