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Podcast: In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show
Episode: The "Skateboard Effect" Has Finally Come for Your Combustion Engine
Description: Ford's Vice Chair John Lawler recently dropped a bombshell that's sent ripples through the automotive world: combustion engines will no longer be brand differentiators and automakers will increasingly source them from suppliers to stay competitive against low-cost rivals, particularly from China.For generations, car manufacturers have built their identities around their signature powertrains – Ford's EcoBoost, Chrysler's HEMI, Chevy's small-block V8s – engines that enthusiasts could identify by sound alone. But according to Lawler, "consumers don't really think about powertrains the way they did 30 years ago." The shift toward hybridization has already begun stripping away the unique characteristics of c...