How does a young engineer from the Greek island of Crete go from selling buses to leading Mercedes-Benz in America?Dimitris Psillakis never mapped out the career that followed. He joined Mercedes-Benz through an international management-trainee program, took responsibility for a small bus division in Greece and then accepted a series of increasingly complex assignments across four continents.Along the way, he oversaw operations across 29 Latin American countries, helped establish a Mercedes-Benz factory in Brazil, encountered customers armoring everything from C-Classes to Smart cars, navigated the cultural and business challenges of South Korea and ultimately arrived in the United States during the height of the pandemic.In this episode, Dimitris shares how curiosity, adaptability, discipline and resilience shaped his rise—and why he believes the best careers are built by focusing on the next decision rather than trying to plan the next 20 years.A production note: This is one of our final vault episodes, recorded before we upgraded to our current camera equipment. The picture quality may look different, but the audio, post-production and storytelling remain the same.What do you think matters most when building a truly global career: ambition, adaptability or resilience? Share your thoughts in the comments.CHAPTERS00:00 One of Our Final Vault Episodes01:07 From Crete to a Global Career02:44 Studying in Britain—and Buying a Renault 5 Turbo04:33 Military Service and a Multinational Dream05:40 Joining Mercedes-Benz07:14 His First Leadership Role: Buses09:26 The Importance of Discipline and Resilience10:54 Growing Mercedes-Benz in Greece11:18 Why Mercedes Sent Him to Brazil14:05 Managing 29 Countries15:49 Reinventing Mercedes-Benz in Brazil17:09 Building a Factory—and Armoring Smart Cars20:16 The Move From Brazil to South Korea23:03 His Greatest Cultural Challenge25:42 Making Korea a Top Mercedes-Benz Market27:30 The Move to Canada28:50 Arriving in America During COVID30:27 The Challenge of Running Mercedes in the US32:05 What Four Continents Taught Him33:06 His Best Career Advice34:15 The Best Places He Lived35:01 The Future of Mercedes-Benz#MercedesBenz #DimitrisPsillakis #Leadership #AutomotiveIndustry #CareerAdvice #GlobalBusiness #MotoManPodcastFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

Slate is promising a $25,000 electric truck with no traditional trim levels, no sprawling options list and a radically different approach to personalization. But can that idea survive contact with manufacturing, service and the realities of launching a new car company?CJ Waelti joins the MotoMan Podcast to explain why the electric powertrain may be the least interesting part of Slate. Drawing on a career that has taken him from Harley-Davidson to Tesla, Rivian and now Slate, CJ lays out how the company is combining old-school mechanical expression with modern manufacturing.We dig into Slate’s blank-canvas philosophy, the risk that personalization becomes an expensive upsell, its DIY accessory strategy, removable seat covers, swappable body panels, simplified vehicle wraps and the company’s plan to begin delivering trucks in late 2026.More importantly, CJ answers the question hanging over every automotive startup: Why should anyone believe Slate can actually deliver?Chapters00:00 Why Slate may be different01:45 CJ Waelti joins the podcast02:23 From Harley-Davidson to Tesla04:26 Why CJ believes in Slate06:31 The EV may be the least interesting part07:46 No options, no trims09:09 Can personalization work on a $25K truck?10:31 Avoiding the upsell trap11:12 Removable seats and swappable accessories12:17 Why affordability is the real message14:36 Bringing DIY back to the automobile16:42 Can Slate reconnect young people with cars?18:56 Have automakers gone too far with screens?20:30 How Slate plans to handle service21:45 Designing accessories for DIY installation24:17 How Slate made wrapping a car easier27:37 Three reasons Slate will deliver in 202628:36 What should Slate build next?#SlateAuto #ElectricTruck #ElectricVehicles #EVStartup #AutomotiveIndustry #CarPodcast #MotoManPodcast #MadeInAmerica #Tesla #RivianFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

Chris Benjamin’s path to the top of automotive design was anything but straightforward.Long before becoming Chief Design Officer at Scout Motors, Benjamin arrived at design school unable to properly draw a car in three dimensions, learned a painful lesson after being labeled “unreliable,” and eventually landed what looked like a dream job at Mercedes-Benz. There was just one problem: he was so deep in debt that he spent his days designing Mercedes and his nights working a full-time shift at Taco Bell—sometimes surviving on barely three hours of sleep.That experience helped shape a career that would span Mercedes-Benz, BMW Designworks, Volvo and Stellantis. Benjamin explains how a last-minute design proposal changed his trajectory at Mercedes, how he helped establish the proportions that would define a new generation of Volvos, and how his luxury-car experience influenced the transformation of Jeep interiors in vehicles like the Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer.Then came an entirely different challenge: bringing Scout back.Recorded before the new Scout vehicles were revealed, this conversation explores what attracted Benjamin to the dormant American nameplate, what made the original Scout different from Jeep and Bronco, and why he believes reviving an icon requires understanding more than its styling cues.CHAPTERS00:00 Mercedes by day, Taco Bell by night02:27 How a childhood obsession with cars began11:16 Discovering design could become a career15:54 Three weeks from Miami to design school in Detroit20:33 Learning the unwritten realities of car design24:08 Being labeled “unreliable”29:44 Working three jobs just to stay in school31:01 Starting his career at Mercedes-Benz35:14 The secret Taco Bell night shift40:13 The Mercedes boss who changed his life42:18 Breaking through as a Mercedes designer47:31 Moving to Volvo—and getting a design into production49:05 How Volvo changed after Ford53:22 Joining Chrysler and Stellantis56:21 Transforming Jeep interiors58:37 What actually makes an interior feel expensive59:26 Fighting for better Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer interiors01:02:47 The renegade culture inside Chrysler01:10:08 Why he left for Scout Motors01:11:49 Was the original Scout really first?01:13:54 The vision for bringing Scout back01:19:09 What design elements should survive01:20:50 Why good design isn’t always free#ChrisBenjamin #MercedesBenz #ScoutMotors #Jeep #Volvo #CarDesign #AutomotiveDesign #MotoManTV #MotoManPodcastFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

What will car collectors want when today’s roads are filled with electric, autonomous computers on wheels? According to Tommy Mica of TFLcar, the answer may be the exact opposite of a Tesla Model Y.In this very different MotoMan podcast episode, Tommy makes the case for the strange, tactile and overlooked cars hiding in plain sight. They discuss why analog experiences are returning, what actually makes a car collectible and which affordable cars could be tomorrow’s classics—from Land Rover LR3s and Pontiac Fieros to early Aston Martin V8 Vantages, forgotten Cadillacs, 1990s GM performance cars and manual V8 muscle.Before they get there, MotoMan reveals how his nearly new Porsche accumulated an astonishing $46,000 in warranty work—including an $11,000 headlight—and Tommy explains the difference between a car being reliable, fixable or simply defended by a very loyal owner.They also get into subscription fatigue, modern-car complexity, the psychology behind collector values, Tommy’s unusual personal fleet and the lessons that helped TFL grow into one of YouTube’s largest automotive brands.Which overlooked car do you believe will become the next major collectible?CHAPTERS00:00 The Opposite of a Tesla01:45 Tommy Mica Has a Problem03:28 $46,000 in Porsche Warranty Work05:11 The $11,000 Porsche Headlight07:37 Cars You Should Never Own Past Warranty10:07 Maintenance vs. Reliability13:08 Are Modern Cars Built to Last?16:18 Reliable or Just Easy to Fix?17:16 Tommy’s Unusual Car Collection18:26 The Land Rover That May Become Collectible19:43 Will People Really Stop Buying New Cars?21:17 Tommy’s Aston Martin Insurance Problem22:41 Drag Racing the CEO of Hagerty24:14 What Makes a Car Collectible?28:52 Why Analog Cars Are Coming Back30:44 The Split Between Analog and Digital32:53 People Are Tired of Computers on Wheels34:26 The Next Underappreciated Classics35:34 Cheap Bentleys, Phantoms and V12 Luxury38:13 Should We Buy a Bentley Mulsanne?39:02 Forgotten SUVs and Trucks41:56 Will Pontiac Fiero Values Keep Rising?44:01 The Overlooked Cars of 1990s GM46:49 Why Manual Cars Will Matter48:24 The $33,000 Aston Martin Bargain50:37 The Business Case for Giving Buyers What They Want52:49 Building the Anti-Tesla Collector Car54:02 How Tommy Helped Transform TFL55:48 Tommy’s Rules for Growing on YouTube#TommyMica #TFLcar #MotoManPodcast #ClassicCars #FutureClassics #CollectorCars #AnalogCars #CarCulture #Porsche #TeslaFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

Slate Auto has been described as a Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup building a $25,000 electric truck — but that is only part of the story.In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Rod Copes, Slate Auto board director and employee number one, to discuss the real strategy behind Slate: radical simplicity, American manufacturing, affordability, and avoiding the mistakes that crushed so many EV startups.Rod explains what he learned from Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield, and Rivian, including what “production hell” really means and why Slate is deliberately doing less on purpose. The conversation goes deep into the $24,950 price promise, why Slate chose a two-door pickup layout, how the company plans to build in Indiana, and why the future of affordable transportation may depend on bringing manufacturing back to the United States.This is not just a conversation about a cheap EV truck. It is a conversation about whether America can still build things people can actually afford.Chapters:00:00 Highlight Open01:48 Why Rod Copes Matters To Slate02:44 Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield & Rivian05:08 Rebuild Manufacturing & MIT08:46 Why US Manufacturing Matters11:24 What Changed After The Pandemic12:30 Why Time Beats Cash In Startups14:13 Can Slate Really Launch In 2026?16:44 Simplify, Simplify, Simplify18:03 The Risk Slate Is Taking19:32 The Bezos / Amazon Influence22:06 Slate’s Culture & Decision Making23:10 What Production Hell Really Means27:01 The Rivian Lesson Slate Learned29:37 Avoiding The EV Startup Trap31:08 How Slate Plans To Be Profitable33:19 Ford, Competition & The $25K Promise34:06 Why Car Pricing Feels Deceptive37:35 Making A Cheap Car Desirable39:16 Who Is Slate Really For?42:19 Could Slate Work For Apartment Dwellers?44:28 Why Slate Chose Two Doors47:30 The Battery Supply Challenge50:02 Why Slate Had To Be Electric55:30 Why Indiana?58:29 Could Slate Have Built It Cheaper Overseas?59:34 The US Manufacturing Renaissance01:02:09 What Slate Wants To Know From Viewers#SlateAuto #SlateTruck #RodCopes #MotoManPodcast #JeffBezos #ElectricTruck #EVTruck #AmericanManufacturing #MadeInUSA #Rivian #FordMaverick #AffordableCars #EVStartup #Manufacturing #CarIndustry #ElectricVehicles #MotoManTVFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

Most car designers are supposed to follow a path.Alfonso Albaisa did not.Before he became the global design leader behind Nissan’s future, he was a Cuban-American kid in Miami who did not learn English until he was six or seven, dressed like Napoleon, drew in a closet, nearly failed engineering with a 0.5 GPA, and found his way through art, architecture, balsa wood boats, New York, Detroit, and one unforgettable Jaguar E-Type.In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, Alfonso Albaisa joins MotoMan for a deeply personal conversation about the unlikely road that took him from South Florida to the top of Nissan design.This is not just a story about cars. It is a story about exile, family, failure, obsession, creative purpose, and why the car industry keeps falling into the trap of copying whatever looks cool.Alfonso shares how his father’s architecture studio shaped the way he saw the world, why his mother quietly redirected his life, how a Jaguar E-Type changed everything, why Detroit nearly broke him and how Nissan found him in New YorkThis is the story of an outsider who did not fit the system — and then helped shape one of the most important Japanese car brands in the world.CHAPTERS:00:00 The Outsider Who Ended Up Running Nissan Design01:49 Two Years In The Making02:39 From Immigrant Kid In Miami To Global Design Leader03:15 Leaving Cuba And Starting Over05:23 Architecture, Train Stations And Transportation In The Family07:50 The Real Forrest Gump Story08:34 Landing In Miami With Nothing09:19 Drawing In The Closet And Dressing Like Napoleon11:35 The Mother Who Saw Everything12:43 Where Cars Finally Enter The Story14:12 The Jaguar E-Type Moment16:03 Richard Nixon’s House And His Father’s American Story18:28 Learning Design By Sitting Next To His Father20:25 Isamu Noguchi, Architecture And Fresh Concrete22:48 Why Architecture Still Connects Him To His Father23:36 Bad Grades, University Of Florida And A 0.5 GPA24:41 Ceramics, Figure Drawing And Finding His Purpose26:07 Pratt, New York And The Road To Detroit27:44 The Renault Le Car Interruption28:28 Why Detroit Was The Wrong Room29:48 Leaving Transportation Design Behind30:50 How Nissan Found Him31:54 Drawing Cars Like Human Figures33:02 New York, Clubs And Creative Obsession34:06 Detroit Work Ethic And Finding The Gear35:16 Why He Did Not Want To Leave New York36:55 Moving To California And Nissan’s San Diego Studio38:21 The “Country Club” Design Studio39:14 The Yacht That Paid For The Volleyball Court41:16 Why Nissan Designers Took Outside Work42:45 Why Nissan Must Not Copy Everyone Else43:12 The Danger Of “Cool Hunters”44:45 Inspiration Versus Business45:04 Starting At Nissan46:43 Gemba, Japanese Culture And Collective Design48:01 Becoming Head Of Nissan Design49:46 Studying Japanese Art And Design50:12 The Meaning Of “Ma”51:07 The Nissan Logo And The Power Of Sincerity52:25 Why This Conversation Needs A Part Two#MotoManPodcast #AlfonsoAlbaisa #Nissan #CarDesign #AutomotiveDesign #NissanDesign #Infiniti #JapaneseDesign #DesignStory #MotoManTVFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

Greg Tada left software development to chase something far more personal: motorcycles.In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, Greg joins MotoMan at ArtCenter to tell the story of how he went from working in tech to designing motorcycles for some of the most important brands in the industry, including Kawasaki, Indian Motorcycle, Piaggio, Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi.This conversation covers the moment motorcycles took over Greg’s life, why motorcycle design is different from car design, what it took to help relaunch Indian Motorcycle, why brand heritage matters, and why some mechanical details should never be cut — even when the accountants would love to remove them.They also get into ArtCenter, the brutal hours behind creative work, designing across cultures, why bike studios can feel like startups, and what it means to be a true guardian of a brand.CHAPTERS:00:00 - Greg Tada: Guardian of the Brand01:05 - Countach, Tank Engines, and a Very Different Podcast Set02:21 - The Motorcycle Designer Who’s Been Everywhere03:01 - Do You Have to Ride to Design a Great Bike?04:00 - The Kid Who Wasn’t Supposed to Ride05:00 - Software Paid the Bills, But It Wasn’t the Dream06:03 - Parents, Pressure, and the Path He Had to Find08:48 - The Mini Bike Moment That Changed Everything10:08 - Quitting Software and Chasing Design in Detroit12:31 - Why Bike Studios Feel Like Beautiful Chaos14:12 - ArtCenter Outcasts and Learning to Draw Loose16:00 - Detroit Wasn’t It, So ArtCenter Became the Move17:23 - When Car Designers Cross Over to Bikes19:13 - Bringing Indian Back Without Making It Fake22:04 - 23 Months to Bring a Legend Back to the Road25:09 - Why the Boring Projects Might Be the Hardest27:01 - Kawasaki, Japan, and the Mohawk “Design Decision”30:35 - The Brutal Hours Behind Creative Work33:03 - Great Ideas Are Easy; Production Is the Fight36:14 - 911s, Sport Bikes, Aero, and the Rules Closing In39:18 - Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, and the Soul You Can’t Cut Out43:18 - Roommates, Parents, Mentors, and the Price of Getting There47:09 - Why Designers Can’t Stop Learning49:05 - The Guest Who Changed How MotoMan Sees Motorcycle Design#MotoManPodcast #GregTada #MotorcycleDesign #MotoGuzzi #IndianMotorcycle #ArtCenter #Aprilla #PiaggioFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

What happens when a university engineering project completely upends the power dynamics of the world's most elite supercar manufacturers?In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we meet Dr. Tim Woolmer, the CTO and Founder of YASA Motors. Long before the automotive establishment fully embraced electrification, Woolmer engineered a radical departure from traditional propulsion: the axial flux "pancake" motor.By rewriting the core physics of electric motor topology, YASA managed to strip away 80% of necessary iron, delivering an astonishing three-to-one power-to-weight advantage over industry-standard radial machines. It is the exact breakthrough technology quietly weaponized inside the apex hyper-hybrids of Koenigsegg, Ferrari and Lamborghini—and it is now stepping directly into mainline production as the core architecture of the upcoming 2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door.Filmed on-site at YASA’s Oxford headquarters, this episode is a technical & narrative deep-dive into the realities of automotive disruption. We trace the journey from a crude 2006 PhD prototype to navigating tight venture funding rounds, partnering with Jaguar on the legendary C-X75 concept, and eventually executing a full corporate acquisition by Mercedes-Benz.Chapters00:00:00 - The Future of Italian Exotics Started in Oxford00:01:26 - A Quick Note on the Vault Episode00:02:11 - The Pancake Motor That Stopped the Room00:03:04 - Why YASA Had to Exist00:03:48 - Radial Motors, Axial Motors, and the Big Difference00:04:37 - The Tiny Stator With 250 Horsepower00:05:38 - How a Smaller Motor Makes Way More Power00:08:58 - Motor Number One: The Oxford PhD Prototype00:10:04 - Building an EV Startup Before EVs Were Obvious00:12:03 - The Jaguar C-X75 Moment That Proved It Could Work00:13:16 - The Hard, Messy Reality of a University Startup00:15:30 - From ‘I’ to ‘We’: Growing the YASA Team00:16:17 - The Car Guy Who Was Really an Electric-Car Guy00:19:04 - Batteries, Motors, Roads, and the Path He Chose00:21:01 - Morgan, Hydrogen, and the Project That Forced Real Progress00:23:59 - The Material Constraint That Sparked the Breakthrough00:26:53 - The Grid Problem Nobody Can Ignore00:29:28 - Help Grow the Motoman Podcast00:30:13 - Yes, These Motors Are in Ferraris00:32:25 - So Where Does Mercedes Fit In?00:34:30 - Mercedes Didn’t Just Buy Today’s Motor00:35:13 - Two Generations Ahead and Still Moving Fast00:36:22 - Inside the Oxford Factory Making the Future00:39:20 - Ferrari, Mercedes, and the Non-Compete Dance00:40:47 - Why New Car Tech Has to Enter at the Top00:43:32 - Aerospace, Patents, and the Moat Around YASA00:46:10 - Patents Matter, but Speed Matters More00:47:40 - The Next EV Leap: Moving the Motors00:49:42 - Why EVs Need to Get More Interesting00:52:43 - Could This Reach Everyday Mercedes Models?00:53:59 - DNA, Team, Luck, and the Formula Behind YASA#YASAMotors #MercedesAMG #Ferrari #AxialFlux #EVTech #AutomotiveEngineering #Koenigsegg #Lamborghini #MotoManPodcastFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

What happens when you apply the brutal discipline of elite military training and the high-stakes pressure of a two-Michelin-star kitchen to the wild west of the modern digital algorithm?In a total departure from our usual deep dives with the key people shaping the car, tech, racing or business worlds, this episode MotoMan sits down with digital creator Read Choi for a raw, unscripted peer-to-peer conversation. Far removed from horse-power metrics, standard car reviews, or corporate strategy, this discussion pulls back the curtain on the actual human cost of modern media execution, the reality of creative burnout, and the shared foundation of faith and friendship that keeps two creators grounded in a hyper-paced digital world.Read details his staggering trajectory—navigating homelessness at age 17 to thriving within UC Berkeley’s honors program and Navy training—before quietly rewriting the playbook on audience attention metrics and short-form video architecture. This is an look inside the engine room of modern digital media, engineered for those who study execution and personal sovereignty.Chapters:00:00:00 - Intro to Read Choi and Turning Chaos Into a Playbook00:01:17 - Why Read Is Here: Shorts, Friendship, and No Car Talk00:02:40 - The Cigar Lounge Meeting That Started Everything00:06:43 - Cigars, Faith, and Real Conversations00:09:20 - Dream Meetings, Planning Meetings, and Life Structure00:13:16 - Read Choi’s Story: Upbringing, Survival, and Urgency00:17:44 - Community College, UC Berkeley, and Building Work Ethic00:20:16 - Michelin-Star Kitchens and the Advantage of Hard Work00:22:50 - Military, Brotherhood, and Finding Purpose00:26:46 - Leaving the Military and Finding TikTok During Covid00:29:20 - Modeling, Cooking, and Learning Skills Under Pressure00:30:14 - Delta Wings, Pilot Cards, and Friendship Tangents00:33:15 - How to Support the Show00:34:06 - TikTok, Forrest Jones, and Seeing the Code Early00:35:59 - Studying Viral Content and Posting Five Times a Day00:37:24 - The Creator’s Dilemma and the Myth of Work-Life Balance00:39:38 - Control, Freedom, and the Screw-You Mentality00:42:20 - Boundaries, Clarity, and What It Means to Stay00:45:39 - The Photo Coronation and Showing Up for Friends00:50:49 - Short-Form Strategy and the Business of Content00:53:34 - Acting, Networking, and What Comes Next00:55:32 - Read’s Three Keys to Success00:59:20 - Easter Sunday, Cigars, and the Friendship That Defines Them#MotoManPodcast #ReadChoi #ContentStrategy #CreatorEconomy #Mindset #SOP #Faith #HangarChat #ShortFormVideo #PersonalSovereigntyFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

What happens when you take the collective genius behind Tesla, Lucid, and BYD, and use it to build an EV that completely rejects Silicon Valley tech bloat?In this episode of The MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Mark Tapscott, co-founder of the radical new British automotive startup, Longbow. Mark shares his incredible journey through the EV revolution—from early days spent as Elon Musk's chauffeur and launching the Model S in the UK, to building out Lucid Europe from scratch and setting up operations for BYD in the Middle East.Now, he’s putting all that insider knowledge into a vehicle that completely defies industry trends. Longbow’s debut vehicle is a raw, lightweight, 1,000-pound speedster with no roof, no screens, and a strict promise that the brand will never build an SUV.Episode Chapters:00:00:00 - Intro to Longbow and the Driver-First EV Mission00:01:07 - What Longbow Means00:02:32 - The Speedster: No Screen, No Roof, and Only 150 Cars00:03:19 - Meet the Founders and the Startup Behind Longbow00:05:11 - From Design Engineering to the Philips Lesson00:08:51 - Leaving Lighting Design and Finding Cars Again00:10:10 - Brands Hatch, Lotus Elise, and Learning Race Cars00:13:28 - Race Components, Free Labor, and Starting a Team00:16:03 - The Tesla Roadster Moment That Changed Everything00:20:45 - Cars & Coffee, First Impressions, and the Longbow Prototype00:23:50 - Designing the Coupe and Building Longbow Differently00:26:01 - Launching Tesla Model S in the UK00:28:19 - Elon, Early Tesla, and the Motorcycle Question00:30:15 - Model 3, UK EV Incentives, and Leaving Tesla00:33:15 - Wallbox, Hyundai, and the Pull of Early-Stage Startups00:39:16 - Building Lucid Europe From Zero00:45:45 - Lucid, Saudi Arabia, and Smart Money in the Middle East00:47:50 - Tesla, BYD, and the Chinese EV Challenge00:52:34 - Why Modern Cars Are Built Around Features Nobody Asked For00:55:18 - Why Longbow Had to Exist00:58:06 - Funding Longbow and Proving the First Lightweight Prototype00:59:42 - The Step-by-Step Plan for Building a Car Company01:00:53 - Longbow's Platform Strategy and the No-SUV Promise01:03:04 - Going After Porsche, Corvette, and the Practical Sports Car01:05:17 - Why Legacy Brands Struggle With Electric Sports Cars01:06:58 - Listening to Customers and Keeping the Car Simple01:09:25 - Chassis, Dynamics, and the Road-Car Philosophy01:12:18 - The Spreadsheet Behind Longbow's Business Case01:14:33 - Hand-Built in the UK and Assembling the Best Components01:17:21 - Motors, Batteries, and the Lightweight EV Technology Stack01:21:02 - The Decentralized Team and Working With the UK Government01:23:40 - The Three Forces Behind Mark's Success01:26:03 - Tesla Lessons, Fast Decisions, and Trust01:28:07 - Neurodiversity, Co-Founders, and Driving Into the Smoke01:29:07 - Final Thoughts and the Canyon Drive Challenge#MotoManTV #MotoManTVPodcast #MotoMan #Longbow #LongbowSpeedster #ElectricSportsCar #DriverFocused #Tesla #LucidMotors #BYD #ElonMusk #SiliconValley #EVRevolution #CarPodcast #SportsCars #PureDriving #TeslaRoadsterFor driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttp://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsHelp us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.