Closed EV Plants Can Hollow Out A Town Faster Than You Think

A giant EV factory can feel like a town’s future on opening day and like a crater on closing day. We sit down with Sunderesh Heragu, professor at Oklahoma State University and President of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, to unpack what really happens when EV manufacturing plants, battery factories, or assembly projects get paused midstream. We talk about why EV production is built differently than internal combustion, and why that difference can make a restart or a quick replacement tenant harder than people expect.

We also zoom out to the forces driving these decisions: gasoline prices, inflation, disposable income, and the uncertainty that freezes investment when executives can’t get a clean read on demand. Then we widen the lens even more, looking at global EV growth and the competitive pressure from overseas makers like BYD. Trade relationships, tariffs, and supply chain redesigns all show up in the background, shaping where the next wave of production could land and who might buy up idle North American capacity.

From there, the conversation turns local and personal. When a plant closes, it’s not just a building problem. It’s job loss, struggling mom-and-pop stores, and cities left holding the bag after tax abatements and infrastructure bets. We kick around realistic reuse ideas like warehouses and data centers, while being honest about the employment gap, and we also touch on hybrids as a practical path when charging infrastructure isn’t ready.

If you care about the future of EV jobs, the rust belt economy, and what comes next for these mega-sites, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who follows the auto industry, and leave us a review with your take on what communities should demand when the next factory deal gets signed.

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Transcript

Big Question On EV Plant Closures

Don Armstrong 0:05

It's the award-winning in real time car talk show. Just ahead. Are closed EV manufacturing plants ruining the cities where they're located? Huh, think about that. Later, Jeff has the racing calendar, Mars has this week in auto history, and I'll have the stories making automotive news headlines. That's all coming up. Howdy and good morning to you, along with Mike, out of this world, Mars. We always need more Jeff Zeken. Chief Engineer David Ainsley, he's listening. I'm Don Armstrong. So glad that you could join us today. Thank you very much. We appreciate you. Uh, do we have our guest, Mr. Mars? Yes, sir, we do. And his name, uh, yes, his name is Sundaresh Haragoo. And Sundaresh has been with us before. He is uh professor at Oklahoma State University, and um he is also the president of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. Awesome. And the list goes on and on. He's got all these wonderful titles and uh well deserved, I might add, but I can tell you that this guy is way smarter than you and me. And all of us combined. Combined, yeah, yeah, yeah. Good morning, sir. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Good morning. I don't know about the being smarter than you guys.

Why EV Manufacturing Is Different

Don Armstrong 1:23

Uh so well, listen, you're you're not in the broadcasting business, so that right there makes you smarter than a qualified. How about that? Well, we'll just leave it at that. Well, it's great to have you with us again. We love talking to you. So uh our subject today is EV factory locations turning portions of cities into desert wastelands. And you know, I have to tell you that when I first started thinking about that, I thought I haven't thought about that. Because here in Houston, when a business closes, there's something generally speaking that moves right in and fills the space. But these businesses for EV manufacturing, batteries, assembly plants, all of the storage that has to go in to thinking about building an EV, it's really a lot different than building uh an ICE uh an engine, uh internal combustion engine. Uh it doesn't take as many parts. It's a different setup because now you're dealing with electric motors and all of the things that go along with electric motors. Yes, the car part of it, that's the simple part, but to me, all of the computers and all of the electric motors, the electronics of an EV, completely different, really, than uh an ice engine, correct?

Oil Prices And Shelved Investments

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Yeah, absolutely. I think um, you know, the longer uh oil and gas prices stay at this level, um, yes, you know, for a while I think we're going to see all these uh abandoned uh factories or investments not fully completed. Uh but uh you know the uh manufacturing lines of an EV are different than what you would see for an internal combustion engine. Uh but going back, uh Don to your comment about you know these factories that could be an ISO, I think it's a matter of time. Um, you know, if gas prices stay at this level for uh an extended period, uh you can see other companies from other countries perhaps wanting to utilize that uh infrastructure, that space, and begin producing EVs, and maybe uh the big three will jump in as well. I know most recently I think they've uh disinvested, I think about$50 billion, the big three combined, uh, in EVs. But I I'm thinking it's a short-term thing. Uh I think EVs are the future, autonomous vehicles are the future. Um, so when I see big companies kind of shelving their projects, I wonder if it is uh short-sighted.

Don Armstrong 4:03

Well, I and I that's a that's a certainly a very good point to make. And the fact that uh you had mentioned that other foreign companies are going to come in and fill the roles, and you and I both know that China is about to jump on all of this. They've already announced that uh they are going to be taking over uh factories uh that are idle right now over in Canada, and it's only a matter of time before uh they start invading us. And there are multiple facets involved in that, but this is huge competition for established automobile makers here in the United States, whether they are brought in from uh BMW Germany, uh a Subaru from Japan, or um the American car makers, uh, because uh I have seen a Chinese-made vehicle, and let me tell you something, the quality is extremely high, and I think that it is going to be a real market change to everybody once you see these, for instance, BYD is it's kind of like the General Motors, if you will, in China. When you see these vehicles, you're gonna go, uh, oh my gosh. This this was not even thought of here in the United States. This goes back to Maybach and all the high-end uh builders from back in the day.

Jeff Dziekan 5:26

It's here today. Well, you talked about Canada uh with relations to China. That was actually announced that they have trade deals. That was a few months ago, maybe even late last year, that they're announcing trade deals. And the United States our opinion of that was you know, make trade deals whoever you want, just make sure they're good trade deals. So that was all part of that taking over all of the abandoned or idle factories.

Don Armstrong 5:49

Yeah. And uh I I I will tell you that it it seems to me, now I I don't really know, I'm just guessing that some of these battery manufacturing companies, LG, for instance, that they may have backed out of uh actual factory that they were building for the time being. But that is a major manufacturer of electronics, as we all know. I can't imagine that that thing is going to sit idle. And we're talking about hundreds of thousands of square feet that these buildings take.

China’s EV Push And New Competition

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Yeah, no, you're absolutely right. Uh let's just talk a little bit about BYD. Uh BYD's got sales, you know, uh exploding, I think, all over the world. Uh, countries like Brazil, India, Mexico, uh, of course, in India, you know, companies like Mahindra and uh Tata are introducing a number of EVs. You know, mind you, the um uh charging infrastructure is uh not as good as it needs to be there, but still the EV sales are exploding. Uh, you know, go to places like Manila, um uh Europe, uh Norway, for example, right? They produce so much oil and gas, but still the government offers incentives for uh EV sales. You have better deals on the tollways and all that. And so uh I think you know uh 60-70% of their new car sales are EVs. A country like Nepal, right, uh 70% of their new car sales in 2024. I I don't have the data for 2025, but in 2024 uh there were uh EVs, right? So that's what is happening uh all over the world. Yes, LG may be causing its investment here in the US, but they're not doing that in other places. Uh and the other thing too that you touched upon, uh Don is you know the trade deals that uh Canada and China have. I mean, a lot of the trade relationships have uh been unbound uh since uh Liberation Day, about a year ago. A lot of supply chains are you know being re uh imagined, being redesigned, being redeployed. Uh it's still in a state of flux, but I think many countries are beginning to realize you can't just kind of be dependent on one lucrative large market that is the US, especially when uh you know the tariffs uh situation keeps changing, and now we have the um you know oil price and the close, I guess essentially a closure uh of uh the Strait of Armoods. Um so yes, countries like India that depend on LPG, uh LNG for cooking gas, but also for their you know, three-wheel taxis, the auto rickshas, uh that supply uh is hit, so they're all figuring out uh you know, EVs are the way to go. So a lot of scooters, uh, three-wheelers are also being produced uh in the EV mode rather than ICVs it's interesting that you should say scooters because I we see these here in the United States.

Don Armstrong 9:07

That was a huge Christmas gift this past year here in the U.S. And uh these kids are doing 50 miles an hour on a scooter. I'm going, do you have any idea what that's gonna do to your knees when you fall? Yeah, because I know for a fact that it hurts really bad as the kid. But uh live and learn. Um I want to go back to desert wastelands, and um that's what we're kind of focusing in on these big plants that uh either EV-related, supporting, or uh manufacturing EVs that they've all kind of pulled back for the time being, as you mentioned. But you know, desert wastelands for cars of any kind are not something new because uh and I I'm gonna use uh Stellantis as a as a as a somebody that manages to close plants and not reopen them, say they're gonna reopen them, they get close to reopening them and they don't. There's one in the southern uh end of Wisconsin right there, the northern Illinois, um and uh that has been they've manufactured all sorts of stuff since the 1960s, and the plant is massive. Car manufacturing plants are just big anyway. And this particular plant, I can't buy the name of it. Anyway, this particular plant, I'll think of it in a minute, this particular plant is still closed, it's been closed now for almost 10 years. What it does to the population and all of those people that it employs, that's really to me where the desert wasteland comes in, because what are those people going to do? They know how to build a car, but they don't have another manufacturing plant nearby. They can pick up and move or find other work. But these industrial cities are based on large employment figures. And what do you do when the plant closes? That's the only thing in town. It's it's tough.

Jeff Dziekan 11:02

Yep, and to to that point, to Don's point, what about the Packard plant in Detroit? 3.5 million square feet. It's still it's it's an it's a abandoned. They've actually made movies in that facility. They did a couple of Batman movies and a a Pop apocalyptic that one. Very excited. Uh those types of movies and things there as well. But the Packard plant comes to mind as as the one the front runner and abandoned building. Yeah, the Packard plant.

Global EV Growth And Incentives

Don Armstrong 11:30

Um and uh it it it's one of those things that what are you gonna do? You're gonna tear it down? My brother worked at the Janesville Assembly Plant in Wisconsin uh for many, many years, and it was a very old plant. And General Motors decided, psh, we're done with it, we're not going to rebuild there. They actually physically tore down this ginormous factory where they made everything from suburbans down to Vegas throughout the decades. And um all of those people lost their jobs. They don't have a job anymore, so they've had to find other work. Um there are other manufacturers up there, but not auto manufacturers, and so they've had to move. It it and it becomes a huge eyesore. The city wound up taking the property, but it's still sitting there with a big pile of rubble. What is the city going to do with it? They've got it, but there's nothing to put on it. It's it it's a it's a very complicated thing.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think it changes the character of the community, right? Uh it's it's not just the factory shutting down, uh, but the mom and pop stores that support uh the employees and you know their purchases and things like whether it's a grocery store or a small clothing store or uh you know appliance uh or a hardware store, right? It just kind of decimates everything there. So I I think the companies, you know, if they focus for the more of a focus on the long term, uh, I think you can find a good uh case for uh bringing back these uh uh plants, uh, whether it's for EV production or maybe gasoline production or even hybrid. Um but again, you need to have that long-term view, right? I think the focus on uh I think a lot of the uh CEOs are probably looking at the stock prices which uh fluctuate, especially these days. Uh and so they look at it and say, you know, there's so much uncertainty out there. Uh, I'm just gonna make short-term decisions. And and a lot of this is by the way, driven by uh uncertainty that exists in the market in the US, especially. Um, and so everybody's on a holding pattern when it comes to investments, and so they're not willing to look at abandon either the company that owns that abandoned property or somebody else like Magna or part suppliers who could come in there and utilize that space because it's probably being offered at a premium if they want to purchase it. Sorry, not a premium, but a huge discount if uh the owner wants to offer it. Uh but you know again, uh not having certainty in uh uh in the market, in oil prices, in um just the economy itself, right? I mean, uh inflation is still up. Uh yesterday it went up a little bit, it's 3.3%. It was actually going down, uh, but now it's sticking back up. Um, so you know companies are looking at how much disposable income do people have. They're paying more for gases, they're paying more for energy. Uh, are they going to keep their car longer? Are they going to invest in a new car, whether it's electric or IC? So all these things I think are uh uncertainty is just causing uh companies to put a hold on investment, and that's not helping the situation either.

Jeff Dziekan 14:54

Yeah, you bring up the uh inflation rate, 3.5, kind of uptick every now and then, a little downtick and so on, but that's uh they're now figuring out that their other plans, the automakers, because of that uh it it still is low, but it's still not low. It it's kind of a mind game. It was at one time, not very long ago, at 9 percent for the inflation rate. And there was no plan after that, or before that. Now that it's down, people are considering, well, yeah, I can work with that. Where are we going to be so it doesn't happen again? Well, I think that's what they are working on.

When A Plant Closes A Town Hurts

Don Armstrong 15:25

And let me also add to the the fact about these great big, you know, million square feet buildings. You know, so many times the actual cities that they are located in will give tax abatements, um, they will do everything that they can, they'll gather up investments because they want the employees in their city to help with the tax base itself. And uh so there's that aspect of it. We haven't even touched on that. So there's a huge investment. And let me just add to this, as we're running out of time here. Um here in Houston, we have very, very many large, large warehouses. I think that there is a an Amazon facility almost on every dang corner these days. And that's not to say that, you know, Amazon could go into one of these million square foot buildings, take a chunk of it for their use, and they divide the building up. I think that those kind of things have already been talked about, and I think that that's also a possibility if they sit idle too long. But there's so many components to all of this rust belt property that is sitting idle right now, and uh I think that there's going to be a an actual decision to be made here in the not too distant future. But let me also say that I think that the way that things are going right now, if you need a car, as opposed to buying an EV today, where here in Houston we don't have the interest infrastructure to be able to justify the price of that. But I will say that there are some uh hybrid vehicles out there that are affordable and that raise the uh mileage uh of a car almost by double. And I think that you could find something in that regard and actually help uh the environment and your pocketbook when it comes to gasoline prices.

Reusing Sites Warehouses Data Centers

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Yeah, just one quick comment in addition to warehouses. You know, like you mentioned in the Houston area, you've got Wayfair and Amazon and many other companies having large warehouses. That's certainly one use for this uh abandoned space, but also data centers, right? I think a lot of companies for establishing data centers. So to the extent that the energy prices around are affordable, I guess uh that could be another use. Although I would say that data centers don't employ a lot of people. Uh so the employment situation still remains. So I think if there's probably uh, you know, maybe local governments and state governments can uh take up the um uh mantle and say, okay, how do we bring uh you know foreign investors in, uh, whether it's LG, you know, battery production or uh EV production or something else, and try to bring them in so that that space, you know, basically they can offer it for free, right? Uh because it's such a uh beaten-down property, and then the taxes and all that make it lucrative for companies to uh rebuild in uh you know some of the infrastructure already existing.

Guest Wrap And Host Banter

Don Armstrong 18:30

Is it okay if I call you Sunny? Absolutely. Okay, well, I mean Sun Dresh is just a little bit harder for me to say than Sunny. And so uh, you know, I I I no disrespect, no disrespect whatsoever, but I when I when we leave you here, I want to go through some of the titles that this man has because he's absolutely brilliant. And I have to tell you, I love talking to you. You always bring out the worst in me and the because I I'm going, wait, this is way over my head. What am I talking about? Yeah, yeah. It really is uh a true uh pleasure and honor to talk to you, and thank you so much for joining us today. Please let's stay in touch. Let's talk here in another three or four months, okay?

SPEAKER_00 19:13

Absolutely. And you are really kind.

Don Armstrong 19:16

I'm just being honest. Sonny, thanks again. We'll talk to you again soon. Appreciate it, sir. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Bye-bye.

Don Armstrong 19:22

Bye. So, president of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Regents Professor, holds uh John Hendricks Chair at Oklahoma State University, served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, head of the School of Industrial Engineering and Management at OSU, Humphrey's chair prior to that. He was the Mary Lee and George F. Doothe Chair in Engineering Logistics in the Industrial Engineering Department of the University of Louisville. And the list goes on. I just read you half. Oh, yeah.

Mike Marrs 19:54

I got to is Oklahoma State University.

unknown 19:58

Yeah.

Don Armstrong 19:58

As opposed to what?

Mike Marrs 20:00

Ohio State University. No, this is Oklahoma. I had a friend of mine.

Jeff Dziekan 20:06

I had a friend of mine that was inmate of the month at County.

Mike Marrs 20:09

So what's that? Had his picture up on the wall and everything. Everything, yeah.

Racing Calendar And Lawnmower Racing

Don Armstrong 20:16

Just ahead, Jeff has the racing calendar. Mars has this week in auto history, and I'll bring you this week's automotive news headlines. The in-real time car talk show continues in just a minute. The Tex dining experience is defined by Lupi Tortilla, your destination for Texas's best beef fajitas and frozen margaritas. Since 1983, Lupi Tortilla has served authentic and time-tested recipes made with the freshest ingredients. Atmosphere is part of the award-winning experience at Lupi Tortilla, all developed in a little house near Highway 6 and I-10 in West Houston. Visit any of the Lupi Tortillas and you'll see the same attention to detail in each and every location. Start your loopy experience with queso flammiato and guacamole, along with a classic frozen margarita. Dine on famous loopy beef and chicken fajitas, or pepper shrimp brochette, or a fish or vegetarian entree, and finish with a scrumptious flan for dessert. Find loopy tortilla in Houston, College Station, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, Fort Worth. There's a Texas location near you. The recipes are authentic and time-tested. The ingredients always fresh. Loopy Tortilla. He's pretty good. Apple or Android NWL Time Podcast can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads. Whether you're on the road or at home and Jones in for a different kind of car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try. Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time. Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music. Mm-hmm. In Wheel Time.com has a list, and we know you love lists. Back here in the NWL Time Studios, our Dual City studios, as a matter of fact. And uh we invite you to tune in, listen, watch, whatever, on nwidltime.com, Facebook, and YouTube. If you miss that, you'll be able to connect through a podcast from your favorite podcast channel anytime. Time now for the racing calendar sponsored by the Texas Muscle Car Club show.

Jeff Dziekan 22:20

Thank you for that. Hey, we got NASCAR. They are at Bristol this weekend. I watched a little bit of the truck race last night. A lot of wrecks, of course, at Bristol's Bristol, Bristol Baby.

Don Armstrong 22:31

Let me ask you this. Why do they race on a half mile oval? Because that's the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I know, but so NASCAR.

Jeff Dziekan 22:42

There you go. I stepped on my toe last week. I'm not going to do it again this week. Yes, you are because it's NASCAR. But there's I think there was more people on the infield with the teams than there was in the stand. Seriously, I was focused on as they do the wide shots and they come around. There's hardly anybody. They did them on the front straight and the back street.

Don Armstrong 23:01

How much is the ticket?

Jeff Dziekan 23:02

I have no idea.

Don Armstrong 23:03

I bet you it's$100 a seat, probably. Would I go?

Jeff Dziekan 23:09

I used it quite a bit.

Don Armstrong 23:11

I did. I did too. If it was in my backyard, probably. But it was only in my backyard once a year. Okay, I would go.

Jeff Dziekan 23:20

To tune into something like that? Next week they're going to be in Kansas, and I've been to Kansas many, many times. Hey, you know what else this weekend? NHRA. They are at the Winter Nationals, the In N Out Burger Pomona Drag Show. That's going on the 9th through the 12th, so there'll be finals tomorrow. I love it. If it's live and if there's not a tidally week contest going on that they have to be interrupted by. Underwater basket weaving is more important, too. Underwater basket weaving. Yeah, hold your breath. IndyCar Racing, they are at Long Beach, and that's next weekend, so we got we got a time to wait for that. I'm going to save this one. And Formula One. Formula One, they're on a hiatus because of the conflict, uh, the Brain Chief Grand Prix and the Superman. They're going to be in Miami on May 3rd, so we've got a couple weeks after that. And my favorite, I've got the 2026 calendar of lawnmower racing. You bet.

Don Armstrong 24:18

No, but what kind of grass do they have?

Jeff Dziekan 24:21

You got uh you got the Nasgrass, like NASCAR? This is the Nasgrass uh race day. It is in Fort Mead, Florida, and it's going on today.

Don Armstrong 24:29

How many people can you get at Fort Mead?

Jeff Dziekan 24:31

Um if you got a mower, you get in free. Okay, there you go. So we're gonna see.

Mike Marrs 24:36

Does it have to be a rider?

Jeff Dziekan 24:37

Yes. Yes. We're gonna take a push mower to a race? No, no, no.

Don Armstrong 24:40

But you gotta you know how how about those that that the guy actually stands on a little platform behind it. He doesn't sit down, he stands on a platform behind it.

Jeff Dziekan 24:50

It's like the the uh the garden piece of the case. It's like it's like a chariot race. Yeah.

unknown 24:54

There you go.

Jeff Dziekan 24:55

And you know about that.

This Week In Automotive History

Don Armstrong 24:56

I I I invented it. All right, we're from time now for uh time now for this week in auto history, Mr. Morris.

Ads And How To Watch Live

Mike Marrs 25:04

Uh yes, sir. So we found a few things this week that we thought were really interesting in automotive history, and we're gonna start with April the 6th. Now, this is whenever Audi was founded. Now, the um August Horsch actually established Audi. He was actually with a company called Horsh Automobiles. He helped create that company, started it out from scratch, and then uh he lost that in a little bit of a conflict with the um with his partners. Now he ended up going and creating his own company, which he named Audi, which is actually a translation of Horsch into the uh German language. So that's how that came name came about. And it went through a lot of iterations, a lot of mergers and things, and finally ended up with the Volkswagen Group where it is now. Now, on April the 8th of 1911, the electric autolight company was founded. Now, this was important because they produced electrical components and they produced enough of them for enough of the different companies that were being created that it helped standardize the automotive electronics that came uh during that period of growth. Now, you may have heard of the Autolite Company, but the Autolite name was actually associated a whole lot with Ford. Ford bought them, it was part of their smart plugs, a lot of things like that. And they ended up lawsuits, etc. Lawyers got involved again. They ended up selling Autolite name to Bandex. And then whenever it also created, and what was left of it went to create Prestolite, which you may see in here, because that's what helped get cars away from the systems they developed, got away from the hand cranks over to the starters that they happened to be building. Then in April the 10th, 1925, the Chrysler launched the Model 70. Now, this was really their first vehicle, and it created a lot of engineering innovations that kind of brought on to the industry the high compression engines, four-wheel hydraulic brakes were introduced on this vehicle. So it set a lot of standards for the future as the cars came into the market as well as for Chrysler. Now, on April the 10th, 1912, the RMS Titanic sailed. Now, I bring up the Titanic because it's not really an automotive event, but it was such a big disaster. So many people got involved in looking at the safety things that could have been done to prevent that or help minimize the damage that was done to it, and create all this mitigation and rolled over into the automotive segments, and cars became a lot more safer because of the things that people learned from that disaster. Now, on April the 11th, 1947, Kaiser Fraser Corporation was created. Now, this is of course Henry J. Kaiser and Joseph W. Fraser. They launched that to challenge Detroit's Big Three. Now, they had a lot of bowl styling and a lot of things going on in that. And the company founded with two different models. The Kaiser was a front-wheel drive model, and the Fraser was a rear-wheel drive model. Now they were involved and they built from 1942 to 1943. It involved into buying Willis and then got into the Jeeps and a lot of other things before they actually went out of business. The April 5th, 1936, the introduction of the Lincoln Zephyr. Now, this vehicle was made from 1936 to 1942. It had the V-12 engine in it. It was a little more affordable than some of the other Lincoln models, so it was really a market hit. However, when World War II started, a lot of companies stopped production. And the Lincoln, when it came back out of World War II, started production again. However, it no longer had that Zephyr name. So it just really wasn't resurrected. And that's a few of the things we found this week in automotive history that we thought were pretty interesting. So, and now we've got a few other problems here, and we are going to Don's doing headlines, but Don's not here right at the moment. And uh see if we can get him back on here. There they are.

Don Armstrong 29:24

Well, here we've we've been fiddling with stuff over here, trying to get ourselves back on there. But let's let's take a break, shall we, Mr. Mars? Uh the In World Time Car Talk Show is going to continue right after these brief messages. We invite you to You own a car you love. Well, why not let Gulf Coast Auto Shield protect it? Houstonian John Gray invites you to his state-of-the-art facility to introduce you to his specialist team of auto enthusiasts. We promise you'll be impressed. Whether you're looking to massage your original paint to a like new appearance, apply a ceramic coating, install a paint protection film, nano ceramic window tent, or a new windshield protection called Exoshield, Gulf Coast Auto Shield is where Houston's car people go. Curb your wheels? Instead of buying new, why not have them repaired? How about a professionally installed radar detector? Gulf Coast Auto Shield does that too. Get a peek inside the shop and look at the services offered by getting online and heading to GCAutoShield.com. Better yet, stop by their facility at 11275 South Sam Houston Tollway, just south of the Southwest Freeway, and get a personal tour. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your place to go for all things exterior. Call them today, 832-930-5655 or gcautoShield.com. Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea. Hand painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists. You've seen his work at car shows and on display at the Hemi Hideout. Now you can have an illustration or car poster customized for you, a friend or loved one. Bill cites a real car guy that speaks the language and will be happy to guide you through the process. No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home. Call Bill today, 832-922-0963. That's 832-922-0963. That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheelTime.com website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music. Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.