AD #3303 – Honda & Sony’s EVs Won’t Be Hondas; Mercedes Concept Doubles EV Efficiency; VinFast Reveals U.S. Pricing

April 14th, 2022 at 11:55am

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Listen to “AD #3303 – Honda and Sony's EVs Won't Be Hondas; Mercedes Concept Doubles EV Efficiency; VinFast Reveals U.S. Pricing” on Spreaker.

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Runtime: 11:15

0:07 Elon Musk Makes Offer to Buy Twitter
0:43 Honda Completely Changing Its Structure
1:35 Honda & Sony’s EVs Won’t Be Called Hondas
3:35 Chrysler Airflow Concept Gets a New Look
4:30 Genesis Concept Reveals Future EV Styling
5:23 Mercedes Concept Doubles EV Efficiency
6:18 Hyundai & Kia Update Their Large SUVs
7:30 New Process for Making New Tires from Old Tires
8:32 New Bill Would Require Government EV Recycling
9:27 VinFast Reveals U.S. Pricing

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31 Comments to “AD #3303 – Honda & Sony’s EVs Won’t Be Hondas; Mercedes Concept Doubles EV Efficiency; VinFast Reveals U.S. Pricing”

  1. Kit Gerhart Says:

    If Honda is going to car the Sony/Honda something other than Honda, could that be Acura? It will probably sell more in Acura than Honda price range.

  2. Tony Gray Says:

    That Genesis has more than a little bit of a DB9 look to it.

  3. Buzzerd Says:

    So is the new Honda Sony car going to be called a Soanda or a Haony?
    It’s nice to see Bridgestone trying to do something with used tires, some tire piles have turned into environmental disasters and it seems like such a waste to just bury them.

  4. Kit Gerhart Says:

    3 Are Soanda and Haony two or three syllables?

  5. Lex Says:

    If the Biden Administration is going to stay on this path to eliminate ICE engines feed by gasoline. Why doesn’t the Federal Government and EPA mandate that all 2024 and beyond ICE vehicles to be sold in the United States be E85 compatible? E85 is selling for a $1.00 per gallon less than regular gasoline around the country. This would reduce the financial strain on American households and companies currently unable to trade up to a BEV. Also OEM’s could offer retrofit kits for their late model vehicles to become E85 fully compatible. This would help out dealerships with additional service business and the consumer’s resale value of converted vehicles using cleaner E85 fuel.

  6. Lex Says:

    Bridgestone and other tire companies should be responsible for recycling their products at the end of their lifecycle. The rubber compounds in tires can be recycled into creating new asphalt for the countries pothole filled roadways.

    I hate when the road crews place loose pothole filling material on the roadway and expect that motorists to compact the loose material by driving over it to fill those potholes. This is the most stupidest method and most cause many damaged windshields and headlights from this loose pothole filling material flying up off the roadway. This method of pothole repair should be outlawed IMO!

  7. Bob Wilson Says:

    Perhaps the ‘not Honda’ name is preparing for direct to buyer sales. Cutting out the dealers.

  8. Kit Gerhart Says:

    5 E85 has less energy per gallon than gasoline, so flex fuel vehicles get only about 2/3 to 3/4 the mpg on E85 that they get with E10. If the car uses regular gas, you aren’t going to save money with E85. With a premium burner, you would.

  9. Kit Gerhart Says:

    7 Interesting thought, if the “not Honda” name is not Acura.

  10. Lambo2015 Says:

    Sean; We keep hearing about how EV batteries are recyclable yet do you know of anyone currently doing it? It would be interesting to hear from a rep and hear how they plan to ramp up in the coming years for the level or recycling demand that will be needed.

    I had seen where tires were being recycled and made into playground surfaces and pavement. Biggest difficulty was separating the steel belts.

    Elon buying Twitter would likely be a good thing. Must be nice to have 41 Billion cash laying around.

  11. XA351GT Says:

    Lex ,because we know the minute they did that (E85) the price would double overnight. Just like it it did with diesel in the 70s when many manufacturers started making vehicles that could use it. they will always be there to capitalize on whatever fuel is used,

  12. ArtG Says:

    10. He doesn’t have $41b lying around. He has “only” about $3b in cash and liquid assets. Most of his wealth is tied up in Tesla. In order to buy Twitter, he’d have to liquidate some of his Tesla shares or do an LBO.
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-14/musk-needs-massive-loan-or-big-tesla-stock-sale-to-buy-twitter

  13. Drew Says:

    @5 – Lex, a lot of engines are not compatible with E85. None of your gas-powered yard equipment can handle it. And most vehicles are not compatible with E85.

    I’ll share with you a simple life-long truth. Every government mandate has consequences and unintended ills. I’m not saying government shouldn’t issue mandates, but they over-simplify the complexities (and the media lack the technical know-how to fill in the blanks).

  14. Kit Gerhart Says:

    5,13 et al, If E85 use increased even 20%, the price of corn for food would increase immensely.

    Lawn equipment, motorcycles, or anything else with a carburetor wouldn’t even run on E85 without re-jetting, never mind issues of compatibility of materials in the fuel system.

  15. Ziggy Says:

    OK Sean, I give up, what is a SPAC?

  16. Roger T Says:

    Anyone else confused as of how vinfast subscription works? Battery subscription, does that mean they are swappable? How do they know how many miles are driven per month, monthly report or average? So you buy a car but the battery you have to buy at the end of financing period? Thoroughly confused.

  17. John McElroy Says:

    #15. Special Purpose Acquisition Company. Also known as a reverse merger. It’s a “blank check” shell corporation designed to take a company public without going through the traditional initial public offering process. I.e., a way to get stock issued far faster. All the EV startups are doing it.

  18. Bob Wilson Says:

    SPACs are a way ‘too good to be true’ characters like Nikola were able to fleece non-technical investors.

  19. Joe G Says:

    I too was confused about the Vinfast subscription story. If it works out to help folks avoid a $1,000 a month car payment for an expensive EV that is not driven very far it sounds good, but need I clarification. A simple device to track milage is probably inserted into the port under the dash. Insurance companys now offer this to save on premiums for those that do not drive much, since many now work from home. With vehicles so expensive now I feel that creative financing/rental is long overdue to make them afordable.

  20. Kit Gerhart Says:

    Somehow, if I were to buy or lease a pricey EV, I don’t think my first choice would be from an upstart in Vietnam. I we’ll see how that goes.

  21. TERRY Says:

    There is a lot of interest in EVs. Recently we drove over 1,700 miles from Illinois through some southern states, and back to Illinois. This was in a 2021 Cadillac CT4-V with all wheel drive. The overall average fuel economy was 32.0 miles per gallon. The car has a 17.5 gallon tank. That provided 560 miles range, and filling the gas tank took less than 10 minutes. A Tesla Plaid (one of the few that has this high range) has the range of 280 to 320 miles depending on whether it is claimed by Tesla or testing by Car and Driver. With a V3 Supercharger, the Tesla will charge to 80% in 25 minutes. Charge on a standard charger is 14 hours.

  22. Drew Says:

    @19 – Joe, more and more new vehicles are being equipped with internal modems and functions similar to GM’s OnStar. This enables Over The Air software updates and can allow Big Brother to monitor your driving and usage of various functions.

    While you may think changes are long overdue, a lot of people are concerned that they will be paying $50,000 or more for a vehicle AND be held hostage to the OEM to use the functions in their vehicle… while the OEM is selling your usage data to 3rd parties (advertisers, insurance companies, etc).

    In other words, the future of vehicle ownership may be akin to a time share condo. You pay into upfront, and get dinged with fees every time you use it. To paraphrase Don McLean, “the day the auto enjoyment died”

  23. Kit Gerhart Says:

    21 Wow, a 4 cylinder small sedan gets only 20% better mpg than a sports car with a big V8. Just kidding. That’s about what I would expect. My C8 gets about 27 mpg on an 1100 mile trip going 75-80 on the interstate, and I’d expect about 32 for your CT4-V. Your car, with the smaller engine, would do much better than mine in low speed/stop and go driving.

  24. wmb Says:

    The color and interior on the Chrysler concept looks incredible, but the front face and rear are a snooze fest! The side profile looks a little sporty, but the overall styling, IMHO, are not memorial or as exciting as others in that size, class and specification. The EV6 is sporty, the Ionic 5 has a kind of nostalgic look to it, the Mach-E has Mustang favor and the ID 5 is a somewhat interesting VW jelly bean. Yet, the Airflow has an ‘also ran’, ‘I got one too’ vib to its styling. This concept is more Pacifica/Town and Country/Voyager, then Gangster/Mob Boss Chrysler 300M! Why couldn’t the Airflow have more of the face and feel of the 300/Magnum? I know that aerodynamics play heavily in the design of EVs, but the Lightning, R1T, Silverado EV and other BEVs have tall, blunt faces and this has not stopped their electric aspersions. This concept’s front styling, puts me in the mind of the defunct Eagle brand at best, or the Plymouth brand at worst. The Chrysler side of Stellantis Can. Do. Better! Isn’t the Chrysler brand supposed to be aspirational! Smh

  25. wmb Says:

    #24.) 2022 Chrysler 300, not 300M!

  26. Kit Gerhart Says:

    24,25 Maybe Chrysler people will see your comment, and change things before anything hits production, and make the styling more interesting.

    Actually, what I recently bought, a Toyota Highlander hybrid, is about the ultimate snooze fest, styling-wise, but it will serve the purpose of carrying my toys, while getting very good mpg for its size. My C8 still gets lots of compliments, even though they have been on the road for 3 years. Variety in cars, as it were.

    When the current Chrysler 300 first arrived, it struck me as looking like a Bentley from the 60s or 70s. I still like the looks of it, even after, what, 15 years.

  27. ChuckGrenci Says:

    Mark Reuss seems very candid on AAH yesterday; might be worth your while to watch the show if you are so inclined.

  28. wmb Says:

    26.) I thought the same about to 300 too when was introduced, but it’s kind of come into its own, especially after Chrysler was purchased by Fiat, IMHO. If a direct, clearer connection between the Airflow and 300 was made, it would make the vehicle stand out more from the crowd of extreme, wind tunnel influenced EVs that are coming to market. The tall, blunt face trucks and pick-ups use active shutters, to control air flow around the front of those vehicles. Why couldn’t Chrysler do the same here? To me, the front of this concept looks more like the Chrysler 200 or the Pacifica, then a vehicle one would choose over a Model Y, Mach-E, the EV Equinox, EV6, Ionic 5 and (arguably) the ID 5! I just sit back and admire the 300, the Charge and it’s variations (Redeye, SRT8, H’CAT and Demon) and turn to this and I’m a little disappointed! Now I’m sure it is a technical marvel and will do all that they say it will, but unless it has a MUCH better price point, I’m looking at one of the other BEVs mentioned earlier, and will no doubt pay more to do so. That’s why Ford did what they did with the Mach-E. It was going to be their first serious EV, but it’s styling was modeled after the Focus/Fusion (like the E-Max). As great as their designs were, I can see why Farley ordered them to stop, start over and use the Mustang as the template. It has been a sales success, despite its naming controversy! Yet, look at what they are charging for the Mach-E. Who would pay between $40-60K+ (Mach -E GT) for a Focus or a Fusion and then wait up to 18 months to get it? I think it might be safe to say, not many! What about the Airflow? How many would be willing to pay $60K for a loaded Airflow Limited? Looking at this concept, I have a hard time seeing it!

  29. Kit Gerhart Says:

    27 I watched it live. It was great, an actual conversation, rather than so much BS, like the dealer organization guy.

  30. Kit Gerhart Says:

    28 I’m glad I’m not in the market for an EV now, because there is so much new stuff “in the pipeline.” If I bought now, I might be missing something I’d like better. Also, competition should force moderation of prices. Tesla won’t be able to continue their almost daily price increases forever, now that they are seeing more real competition. I look forward to see the Lyriq “in person.”

  31. Kate McLeod Says:

    I was talking with a man who manufactured batteries in East Texas last night. He says that many of the elements in batteries are toxic waste and his question is “How much are we improving the environment with the use of batteries?” After manufacture and disposal?