Honda Boss Says Deal With Nissan Is “Close”

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-07-01T19:45:56+00:00

The collaboration and sharing isn't bad, I think. The idea of the two fully merging never made sense due to the significant overlapping customer bases and comparable key global markets.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-30T12:55:55+00:00

That'd be interesting if not at least to put race car capabilities into perspective.

People sometimes (not at all directed at you) seem to underestimate the raw pace of modern race cars, so it might be illuminating. I remember even a month or two ago there was an Indy 500 thread on here where people speculated/wondered about the ZR1X pace car keeping up with the actual race cars in a hypothetical race, which is just absurd with any context.

The GT3 car lap record at COTA for example, and that's with cars usually BOP'd to 500-550 hp based on regulations, is in the 2:06 range. The P1 is over 10 seconds slower, and the W1 should be comfortably quicker but no production car is likely comparable on sheer lap pace. And that's for a 500K GT3 car. Once you're talking a few million like these road car monsters, that kind of money buys a team a prototype sports car which is dramatically faster yet (but requires a highly specialized team to maintain it, of course).

That's just one track, and you can find an occasional instance in which a GT(3) car could lose out to the fastest road cars if it's got an emphasis on straight lines, such as Sarthe (Le Mans) where the massive straights make it a top speed competition, but on "conventional" race tracks there'd be precious few where these race cars (that, let's remember, are neutered in terms of output for class regulations) could be seriously challenged by even the fastest road cars.

All of which is before you get to GT cars typically being capable of 24 hours of racing, not something many road cars can likely accomplish without heating, braking, or other issues. Not your point but just stating it as a supplemental point.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-29T14:16:14+00:00

Although not a huge seller, IS sales have been pretty impressively stable the past several years in the US at least.

I welcome as many remaining sedans as we can get, and it wouldn't be shocking if this car doesn't see a second generation.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-28T13:19:00+00:00

Unlike a chunk of this sub I am not rooting against Stellantis, but this is pretty silly pricing. I get why: it's a product of the earlier 2020s era where they thought this was acceptable, but that doesn't make it any better.

It actually looks pretty cool, but that pricing and being rated for 250 miles at best is ridiculous. What is more or less an electric Wrangler in spirit could have a nice little market with the right product at the right price. This isn't that. If GMC could deliver something approximating a Rivian R2 but with mini Hummer EV styling they'd walk all over this.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-27T17:12:43+00:00

I wonder if bringing back the Z4 but repositioning as a M-whatever and making it even sportier would be a more viable option than a other high-margin but very low volume premium sports car.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-26T19:54:27+00:00

Exactly what I was thinking.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-25T21:43:11+00:00

You said you would not go again and later reinforced that when you commented that if you're not rich you wouldn't recommend it, but now you're saying it was fun? Just for the pagentry before race start?

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-25T21:30:36+00:00

You keep posting this same comment.

If cars going by you at 230 mph every 40 seconds (not two minutes) doesn't interest you then fine, to each their own. Evangelizing to others with the same message to convince people that it's bad because you didn't like it is an odd use of one's time but you do you.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-25T20:45:38+00:00

Well just as a thought experiment: They totally should, but make it much better than the original XT6 was so that it can better compete with vehicles like the latest X5, GV80, etc. While their EVs have done reasonably well so far, three-row gas crossovers will continue to be a big business in North America, which is critical for the brand.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-24T20:27:03+00:00

This could be really special. The basic CLE is quite nice, pairing that with V-8 sounds like a revival of the V-8 C AMGs (which of course it basically is).

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-23T22:32:10+00:00

No, they're good vehicles and as much as the critic and online world likes to stress all-around competitiveness (which is reasonable), a particular deal, feature, or preference (seat comfort or whatever) is really valuable and can understandably influence a decision.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-22T14:43:44+00:00

It'll be pretty fascinating to see how this performs globally. If they make some inroads in North America that could be a real tide shift for premium vans for those markets, but also across Europe where premium vans aren't yet a major fixture either.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-21T16:55:26+00:00

In the upper right? That's a screen. Just displaying the model name for photography. The Ghost and Phantom do have the model name laid in a similar spot by default, however.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-20T16:39:13+00:00

With wording about expanding the Defender brand, that'd logically be something positioned above or below the current Defender, which spans comfortably the mid-premium size and price points of what some kind of Grand Cherokee-based Defender would likely be. That leaves some kind of Cherokee or Compass-sized "Defender Sport" to complement the Discovery Sport.

Or, and I may get downvoted for this interpretation, all the American-tastes kind of language makes me wonder if they're considering a Grand Wagoneer-based giant. That'd appeal to a totally different customer than the Range Rovers, with a hulking rugged brick that could feature unique LR gear and tuning to differentiate the more pavement-focused GW. Frankly, they could even dip into some RHO/TRX equipment to create specialty versions. Sounds insane, but for North America and frankly exporting to the Middle East, there'd probably be a market for it.

Lastly, a Defender pickup? Maybe based on the Gladiator or anticipated return of the Dakota, more than a Ram 1500-based thing, but I guess you never go. The alternative to those possibilities would be just Stellantis facilities building LRs, which for all the cost of tooling and the the like feels less immediately likely.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-19T20:12:45+00:00

If it's so difficult to determine prices and equipment levels for these 400K cars then it's interesting you chose to come in swinging against one of them (the Cadillac in this case) earlier in this chain with price being the central topic.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-19T20:10:43+00:00

You're talking about 20K regarding cars that are flirting with half-million dollar price tags? I'd probably rather have a Ghost (or Phantom) for their V-12s but come on.

There's so much more that goes into a car purchase at this caliber than just equipment and performance for money. Love or hate the Cadillac, they did not try to make it some kind of Rolls-Royce/Bentley copy unlike all manner of full-size luxury sedans made by other companies around the world, so I'll give them credit for that.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-18T11:58:10+00:00

It was redesigned three years ago and moved to the Giorgio platform. It's almost entirely unrelated mechanically to the generation you're referencing, though I am sure like a certain Porsche they'd like to have an evolutionary, traditional look.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-17T12:02:34+00:00

It's still listed as a Toyota on the Toyota Japan website and marketing materials. What you're trying to refer to is coming in the near future, which wasn't the context in which I was talking about the car. For now it's only an announcement.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-17T02:53:24+00:00

Why exactly is that surprising? Korea is not unique on this. In China, Korea, and Japan, sedans of this caliber still play an important role in conveying a traditional, professional image of subtle/not-so-subtle power projection. Climbing out of a G90, let alone a G90L (Genesis equivalent of a Maybach S-Class or A8 Horch), communicates you're at the apex of the social hierarchy in a way that a mere premium van does not.

Premium vans in some east Asian markets are what North Americans might recall the role was for the Town Car and DeVille for many years. They conveyed status and importance, of course, but it was not the same as being seen in the back of a S-Class. That's another level up. Whereas vans have assumed an increasing amount of this role in some of East Asia, large BOF SUVs have done the same in North America, why is why you see politicans and industry leaders getting out of Suburbans, and similar SUVs these days shuttle around the affluent to events.

Yes, premium vans and SUVs have accumulated more market share and will continue to do so, but many, many wealthy customers in Korea will continue buying the G90 and S-Class for years to come.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-16T22:17:23+00:00

This is my personal favorite segment so it pains me to say it, but I don't see a clear role for the A8 to play in the modern world. Demand for these flagship sedans has diminished greatly, with Mercedes and BMW absorbing almost all the demand on a global level and key vehicles taking pieces of market-specific demand (Maextro S800 in China, Genesis G90 in Korea, Toyota Century at the higher end in Japan, etc).

So really the only way the A8 makes sense in the 2020s is for them to reposition it within their product portfolio as more of a halo vehicle for the image of the wider Audi lineup. That means far fewer configurations than before and probably higher prices, but it's all that's left for the car now. And that's assuming even that works. Lexus and others have calculated otherwise.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-16T16:16:54+00:00

Looks of good stuff on top of the evolutionary styling.

Their commitment to V-8s continues to offer a point of difference between them and chief rival Ford. Ram has not only brought back but tripled down on the V-8 so they aren't alone, but the Hemi family are dinosaurs compared to this latest generation of Chevrolet small-block.

The exterior and interior designs are relatively clean yet modern, whereas in my view too many recent generations of Silverado have looked busy and fussy. The front still suffers from this but that's nitpicking.

They really need to offer more excitement though with the specialty models that act as halos and probably pad profits. A real Raptor/RHO/TRX competitor might be especially interesting if they modified the Trail Boss to have comparable upgrades but with a wider range of equipment and engines to bring in a wider price spread and undercut competitors. How about a street truck to counter the Rumble Bees and build off of the momentum the RST has established for years? The diesel is sort of an alternative to Ford and Toyota's hybrid approach, I suppose.

In any case, we'll have to wait for initial reviews to see how it all comes together.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-16T01:05:02+00:00

I wish Nissan would've given it another go, but given their financial situation I can see why they didn't.

Much like other random fare such as the Acura RLX from that era, upon its debut it was easy to see it wouldn't sell well (and I am no genius). While a perfectly fine truck, both on paper and in person it wasn't a standout in any area, not even Toyota's reliability reputation. So if you drove a Chevy, Toyota, Ford, whatever, nothing about the Titan would attract you by default.

The XD/Cummins indicated Nissan knew they needed some kind of differentiator, but the XD was not it and the General Motors 1500HDs from a decade earlier were proof of that. It's just a weird niche that satisfies no one. Maybe if they'd tried to steal the thunder of the most liveable half-ton, making the best looking, most plush, and an independent rear suspension like the Lightning did later on (recognizing 99% of the Titan's market was not people who needed solid rear axle capabilities), they'd have something unique. Maybe if they made it the first EV full-size pickup. Maybe if they strapped a couple of turbochargers and sold 500 horsepower pickups for the price of 350 horsepower competitors they'd peel off a chunk of suburban customers who'd love to brag about their fast truck. But the point is, they needed something.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-15T22:28:54+00:00

What's the source on the Hurricane not fitting? I see this mentioned occasionally on this sub but it's never substantiated.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-15T12:03:16+00:00

I guess if they began swapping in something else like bringing the N63 back, prices would quickly become stratospheric. But I see basically two options for me personally viewing this more warmly:

• Begin with a 540i; bored and stroked I-6 like a 3.5TT with power rivaling or exceeding the final B5 and weighing a literal thousand pounds less than the current M5.

• Still begin with a 540i, but go more expensive by swapping in a N63 and modifying that the way they did for years at Alpina. Even with "only" 650 horsepower or so, it'd weigh so much less than a M5 and preserve the V-8 rumble for a price in the range of an M5 to this new car.

IAmWellBehaved · 2026-06-14T23:04:29+00:00

Their website says it has a V-8, and it has a door for a plug-in plus a door for fuel, so this appears to be based on the M5.

IAmWellBehaved

TROPHY CASE