Autoblog Podcast #137

Dan Roth — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:45:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Hybrid, Etc., Acura, Audi, Cadillac, GM, Honda, Jaguar, Lexus, Porsche, Volkswagen, Diesel

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Episode #137 of the Autoblog Podcast has arrived. Chris, Sam, and Dan are back, chewing the fat over the Acura ZDX, Death Valley spy shots of the Jaguar XJ, what will underpin Cadillac's new flagship model, Electric Lexus pricing, the ongoing Volkswagen/Porsche soap opera, and Honda's swearing off of V8s and RWD. Wrap it all up nice and tidy with some of your questions, and 82 minutes later, you're done. We apologize for the poor audio quality on Dan's track for some of this week's podcast. It only lasts through the end of the Autoblog Garage segment, and then we're back to full-fidelity. Getting a show out to you quickly was important to us, so we went with what we had. 23 minutes in is the magic point where the audio clears up. Let us know what you think, drop us a line at Podcast at Autoblog dot com. Thanks to all who have taken the time to fill out our survey; hit the jump to listen or subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast. If you like what we're doing, check out some of our sister blog podcasts like Engadget and Joystiq - you can never have enough listening material!

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Autoblog Podcast #137 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda reportedly kills S2000 replacement, V8 program, RWD Acuras

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Hybrid, Sedan, Performance, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Acura, Honda

Honda's attempt to right-size its development schedule and cope with the economic downturn apparently extends beyond the cancellation of the next NSX. According to Autocar, HoMoCo is right-sizing its plans for the next two years, and that includes rethinking the development of a range of rear-wheel-drive Acuras, a new V8, a convertible based on the CR-Z and the S2000's successor.

Acura seems to be carrying the weight of the bad news, with its RWD 7-series rival, originally due out in 2015, cancelled indefinitely, along with development of a V8 engine that would allow the brand to compete with the best and brightest from Germany. The Euro-market Legend could also be on the block and there's a chance that Honda will stop developing two separate Accord models for sale in the U.S. and abroad, instead opting for one mid-size sedan to be sold worldwide.

Unfortunately, the development cease-fire also extends to Honda's smaller offerings. Honda planned to release a drop-top version of its CR-Z after the hybrid goes on sale next year, but that model has been nixed. Even more disturbingly, 2009 will be the last year of production for the S2000, with no heir apparent waiting in the wings.

We're hoping to get more details on the cut-backs as the week progresses, but needless to say, there's more than enough disappointment to go around.

[Source: Autocar]

Honda reportedly kills S2000 replacement, V8 program, RWD Acuras originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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