Honda kills EV development in the US

[Herbknowsit]

I’ve had six Honda vehicles including Acura. Was going to wait for the Prologue until I drove the MME. Game over. Honda is smart to focus on their strengths in this crazy time. If I weren’t making my own juice via our solar panels, I’d be driving yet another product from Honda. Likely a hybrid. But the MME has been a pleasure to drive and the AWD was impressive this tough winter.

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[Bad Dolphin]

Interestingly, though, both BMW and Volkswagen face 15% tariffs on their new electric iX3 (BMW) and the EX60 (Volvo) vehicles, yet both are bringing the cars to the US. Neither vehicle will be made in the US. The BMW will be made in Hungary and the Volvo will be made in Sweden. Somehow, these companies are able to tolerate the tariffs or just plan on passing them onto their customers.

 

[Bad Dolphin]

Interestingly, though, both BMW and Volkswagen face 15% tariffs on their new electric iX3 (BMW) and the EX60 (Volvo) vehicles, yet both are bringing the cars to the US. Neither vehicle will be made in the US. The BMW will be made in Hungary and the Volvo will be made in Sweden. Somehow, these companies are able to tolerate the tariffs or just plan on passing them onto their customers.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see what they would charge if there were no tariffs?

 

[MBCook]

All my vehicles before my Mach-E were Honda. Guess I wont be buying another any time soon.

I’m not happy with Ford for similar reasons. Don’t think I’ll get another.

No idea where I go next.

 

[rreddy3]

All my vehicles before my Mach-E were Honda. Guess I wont be buying another any time soon.

I’m not happy with Ford for similar reasons. Don’t think I’ll get another.

No idea where I go next.

Rivian R2 … ?

 

[dan_meh]

They aren’t the future, gas hybrids and EREV’s w ICE to charge the battery are. BEV is a costly and expensive solution, the free market has spoken and BEV’s will fade away to be replaced as indicated above.

 

[MBCook]

Rivian R2 … ?

First of all, no CarPlay = no buy. So no Rivian, Tesla, or GM.

But also I have no interest in a truck. I have little interest in an SUV, though the market doesn’t give a lot of choice there. That’s why I have one now. Part of me would like to go back to a sedan.

 

[nvabill]

Apples and oranges, you are trying to make a correlation for something that may or may not be the case. In this video he is laughing at the iPhone that was just announced and we all know it was an immediate success. Now, compare that to the EV segment which has been around since 2008, 18 years, when Tesla delivered it's first Roadster. Don't you kinda think 18 years is a long time for the market to decide.

 

[nvabill]

All my vehicles before my Mach-E were Honda. Guess I wont be buying another any time soon.

I’m not happy with Ford for similar reasons. Don’t think I’ll get another.

No idea where I go next.

I dunno, guess you could walk or buy a good E-bike.

 

[DesignMatters]

Meh, how apropos.

 

[Snakebitten]

They all (manufacturers) spent Billion$ bringing BEVs to the overhyped US market. And that doesn't count the Billion$ in tax payer subsidies as well.

If it had turned out to be a profitable venture, there wouldn't have been such a "pullback". We just don't have the consumer demand.

Even with the economic black-eye, at least Ford is still betting on the BEV segment for the US market. They are just convinced that they have to put down the bottle they got drunk on originally.

I'm personally looking forward to their sober approach and the products that come from it. I can't guarantee I'm a near future customer, but I want to be. Definitely rooting for the home team, unashamedly.

 

[Bad Dolphin]

All my vehicles before my Mach-E were Honda. Guess I wont be buying another any time soon.

I’m not happy with Ford for similar reasons. Don’t think I’ll get another.

No idea where I go next.

Volvo or BMW? Or wait to see how Ford evolves. I do believe that once we dump the current administration, building out the grid and charging stations will resume (with the monies already allocated from the Build Back Better and seized by the current administration so it can't proceed) and maybe even incentives for EV's will return. If that happens, you may see more EV choices.

Also, Ford hasn't abandoned EV's. I just hope they keep the MACH E alive.

The comments about how fast cellphones were accepted vs EV's is valid. Except cell phones had no competition from gasoline powered alternatives that people had been using for decades! So an expensive alternative to less expensive know ICE cars took longer to be adopted than cell phones? Of course!

Now look to Europe and China, where EV's are flourishing because they are great performing vehicles and gas is so pricey (no subsidies for fossil fuel companies and instead subsidies for EV's.) Were we to overcome oil lobbyists and stop subsidizing fossil fuel companies so that the price of gasoline were to rocket, I think we'd see a very different rate of EV growth.

 

[DesignMatters]

Now look to Europe and China, where EV's are flourishing because they are great performing vehicles and gas is so pricey (no subsidies for fossil fuel companies and instead subsidies for EV's.) Were we to overcome oil lobbyists and stop subsidizing fossil fuel companies so that the price of gasoline were to rocket, I think we'd see a very different rate of EV growth.

BEV’s cost more to build, more to buy, and suffer eye watering depreciation which is why wherever there aren’t MASSIVE consumer/mfg subsidies, ICE and especially hybrid ICE dominates. EREV is the only hope for mass market acceptance of “electric”, BEV’s like 8-track tapes will be a novelty relegated to the dust bin of history. Hybrid ice is cheaper and yields great MPG, EREV is the best of both worlds and will rapidly be adopted — consumer and mfg subsidies be damned. Bookmark the post.

 

[MBCook]

Volvo or BMW?

Those would be my best guesses. Obviously depends on what’s out there. I have no idea how long it will be before I get a new car though. I don’t expect any problems on mine, so it’s probably down more to when I get an itch and have enough money I’m willing to part with.

I know Ford isn’t out of EVs, but I’m pissed at them. I trusted them and went through _really_ rough times with my car. The name meant something and I trusted them.

They built a too expensive truck that I think had questionable chances, and nothing else, and it didn’t do well enough, by whatever metric. They should have been working on something cheaper. The Bronco and Ranger have been hits. Aim at a similar sized or priced EV. The Model 3 sells great, compete with that! Make a ‘cool’ Bolt.

Nope, fall back to the obvious and questionable. Truck failed? Let’s make a truck! Can’t get out of their own way. Things got too hard and retreated to irrelevance.

So after years of saying they’re all in on EV‘s and totally committed and they’re not gonna give up on us… they ran. Then they cut back even more publicly to suck up. Ignoring what I think about _to who_ I have no respect for making business decisions based on sucking up, and I have no respect for being two faced by claiming to cut back on EVs and be moving forward on EVs.

It’s all mealy mouthed trash. I feel like I was lied to and abandoned. I believed in their vision and sat through a lot to be thrown out away when convenient.

It may not matter. Since they’re still working on trucks since they’re so scared of anything else, they may not even have a car I might like when the time came even if I liked them. I don’t want a truck. And if they haven’t made much MUCH bigger strides by then a new Mach E won’t be competitive in my mind.

Honestly I kinda respect Honda *more*. They’re being stupid as hell, but they seem consistent to me. It’s clear they never liked EVs and were doing things begrudgingly, and the instant any hiccup occurred they retreated to their standard position without getting far.

 

[Herbknowsit]

"So after years of saying they’re all in on EV‘s and totally committed and they’re not gonna give up on us… they ran. Then they cut back even more publicly to suck up. Ignoring what I think about _to who_ I have no respect for making business decisions based on sucking up, and I have no respect for being two faced by claiming to cut back on EVs and be moving forward on EVs.

It’s all mealy mouthed trash. I feel like I was lied to and abandoned. I believed in their vision and sat through a lot to be thrown out away when convenient."

I guess if I'd have gotten an early production MME with serious issues I'd be grumpy too. But I'm still in the Ford camp since after many years in the business world, I know what it's like to have the goal post moved on your offense and your key players hurt. Which is what happened to all the vehicle manufacturers with our regime change. Tasking the management team at Ford with being unable to predict or divine radical economic and political changes shows a lack of understanding of todays business world. Remember that Ford didn't take the bailout money and remember too all the money the Ford family has put into a Detroit rebuild. Ford CEO, Jim Farley has quietly volunteered for years in Detroit, at a shelter assisting the chronically unhoused. He provides both time and financial support, often serving meals and building relationships with guests. How many CEO's do you know that do this?
Yes, Ford needs better QC and better trained dealerships. But they are a solid company that will be back in the forefront of future vehicles regardless of what form they take. Bashing them for having to change course to keep their employees and suppliers alive seems really harsh.

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