It remains absolutely wild to me that Acura doesn’t build their own version of my CR-V Hybrid, which seems exactly like what the market wants right now. The decision to double-down on EVs made advancing the company’s non-EV platforms a low priority. Honda’s parent company seems to recognize this and is now doubling down on the kind of big crossovers and hybrids that people are buying.
Having swapped Los Angeles for New York, I’m now contending with the reality that The Morning Dump comes three hours earlier, so I hope what I write makes sense (which isn’t a guarantee even when I’m awake). Acura is going to lead with ICE-based crossovers, though there’s still room for EV crossovers. Volvo had high hopes for its EX60, and now its dealers in the United States are going to be deprived of even that.
Everything is expensive, and the latest CPI report shows the biggest increases are coming from fuel costs. That doesn’t mean people can’t buy cars, it just means that lenders are going to have to be a little more flexible with credit.
The Acura XL Is A Pretty Good Name, Actually
Acura is teasing a bunch of new crossovers as it’s trying to recover from its own haphazard switch to EVs. The brand is actually selling decently well, as people are getting good deals on the ADX and MDX, which are both up a lot year-over-year.
Here’s the word from the company’s big press release touting these future vehicles:
- Acura will introduce new products in segments where the brand does not currently compete, building customer lifetime loyalty and attracting new buyers to the brand
- New Acura adventure-ready SUV set to arrive in the first part of 2028
- All-new fourth-generation Acura RDX, coming to market in 2028, will be first Acura model to feature the company’s award-winning two-motor hybrid-electric technology
- New Acura 8-passenger SUV – its largest ever – currently in development
- New V6 hybrid powertrain in development for Acura D-Segment models
What’s going on here?
“We are making a big commitment to Acura by delivering products and services that meet the needs of our customers at all life stages, which will create a sustainable long-term direction for the brand,” said Eiji Fujimura, president & CEO of American Honda. “The Acura business foundation is sharply focused on the needs of the customer, delivering new products that offer value for money on a premium level, and increasing our speed to market to ensure that our products are highly competitive and meet the latest market conditions.”
Neat. Let’s break this down as best as I can. The adventure-ready SUV is almost certainly a rebadged Honda Passport TrailSport. That’s a good truck, and with some beefy, SLX-inspired aesthetics maybe that could be a hit. In fact, I think Honda should call it the Acura SLX. A new fourth-generation Acura RDX is just the return of the recently discontinued model, this time with the hybrid it always deserved. The V6 hybrid is that same big hybrid that’ll go in all of Honda’s big vehicles (Passport, Odyssey, Pilot).
What about the largest ever SUV? Internally, this is called the Acura XL according to Automotive News, and I am here for that name. It’s probably not usable, so we’ll get some sort of other alphanumeric. Hear me out: the Passport-based model can be called the SLX, and the eight-seat version of the new three-row Honda can be the Acura XLX. Charlie XCX can be a part of the ad campaign.
This news also supports my theory that every new car is just going to be a big three-row hybrid crossover.
Volvo Has Screwed Up Yet Another Launch
If I’m in the bag for any automaker… it’s Škoda. If I’m in the bag for any automaker that sells cars in America, it’s probably Volvo. I have owned two of them in reality, and dozens in my dreams. I was sort of gently looking forward to the new Volvo EX60, which seems like a reasonably well-performing, attractive, competitively-priced EV crossover.
Of course, that’s how I felt about the EX30, and look how that turned out. As Automotive News reports, history is repeating itself again with the EX60:
Volvo Cars’ highly anticipated EX60 electric crossover is mired in a production crisis that’s likely to leave U.S. dealerships without “significant volume” deep into 2027.
The Swedish automaker had expected to sell about 7,000 EX60s in the U.S. this year, dealers told Automotive News in January.
Instead, two manufacturing problems have the company on track to deliver a fraction of that volume, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
That’s not going to leave Volvo dealers with much to sell.
Latest Inflation Report Is A Doozy
Above is the latest Consumer Price Index report from the Bureau of Labor Statics and, woof, it’s bad. Overall, un-adjusted inflation is up 3.7% year-over-year, and 0.6% over last month, which indicates that it’s accelerating. What’s getting more expensive? As you can see, energy costs are through the roof.
Gasoline of all-types is up 34.2%, and that’s not great, which is probably why used cars and trucks have seen a price drop (it’s the trucks). It’s almost like going to war in the Middle East while also putting up huge tariffs makes everything more expensive? I’m shocked.
The one line in here that’s absolutely terrifying is fuel oil. While fuel oil and diesel are different products, they’re similar enough that prices often move together. When it starts to get cold in the Northeast, just wait for people to absolutely freak out if something doesn’t change.
Sensing this might be politically inconvenient, President Trump has made a deal with Russian to release some of its stocks (which have been embargoed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine). Most Democrats and many Republicans have opposed this move, with Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence saying that “Paying [Russian President Vladimir] Putin blood money for fuel America already exports is wrong, illegal and stupid.”
Will it help fund Russian’s war? Probably. Will any of that oil come to America and make things appreciably cheaper? Probably not.
Auto Credit Availability Is Improving, But There’s A Catch
Two charts in one TMD? What is this, Christmas?
This is the Cox Automotive/Dealertrack Credit Availability Index, and it shows access to credit is still improving. This means that, if you’re a car buyer, it’s a little easier than it was a couple of years ago to finance a car. Is there a catch? Of course there’s a catch.
As vehicle prices have continued to rise this year, loan structure is where the pressure is showing up. Longer terms can lower the monthly payment, while smaller down payments and financing above a vehicle’s value reduce the cash borrowers need up front. All three moved further in that direction in September. Loans booked in September leaned more toward these structures than those booked in August, giving borrowers more ways to fit a vehicle into their budget.
This means more consumers underwater for longer, which is not terrible unless there’s some sort of economic collapse.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
I was watching Gilmore Girls with the kiddo this morning, and, what was that? Does Jess listen to Pavement? It seems like he listens to a lot of Pavement, including “Texas Never Whispers” off the Watery, Domestic EP, which is a reasonably deep cut. Dean would never.
The Big Question
What does Acura need to do?
Top photo: Acura
Why is it taking so long for Honda to have the big hybrids? There should already be a hybrid Ody, Pilot/Passport, and Ridgeline. And of course, the Acura versions.
Put the CR-V hybrid kit in the aforementioned big cars.
Acura needed hybrids yesterday. I’m really not sure how Honda, one of the premier manufacturers of hybrids, managed to fuck this up so badly across the board. Lexus and Toyota have had hybrid compact, mid sized, and large-ish crossovers for 10 years at this point and the European competitors have had PHEV options for about that long as well.
The Koreans have, somehow, beaten Honda to the punch on this too. I just don’t get it. They’ve been making hybrids for 30 years and were one of the first major manufacturers to offer them. I’ve said this many times, but hybrids becoming the mainstream/default option in appliance cars should’ve happened a decade ago.
Is it good that it’s happening now? Yes. Should we let the perfect get in the way of the good? No. But dear god, it should not have taken this long. Anyway I am a card carrying Acura apologist. I would not hesitate to recommend an Acura product and we may look at an MDX as our family hauler.
But for the average consumer I’m really not sure what they offer at this point. They’re less efficient than their rivals, they offer inferior performance to their rivals, they are several years behind all of the current trends (this is a plus for us sickos but a minus for the average luxury buyer), and they’re not really any cheaper either.
An up badged CRV hybrid would offer something unique. As would a hybrid Integra and/or ADX. Hell we would buy a hybrid Pilot or MDX tomorrow if they were available…but they aren’t, and on top of all that Honda and Acura’s only EV is already dead and was a rebadged GM product. I know that product development cycles are long, most of the volume Acura products are made in the US which complicates manufacturing, etc.
But the fact that they don’t have EVs OR hybrids in 2026 is absolute lunacy. How do you fuck up that badly when you were one of the companies leading the charge on electrification before it was cool? The only unique thing Acura currently offers is a manual transmission. It’s only available in a single model and the people that actually buy, or more accurately lease, these vehicles don’t give a shit about rowing their own gears.
Acura has the respect and admiration of a lot of enthusiasts, but unfortunately we don’t buy new cars.
How come the lead picture is an Isuzu?
because it’s faster than a speeding, well, you know 😛
That is the Pavement song I most hate the least. Thanks for the deep cut.
And thanks for your efforts to put out TMD on time–I know there are literally dozens of us that can’t start our day without it!
TBQ: Stop using the stupid freaking alphanumerics. I would love to see real data that shows those improve recognition and sales volume over names. Even my car friends have trouble remembering which is which because they are so meaningless. The only auto trend worse than alphanumeric naming is the impact Tesla has had on interiors.
I despise my neighbors that still use heating oil. Love choking on burning oil emissions when walking the dog. Just take the incentives and get a heat pump already.
He’s waiting for you to get so fed up that you buy it and have it installed for him.
He’s cleverer than I thought. A worthy adversary…
Honestly, Acura needs to hybridize (Why they haven’t offered a hybrid Integra is beyond comprehension) and introduce a new Legend sedan to slot above the Integra. The last-generation TLX was too cramped for its size and felt a bit dated practically from its introduction. The slate of updated SUVs is smart, but I would love to see a sporty minivan based on that platform as well. They’d sell dozens!
I have a longstanding craigslist alert for SLXs, I should probably grab one before they get too much rarer
They should rebrand and upgrade Honda cars. Not sure what more needs to be done.
They could upgrade and rebrand Honda motorcycles?
“Paying [Russian President Vladimir] Putin blood money for fuel America already exports is wrong, illegal and stupid.”
Maybe remove the stipulation that only American flagged ships can travel between US ports so we can ship petrolumium products between Texas/Louisiana and both coasts.
The Jones Act has been paused for months.
First off, I didn’t read that in the Morning Dump, and that’s where I get all my business news. Second, there is no way the shipping industry can move that fast to re-route ships, as it would cost more money, and all they care about is making money. My comment is more to permanently remove some restrictions on the act.
I agree with you that they should, but the fact remains that the option has been available since March and prices still are what they are.