Being a popular car brand means, typically, developing a next generation car almost as soon as the one you just designed gets out the door. Does that make sense? People are keeping their cars longer, and modern cars are generally very good.
I’m sure Honda would like to refresh its current lineup of vehicles. I’m sure Honda also would like to have back the billions it poured into EV development. If you can’t change the past, at least you can hope to change the future. That’s what Honda is trying to do, but it ain’t happening overnight.
Your humble Morning Dump author meets a fair number of celebrities in this line of work, but I’m not one to brag. I did meet Serena Williams last year and she was an absolute delight. Now, she’s getting her own Lincoln, and it’s as charming as she is. Oh, and guess who helped it come to life?
There are more tariff threats and, honestly, this is all getting pretty exhausting, so I’ll keep it brief. In less exhausting news, the Kia EV6 isn’t a bad little electric car, and now it’s way more competitively priced. I’d still probably buy a used one, but the delta between new and used has gotten a lot smaller.
I Hope You Like The Odyssey, Because It’ll Be Mostly The Same Odyssey For A While
The EV hype cycle led a bunch of companies to make a bunch of weird decisions, many of which collided with both market realities and a sudden shift in government priorities. Honda tried to hedge its bets a little by having GM build its first large scale EV project. That worked until it didn’t.
Instead of putting a lot of time and money into developing a V6 AWD hybrid system, Honda poured billions into EV projects it would eventually cancel. Toyota, on the other hand, put a lot of its cash into developed various hybrid platforms, including an AWD system for larger vehicles. Looking at the market, Honda has, essentially, four hybrids whereas Toyota has nearly 30.
You can see where this is going, and Automotive News has the update you were probably expecting:
Honda, in a supplier memo reviewed by Automotive News, said it will extend production of the Odyssey, Accord and HR-V, as well as the Acura MDX and Integra.
Next-generation models of the nameplates won’t arrive until the end of the decade at the earliest, according to the memo.
Honda confirmed the content of the memo.
The last Odyssey got approximately seven years before redesigns. At this rate, the current Odyssey may go as long as 13 years. The Kia Carnival is relatively new and has a hybrid. The Toyota Sienna is newer and has an AWD hybrid version. Only the Pacifica is older.
I like the Odyssey, obviously, and perhaps the extension of the platform means that Honda can offer it at an increasingly competitive price? Maybe that’s true of the other vehicles in the lineup that are also aging?
As one dealer points out to AN, it’s not quite that simple:
“New product drives new consumers to the brand and reinvigorates existing loyalists,” the dealer said. “When we extend the product cycle beyond the standard five-year period, the product tends to start getting stale, and you start seeing defections.”
There’s an obvious solution here. Our pal Bisi already pointed out that you can make a manual, Type R Odyssey minivan. You know Toyota isn’t going to do it. In fact, no one else is going to do it. The Honda is already the best-handling minivan in the class by a large margin, so why not make a fun halo model for a little while?
It’ll make everyone happy. Everyone. Well, it’ll make me happy, but I’m a Honda owner!
[Ed Note: I think family cars can be old, as long as they’re safe. Families just need seats and a low asking price, which is why the Dodge Journey did so well late into its life and why the Durango is still crushing it after 15 years. -DT].
Serena Williams Got A Custom Navigator From Lincoln And Galpin Auto Sports
It was a big deal when Lincoln poached Christine Park Cheng from Cadillac to head up the luxury brand’s design direction. I’m not sure if getting to work with Serena Williams to build a 1-of-1 Lincoln Navigator was one of the perks the company offered, but after hanging out briefly with Williams at Pebble Beach last year, I definitely get why that would be persuasive.
Celebrities and large Ford SUVs go together historically, and while this one might not be as brash as the Flexpedition, it’s far more tasteful:
The vehicle was customized by Galpin Lincoln in Los Angeles, a partner with a long history of offering customization and personalization options to Lincoln clients. The result is a luxurious one-of-a-kind Navigator that reflects Serena’s individuality, strength, and grace.
Serena shared that she has always loved three things: pink, hearts,
and roses. Our Brand-on-Vehicle Design Team created an elegant rose symbol, with one petal shaped like a heart, to merge her favorites together. The symbol appears on the B-pillar and as well as on the rear Split Gate.
Oh, hey, Galpin Lincoln? That means the folks at Galpin Auto Sports who did this bespoke work of art are also the same people who helped lift our Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. I wonder if this means they’ll be open to my super bespoke Ford Tempo project…
If there’s a feature I like best it’s the Clay Court interior, which is not a color I’d have imagined would work as well as it does.
If you can touch it or see it, GAS did something to make it a little extra special. You know… Ford did end up selling the Flexpedition. Perhaps a Serena Edition Navigator?
If I Had A Nickel For Every Tariff Threat…
Here’s hoping you’re not trying to import a European-built car in the near future, because the President has raised tariffs by 25% again.
“I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States,” Trump said Friday in a social media post. “The Tariff will be increased to 25%.”
Trump said the levies would not apply to automobiles built in US facilities. “It is fully understood and agreed that, if they produce Cars and Trucks in U.S.A. Plants, there will be NO TARIFF,” the president said.
President Trump didn’t explain what, exactly, the EU has done. The EU has moved slowly to pass a final deal and is still working through some finer points, but moving slowly is the EU’s whole thing. It would be like getting upset that I chose a TMD song of the day featuring a woman with a guitar.
The New Kia EV6 Is Now Under $40k, Delivered
Kia dropped the EV6 GT for 2026 which, having driven it and the GT-Line, is totally fine. A super-fast EV6 was fun, but a regular GT6 is quick enough for most people. Kia also dropped the price.
Without the destination charge, the new EV6 is $37,900 for the Light SR RWD, which is $5,000 cheaper than the 2025 MY car. Even better, the Long Range RWD is just $41,200, which is also $5,000 cheaper.
Did Kia jack the destination charge a bunch to make up for it? Kia did not! The new destination is just $1,545, or a mere $70 more than last year (with fuel prices, that seems reasonable). Obviously, the $7,500 tax credit is gone, but if you’re buying and not leasing the lower base price is probably better.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
This was apparently a thing on TikTok last year and I missed it, mostly because I’m an Unc. Elizabeth Nichols has had me laughing this weekend with “I Got A New One.” So much modern country music is bad. This is good, with a real Robert Earl Keen energy I love. Also, the video has a half-ton of great trucks.
The Big Question
Do we care that platforms are lasting longer?
Top photo: Honda
I think it is fine for mature platforms that have very little improvement potential to be old, but to go along with that, new platforms of entirely new types need to be developed. Honda using the same old platform for ICE vehicles would be no big deal, if they had been developing a new platform that would support the electrified Odysseys, Ridgelines, Pilots, etc that many commenters here keep asking for. Old platforms are fine, but having only old platforms and nothing new is a failure.
There are some people who are really happy with their vehicles and would love to buy the exact same thing new when their current vehicle wears out. If VW were to offer me the exact same 2018 Golf (even new old stock) in five years or so, I’d buy it. There’s nothing wrong with the design or engineering of that car. It’s definitely better than what they replaced it with. Especially in terms of ergonomics.
Honda needs to offer a 4-cylinder Odyssey. Offer the K24 for non-hybrid models, and the hybrid would be the 2.0 hybrid they already use in other cars. Also make them available on the Pilot and Ridgeline.
The Civic Si and base Integra should use the 250 hp 2.0T from the previous gen Accord.
Not quite. Toyota did spend billions adding hybrids to all their bread and butter vehicles. They also spent billions developing new EVs. The difference between Honda and Toyota is that Toyota didn’t cancel them at the last minute.
Today Toyota has the BZ, larger BZ Woodland and C-HR. The BEV Highlander is coming for 2027. Lexus has the RZ and ES and a 3 row electric crossover on the way. So 7 BEVs from Toyota for the USA + the clones they sell as Subarus.
Toyota is not a company avoiding EVs – they are a company quickly make a hybrid the standard choice for a gas powered vehicle.
By what authority? Even the wildly corrupt Supreme Court ruled his tariffs were unconstitutional. Last I heard he had implemented new tariffs via some other mechanism (which may also be illegal but wasn’t covered by this ruling), but it didn’t allow per-country tariffs so he couldn’t use it to extort anyone in specific.
I know this gets into the political weeds more than you want, but it’s important context whether this is just Trump making idle threats that he can’t follow through on or an actual problem.
By the authority of “I do what I want”
Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The Supreme Court did not strike down Trump’s automotive tariffs nor other industry specific tariffs like the ones on raw materials.
The new tariffs that Trump added after the originals were struck down are authorized under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 with gives the President authority to levy temporary global tariffs. They must be global and apply to all countries equally, be no more than 15% and the expire in 150 days unless authorized by Congress.
This is why the EU is mad. They made a agreement for a trade deal with the USA last year. Then just they were in the process of ratifying that trade deal the USA applied a new 15% tariff to everything from the EU – in violation of the trade agreement before it was even signed.
The Section 122 tariffs break the terms of every trade agreement we have with other countries – which gives other countries no incentive to made trade deals since the USA has shown that we will not abide by deals that we sign.
Today the USA is an unreliable trade partner.
Thanks, that’s exactly the info I was looking for.
Let’s chill man. We can talk about this tomorrow on TACO Tuesday.
I’ll be honest: in terms of ride,handling, safety, most cars built in the last 15 years or so are exceptional. Modern cars will easily run 200k+ miles with minimal maintenance. Hybrid tech is now well proven and should be on all non-EV cars. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Yes, in the ’50s and ’60s Detriot draped new bodywork over the same old tired frame each year to make a “new” car.
50s and 60s? The last generation Crown Victoria is not amused.
Exactly, dad had a ’90 Town Car. New body on the same old frame and running gear. But Ford was not altering this car annually either.
Honda’s EV decisions were especially weird. IMO, they could’ve really differentiated themselves from the other legacy automakers and succeeded by simply developing EV versions of the CR-V, Accord, and perhaps Civic in a truly Honda fashion with minimal unnecessary gimmicks after their experience with the Prologue. Instead they sank billions into their ridiculous and impractical 0 Series Blade Runner knockoff cars and bombed.
Now Honda’s best chance for long term survival is belt tightening and hoping the Honda Odyssey becomes the Dodge Durango of minivans.
But the Pacifica is already there. Damn good vehicle TBF.
I think the world would generally be a better place if platforms stuck around longer. Now get off my lawn and let me yell at the clouds in peace!
Toyota actually does this well. They change the body stampings and interior every 5 years or so, but the actual underlying floorpan and suspensions run for 15 to 20. My old 2006 Camry had the same basic body structure as my current 2014.
If I Had A Nickel For Every Tariff Threat…
You would have more money than the average consumer looking for a tariff refund.