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Autoblog Podcast #317

Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota thinks of beefing up US production, Marchionne on Alfa, Dart and minivans, Ford Atlas concept, Honda Gear concept
Episode #317 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and Michael Harley bookend the other podcast topics with a pair from the Montreal Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Gear concept, and in between we talk about Toyota building all its US-market cars stateside, Hyundai building a Nurburgring test facility, Sergio Marchionne's latest words about Alfa Romeo, Dodge Dart powertrains and the future of Chrysler vans. Some chatter about the Ford Atlas concept finishes up the meat of the 'cast and then we wrap with your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #317:

Honda to show off conceptual new Ridgeline truck at SEMA

The SEMA show is coming up fast, and Honda is not about to miss out on the festivities. To that end, the Japanese automaker has announced a raft of customized vehicles it's bringing to the tuner expo in Vegas early next month. Potentially one of the most enticing debuts will be the Ridgeline Desert Race Truck. Following the preview sketch (seen above) of the next-gen pickup released at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year, the new concept is set to give us an even better glimpse at the 2017 model of the four-door, short-bed crossover pickup to come. The vehicle's debut will also mark the factory's return to off-road competition, which ought to come as a welcome development for racing fans. The Ridgeline won't be Honda's only debut at the SEMA show this year, however. There'll also be four modified versions of the HR-V compact crossover, each customized by a different American aftermarket firm, and custom takes on the CR-Z hybrid, Civic sedan, and Pilot crossover. Look for the Powersports and HPD divisions to showcase their latest at the event as well, while the Acura division does its own thing. Honda to Showcase Ridgeline Desert Race Truck Concept, HR-V Tuner Project Program, Refreshed 2016 CR-Z and more at 2015 SEMA Show Oct 23, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. - Honda Ridgeline Desert Race Truck to showcase design direction for all-new Ridgeline pickup debuting next year - HR-V project vehicles will bring extreme performance and personality to the compact crossover segment - Updated 2016 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe to make first appearance on North American soil - Honda Powersports hits show floor, including Moto GP Race Replica RC213V-S, Pioneer 1000 and more - Honda to once again host the Honda Soiree at Hakkasan Nightclub Honda will ignite the floor at the 2015 SEMA Show with a full portfolio of performance products, including race bikes, HR-V project vehicles, and the debut of the Ridgeline Desert Race Truck. The Ridgeline Desert Race Truck will offer a first look at the styling direction of the highly anticipated 2017 Honda Ridgeline pickup. The "racing Ridgeline" also marks Honda's re-entry into Honda Performance Development (HPD)-powered factory off-road racing. Also within the Honda display will be four Honda HR-V project vehicles, built in partnership with several highly creative U.S.-based automotive tuning houses.

Japanese earthquakes send ripples through auto industry

The earthquakes since April 14 in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu are having aftershocks on the US auto industry, particularly for Toyota. The company shut down most of its factories in the country due to parts shortages, and the plants will be closed at least through April 23. "Decisions regarding recommencement of operation at plants in Japan will be made on the basis of availability of parts," the company said in a statement. According to Automotive News, Toyota's closed factories include a vast range of popular models in the US, including the Toyota Prius, Mirai, RAV4, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Lexus ES, LS, IS, GS, RC, NX, RX, GX, and LX. The company's only sites in Japan that are still open build Hino trucks, Daihatsu models, and the Toyota Century limo. Toyota isn't yet sure whether these shutdowns could lead to vehicle shortages in the US. "As you can imagine, we are still reviewing the situation and working to learn more," company spokesperson Aaron Fowles told Autoblog. "While we know that production will be suspended in stages at most of our vehicle assembly facilities in Japan between April 18th and the 23rd, we do not know if they will continue production suspensions. Also, any effects to our inventory and/or sales have yet to be determined." He expects the automaker to know more in the coming days. Many of the affected Toyota plants aren't even in Kumamoto Prefecture, but major suppliers have factories in the region. For example, Aisin Seiki and Renesas Electronics both had to shutdown operations at plants in the area, according to Automotive News. Toyota isn't the only automaker affected. Nissan experienced a brief slowdown but was back to work on Monday, and Honda has suspended a motorcycle plant in the region until Friday. Mitsubishi had to close a production line due to the parts shortage, according to The Japan Times, but it didn't affect US models. "A supplier to our Mizushima plant has been impacted but they only supply an engine part for our mini car line. That line has been temporarily shut down due to that situation," spokesperson Alex Fedorak told Autoblog. "That same plant builds the Lancer and i-MiEv and there has been no impact to that line and production continues uninterrupted." Two major quakes hit Kumamoto Prefecture around Kumamoto city in the past week. The first on April 14 measured 6.4 magnitude, and a second on April 16 measured 7.3.