A Nissan executive has again cast doubt on the IDx Freeflow‘s chances of making it to production.
After taking a closer look at the challenges in transitioning the IDx from a show car to a production vehicle, the company has determined that it could not be built upon an existing rear-wheel-drive platform.

“So, for us, it would mean developing a different rear-wheel drive platform and then we are bumping into the same obstacles every other automaker has: the volumes of a small, sporty car are not enough to justify the investment,” Nissan North America product planning VP Pierre Loing told The Truth About Cars.

The executive rejected the possibility of downsizing the 370Z’s platform, which is designed for “much larger powertrains,” however the company has left open the possibility of borrowing the IDx’ retro-theme design for a different model that could be cheaper to develop.

“That kind of retro 510 inspired design was very well received in Japan and in the US, and to some extent in Europe as well,” Loing noted. “So, yeah, that could be an option – among other ones, it could be an option.”

The IDx has been the subject of numerous conflicting rumors in the past year. Some reports suggest it will tone down its retro styling and add elements consistent with the design language of the Sport Sedan Concept or the new Murano, emerging as a larger coupe that shares its platform with the next Z.

Determined to break its stigma as a maker of bland automobiles, Toyota is said to be prepping a radical open-wheel sports car concept for this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.
We’ll have to wait until October to see if the concept actually comes to fruition, but it is being reported that Toyota is developing a light-weight sports car in the same vein as the Lotus Seven. The open-wheel sports car is reportedly being championed by Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, who also spurred development of the Scion FR-S and Lexus RC.

According to Australia’s Motoring, the dedicated sports car will stretch about 12-feet in length and will weigh just north of 1,500 pounds. The unnamed sports car, which will use carbon fiber for most of its construction, is also tipped to feature a unique 1+2 seating arrangement not unlike the McLaren F1.

Power for the three-seater will be provided by a 1.5L four-cylinder paired with an electric hybrid drive. Total output will be around 100 horsepower, which should scoot the lightweight car around just fine. Unfortunately, a continuously variable transmission might be the only gearbox on offer.

If the reaction to the concept is favorable, a production version of the car might launch as soon as 2018. A price point of $30,000 has been mentioned, but it’s a little too early to nail down a specific figure.

Mazda, Mitsubishi and Subaru have issued another round of airbag recalls, following Takata’s acknowledgement of defects in approximately 34 million vehicles.
The three Japanese automakers are collectively recalling approximately 710,000 vehicles globally, according to a Reuters report.

Nearly half of the vehicles were sold in Japan, including approximately 112,000 Mazda vehicles, 91,000 Subaru Imprezas and 100,000 Mitsubishi vehicles. The remaining units, all included in the Mitsubishi campaign, were sold in overseas markets.

Takata’s latest announcement is expected to spark another wave of recalls from most major automakers. The 34 million recalled vehicles represents nearly one in seven vehicles registered in the US, based on a vehicle population estimate from 2012.

The defective airbag inflators, which sometimes explode with too much force, have been blamed for at least six deaths due to shrapnel injuries. Investigators are still attempting to determine a root cause, though humidity intrusion is believed to be the culprit.

Porsche has issued another precautionary recall for its flagship 918 Spyder.
The German automaker has discovered a problem with the radiator fan’s electric wiring harness, which can be damaged by a carbon-fiber component. The cause was identified after the company received several inquiries, though it is unclear if harness failures have led to any more serious issues such as fires.

Owners of affected vehicles will be directly contacted by Porsche Cars North America to schedule a service visit. Wiring harnesses will be inspected and replaced or remounted to prevent damage.

The company suggests the issue affects 223 vehicles sold in the US market, including all units built before manufacturing processes were revised in April 2015 to prevent the problem.

The 918 Spyder was recalled last September to replace faulty rear control arms, and again in December to install a new chassis component. One of only 918 examples was destroyed in a fire at a gas station near Toronto, but the accident does not appear to have prompted any formal recall.

JD Power and LMC analysts are projecting a 2% growth in new-car retail deliveries in May.

According to Reuters analysts expect retail deliveries to hit 1.3 million for the month on a sales-day-adjusted basis.

Industry sales increased by just under 5% in April, a marked improvement over March, which was itself a little flat compared to January and February, where despite bad weather, many automakers were able to post noteworthy sales gains compared to 2014.

Analysts also expect the retail seasonally adjusted annualized selling rate (SAAR) to hit 14.1 million units–a rate the industry hasn’t seen since August of 2014, and one that matches last May’s.

Oregon is moving forward with its pilot program, known as OreGo, that will tax car owners based on mileage driven rather than gasoline consumption.
The initiative is said to be the first example in the country, likely to be replicated by other states as legislators attempt to protect against budget shortfalls from declining gasoline-tax revenue.

Proponents argue that a per-mile tax is a fairer way to collect revenue from drivers, requiring payments proportional to actual usage of the roads and infrastructure that is maintained via the collected revenue.

Drivers of electric vehicles currently pay no gas tax, and some argue that they should not have to. One Oregon EV owner told the Associated Press that a usage-based tax is “discriminatory,” while others argue that it would discourage wider adoption of green vehicles.

Scheduled to start July 1, the pilot program will involve up to 5,000 volunteers. Each will be provided with a GPS device to log mileage, taxed at a rate of 1.5 cents per mile. Drivers will still pay the gas tax at the pump, however they will receive a credit for the difference at the end of the month.

Mazda has launched a new advertising campaign, introducing the slogan “Driving Matters.”
The new messaging is said to be an extension of the Game Changers campaign, aiming to create an emotional connection to the brand. Individual advertisements will highlight different aspects of the driving experience, correlating each with focal features of Mazda vehicles.

“Through the Driving Matters campaign, consumers will get a glimpse at why driving matters so much to Mazda and why we obsess over every detail in designing our cars,” said MNA marketing VP Russell Wager. “Whether it’s for safety purposes or for maintaining our ‘fun to drive’ nature, it all comes down to the fact that driving matters to our customers and it matters to us.”

The first segment, titled “A Driver’s Life,” will show a driver’s significant life stages related to driving and vehicle ownership, such as getting a license, buying a first car, raising a family and finally receiving a ‘reward’ car.

The company suggests that its existing “Zoom Zoom” tagline will continue to serve in marketing material, though it will presumably take a back seat to the new Driving Matters slogan.

Honda has kicked off volume production for its redesigned Pilot crossover.
Unveiled earlier this year in Chicago, the third-generation Pilot brings a completely redesigned exterior. The boxy form has been dropped in favor of a more streamlined profile, adding an extra 3.5 inches overall length.

The interior has also been reimagined, with a modernized dashboard and a new eight-inch infotainment system. Materials have been upgraded and seating has been revamped for improved comfort.

The company notes that all three generations of the Pilot were designed in America at its Los Angeles design studio, developed at its Raymond, Ohio, R&D center and manufactured in Alabama.

“Our U.S.-based development team lives with the midsize family SUV everyday and we have applied our deep understanding into the development of this best ever, third-generation Pilot,” said Pilot development leader Marc Ernst. “We advanced Pilot’s dual-purpose character by increasing both family utility and personal sophistication to meet the needs of the driver and passengers in every dimension of their life.”

The new Pilot joins the CR-V and the recently launched HR-V crossover, which serves as a “gateway model” for the company’s SUV/CUV lineup. It will be built alongside the Odyssey minivan and eventually the all-new Ridgeline pickup, due to arrive early next year.

Prices for the 2016 Pilot start at $30,875 (including $880 freight). The first units will begin arriving in US showrooms next month.

Image by Brian Williams.

Following on the heels of Hyundai’s red-hot Sonata in 2011, the redesigned Kia Optima helped usher in a massive perception shift for the junior Korean brand.

With its replacement on the horizon, we arranged for a final drive with the midsizer that made a lot of enthusiasts take a second look at a company that hadn’t previously held a great deal of appeal.

What is it?

The Optima is Kia’s midsize sedan, riding on the same platform as (and sharing powertrains with) the Hyundai Sonata. Our 2015 tester is an exception in that Hyundai overhauled the Sonata for 2015 (Kia’s new Optima will be on sale later this year as a 2016 model year). You won’t find the Hyundai’s new 1.6L turbo-four under the hood of an Optima until the revised model appears, for example.

Our tester is a naturally aspirated SX model. That means it’s powered by a 2.4L Gasoline Direct Injection engine making 192 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque. Power goes to the front wheels only via a traditional, six-speed automatic transmission.

Inside and out
When the new Kia Optima debuted in 2011, it may not have made the same splash as its Hyundai platform mate, but it was still a hit. Its sporty but comparatively traditional styling drew the eyes of buyers who preferred a more conservative, almost European look.

Four years later, the outgoing Optima still looks fresh. The signature grille sits out front, setting the tone for a design that is light on curves. Small flourishes can be found here and there–the pronounced fender vents and split five-spoke wheels provide a hint of flash–but the bigger theme here is clean, sharp and sporty.

Inside, the story is similar. The look is functional and high-tech. The story here is feature content, as the Optima has it in abundance. Our tester’s optional SX Premium Technology Package adds an upgraded Infinity audio system, HD Radio, UVO eServices (Kia’s vehicle communications system), navigation, a rearview camera, driver’s seat memory, heated and cooled front seats, heated outboard rear seats and back-up/blind spot monitoring.

While the Optima’s touchscreen offers controls for just about all of those features. Kia opted to include redundant access to just about everything via traditional controls and knobs–a plus in terms of ease of access, but a minus in cleanliness. Kia managed to keep the button madness under control to an extent, but given how many different systems this car comes with, it’s virtually impossible to avoid at least some visual clutter.

Does it go?
The Optima is a mixed bag in the performance department. On the plus side, the 2.4L engine is plenty robust to move the Optima down the road. The tires are reasonably grippy and the Optima’s curb weight is a segment-average 3,300lbs (give or take). So, the Optima goes and sticks; what happens when the road turns curvy?

The SX boasts a sport-tuned suspension which manages to keep the body relatively well-controlled without too much of a ride penalty. That’s the good news. The bad? Steering feel. The road just doesn’t come through, and compounding the issue is a very artificial weight to the wheel itself. It’s not that it feels particularly under- or over-boosted, but the level of assist just doesn’t ever feel quite right.

This flaw forces the driver to rely on his or her eyes rather than physical feedback, taking away bandwidth that could normally be used to process other sensory information. Kia’s midsizer has the on-paper chops to keep pace with the sportier cars in the segment, but the driver would have to work much harder to do it. This has long been the Optima’s weakness, and hopefully one that will be resolved with the forthcoming revisions.

Looking ahead
While Hyundai decided to dial back the Sonata’s exterior design for its all-new look, Kia decided it was happy to make small, evolutionary changes rather than a sweeping overhaul. Put our 2015 tester next to the upcoming 2016 model, and you can see that Kia believes it already had a winning formula.

Under the skin, however, things are changing more drastically. The SX model we’re currently testing will cease to exist for 2016. The SX badge will be reserved for the two-liter turbo cars at the top of the range. A 1.6L turbocharged engine will sit in the middle of the lineup, boasting a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. While it will sport an LX badge, hopefully it will carry on the current SX’s legacy as the fun Optima for less money.

Leftlane’s bottom line
The 2015 Kia Optima is on its way out, but it’s still a competent, feature-rich package. The steering leaves a bit to be desired, but for the buyer who cares about bang-for-the-buck, the outgoing Optima is a steal.

2015 Kia Optima SX base price, $25,790; SX Premium Technology Package, $4,600; Cargo Mat, $95; Destination, $825