Data-driven marketing uses customer and prospect data to decide who to contact, what to say, and when to say it. In auto retail, this can improve conversion rates by matching offers to buyer intent.
Stellantis is a large multinational automaker formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group. In this segment, it’s referenced in a lighthearted story about employees and parking tickets, but it anchors the broader industry news context.
A mass market vehicle is aimed at regular buyers, not just luxury customers. They’re saying the new battery tech is being targeted at everyday affordability.
MG is a car brand that’s trying to sell more cars. The idea is that making a lot of vehicles helps lower costs, especially for things like EV materials.
The Wall Street Journal is a well-known business newspaper. Here, it’s being used as the source for the story’s details about what happens to people who keep breaking the parking rules.
Immobilized means the car is prevented from moving. In this case, it’s described as a punishment for repeatedly parking in a way that violates the company’s rules.
EV prices are the sticker price and effective cost of electric vehicles, which can be heavily influenced by incentives like tax credits and by supply-chain or policy changes. When incentives disappear, EVs can become less affordable relative to gas cars, affecting sales mix.
Edmunds is a website that studies car prices and trends. When they comment on the market, it usually means they’re using real pricing and sales information.
“Due for service” refers to drivers whose maintenance schedule or service interval is approaching. This is valuable for dealer marketing because service visits can lead to vehicle retention, upgrades, and future sales.
“Near-market shoppers” are people who aren’t buying right this second, but they’ll probably shop soon. Dealers target them early so they’re remembered when the time comes.
Sony Honda Mobility is a partnership between Sony and Honda to build electric cars. They’re deciding to cancel some EV plans, which shows the market is tougher than expected.
“EV models” refers to electric vehicle models in a manufacturer’s lineup. The segment connects Afeela cancellations to earlier Honda EV model cancellations, implying similar market pressures (demand, pricing, and competition) were at play.
They’re specifically talking about the United States. Honda may keep EV plans elsewhere, but in the US they’re saying there won’t be EVs after the current ones.
Concept
JV
A JV is when two companies team up to work on something together. They share the work and the risk instead of doing it all alone.
“Wind it down” and “disband” describe a staged or complete exit from a joint venture—often after canceling key product programs. Companies may use softer language (“under review”) while they work through legal, financial, and operational steps to end the JV.
Infotainment is the car’s touchscreen and software for things like music, maps, and phone features. The idea here is that Sony’s infotainment work could still be used elsewhere.
Sensors are hardware devices that collect data about the vehicle’s surroundings and internal systems (for example, cameras, radar, lidar, or other measurement units). The segment suggests Sony could contribute sensor know-how or components to a new Honda software system.
Car
Honda
Honda is the automaker being discussed—specifically how its business decisions affect dealers and its EV-related strategy. The key point is that Honda’s choices are changing the competitive landscape for existing dealerships.
Car
Nissan
Nissan is brought up as a company that leaned into electric vehicles earlier than others. The point is to compare how different automakers are behaving now.
Car
Toyota
Toyota is described as a “laggard” earlier in the EV push, but the segment says Toyota is now expanding its EV lineup. This sets up the idea that the competitive EV momentum among Japanese automakers has shifted.
A multi-pathway approach means the company is not relying on just one type of powertrain. Instead, it plans to offer several options, like hybrids and electric cars. That helps it adjust as customer preferences and rules change.
EV stands for battery-electric vehicle, meaning the car is powered primarily by an electric motor and a large battery. In the transcript, EVs are discussed as one component of a broader “powertrain puzzle,” rather than the only solution.
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Welcome to Daily Drive.
For Thursday, March 26th, 2026,
I'm Kellan Walker in Las Vegas.
Today on the show, U.S. auto sales are heading
for a rough first quarter.
MG Motor brings semi-solid state batteries
to Europe's mass market
and Stellantis workers face parking tickets
for driving the wrong brand.
Plus, automotive news Asia editor Hans Grimel
talks about Sony Honda Mobility's decision
to cancel its Affila EV models.
Without the cars, it's hard to imagine
where this joint venture is going to go.
Although they say it's under review,
I think that is just a way of camouflaging
or putting some window dressing on the idea
that they're discussing ways to wind it down completely
and disband it.
Let's run through all the news you need to know
to keep up in the auto industry.
U.S. auto sales are heading for a rough first quarter
and it's not hard to see why.
March sales are expected to drop 15% compared to last year
when shoppers were rushing to beat President Trump's tariffs.
First quarter sales overall could fall 6.5%.
That's according to Cox Automotive, JD Power,
and Global Data.
The culprits, high prices, the Iran War,
and the end of federal EV tax credits.
We'll have more on this story in a minute
with our own Michael Martinez.
MG Motor is bringing semi-solid state battery technology
to Europe this year.
It will come in its budget friendly MG4 EV Urban.
MG is flipping the playbook with this model
instead of debuting the tech in a luxury car or SUV,
MG is putting it straight into a mass market vehicle.
The battery uses just 5% liquid electrolyte
compared to 20% in conventional batteries,
making it safer and more durable.
MG says going for volume first solves a key problem,
being able to afford the volume of materials needed.
It's a strategy that could accelerate cost reductions
and heat up Europe's EV price war.
And some Stellantis workers who have been called back
to the office recently are getting an unpleasant surprise
in the parking lot.
They're getting tickets for driving the wrong brand.
The automaker is enforcing rules that ban competitors' vehicles
from premium parking spots at its Auburn Hills, Michigan headquarters.
The catch?
Lots for non-Stellantis cars have shrunk and often fill up.
The Wall Street Journal reports repeat offenders
could have their vehicles immobilized.
Meanwhile, GM and Ford have mostly dropped
these restrictions for office workers.
And those are today's headlines.
You can find more details on all those stories at AutoNews.com.
Our own Michael Martinez has been covering
the Q1 auto sales outlook for automotive news.
Mike joins me now to talk more about what's ahead.
Mike, welcome back to Daily Drive.
Thanks, Kel.
So, co-host, what are the biggest hurdles right now for the market?
Well, how long do you have?
There's a lot, but I guess if you had to boil it down quickly,
it would be affordability from any number of angles.
We're talking about still rising transaction prices.
You have affordability concerns in terms of gas prices
that are continuing to go up because of the war in Iran.
And you have higher EV prices because of a lack of federal tax credits
that exist anymore.
So, customers are getting pinched.
And we're seeing that in terms of the numbers.
It's a really bad comp compared to last year
because this is the time everybody was rushing out
to get their vehicles before the tariffs hit.
So, year-to-year, horrible numbers.
But if you do take 2026 on its own,
still not necessarily that bad.
There is some resilience in the market.
But as Jessica Caldwell at Edmunds put it,
customers aren't really splurging anymore.
They're making much more practical purchases because of the prices.
So, down numbers, still some resiliency,
maybe not the worst story in the world.
Well, what's the outlook for the rest of the year?
And are there too many factors that could change
in the coming months to make a solid prediction?
For a question like this,
you sort of have to turn to the experts like Edmunds,
like Cox Automotive, JD Power,
and they are all holding steady with their projections.
They're calling for sales of around $16 million,
give or take a couple $100,000.
That's not that bad.
And I know I think JDP's numbers went down
about $100,000 earlier in the year,
but they held steady as of their first quarter update.
But we don't really know.
It's only the end of March, beginning of April.
And as we know, a lot's already happened this year.
Who knows how long this conflict in the Middle East could last.
If it is prolonged and those prices do stay high,
you could see customers staying home
or maybe flocking more to EVs.
So, a lot of unknowns even with tariffs still,
given the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.
And you never know what Trump's going to try next
in terms of imposing new levies.
So, a lot still to be determined,
but for now holding steady around $16 million.
Again, not the worst in the world.
That would be a fairly strong year.
Well, if it's one thing, it's always something else.
Mike, thank you so much for joining me.
Thanks, Bill.
You can hear more from Mike
on our Weekend Drive edition of the show,
available Saturday morning.
Coming up, our own Hans Grimel talks about
Sony Honda Mobility's decision
to cancel its Afila EV program.
That's next on Daily Drive.
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best dealerships to work for program.
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Welcome back to Daily Drive.
I'm Kellyn Walker.
Sony Honda Mobility is the latest to toss out
planned EV models after the loss of federal tax credits
and slow demand here in the U.S.
The joint venture canceled its first two
Affila electric vehicles
just months before the first model
was supposed to reach customers in California.
Automotive news Asia editor Hans Grimel
spoke with Daily Drive executive producer Jake Nier
about what went wrong with the Affila project
and what it signals about the broader challenges
facing automakers trying to crack the EV market.
Jake reached Hans at his home office in Tokyo.
Hans, always great to have you here on Daily Drive.
Thanks again, Jake.
So maybe help me understand my own reaction to this news.
I told myself in my head,
I was like, you shouldn't be surprised by this.
But for some reason, it felt surprising
to read this this morning.
Maybe that it was something I wasn't expecting to happen now.
Maybe it's the timing of it.
But it's interesting because we've been hearing about Affila
for so long and they've had these big splashy reveals,
even as recently as just a couple months ago feels like.
Make sense of it, Hans.
Right. Well, I think the industry and the Honda Watchers
were waiting for this other shoe to drop
ever since CEO Mibe announced earlier this month
that it was canceling the three EVs for the United States
and really pulling back from its EV first kind of approach.
That was a reversal of a Honda's long time strategy of going completely,
doing away with combustion engines
and going completely electric by the 2040.
It was a very advanced, aggressive approach
for a Japanese automaker.
Although at the time it said it was pulling back
from its own EVs, it didn't mention anything
about a Sony Honda mobility.
And so we're waiting, I think most people were expecting
some kind of fallout to happen for the JV as well.
Yeah, and this also has implications for Honda's production,
even here in the US, that the Affila One Sedan
was slated to be built here in the US.
What does that mean in terms of the Honda's strategy
building where they're selling to steal a term from Toyota?
Well, the Sony Honda mobility was supposed to bring together
these two iconic Japanese brands, Sony, Honda,
known worldwide at least at one time
for their cutting edge technologies
and to bring the best of both worlds together
and rekindle Japan's prowess for things like the Walkman
or the Sony PlayStation or the Honda Civic
or the Acura NSX or something like that.
These are kind of the power plays
that we were kind of imagining to come out of Affila.
But you know, the car was very expensive.
The entry model was priced at around $90,000.
It eclipsed at $100,000, I think, in one of the upper trims.
At those prices, I don't think you could expect
big volumes for this.
So although it was going to be made in the United States,
these Affila vehicles, I don't think Honda,
it was going to be padding out a lot of Honda extra volume.
So the impact to Honda is really under question.
They never really committed to a volume target
for the Affila brand in the first place.
And by all estimates,
it was expected to be rather limited and meager volumes.
Yeah, you're right that it's the same market conditions
that led to Honda cancelling those three EV models earlier
that led to this.
But as you mentioned,
this is a little bit of a different segment, right?
This is more in the luxury segment.
What does this say about Honda's sort of,
is this just a full-on retreat
that we shouldn't expect them to change course
in terms of powertrain anytime soon?
Well, I don't think it's a full-on retreat.
They're still committed to electric vehicles in the long run.
They're keeping a couple of electric vehicles
still on the workbench here.
They've got a zero series
that they're still keeping for India and Japan, I believe,
and they still have some smaller EVs
that they're hoping to sell in the Japan market and elsewhere.
But for the US market,
this is really kind of,
you know, they don't have any EVs anymore after this.
So it's a full retreat,
I would say from the US EV market for the time being.
And what we'll see instead is a doubling down
on their hybrid powertrains.
In fact, they have a new next generation hybrid powertrain
coming out around 2028.
They just have to get to that point
in order to cash in on this new technology.
You mentioned the relationship in the JV between Honda and Sony now.
They didn't announce anything about dissolving the JV.
So what is the likely outcome of that relationship
and can something be salvaged out of it?
Right. Well, this was a JV started back in 2022.
And, you know, there was a lot of ballet who around it
kind of teased plans for three vehicles.
A Fila one, which is a sedan.
And then the next car would be kind of a compact crossover.
And then they maybe perhaps a third vehicle,
which would be a larger crossover.
They've announced that they're canceling at least the first two cars,
development of them and sales plans.
So without the cars,
it's hard to imagine where this joint venture is going to go.
They say it's under review.
I think that is just a way of
camouflaging or putting some window dressing on the idea
that they're discussing ways to wind it down completely and disband it.
How it might limp on into the future is unclear without the cars.
Perhaps Sony could they could keep this joint venture alive
and Sony could contribute its infotainment technology
or its sensors or something to a new software system
that Honda can use in its hybrids or using its other cars.
I can imagine that is one possibility.
So still kind of taking something from Sony's contribution
and using it in Honda's non EV vehicles.
You mentioned in your piece that dealers were very critical of a Fila
for many reasons.
What has been their reaction to this news?
Well, I think the dealers are quite happy about this pullback of a Fila
and the cancellation at least for the time being in the United States.
It looks like this will be a long term permanent decision
and that would be I think fine with them.
The dealer association sued the companies in California
saying that Honda's factory decision to go with Sony and sell cars
puts them in direct competition with the existing Honda dealers
and therefore violates the franchise law.
So they had that lawsuit already on the books.
What happens to that next?
I don't know, but this Fila brand was no friend of the Honda dealer.
I'm also wondering about the status of electrification from Japanese
automakers generally speaking.
It does seem now that the early adopters, the Nissan's, the Honda,
I guess Honda counts as at least a more gung-ho about the electrification future.
And then Toyota was sort of the laggard as many people criticized them
if they were pro EV.
So now it seems like the tables have turned almost completely, right?
That Toyota is actually expanding their EV lineup
where these other automakers are essentially retreating,
at least like you said, in the US.
Well, you're right.
Toyota is taking really took its multi-pathway approach to heart.
That's been its guiding principle or North Star for its powertrain strategy.
It never says it's anti-EV or against EVs,
but it sees EVs as just one piece of its puzzle, powertrain puzzle.
And it was late in putting that piece into the overall jigsaw puzzle, if you will.
But now that it has that piece ready and is putting it into the puzzle,
it has a full offering of all different kinds of powertrains
to be able to switch flexibly back and forth.
And now we're seeing it being able to dial up EVs when it wants to.
Of course, its prime moneymaker or golden cow here is the hybrid technology,
and that's not going away anywhere soon.
But unlike a lot of automakers that put all its eggs into the EV basket,
Toyota remains a little bit spread out and stable with different assets in different places.
Hans Grimel is Asia Editor for us at Automotive News.
Hans, as always, great reporting. Thank you so much for joining us.
Thanks a lot, Jake. Have a good day.
We found that there wasn't a lot of good data around how many schools
that were out there with automotive programs and even going state by state.
It was a little concerning that we just have no idea what the education system is putting out.
We'd love to hear from you.
Let us know what you think of the show and the topics we cover today.
Send us an email at dailydrive at autonews.com or leave us a voicemail at 313-444-2774.
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About this episode
Rough U.S. Q1 sales are in focus, with Cox Automotive/JD Power/Global Data pointing to a 6.5% drop overall as affordability bites: higher prices, gas costs tied to the Iran war, and the end of federal EV tax credits after a tariff-fueled 2025 sprint. MG brings semi-solid-state batteries to Europe’s mass market via the MG4 Urban, aiming to cut electrolyte use and accelerate cost reductions. Stellantis enforces “wrong brand” parking rules. Sony Honda Mobility cancels Affila EVs, signaling how luxury pricing, weak demand, and policy shifts are forcing automakers toward hybrids and flexible strategies.
