Daily Recap: Wednesday, March 25, 2026
31 episodes · If you only listen to one: Montana Plate Crackdown, Porsche GT Price Manipulation & Tesla’s Cybercab — Full Throttle Talk
Wednesday's shows spent time on Honda's $16 billion EV write-off and whether rising gas prices are actually pushing buyers toward electric vehicles. The lineup also included Scott Speed's path from karting to Formula 1, a 1968 Chevelle SS convertible purchase story, and Toyota's TRD Desert Runner truck competing with the Ranger Raptor and similar performance offerings.
Gas Prices Pushing Buyers Toward EVs
High fuel prices are triggering significant increases in consumer interest for electric and hybrid vehicles across multiple markets, first covered Sunday 2026-03-15.
In Australia, petrol prices reaching $3.15 per liter for premium diesel are prompting vehicle purchasers to seek EVs, while in the U.S., searches for EVs and hybrids on CarMax jumped 12.8% between March 2nd and 22nd as gas prices rose following geopolitical tensions.
Van Blommestein on AU Dealers, Crowell on FTC Warning, Beaty on Car Law | Daily Dealer Live
"Between March 2nd and March 22nd, searches for EVs and hybrids on CarMax, it jumped 12.8% compared to the prior month, tracking with the rise in gas prices we've been following since the Iran conflict began."
EV Demand Surges as Petrol Prices at $3/L in Australia | TrueEV Update
"You're paying three dollars fifteen — I saw that today on the roads — three dollars fifteen a liter for premium diesel."
Headlines
Honda's EV Strategy Retreat Hits $16 Billion
Honda announced the cancellation of its next generation electric vehicles and is writing off nearly $16 billion invested in EV development, first covered Thursday 2026-03-19.
The Afeela joint venture with Sony, revealed at CES in 2023 to produce low volume, high-end EVs, has been shut down as Honda and Sony halt development of their planned North American electric vehicles.
"Honda announced it was canceling its next gen EVs and writing off nearly sixteen billion dollars invested to make electric cars."
Episode Spotlights
Scott Speed: Red Bull, F1, and Why He Left the Driver's Seat
On Red Bull's plan to create an American Formula One team:
"Red Bull had this idea that they wanted to create an American Formula One team. And funny enough, it was also with Ford because Red Bull was looking to buy the Jaguar F1 team."
A No-Reserve Mecum Bid Turns Setback Into A Dream Convertible
On targeting a specific car at Mecum Auctions no-reserve sale:
"We went to Mecum — I looked online first and picked out the car I wanted. It came up during lunchtime, no reserve. We bid on it and I got it for $42,000. Well, you got to pay them 10% in an auction fee."
S3, E84 - Have You Heard? Truck News!
On Toyota's new TRD Hammer trademark filing:
"On March 10th, my birthday, thank you very much, Toyota filed a U.S. trademark for the name TRD Hammer."
March 25, 2026 | Toyota's Mark Templin on tariff pressure, price hikes; Honda, Sony nix Afeela EVs
On Honda canceling its zero-series EVs alongside Toyota's tariff concerns:
"Honda scrapped plans for two of its zero-series EVs. It said it would book up to almost $16 billion in charges."
If You Only Listen To One
Montana Plate Crackdown, Porsche GT Price Manipulation & Tesla’s Cybercab
Covers Montana's crackdown on out-of-state registration schemes, Porsche GT market pricing and whether flippers are undermining authenticity, and Tesla's Cybercab timeline. A good mix of regulatory, collector market, and future tech topics in one tight episode.
By the Numbers
Most-Discussed Cars
| Car | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Corvette | 5 |
| Toyota Prius | 5 |
| Ford Ranger | 4 |
| Ford Explorer | 4 |
| Ford Mustang | 4 |
| Porsche 911 | 4 |
| Honda Civic | 4 |
| Ford Bronco | 4 |
Trending Terminology
| Term | Mentions |
|---|---|
| EV | 5 |
| lifted | 2 |
| tariffs | 2 |
| suspension | 2 |
| horsepower | 2 |
| odometer | 2 |
31 episodes. 304 car mentions. 704 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.