The Car Curious Weekly for April 26, 2026

The Car Curious Weekly is a look at what the automotive podcast world is talking about, who's saying it, and what patterns emerge when you listen to all of them at once.

April 19 - April 25, 2026 · 215 episodes across 151 podcasts.

This week brought exits, revivals, and new product bets across the EV and SUV markets.

Here are the three biggest storylines and where they showed up across the feed.

Sony and Honda Shelve Afeela EV Joint Venture, Pivot to AI and Software

Sony and Honda quietly killed the Afeela EV program, reassigning roughly 400 employees back to their respective parent companies.

The joint venture pivoted to developing an AI assistant and an audio system, according to Nikkei reporting.

From Kilowatt: A Podcast about Electric Vehicles:

"They went from probably spending billions of dollars on R&D for an EV only to turn that into an AI assistant and an audio system. I feel like they could have gone to SoundHound and saved themselves a lot of trouble and money."

Coverage was thin outside of EV-focused outlets. Kilowatt offered the sharpest take, framing the whole venture as billions spent on R&D only to produce what amounts to a glorified smart speaker.

Nissan Announces Xterra Revival Priced Under $40,000 with Aftermarket-Friendly Design

Nissan revived the Xterra nameplate, pricing the new model under $40,000, a significant jump from the original's entry-level ~$22,000 sticker but still competitive in the rugged SUV segment.

Unlike its unibody crossover stablemates, the new Xterra returned to a body-on-frame platform, positioning it directly against the Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX.

From Car Stuff Podcast:

"Toyota is making money selling the 4Runner. It's rough and tough, it works really well for Toyota. And they sell a Lexus version of that too. So these body-on-frame vehicles are probably a money opportunity for Nissan."

Coverage skewed toward the nostalgia angle, with Car Stuff Podcast drawing a direct line from the original Xterra's cool-factor and supercharged V6 to Toyota's ongoing success with the 4Runner as proof the body-on-frame market is real money.

Hyundai Unveils New Ioniq 3 Compact Electric Hatchback with 42/61 kWh Battery Options

The Ioniq 3 debuted at Milan Design Week on the 400-volt version of E-GMP, not the 800-volt architecture used in the Ioniq 5 and 6, a deliberate cost trade-off to hit a target price around £25,000 (~$31,000).

The 61 kWh pack delivers 308 miles WLTP (500 km), beating the Kia EV2's range, while the 42 kWh entry pack still manages 213 miles WLTP with a 10-to-80 percent charge in under 30 minutes.

From EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs:

"Hyundai says the Ioniq 3 aims to beat the Kia on aerodynamics and efficiency but giving up none of the practicality. For this class of vehicle at this price, that range is very appealing."

EV News Daily gave the Ioniq 3 the most thorough breakdown, walking through battery options, the new Plios OS infotainment platform, and the deliberate decision to skip 800-volt charging in favor of hitting a sharp price point.

Recommendations

If You Only Listen To One

348: Steering Angle Sensor Challenges, Automotive Diagnostic Podcast

Two real shop cases where the obvious fix wasn't the problem: a VW GTI losing steering angle initialization after a battery disconnect traced back to rusty wheel speed tone rings (no ABS codes), and a GMC Terrain with a 50-degree steering wheel offset caused by an intermediate shaft reindexed one notch off after subframe work. Good diagnostic storytelling that shows how symptoms mislead even experienced techs.

More Episodes Worth Hearing

• Comes with a handgun (Smith and Sniff). Jonny Smith and Richard Porter take the show to video this week, but vow not to become "one of those podcasts that starts chatting about things that you can see, because that's deeply annoying for audio listeners." Which is also a fair description of what Car Curious is built for: context for what you're hearing while you listen. Plus listener mail on which 90s car you'd build a touring-car team around (the Saab Cabrio gets serious consideration).
• DONINGTON PARK BTCC 2026 REVIEW (BTCP British Touring Car Podcast). A chaotic season opener with a disqualification, a track-limits penalty that flipped the race one result, and Ash Sutton charging from the back in race one before controlling race two. The hosts also debate whether the new TTB boost rules are turning races into a points game rather than a driving contest, a genuine argument worth hearing for any racing fan, not just BTCC followers.
• Episode #221 - Cult of Coupe (Another Pointless Automotive Podcast). A fond look at why the early-to-mid 90s produced so many two-door variants, coupes of sedans you forgot existed, like the Camry XV10, and why almost none survive today. The print-ad quiz goes badly wrong, and the wrenching updates (a missing Focus SVT valve cover bolt, a budget Xterra repair story) give it the feel of two people talking cars in a garage rather than performing for an audience.
• Wells Fargo & Edmunds Just Put the Entire Auto Industry On ALERT | Episode 1055 (CarEdge Live). The combination of Wells Fargo's 111% year-over-year auto loan growth and Edmunds data showing nearly a third of trade-ins underwater, averaging $7,200 negative equity, makes for a stark picture of where the market is heading. The hosts are direct about what 72-84 month loan terms actually mean for buyers, and the real caller question about someone $16,000 upside down on a 2024 Kia Carnival gives it a grounded, practical edge.

Next Week

Watch for more fallout from GM shelving its full-size electric pickup plans and whether Stellantis officially begins pulling investment from brands beyond its core four, both stories have dealer and supplier ripple effects that haven't fully surfaced yet.

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215 episodes. 2812 car mentions. 16715 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.