The Drivecast

Nissan's in trouble, but the automaker's not going down without a fight. After laying out a massive turnaround plan it's clear Nissan's not just on the ropes, but about to swing for the fences and really try and cater to both the masses and enthusiasts, again, as it refocuses.

This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America, Ponz Pandikuthira, in an exclusive one-on-one chat taking place in Japan discussing what's coming from both Nissan and Infiniti. From a family of U.S.-made body-on-frame vehicles to special edition Zs, the timeline for the next GT-R, backdate kits, restomod and classic parts, to a 600-plus-horsepower QX80, Pandikuthira spills the goods about how Nissan and Infiniti intends to win back the hearts, and wallets, of buyers ranging from millionaires to enthusiasts on a budget and everyone in-between.

So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Nissan’s turnaround plan and what comes next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Nissan Announces Huge Turnaround Plan To Cut Models and Keep the Good Stuff

Nissan’s Next GT-R Will Be a Hybrid, Keep the VR38 Block, and Arrive by 2030

The Nissan Z Is Thriving Thanks to an Unlikely Hero: Your Parents

The Next-Gen Nissan Xterra Is Real, and Here’s Your First Look

Nissan Confirms New Xterra Will Offer Hybrid and Non-Hybrid V6 Options

Nissan Is Looking at Doing a Sports Car Lineup Again, Exec Says

00:00 Intro

03:27 Next-gen GT-R

07:46 What's next for the Z?

09:44 Summarization of the upcoming products

10:39 Infiniti's "high-horsepower" sedan (the Skyline)

11:26 The future of Infiniti

15:37 A performance version of the Infiniti QX80

16:43 A Skyline JDM kit for Q50?

19:17 Bringing back and providing heritage parts

22:44 Hotter QX80s and what could come next

25:20 Special projects?

26:44 Xterra is coming

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In a shocking turn of events: Both Hyundai and Kia are preparing body-on-frame pickup trucks. Sounds far-fetched, but it’s true, and it’s quite the development as these two juggernauts continue to blaze a trail forward challenging the rest of the industry on multiple fronts.

It doesn’t sound like we’ll have long to wait. Now Hyundai announced it will kick off a family of body-on-frame vehicles in the U.S. before 2030 and teased them with an SUV that looked like a Bronco competitor. A week later, Kia confirmed it too will be bringing a body-on-frame truck to the U.S. by 2030, and it even talked powertrains.

Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder dive behind-the-scenes on Hyundai and Kia preparing to sell you a pickup truck, and what comes next. 

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Hyundai Targets Bronco, Wrangler with Body-on-Frame Boulder SUV Concept

Hyundai Learned the Hard Way What Truck Buyers Do and Don’t Want

Midsize Trucks Have All the Same Problems. Hyundai Thinks It Can Fix Them

Kia’s Launching a Body-on-Frame Truck by 2030: TDS

00:00 Intro

06:55 Hyundai and Kia have body-on-frame trucks coming

13:26 What Hyundai has told The Drive its truck needs to be

16:55 Which powertrains will these trucks have?

21:21 Kia and Hyundai dealers are a risk

25:45 What do these trucks need to be to win?

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The Toyota Prius is an icon, a statement, and possibly a moment in time as the nameplate approaches its 30th anniversary. Sales of what was once a cultural icon are spiraling. The Prius arguably hasn't been the "it car" that it was once upon a time with EVs taking the mantle for an eco-friendly statement, countless hybrid entries now flooding the market in every conceivable shape and size, and time itself marching on. Even Toyota's own showroom is filled with hybrids.

The latest Prius is a winner in terms of eye-catching design, but its a loser in terms of sales. It's not a new issue, but it's a continuing one with the numbers becoming grimmer as the months and years go by. The Prius has had a rough decade. It's likely not one single issue at hand, but multiple factors all colliding at once.

Senior Editor Adam Ismail and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder dive into what Toyota said in terms of Prius sales plunging, take a look at all the outside factors, and discuss whether the outlook is dire for the Prius or if the icon will live on.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Prius Sales Are Tanking So Far in 2026. We Asked Toyota Why

2026 Toyota Prius Nightshade Review: The Practical Car Goes Peacocking

I Drove a Yellow Toyota Prius and My Whole Town Fell in Love

00:00 Intro

04:38 Prius sales are tanking

09:30 The Prius vs the Camry

11:53 Sedan sales can still be healthy

13:11 Various factors affecting Prius sales

14:04 The Prius was a household name

16:22 Does the Prius matter anymore?

23:33 Do we need a sporty Prius?

24:14 Will Toyota kill the Prius in the U.S.? Will the nameplate live on?
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With gas topping $4 a gallon this week amid the war with Iran, the EPA announced a plan to lower prices and stretch America's fuel supply by cutting more of it with ethanol. Will it work? Probably not. And as Joel, Kyle, and Andrew explain, it could actually ruin your car's engine.

Ethanol is an alcohol made from corn, and it's commonly added to gasoline as an oxygenator that helps it burn more cleanly and raises the octane rating. We used to use lead, but... that didn't work out. But there are downsides: it's less energy dense than uncut gasoline, so the more ethanol you add, the less efficient your car's engine runs. It's also a solvent, so it will eat away at rubber seals, hoses, and plastics in engines not designed for it. And it degrades quicker in higher temperatures, creating more smog during the summer.

Normally, a gallon of gas is about 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline by liquid volume. E15 gas, which is 15% ethanol, is sold in a number of states during the cooler months as "88 octane", and it's a bit cheaper—because you're literally buying less gas and more ethanol per gallon. Oil companies are typically banned from selling it from June to September because of the smog issue, but the EPA is now waiving the rule to encourage refineries to make more E15.

But if your car was made before 2001, even that 5% bump in ethanol content can really screw up your engine. E15 gas will also damage smaller two-stroke engines in motorcycles, lawn mowers, and boats. And even if you have a newer car, there's still a risk that comes with opting for cheaper 88 octane—especially if your car requires premium fuel.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

The Feds Plan To Start Diluting Gasoline This May: Explained

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The secret is out: Toyota is planning to build a crazy Baja-blasting version of the Tundra pickup. Does it stand a chance against the Ford F-150 Raptor? And why are we so obsessed with uber off-road trucks in America anyways?

We've been on top of this story since 2022, when a source tipped us off that the model was in development. Things went quiet for a while, but earlier this month we uncovered a trademark filing from Toyota for the name "TRD Hammer," and another source confirmed the name would be used for a high-speed, desert-runner pickup to compete with the Ford Raptor and the Ram TRX, plus a few more key specs.

This week, Kyle and Joel are spilling the details our reporting uncovered, explaining how we tracked the story over four years, and breaking down the complex reasons why factory off-road pickups and SUVs have become more outrageous—and more popular—than ever before. Plus, what it means for the multibillion-dollar aftermarket industry that's seeing automakers take a bite out of their business.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:


A Raptor-Fighting Toyota Tundra Desert Truck Is In Development: Source


Looks Like the Toyota Tundra Raptor Rival Has a Name: TRD Hammer


Toyota’s Tundra TRD Hammer Targets V6 F-150 Raptor With Hybrid Power and 37-inch tires


Why a simple new truck has to cost over $70,000 in 2025 (YouTube)


2026 Ford Mustang Raptor Rumor Sounds Too Crazy To Be True … or Is It?

00:00 Intro

02:10 The battle heats up

05:19 How Ford made the market

08:23 Toyota's secret revealed

25:55 Why GM is MIA

30:25 Why the off-road business is booming

45:17 Outro
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