Drive Wire: December 9, 2015
Volkswagen sales decline, Honda’s S2000 rebirth, the Mustang arrives down under, a portable home theater, and crazy ski jumps.
Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire for Wednesday, December 9th.
Dieselgate may be simmering, but it’s far from over. Volkswagen saw sales drop 25% in November after October sales held steady with the help of emergency factory aid. Dealers are frustrated as unsellable cars sit on lots with still no word of a fix in sight. In addition, sales of other models seem to have been damaged by the scandal. Add to this the current low inventory of sellable models and the situation looks dire indeed, with one major dealer telling Automotive News “the reputation of Volkswagen is spiraling towards worthlessness.”
Tuners rejoice. There are whispers that Honda may bring back the S2000 name for a sporty two-seat roadster in the near future after Honda personnel met with a UK fan club to discuss the possible rebirth. The last S2000 left the U.S. market in 2008, and fans have mourned the loss of an upmarket Miata-beater ever since. Speculation is all over the map, but if a new S2000 did come to market, it would likely be on a new rear-wheel-drive platform developed in partnership with another company. In addition, power is rumored to come from a 2-liter or smaller turbo four cylinder, and the car would be sold at a price point or two higher than the Miata. Here’s hoping that there’s some truth to this rumor.
The Ford Mustang became available in Australia this week for the first time ever. Seems unusual for such a car-crazed country, but they did have alternatives, and any viewing of mad max will demonstrate. All 4,000 of the Mustangs available this year are spoken for, with a full 85% of those being V8 models. Only stipulation: we’re expecting aAustralia to post some amazing Holden SS vs. Mustang videos.
In gear news, here’s an easy way to turn your basement or backyard into a movie theater. The Flicks is a portable, Bluetooth-enabled projector with built-in speakers. The Flicks runs for 4 hours of 720p projection time or 28 hours of music playback on a charge, and looks like a great party accessory. Check out the Indiegogo page for more info.
In today’s ridiculous video, X-Games gold medalist Kevin Rolland adds the element of suspense to his latest ski movie with an awesome chase scene. Crushing terrain parks and barreling down a luge course, Kevin brings the excitement of an action movie to his already hardcore profession. Look elsewhere for the bunny hill, guys.
That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.
