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Autoblog Podcast #396

Episode #396 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Chris Paukert talk about the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, the 2016 Jaguar XE, and the 2015 Lexus RC. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #396:
Topics:

The revolutionary Bose suspension that could have been

The Bose name pops up on these pages every once in a while – usually, as you might expect, because some automaker or another has installed its audio systems in one or more of its models. But a few years back, the research-driven audiophiles at Bose developed a revolutionary adaptive suspension system that could have been a game-changer. Sadly, it wasn't. The Bose suspension system was a technological breakthrough. As you can see from the pair of Lexus LS sedans demonstrated (and the Porsche Cayman thrown in for good measure) in the two-minute video above from CNET, the system virtually eliminated body roll and smoothed out bumps in the road to near glass-like serenity. It could even jump over minor obstacles. Unfortunately, the system was too heavy and expensive to put into production, and the project was shelved. Instead, it was repackaged into a suspended driver's seat for heavy-duty, long-haul trucks and called the Bose Ride System. It's said to significantly reduce fatigue and back pain while encouraging driver alertness and wellness – which is all well and fine, but a far cry from what the suspension system could have meant for the automotive industry. Just think about that the next time you notice the Bose logo on the speaker grille in an upscale vehicle from the likes of Audi, FCA, GM, Mazda, or Nissan – all automakers that offer Bose audio systems, and which might have considered implementing the advanced suspension if only it were more practical for production. Latest Video: News Source: CNET via YouTube Lexus Technology Videos lexus ls cnet

Toyota offered $146.5 million to build Lexus ES in Kentucky

Toyota posted a media advisory yesterday saying that Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, and Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America, would be making a production announcement tomorrow in New York City, and Automotive News reports that the automaker will be announcing a plan to domestically produce the Lexus ES. According to the report, numerous plants are competing to build the ES in North America, and the State of Kentucky has offered the automaker up to $146.5 million to build the luxury sedan at the Georgetown, KY assembly plant.
If Georgetown gets the ES, which has been built in Japan since its debut in 1989, it would be built alongside the Toyota Camry, which is somewhat ironic since in our review of the 2013 Lexus ES350, we wrote that this ES finally says "goodbye to its Camry roots." In order to get the whole amount offered, the article states that Toyota would have to invest $531.2 million and hire 570 full-time workers at the plant, which doesn't sound all that unreasonable since the plant would require an additional 50,000 units of annual production, not to mention the fact that the Georgetown facility is already at its capacity for building the Camry.