Episode 969 – Fields to Replace Mulally?, Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4, Nissan TeRRA Concept
September 12th, 2012 at 11:45am
Runtime: 7:10
Ford’s board of directors may be close to announcing a succession plan to replace CEO Alan Mulally and it appears Mark Fields, Ford’s President of the Americas, is the heir apparent. Peugeot just introduced the world’s first diesel-hybrid crossover, the 3008 HYbrid4. Nissan just unveiled a fuel-cell SUV concept called the TeRRA before it debuts at the Paris Motor Show. All that and more, plus a peek at what Ford is doing to reduce distractions while driving.
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Nine, Ten, Eleven, TWELVE! That’s right; it’s the dozenth day of September, a mighty fine Wednesday for 2012. If you haven’t figured it out yet, John McElroy is out of the office. And I’m stepping up for him by sitting down, in this chair you can’t see, but it sure is comfortable. Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics here, bringing you the freshest news that’s fit to broadcast. Let’s get started, shall we?
MARK FIELDS TO REPLACE MULALLY?
Alan Mulally is THE MAN. Since leaving Boeing in 2006 his leadership has steered Ford from certain tragedy to certified triumph. Now one of the biggest problems facing the company is choosing someone to replace him when he decides to step down. At 67 years old retirement can’t be too far off. As the Wall Street Journal reports the board of directors may be close to announcing a succession plan. As McElroy predicted more than a year ago in his piece entitled “The Race to Replace Alan Mulally,” Mark Fields, Ford’s President of the Americas, is the heir apparent. It’s reported that as early as tomorrow he could be promoted to COO, chief operating officer. You can bet this is a story we’ll be watching very closely going forward.
FRANCE BACKS OFF PSA CRITICISM
A few months back Peugeot received heavy criticism from the French government over plans to shut down a plant in the country and cut 8,000 jobs. But now the Wall Street Journal reports that a new study commissioned by the government concludes that the automaker does need to reorganize and cut jobs. While it agrees with the automakers plan, the report criticized Peugeot for not investing in emerging markets sooner and for focusing on building mid-level cars instead of high-end ones that are more profitable. The study says this left the company isolated and weak compared to several global competitors.
VW DEVELOPING LIGHTWEIGHT GTI
Weight is the enemy of, well, just about everything. Whether it’s excess fat around your midsection or too much steel in your car’s structure, unnecessary mass affects not just your health but your vehicle’s performance and fuel economy. In an effort to trim lbs. and cut kgs. Autocar reports Volkswagen is working on a limited edition Carbon GTI with a heaping helping of, you guessed it, lightweight carbon fiber, or FIBRE as they spell it. Featherweight alloys will also be incorporated in the vehicle’s architecture. All told claims this high-fiber diet could drop up to 440 pounds from the Kleiner GTI’s waistline. That could drop the curb weight to around 25-hundred pounds. Yeah, I’ll believe the 440 pounds once I’m back to a fighting 160 or so.
JLR UPGRADES PLANTS
Now for some news from once-Great Britain. According to the Wall Street Journal, Tata’s Jaguar/Land Rover unit is making a big investment in the UK. It’s pouring about 370 million pounds sterling into factory upgrades to boost output at its UK facilities. Global demand for its luxurious offerings is growing and they need to keep pace. The once-criticized PAG acquisition by India’s largest automaker is paying off in pounds. And I’m not talking about avoirdupois.
PEUGEOT 3008 HYBRID4
Back to Peugeot, the company just introduced the world’s first diesel hybrid crossover, the 3008 HYbrid4. It’s powered by a 2.0 liter diesel engine and a 27 kilowatt electric motor. Its fuel economy is 3.5 liters per 100 kilometers or about 67 miles per gallon. And it can move from 0 to 100 kilometers an hour in 8.5 seconds. The 3008 HYbrid4 is on sale later this month.
NISSAN TERRA CONCEPT
Nissan just unveiled a fuel-cell SUV concept called the TeRRA. The front wheels are powered by the same electric propulsion system currently used in the Nissan LEAF. And the back wheels feature in-wheel electric motors based on prototypes from its PIVO concept. And inside is just as funky as the outside. The instrument cluster is just a tablet, like an iPad, that can be removed by the driver. And the rear seats are staggered so they can be overlapped and brought closer to the centerline of the car. This allows the rear seat occupants a better view of the road ahead rather than the back of the driver’s head. Although it’s just a concept, Nissan says the TeRRA demonstrates the company is ready to mass produce fuel cell vehicles when hydrogen becomes more available.
Join us as we take a peek at what one automaker is doing to alleviate distractions while driving. It’s coming up next.
FORD’S DISTRACTED DRIVER TECHNOLOGY
Distracted driving is today’s hot-button issue. The prevalence of navigation systems, smart phones, MP3 players and the like creates all kinds of opportunities for motorists to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the tiller. But what if you could measure how busy a driver is and actually REDUCE potential distractions? Researchers at Ford are doing just that.
(Ford’s distracted driver technology is only available in the video version of today’s show.)
It’s fascinating what they’re doing here, but it does seem a little far off right now. Ford has NOT mentioned where or when this technology COULD reach the market so don’t go looking for it in the 2013 Fusion ‘cause you ain’t gonna find it!
Sound advice if I do say so myself, and a sound ending for today’s program. Once again I’m Jim Hall from 2953 Analytics wishing you a most enjoyable Wednesday, what’s left of it anyway. Why don’t you come on back and get some more Autoline Daily tomorrow, ya hear?!
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Comments (27)
September 12th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Jeff Greenburg from Ford sounds EXACTLY like Frank Markus, same tone of voice, same inflections!
September 12th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
The criticism of PSA by the study is merely a face saving thing for the government. Yea they could have done a lot of things different, but who can’t you say that about?
September 12th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
FINALLY….a diesel electric hybrid.I can’t help but wonder why it took so damn long for an oem to come with something we have talked about on here for years.
September 12th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
#1, Amen, it sounds like a great idea, and I have also wondered why this was not done in the past…It just seems like diesel hybrids make sense…
September 12th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Given the talent rich environment at Ford, perhaps GM should quietly consider contacting the place and show horses at Ford to shore up their management ranks.
Its seems weight is a rising concern among all automakers. The GTI sounds like fun. Chrysler is looking at cutting the weight of the 2014 Challenger and a SRT badged ‘Cuda with a 6.4L supercharged Hemi.
September 12th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
@ C-Tech: I wonder how long it will take for the insurance companies to start looking at the ‘horsepower to weight ratio’ that nailed us in the 60′s.It will come….
September 12th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Next thing you know your car wil perform CPR and paddle you back to life in case of a heart attack while driving, so you won’t miss a beat. I suppose the price of the carbonized Golf GTI will be astronomical!
September 12th, 2012 at 1:27 pm
@ Pedro: More rich people toys,but I think some of that ‘tech’ will eventually end up in consumer grade vehicles.
September 12th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
If Ford wants to know about “distracted driver technology,” all they have to do is look at the dash of their latest products. They have about the most distracting technology in the world.
What they need to do is SIMPLIFY what they put in the dash, use some real buttons and knobs, like a tuning knob for the radio, and make the touch screen buttons LARGE so you can hit the right one, even if you encounter a small bump.
September 12th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
#7 Right on, Kit! The FR-S is like that, 3 easy knobs for the HVAC and simple enough radio, it is meant for the driver to actually drive and pay attention
September 12th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
‘Buttons and knobs’, absolutely (have worked for decades); the addition of steering wheel controls is also a good idea (as long as they don’t load it up too much, so as it resembles a piano).
September 12th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
#5
All of that “talent” at Ford sure hasn’t caused the stock to perform very well. Ford started the year at $12 and now is up to about $10 from a recent low at $9, while during the same time, GM has stayed pretty consistent around $22…
September 12th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
@ #12
At least the Ford talent has not driven it to bankruptcy.
September 12th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
@ #6
That is a good question! I wonder how much the electronic controls (traction control, ABS, airbags, etc.) reduce the risk in muscle and sports cars for the insurance companies?
September 12th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
#11 or a game console remote controller.
September 12th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Is it just me, or does anybody else think Nissan has cornered the market on UGLY? Not that all their cars are ugly but when I look at a Cube, Juke, or the $35,000 Leaf. Cars that ugly should not be allowed on the roads in the most beautiful country on earth. Honestly, when I see one of those coming at me, I almost throw up. They are not just UGLY they are hideous, grose, repulsive even. I’m surprised they don’t scare little kids and little old ladies. GAG, BARF, ZNARF. I feel sick already. And now the Terra???? Who the hell do they have in their design studies, someone high on bathsalts??? There ought to be a law.
September 12th, 2012 at 7:59 pm
The marriage to Renault did not do well for Nissan styling, it’s very obvious.
September 12th, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Yeah, that carbon fiber will trim some mass from the GTI. But it will trim some weight off of me too…in the form of less money in my wallet from the extra weight transferred to the VW group. I don’t know if I’d be willing to shell out the extra bills, but I’d still love to drive it!
September 13th, 2012 at 9:42 am
#16,
Come on. The Cube is a fine looking car. They don’t put the steering wheel in the middle of a car, so why should everything else be symmetrical?:-)
September 13th, 2012 at 10:02 am
Kit did you see the Cube in the daylight, or did the dealer showroom lose power during a heavy storm at night time? It makes me think that it was built from parts belonging to different vehicles, that is one car my sister considered during her search 2 yrs ago but her daughters told her they would not ride in it if she bought it!
September 13th, 2012 at 10:21 am
I was being facetious about the Cube being attractive, even though I like it’s functionality. It get better gas mileage than its direct competition from Kia and Toyota/Scion.
Cube started as a Japanese home market vehicle, but they actually took its preparation for the U.S. market fairly seriously. Most notably, they reversed the tailgate hinge side for better visibility and functionality in left hand drive markets.
September 13th, 2012 at 10:34 am
It’s one of these: “look at me, I’m cool and quirky” unlike the original dorkmobile, the xB, this one has not even made a blip on the auto radar.
September 13th, 2012 at 10:42 am
Yeah, the original xB is a Japanese home market car that became a “cult car” in the U.S. almost overnight. The new xB is too “normal,” and it has too big of engine for its market position, making it kind of a gas hog.
September 13th, 2012 at 11:24 am
Toyota really messed up the xB replacement, no one complained about the original’s size, only its paltry 1.5 engine, all they had to do was a refresh and added the 1.8 Corolla engine and it would have been a better car for it! once again, bigger is not always better.
September 13th, 2012 at 11:58 am
Of all the small ‘boxes’, I liked the Honda Element (the most), but just as far as design; I don’t know how good or bad it was functionally (though it has been discontinued).
September 13th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
The Element was heavy and thirsty compared to the other “boxes,” but was very functional, especially for cargo.
September 13th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
#24,
I drove a first generation xB with a manual transmission, and it wasn’t bad, at least in town. I never drove or rode in one with the automatic, but it would have been pretty sluggish. I’m pretty sure it was only a 4-speed auto with that little engine.