AD #1517 – Acura Puts Stop Sale on TLX, Mercedes’ New Crossover Coupe, Uber Getting Clobbered
December 10th, 2014 at 12:51pm
Runtime: 7:37
- Car & Truck of the Year Finalists
- Dealers Told to Stop Selling New Acura TLX
- Cheap Way to Store A Lot of Hydrogen
- Mercedes Launches New Crossover Coupe
- Uber Getting Clobbered World-Wide
- You Said It!
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On today’s show… Acura is forced to stop selling its best selling car, Uber is getting clobbered all over the world, and a national lab has figured out the cheapest way to store massive quantities of hydrogen. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for December 10th, 2014.
CAR & TRUCK OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Well, it’s official. We got the finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. The truck and utility finalists are the Chevrolet Colorado, the Ford F-150 and the Lincoln MKC. The car finalists are the Ford Mustang, the Hyundai Genesis and Volkswagen Golf. Wow, that gives the Ford Motor Company half the vehicles on the list. We’ll learn who the winners are at the Detroit auto show in about a month. But I’m curious to know, out of these six, who would you Autoline viewers vote for, and why?
DEALERS TOLD TO STOP SELLING NEW TLX
Here’s something you don’t want to hear as a dealer, “Stop selling your best selling car!” That’s what Acura is telling its dealers in the U.S. because the 9-speed automatic in in the brand new TLX can let the car roll away even though it’s in park. Honda developed that transmission with ZF.
PASS THE SALT, PLEASE
If and when fuel cell cars catch on, the Sandia National Laboratory says that salt caverns would be the ideal place to store massive amounts of hydrogen. That’s because storing hydrogen above ground requires tanks which cost three to five times more than geologic storage. And above-ground tanks can’t even begin to match the amount of hydrogen gas that can be stored underground. The colors in the illustration show blue as the deepest part of the cavern and red is the most shallow. Salt caverns are not very permeable, an important point because hydrogen has very small atoms that can leak out of other types of reservoirs.
Still to come, Mercedes unveils a new crossover, and Uber is getting its teeth kicked in.
MERCEDES LAUNCHES NEW CUV
BMW is outselling Mercedes in the U.S. largely thanks to having more crossovers. So Mercedes just pulled the wraps off its GLE Coupe, which will compete with the BMW X6. While the silhouette is similar to the BMW, the GLE is distinctly a Mercedes. Power gets sent through a 9-speed automatic transmission with an optional 4MATIC all-wheel drive system. As for engines, we’re only getting word of the AMG turbocharged V6 that puts out over 360 horsepower. Inside, you get a lot of soft touch leather materials and the latest technology. But the main focus is the large infotainment screen controlled by an intuitive touchpad with rotary control. No word yet on when it will hit the showrooms.
UBER UNDER ATTACK
Uber is the highest valued tech startup in the U.S. but it’s being threatened by legal problems all over the world. Just this week, the company was sued in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland, and it’s also been banned in Spain, Rio de Janeiro and the Netherlands. And Uber can’t operate in New Delhi, India because a driver has been accused of rape. The car sharing service is running into trouble because it’s violating local laws that protect taxi drivers. Uber says most of these regulations date back 60 years and need to be updated.
Be sure to tune in for Autoline After Hours tomorrow. Our guest will be Matt Davis, the head of all product marketing for Fiat in the North American market. And he’ll be bringing the 500x into the studio with him. So all you Fiat fans, start thinking about the questions you’d like to ask him. Here’s our chance to learn more about Fiat’s plans for North America.
Speaking of your questions and comments, coming up next, it’s time for You Said It!
YOU SAID IT!
C-Tech says: “I do not have access to the numbers, I am curious whether JLR’s sales problem is with Jaguar or Rover?” It’s both. Last month Jaguar sales in the U.S. market were down nearly 10% and Land Rover plummeted more than 17%. In fact, every single vehicle in both brands’ lineup were down except for the F-TYPE. I don’t know what’s wrong with Land Rover, because last month SUV sales were through the roof for just about everyone else.
My editorial backing up Takata in fighting a national recall stirred up quite a bit of controversy. WineGeek says: “John I can’t believe that you would defend Takata in any way. They knowingly built defective airbags and continued to manufacture them after they were aware of the problem. To say they should fight a recall to replace the product they knowingly built is unconscionable.”
But Barry says: “I think you’re spot-on describing Takata and their situation. My question to you is: Will Takata survive this?” I don’t think they can financially survive this unless automakers or the Japanese government bails them out.
You know, sometimes we make this industry out to be too complicated when simple solutions are staring us right in the face. RumNCoke says: “Seems to me Scion is nothing but a creation of ad agencies looking to create a Hipster-mobile. Does Scion even know what it is supposed to be? Rebadge the FR-S as a Celica and forget the whole thing.” I can hear the guys at Toyota saying, “Doh! Why didn’t we think of that?”
My editorial on how to save motor racing generated a ton of comments. redav said, “One thing would be to fix the broadcast & announcing. How many replays of Ryan Hunter-Reay’s amazing inside pass near the end of the Indy 500 did they show? Zero. How can you expect viewers to be interested in a sport that doesn’t even show them the parts that are worth watching?” Amen, brother. That coverage was terrible.
And you’ve got to love what BalaamZass says: “Gee… maybe we could try… LOOSENING UP THE RULES! Anybody who has ever raced or crewed old school knows the two prime rules of racing. 1- It ain’t cheating ’til you get caught. 2- If everybody’s doin it… it ain’t cheatin’.” I like the idea of loosening up the rules, too.
And I really like getting all these comments and questions, keep ‘em coming. But that wraps up today’s report. Please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (49)
December 10th, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Uber seems to act like a bully to local governments. They start recruiting and offering their services even though they know it violates local law. After getting a foothold, then they try to change the rules. Pushback by local businesses should not be a surprise.
Car of the year – VW Golf Truck of the year – Chevy Colorado.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:23 pm
John, Uber is hardly getting it’s teeth kicked in. Every day they expand into new markets, and it’s reasonable to expect pushback from entrenched interests, who have no incentive to change. All Uber’s problems will go away once they follow Al Swearengen’s (Of HBO’s Deadwood) advice, “Who needs to get paid”
December 10th, 2014 at 1:24 pm
I vote for the F150 and Mustang. Why Motor Trend picked Chevy small truck just show why I would not buy or read their GM magazine.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:53 pm
While the salt caverns may be part of a solution, the bigger part of problem is the production. You’ve got to make it before you can store (and that’s the bigger problem that hydrogen has to address first).
And my picks for the NACTY are the Colorado (pretty much give it the edge for the same reasons Motor Trend picked it over the 150; the 150 is still a little rough around the edges. And the Mustang for producing the best Mustang ever (by a fairly long shot), which was already pretty darn good.
December 10th, 2014 at 1:57 pm
Uber was under attack in my town (as well), indirectly anyway; the driver was sighted for operating a ‘car for hire’service without a license (at least I think that was the reason). The driver was found guilty and fined (I think it was the maximum, it was $435).
December 10th, 2014 at 2:05 pm
For car of the year, the Mustang, unless the new Golf is really a lot better than the previous one. I doubt that it is a huge step forward, while the Mustang is.
I’d say Colorado for truck of the year, unless the F-150 drives substantially better than the GM’s and Ram. From what I’ve read so far, it doesn’t, plus the Ford probably has worse controls than the others.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:21 pm
Golf should win car of the year, Ford will most likely win because of the aluminum thing.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:25 pm
The way for the Taxi industry to compete against Uber to match the service or better yet exceed it. We’ve all been at airports and have taken taxi’s from point A to B that were filthy, worn out, and expensive. Uber has been succeeding by elevating the quality and the cost of their services. They are proof again that the free market produces better results than stodgy, protected, sheltered rackets.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:30 pm
I looked at the rules for the NACTOY competition, where each juror has 10 points to award for both the car and truck. They may give all ten points to one car/truck, but must use all points. Doesn’t this mean if there’s a car/truck people really really like that it will break out in a big lead? I see the yanquis putting it all on Mustang.
btw, gas was $2.69 today. seems to go down every day.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:31 pm
8 cont’d. The 10 points are for this last stage of the competition.
December 10th, 2014 at 2:34 pm
I guess Mercedes wants an ugly, tall hatchback, since the BMW X6 is selling so well. How about an attractive, car-height hatchback like the Audi A7?
December 10th, 2014 at 2:54 pm
6, 7
I just read CR’s test of the new Golf, and it sounds impressive. Maybe it has a chance against the Mustang, since many of the jury come from places other than Dearborn.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:00 pm
The new F-150 is not the game changer everyone thought it would be (yet). The aluminum body is not as light and the mileage not as high as we thought it would be. The Colorado/Canyon is a game changer in the mid-sized market.
All of the variants of the new Golf will push other OEM’S to raise their compact offerings. As nice as the new Mustang is it’s still a limited market pony car, slightly better than the limited competition.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:02 pm
Is the X6 selling that well? I rarely see that ugly BMW on the streets around here.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:03 pm
Gas at $2.55 today in Orlando.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:15 pm
14, No, the X6 is not selling well. That is what it seems curious to me that M-B is copying it.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:19 pm
15, It’s $3.499 some places in Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral. I guess I should have just put a gallon in the Prius a couple days ago, rather than filling it. I’ll need gas for the Corvette soon, and maybe it will be even cheaper than now.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:26 pm
11, 14
I should have made it apparent in post 11 that it was sarcasm, about the X6 selling well. They sell 5000-6000 a year in the U.S., and about 40,000 globally.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Truck of the year: Chevy Colorado,it is completely new.
Car of the year:Ford Mustang.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:47 pm
truck of the year colorado and car mustang.
December 10th, 2014 at 5:14 pm
Are there any Uber users or drivers here?
December 10th, 2014 at 5:57 pm
I agree…the Colorado and Mustang. The VW looks too much the same regardless of the several flavors.
December 10th, 2014 at 6:01 pm
Gas in Sandusky,Ohio is $3.26- $3.32. Toledo had it for $3.10 yesterday. Diesel is a dollar more.
December 10th, 2014 at 6:08 pm
Huge salt mines around Cleveland which extend way under Lake Erie; Ignited by one good spark and I may not need a boat to go fishing. I’ll be able to wade out and pick up my limit of perch and walleye!
December 10th, 2014 at 6:10 pm
Hey Bejma,where are ya? You voting for the F-150, right?
December 10th, 2014 at 6:37 pm
Until we have free electricity to hydrolyze water, there won’t be much need to store all of this hydrogen.
December 10th, 2014 at 7:15 pm
F150 and Mustang, no question. Yes, I’m a Ford fan.
December 10th, 2014 at 8:38 pm
I just filled up my nox tonight.
Reg-$273.9
Diesel- $3.19
Life am good,and gittin gooder ;}>
December 10th, 2014 at 8:39 pm
Make that $ 2.73.9….
December 10th, 2014 at 9:08 pm
pedro, maybe the Golf will become Mexico’s car of the year if they are blind to reliability. :>) Heck,…maybe someones next VW will be assembled by a UAW worker.
December 10th, 2014 at 9:47 pm
The Golf has always been one of the best driving cars in its class, but tends to be lacking in reliability, and fuel economy, except for the the diesels. It remains to be seen how the new Golf turns out, reliability-wise, but with the 1.8 turbo replacing the crappy 2.5 liter 5 cylinder, the mpg is competitive.
December 10th, 2014 at 10:38 pm
NACTOY – Colorado and Golf.
As much as I like the Mustang, I am not sure it is as impactful.
As impactful as the F150 may eventually be – in the short term I have say not doing better on fuel economy makes it seem a bit of a let down. As for the long term impact – I’ll curious to see where reliability and insurance costs are for the F150 in a year or two.
December 10th, 2014 at 10:59 pm
I live near the finger lakes of New York. The anti-gas crowd will not let them store propane in the abandoned salt mines. I doubt if they would allow hydrogen.
December 11th, 2014 at 8:05 am
It’s official. Button and Alonso at McLaren.
December 11th, 2014 at 8:32 am
Just put $20 in the car yesterday. $2.57 a gallon for Regular in Ormond Beach, Florida.
$2.53 at the B.J. Wholesale Club in Port Orange.
December 11th, 2014 at 9:02 am
Does anyone know about portable jump starters or the good/bad brands?
December 11th, 2014 at 9:30 am
35, I don’t know about brands of portable jump starters, but I know people who have used them, and they work, if there is nothing wrong with the car other than a dead battery. I suspect they need to be charged once a month or so, to keep them ready to use.
I doubt that they would help much if you run the battery down on a hard-to-start car when it is -20 outside.
December 11th, 2014 at 9:37 am
35, 36 CR tested four of them, and found that only the larger ones worked reliably. The one that worked the best was “Black & Decker Simple Start, $40.”
They consider jumper cables to be better, since they don’t require the periodic maintenance of charging the battery, and jumper cables last about forever, while the lead-acid batteries in the portable gadgets do not last forever.
December 11th, 2014 at 9:45 am
Thanks Kit. I was thinking about getting one for my son as an X-mass gift. He is often distant from the populace and knows few people where he lives. I thought it would be a “peace of mind” gift for both him and mom.
December 11th, 2014 at 9:46 am
#35, Here is a link to a review Pat Goss of Motoweek did recently on a Lithium-Ion Battery Jump Starter.
http://www.motorweek.org/features/goss_garage/lithium-ion-battery-jump-starter
December 11th, 2014 at 10:02 am
39, That unit was nice and small, but I would like to have seen a demonstration of it starting a car with a dead battery.
BTW, none of these devices will start a car with a bad battery, only a dead battery. They put enough charge in the car battery to start the engine, but would not crank the engine directly, at least the ones I have seen.
December 11th, 2014 at 10:08 am
Walmart has a Stanley charger that cranks out 500 instant amps(1000 max.). It also has a compressor and attached light. It’s only $75 and the size of a large lunch box.
December 11th, 2014 at 10:33 am
41, It must have bigger cables than the ones I’ve seen, if it can deliver 500 amps, other than while producing a cloud of smoke from the cables shorted together. The compressor would be nice. I use a 12 volt compressor for inflating tires, but having one with its own battery would be more convenient.
December 11th, 2014 at 10:45 am
This afternoon I’ll go see for myself what’s offered and any differences between them.
December 11th, 2014 at 11:36 am
Here’s a lithium battery powered jump starter that was actually tested, and found to be capable of jump starting a car with the car’s battery disconnected.
http://www.cnet.com/products/bolt-power-d28-portable-car-jump-starter/
The article was more about the device’s capability for charging electronic gadgets, but they did start a car with it.
December 11th, 2014 at 11:55 am
Perhaps ZF is not such a good supplier of transmissions after all!
December 11th, 2014 at 11:57 am
I’d vote for the F150 because they really are taking a high volume manufacturing leap with their F150 (sorry colorado…alot more people will buy the 150 and it will have a much larger impact on the indurstry). For cars I’d vote for Mustang. Yeah I know there’s no huge tech leap here (even the 2.7 or was it 2.3L GTDI is kind of old news) but that car is just soo damn cool you can’t look away!!
December 11th, 2014 at 12:04 pm
#47
The F150 sold a lot of trucks before AL and will sell a lot after. It is lighter (it needed to be since it was the heaviest truck) and gets a little better performance.
Isn’t that what everyone expects from a new model year? Just not enough of an impact for it to earn TOTY, IMO.
December 11th, 2014 at 4:48 pm
I’d vote for the Mustang as it’s such a huge step forward from the old one. Design, performance, interior are 1st class! Also the F150 will win. The technology in this truck is way ahead of the competition. It comes with more body styles and powertrains than I can count. Towing and payload are unmatched. And that’s what buyers want. I’ve sat in and driven the truck and the interior is class leading, the acceleration and handling are at the top of their field. The 2.7L is what impressed me most about this truck! This truck will sell in way bigger numbers than any of the others. Without question, the F150 deserves this award!