Car sales in Europe continue to grow, Chrysler changes its name and a pretty wild looking lightweight concept. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for December 16th, 2014.
EUROPEAN CAR SALES UP SLIGHTLY
Car sales in Europe were up last month but it was the lowest year-over-year growth of any month this year. Automakers sold over 950,000 vehicles, which is up 1.4% compared to last year. Spain, Italy and the U.K. saw the biggest gains among major markets while Germany and France saw sales dip. Through November, 11.6 million vehicles have been sold in the EU, which is a nearly 6% gain.
RECALLS TO HURT WORKERS’ WALLETS?
Automakers have smashed the record for recalls this year which will hurt their bottom lines. But the UAW is also concerned this could hurt their wallets too. The Detroit News reports that the union is in talks with GM, Ford and Chrysler to make sure that members’ profit sharing checks aren’t reduced because of all the recalls. But there’s no word yet as to what will happen. So far this year, car makers have recalled 60 million vehicles in the U.S. which is nearly double the record set in 2004.
SAY MY NAME
The Chrysler Group has a new name. The company is now officially known as FCA US LLC which aligns the name with parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles or FCA for short.
Still to come… Continental shows off technology to enhance automated driving, Mazda will power Indy Lights next year and a look into Nissan’s success in the U.S.
CONTI’S NEXT-GEN AUTOMATED DRIVING TECH
Fleet operators using Scania trucks have been able to save over 16 million gallons of diesel fuel thanks to Continental’s eHorizon software. At next month’s CES show, the company will show off the next evolution of eHorizon which was co-developed with IBM and the location cloud company HERE. It receives real-time updates for traffic, weather or accidents and when coupled with driver assistance features it can be ready for those situations well before sensors can. Which is ideal for automated driving.
ULTIMATE IN LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN?
At this year’s Geneva auto show, German engineering company EDAG showed off a concept with a 3D printed structure, but that was just a cockpit. Next year it will have whole sports car concept to show off. Called the Light Cocoon it uses the same 3D printing process called fused deposition modeling with a weatherproof skin stretched over the structure. The company says it’s the ultimate in lightweight design and that the Light Cocoon drew its inspiration from a leaf, not the Nissan kind. But we think it looks more like the Beijing National Stadium, better known as the Bird’s Nest that China used during the 2008 Olympics.
INDY LIGHTS GETS ITS ZOOM ZOOM
The all-new Dallara chassis for the 2015 Indy Lights Series is getting its zoom zoom. Mazda has signed on to supply its 2.0-liter turbocharged MZR-R engine for the series, which was first made for the American and European Le Mans Series. It will produce 450 horsepower and is designed to last the entire season without a rebuild. Look for Indy Lights to start in late March.
Coming up next, a look at Nissan’s sales success in the American market.
NISSAN OUTPERFORMING THE MARKET
Nissan’s November sales in the U.S. were down slightly but its year-to-date sales are easily outperforming the market. John’s AAH co-host, Gary Vasilash, caught up with Nissan North America’s head of sales and marketing, Fred Diaz, to talk about the company’s strong performance in the U.S. this year.
(Clip with Fred Diaz can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
Be sure to tune into After Hours this Thursday, when John, Gary and their panel will be playing the automotive equivalent of Santa Claus, watching who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, and handing out presents or lumps of coal. That’s this Thursday at 6PM on our website, Autoline.tv.
Well, that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (38)
December 16th, 2014 at 12:16 pm
The UAW cracks me up, they only want to be part of the company when it is doing well and they can get their big checks, God forbid they might actually have to suffer through the bad times too with the rest of the company.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:17 pm
I for one will always just call it Chrysler.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:25 pm
Ziggy, what do you think the chances are that execs are getting their profit-sharing checks regardless – even though management is the sole source of decisions of what goes into a vehicle (including defective parts)?
Rest assured that the assemblers were not involved in those decisions – including to keep installing them long after it was known that there were problems.
Just saying.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:27 pm
Nissan is selling a lot of cars, but according to CR’s owner satisfaction survey results, the buyers don’t like them as well as most other brands. In a few years, we’ll know more about what they replace them with, but this should be food for thought for the powers that be at Nissan.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:28 pm
Is it true that FCA will drop the Caravan, and only build the Town & Country? What a huge mistake IMHO! The Caravan nameplate is iconic. The Caravan name should remain and the Town & Country name should be the upper most trim level on the Caravan.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:30 pm
5, If they drop the Caravan name in favor of Town and Country, will I be able to take my ’89 Caravan to “orphan” car shows?
December 16th, 2014 at 12:31 pm
I am sure glad my wife choose the 2015 Honda Pilot over the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder as our last vehicle purchase. If she would have gotten the Pathfinder and read the CR review I would never hear the end of it. The only real thing she liked about the Pathfinder was the panoramic roof, are you listening Honda?
December 16th, 2014 at 12:32 pm
So much for quality union labor, if they get higher wages they will just move to Mexico and other countries now with oil being cheaper they can ship engines and transmissions instead of building in the U.S.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:38 pm
Takata should bear the cost of all the it’s airbag recalls. How many airbag suppliers are there to supply these devices to the Automotive Industry.
Is there any substantial technological differences from one supplier to another? A side by side comparison might be helpful. This might be a good topic for an episode of ATW.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:40 pm
Big mistake dropping the Caravan, I sure do see a lot more of them than the Chrysler one, just like calling it a Ram instead of Dodge, Ram should only be trucks not minivans.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:40 pm
Ziggy- the UAW is just doing there job, representing the workers. Think of them as the official opposition. The opposition is supposed to bring forward the opposing view, whether they believe it or not.
December 16th, 2014 at 12:50 pm
Quick question to those who know more than me: Today I was behind a Mercedes, with MI mfg plates, no emblems or names in the rear, appeared to be the size of a C-class only a bit smaller, any ideas what it could have been?
December 16th, 2014 at 12:55 pm
11, CLA? Maybe it was a prototype of an “improved” CLA. Just a thought.
December 16th, 2014 at 1:00 pm
@3 Duke, if there is no profit due to the recalls then there is no profit sharing checks for anyone. You are either part of the company or you aren’t, there is no middle ground, if the designers come out with a great design and management gives the green light to it and it sells well and the company makes a lot of money off it should the UAW assembly line workers share in that if they had nothing to do with the design of the car or approving it for production? By your logic they shouldn’t, but they will demand that they do and they will. Just saying.
December 16th, 2014 at 1:01 pm
Golf and Canyon are AW’s “vehicles of the year.”
http://autoweek.com/article/best-best/2015-autoweek-best-best-meet-your-winners
December 16th, 2014 at 1:02 pm
Kit the tail lights did not look like a CLA, I just thought it weird NOT having any emblems on the trunk lid, could not pass him to look at the front end.
December 16th, 2014 at 1:04 pm
@10, Buzzerd, totally agree with you, but that is the fast track to losing their credibility by supporting something that they don’t believe in. Integrity is what makes people believe in you and support your view.
December 16th, 2014 at 1:16 pm
All part of a plan – ultimately, drop Dodge. They will starve the brand to extinction just like Plymouth. The higher powers must think most Dodge buyers will make the transition to the Chrysler brand.
It will be extremely sad to see the fabled Dodge name disappear. If history had not seen the influenza outbreak and if the Dodge brothers had lived, the North American auto landscape would be very different. Henry Ford was very shaken when John and Horace decided to break out and start their own brand. The Dodge name was well known to be the engineering powerhouse behind the Model T. Most authentic part for the early T’s still must carry the Dodge Brothers stamp.
December 16th, 2014 at 1:20 pm
I owned a Maxima back when it had a stick and was still “the four door sports car”. It was a really great ride. But Maxima has lost its way and Nissan doesn’t seem to be doing much to get it back on track. What a shame.
Kudos to Mazda. An engine that can hold together for a whole Indy Lights season? That’s solid. I wonder if there will be a “lightweight” version for qualifying.
December 16th, 2014 at 1:56 pm
19, Was your Maxima rear drive, or was it later than that?
December 16th, 2014 at 2:01 pm
18, As long as they make the Challenger, it should be called a Dodge, but as I mentioned yesterday, they don’t need a “Dodge Division” to use the Dodge nameplate where it is appropriate.
If they plan to drop the Dodge brand, maybe they plan to change the Challenger to Barracuda, or ‘Cuda, where the Chrysler name would fit better. The Prowler and PT Cruiser were originally intended to be Plymouths, but it didn’t change much when they ended up calling them Chryslers. It would work the same way with a ‘Cuda.
December 16th, 2014 at 2:03 pm
#19
I agree.
A 1992 Nissan Maxima SE made me a car guy. The current Maxima’s share very little with what made that car great.
December 16th, 2014 at 3:27 pm
I find that they did an “Acura” with the current Maxima. They tuned the engine for a little more power than the similar Altima V6, which almost no one would notice, but the Maxima needs premium fuel while the Altima does not.
December 16th, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Allow me to avoid any misunderstanding about the UAW’s quest to exclude recalls from the profit sharing agreement. Only the recall of vehicles made under the prior contract are asked to be excluded which reduce present company profits, as I am told. Not to do so would be asking to make sacrifices twice! Furthermore, profit sharing does not include the entire workforce; Old timers, who earn a higher hourly wage are not included in the current contract. By the way, these old-timers haven’t had a raise in about 10 years.
December 16th, 2014 at 4:51 pm
Kit, I just don’t see why the Golf was chosen. There is nothing over dramatic about this car other than it’s multiple offerings.
December 16th, 2014 at 4:58 pm
25 I can see the merits of Golf. That interior is really well done and so comfortable. The dash is well laid out. I thought it was the star of the NY show last spring. Maybe just me.
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thanks for the EOB for the profit sharing, cwolf
December 16th, 2014 at 5:20 pm
25, The new Golf looks quite a bit like the old one, but from tests I seen, it is better in every way. It is roomier, quieter, has a nicer interior, and the U.S. market gas versions get much better fuel economy, with the 1.8 turbo 4 replacing the agricultural sounding, and somewhat thirst 2.5 liter 5 cylinder.
It’s hard to compare the Golf with the other “car of the year” candidate, the Mustang. The Mustang is much better than the old one, and even has IRS, but it remains a niche product, while the Golf is the best selling car in Europe, and some other parts of the world.
The “biggy” of the year’s awards, NACTOTY remain to be announced, and the results will be interesting. There are two very compelling candidates for both the car and truck awards.
December 16th, 2014 at 5:43 pm
Kit & HtG: I have test driven many a new Golf and Jetta over the last many years and have always been attracted by the interior layout, space and comfort. Is this just a bit better than before or is it that good and deserving? There is more than just a good interior , ya know.
On the surface,it looks rather cut and dry what the UAW will bargain for. But the southern foreign plant activities and desire to deal with the high temp worker population really creates a spiders web in making long term bargains. The important thing not to forget is that the UAW needs money/membership to regain bartering power. That said, I’m afraid, as in the last contract, the UAW will sacrifice the old timers for what is to be gained by uplifting the new and temps.
December 16th, 2014 at 5:59 pm
Cwolf, I haven’t driven the new Golf, but have seen it and sat in it. The interior is very nice, for the class, and the seats are very comfy, at least for me. The standard engine in the U.S. market is much better. The previous 2 liter 4 was slow and thirsty. The previous 2.5 liter 5 was quicker, but thirstier, and sounded like it belonged somewhere other than in a modern car. It might be good for a wood chipper or log splitter.
December 16th, 2014 at 6:08 pm
I still say Mustang wins NACTOY, if only because the jurors(all 50+) can push all their 10 points to the one car they really like. It isn’t just a 1-2-3 type vote.
December 16th, 2014 at 6:26 pm
30, I think we get to find out how the jurors voted, after it’s over. We probably shouldn’t make predictions on John Mc’s vote, though. That might not be appropriate.
December 16th, 2014 at 6:31 pm
Having driven the new Golf GTI. I would give it the award, but I don’t know if the normal Golf is as good. I think VW has raised the bar for that class of car.
December 16th, 2014 at 6:33 pm
30, I’d say Mustang too, for the same reasons, and it really is taking a step into the 21st. century. For truck, I hope Colorado, but it’s hard to say. Some of what is coming out is that the F150 is more technology for technology’s sake from Ford, but it’s too early to really know.
December 16th, 2014 at 6:39 pm
I guess we will need to wait about a month to find out.
December 16th, 2014 at 7:38 pm
With the golf gti being big in europe,what does that have to do with the NACOTY?It ain’t that big here,whereas the Mustang sure is.My vote:
Colorado/Mustang.
December 16th, 2014 at 8:48 pm
35, The Golf being big in Europe doesn’t have too much to do with North America, but the Transit Connect won NATOTY, I guess it won because it is big in Europe, and because it was new to North America.
December 17th, 2014 at 11:50 am
I see a lot of transit connects around my area,but only one golf so far.In fact,I don’t see a lot of vw vehicles around at all even though there is a small dealership nearby.
December 17th, 2014 at 12:06 pm
I see about an equal number of Transit Connects and Golfs here in Florida, not many of either. I’m occasionally in south Florida, where I see more Golfs than here.