On today’s show, car sales in Europe are up for the first time in seven years, Jeep wants to double its sales over the next three years and the head of Chrysler explains why the minivan segment is important to the brand. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for January 16th, 2015.
AUTOLIV TO BUILD REPLACEMENT AIRBAGS
As we’ve told you, it could take a couple of years for Takata to build enough replacement parts for vehicles affected by its defective airbag. However some automakers aren’t waiting on Takata to come up with the new parts. Autoliv, the world’s largest airbag supplier, says it has agreements with several automakers to build up to 25 million airbag inflators for those companies and will deliver them throughout this year and next year.
MARCHIONNE WANTS TO DOUBLE JEEP SALES
Fiat-Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne is not one to hold back from making bold statements and he’s doing it again. After hitting his goal of selling 1 million Jeeps in 2014, the company chief wants the brand to nearly double that number by 2018 to 1.9 million units annually. To help meet this goal Jeep production will be boosted at its plant in Italy and a new factory in Europe should be online by the end of the year. FCA has currently been riding on the backs of Ram and Jeep and it’s going to need to continue to if Sergio wants to meet his lofty 5-year plan.
EUROPE POSTS 1ST ANNUAL GAIN SINCE 2007
And speaking of car sales, for the first time since 2007, sales in Europe were up for the year. Automakers sold over 12.5 million vehicles in 2014, a gain of nearly 6%. Spain recorded the largest year over year growth of the largest EU markets, with close to a 20% increase. The U.K. was next, posting a 9% increase and Italy rounds out the top three with a 4% gain in 2014.
Still to come…Johnson Controls develops a carbon fiber seat for mass production and Audi dealers will start using virtual reality headsets to sell cars.
AUDI DEALERS TO USE VIRTUAL REALITY
There’s all kinds of new technology going into cars today, but Audi is giving its dealers a cool new toy to play with. The automaker will be rolling out Virtual Reality headsets to its dealers so customers can view its entire product lineup and all possible equipment combinations. Customers can even look in the trunk if they wanted to. In the future, the headsets could even be brought directly to the customers home. It sure doesn’t beat the real thing but it’s probably the next best way to experience the vehicle you want if it’s not on the dealer lot.
JOHNSON CONTROLS CREATES LIGHTWEIGHT SEAT
Carbon-fiber products are typically only found on expensive sports cars, but Johnson Controls has a seat made from the material that’s ready for a mass production. The seat is 40% lighter than a traditional one and will meet all safety requirements. It can be assembled in less steps and due to a new manufacturing process about 200,000 units can be made per production line. Automakers are always looking for new ways to reduce weight to meet more stringent fuel economy standards and Johnson Control’s new seat will be available in vehicles by 2019.
Coming up next, why Chrysler is staying in the minivan segment..
AUTOLINE THIS WEEK
Yesterday we told you about the new Chrysler minivan debuting at next year’s Detroit auto show. On Autoline This Week, the head of the Chrysler brand, Al Gardner, explains why the minivan segment is so important to the brand.
(The ATW preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)
There’s a lot of great info about Chrysler in that show, so check out that whole interview at our website, Autoline.tv.
That’s it for today, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.
| 
| Listen on Phone 
| 
Share
Embed
Permalink
Comments (40)
January 16th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
I wonder what keeps those carbon fiber seats from turning into ‘piercing’ shards (in a crash); will they be so strong that they don’t break or will they be covered in Kevlar (or similar material) to retain those broken ‘knives’ where they belong. Assuming they are safe, and I feel that they probably are, they would be great additions, to say, the next generation Corvette (and other lower volume premium vehicles).
January 16th, 2015 at 12:59 pm
If the collision is so severe that the seat is breaking into ” shards” I can’t imagine there are any survivors.
Minivans -I wish we would stop calling this things “minivans” as they are far from mini, how about we just call them vans.
January 16th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Carbon fiber is very strong (but brittle); I’m sure many survivable accidents have had bent seats (metal frames) so I’m just thinking out loud in my above post.
January 16th, 2015 at 1:20 pm
2 Yeah, there is only one minivan now sold in the U.S. market, the Mazda 5. It is about the same size as my first generation Dodge Caravan.
January 16th, 2015 at 1:33 pm
Sergio could make serious headway in his goal of doubling Jeep sales by building that Wrangler-based pickup. They should sell it world wide to compete with Hilux, etc. The Jeep name has a lot of allure globally.
January 16th, 2015 at 2:46 pm
Have to admit that the Jeep brand was and still is under explored. A Jeep pickup Like the one shown yesterday should be a hit, so I think Sergio could get his 1.9MM units done as planned….
January 16th, 2015 at 3:18 pm
Virtual Reality Headsets in the Audi Dealership . . . . . Why not invest in better sales consultant training and allow the customer to experience the hands on aspects of seeing the real car. Too many dealers do not want you to get in and test drive the vehicle because they believe you “cannot afford the car”. I see more sales consultant laziness and poor customer satisfaction in the near future.
January 16th, 2015 at 4:16 pm
@ Kit: There is another ‘real’passenger mini van,the new Ram Promaster Wagon.Carries 5 and the back seat folds and tumbles for extra cargo carrying.Pretty trick stuff,and a fin looking van too.
January 16th, 2015 at 5:03 pm
iQ, out
Toyota to discontinue iQ. US customers were afraid of the small size and expected better mileage. Also, high price
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-16/toyota-to-drop-scion-iq-as-smallest-car-fails-to-win-u-s-buyers.html
January 16th, 2015 at 5:20 pm
Consumer Reports puts Sergio cars at the bottom of every list
January 16th, 2015 at 7:07 pm
8 I’d forgotten that one. I guess it’s too new.
January 16th, 2015 at 7:09 pm
10 They like a few of them, like GC and Ram, but not too many. Charger and Challenger did well in their “owner satisfaction” surveys.
January 16th, 2015 at 7:56 pm
The Ram Promaster City, Nissan / Chevrolet NV200, and the Ford Transit Connect are the new minivans. Not quite as attractive as the original minivan.
January 16th, 2015 at 8:02 pm
Given how close today’s OEM’s are in terms of defects per vehicle road feel, style, convenience and costs are greater factors today when comparing cars or trucks.
January 16th, 2015 at 10:33 pm
4, 8 I find that the Promaster City is about 9 inches longer, 2 inches wider, and 9 inches taller than first generation Caravan and Voyager. Still, except for height, they are a lot more “mini” than today’s Grand Caravan/Town and Country, and the Toyota and Honda vans.
January 17th, 2015 at 8:20 am
Rest assured – I will not go to a dealership and put on a virtuel headset to look at a car. It’s the real thing, or I’m going across the street to the Acura dealer.
January 17th, 2015 at 9:20 am
#16 Too bad Bob hope is deceased. He would have been the perfect spokesman for Acura. Both Bob and Acuras are known for their large beaks.
January 17th, 2015 at 11:30 am
Not to be contrary but I don’t think the Wrangler pick-up would make it (especially as represented in the show with the ‘hemi’); sure they’d sell some but I don’t see it as a high volume vehicle (JMO).
I think there is still room for the Dodge Caravan and Town and Country; they need to market the T&C (like they used to) as the up-market vehicle and let the Caravan perform the ‘duties’ of the masses. Again, JMO.
January 17th, 2015 at 11:55 am
Yeah, to sell very many, they would need different powertrains from that V8, like probably the 3.6 automatic in the US, and a 4 cylinder manual about everywhere else.
January 17th, 2015 at 5:05 pm
17 Currently, the base Caravan is ~8K cheaper than the much more “loaded” base T & C.
It’s hard to say if it makes sense to keep both brands, with a total volume of ~250K a year, but it might if they want to keep Dodge as more of a mainstream brand, and Chrysler as “premium.”
January 17th, 2015 at 5:20 pm
When the Promaster city wagons finally show up at the dealers,my wife,(at her insistence)and I will go take a look and a drive.I’ll also go and drive the new colorado even though it will only have the lfx car engine.I want to start making comparisons.I will also check out the upcoming all new diesel frontier as soon as they become available.Not being ‘brand loyal’ keeps my options open.
January 17th, 2015 at 5:27 pm
20 The Promaster City wagon will be interesting, especially learning about how it drives, noise level, etc.
It you want a pickup without a “car engine,” your only choices would be a Silverado/Sierra, or a V8 Ram.
January 17th, 2015 at 5:56 pm
Or maybe V8 Rams have car engines, unless V8 Chargers and 300′s have truck engines. G. A., I’m just playing here.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:13 pm
No more full size or V8 pickups for me.I really have no need for them anymore.I’m only interested in 4 cyl gas or diesel.The 4 cyl colorado is out.I’ve read some of the reviews and it isn’t for me,neither is the v6.
Were I to even want a full size pickup truck,the only one I would consider is the Ram 1500 ecodiesel.A reg cab long box nicely equipped is under 40k.But again,it’s too big for my needs.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:30 pm
23 Could you explain what you don’t like about the engines used in the Colorado? Do you just not like the sound of them revving fairly high when accelerating hard, or climbing?
January 17th, 2015 at 10:12 pm
That’s one of the things Kit.I have an rpm engine and I just don’t like it at all.In a light duty truck,I do want a more ‘durable’ engine.For the midsize gm twins,the all new 4.3 ‘truck engine’ would have suited me,and I would have had one in my driveway already.here’s a kick,my local chevy dealer called me the other day and wanted me to come in and check out a new colorado.I told them I was interested,but only in the diesel.I was put on hold for a few minutes,and when the sales rep came back on,I was told that the baby duramax “MIGHT NOT EVER be available”.Back when they said they were doing up an all new midsize,am lot of us thought that the v6 would have been the 4.3L.On the GM centric forums that I belong to,many have said since the 4.3 will not be offered as an option,they will wait for the diesel,and then it would depend on how stupid gm decides to price the ‘possible diesel’.
Bottom line Kit,a truck,that will be used as a truck doesn’t need a screaming v6 that works too hard to do the job.It just doesn’t make any kind of sense to me,and other potential buyers.To those that just ‘want a truck’ and won’t be working them,the lfx will do just fine.
January 18th, 2015 at 6:45 am
Interesting, GA. When I asked the Ford PS at the NY show about the intention behind the different engines, she said that the smaller unit was aimed at more the lifestyle buyer than the work truck person.
January 18th, 2015 at 7:38 am
Had the opportunity to spend some time in a new Mustang V6, very nice effort, really good engine, don’t see a need for the V8 nor the optional turbo 4. Good responsive transmission and very nice highway ride, but takes curves really well too. Very comfy seats, but kind of high beltline for me, that’s a sporty car thing, I guess! Also the type of car you can live with everyday, and have some fun while you’re out driving.
January 18th, 2015 at 8:34 am
26, Did she say that the 2.7 turbo was mainly an attempt to get impressive EPA numbers? That seems likely.
January 18th, 2015 at 8:44 am
27 I haven’t seen a new Mustang yet, but may go by the dealer today. The turbo 4 gets 3 to 5 better EPA gas mileage than the V6, but given mileage reported by owners and CR on other “ecoboost” engines, I’d expect a smaller difference in real world driving.
January 18th, 2015 at 9:41 am
28 nope, she only talked about the intended buyer, but then I had asked who the smaller unit was targeted toward.
29 I’ve seen a couple Mustangs now. They’re pretty exciting coming at you on a highway.
Only a few more hours till football. I think I can make it.
January 18th, 2015 at 12:06 pm
I just returned from driving/walking through a few car dealerships. The Ford place had one Mustang, a 4 cylinder automatic. It looked pretty good, even though it was about my least favorite color, dark grey. The interior looked pretty nice too. They weren’t open, so I didn’t get to check out the seats. When I got home, I checked the “build and price” on the Mustang, and noticed something that seemed very odd. It appears that you can’t had a sunroof on a Mustang. Also, the V6 offers very few options. They seem to want people to buy the turbo.
I then went to the Hyundai place. It’s no wonder I hadn’t noticed any new Sonatas. They are SO generic looking. I’m not sure why anyone would buy one over a Camry or Accord, except maybe for the long warranty.
Chevy had a few Traxes, and the prices seemed pretty good, for those who just have to have a CUV rather than a car. They had one with an MSRP of $20K. The had a yellow Corvette parked in the grass in front. That probably gets some people’s attention as they drive by.
January 18th, 2015 at 12:29 pm
This Mustang is gonna sell like hotcakes, even folks who would have never considered one may change their minds once they drive them, much more refined than the previous generations, I also happened to ride in a Camaro convertible also for about 30 mins and it felt a lot rougher and less refined than the Ford, also it did not seem to handle curves as well.
January 18th, 2015 at 1:21 pm
C & D compared the new Mustang with an Audi A5, regarding civility. If there is any truth to that, it’s impressive.
One thing I like about the optioning choices for the Mustang, is that you can avoid MyFord Touch with all power trains. If only we were so lucky with the Fiesta and Focus ST’s, which have MFT mandatory.
The current Camaro will be replaced none too soon. I hope it is actually smaller and lighter than the current one. The Mustang was supposed to be lighter than the old one, but ended up heavier. Maybe it will be different with the Camaro, since it will be built on the ATS platform
January 18th, 2015 at 2:06 pm
@ 26,HtG:Yup,that is who the small turbos are aimed at.The biggest problem that I see with the small displacement turbo V6′s is you’ll pretty much be in the turbo most of the time,sucking the gas just to keep up.No matter what,none of the pickups be they large or small,are aerodynamic bricks and require more power at hwy speeds.
I live in a ‘mountain’ state.No matter which direction I go,I’m climbing,hill after hill after hill.With a large f150 with a turbo ecoboost,irregardless of displacement,just staying at posted hwy speeds I would be pretty deep into the turbo,burning fuel like it was for free.It’s just a bad idea.Not to mention the wear and tare on those little engines.
January 18th, 2015 at 2:31 pm
31 So Trax is in showrooms? I may have to go waste some unsuspecting salesperson’s ‘Up.’
January 18th, 2015 at 2:50 pm
35 There were two Trax at the dealer near here. Based on size, Kia Sportage and its Hyundai Tucson twin might be the closest competition, other than the fancier version of Trax, Buick Encore. Like with Encore, the only power train sold in Trax is the 1.4 turbo, 6-speed automatic.
January 19th, 2015 at 10:46 am
34 Car and Driver indicated that they got about the same gas mileage with the 4 cylinder “ecoboost” Mustang, as with a C7 Corvette. The small turbo would have the potential to get better mileage, if driven gently, but when making power, there is no “free lunch.”
January 19th, 2015 at 12:26 pm
#38 Woa! that is gonna hurt sales in Europe, where MPG’s are important, here I suppose most people will stay with the std V6 and not spend extra money for what? same horsepower, mileage and extra complicated power plant?
January 19th, 2015 at 3:51 pm
For now, you can get the turbo more “loaded” than the V6, but a base car would have everything I’d want, a radio, AC, and cruise control.