AD #1768 – Honda Ridgeline 2.0, Hacker Develops Own Autonomous Car, FCA Searches for More Technicians
December 21st, 2015 at 11:44am
Runtime: 6:27
- Honda Ridgeline, Part II
- Acura Teases Its Styling Future
- Hacker Develops Own Autonomous Car
- FCA Searches for More Technicians
- China’s GAC to Team with Uber
- Presents, Coal & Chorus
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On today’s show… even when it screws up, Honda never gives up, a guy in a garage could disrupt Silicon Valley’s autonomous efforts and FCA is out searching for more techs. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for December 21st, 2015.
HONDA RIDGELINE, PART II
A decade ago Honda jumped into the compact pickup segment in the American market with the introduction of the Ridgeline. It was a complete flop. The base price was more expensive than all the other full-size pickups, and it looked weird because the sides of the bed were set at an awkward angle. But even when it screws up, Honda never gives up. So it’s coming back with an all-new design and just released this teaser image. As you can see, the bed now looks like it belongs to a normal pickup. And there’s a break line between the cab and bed to make it look more like a traditional truck. Honda will officially unveil the Ridgeline at the Detroit auto show next month, and then it will run an ad in the Super Bowl to make sure millions of people are aware it’s back in the market.
STYLE ME PRETTY
Honda’s Acura brand was heavily criticized a couple of years ago for its goofy styling. Critics especially hated the grille. And while Acura cleaned up the look of the front ends of its cars, the brand has never been in danger of winning any styling awards. Now it hopes to change all that. It’s going to unveil what it’s calling the Acura Precision Concept at the Detroit show. It’s an all-new form language that sets the styling and proportions we’re going to see in all future Acuras, especially its sedans.
WHO NEEDS GOOGLE?
Hey, have you heard of this guy who developed his own autonomous car all by himself? Not only that, he’s taking a completely different approach than all the other companies getting into this technology. His name is George Hotz, and he’s something of a computer whiz, being the first person to ever hack into an iPhone. Now he’s using artificial intelligence to develop his autonomous system. So instead of writing millions of lines of code to tell the car what to do, all he does is drive the car around, and the car learns how to drive by watching him. He retrofitted an Acura ILX with off-the-shelf components and came up with an impressive demonstrator. Check out the link in today’s show notes, because this guy could be a disruptive force amongst all those tech companies who thought they were the disruptors.
Still to come, Uber signs a big contract with a Chinese car company.
NO MORE “FIX IT AGAIN TONY”
The need for finding good talent to work in the automotive industry is not just limited to the engineering, design and manufacturing side of the business. FCA projects it will need to add more than 5,000 mechanics to its U.S. dealerships by 2018. So, the automaker established a new program that will train approximately 1,000 students annually and it just added 20 colleges to its network of certified training sites. The plan is to add another 30 to that list in 2016 and reach more than 100 certified colleges by 2018.
CHINA’S GAC TO TEAM WITH UBER
Chinese automakers have benefited from forming joint ventures with more established auto manufacturers. But now they may be looking for the same kind of boost with ride sharing. Guangzhou Automobile just announced plans for strategic cooperation with Uber in China. Up to now Uber has only used privately owned cars to provide rides. So it’s fascinating to see it join up with a car company. We need to keep an eye on how this develops, because if this makes good business sense for Guangzhou, we can expect to see other car companies want to get in on the action.
Coming up next, After Hours takes on a decidedly musical turn.
GET IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT WITH AUTOLINE
To help us get in the holiday spirit on last week’s Autoline After Hours, we were joined by the Motor City Chorale which was formerly a choir for GM employees and traces its roots back to 1933. Just in case you have not watched the show yet, here’s a quick sample.
(Clip from AAH #314 can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
John and Gary, along with Mark Phelan from the Detroit Free Press and Scott Burgess from Yahoo Autos handed out presents and lumps of coal to various people in the auto industry. To see who they skewered and who they praised, check that show out right now on our website, Autoline.tv or on our YouTube channel.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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Comments (24)
December 21st, 2015 at 12:09 pm
So FCA wants college grads as car techs? Clearly we need a differently educated cart tech than we did just 10 + years back. MY question is how is a 2 year or 4 year degree ever going pay off? 20K-40K plus in student loans on top of the specialty tools needed to repair today’s cars are going to be a financial killer to the tech, unless they are suddenly allowed to charge like med docs.
December 21st, 2015 at 12:39 pm
If the HR-V is a bright, shining example of how Honda can learn from a colossal, well thought out but poorly executed mistake called Crosstour, then round 2 of the Ridgeline theoretically has a chance.
December 21st, 2015 at 2:05 pm
I could be just missing it, but Sean I don’t see that link to the George Hotz piece you mentioned being in the show notes.
December 21st, 2015 at 2:08 pm
#3. Click on the headline to the story in the transcript. That will take you to the piece about George Hotz.
December 21st, 2015 at 2:08 pm
Ad me to the list of critics who hated the Acura grille. Took it completely off my shopping list much like some of the more aggressive Lexus Spindles and even a few of the Audi front ends.
I hope they jazz it up a bit for their sake. They can look at Mazda or Kia or the PREVIOUS generation Sonata if they want some ideas.
December 21st, 2015 at 2:12 pm
I thought Oldsmobile was closed down, but no Acura must of hired their designers away from GM. This is because every time I look at an Acura I see a hints of Oldsmobile design in the face and portions of the vehicle.
December 21st, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Happy holidays to the entire autoline.tv crew! Great show as always! Thanks for all your fine efforts.
December 21st, 2015 at 2:44 pm
got it. thanks, John.
December 21st, 2015 at 4:24 pm
Maybe FCA wouldn’t need as many new techs if they made better product and fewer recalls!
December 21st, 2015 at 4:29 pm
Maybe FCA wouldn’t need as many new techs if they made better product and fewer recalls!
December 21st, 2015 at 4:30 pm
Thanks for changing to my present email address, Sean.
December 21st, 2015 at 7:16 pm
I wonder why acura hates outside visability so much.So will the next iteration have any glass at all? So,small windows,more electronic distractions then needed is now the norm I guess.I’ll stick with vans or trucks.At least you can see out of them….
December 21st, 2015 at 8:17 pm
@2 An even better example (than the HR-V) of second generation improvement for Honda would be the Odyssey. The first one was a failure in both design and sales. After that…top notch all the way.
It is part of the Honda DNA to experiment with new ideas and designs. Almost every vehicle they ever built has been an initial ground breaker – some extremely successful, some not so much (understatement!). Look at Civic, Accord, Prelude, HR-V, Pilot and the whole Japanese luxury pioneer thing – the Acura brand.
And Honda always brings their eco-friendly bias with them. Sometimes I think they are building THEIR car that you are welcome to drive if you want to. And there are other current examples that make Sean’s point about perseverance in addition to the Ridgeline – Insight, CR-V.
And check the dismal sales numbers for the Acura RL – and they absolutely refuse to stick a V8 in it because it would be wasteful! Do they really WANT a sales dud???
And then there is the (ugly by any standard!) Element. It was the forerunner of other ugly boxes from Nissan, Kia, Scion to name three.
Now, to Acura…my TL was the absolute nicest car I have ever owned. I never got out of that car without a huge grin! It was fast, light on its feet and completely secure. Better than my European or American luxury cars and a completely different vehicle than anything I have driven from Lexus. A couple of cars from Infiniti have come close:-)
Another example of Honda’s “green” attitude… although they are the world’s largest supplier of IC engines, they refuse to sell to anyone to build a chain saw.
Trees are good; chain saws are bad
So, let’s see if Honda gets the new Ridgline right. I will certainly want to go over it – and the new Acura design – at the Detroit show
December 21st, 2015 at 8:52 pm
Off topic. SpaceX successfully lands a first stage booster. I could actually see the decent, since it was on land about 8 miles from here, rather than on a brarge a long ways out.
December 21st, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Ok like the idea of FCA training techs for mechanical repair but how about collision repair. Again the U.S. has a shortage of body techs and with the manufacturers using high strength steel and aluminum , it requires a different skill set and tools. A lot of older body techs will be getting out of business since they do not want to invest in tools and training.
Manufacturers will have to look at this like FCA is in order to have safe repairs.
December 22nd, 2015 at 8:35 am
SpaceX decent from my condo:
https://youtu.be/ZHJhllSXsH8
December 22nd, 2015 at 8:47 am
The appearance of the new Ridgeline should appeal more to American tastes. If they add lightness, and hold, or lower price from the old one, it should succeed.
I’ve never had a four wheeled Honda, but I have liked a number of them over the years. The two that were really disappointing, though, were the second generation Insight and the CR-Z. Honda had the first hybrid on the market with the first gen Insight, but except for maybe the current Accord, their hybrids since then have been quite underwhelming.
December 22nd, 2015 at 10:21 am
14 That’s actually something if SpaceX can make an economy out of reusing the booster. I’m going to go out on a limb here Kit and ask how big a smile you had on watching that landing. Tell my why they didn’t go this path back to land rather than landing on the barge.
December 22nd, 2015 at 10:28 am
Kit, wasn’t the first Insight available as a plug-in electric too? I did a quick search and didn’t find anything on that option, but around the turn of the millennia while in CA, a friend rented one and I could have sworn he was given the option of plug-in or hybrid and he chose the plug-in.
December 22nd, 2015 at 10:55 am
So FCA wants to train more technicians, I am laughing because the larger obstacles to getting more GOOD techs is being able to earn a living! At the dealership level the new techs get the lowest paying jobs which means spending more time and effort to make money to pay for the tools you need (hey FCA, bring back the tool bonus programs when you where Chrysler ) and your other bills. I don’t know of any other professionals who have to invest so much in bringing your own tools.
December 22nd, 2015 at 10:59 am
16 It was really cool to be able to see it, and that it was successful. I’m not sure, but I think the earlier landing attempts used the barge for safety reasons. The landing site used last night is close to other actively used facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and is only a few miles from the cruise ship port.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:03 am
17 I think the first Insight was sold only as a regular hybrid, but I’ve I’ve heard of people doing plug-in conversions.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:31 am
19 From what I understand the safe trajectory of the returning stage was into the ocean. Only the firing of the booster redirected the stage onto land and the pad.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:31 am
Thank for the video Kit.That was great.