On today’s show… Can diesels make a quick comeback in the U.S.? One group says yes, BMW finally lets Android users into its infotainment system and we’ll show you the highlights from the New York auto show. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for March 23rd, 2016.
DIESEL SALES COULD RECOVER FAST
Volkswagen can’t sell its diesel-powered cars in the U.S. because it’s still working on a fix for the engines. And that’s really hurt the overall market for diesels. Through the first two months of the year, sales are down 17% but despite that the Diesel Technology Forum predicts diesel sales will recover over the next few years. One reason is diesels will help automakers meet stricter fuel economy regulations in the coming years, especially pick-up trucks. Another reason, there could be up to 24 new diesel powered models introduced in the U.S. over the next year. While diesels are down, if you exclude VW, including Audi and Porsche, diesel sales are only down 4% for the year. So it’s easy to see why it sees that trend reversing.
LET ME IN!
BMW announced that Android users will finally be able to control certain apps through its iDrive system. The option has been available to Apple users since 2011. Owners will have to download the BMW Connect app and connect their phone via Bluetooth. The first app integrations include popular music services iHeartRadio, Spotify and Pandora. For now it’s only available to 7 Series owners, but BMW says “app integration for all other vehicles equipped with BMW Apps and MINI Connected will follow at a later date.”
SPOTIFY JOINS FORDPASS
And speaking of Spotify, the streaming service has joined McDonald’s, 7-Eleven and BP in Ford’s new mobility experience platform, called FordPass. The automaker is aiming to understand people’s needs and develop experiences and ways to help them move better. FordPass is free to Ford vehicle owners and non-owners and will launch in April in the U.S. and Canada.
Mazda and Lincoln wow the crowds in New York. We’ll have that right after this.
MAZDA SHOWS FASTBACK MX-5 MIATA
While we’ve seen an MX-5 Miata with a retractable hardtop before, Mazda gave us a bit of a surprise yesterday with the unveiling of the MX-5 RF, which stands for retractable fastback. With the push of a button the roof can open or close at speeds up to 10 km/h. The back window also opens as well. But the trunk space is still the same as the soft-top model. Unfortunately, no word on when the RF will hit the market.
LINCOLN UNVEILS NAVIGATOR CONCEPT
Lincoln also wowed the crowds yesterday with this beautiful Navigator concept. It features the automaker’s new signature grille, a strong character line down the side and taillights that stretch across the entire rear end, somewhat similar to the new Continental. Lincoln is focusing on three key areas with this concept; spaciousness, quietness and more power. Under the hood is a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 that produces more than 400-horsepower. And along with a whole handful of safety and convenience features, the concept has the most spacious interior Lincoln has ever made. While we’re certain things like the power gull-wing doors won’t make it to production, if the new Navigator looks as close to this concept as the Continental did to its concept, Lincoln could have a real winner on its hands.
Coming up next, Buick upgrades the Encore and Mercedes comes out with a coupe version of its GLC SUV.
BUICK ENCORE GETS A FACE LIFT
Buick introduced the refreshed 2017 Encore yesterday. As you can see the small crossover gets a new front-end appearance, including new LED headlights. And the reworked interior now sports a less clustered center stack. New standard features include push-button start, keyless unlock on the exterior door handles and an 8-inch touchscreen. The Encore is certainly an important vehicle to the brand. It accounted for nearly a third of all Buick sales in North America last year. Sales have been up for the first two months of 2016 and the refreshed 2017 model goes on sale this fall.
MERCEDES GLC SLICKS ITS HAIR BACK
Mercedes just revealed what it’s calling a coupe version of its GLC crossover. I say that because while the styling does resemble a sports coupe, it still has four doors, so it’s not a traditional two-door coupe. The new model is over 3-inches longer and 1.5-inches lower than the regular GLC. It comes standard with all-wheel-drive and is powered by a four-cylinder engine that cranks out 241-horsepower. The AMG version comes with a 3.0L V6 twin-turbo under the hood, which helps move the car from 0 to 60 MPH in under five seconds. Both engines are mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. The car is also lighter thanks to the use of aluminum in the body and components for the suspension. The GLC Coupe goes on sale early next year.
But that brings us to the end of today’s show, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (27)
March 23rd, 2016 at 11:47 am
Still heavy influence on the new Lincoln Navigator from the Rover brand; I think it keeps Lincoln from finding ‘its’ own niche (but some will flock to a cheaper Range Rover. JMO
Interesting on the hardtop Miata (but maybe it should have stayed a soft-top convertible). Again, JMO
March 23rd, 2016 at 11:56 am
Buick Encore, along with Chevrolet Trax, are ruling the segment in sales and in profits, as mentioned in an early Autoline After hours a few weeks ago.
March 23rd, 2016 at 11:57 am
Concept Navigator: beautiful. Looks like a stretched Range Rover to me, or is that just me?
Probably great for the U.S. and China markets.
March 23rd, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Overall I like the Lincoln Navigator concept, but with two caveats – the silhouette looks more station wagon than SUV, and the side profile looks rather plain jane.
March 23rd, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Why not a fixed roof Miata, kind of a Miayman?
March 23rd, 2016 at 12:08 pm
Interesting vehicles in New York.
A Miata hardtop? I think the Miata as a pure convertible should not be messed with. They should have tweaked the fastback a bit, stuck a rotary in is than called it the RX-7.
Did the Model X influence Lincoln’s design to fit gull wing doors to the new Navigator? Let’s hope this doesn’t become a trend.
I’m pretty sure diesel sales will expand in the coming years but I don’t think passenger cars nor mainstream CUVs will be adding much. Those will be part of the electrification process. Trucks will see the largest segment growth as automakers develop smaller diesels for 1/2 trucks.
March 23rd, 2016 at 12:12 pm
Navigator looks like a Range Rover with a Bentley grill.
March 23rd, 2016 at 12:25 pm
“if you exclude VW, including Audi and Porsche” so what about Mercedes-Benz? (see link).
“A new lawsuit brought against Mercedes-Benz states that the company’s existing diesel engines pollute up to 65x (sixty-five times) more than the legal amount when it’s cold out. The claim is that when the temperature drops below 50 degrees fahrenheit the nitrogen oxide reduction system simply turns off.”
Also, have you seen the EU list of non-conforming diesels? The last time I checked in October 2015, it was across the board in Europe.
Sure the USA, large displacement, diesel pickups, vans and trucks are OK. But the small displacement passenger diesels are pretty much DOA. So is the Chevy Cruz diesel back in the market?
Bob Wilson, Huntsville, AL
March 23rd, 2016 at 12:30 pm
Sean, do you…or does anyone else agree that the steering wheel design on the new Navigator concept leaves a lot to be desired?
To me, it is terribly plain and non-sporty…and reminds me of something we might have seen in the ’80′s.
C’mon Mark, your Lincoln interior designers can surely do much better than that!
March 23rd, 2016 at 12:43 pm
If they’d make a 7/10 scale model of that Navigator and lower it a little, it would be a nice station wagon.
March 23rd, 2016 at 12:45 pm
The Lincoln Navigator concept looks like a Lincoln Flex. I suspect that people will either like it or hate it like the flex.
Is the new Navigator built on the flex platform?
March 23rd, 2016 at 1:01 pm
Is it me, or is that new Merc GLC Coupe SUV’s overall form factor (especially the rear half) STRONGLY suggestive of the BMW X6?
And it’s not the first Merc to cross what has always been a great divide in styling between the two German automakers.
March 23rd, 2016 at 1:24 pm
I don’t understand why BMW, and now M-B, keep making these oddball tall lifted hatchbacks, like X4, X6, and now GLC “coupe.” They don’t appeal to hatchback fans like myself, and based on X6 sales, they don’t appeal to much of anyone else either.
March 23rd, 2016 at 1:40 pm
#13.
Hey Kit. Personally, I LOVE the X6!
And the M version is straight-up ‘BOSS’ – imho
http://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/g-power-x6-m50d-f16-schmiedrad-forged-wheel-hurricane-rr-2-750×500.jpg
March 23rd, 2016 at 1:57 pm
#14 I realize that a few people like them, and, unlike some others of the genre, you can even get an RWD X6. Still, none of these vehicles seem to sell well. With a base price of over $60K for the X6, it’s not surprising.
March 23rd, 2016 at 2:08 pm
So you take a perfectly good SUV and squish the roof down giving it less “U”. Isn’t it just a jacked up AWD sedan now? I just don’t get it.
Everyone thinks the Navigator concept looks like a Range Rover. I see Ford Flex in there too. Maybe the mothership can rebadge it and replace the Expedition with the Super Flex!
March 23rd, 2016 at 2:14 pm
16. Neahh. Forget Super Flex. It’s gotta be Flex Luthor.
March 23rd, 2016 at 2:18 pm
The X4, X6, and GLC “coupe” are jacked up hatchbacks. The X6 is available with RWD. The other two have mandatory AWD.
The resemblance to the Flex is why I sort of like the Navigator concept, except for its hugeness.
March 23rd, 2016 at 2:22 pm
Great show Sean! I dig the new mx5 retractable hardtop…now just needs over 250 hp and a dct transmission to rival the Porsche 718…
Cmon Mazda…make a short run of 718 killers!
March 23rd, 2016 at 5:46 pm
I expect diesel trucks will experience a sales growth, especially after the oil supply dwindles and gas prices increase a year from now. But a real 4 cyl. diesel is needed specific to small and mid-sized trucks which is designed for mpg’s and less focus on torque.
My “69″ MGC is almost complete and I only have to hand stich the leather to the steering wheel to finish the interior. It sure has been a long time coming!
March 23rd, 2016 at 6:22 pm
Lincoln: They are still trying to find their way. So many good years in years past. It is a shame!
Lincoln in the past 60 years has distinguished themselves, with the likes of the ’56,’58′ 60′s,’80 and 90′s models and succeeded in sales and profit. AND GREW A FOLLOWING.
The luxury SUV’s have moved up a notch with the success and likes of Porsche, Bentley, and others. Competition from Europe is fierce.
Put a Mercury badge on the new Navigator and it will sell like crazy. Put a Lincoln badge on it and it will be Ho-Hum, just another SUV with no IMAGE on which to build a future.
Mercury’s were always a step-up on a Ford base, as is the Navigator.
Sad! So Sad!!! Lincoln needs some imagination!
March 23rd, 2016 at 6:33 pm
P.S. Those doors will never make it to production! Maybe in a limited production, special model, but not on a grand scale. They are good on a concept because they draw conversation.
March 23rd, 2016 at 7:08 pm
Wasn’t Town Car still the best selling Lincoln when they dropped it?
March 23rd, 2016 at 7:30 pm
Loved the Navigator concept! A little long-ish to me, but I’ll take it. While the front end (like the recently introduced Lincoln Continental) does seem to bare a strong Bentley Flying Spur influence, the look of this concept is a Million miles better looking than Bentley’s own SUV, the Bentayga!!!
March 23rd, 2016 at 11:47 pm
Wouldn’t it be nice if GM could turn up whatever it is to get the hp on the Trax and Encore up to 160. The new Ford 1.5L cranks out 160 in the new to be introduced Escape
March 24th, 2016 at 9:08 am
Would anyone notice the difference between 153 and 160 hp in the Encore? The owner I know seems satisfied with the 138 hp of the old one.
Yeah, a more powerful engine would be nice, but most people who buy these vehicles probably don’t care.
March 24th, 2016 at 9:11 am
Kit,
Re:Town car #23
Yes, the Town Car was great for Lincoln and it’s image and bottom line. It was identifiable and different from the competition. They ran the model too long and non-limo buyers lost interest when they went to buy a new car. ” Why buy something that I already have” Lincoln failed to invest money in the “winner” they had and didn’t modify or carry-on the theme with new products. It became the “Cash Cow.”
Trust me, I didn’t drive one, but I used to love Lincoln’s distinguished products. They were somewhat unique and competed well with Cadillac for those who preferred American made luxury products. I couldn’t afford one, but it was a “dream” to always have one. No more!!