- VW Facing Criminal Charges from U.S. DoJ
- GMC Bringing Back the Jimmy in 2020
- Cadillac Teases Pebble Beach Concept
- Audi First to Launch V2I Technology
- The End of the Auto Industry?
On today’s show… the U.S. Department of Justice is going to drop another hammer on Volkswagen, GMC is going to bring back the Jimmy and Audi takes the lead in V2I connectivity. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for August 16th, 2016.
VW ABOUT TO GET HAMMERED AGAIN
Volkswagen is about to hit the second phase of its legal problems in the United States over its diesel emissions cheating. Earlier this year VW agreed to pay $15.3 billion in civil chargers to buy back or repair 2-liter diesel engines and to pay for environmental programs to offset the pollution those engines created. But now the Wall Street Journal reports that VW is going to face criminal charges from the Department of Justice. Here’s our Autoline Insight. General Motors paid a criminal fine of $900 million for covering up its ignition switch defect. Toyota paid $1.2 billion for dragging its feet on its unintended acceleration issues. But VW will likely pay a lot more than that. Volkswagen repeatedly lied and misled U.S. agencies about its cheating software. And the DOJ is unforgiving when it catches corporations cheating the US Government. Just ask Enron and Arthur Anderson. Whoops, you can’t do that. They don’t exist anymore.
GMC BRINGS BACK THE JIMMY
Remember the GMC Jimmy? It was in production from 1982 until 2005. And it’s going to go back into production in 2020, according to AutoForecast Solutions. The Jimmy will be built at General Motors’ Wentzville assembly plant in Missouri, the same plant that makes the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. So we take that to mean the Jimmy will be built off the same platform that they are. GMC has unveiled a number of concept vehicles over the years, like the Granite and Terracross, that hint at what a new Jimmy could look like. And with the massive market shift to CUVs there’s probably no such thing as having too many crossovers.
Still to come… Cadillac has unveiled some stunning show cars at Pebble Beach and in two days it’s going to do it again.
CADILLAC LIKES CURVY GLASS TOO
Cadillac has unveiled some stunning concept vehicles at Pebble Beach in the past, including the Elmiraj and Ciel. Now the luxury brand is pulling the wraps off another concept car this Thursday at the prestigious car show. So far all we’ve seen is a teaser video that Cadillac released. It shows a high tech instrument panel, specifically highlighting curved OLED screens, you know, the curved glass that’s all the rage on big screen TVs right now. Cadillac says the OLED system is being developed for a future production model. Stay tuned because if the Elmiraj and Ciel are any indication, this concept should be a show stopper.
AUDI TAKES V2I LEAD
Yesterday we told you about Australia opening up the 5.9GHz spectrum for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. And now Audi is teaming up with a company called Traffic Technology Services to introduce the first vehicle-to-infrastructure system, or V2I, in select cities across the U.S. Called Traffic Light Information, it informs the driver when a light will change from red to green by receiving information from an advanced traffic signal. That’ll tell you how to drive to avoid stopping at red lights, and that in turn will boost fuel economy and reduce emissions. In the future it could be integrated with vehicle navigation, start/stop, and even help improve traffic flow. It’s available on certain 2017 Q7, A4 and A4 allroad models with Audi Connect, starting this fall.
How would you like to order a brand new car to your own specifications and pick it up the next day? That’s coming up next.
END OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY?
Local Motors, the first company to 3D print a full-size car, wants to revolutionize the way the auto industry manufactures and design cars. And it wants to completely change the car buying experience. On last week’s Autoline After Hours, the Chief Strategy Officer for Local Motors, Justin Fishkin said you’ll only have to wait one day to get the keys to your own personalized car.
(Clip from AAH #342 can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
So if you’re still not convinced Local Motors will revolutionize the auto industry. Check out that entire discussion on our website or YouTube channel. And this Thursday we’re going to have the owner of the first Camaro ever made, with the VIN N100001. He and the car are in town for the Dream Cruise, and this ought to be a fun show. That’s Autoline After Hours this Thursday starting live a 3 pm eastern time at www.autoline.tv.
And that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (27)
August 16th, 2016 at 12:00 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U2eDJnwz_s
August 16th, 2016 at 12:34 pm
In regard to Roger T’s post yesterday about 5 month old gas in his Volt:
From my experience, the issue of gas “going bad” seems highly exaggerated. For years, I have been burning only about 1/2 tank of gas a year in my van, and parking it for 7 months without running it at all. I always top off the gas before parking it in the fall, but use no stabilizer. In the spring, I re-connect the battery, and it starts right up, and runs fine.
August 16th, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Design your own car – I envision what happened when Homer Simpson designed his own car.
August 16th, 2016 at 12:36 pm
I really do not understand the fascination with suv’s. They cost more than a car, aren’t as practical as a minivan, hardly anyone uses the 4wd capabilities. Just had to get that off my chest while I head back to work in my Jeep.
August 16th, 2016 at 12:37 pm
Kit- from what I’ve seen and or heard gas ” going bad” is often water in the fuel from vehicles being stored some where the temperature isn’t stable. Constant highs and lows create condensation…
August 16th, 2016 at 12:38 pm
“The DOJ is unforgiving when it catches corporations cheating”…..politicians, not so much…..
August 16th, 2016 at 12:40 pm
C-Tech – the same trend is happening in the motorcycle industry, Adventure touring class is one of if not the biggest class now. Speaking as a GS1200 owner and Avalanche owner I think it’s partly because the new vehicles ride and perform so well you aren’t giving up much, especially for motorcycles.
August 16th, 2016 at 12:41 pm
To follow up on Kit’s comment, I believe the Volt has protocol to start the gas engine periodically even if you primarily run on electric power.
August 16th, 2016 at 12:47 pm
Why are the manufacturers that are charged criminally allowed to get away with paying a fine? Why aren’t those responsible imprisoned?
August 16th, 2016 at 1:22 pm
I said it before,I’ll say it again,nail vw’s lying asses to the barn wall and fine them bigtime.
Old gas: as long as you keep the tank full,that will minimize the amount of condensation/water in your gas.
Although adding some StaBil isn’t a bad idea,and it’s cheap,jmho.
August 16th, 2016 at 1:34 pm
I maintain, cheap insurance (for the Volt) use fuel stabilizer. I have lost small engines (in yard equipment due to ethanol based gasolines (even using Stabil), but it has got to help; the difference is probably that the automobile is a ‘closed fuel’ system. It has been documented that today’s gasolines’ begin to degrade at around 3 months.
Local motors: still “pie in the sky thinking” IMO; okay, maybe you can get your automobile (on some standardized chassis in 24 hours); but how many ‘dune buggies’ are wanted out there.
C-Tech, the same fascination for the CUV is the simalar fascination for the “Jeep-type” vehicle (they both have compromises to fuel economy) to the utility of carrying stuff/style/current fad/etc.; not wrong, just different.
The ‘getting away with a fine’ is because it is a white-collar crime, no one really gets physically hurt (I’m not buying the added air-pollution scenario) and ultimately, it comes down to money.
I think the new Jimmy is just a reversal of the change to Envoy which was subsequent to the Terrain. If the Terrain remains then it is just reverting back to the deleted Envoy (and adding another mid-sized CUV/SUV choice).
Cadillac needs to cut it out with these superior ‘concept’ cars and produce the durn things.
August 16th, 2016 at 1:43 pm
@ Chuck- totally agree about Cadillac.
It would make sense for GM to build an SUV on the Colorado platform, helps to pay the bills for that frame and stuff
August 16th, 2016 at 1:53 pm
GMC competing against Jeep? So are they “premium grade” or “trail rated”. I’m not sure GMC has the moxie to pull this off. Folks go to the GMC store to buy Denalis not Wranglers. Jeep has a niche market, just as GMC does with the Denali. I don’t think calling their Jeep fighter Jimmy will matter.
August 16th, 2016 at 2:35 pm
The Jimmy sounds like it is intended for those who have in their mind that body-on-frame tall wagons are “better” than unibody tall wagons.
August 16th, 2016 at 2:42 pm
10 Off-road capable tall wagons that never go off road appeal to Americans, kind of like pickup trucks appeal to Americans who never haul or tow anything. I never understood either phenomenon.
Of course, others don’t understand my buying a 180 moh sports car that has never seen triple digit speeds.
August 16th, 2016 at 2:51 pm
I would like my next vehicle to be electric or hybrid, but I had the same concern that my gas would go bad since I don’t put many miles on the odo. I would definitely use StaBil. Looks like many more manufacturers will be coming out with electrics in the near future, as well as driver assistance features. Though I usually enjoy driving and may not fully trust autonomy, I like the idea of being temporarily distracted on occasion without issue.
August 16th, 2016 at 2:52 pm
#14 Kit
heh, heh, heh; I do.
(big smile)!
August 16th, 2016 at 2:59 pm
I also look forward to the V2V and V2I systems. Most intersections could be switched to roundabouts and with that level of communication, there should be no need for vehicles to stop or traffic to “jam”. Traffic may need to slow at times, but without the stop & go, traffic would be able to continue to flow.
August 16th, 2016 at 3:33 pm
Can I assume if GMC gets the Jimmy, that Chevy will have their Blazer too? Hopefully they will repeat history and also offer these new vehicles with the ZR2 option (assuming the ZR2 makes it to production on the Colorado/Canyon). Perhaps a diesel option too?
August 16th, 2016 at 3:37 pm
I saw (somewhere else) that the V2I carries a surcharge; if I remember correctly $199/6 months. I think it is good tech, and maybe the high-end buyers will not cringe on the fee, but to me, I wouldn’t bite.
August 16th, 2016 at 5:53 pm
Isn’t this Jimmy a step backward, going from unibody to to a generally heavier, less structurally efficient body-on-frame vehicle?
August 16th, 2016 at 6:32 pm
Kit do you find yourself going faster than you thought you actually were and having to slow down to avoid a ticket? Is the Vette, that type of car?
August 16th, 2016 at 6:43 pm
Pedro, in normal driving, I don’t find myself going faster than I thought. I think the car’s being unusually low gives the sensation of speed. Oddly, I find myself going too fast in my old, slow by today’s standards minivan, because it is taller.
If I “get on it” in the Corvette, though, I can quickly find myself going way too fast.
August 16th, 2016 at 6:54 pm
I find myself cornerong fast in the Vette, though, and not so fast in the van.
August 16th, 2016 at 7:36 pm
Gee thanks Audi. now the douche in his high priced toy can lay on his horn the absolute second the light is supposed to turn green. Is this really a feature you need. Especially when your 7th in line at the light? It’s bad enough the geniuses in my state of PA have passed the Ride on Red law. Absolutely the dumbest idea yet. They may as well just remove all the red lights and make them 4 way stops as that is what is going to happen once people learn what they will be “allowed ” to do.
August 16th, 2016 at 7:37 pm
Hey Cadillac you make great looking concepts ,So why do the production cars all look like they were carved from a block of cheese ?
August 16th, 2016 at 7:57 pm
Hopefully after the new Jimmy we will see a new Typhoon and Cyclone.
I concur with Buzzerd and Chuck about Cadillac. If Cadillac won’t build them Lincoln should copy the design and build it, lol.
G.A. for attorney general.