On today’s show…VW wants to win back the public’s trust with a fleet of new electric cars…Ford reveals horsepower numbers for the new Raptor…and we’ll take a look at a number of new vehicles from the Paris auto show. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

This is Autoline Daily, the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.

VW HOPES EVs WILL WIN BACK THE PUBLIC
Volkswagen’s CEO Matthias Mueller tells the media in Paris that the company needs to win back the public’s trust, and they’re going to do that with a new fleet of electric cars. Meet the VW ID, it uses a new architecture called MEB, which in English stands for Modular Electric Drive. VW did not announce the size of the battery pack, but the car will have a range between 249 and 373 miles. It did not say which test mode generated those range numbers. The price of the car will be in the $30,000 range. These number sound fantastic, but this car will not be out until 2020, and undoubtedly other EV’s will have similar numbers by then. It also has a retractable steering wheel for driving in autonomous mode.

MERCEDES REVEALS BLAND EV CONCEPT
Mercedes showed off this electric concept called Generation EQ, which it says is an SUV styled to look like a coupe. It also uses a modular architecture, which Mercedes says can be scalable, including the track, wheelbase and battery pack. The driving range is 500 kilometers, or a little over 300 miles. Mercedes says it also pioneers new design trends for the brand, with “a completely new interpretation of the typical Mercedes radiator grille.” To us it seems kind of bland and not as modern looking as a Tesla Model X. In fact, the VW ID concept is a bolder statement.

NISSAN MICRA GETS NEW LOOK
Nissan took the wraps off the fifth-generation Micra compact hatchback. The new model is lower, wider, longer and features more interior space than the previous model. It also adopts the company’s signature design language, including its V-Motion grille and a distinct character line than runs along the entire side of the vehicle. It’s also available with a number of new safety and infotainment features. The Micra will be built by Renault in France and will hit showrooms in Europe starting next March.

And we’ll be back with more reveals from the Paris auto show right after this.

FORD RAPTOR GETS (ECO)POWER BOOST
This wasn’t announced at the Paris show, but Ford just revealed the horsepower and torque numbers for the new Raptor. With its new 3.5L V6 EcoBoost twin-turbo engine and 10-speed automatic transmission, the truck now cranks out 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. And thanks to its new aluminum body, the 2017 Raptor is up to 500 pounds lighter than before, which gives it a much better power to weight ratio.

NEW BMW CONCEPT PUSHES DESIGN ENVELOPE
BMW designers do a great job of tying all their vehicles together, you know a BMW when you see it. But those same designers are pushing the envelope a little bit with the new Concept X2. The front end is dominated by BMW’s signature twin-kidney grille flanked by two massive C-shaped air intakes. The side profile features a squashed and elongated DLO, which gives it a sporting look. And the rear is almost as radical as the front with round exhaust tips coming out of the bumper and large L-shaped LED taillights. A definite departure from what we’re used to seeing from the brand.

BMW EV SCOOTER GETS RANGE BOOST
And speaking of BMW, it’s showing off a new version of its C evolution electric scooter with even more range. It still has the lower-range version, which can travel 100 kilometers or about 62 miles and qualifies for Europe’s A1 driver’s license. But the newest version adopts the i3’s battery pack and has a range of up to 160 kilometers, which is about 99 miles. It also gets a couple of visual enhancements and a few new options, like a smartphone holder.

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY ABANDONS BOXY LOOK
Earlier this month we showed you a teaser image of the front end of the new Land Rover Discovery but now the company has revealed the vehicle in its entirety. As you can see, the new model abandons the boxy look of the previous generation and has a curvier body. The seven-seater is powered by a range of four and six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines that are all mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission from ZF. The new Discovery is made from an aluminum monocoque structure, which saves over 1,000 pounds in weight compared to a steel chassis. The new Discovery goes on sale next spring and in Great Britain carries a starting price of 43,500 pounds or about $57,000.

Coming up next, it’s time for You Said It!

A lot of you had a lot to say about Tesla suing the state of Michigan in federal court to win the right to sell cars directly to buyers instead of going through franchised dealers.

Vic says, “I find it amusing that auto dealer associations proclaim that they are better, but still claim they need legal protection. If the franchise dealer system is really better, then it will succeed despite Tesla’s efforts, without the help of franchise laws.”

Great point. You can’t say your system is superior then seek out legal protection because you’re afraid of competition.

MJB wants to know, “Perhaps a silly question here, but what are the real benefits of having a dealer network in the first place?”

Well, someone’s got to sell your cars. One hundred years ago people like Henry Ford signed up general stores to sell cars because they also sold gasoline in big glass jugs. Bicycle dealers also jumped on the bandwagon to sell horseless carriages. The National Auto Dealers Association, the NADA, was formed in 1917 because all those dealers realized there was strength in numbers.

Chuck Grenci also has a question about dealer franchises. “If Tesla wins, and gains the advantage to sell directly to the public, would this then open other manufacturers to do the same? And if not, why?”

No, the franchise laws are pretty specific. Once a brand sells cars through a franchise, it has to continue to use franchised dealers. To use the industry jargon, the factory cannot compete against its own dealers. I think the Tesla v. Michigan case will come down to the fact that Tesla never used franchised dealers and should not be forced to do so.

Kit Gerhart asks, “Do other manufacturers even want to sell directly?”

Back in the late 1990’s Ford tried to pull an end run around its dealers and wanted to sell directly to consumers on the Internet. Those plans went down in flames. In Europe automakers are allowed to have a limited number of factory stores. Interestingly they all lose money. Automakers think they can tell dealers how to sell cars, but in every case where they’ve done it on their own they lose money.

We also got a number of comments about the four-wheel steering system we showed you from ZF.

Buzzed says, “4 wheel steering – you know why it has never taken off? Cause almost no one’s interested! No one is thinking while parking their truck ‘gee, I really wish they could add an overly complex system.’”

Buzzed, you’ve got to drive it to believe it. Anyone parking a big pickup or SUV will be amazed at how well it handles and how easily you can park it. And besides, it’s not overly complex. All you add is a steering rack and a couple of steering knuckles and some software to run it.

Ziggy wants to know, “You mention that ZF thinks it can cut the price of the system but you don’t mention by how much or what a final price as an option would be.”

When GM sold Quadrasteer, it started out as a $5,600 option. ZF says it has to come to the market significantly below that. I’m taking that to mean it has to be $1,000 or cheaper.

Jesse Henry says, “ZF needs to find a way to mount that steering assembly above the axle if they want it to be universally accepted in my opinion.”

Good eye, Jesse. I said the same thing. But ZF pointed out this is a prototype that is still under development and that any production version would have the steering rack integrated into the differential housing.

Thanks for all your comments and questions. We like getting them all.

But with that we wrap up today’s report. Thanks for watching and remember we’ll be right back here again tomorrow.