On today’s show…Toyota creates an in-house venture to develop EVs…Hyundai reveals an autonomous version of the Ioniq…and more highlights from the LA auto show. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

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

TOYOTA CREATES VENTURE COMPANY TO DEVELOP EVs
Last week we reported about Toyota’s plans to introduce a pure EV by 2020 that has at least a 200-mile range. And to help make that a reality, the company is establishing an in-house venture company that will be responsible for developing electric cars. The new company will launch next month and also include representatives from suppliers Aisin and Denso. Up until now Toyota has put its focus on hydrogen fuel cells instead of battery electric vehicles, deeming them the “ultimate eco-car.” However the company is switching its strategy because governments around the world are investing into EV charging stations instead of hydrogen stations. And the company realized it needed to change course.

EPA LABELS MORE ACCURATE
Around a decade ago, the EPA revised its fuel economy testing to more accurately reflect real world driving. That’s because most drivers were getting lower mileage than the car’s label. A 2005 study from Consumer Reports found that the EPA label was off by an average of 3.3 MPGs. But now Consumer Reports has updated its study and found that there is no significant difference between its test and the EPA label. CR tested nearly 400 vehicles from model years 2009 to 2016 and found that the figures differed by an average of 0.8 MPG or 3%.

JAGUAR REPRODUCES 1957 XKSS
Earlier this year, Jaguar announced plans to rebuild its famous XKSS model from the 1950’s to its exact specifications from when it was originally produced. And now the company is showing off an example at the Petersen Museum in LA. The car was a production version of Jaguar’s famous D-type race-car. The company originally built 25 of them but only 16 survived a fire that broke out at the Browns Lane plant where it was built. So Jaguar decided to build those nine models that were lost and it’s already sold them for more than 1 million pounds apiece.

Still to come…Acura shows off what its future interiors will look like.

IT’S WHAT’S ON THE INSIDE THAT COUNTS
Earlier this year at the Detroit auto show Acura gave us a look at its styling future with the Precision Concept and now in LA it’s giving us a peek into its future interior. At the core of the Precision Cockpit are two large display screens. One for driver information, the other for infotainment. The one for the driver will display all the normal stuff, like how fast you’re going, engine speed, those sorts of things. But when automated driving is engaged the screen transforms into a 3D layout that displays cars, pedestrians, cyclists and other objects. Now let’s move over to the infotainment screen, which Acura has placed high on the dash to be more in line with the driver’s natural line of sight. While it’s still a touchscreen, the main source of control is a low-mounted touchpad. What’s unique about this touchpad is that it uses something called absolute position mapping. Essentially wherever you touch the touchpad it corresponds with the same spot on the screen. Touch bottom left on the touchpad and it’s like you’re touching the bottom left of the screen. But don’t think this is some space-age dream of Acura’s. The brand says we’ll see this technology in the next few years.

DRIVE FOR FREE…BUT THERE’S A CATCH
The basis of any ride- or car-sharing program is that you have to pay for the service. But how does free sound? The only catch is you have to be ok with becoming a rolling billboard. Hyundai and WaiveCar are launching a car-sharing program using the pure electric version of the Ioniq that runs on advertising dollars. The cars will be wrapped in advertising and also feature a digital roof mounted display. Using an app, customers can get the vehicles for 2 hours for free. It’s $5.99 for every additional hour. The service will first be rolled out in LA next year with 3 additional cities planned by the end of 2017.

HYUNDAI SHOWS OFF AUTONOMOUS IONIQ
Hyundai also had two other big announcements for the Ioniq. The brand showed off an autonomous version of the electrified car that it has been testing. Hyundai says it’s developing its own autonomous vehicle operating system with the hopes of introducing the technology that the average consumer can afford. It also announced a new negotiation-free single-payment method for a way of getting into an Ioniq EV, called Ioniq Unlimited. The service includes one fixed payment for unlimited mileage, electric charging costs, scheduled maintenance, wear items and all typical purchase fees. Customers go online, select the vehicle they want from the dealer’s inventory and choose a 24- or 36-month lease. Once they get credit approval, they go to the dealer to finish the purchase, which involves filling out a few forms. No haggling.

And for more from LA, be sure to check out our coverage of the show. John talks to the executives about their new unveils from the floor of the show. You can watch those interviews on our website, Autoline.tv or you can find them on our YouTube channel.

Coming up next, Mitsubishi hints at its future design direction and Volkswagen updates the electric version of the Golf.

VW e-GOLF UPDATES
And we’ve still got more reveals from LA to show you. Volkswagen introduced an updated version of the e-Golf. Its range has been boosted from 83 miles up to 124 miles per charge. And its electric motor now cranks out 134 horsepower which is 19 more than before. The e-Golf also features styling updates to the exterior and interior as well.

MITSUBISHI HINTS AT FUTURE DESIGN DIRECTION
Mitsubishi revealed a sleek looking electric crossover concept called the eX. It not only hints at the company’s future design direction, but it’s also a showcase of its EV, autonomous and artificial intelligence technologies.

MAZDA UNVEILS NEW PROTOTYPE RACECAR
Mazda took the wraps off a new prototype race car, called the RT24-P. It’s powered by a 600 horsepower, 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The racecar will compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and make its debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.

And if you want to learn more about Ford’s new compact crossover, the EcoSport, make sure you tune into Autoline After Hours this afternoon. John and Gary sit down with the chief engineer of the vehicle and Ford’s director of U.S. Marketing, to get the inside scoop on the CUV. In addition to that, the guys are joined by their journalist colleagues to discuss the other highlights from the LA auto show. That’s today at 3PM eastern time on our website, Autoline.tv.

But that wraps up today’s show. Thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow for the latest news in the global automotive industry.