AD #1999 – November Sales Take a Dip, Pininfarina Turns Its Sights to China, Nikola Motors Unveils Hydrogen Semi Truck
December 2nd, 2016 at 11:56am
Runtime: 8:03
To watch this episode on YouTube click here.
- November, 2016 Light Vehicle Sales
- Pininfarina Teams with Chinese Company on SUVs
- Toyota Teases New Camry
- Mercedes AMG GT Drops Its Top
- GM Develops New Air Filtration System
- Nikola Motors Unveils Hydrogen Semi Truck
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On today’s show… Nikola Motors reveals a hydrogen-electric heavy-duty truck, Toyota teases the all-new Camry and car sales in the U.S. take a hit in November. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
NOVEMBER SALES TAKE A DIP
Well, while everyone else is reporting that car sales shot up strongly last month in the U.S. market, we’re here to tell you the opposite. On a daily selling rate basis, sales were down 4.6%. That’s because there were two more selling days in November, 2016 compared to November, 2015. So there were actually fewer people coming into showrooms every single day of the month. And it wasn’t just in November. Over the course of the last three months, sales are down 1%. But for the full year they’re still up one-tenth of one percent.
Total sales for last month came to 1.3 million vehicles, and the SAAR hit 17.7 million, down from 17.9 million a year ago.
November, 2016 LV Sales | ||
---|---|---|
Total Sales | 1.372 Million | -4.6% |
SAAR | 17.75 Million |
Amongst the full line manufacturers, General Motors was up ever so slightly, Toyota dropped 4.1%, Ford fell more than 3%, Fiat-Chrysler plummeted over 21%. The company says it’s trying to get off fleet sales, but Jeep sales were down by double digits, which could be an alarming development. Honda was down 2% and Nissan was down only 1%.
Full Line Manufacturers | ||
---|---|---|
GM | 252,603 | +1.4% |
Toyota | 197,645 | -4.1% |
Ford | 191,715 | -3.3% |
FCA | 159,536 | -21.4% |
Honda | 122,924 | -2.0% |
Nissan | 116,136 | -1.1% |
The most impressive performers include Volkswagen, which shot up more than anyone else. It gained 14% thanks to strong sales of the Golf, Passat and Tiguan. It was followed closely by Porsche. Jaguar Land Rover were up 9% and Kia was up by six. Subaru and Volvo also eked out small gains.
Biggest Gainers | ||
---|---|---|
Volkswagen | 29,672 | +14.3% |
Porsche | 5,513 | +14.0% |
JLR | 9,040 | +9.4% |
Kia | 52,504 | +6.0% |
Volvo | 7,723 | +2.9% |
Subaru | 51,308 | +2.5% |
The one brand that did the worst was BMW, down a whopping 22%. In fact, that includes Mini. Take Mini out of the total and BMW was down nearly 25%. Something is going wrong at BMW. For the whole year it’s sales are down as much as Volkswagen’s, and VW could not legally sell a good chunk of the cars on its lots due to the diesel scandal. Sales of the 3-series and 5-series are plummeting, and BMW’s SUVs are not making up the difference. We hate to say it but when you see sales performances like this, heads start to roll.
What’s Wrong with BMW? | ||
---|---|---|
BMW w/ MINI | 30,696 | -22.5% |
BMW | 26,189 | -24.7% |
We’ll have more to say about sales in the days to come, but remember you heard it hear first. Sales were down in November, not up, so ignore the happy talk that others are reporting.
Still to come… a look at a new Chinese crossover designed by Pininfarina.
PININFARINA TURNS TO CHINA
Italian design house Pininfarina is best known for its work with Ferrari but for the past several years it has turned its sights to China. In 2012 it formed a partnership with Chinese automaker South East Motors and last year the two came out with their first vehicle, a SUV called the DX-7. It earned many design awards and exceeded sales estimates and now they are following that up with a compact CUV, called the DX-3. While the vehicles share a few character lines, they are largely different on purpose as the DX-3 is meant to appeal to a younger buyer. The clean, modern exterior design carries over to the interior as well, where you’ll notice an open dashboard layout topped with round vents and a large touchscreen in the middle. This design language is said will carry over to future generations of the SUV. With vehicles like this, I think Chinese automakers are proving they’re becoming much more sophisticated.
TOYOTA TEASES NEW CAMRY
Toyota is teasing the all-new 2018 Camry ahead of its debut at the Detroit auto show. Based on this picture it looks like the Japanese automaker is giving the car a little more attitude, similar to what we’re seeing with its other new vehicles. We’ll provide a link for a livestream event if you’d like to check out the unveil for yourself.
AMG GT DROPS ITS TOP
Speaking of new cars, Mercedes is showing off the convertible version of the AMG GT. In the U.S. the top of the line C model comes with a 550-horsepower twin-turbo V8 that’s mated to a 7-speed DCT. It also features a wider rear track and rear wheels, active ride-control suspension and rear axle steering with an electronically controlled locking rear differential. The base model, if you can even call it that, is no slouch either. It also comes with a twin-turbo V8 that pumps out nearly 470-horsepower and can hit 60MPH in under 4-seconds. The roadsters will hit U.S. dealers in the fall of next year.
Coming up next, start-up company Nikola Motors takes the wraps off a hydrogen powered semi-truck.
CAN YOU SMELL ME NOW?
Air pollution is a big problem in China. And that’s why GM engineers are developing a filtration system to improve air quality inside the vehicle. It combines a High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance or HEPA filter with an air ionizer and a monitoring system that updates the driver with real-time info about particulate matter inside and outside the car. Within five minutes of use, the new system can reduce harmful particles in the car by up to 80%. And after 10 minutes, the air inside the vehicle is up to 10 times cleaner than outside the vehicle. While this system is being developed in China, the company says it will make it available globally.
HYDROGEN-ELECTRIC SEMI TRUCK
Start-up company Nikola Motors, which is based in Utah, just revealed a Class 8 semi-truck that runs on hydrogen-electric power. Called the Nikola One, it’s expected to have a range of 800 to 1,200 miles while cranking out 1,000 horsepower and 2,000 pound feet of torque. Energy for its lithium-ion batteries is provided by an on-board hydrogen fuel cell. The company is currently in talks with several states to find a manufacturing location and will choose a spot in first half of 2017. But one problem facing hydrogen-powered vehicles is the lack of stations to fill them up. So in order to tackle the issue, Nikola will build a network of 364 hydrogen-fueling stations across the U.S. and Canada starting in 2018. The company is aiming to have it in production by 2020 and will lease the truck for $5,000 to $7,000 a month.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching, have a great weekend and we will see right back here again on Monday.
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December 2nd, 2016 at 12:17 pm
Elections impacted car sales in Nov, no one went out to buy that week. That explains the daily dip.
Nissan and VW were super aggressive on incentives.
I know because I bought a Nissan the day before election, I tell you I got a great deal – very eager (and empty of customers) dealer.
BMW and FCA numbers surprised me.
December 2nd, 2016 at 12:17 pm
So will the Dept of Energy be subsidizing the 300+ hydrogen fueling centers that Nikola Motors is planning? Seems crazy that the DOE should spend billions of dollars to support maybe 10,000 or so hydrogen powered vehicles on the ground or in near future?
No doubt the hydrogen trucks will be cleaner, but won’t the energy costs to produce the hydrogen plus the added costs of the power units and associated hardware make the operating costs of delivering toasters astronomical?
December 2nd, 2016 at 12:43 pm
I still think that FCA’s Jeep brand needs to examine and adjust it’s portfolio. I really like what they are doing and styling the New 2017 Jeep Compass. The elimination of the Patriot model was an excellent move on FCA’s part. Now if they will refresh the Cherokee with a similar headlight and seven slot grill configuration like the Grand Cherokee and new Compass more consumers will buy the brand.
I still believe that FCA should consider keeping the Chrysler 200 or restyle the Chrysler 300 to look more like the Pacifica front end. You want that family resemblance in a manufacturers product offerings. The Chrysler 200 is far better looking than the Chevy Malibu and other competitors. The 200 would probably work better as the base for a EV model. I realize that models come and go based upon sales but a more limited product offering in the future for FCA should improve profitability in the future.
December 2nd, 2016 at 1:34 pm
The numbers reported are virtually flat except maybe for Jeep/FCA; now if things continue, okay, maybe we are seeing a decline, but to make any judgement of a monthly report would surely be premature. I think the industry remains stronge.
December 2nd, 2016 at 3:33 pm
BMW sales down, down, down …
… luxury price for pedestrian design and quality
… iDrive, counter-intuitive shifter, magically appearing massive repair bills right after warranty expires ….
December 2nd, 2016 at 3:34 pm
3 I think the 200 looks better than most of the competition, but from reviews, it appears to lag behind in comfort, roominess, gas mileage, etc. The generic front drive sedan market is tough to compete in.
December 2nd, 2016 at 4:31 pm
I watched the full video of the press event for the Nikola One. A very impressive piece of engineering. The hydrogen refueling stations are going to cost a lot, even if they have solar farms supplying them with the hydrogen. Then there is the cost of the farms . . .
Not sure who their bankers are, but on the flip side, there is a LOT of interest in this truck. It has so many advantages over diesel powered big rigs, its safe to say this is the future of trucking.
Watch the presentation here:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1107582_meet-nikolas-hydrogen-fuel-cell-extended-range-electric-truck#src=10065&image=4
December 2nd, 2016 at 10:07 pm
#5 The thing that BMW offered, and others lacked, was that sweet inline six in the 3 series, and other models. Now, it has been replaced with a 2.0 liter turbo four, and the only way to get the six, is with a turbocharger. Everyone has a turbo four in many of their cars, so why pay extra for the BMW? No wonder their sales have crashed.
December 3rd, 2016 at 6:47 am
You talked about GM producing a filtration system in China for the cabin air of their cars. Why didn’t you mention Tesla already has this available for all countries NOW? And it was produced here in the USA.
December 3rd, 2016 at 8:26 am
Sean,
As far as car sales, are you comparing Nov. 15 to Nov.16? I would think YTD ’15 to YTD ’16 would be a better indicator of how each manufacturing is doing. Did VW have a terrible Nov.15? Which would explain the % gain in Nov. ’16. And the same for the gain/loss of others. Just wondering.
Good show, as usual. Thanks.
December 3rd, 2016 at 7:10 pm
Regarding the Mini division of BMW, has it sort of run its course? I have one, a basic 2010 Hardtop. I plan to keep it, but don’t plan to buy another. It seems like the newest Minis are maxi Minis, and that they are going after a different market.