AD #2010 – FCA Partners with Waymo, Karma to Build the Atlantic, Ford GT Rolling Off the Line
December 19th, 2016 at 11:42am
Runtime: 6:31
To watch this episode on YouTube click here.
- EU Wants Faster Dumping Response
- Karma to Build the Atlantic
- Waymo Gets OEM As a Supplier
- California Picks Fight with Uber
- Chevy Teases New Traverse
- Ford GT Rolling Off the Line
- Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi to Share EV Costs
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On today’s show…The European Union is racing to block China from dumping cars….Ford starts deliveries of the GT….and Uber fights California over autonomous technology. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
EU WANTS FASTER DUMPING RESPONSE
Two months ago Chinese automaker Geely announced it will start selling cars in Europe in 2018. And it will not sell cars through franchised dealers, but will market them through social media and sell direct to consumers. Europe’s dealer franchise laws are different than those in the United States and they do allow automakers to operate some factory stores. Now Ward’s reports that the European Union wants to change its anti-dumping laws so that it can react faster to cheap car imports. Under the present law, it can take several years to determine if a company is dumping products, by which time the damage has been done. That’s not to say that Geely is going to sell cars below their manufacturing cost, but the EU wants to be ready. Geely is going to launch a good-looking crossover under the brand name “Lynk & Company,” which sure sounds like the “Lincoln Company” to us.
KARMA TO BUILD THE ATLANTIC
Back when China’s Wangxiang Group bought out bankrupt Fisker Automotive it got everything and the kitchen sink, including the rights to the Atlantic, a gorgeous 2-door sports car. The Atlantic was unveiled at the New York auto show back in 2012. It kind of looks just like a little brother to the Karma and was also designed by Henrik Fisker. But remember, the sedan is no longer called the Karma. It was re-named as the Revero. The Atlantic reportedly will have a top speed of 134 miles per hour and will hit 100 kilometers an hour in 6.5-seconds. Karma Automotive just got permission to make both the Revero and Atlantic in China.
Still to come, problems with autonomous technology from a legal standpoint, and a business standpoint.
WAYMO GETS OEM AS A SUPPLIER
Waymo, which is the new name for Google’s autonomous ridesharing service, just took another big step forward. It announced it’s adding 100 Chrysler Pacifica’s to its test fleet. FCA built the vans and Waymo is retrofitting them so they can drive by themselves. While other major automakers are developing autonomous technology in house, FCA is so far the only one to partner with Waymo. And that raises an interesting point. Is Waymo a supplier to FCA, or is FCA a supplier to Waymo? And who gets to capture the data that will be generated by the people using these ridesharing vans? Other automakers are developing their own autonomous technology so they control the data. And that’s because the real money to be made with these services will be with the data, not with the hardware and software.
CALIFORNIA PICKS FIGHT WITH UBER
Nearly from the moment Uber started giving rides in San Francisco in self-driving Volvo XC90’s the California DMV said the company did not have the correct permits and was operating illegally. But Uber has pushed back saying it’s not breaking any rules and as of Friday was still giving out rides. California defines autonomy as “technology that has the capability to drive a vehicle without the active physical control or monitoring by a human operator.” Uber argues that its vehicles are required to have a driver behind to the wheel to take over if needed, so it shouldn’t need a permit to operate in the state. It also points out it’s no different than Tesla who doesn’t have a permit for its electric cars to operate in Autopilot mode. By not getting the permit Uber doesn’t have to update the DMV when its vehicles are involved in car crashes or when drivers have to take over for the technology.
Coming up next, the first Ford GT rolls off the assembly line and Chevy teases the all-new Traverse.
CHEVY TEASES NEW TRAVERSE
The Detroit auto show kicks off in a few weeks but automakers can’t wait to let us know they’ll reveal at the show. Chevy just teased us with this image of the all-new Traverse. The company didn’t reveal many details other than the 8-passenger SUV receives new technologies and features and it’s expected to have best in class third row leg-room.
FORD GT ROLLING OFF THE LINE
And speaking of the Detroit show, at the 2015 event, Ford captured most of the media’s attention when it unveiled the new GT. And now a little less than two years later, the first model has rolled off the assembly line. It was driven by Raj Nair, Ford’s head of Global Product Development and Chief Technical Officer. The GT is being produced by Canadian company Multimatic.
RENAULT-NISSAN-MITSUBISHI TO SHARE EV COSTS
In order to save money on EV development, Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi will share a platform for electric cars. Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reports that the companies will use the same platform as the next-gen Nissan Leaf that goes on sale in 2018. They’ll use the same motor, inverter and battery, which could help lower the price of the Leaf by about a fifth. This tie-up isn’t all that surprising. Renault and Nissan formed an alliance back in 1999 and just a few months ago Nissan took control of Mitsubishi.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow for the latest news in the global automotive industry.
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Comments (20)
December 19th, 2016 at 12:10 pm
I really enjoyed the last AAH #359 – “Pacifica Goes Electric”. When will FCA put this EV technology into other vehicles? I have been advocating this type of plug-in-hybrid technology for sometime now. My only questions is why did FCA need to modify the internal parts of the PentaStar 3.6 Litre V6 for this version of the Pacifica?
December 19th, 2016 at 12:22 pm
I wonder why the Atlantic has 2 panes of glass in each rear quarter panel. It looks like they are trying to accommodate the forward pane to retract -or – they are designing in commonality with a 4-door variant.
December 19th, 2016 at 12:24 pm
Is it just me or does that Fisker 2 door look like the old four-door with the rear doors welded shut? Doesn’t appeal to me but I wish them well
December 19th, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Minus the orange, that Chinese crossover doesn’t look too bad; now if China is ‘dumping’ then Europe needs to come down on them full force.
The GT still looks fabulous, though with a continued production and multiple model introductions, they are diluting the exclusivity that they once commanded.
The new Traverse needs to be good (very good); the silhouette is intriguing, and since the old model is starting to get a little long in the tooth, should be welcomed by fans of the ‘bow-tie’.
December 19th, 2016 at 12:46 pm
General question regarding autonomous vehicles:
Is it too early to know yet just how much of the bulk we’re currently seeing atop of these test vehicles will be native to the final packages on production vehicles to come? Because, aside from looking quite odd, I’m imagining a few scenarios where that contraption would need to be engineered around:
- Winter. I see enough car owners who are too lazy to brush the snow off the hoods and roof tops of their cars now. So even if the final variant of these mechanisms is encapsulated in some clear, monolithic plastic casing, good luck getting people to ‘do right’ and brush the snow off of it every morning before leaving for work, and every evening leaving for home.
- Roof-Mounted Bike Racks, Canoes, Kayaks, & Such. Need I say more?
I’m sure viable solutions will abound. We’re an inventive bunch. But it’ll be interesting to see how these things are worked around once all the dust settles.
December 19th, 2016 at 12:58 pm
#1 The engine in the Pacifica hybrid would, presumably, use Atkinson cycle tuning to maximize fuel economy in the hybrid. That means different cam timing, higher geometric compression ratio, and probably other changes from the standard engine.
I assume that the new Traverse will be similar to the new Acadia, and will be lighter, and somewhat smaller than the old one. The main weakness of the outgoing one is that it is too big and heavy, for the amount of room it has.
December 19th, 2016 at 1:01 pm
How does the police pull over a fully autonomous vehicle when the people in the car have no steering wheel, gas pedal or brake pedal?
December 19th, 2016 at 1:08 pm
I’f the EU doesn’t enforce a 35 percent tariff and a requirement for joint venture with a European company to sell cars in Europe they are on the road to extinction.
Move fast or be destroyed by the Chinese tidal wave..
Jmo
December 19th, 2016 at 1:19 pm
#7.
You had me for a second there. But then I realized, Why would the police ever have reason to pull over an autonomous car? Surely not for breaking traffic laws. It’s autonomous…
Now, (not saying they should, but) if drug traffickers are smart, they’ll start sending their shipments with autonomous cars – knowing they’ll never be pulled over.
December 19th, 2016 at 1:26 pm
If the new Traverse is to have more 3rd row leg room, and that silhouette looks quite long, I believe the new model will be much bigger than the GMC Acadia… perhaps bigger than than the present Traverse, but similar or lighter in weight.
December 19th, 2016 at 1:33 pm
10 Yeah, probably a stretch version of the Acadia.
December 19th, 2016 at 2:07 pm
From the interior shots I’ve seen of autonomous cars in motion, I noticed a lot of wheel movement as the car travels down the road, more so at low speeds than high. I would imagine that’s due to the purely digital controls being used. It reminds me of the fly by wire systems used on aircraft where the elevator and ailerons are constantly moving as the plane travels along.
Wouldn’t this kind of system be harder to control on icy roads where small but quick continual corrections are made, rather than an “experienced” human analog at the wheel?
Good to see the Ford GT coming off the line. I’m not a great fan of the car because I don’t think it has earned a pedigree to charge $400,000 for the car. Makes the NSX look like a bargain and a Corvette Z06 look like you can pick one up at the buy here – pay here lot.
December 19th, 2016 at 2:29 pm
nice to see Raj Nair driving the first GT off the line,and as a Canadian,it’s nice to have the car done here
December 19th, 2016 at 2:56 pm
I’m still amazed at how much press the Ford GT is getting, considering the low volume, and unafforable price for most of us. It looks like Ford is getting their money’s worth in publicity. A new Ferrari doesn’t get that much attention, even with twice as many cylinders as the Ford.
December 19th, 2016 at 3:11 pm
When I hear about a car called Atlantic, I think of this one, not a Fisker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XIEUWsXlEo
That Atlantic is my favorite concept car of all time.
December 19th, 2016 at 3:23 pm
Isn’t it interesting that the first new Ford GT is just now rolling off the assembly line, though the LeMans organizers allowed it to run – and win – the 2016 24 Hrs in its class. What ever happened to homologation?
December 19th, 2016 at 3:44 pm
The Fisker Atlantic show car was a four door sedan, midsized as opposed to the full size Fisker Karma. Fisker also showed a concept for a two door, retractable hardtop convertible called the Sunset. It is a very beautiful car. All are easy to find on Google Images.
December 19th, 2016 at 3:47 pm
Its hard to imagine that Karma is going to build a midsize two door production car. The volume would be so low that it doesn’t make good business sense for a small volume manufacturer like Karma. If you look carefully at the image in today’s report, you can see the cut line for the back door at the fender. The door handle is integrated into the top, rear corner of the door at the pillar.
December 19th, 2016 at 7:39 pm
18 It seems that, these days, the only companies that can build production mid-size 2 door cars, are those that are able to charge escalated prices because of reputation, like M-B and BMW.
December 19th, 2016 at 8:30 pm
In the teaser photo, the new traverse looks like a Toyota Sienna.