AD #2025 – EPA Decides to Keep Standards, First EV Finishes Dakar Rally, Most Loved and Hated Car Models
January 17th, 2017 at 11:46am
Runtime: 7:40
To watch this episode on YouTube click here.
- EPA Decides to Keep GHG Standards
- Tesla’s Unique Prize Referral Program
- Chevy Helps Create Full-Size LEGO Batmobile
- First EV Finishes Dakar Rally
- Nissan Titan Sales Shoot Up
- Most Loved and Hated Car Models
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On today’s show… Tesla is trying new ways to put butts in seats, an electric car manages to finish the Dakar rally and Consumer Reports publishes a list of the cars people love and hate the most. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
EPA DECIDES TO KEEP STANDARDS
In a politically charged decision the EPA decided to keep the current standards for Greenhouse Gas emissions in place for 2022 through 2025. Automakers were hoping for some relief from those standards as consumers continue to show a preference for trucks and crossovers instead of hybrids and plug-ins. For the first time that we’re aware of, the EPA used what they call “adjusted numbers” to explain the agency’s goals. Gina McCarthy, the EPA Administrator, said the regulations would result in a fleet-wide fuel economy average of 36 miles per gallon in 2025. Today the fleet average is about 25 MPG. Prior to this the EPA always used unadjusted numbers in its press releases. That’s where the 54.5 mile per gallon figure came from. Funny, when it was trying to impress environmentalists the EPA used the 54.5 MPG number. Now that it’s trying to convince automakers that it’s easy to meet the standard it’s using the 36 MPG number. Now we have to wait and see if the incoming Trump administration decides if it’s going to weigh in on this issue.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE…
When most car companies need to sell more vehicles, they cut prices or put some cash on the hood. But Tesla is taking a different approach. It created a referral program and is giving away cool prizes for owners who round up new Tesla buyers. They start off small. Two referrals will get you a Tesla roller bag. Five gets you a PowerWall. Seven referrals will get you an invite to the unveiling of the Model 3. And 15 referrals earn you a package that includes concierge service, VIP access to Tesla events and a tour of its factory. We think this is a cool, thinking-outside-the-box approach to selling more cars. But it also underlies the fact that Tesla continues to miss all its sales targets and desperately needs to get more people to buy its cars.
And we’ll be back with more right after this.
BATMOBILE GETS A BOWTIE
In case you’re not a movie buff, a sequel to the LEGO Movie centered around the popular Batman character is coming out next month. To help promote the movie, Chevy teamed up with LEGO to produce its very own Batmobile. But this is not your average scale model, it’s life-size, nearly 7-feet tall, 17-feet long, weighs about 1,700-pounds and features almost 345,000 LEGO bricks. Chevy debuted the vehicle over the weekend at the Detroit auto show, but in case you can’t see it in person, the LEGO Batmobile will be featured in one of Chevy’s “Real People, Not Actors” ad campaigns.
FIRST EV FINISHES DAKAR RALLY
Nissan recently restored the first diesel vehicle to finish in the top ten of the Dakar rally, and now another company is making history in the iconic endurance race. Spanish energy company Acciona is the first to finish the Dakar rally with an electric car. The team did not exactly set the pace of the race, it finished 57th overall. But it was its first finish in three attempts. The EV uses 6 separate battery modules that provide 150 kWh of energy, which powers a single 250 kW electric motor. There’s also a 100-watt solar panel mounted on the roof to provide a little extra juice.
A correction here. Last week we reported that Fiat-Chrysler broke the law with its diesel emissions system. That was not correct. The EPA sent FCA a notice of violation. A NOV, as they’re called, is not a final EPA determination that the law was violated. It is a notice to an automaker that the EPA believes the law was violated. It still allows an automaker, in this case FCA, to discuss its actions, including efforts to come into compliance. And that means we’ll have more to report on this situation in the near future.
Coming up next, Consumer Reports publishes its list of the most loved and the most hated cars.
NISSAN TITAN SEES TITAN SALES GROWTH
Sales of the Nissan Titan full size pickup had almost disappeared completely when the company decided to completely redesign the truck. It also added a medium-duty version. And the results are starting to pay off. Last year sales of the Titan shot up 80%. The numbers are still small, it only sold about 22,000 Titans all year. To put that in perspective, Ford sold more than 81,000 F-series pickups just last month. But an 80% increase in sales is still a pretty good performance, and for 2017 Nissan will have both versions of the pickup on sale all year long.
SHE LOVES ME, SHE LOVES ME NOT
We’ve all owned vehicles that we loved and ones that we couldn’t wait to get rid of. With that in mind, Consumer Reports compiled a list of the most loved and hated models out in the market. The Most Satisfying vehicle on the market is the Tesla Model S followed by two Chevy’s that are polar opposites, the Corvette and the Volt. The Mazda Miata is the fourth most satisfying car, just beating out the Audi Q7. On the other end of the list, the Acura ILX is the Least Satisfying vehicle. It’s followed by a couple of FCA products, the Jeep Compass and the Dodge Dart. And two vehicles from Nissan round out the top five Least Satisfying Vehicles, the Infiniti Q50 and the Nissan Pathfinder. Do you agree with this list? And we’d love to hear what your most hated and most loved cars are.
And that wraps up today’s report. Thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (23)
January 17th, 2017 at 12:01 pm
I’m hoping Trump dials back the epa and their gestapo tactics.They have gone way over bounds,especially with home/land owners. Sorry snowflakes,change is coming all the way around.
January 17th, 2017 at 12:08 pm
I find the Lego Batman Chevy commercial quite entertaining. Much better than the bland JD Power ads it’s based on. Kudos to the ad agency for being creative.
January 17th, 2017 at 12:11 pm
I haven’t seen the whole like/hate CR list, but from the vehicles you listed, I certainly don’t disagree to their relative placings on the list.
January 17th, 2017 at 12:19 pm
It is likely that EPA standards will be “dialed back,” given that Trump is putting an anti-environmental extremist in charge of the agency. Yeah, the EPA has probably gone overboard in some areas, but after 40-some years of car companies saying “we can’t do it,” but then it gets done, and today’s cars are, by far, the best ever.
I’ve seen CR’s owner satisfaction list, top to bottom, and the results make sense. I have two cars that are high on the list, a Corvette and a Prius, and I would buy the same cars, if I had it to do over. Of the cars at the bottom of the list that I’m familiar with, I’m not surprised that Dart, Compass, and Patriot ranked low. I’m a little surprised that Versa Note is near the bottom. It seems a decent, practical car, for the price. I’m not very familiar with the Acuras and the Infiniti near the bottom.
January 17th, 2017 at 12:32 pm
Thanks for the correction on the RAM diesel “violation” story. I found this at Allpar.com is a good explanation of what is going on along with pictures and statistics: http://www.allpar.com/news/2017/01/what-were-the-diesel-cheats-36111
Still could be costly consequences of the whole thing. Wonder if the EPA can be sued for holding up the 2017 certification since, at one time, the diesel was 1/3 of the RAM 1500 sales. Lost sales and revenue!
January 17th, 2017 at 12:37 pm
#4. Kit, the CR rankings are based on who would buy another car like they have right now. I think one reason the Versa scored low is that it is a cheap, entry level car. Most buyers would aspire to a step up with their next car, not the same cheap-o one.
January 17th, 2017 at 12:40 pm
I hope they don’t cut back because i’m old enough to remember what it use to be like. We don’t want to be like China.
January 17th, 2017 at 12:42 pm
The EPA is a demonstrably beneficial governmental agency. I don’t want them gutted or dialed back. I have grandchildren.
We are entering into a kleptocracy. Don’t attempt to rationalize it.
January 17th, 2017 at 12:43 pm
most loved car: Audi A7
most hated car: Toyota Prius
January 17th, 2017 at 12:51 pm
9 Huh? Hyundai Genesis is the most loved car it its class, “luxury midsized cars,” with the A7 second.
Prius is the most loved car in its class, “compact cars.”
I like the A7, though, for one of the same reasons I like the Prius; it is a hatchback.
By “most loved,” I’m referring to CR’s owner satisfaction survey, as mentioned in the show.
January 17th, 2017 at 12:55 pm
Most disliked Any Fiat – poor everything automotive except the styling. Why not just “Fix It”.
January 17th, 2017 at 1:00 pm
#7 – Cutting back on the 2025 MPG / emissions requirements wouldn’t make us like China. Lowering the rate of change would still be an improvement over today, and still pretty darn “clean”. Nowhere close to what’s going on in China with their air quality. Many high mileage low emission vehicles are available if you want to do your part and purchase one.
January 17th, 2017 at 1:09 pm
When I was in Shanghai about 20 years ago, the most apparent pollution was blue smoke from zillions of small motor bikes. Most of them would be “retired” by now.
Beijing’s pollution is partly from vehicles, but coal burning power plants and industry are probably a bigger source of pollution, as older vehicles are replaced with clean ones..
January 17th, 2017 at 1:20 pm
Once again I will say,the sky ain’t falling,and I’ll add,we will remain to have the cleanest,freshest air for an industrialized country.Oh,I forgot to add,we also have the best smelling air on the planet ;}>
January 17th, 2017 at 1:34 pm
It’s hard to judge cars you aren’t familiar with. But thinking back a ‘few’ years, consider how genuinely bad cars like the Austin Marina (parts kept falling off it) or the automatic trnasmission on the early Ford Tempo that would start gear hunting as soon as you started to move was.
I can’t believe the least liked on the current list would rank anywhere near the dogs of old.
January 17th, 2017 at 2:36 pm
Interesting that the top 3 on CR´s list are American made cars. I´m surprised to see Infinity & Acura at the bottom, these are cars that people pay a premium to get…
January 17th, 2017 at 2:45 pm
Consumers Reports Listings – Generally agree with CR list, although somewhat surprised at Acura ILX being disliked so much. The only car on the list that I have personal experience with is the Corvette & I would purchase another if we were in the market. Since current one only has 2000 miles, it may be a significant time before we’re in market again.
January 17th, 2017 at 2:47 pm
Favorite vehicle : Chrysler 300C Worst vehicle : Nissan Versa. Trying to keep the price point below $50k. Current favorite vehicle I own is a 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T. Surprisingly nice ride and versatile hatch. Worst car owned: 74 Subaru
January 17th, 2017 at 2:51 pm
It looks like you need the CR magazine (Feb 2017) to get the full list, by car categories. The biggest surprize to me, is that Nissan/Infiniti products are at, or near the bottom in many car categories. It’s not just the CVT’s; other CVT-equipped cars are high on the satisfaction lists.
January 17th, 2017 at 5:59 pm
I agree with the Jeep Compass rating down at the bottom, I had one as a rental for a week and it was awful, couldn’t stand the CVT and the claustrophobic interior of coal black. When they tried to give me another one on a future trip I balked and got them to substitute a Chevy Equinox, which was one of my all time favorite rentals.
January 18th, 2017 at 8:24 am
#17
I think that the failing of the ILX is that it is just too much like a gussied-up Civic and they’ve failed at expunging that lineage. Lincoln syndrome, so-to-speak.
January 18th, 2017 at 11:15 am
MY list of hate/love cars would appall all of my car-fanatic friends. As much as I loved the idea of the Merkur XR4Ti, my ’86 was a terrible car (3-speed auto, bad turbo, 13mpg). The best cars were my ’82 Dodge Aries (4-speed, bench seat, 2-door), ’91 Suzuki Swift GT (5-speed), and ’04 Jaguar X-Type (5-speed, 2.5L) were fantastic cars and I should have replaced them with updated versions, had they been available.
January 29th, 2017 at 3:50 pm
Coming to this party very late but I really like my Infiniti Q60S AWD Hybrid. Except for its tendency to blow tires at a prodigious rate, I find it quick, comfortable and good looking. I would buy another.