AD #2035 – Honda & GM Form Fuel Cell JV, Ford’s Unique Super Bowl Ad, Opel Unveils All-New Crossland X
January 31st, 2017 at 11:43am
Runtime: 7:06
To watch this episode on YouTube click here.
- Honda & GM Form Fuel Cell JV
- Toyota Using Hydrogen Forklifts
- Ford Ad Shows It’s Serious About Mobility
- Infiniti’s Unique Interior Touches on QX50 Concept
- Paris Launches Commercial EV Sharing Program
- Opel Unveils All-New Crossland X
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On today’s show… Honda and GM form a joint venture to build fuel cells, Opel is showing off a new CUV called the Crossland X and Ford is taking a unique approach with its Super Bowl commercial. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
HONDA & GM FORM FUEL CELL JV
General Motors and Honda are taking an important step forward to making fuel cells. They’re forming a joint venture to manufacture them at the GM plant in Michigan that assembles battery packs. The investment is fairly modest, $85 million, and it will create about 100 new jobs to begin with. Honda began leasing its latest fuel cell car, the Clarity, last year in Japan. In the U.S. it offers a lease for $369 a month with $2,500 down and 20,000 miles a year allowance. General Motors always said that fuel cell technology is advancing so rapidly it would not start manufacturing them until it was sure it would not be obsolete by the time it reaches the market. Sounds like they think the time is ripe. GM and Honda seem to have a good relationship, going back to when GM started buying V6 engines and transmissions from Honda in 2003 that went in the Saturn Vue. If the fuel cell JV goes well, you have to wonder what their next steps might be?
STICK A HYDROGEN FORKLIFT IN ME, I’M DONE
Back in 2015, Toyota announced an ambitious plan to reduce the CO2 emissions of its vehicles 90% by 2050. But that’s not the only way it wants to improve the environment. The company plans to eliminate CO2 emissions from all of its manufacturing facilities by the same time period. And today the company took the first steps to achieve that. Toyota is now using two fuel cell forklifts at its Motomachi Plant in Japan. That number will grow to 20 next year and by the end of the decade between 170 and 180 hydrogen powered forklifts will be in use. And eventually all of its facilities will replace conventional forklifts with fuel cell powered ones.
And we’ll be back with more right after this.
FORD AD SHOWS IT’S SERIOUS ABOUT MOBILITY
This coming Sunday is that television extravaganza called the Super Bowl where CBS will try to squeeze in a football game between all the commercials that are scheduled to run. That’s where advertisers try to outdo each other, with face plants and farts being a common theme. But Ford is taking a different approach. It’s going to run a ninety-second ad that’s about the future of mobility. Look for shots of autonomous cars, connected cars, bicycles and even a city of the future. That’s very unusual for a car company. They usually have a hard sell for a new car. But Ford seems to be using the Super Bowl to convince as many people as possible that it’s serious about getting into mobility services.
INFINITI SPRINKLES MAGIC DUST ON QX50 CONCEPT
At this year’s Detroit auto show Infiniti showed off its not-so-subtle vision of what the next QX50 will look like. And I’d like to take a moment to highlight a couple of very unique touches on the interior that I hope make it over to production. Quilted seats seem to have become a staple of what defines luxury, but the design team at Infiniti used a clever approach I’ve never seen before, called single-dot quilting. Rather than have a diamond or X-shape pattern, it’s a single stitch that when repeated creates the illusion of a quilted pattern. I think it looks very interesting. The other thing I’d like to see carry over is a treatment that’s been applied to the wood trim work. An open-pore wood was first bleached white, then, get this, sprinkled with a silver dust that settles into the grain and finally clear coated. It’s something that a owner may never know how it was done but really makes the grain of the wood pop and catches your eye. As always, we’d love to know what you think.
Coming up next, a look at a new crossover from Opel called the Crossland X.
PARIS LAUNCHES COMMERCIAL EV SHARING PROGRAM
Air quality is an issue all around the world and in an effort to reduce pollution we’ve seen several big cities ban vehicles with internal combustion engines. This can put a burden on some of the businesses that operate within these city limits. But to lighten that burden Paris has launched a electric commercial vehicle sharing program. A fleet of 10 electric vans, which come from Peugeot, Citroen and Renault will be provided at five charging stations in two of Paris’ central districts for businesses to rent when they need them. A number of shops are already using the service and if the one year trial program is successful it could expand into other parts of Paris.
OPEL UNVEILS ALL-NEW CROSSLAND X
We here at Autoline Daily like to keep you up to date with new products from around the globe. And here’s the latest model from Opel, a new crossover called the Crossland X. It joins the Mokka X in the company’s CUV line-up but unlike that vehicle which is capable of some light off-roading, the new Crossland X was created for a more urban environment. The CUV has a number of powertrain options, ranging from gasoline, diesel and LPG engines that can be mated to manual or automatic transmissions. And it’s also available with a number of the latest infotainment and safety features. The Opel Crossland X makes its official debut tomorrow in Berlin.
And don’t forget to join us for Autoline After Hours this Thursday. We’ll have a new Lincoln Continental in the studio because our special guest is Mike Celentino, the Chief Engineer of the car. So be sure to join John and Gary Vasilash Thursday afternoon to get the inside scoop on that car.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (23)
January 31st, 2017 at 12:03 pm
Just in case I don’t get a chance to chat in a question live during AAH Thursday, please inquire as to why the front ends of the MKZ and Continental are all but indistinguishable one from another. I see both these cars on streets all over the metro Detroit area, but can NEVER tell that it’s one or the other until I catch a glimpse at the rear quarter.
This is even worse than the Audi A series front end syndrome.
January 31st, 2017 at 12:16 pm
Opel crossland x seems a little redundant how about Xland?
By product of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is water. Wouldn’t this cause a safety hazard in a warehouse, or are they going to bave a recovery bottle on the fork lift?
January 31st, 2017 at 12:30 pm
I think Mark Fields misstepped when he lobbied for reduced emission standards. Ford is not being penalized any more than another manufacturer. This official stand seriously undermines their EV and other efforts. Perception is important, and Ford’s actions clearly illustrate why there needs to be external standards forced on manifacturers.
Future generations are worth the effort, Ford.
January 31st, 2017 at 12:58 pm
I am sorry but Hydrogen vehicles for the general public makes no sense at all. Since there is no Hydrogen infrastructure, California is spending $280,000,000 of tax payer money to build 100 fueling stations. You can’t drill a hole in the ground and pull out Hydrogen, you have to make it. How is it made? In the US, 95% is made by burning fossil fuel. So much for zero emissions. The process is only 72% efficient. Then you have to compress the Hydrogen gas to 10,000 psi so the car will have some range. You lose another 12% to compress it. You end up with 60% of the original amount of energy you started with.
A Hydrogen fuel cell car has everything that an electric car has: batteries, electric motor(s), and motor controller. In addition you have to add fuel cell, fuel cell controller, and storage tanks. Where are you going to put all this stuff and still have room for people and what they want to bring with them? So you end up with a large heavy car, that is expensive and has poor driving dynamics.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:01 pm
At least Mark Fields publicly came out in opposition to the travel ban. Regarding those million jobs lost by making cleaner and more efficient cars, instead of dirtier, inefficient ones, I’m not sure where that comes from.
1 I guess they want Lincoln to have a “family look,” but I, too, can’t tell the new MKZ and Continental apart, from the front. Maybe that doesn’t matter, though, as far as how either car will sell. Actually, I was getting to kind of like the front of the previous MKZ, when they re-styled it.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:03 pm
I hope Ford’s Superbowl ad is entertaining; just a thought provocative commercial may not see the target audience for those watching a football game.
Silver sprinkled open pored wood could be an interesting look. Guessing they’d be using aluminum powder; I don’t think silver was used literally, was it Sean?
January 31st, 2017 at 1:07 pm
4 If you get the hydrogen by using solar or wind to electrolyze the water, the fuel would be “clean,” but yeah, you still have all of that complexity to store and use the hydrogen. I don’t see how it makes any sense, except for big city delivery trucks, and maybe buses.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:14 pm
@Chuck #6 – I’m not 100% sure what they’re using, but I suspect you may be correct that’s it’s not actual silver. There’s no indication in the press release, so I just went by what Design Director Alfonso Albaisa said.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:17 pm
Thanks Sean, I think they would have used “AG” or Silver (with a capital S) if that were the case. Plus, aluminum would do just about the same affect.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:21 pm
Why do all EV’s have similarly weird rear quarter treatments ??
Why don’t some company simplify EV’S with
few batts & constant duty generator? I’m just gonna keep on asking,.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:26 pm
I usually don’t bother watching superbore, the commercials have available on line to watch but I gave up on that a few years ago when you were required to watch a commercial before you could watch their commercial!!! Screw it, not that interested, plus they all get played eventually during other shows.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:26 pm
Nissan is working on ithttp://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/11/20161102-epower.html
January 31st, 2017 at 1:27 pm
The single stitch pattern looks nice but you wonder how robust it will be.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:29 pm
Wood treatment on the Infiniti QX50 Concept is a variation of a 1200 year old technique from Japanese laquerware, called Maki-e. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maki-e
January 31st, 2017 at 1:44 pm
Toyota is just the latest company to start using hydrogen powered forklifts. Plug Power has been selling them to large companies for almost ten years now. BMW has been using them for about five years. They make good sense, especially for use indoors. The water vapor they emit is minimal and mostly dissipates before it can create a puddle.
The leather interior looks nice. Reminds me of ostrich leather.
GMC stylists should pay attention to what the Opel folks are doing. The Crossland X is a much more appealing front end compared to the new Terrain.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:51 pm
10 Len, I’ll keep on answering, but with a different answer this time.
Your car is out there, sort of, in the i3 REx. It has a big battery, though. It is a very good EV, but is seriously compromised when running on gas, after the battery is run down. The mpg is unexceptional on gas, because you add the inefficiencies of a generator, and a motor, when you have no mechanical connection from the ICE to the wheels. Again, the bottom line is that a series hybrid is a GAS HOG, relatively speaking, compared to other type power trains.
12 It will be interesting to see how the Nissan series hybrid turns out. If they have come up with motors and generators that are 98% efficient, it will get good mpg. If the motor and generator are a more typical 80-90% efficient, it will be a gas hog compared to other hybrids. Anyway, I look forward to seeing actual mpg results.
January 31st, 2017 at 2:17 pm
Is it just me or does the Crossland X look like it has 60s-70s Landau Bars on the C-pillar?
January 31st, 2017 at 2:30 pm
Lisk, I googled pics of the crossland and it looks like there are two different rear pillars for the vehicle.
January 31st, 2017 at 2:48 pm
Looking forward to the autoline after hours show especially with the new continental. I’m not a Lincoln owner but rather Cadillac at this time and that new continental intrigues me.
Really looking forward to this weeks show!
January 31st, 2017 at 3:27 pm
Reading about the Toyota plant and their quest to eliminate emissions from their plants, it reminded me of the Thomas School Bus plant in North Carolina that is a “zero-waste-to-landfill” operation. Perhaps there are many manufacturing plants that do the same thing, but if so, we don’t hear alot about them. I found this to be quite impressive!
http://www.thomasbus.com/earth-friendly/sustainable/
January 31st, 2017 at 4:56 pm
19 I looked at a Continental at the nearby dealer. The interior is attractive, and roomy, but reviews I’ve read say it doesn’t ride as well as expected, for that type car.
February 1st, 2017 at 10:35 am
#20. Max, there are quite a few automotive plants that are zero-waste-to-landfill. Subaru, GM, Ford are just a few that come to mind. It’s a good story. These plants are typically several million square feet large with several thousand people working in them. So to eliminate any waste going to landfills is quite an accomplishment.
February 1st, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Most GM plants are zero-waste-to-landfill but some of them “cheat”. The one I worked at for 30+ years obtained that goal by legitimate reductions, but also sent the remainder to the local incinerator. So nothing to the landfill directly, but there was air pollution emissions and the remaining ash had to go somewhere.