On today’s show… Chinese automaker Chery sues Mercedes over using the “EQ” name, Ford comes out with a new variant of the Edge and a number of Chevy dealers are offering several thousand dollar discounts on the Bolt. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
CHERY ON TOP OF MERCEDES
Chinese automaker Chery is suing Mercedes-Benz over using the brand name “EQ” in China. Mercedes is using that brand to launch its lineup of green cars. But it turns out that Chery has been using the eQ brand on its electric car for the last two years. There’s a tinge of irony in Chery complaining about trademark infringement. About 15 years ago Chery was accused of directly copying the Daewoo Matiz, which was owned by General Motors. The Chery QQ was a dead ringer for that car.
BOLT EV DISCOUNTED IN CALI
Yesterday we reported about how EV enthusiasts in South Korea are snapping up the Chevy Bolt even though it hasn’t officially debuted in the country yet. But car buyers in the U.S. aren’t as giddy over the car. Automotive News reports, that a number of Chevy dealers in California have slashed the price of the car by as much as $3,000. And when government incentives are factored in, buyers are getting the Bolt for around $25,000 about $5,000 less than GM was hoping for. TrueCar data shows that nationally on average, buyers paid $2,200 less than the sticker price in February, which is up from $1,400 in January. This is not a good sign since the Bolt has only been on sale in a few states for several months. And the company still faces competition from Tesla, which plans to start selling the Model 3 later this year.
And we’ll be back with more right after this.
NO TWO-FOOT FOR DEMON
It’s time for another Demon video. This one, called Lock & Load is all about getting off the line as quick as possible. Rather than having to two-foot the Demon, it will come with a TransBrake that locks the output shaft on the automatic transmission. It’s triggered by the paddle shifter, which is said to result in a 30% improvement in reaction time. There will also be a preload process that ensures engine torque is applied to the entire driveline all the way to the rear wheels. All this results in faster acceleration at launch, a reduced spike in loads to the driveline and allows Dodge to run a lightweight brake package on the Demon as well.
Say have you seen our new car review feature, 37 Seconds in the Autoline Garage? If not here’s a taste of what you’ve missed.
(37 Second review of the Honda Ridgeline can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
And to see more of our 37 Second reviews, just head on over to our YouTube channel to watch the rest or you can find them in the 37 Second section of our website.
PATINA IN SANTA BARBARA
OK, technically this isn’t a true Barn Find since we spotted it on the streets of Santa Barbara in California. But it sure caught our attention. Even though it wears the patina of history, this car is in remarkably good condition. But do you know what it is? We’d love to see what you think in the comments section.
Coming up next, Ford expands the Edge lineup and Land Rover wants to put third-party customizers out of business.
NEW PACKAGE FOR EDGE
Ford is expanding its Edge lineup with a new Appearance Package. Unique touches to the exterior include 19-inch wheels, grille, mirror caps, rear spoiler and front and rear skid plates that are all painted in a dark grey color, called Magnetic Metallic. The headlamp bezels and window trim also get blacked-out. A deep orange theme can be found on the seat inserts, headrests, stitching, floor mats and dashboard. The new Sport Appearance Package will run just under $1,300 and will be available this fall.
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER
Customizing Land Rovers is a profitable business for aftermarket companies but Land Rover’s Design Director, Gerry McGovern, wants to put them out of business…literally. He told Autocar and I quote “Well, we’re going to put them out of business through SVO. The opportunities we’re creating there, and the quality of our work, are much better.” SVO is Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division, which creates special variants of its models. Like the 25 Series 1 Defenders it brought back to life about a year ago.
We’ve got a great Autoline After Hours lined up for you later today. Joining John and Gary is Mark Allen, the head of design for Jeep. They’ll be talking about the new Compass and the interesting back story about its design. So if you have any questions just send them to viewermail@autoline.tv. And then tune in Live at 3PM eastern time for some of the best insider discussion in the automotive industry.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (22)
March 23rd, 2017 at 11:56 am
The car looks like some kind of Rootes Group product, Hillman, Singer, Humber, or something?
March 23rd, 2017 at 12:03 pm
I’m thinking Simca.
March 23rd, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Barn find: I give up. Looks like an early 1960′s sedan, and checked Austin, Morris, Wolseley, Hillman. Nothing matches. Am curious what it will turn out to be.
March 23rd, 2017 at 12:27 pm
It’s a Riley 1.5
March 23rd, 2017 at 12:32 pm
Grille reminds me of Diamler.
March 23rd, 2017 at 12:41 pm
Agreed
March 23rd, 2017 at 12:43 pm
4 Rick, you know your ’60′s British cars. I’m impressed. Maybe BMW will revive the brand. Well, probably not, when they seem to be winding down Mini.
March 23rd, 2017 at 1:24 pm
Could the mystery car be a Ford Consul?
March 23rd, 2017 at 1:35 pm
So the Demon will have a fifth brake maintenance point?
All this for a bit faster reaction times & drag strip performance? It makes me think electric performance cars is the way to go for this – simple & easier to upgrade.
On Bolt discounts – this is very surprising, you will see that Bolts are being offered online for a huge premium, why doesn´t Chevy just stat offering the thing more broadly instead of discounting in California? Hope this serves Chevy a lesson: Because it´s electric is doesn´t mean it doesn´t have to look sexy.
March 23rd, 2017 at 2:02 pm
Riley 1.5 made from 1957 by British Motor Corporation (BMC).
March 23rd, 2017 at 2:10 pm
Have we figured out the Demon horsepower ratings yet? On the dash layout, it shows 7.57 and 8.15 (those numbers keep coming up); some are speculating that the 757 is HP on regular gas and 815 on racing fuel.
March 23rd, 2017 at 2:12 pm
How about a 1957 Singer Gazelle saloon built by Rootes similar to the Hillman Minx or the Sunbeam Rapier
March 23rd, 2017 at 2:26 pm
it is a Singer Gazelle
March 23rd, 2017 at 2:49 pm
Technically speaking the new Chevy bolt is awesome but it’s so efficient in space that it looks like a refrigerator on wheels.
I would never buy one because of that.
I have a deposit down in the tesla model three and expect awd , autonomous and performance mode to get me to sixty mph In Under 4 seconds…all the while looking like a James Bond like four door Aston Martin..
The fact that the car is electric is just an added bonus….
GM offered utility in an eco box tall hatch…ugh….whose spending discretionary income on that…?
But a sexy four door awd sedan capable of ripping off zero to sixty in 4 seconds…
Count me in…and that’s why the Chevy bolt needs incentives…
Where is the passion of desire to own and drive that tesla offers in this segment,,,
Sure with the options I configured I’m in the mid fifties in price…but if I wanted the base good looking tesla model for 35 grand…it’s available..
GM needs to convert the bolt platform into a GMC or Cadillac sport cuv like the Porsche Macan styled vehicle…or the jaguar f pace or upcoming I pace.
I fear it will be too late for me…an avid GM enthusiast who will still buy a new corvette …but as far as the next family sedan or cuv….tesla gets my money….
It’s too dam sexy looking to pass up
Keep that for one of your “you said it segments”
GM should know why after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on GM vehicles…one of its most avid fans is shopping elsewhere with his hard earned cash.
March 23rd, 2017 at 3:06 pm
Chevy needs to sell the Bolt nation wide. I guess they will eventually, but they don’t yet. If I still lived in Indiana full time, where I have a garage with power, I’d probably buy one. It would work for 95% of my driving, using only a home 120v outlet for charging.
March 23rd, 2017 at 3:10 pm
Chevy needs to sell the Bolt nation wide. If I still lived in Indiana full time, where I have a garage with power, II would probably buy one. It would work for 95 per cent of my driving, using only a 120v outlet for charging.
March 23rd, 2017 at 3:18 pm
For the record, the discounts on the Bolt are not from Chevrolet. A few Chevy Dealers are offering the Bolts they have in inventory at prices below MSRP. While this may seem odd, even California has some smaller towns where an electric vehicle might be a tougher sell. A Dealer may not want to have it in inventory too long and decided to discount it and get it on the road.
Seems as though sending a bigger slice of Bolt production to South Korea and some European countries might be a good idea.
March 23rd, 2017 at 4:44 pm
From what I’ve read, it’s all about the poor distribution of product. California dealers are getting shipments of 50 or more cars at a time, while the rest of North American dealers make do with 2 to 5 cars each, delivered over the 2017 calendar year. So you have discounts up to $4000 in Los Angeles and cars selling at premiums elsewhere.
When you ‘average’ out sales, with so much more product in California, the selling price is deeply discounted.
March 23rd, 2017 at 5:43 pm
@14 – Jonathan, your purchase motivation runs counter to the general population trend of favoring utilities over sedans. But I hope you are as honest about your Tesla quality experiences as you would be if it was a Chevy, as Tesla needs more pressure from dissatisfied customers in order to pay better attention to design & assembly details.
March 23rd, 2017 at 6:16 pm
A Tesla is only bought as a second or third car, even more than most EV’s because there is no place to take it for service, if needed. Indiana has only one service center, and Florida has very few. Statistically, they seem to need their share of service.
Yeah, the model three looks pretty good, from what we can tell from the prototypes.
March 23rd, 2017 at 6:25 pm
Who are the dolts paying MSRP and up for a Bolt?I guess the saying “there’s one born every minute” still applies.
$42K for a girly pick-up, that’s more than outrageous, that’s outright funny.
OK, I’m going back on my meds, I can’t take anymore of this reality.
March 23rd, 2017 at 7:08 pm
“Girly pick-up”? I don’t understand.