On today’s show…Ford is experimenting with exoskeletons to eliminate fatigue and injuries for line workers…a supplier that makes door latches figures out how it can play a role with autonomous cars…and some car companies are forcing their dealers to use high-pressure sales tactics. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.

FORD TESTS EXOSKELETON TECHNOLOGY
A line worker at an assembly plant needs to perform a lot of repetitive tasks and over time that can lead to fatigue or even injury. So in order to reduce the physical toll on its workers, Ford is testing out new exoskeleton technology at two of its plants in the U.S. The device, called EksoVest, supports workers arms while performing overhead tasks. Workers between 5 feet and 6 feet 4 inches tall can wear the vest, which helps them lift tools or objects between 5 and 15 pounds. The company plans to test the EksoVest in other regions in the future as well.

FILL ‘ER UP
The EU is adopting new emission standards with very tight CO2 regulations that are going to force automakers to sell more EVs. So ChargePoint, the U.S. maker and operator of EV charging stations, which is also partly owned by BMW, Daimler and Siemens recently raised over $125 million to build 400 charging stations across Europe. ChargePoint is joining forces with the Technical Services Group, who supplies equipment and services to the fuel industry in Europe. Many of the charge stations will be built at highway rest stops.

GTI DOMINATES GOLF LINE-UP
Yesterday we talked about the updates to Volkswagen’s Golf family of vehicles, but what you may not realize is how much the GTI outperforms the rest of that lineup, which includes the standard Golf, the Golf R, Sportwagen and the Alltrack. In 2016 VW sold over 23,500 GTIs, which was more than 10,000 more than standard Golf at number two. And so far this year it’s still well ahead of the rest of the Golf lineup and only slightly behind last year’s pace. The GTI is a great little hatchback and when you’re doing something right buyers keep coming back.

Still to come…Kiekert develops door latch technology for autonomous cars.

IT’S CALLED DETROIT
Anyone who follows the automotive industry knows the name Detroit Diesel, but guess what? They don’t call it Detroit Diesel anymore. General Motors started the Detroit Diesel division back in 1938. Fifty years later it sold Detroit Diesel to Penske Corporation, and in the year 2000 Penske sold it to Daimler. Since then Daimler greatly expanded its product line. Besides diesels, today it makes axles, transmissions, electronic safety systems and offers connected services. Who knows? In the future it could make electric powertrains. So calling it Detroit Diesel didn’t make sense anymore. Now Daimler just calls it Detroit. That’s the brand power of the name Detroit. It’s instantly recognized around the world.

KIEKERT’S DOORS FOR AUTONOMOUS CARS
When it comes to autonomous cars, almost all the attention is on whiz-bang technology that allows them to drive themselves. But what if a passenger gets out of an autonomous taxi and doesn’t close the door? Now the taxi can’t drive away, unless the door can close itself. Now the supplier company Kiekert, which produces 20% of all automotive locking systems worldwide, thinks it has several solutions. The NuEntry-Latch, which an unnamed automaker started using this year, gets rid of the door handle and uses touch sensors or a smartphone to unlatch the door. This reduces weight and complexity and it still works even if the battery goes dead. Kiekert’s i-protect prototype uses a proximity sensor mounted in the side-view mirror and if the door could hit something, it will electromechanically stop it. Then there is i-move, which stands for “intelligent movement.” It’s a button inside the car that opens or closes a front door, similar to a minivan’s sliding door. In the future the system probably won’t need a button and will activate automatically. I don’t know about you, but it would be pretty cool to walk up to a car and have the door automatically open.

Someone who buys a new car at the beginning of the month probably pays more than someone who buys the same model at the end of the month. And that is coming up next.

PRICES MAY VARY
The price you pay for a car varies by region, by dealership and even by the time of month. And it’s not the dealer’s fault. You can blame the car companies. On Autoline This Week we’re joined by Dale Pollak, an expert in automotive retail and he thinks the auto industry has a big problem.

(The ATW preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)

You can watch that entire discussion right now on our website, Autoline.tv or you can find it on our YouTube channel.

But that brings us to the end of today’s show, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.