On today’s show…Honda revives the Insight hybrid, yet again…Jeep gives the Cherokee a new face, but will it improve sales?…and we identify another major styling trend in the industry. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

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

JEEP REFRESHES THE CHEROKEE
The styling of the Jeep Cherokee was controversial ever since the current version came out. Moreover, sales of the Cherokee are down 18% in the American market this year. So Jeep knew it needed to refresh the styling. They got rid of that squinty-eyed look on the front end and went with more normal looking headlamps. In the rear, the taillights are taller and the license plate holder was moved from the bumper up into the tailgate. A pseudo skid plate was added to the lower fascia to help break up the mass of dead space in the rear end. Inside, they don’t seem to have changed much of anything. This refresh is fairly modest, but in the auto industry fresh design is what brings new customers into the showrooms. We’ll have more details on the refreshed Cherokee after it’s officially unveiled at the Detroit auto show.

GM SPENDS BILLIONS TO BOOST VALUE
General Motors is putting its money where its mouth is. It says it wants to boost shareholder value and it’s spending billions to get there. From 2012 to 2015 the company spent $25 billion to buy back shares, representing 90% of its cash flow. This year alone GM will spend $7 billion in buybacks and dividends. Since the end of 2012, GM stock is up 55%. So far this year it’s up 18%. If GM’s stock catches fire and management decides it no longer has to goose the price of shares with buybacks, General Motors is going to have a war chest to spend on whatever it wants that could rock the industry.

Don’t forget to join us for Autoline After Hours this Thursday afternoon for our annual Presents and Coal show. And a programming note here. Autoline Daily and After Hours will be off the air next week, and we won’t be back until January 3.

You’ve got to hand it to Honda. The company never gives up. It’s bringing out yet another version of the Insight hybrid car, and that’s coming up next.

AUDI TESTS EXOSKELETON TECHNOLOGY
Last month, Ford revealed that its testing exoskeleton technology at two of its plants in the U.S. The device makes it easier for a worker to lift objects while reducing stress on the body. And now Audi is testing similar technology at two of its plants in Germany. The company says it helps reduce back strain by 20 to 30 percent and its goal is to use the devices at all its plants worldwide. When you see two different automakers trying out something like this in different parts of the world, chances are it’s going to catch on in the industry.

HONDA REVIVES THE INSIGHT HYBRID
The first Honda Insights came out in 1999. The second one came out in 2009. Neither one did very well in the marketplace. But Honda never gives up. It’s going to intro yet another hybrid called the Insight, to help the company reach its goal that two-thirds of its global sales are electrified vehicles. The car officially debuts at the Detroit auto show, and as you can see it has   more mainstream styling, very similar to the new Accord. And the interior also has a more modern look. The all-new Insight can seat five passengers and will slot in above the Civic. It’s equipped with a two-motor hybrid, which Honda says will offer fuel economy comparable to other compact hybrids. The new Insight will be built at Honda’s plant in Indiana alongside the Civic and CR-V and it goes on sale next summer.

Coming up next, we’ll take a look at one of the most common styling trends in the industry.

NEW STYLING TRENDS
Recently we’ve been talking about air curtains as a popular design element, but there’s a few other trends we’re starting to see. The first is a two-tone paint job where the roof is always painted black. Chris Piscitelli, exterior manager of the Jeep studio, tells Autoline it’s all about visually bringing the eye level down, which is going to make the vehicle seem less bulky. In the case of the new Compass, a chrome strip that starts at the bottom of the A-pillar and runs around the entire vehicle, aids in visually separating the body from the roof. This tends to put the sport back in sport utility. The other element, what we’re affectionately calling the “shark fin,” commonly accompanies the two-tone paint job. It too is about sportiness. Piscitelli points to how the lines of the Compass push forward, while the back of the shark fin quickly slopes down. So, as you’re looking at the vehicle from the rear doors forward, it has a forward rake, but as you get to the bulkier rear end, the slope of the fin helps your eye fall off the vehicle. With sports cars I always hear designers talk about how they want to make the vehicle look like a cat ready to pounce. Well this is like that but with a utility vehicle. Piscitelli also says the size of the shark fin on the Compass helps to anchor the body to the vehicle, so it doesn’t just look like it’s flapping in the wind. Automotive designers are masters at making our eyes see what they want us to see, even if it isn’t immediately apparent to us, until they point it out.

And that brings us to the end of today’s report. Thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.