On today’s show… Japan needs autonomous trucks to offset a shrinking population… Toyota shows off its new Avalon sedan… and the electronics in Tesla’s Model 3 look like they could have come out of an F-35 fighter plane. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
AV TRUCKS NEEDED FOR DRIVER SHORTAGE
Japan’s population is shrinking. In fact, it’s dropping by about a million people every five years. And that is creating a labor shortage. By 2027 Japan is expected to have a shortage of 240,000 truck drivers. That’s why the Japanese subsidiary of Volvo Trucks says it’s going to come out with a lineup of autonomous trucks. UD Trucks says they will be in commercial use by 2020. And it’s not just Japan. There already is a critical shortage of truck drivers in the United States and Europe.
AV SALES TO SOAR
And that’s one reason why Ward’s Intelligence is forecasting that there will be 10 million autonomous vehicles sold every year by 2030. It says Level 4 commercial trucks represents one of the best near-term business cases for AVs. It predicts the U.S. will lead the adoption of autonomous technology, followed by Europe. But it says China will take the lead around 2027, accounting for 40% of the global market.
MOTORSPORTS UPDATE
In motorsports news over the weekend, the IndyCar race at Barbour was rained out and they’re running it today. Kyle Bush took the win in his Toyota at the NASCAR race in Richmond. And Brittany Force won the Top Fuel category at the NHRA’s Spring Nationals.
Still to come, we’ll show you the highlights of Toyota’s new Avalon.
GM KOREA SAFE, FOR NOW
GM Korea narrowly avoided bankruptcy, for now. The labor union that represents workers in GM’s Korean plants agreed to wage cuts and layoffs. But now the rank and file have to vote on whether they agree or not. GM has threatened to walk away from the South Korean market unless it can make its operations there profitable. And seeing how many markets GM has dropped out of in the past couple of years, that is a very credible threat.
TOYOTA’S NEW AVALON
We got our first look at the new Toyota Avalon at the Detroit auto show, but now we’re learning what’s under its skin. A new 3.5L V6 produces 301-horsepower and there’s also a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine that gets paired with Toyota’s new hybrid system, which combined makes 215-horsepower. The hybrid is paired to a CVT, while the V6 is matched with an 8-speed automatic. As a result of moving to the automaker’s New Global Architecture, the Nickel-Metal Hydride battery pack in the hybrid now sits under the back seat, rather than the trunk, which increases room in the rear. Speaking of the interior, there’s a 7-inch display screen for the driver, an optional 10-inch head-up display and a 9-inch touchscreen with Toyota’s Entune 3.0 Audio system. The new Avalon is built in Kentucky and goes on sale in May with a starting price of about $36,400, including destination charges.
Coming up next, the electronics in Tesla’s Model 3 look like they could have come out of an F-35.
TESLA’S ADVANCED MODEL 3 ELECTRONICS
On last week’s Autoline After Hours, we were joined by Sandy Munro, who’s company just tore down a Tesla Model 3 to learn about its engineering secrets. Sandy is very critical of its build quality and mechanics. But he praised its electronics. In the following clip he shares why the Automatic Drive module is so impressive.
(Clip from AAH #417 with Sandy Munro can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
For a deeper dive into Munro & Associates teardown of the Tesla Model 3, you can watch that entire discussion on our website Autoline.tv or on our YouTube channel. And our guest on this week’s After Hours will be Rich Haas, the CEO of Mahindra North America, who will bring one of their Roxor off-road vehicles that sure looks like a scale model Jeep.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
Share
Permalink
Comments (22)
April 23rd, 2018 at 12:04 pm
Toyota wins the ugly grill contest.
April 23rd, 2018 at 12:14 pm
#1….right on the mark…its terrible and will look worse as time goes on.
April 23rd, 2018 at 12:21 pm
Maybe Toyota should rename the Avalon the Whale Shark to match that grille.
April 23rd, 2018 at 12:21 pm
The interior center dash looks out of place, sort of like it was added on by aftermarket company. Different, edgy doesn’t always result in a nice design. But i’m sure some will like its looks.
April 23rd, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Re: Autonomous Trucks
Japan with its culture of personal and corporate responsibility for perfection, and continuous improvement by closed loop feedback, kaizen, seems most likely to succeed in making autonomy function properly.
Isn’t it ironic that an American, Edward Demming, is credited as the father of this type of corporate behavior in Japan (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming).
Whereas, can you imagine the different levels of federal, state and local bureaucracies in the US having the same undivided focus? Can you imagine all the US liability attorneys not having their say?
April 23rd, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Re Tesla Model 3
How unfortunate that Tesla did not contract, at least in a consultant capacity, with Magna Steyr to address the ‘mechanical’ assembly issues, as elucidated by Munro & Associates. They might be profitable by now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Steyr
April 23rd, 2018 at 1:45 pm
One can always pick out a Toyota or Lexus vehicle in a parking lot by finding the ugly front end of the cars.
April 23rd, 2018 at 2:18 pm
Tesla should have worked out a deal with Toyota and maybe they could have helped them with setting up the assembly process. Ferrari did this with Honda and the late 80′s early 90′s and that turned them around. It might be too late to turn them around.
At one point Toyota and Tesla had a good relationship, but maybe it’s not so good now…
April 23rd, 2018 at 2:55 pm
The taillamps of the new Avalon look very similar to the Hyundai Azera taillamps.
April 23rd, 2018 at 3:07 pm
The Avalon started life with the goal of being a “better Buick.” To me, a real Buick looks much better, and the LaCrosse is a very nice car.
April 23rd, 2018 at 3:22 pm
For the new Toyota…the black “plastic egg crates” on the lower front are distracting from the design flow of the front end. Looks like an after thought by an “Executive” that need to have his “signature imput” on the vehicle.
April 23rd, 2018 at 3:27 pm
I like the addition of the weekend race report
April 23rd, 2018 at 3:34 pm
The big gulp grill, as in the Lexus, must be something corporate. In a lot of people’s minds it doesn’t work but the Toyota Corporation must think it does. Personally, never a fan of this design nuance. The Avalon’s have always been a little too frumpy for my eye but I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder (owner); solid mechanicals must make enough of a difference.
April 23rd, 2018 at 3:40 pm
I’m not sure if Toyota has a separate design studio for Lexus, but if they don’t it may be a good idea to establish one. The latest generation of Toyota sedans is starting to look a little too similar to their Lexus counterparts.
April 23rd, 2018 at 5:31 pm
The black egg crate grill will be in a few years not so black and a major pain to keep clean. Add in road rash/stones and debris, well have fun.
April 23rd, 2018 at 10:12 pm
Looks like the super ugly Lexus grill design team snuck out the back door and found their way to the Toyota Avalon. The grill and the dash should make it sale proof. Too bad, it’s probably a great car.
@12 merv +++++ Good report but you should add Moto GP. (At least the US race)
April 23rd, 2018 at 11:29 pm
John: I believe that from a technical standpoint in quality, it is very difficult to beat Toyota. However, from a styling “effort”, in my opinion, the hideous front end of the Avalon makes Lexus’ spindle grill look GREAT – which also left something to be desired!! At least Honda did not screw-up the new Accord in style…cannot say the same for the Clarity rear wheel opening! However, it could be that I’m the one that doesn’t “get it!” WHATEVER!!
April 24th, 2018 at 6:40 am
Just went to M/T and saw more pictures of the Avalon and it worse and I can’t decided which is worse the inside or outside. They really mucked this one up…reminds me of some the the late 50′s Chrysler designs.
April 24th, 2018 at 9:07 am
18 Late 50′s Chryslers looked great! OK, maybe I’m biased, since my first car was a 1957 Chrysler, but I thought those cars actually did look good, compared to ’58 Buick and Olds.
https://www.pinterest.com/shorthairgent/chrysler-1957-1959/
April 24th, 2018 at 9:23 am
I find it interesting that Toyota is staying with NiMH batteries for the Avalon hybrid. I suspect that means they last longer than the Li-ion batteries now used in most other hybrids, and for a non-plug in hybrid, the lower energy density of the NiMH batteries doesn’t matter much.
April 24th, 2018 at 11:02 am
19 the chryslers not to bad but the Dodge/Plymouths in 59 were tough to look at…but some people liked them as they sold lots of them. I think 1959 Detroit design kind of lost their minds.
April 24th, 2018 at 12:21 pm
To me, the 1961 Chrysler products were the strange ones, especially Plymouth. The ’61 Plymouth inspired the Current Lexus front end.