On today’s show…Tesla is being sued over the design of its semi-truck…automakers had a better month in April than most expected…and Lexus thinks it has cracked the code on how to sell more hybrids. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
APRIL CAR SALES BETTER THAN EXPECTED
Automakers in the American market reported their sales for April and the numbers look good. There were two fewer selling days this April compared to a year ago, so we’re using WardsAuto numbers which adjust for that. Wards reports that 1.3 million vehicles were sold, up nearly 3% which resulted in a 17.1 million SAAR. All automakers saw an increase in sales, except for Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Tesla. In fact, Nissan’s sales fell off a cliff, down 22%.
PASSENGER CARS CONTINUE TO TUMBLE
Once again, sales of CUVs, SUVs and pickups led the way. Sales of passenger cars fell 21%. In fact, customers bought 114,000 fewer passenger cars last month compared to a year ago. Even sales of the new Toyota Camry, which had been running red hot, fell by 1%. At some point sales of passenger cars have got to bottom out. But so far, the bottom is nowhere in sight.
INCENTIVES ON THE RISE
One reason why sales were up was that automakers increased incentives more than 8%. But Wards points out they’re facing stronger headwinds, including higher interest rates, rising gasoline prices and more competition from late-model used vehicles coming off lease.
Lexus thinks it has figured out how to sell more hybrids and it has nothing to do with selling them as green cars.
LEXUS LAUNCHES NEW HYBRID AD CAMPAIGN
Hybrids only account for a small fraction of the overall car market. Part of the reason is they’re perceived as slow and boring. So Lexus is launching a new marketing campaign called “Fast as h,” that sells the idea its hybrids are fun to drive. As we reported earlier in the week, the company is offering less expensive versions of its hybrids, and even though the numbers are not large, sales of the hybrid RX jumped by 23% while the NX soared by 233%.
PORSCHE REVEALS NEW CAYENNE PLUG-IN
Speaking of performance hybrids, Porsche just announced the new plug-in version of the Cayenne and here are the highlights. A 3.0L turbo V6 and an electric motor combine for over 450-horsepower and 500-lb-ft of torque. 0-60 can be hit in 4.7-seconds, which is nearly ¾’s of a second faster than the outgoing model. A larger 14.1 kWh battery pack provides 44-kilometers or 27-miles of range based on the NEDC test. The Cayenne E-Hybrid will also be the first Porsche to come with 22-inch wheels and it goes on sale early next year with a starting price just under $80,000.
CHALLENGER HELLCAT GETS A NEW HOOD
With all its unique parts and pieces, it was really easy to spot a Hellcat from any other Dodge Charger or Challenger, even an SRT. But some of those Hellcat pieces made their way down the lineups. So Dodge just announced this new hood for the 2019 Challenger Hellcat that is said to take inspiration from Mopar muscle cars of the mid-60’s and early-70’s. We think Dodge looked at the Challenger R/T from the early 70’s, but to be honest, the first thing we thought of was classic Pontiac Firebirds.
Coming up next, Nikola Motors accuses Tesla of stealing part of its design for an electric semi.
NIKOLA MOTORS SUES TESLA
Nikola Motors, which makes hydrogen-powered semi-trucks, is suing Tesla, accusing it of ripping off the design of its truck. Specifically, Nikola says Tesla infringed on its patents for its wraparound windshield, mid-entry door, fuselage, fender and side cladding. Nikola estimates the damage at $2 billion. While the designs do look similar, Tesla’s semi- doesn’t appear to be a direct copy of Nikola’s truck.
17 STATES SUE EPA
The Trump Administration says it’s going to back off on fuel economy and emission regulations, but so far no official announcement has been made. But California and 16 other states are not waiting for the official word. They’re suing the EPA in a preemptive move to keep the current regulations in place.
Be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours tomorrow with Steve Miller, the CEO of the International Automotive Components Group or IAC. He has great insight as to what’s going on in the auto industry. So, tune in when the show goes live at 3PM eastern time on our website or YouTube channel.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (18)
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:56 am
Sean (and Autoline staff); before you could get it out of your mouth, I too saw Pontiac Firebird (Formula 400) dna in the Hellcat’s new hood. Not that its a bad thing.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:17 pm
People who actually drive hybrids, even slow ones, like the way the powertrains work. They are smooth and seamless, at least the Toyota and Ford hybrids that use two MG’s and a power splitter. Scaled up, for better acceleleration than a Prius’s 10 second 0-60, all the better, (except for mpg). The Lexus ads might work, if they can get people to test drive the hybrids.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:32 pm
To me, the new Hellcat hood reminds me more of the 1970 Oldsmobile W-30 Hood than the Firebird Formula Hood.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Emissions and fuel economy should be set by the Federal Govt. This junk of certain states imposing their own ideas is garbage. This is not 30 years ago where prodding was needed to start improvements, now it needs to have a singular set of rules with realistic standards.
I wonder if the drop of car type sales has anything to do with them getting smaller and the lack of station wagon versions? CUV/SUV sales will meet resistence if the prices continue to go up at todays rates every model year.. Used and off lease CUV/SUV, I think they will be a source for some customers to save money, and companies like CarMax/CarSense give you great selections on those vehicles.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:39 pm
Pretty safe to say that Tesla was at least inspired by the Nikola truck but I would say the designs are different enough similar to most of the Kia/Hyundai cars.
Hybrids are nice an all when they are new but its the impact to residual value that will keep me away. Vehicles like Chevy Tahoe which hold their value fairly well even after 10 years and exceeding the 100k mile mark. The hybrid versions are not attractive. The technology has changed significantly and the batteries are old. It really places a shorter life span on a vehicle when its a hybrid. Cause even if its low mileage no one wants a 10 year old hybrid.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Nikola Motors appears to be attempting to patent the wind.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:50 pm
Don’t you think that stopping small car production might be a little premature with gas now at $3 a gal and predictions that they will hit $4??
May 2nd, 2018 at 1:50 pm
How do you pre-emptively sue? The first thing you need to do is prove damage and that cannot be proven until you see the proposal, if a proposal is even made.
This lawsuit is just 17 states having a very expensive temper tantrum. I hope the judges throw it out until a proposal is known.
May 2nd, 2018 at 2:00 pm
It’s interesting to see the difference in quality of comments between the web site and YouTube. I think I’ll stay on the web site.
I have always loved that Firebird hood with the twin scoops. One of my favourites.
May 2nd, 2018 at 2:10 pm
Those hood scoops remind me more of the dodge dart 340 from the late 60′s.
May 2nd, 2018 at 2:11 pm
5 Ten year old Priuses with 150K miles hold their value as well as other similar size cars, with similar mileage. The Tahoe/Yukon hybrids had some reliability issues which probably hurts their resale value, but, generally, people who buy huge SUV’s don’t care much about gas mileage so, understandably, the more complex hybrids wouldn’t be a popular 10 year old used vehicles.
May 2nd, 2018 at 3:19 pm
#11 I think the Prius is the exception to the rule and is retaining its resale value better than most due simply to its popularity and those people that want a hybrid but cant afford a new one. Sadly these people are probably not well informed on the battery life or cost of replacement. The sales person just touts the great gas mileage.
Just personally from a perspective of owning lots of cordless tools and seeing how they evolved from 9 and 12V to now 20 and 24V battery packs. Even cell phone batteries work well for years and then decline and I just would not be interested in a used hybrid unless it was less than 3 years old and priced similarly as its non-hybrid version.
May 2nd, 2018 at 3:39 pm
11 I wouldn’t mind buying a 3 year old hybrid with 5 years of battery warranty left, but I know of a hybrid a friend recently sold, that I wouldn’t want to buy, unless at a very good price. It was a 2008 Prius, with a little over 200K miles. The friend bought it new, and drove it all of those miles with essentially no repairs. While running well when he sold the car, it’s quite possible that it could need a battery any day, and there are other things that could go wrong. “Used” batteries are much more available for Priuses than for most hybrids, but they probably aren’t too cheap, and replacing the battery would not be a standard “back yard mechanic” job.
May 2nd, 2018 at 3:44 pm
11 I don’t buy cordless tools, because they are very much throw away items. As you say, they keep changing, and proprietary battery packs for today’s “latest and greatest” probably won’t be available in even 5 years. Meanwhile, my 50+ year old plug-in drill is still doing fine, as is a 60+ year old one I inherited.
May 2nd, 2018 at 5:46 pm
I did some checking on new and remanufactured 2008 Prius batteries. New around $1600 to $1800 and remanufactured $1100 to $1300. That is the battery only and no other components or labor. I have heard replacement always included extra’s and they never seems to perform like when the car was new. I would like to know what the labor would be for replacement. Those type of expenses would seem high to put into a 10 year old car.
May 2nd, 2018 at 6:15 pm
15 The expenses might be less than for a replacement automatic transmission. I’m lucky, in not really having to make such decisions, but it would not be easy to decide whether or not to replace a battery in a 200K mile Prius, or a transmission in a 200K mile Corolla, or just get another car.
May 2nd, 2018 at 7:06 pm
@14, 15, & 16 From what I could find dealer labor charges for replacing the hybrid battery range between $800 to $1100. There are companies that will replace the battery for less with a reconditioned 1. They take your old battery, exchange it for a reconditioned unit, and make most of their money reselling the reconditioned battery. A reconditioned battery installed can be done for less than $1200. About the price of replacing the engine or trans with a used unit.
May 4th, 2018 at 9:53 am
The new Hellcat hood is too busy, as if it can’t decide the type of air scoops to favor.