On today’s show… how supplier Hella is lighting up Audi’s flagship sedan… Acura reveals pricing for the all-new RDX… and Nissan creates a convertible LEAF. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
HELLA ILLUMINATES AUDI’S A8
Lighting supplier Hella is illuminating new features in the new Audi A8. Rear seat passengers now have access to a reading light that features seven individually controlled LEDs and has been integrated into the ceiling. Light brightness, size and focus are all adjusted via a tablet. There’s also dimmable LED light strips throughout the car that have 30 different color combinations. One light band down the center tunnel of the car even fires off LEDs one after the other creating a chase light effect. In the future, Hella thinks lessons learned from the reading light can be applied to autonomous cars with reconfigurable interiors and the lighting strips could be used to convey information to the driver, like safety warnings.
ACURA SETS PRICE FOR ALL-NEW RDX
Acura just revealed pricing for the all-new RDX, which arrives at dealer showrooms on June 1st. It starts at $38,295, including destination charges and a fully loaded model costs $10,000 on top of that. It features new styling, an exclusive, Acura-only platform and a new powertrain, a 2.0L turbo that’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The RDX is an important model for Acura, not only is it the best-selling model in its line-up, it’s also one of the top selling premium compact crossovers in the segment. We got a chance to drive the new model and we’ll share our impressions in this Thursday’s Autoline Daily.
And we’ll be back with more right after this.
WEEKEND RACING RESULTS
In racing news over the weekend, it’s been a long time coming but Will Power finally won his first Indy 500. He had to overcome a lot of yellow flags to take the top spot and the win marks the 17th victory at the 500 for owner Roger Penske. Kyle Busch won the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte in his Toyota Camry. And lastly Red Bull driver, Daniel Ricciardo overcame engine issues to beat Sebastian Vettel in the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
Remember to join us this Thursday for Autoline After Hours when we’ll have Brian McKay, the head of powertrain technology for North America for the supplier Continental. If you have any powertrain questions direct inject them our way to viewermail@autoline.tv, then join us live at 3PM eastern time for some of the best inside talk in the automotive industry.
Coming up next, BMW creates wireless charging for its electric vehicles.
(DON’T) PLUG IT IN, (DON’T) PLUG IT IN
You can soon charge your electric BMW without plugging it in, thanks to the company’s upcoming “Wireless Charging” option. It consists of two parts, called the “GroundPad,” placed on the ground, and the “CarPad,” fixed to the bottom of the vehicle. The GroundPad generates a magnetic field, creating an electric current in the CarPad that charges the car. BMW even claims Wireless Charging can help users park by using a Wi-Fi connection to show them an overhead view of their car. It will first be available for the 530e iPerformance model. Production of the wireless charger starts in July, and it will be available in Germany first before heading to the U.S., Japan and China.
NISSAN CELEBRATES WITH CONVERTIBLE LEAF
And in other EV news, Nissan is showing off a convertible version of the LEAF in Tokyo. The company created it to celebrate reaching 100,000 sales of the LEAF in Japan. Nissan doesn’t have plans to produce this vehicle and that’s probably a good idea, since we’re not too crazy about how it looks. So, what do you think? Which one hurts your eyes less, this or the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet?
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (14)
May 29th, 2018 at 12:03 pm
A turbo 4 replaces the 3.5 liter V6 in the Acura RDX, for a one mpg increase in combined mileage, and no improvement in the highway rating. I’d rather have the six.
May 29th, 2018 at 12:28 pm
I think your right, Kit #1; with a cylinder shut-down like in the LGX 3.6 GM engine I think it will get the same or better mpg (and the six, I have one in my XT5) certainly is smooth.
Agree with Sean; both vehicles shown are butt-ugly. IMO too.
May 29th, 2018 at 12:37 pm
The Leaf wouldn’t make a bad phaeton, but they did it on the cheap. It needs to have the back re-engineered for some sort of decklid or such. At least it’s not a crossover. That gives the “too weird to live” award to the Murano, IMO.
May 29th, 2018 at 12:42 pm
A friend has a Camaro with the LGX engine, and it is great. Not only is it smooth and powerful, but he has averaged 27.8 mpg for the first ~2000 miles. He drives economically, but still, that is impressive. Also, they recommend regular gas for that engine.
May 29th, 2018 at 1:32 pm
Sean, you posed a trick question. ALL Nissans except the Z hurt my eyes to an extreme. Your question is the antithesis of “which of my children do I love the most?”
Given a force choice for the ugliest, the award goes to the Leaf Cabriolet, flowed by the Murano Cross Cabriolet, Versa sedan, Titan, Pathfinder, then GTR. Nissan must be spending aa lot of variable marketing dollars to incentivize people to buy (IMHO) ugly, unreliable vehicles.
May 29th, 2018 at 1:47 pm
I don’t think Nissan makes any attractive vehicles. And the Cvt made me not want the model I was looking at getting. I can see that some of their models are affordable so I guess that is the main metric people use to purchase. But the cost saving was not enough so I went Toyota.
May 29th, 2018 at 1:47 pm
I wish Honda/Acura would put the new 2.0 Liter Turbo in the CR-V.
May 29th, 2018 at 2:09 pm
My favorite Nissan was the Cube. You could even get a manual transmission, at least early on.
May 29th, 2018 at 4:55 pm
I have the LGX in my 2018 Colorado. I’ve only had it since February and it must have a lower temperature limit as it was not until the last month that I saw it switch to V4 mode, and even then it is very rare. With that said, I’ve been getting mid-20s mpg. If it was not for the ZR2 trim, I suspect I would be getting close to 30 mpg highway.
May 29th, 2018 at 5:00 pm
Interesting on the BMW induction charging that the animation shows a very thin wire running over the floor (compared to what is likely a much larger cable in reality) and the real-life video shows the charger in gravel so they could bury the cable. I suspect in both instances, electrical codes would require an electrician to run conduit to the floor coil, and even then it would be a trip hazard.
May 29th, 2018 at 5:26 pm
To me, the whole idea of induction charging is disgusting. There is probably an energy loss of at least 10%, for people who are too lazy to connect a power cord. If I’m proven wrong on the power loss, I’ll admit it.
May 29th, 2018 at 5:34 pm
Leaf vs. Murano. It’s a race to the bottom for being the ugliest!
May 29th, 2018 at 7:40 pm
I agree Nissan needs to hire a new manager over vehicle design. However the interiors are great far better than Toyota.
Kit I agree with you. connecting a plug seems simple enough and for folks that are trying to be environmentally friendly by going electric, using an alternative method that is less efficient seems a bit counterintuitive.
May 30th, 2018 at 12:27 pm
#11
If they use something like a 20 khz AC or chopped DC, it could be pretty darned efficient.