On today’s show… BMW is using powerful x-rays to develop better cars… Hyundai opens up a digital showroom on Amazon.com… and manual transmissions are headed towards extinction. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
MANHEIM SEES JUMP IN ONLINE SALES
Manheim is the biggest auction house for used cars in the U.S., but more and more of its transactions are happening online, not on the auction lanes. WardsAuto reports that during the first half of this year, 45% of the vehicles it sold were to a digital buyer. Manheim saw double digit growth in digital transactions, volume and sales.
HYUNDAI OPENS DIGITAL SHOWROOM ON AMAZON
And speaking of buying cars online, Hyundai just opened a digital “showroom” on Amazon. Car buyers can compare pricing and reviews, book test drives and check dealer inventories at the site. For Hyundai, this provides another way for it to reach customers and for Amazon, this is a step that allows it compete with Autotrader and Cars.com. We’ll have to watch and see if other automakers follow suit.
GENESIS’ BELGIAN WAFFLE GOING INTO PRODUCTION
Last year Genesis unveiled a concept called the GV80. One of the styling details that caught our eye is this latticework theme that showed up on various parts of the car. It’s on the spokes of all four wheels. It shows up on the intake scoops for the front air curtain. And most intriguing, it’s used on the B and C-pillars. Luc Donckerwolke, the head of design of Genesis, says this is not some idle styling exercise. He says it involves new manufacturing techniques that they’re working on, but that this latticework will go into production in the next three years. He says the design team nicknamed it the “Belgian waffle,” since Donckerwolke is from Belgium.
The future does not look bright for true enthusiasts and we’ll tell you why right after this.
BMW USES X-RAY TO IMPROVE QUALITY
BMW is using more powerful x-ray technology at its Research and Innovation Center in Munich, Germany to improve quality control even in the early stages of development. The more powerful computer tomography or CT scanning system allows the automaker to look at vehicles on a micro level. So, it’s able to check welds, rivets and even see how adhesives are affected by temperature without having to tear the vehicle apart. Or it’s able to tell if an absent-minded worker left a bag of pretzels on the driver’s floor. BMW says it spent 2-years developing the system and it’s the only one in the automotive industry.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION COULD GO AWAY
We laughed over this shot that one of our viewers sent us, calling the manual transmission a millennial theft-proof device. But it goes way beyond millennials. According to data from Edmunds.com, it’s a sad day for the manual transmission. So far in 2018, just two percent of all vehicles sold had a clutch pedal and only 20 percent of new models offered a manual transmission. In 2006, 47 percent of new models offered a manual gearbox. With the automatic transmission controlling an overwhelming share of the new car market, the manual transmission could go away, according to Edmunds.
Coming up next, Nissan is coming out with a NISMO version of the Leaf.
NISSAN ANNOUNCES NISMO LEAF
Lots of news in the electric car market today. Nissan has announced a high-performance NISMO version of the Leaf EV which goes on sale at the end of the month in Japan. It has new wheels, a new suspension and a new “tuning computer” that Nissan says will help it accelerate faster. And the Kia Niro EV is on sale now in South Korea. The electric crossover sports a 239-mile range from a 64-kilowatt hour battery pack. The electric Niro will go on sale in the US in the first quarter of 2019, following a European debut at the end of 2018.
Be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours this afternoon. We’ve got an all-electric Corvette from a company called Genovation. It’s wicked fast and beautifully engineered. Greg Migliore from Autoblog will also be there, so join John and Gary for some of the best insights into cars and the people who make them.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (22)
July 19th, 2018 at 11:55 am
If they have not “beefed up” the electric motor insulation and electrical joints /mechanicals…the increase performance will “fry” the electric motor and inverter with the “increased use of the performance. Just like a muscle car engine that is over reved!
July 19th, 2018 at 12:03 pm
20% of new models offer manual transmissions? It seems like about 5%, and most dealers don’t have even one manual transmission in stock. If you want to test drive a manual transmission Camaro, you have order and pay for it first.
July 19th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
IMO nothing sounds much better than a manually shifted V8. I would want a stick in any performance car I buy. I know the auto shift is faster ,but I’m, not racing so that doesn’t matter to me. I just love to hear that growl when the bent 8 is shifted. Again it’s like many things in the automotive business , manufacturers decide to stop making things and then say it’s because no one wants them. They did it with convertibles, coupes , wagons and sedans are on the block. When they make up their minds what we’ll be buying they blame it on the buying public.
July 19th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
This really isn’t a good reason to buy a manual anymore other than discouraging others from wanting to drive your car. If I ever get a vette again it will probably be the auto but I’d take either. If I have an auto it would make it easier for my wife to drive if I’ve had a few drinks
July 19th, 2018 at 12:38 pm
I suspect that the manual transmission will soon be relegated to the “the good old days” and will be fondly remembered as, when I was a kid; then sadly into the history book. I still enjoy my motorcycle’s manual, and so far intrusions to ‘bikes’ via automatics are still relatively rare (so we at least still have that).
July 19th, 2018 at 1:03 pm
I had to settle for the base model Outlander back in 2006 to get the MT. The new Outlander has the CVT and is light-years ahead of the old one.
July 19th, 2018 at 1:12 pm
And Ford has done a big disservice by continuing to use the MT-82 Getrag 6 speed manual in the Mustang GTs. Broke shift forks, bad synchros, high speed gear lock outs are killing it for us. At least the Shelby has a Tremec to save the day for track use. And the new automatics are now faster and quite fun to use as we age.
July 19th, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Automatics are the way to go for everyday driving, especially if your commute involves stop and go traffic. But for everything else, I’ll take a manual. I like heel and toe shifting. It’s all about mastering a machine, and the higher the speed it’s done at, the more rewarding it is.
July 19th, 2018 at 1:22 pm
4 I buy manuals, because I like driving them. especially in cars with small engines. I wouldn’t considered a MINI with an automatic, but the last time I looked at the cars at a MINI dealer, most were automatic. If I remember right, about half were manuals when I bought my 2010. My Corvette is automatic, but with modern design, and hydraulic clutches, even big engine manuals are decent to drive.
Most of the automatic bikes are scooters. I have one, a 600cc Honda SilverWing. It works well, except the ratio spread of the rubber belt CVT is less than ideal, with the engine spinning over 5000 rpm at 60 mph. My other bike has a typical, for a motorcycle, manual.
July 19th, 2018 at 1:41 pm
John,
What is the crashworthiness of EV’s compared to ICE powered brethren? Do the batteries provide addition impact force in a crash due to their additional weight in the vehicles? How do insurance companies determine EV insurance rates compared to their non-EV siblings?
July 19th, 2018 at 1:50 pm
The thing that really got my attention about manual transmissions fading away, was when, about 10 years ago, all of the big pickups quit offering manuals, even in the base trim level. The one exception is that, the last I knew, you could still get a manual in the “HD” Dodge/Ram with the diesel.
Here’s a list of cars and CUV’s sold in the U.S. with manual transmissions:
https://www.tflcar.com/2017/09/2018-manuals-comprehensive-list/
July 19th, 2018 at 1:57 pm
I also enjoy a manual transmission. In fact back in 2003 I was able to buy a Cadillac CTS V6 with a manual. Then sold it and bought a CTSV LS6 with a manual. However like John mentioned, when I was in stop and go traffic I would wish it was an auto.
Personally I think manuals are taking a hit because of cell phones and how difficult it can be to hold the wheel shift and hold a phone. Granted many makers now have car-play but between that and the population in the US continuing to grow, making the traffic worse. Increasing the stop and go driving.
July 19th, 2018 at 2:36 pm
I think what is also killing manual transmissions is that using a manual transmission is not typically taught during driving school. Some driving schools offer it as an option, but most are automatic only.
The parents could teach it to their kids if they themselves owned a manual transmission. The sales data shows that it is highly unlikely however.
July 19th, 2018 at 2:42 pm
Even when I was in high school in the 1960′s, and driver’s ed was a regular school course, the cars were automatic only in my school. I learned to drive a manual in our family’s 1950 Plymouth.
July 19th, 2018 at 3:34 pm
That 20% figure on vehicles offered with manuals is bogus. Manufacturers that offer manual transmissions on a given model very frequently, inexplicably only offer it in a drivetrain combination you wouldn’t want the rest of. At one point the CTS was offered with a manual in the V version (which was great) but if you didn’t want the muscle car version of the CTS your choices were a slushbox with the relatively nice 3.6l V6 or, if you wanted a stick, you had to settle for the miserable 3.2l V6. So you could have a decent engine or a decent transmission, but not both. The same problem is common with domestic trucks. You can get a manual, but only on a 2WD four cylinder version that nobody would want. If you want a V6 and 4WD, slushbox only. Jeep is doing the same, baffling, stupid thing with the new Wrangler. The diesel is the engine I’d want, the mild hybrid turbo four sounds intriguing, but if you want one of those you’re stuck with a garbage autotragic. If you want the manual, your only engine option is the now long-in-the-tooth pentastar V6. Anyone who wanted a Wrangler with the V6 and a manual already has one.
The number of vehicles which genuinely offer a manual transmission as a REAL option are few and far between. The GTI and R2, Corvette, Miata, Focus RS and ST, and a couple of the midsize Japanese trucks/SUVs and a few German luxury models are the only vehicles I can think of off the top of my head that will sell you a manual transmission bolted to an engine you might actually want.
July 19th, 2018 at 3:36 pm
When I got my driver’s license in Arizona in 1965 I took the test in a manual transmission equipped vehicle. If you used a vehicle with an automatic your license was stamped “Automatic transmission only”.
July 19th, 2018 at 4:24 pm
15 Indiana didn’t do that when I took my test, so I took the test in an automatic to make it easier.
July 19th, 2018 at 4:24 pm
That was in 1962.
July 20th, 2018 at 11:13 am
John said: “The same problem is common with domestic trucks.” You mean Colorado and Canyon? No version of the big domestic trucks offers a manual, except the HD Ram with the diesel.
MINI offers manual transmissions in every version except one. A lot of Asian vehicles offer manual transmission in lower, or “sport” trim levels, but not the middle of the range. If they have tooling and certification of the manual powertrains, why not offer it in all trim levels, especially vehicles assembled in north America, where a factory order could be built and delivered in a few weeks?
July 20th, 2018 at 12:01 pm
#19 I’ll tell ya why Kit. Because in a stick they cannot control the shift points which also means the MPG will vary greatly from what the certify to. They (the automakers) can get as good or better fuel economy with an automatic now with the combination of electronic gas pedal and transmission shifting at optimal positions based on driving habits.
The biggest advantage for years was always fuel economy and now that that advantage has been minimized its only a matter of preference and those drivers are few.
July 20th, 2018 at 7:00 pm
#20 Yeah, most of the few manuals left get lower EPA numbers than the automatics, and maybe they calculate CAFE compliance based on numbers sold. Not offering manuals in the higher volume trim levels reduces numbers sold.
July 21st, 2018 at 12:52 pm
It surprises me how many powertrains are available in the Dodge Challenger. There are 7 engine/transmission combinations, including 3 with manual transmission, not counting the “extra boost” Demon and upcoming 1320. We keep hearing that most vehicles don’t offer much powertrain choice because of cost of certification. Is that BS, or is FCA losing a lot of money by offering all of those choices? John Mc, do you know?