On today’s show…Ford creates a separate division for its autonomous vehicle business…Porsche reveals the new Macan…and rest in peace Sergio Marchionne. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

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

RIP SERGIO MARCHIONNE
Sad news today. We learned that Sergio Marchionne has died. The former CEO of Fiat-Chrysler and Ferrari underwent surgery three weeks ago to remove a cancer in his shoulder. But during the operation he reportedly suffered an embolism, or blot clot, that led to a stroke. That in turn led to irreparable brain damage and he was put in a coma. And now he has succumbed to that. It’s a tragic end to a brilliant career and Sergio Marchionne has definitely earned himself a chapter in the automotive history books.

HONDA HR-V UPDATES
The Honda HR-V got some updates for 2019. Two new trims were added: Sport and Touring.  Sport will be mid-level, sitting between the current LX and EX trims, and Touring will be the new top-level model. The restyling includes new bumpers, headlights, taillights, and a new grille. The 6-speed manual transmission has been dropped entirely, while the CVT has been revised to make gear changes smoother. The HR-V’s starting price is $21,515, and the Touring trim starts at $29,535, including destination charges.

GM ROLLS OUT AIRBNB LIKE SERVICE
Back in March we reported that General Motors would launch a beta program like an airbnb service for cars. Well, now Peer Cars is under way. GM customers can list their own vehicles, model year 2015 and newer, on the company’s Maven car-sharing service. For GM and its customers, it’s a win-win. GM doesn’t need to keep as many cars on the books and customers can make a little extra cash by renting their cars. The service is first available in Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan and Chicago and additional U.S. markets are planned for the fall.

There is a lot of activity with autonomous vehicles today and we’ll tell you the latest news, right after this.

BOSCH CREATES PREDICTIVE ROAD-CONDITION SERVICE
Current automated driving systems are pretty sensitive, forcing the driver to take over at the first hint of uncertainty. But the supplier Bosch is working to make those self-driving features available for longer. It announced a predictive road-condition service that provides weather data to the automated system, so it has a better idea what’s in store ahead. This way the vehicle can adjust its speed for the conditions or have a better idea when to hand the controls back over to the driver. In the future, Bosch says connected vehicle data will be added to the service to make it even more accurate. The road-condition service will be rolled out worldwide in 2020.

FORD CREATES AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE UNIT
Ford just created a separate division for its self-driving business called Ford Autonomous Vehicles, which will be primarily based at the company’s Corktown campus in Downtown Detroit. Sherif Marakby, who is currently Ford’s VP of Autonomous Vehicles and Electrification, is the CEO of the new division. Ford plans to invest $4 billion in its autonomous efforts through 2023 and says the new unit will help accelerate its automated technology development.

DAIMLER AND BAIDU EXPAND PARTNERSHIP
And speaking of autonomous cars, last year, Daimler was one of the first companies to join Chinese tech giant Baidu’s open autonomous driving platform called Apollo. And now the two companies are expanding that partnership. Daimler is currently testing self-driving cars in China with Baidu’s system and under the new agreement it will add more tests. Daimler will also integrate Baidu’s connectivity services into its infotainment system.

And be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours tomorrow afternoon. Our special guest is Diane Flis-Schneider, the Executive Director of the Concours d’Elegance of America, who will be talking about the classic cars you can expect to see at this weekend’s event in Plymouth, Michigan. We’ll also be joined by John Warniak from SEMA, who will discuss how autonomous and electric vehicles will affect the performance aftermarket. So join John and Gary this Thursday afternoon, for some of the best insider discussions in the automotive industry.

Coming up next, Audi reveals the new Q3 and Porsche takes the wraps off the new Macan.

NEW CORVETTE ON ITS WAY
Big news if you’re a Corvette fan. We just learned from AutoForecast Solutions that production of the current C7 will end in August of 2019, at which time GM’s Bowling Green, Kentucky plant will make the switch over to next-generation ‘Vette in September. That means it shouldn’t be too long before the new Corvette makes its debut.

AUDI REVEALS THE NEW Q3
Audi has just unveiled their new Q3 SUV and its bigger in every way. The wheelbase has been increased by 3 inches and it’s wider, taller, with more cargo room. The other big change is styling. The daytime running lights are now three lines running away from the center of the headlight. The design language is copied on to the taillights, which also maintain the same three lined design. And just look at that new, big grille. Audi says the interior is inspired by architecture and creates a feeling of space when sat inside of. Inside will be a standard 10.25-inch display and the Audi virtual cockpit will be available. On the driver assistance side, the car’s adaptive cruise control will include a traffic jam assist, adaptive speed assist and an active lane assist. Globally, there will be three, four-cylinder gasoline engines offered as well as one diesel engine. American model specifications will be announced closer to the new Q3’s launch in 2019.

PORSCHE UNVEILS THE NEW MACAN
Speaking of new cars, Porsche just showed off the newly refreshed Macan in Shanghai. The design team reworked the front fascia, adding horizontal lines across the grille and side vents with the hope of making the front end look wider. A new LED light bar that extends the length of the rear also helps accentuate width. And LED headlights are now standard. As for the interior, it sees a new 11-inch infotainment screen, re-designed and re-positioned air vents and an optional steering wheel that looks like it came from a 911. Porsche also fine-tuned the chassis to “neutrality while maintaining stability and improving comfort.” This particular model you see here is exclusive to the Chinese market, but other models and markets will follow throughout the year.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.