On today’s show…We’ve got news on when Jeep will replace the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee…we’ll tell you how you can buy a Volkswagen XL1…and we’ll tell you which are the most efficient and the least efficient electric cars. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the voice of the automotive industry.
FORD CELEBRATES THE RETURN OF THE RANGER
Ford is getting ready to start building the Ranger pickup truck in the Michigan Assembly Plant. To celebrate the return of the truck to the American market, Ford invited 3,000 factory workers to take rides in a custom built, off-road course they made in the plant’s parking lot.
FORD CRITICIZES TRUMP’S TARIFFS
And during that event, Ford once again criticized President Trump’s import tariffs. Joe Hinrichs, the company’s presiden, said U.S. steel prices are now more expensive than in any other market. Last month, CEO Jim Hackett said the tariffs will cost the company $1 billion in profits. Ford started complaining about raw material prices long before Trump instituted the tariffs and it’s odd that other automakers really haven’t said much about it.
CHEROKEE AND GRAND CHEROKEE REPLACEMENT DATES
We got some good intel from Autoforecast Solutions on when FCA is going to redesign the Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee. The current Grand Cherokee will end production in April of 2021 and will get replaced shortly thereafter. The next generation Cherokee is scheduled to go into production in January, 2022.
NISSAN SHOWS OFF NEW MAXIMA
Nissan is showing off the new Maxima which will make its debut at the LA Auto Show next month. As you can see, the styling is pretty similar to the current model, although it does appear sleeker and the headlights have been updated. The company didn’t reveal many other details other than it will now be available with new driver assistance technology and it goes on sale in December.
We’ll be talking about the most efficient electric car, and the least efficient one, right after this.
DYSON PICKS SINGAPORE FOR EV PRODUCTION
Well this one is kind of curious. Dyson, the company most famous for its vacuum cleaners, just announced it will build its first electric cars at an assembly plant in Singapore. They should roll off the line in 2021. What an odd choice. No one else makes cars in the land-locked city-state. But Dyson already has a manufacturing site in Singapore that makes digital motors, so it’s familiar with the area. Plus, Singapore has the world’s 2nd largest container port, plenty of technology talent, strong intellectual-property protections and a free trade agreement with China.
MOST AND LEAST EFFICIENT EV MODELS
We all know how to measure the efficiency of vehicles with internal combustion engines. We just look at how many miles per gallon they get. But how do you measure the efficiency of electric cars. Well, the EPA has a measure. It looks at how many kilowatt-hours of electricity you’ll use to drive 100 miles. And by that measure the Hyundai Ioniq EV is the most efficient electric on the market. It only uses 25 kilowatt-hours to drive 100 miles. The base Tesla Model 3 is next with 26 kwh. But Tesla also makes the least efficient EV, the Model X with the large P100D battery pack–you know the one that can run in Ludicrous mode. It uses 40 kilowatt-hours to drive 100 miles. We’re going to post the entire list of EV’s and how efficient they are on Instagram. To get that list all you have to do is get on Instagram and search for the Autoline Network.
Coming up next, it’s been in production for months, but we’re only now learning about some of the new braking technology used in the Chevrolet Silverado.
SILVERADO’S NEW BRAKING TECHNOLOGY
Automakers like to keep their new technology kind of secret, even after a vehicle has been in production. That’s why we’re only learning now that the new Chevrolet Silverado is using a vacuum-less brake booster. It’s made by ZF and GM kept the lid on this until now. It’s called the IBC or Integrated Brake Control system, and it incorporates the electronic stability control system along with the vacuum booster and the associated cables, sensors, switches, electronic controllers and vacuum pumps. So not only does it free up a lot of real estate under the hood, it doesn’t need vacuum generated by the engine, so it improves fuel efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions.
VOLKSWAGEN XL1 UP FOR AUCTION
Do you remember Volkswagen’s uber-efficient car, the XL1? It’s the space-age-looking vehicle that boasted a whopping 261 MPG on the old European test cycle and it has a curb weight under 2,000 pounds thanks to extensive use of lightweight materials. Only 250 of them were made with prices ranging between $150,000 and $170,000. But you can get your hands on one. An XL1 with just 79-miles on the odometer is going up for auction in the U.K. It seems like the car has held its value pretty well. It’s expected to fetch somewhere between $120,000 and $150,000.
And that wraps up today’s report. Thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (36)
October 23rd, 2018 at 12:20 pm
On steel tariffs, perhaps the other automakers are just smarter than to complain in public, fearing a beat down tweet from Trump, especially since pickup buyers are right-leaning (as we learned in a previous show).
October 23rd, 2018 at 12:25 pm
John, How is Singapore “land-locked”? It’s an island? Land-locked counties do not have ports!
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:03 pm
John – Thanks for the info on EV efficiency although is there a way for someone who is Instagram challenged by choice to access the list? It would be great if there was a link to the list on autoline TV website.
In addition, I’m sure some of Tesla worshippers will argue with your data that has Hyundai Ioniq showing higher efficiency than their perfect Tesla.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:09 pm
Hey ford,want some cheese with your whine? Suck it up and stop blaming the tariffs for your lack of management skills.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:20 pm
2 Good catch!
3 All EVs are very efficient. From the Ioniq to the twice as big and heavy and three times as fast Tesla X. I saw another one today, a white one. It is really not an SUV or a crossover, its belly is too close to the ground. It is really a Minivan with gullwing doors and a sloping rear roof line. It does not look bad, and if Tesla has succeeded in making soccer moms cough up $100,000 for a minivan in disguise, they must do something right, or have a very fanatical following.
3 We should not just get the KWHs to do 100 miles, but also, at some average price per KW, how many gallons of gas would that be equal to, and, more importantly, what is the equivalent MPG. (or, better, MP$). If you do that, EVs are heads and shoulders above the tiniest gas hatch.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:22 pm
The Ranger should add a touch of sanity, maybe all the secretaries who never needed a big heavy F 150 will get a Ranger and can still pretend they are macho cowgirls. It will be interesting to see if the Ranger cannibalizes F 150 sales OR it gets desperately needed new customers at Failing Ford.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:30 pm
Bob D,
Yer right. What I meant is that Singapore has very limited land space.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:31 pm
I will look at the ranger to replace my F150 if the interior leg room is adequate. Right now my F150 seats 5 very comfortably with leg room to spare. I generally only travel with 4 people so if I can get decent leg room for 4 people in a Ranger, then it is on the list. If the Ranger has the leg room of a Corolla, then there is no point considering it.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:35 pm
#6 No doubt it will cannibalize some from 150 sales. Ford didnt create a big enough gap in size.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:50 pm
Ford, What a Joke! The tariffs are going to cost the company 1 billion is profits? So we wont see any price increase on their vehicles cause the company is going to absorb that increase. NOT!
Maybe they are just preparing the stockholders for a pending loss due to their poor management decisions. Thats why no other car manufacturers have been speaking out.
October 23rd, 2018 at 1:55 pm
John: Has Dyson partnered with an existing car manufacturers? Do they assume because they manufacture vacuums that it will be an easy transition into assembling cars? Guess time will tell if they sweep the competition or just suck.
October 23rd, 2018 at 2:00 pm
10 Claiming a loss of $1 billion JUST from the difference in the price of steel, a dirt-cheap item anyway, and a small fraction of the price of a car, is LAUGHABLE to the extreme and should be DEBUNKED. Even a third grader can do this math.
Clueless Hatchet and Bill Ford… dumb and dumber.
October 23rd, 2018 at 2:03 pm
The Nissan Maxima will sell about 50,000 units per year in the US, distributed as follows:
Hertz, 10,000
Avis, 8,000
Enterprise, 7,000
Alamo, 9,000
Budget, 6,000
Private buyers, whatever is left (about 10,000)
PS What is the difference between a Maxima and an Altima?
October 23rd, 2018 at 2:06 pm
John, so the new Silverado does not have a vacuum-less brake booster, the vacuum is simply not provided by the engine any more. It is provided by the electronic module provided by ZF. Is that correct?
October 23rd, 2018 at 2:46 pm
13 By the numbers, the main difference is about 10K dollars. They are within an inch of the same length, and have the same amount of cabin space. For 2019, though, I think Altima dropped the V6.
October 23rd, 2018 at 2:51 pm
I’d expect the Ranger to cannibalize sales from F150, more than from Colorado/Canyon or Tacoma. Ford truck buyers tend to be brand loyal, and most wouldn’t have considered a Chevy or Toyota anyway.
October 23rd, 2018 at 2:55 pm
7 I was wondering what you meant, but now I know. Singapore is rather land challenged, with less than half the area of Jacksonville, FL.
October 23rd, 2018 at 3:29 pm
15 wow, there is much less product differentiation than I thought. At least if they made the Max RWD vs FWD for the Altima.. and a $10k diff! Reminds me of the $10k diff between the old 1990s Camry and the ES250 or ES300.
October 23rd, 2018 at 3:31 pm
Singapore was the site of the most embarassing defeat of the brits, perhaps ever. They had a very strong force in Singapore, and big guns, but they were only pointed out to the sea, while the Japanese force, much smaller than the Brit, attacked them from the land side (malaysia). there were almost 100,000 Brit POWs taken. (from memory).
Today Singapore is a model state, but the humidity must be unbearable.
October 23rd, 2018 at 4:42 pm
#18 Having driven both recently (which were both rentals) there is a definite difference in driving dynamics between the Maxima and Altima. The Max is certainly more refined and feels heavier and had a lot more standard equipment. Not sure its a difference worth 10K but its certainly more than just overall size.
October 23rd, 2018 at 5:06 pm
18 Comparably equipped, the price difference would be less than $10K, but the cars are essentially the same size, same wheelbase, etc. I suppose the Maxima has a nicer interior, but I haven’t really looked.
October 23rd, 2018 at 5:27 pm
18, 20, 21 I found that the V6 is dropped for the 2019 Altima, and replaced by the ungodly complex, but underwhelming in the QX50 variable compression turbo four. In due time, we’ll learn if that complexity buys anything in a lighter vehicle.
October 23rd, 2018 at 9:06 pm
The link is to the Tesla earning, webcast announcement on Wednesday, Oct 24, 3:30 PDT. It should be interesting.
As for Hyundai, we’ve noticed their Ioniq hybrid, EPA mileage, is about 10% higher than their owner reported mileage at Fuelly.com. In contrast, the Toyota Prius is within 1-2% of the EPA numbers. I would prefer to see independent metrics.
October 23rd, 2018 at 10:02 pm
The EPA allows manufacturers to conduct their own tests and submit the results to the EPA. The web link is where the EPA test car database is found. Column “AB” is titled “Test Originator” and tells us who ran the test.
We know Hyundai was fined $100 million in 2014 for false emissions data.
October 24th, 2018 at 8:09 am
24 The Ioniq and Prius got identical 52 mpg “overall” in CR’s tests. The Ioniq got 3 mpg better “combined” EPA numbers. The numbers are for the standard Prius. The Prius ECO has 3-4 mpg higher EPA numbers.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=39615&id=39752&id=39753
I, personally, would take the Prius any day, to avoid the complexity for complexity’s sake of the Ioniq’s dual clutch gearbox.
October 24th, 2018 at 10:06 am
I just saw that Jeep is doing a special edition Cherokee called the Elizabeth Warren Edition , but it will only be in white.
October 24th, 2018 at 10:18 am
25 All these (20 almost!) years, I have tolerated and gradually got used to the Prius weird exterior styling, all those unnecessary twists and turns, because I assumed that this is how they are able to get their impressive MPG, so form follows function and all that Jazz.
BUT now that the Ioniq is out and, according to you, CR gets the SAME IDENTICAL OVERALL MPG, Nothing is Sacrificed, and you get a FAR better looking vehicle, I thought that many would switch from Prius to the Ionic (I am not interested in Either small car, not only because they are small and unsafe, especially on US roads, but also because I do a pittance of miles with each of my cars and good MPG will cost me an arm and a leg in purchase price, and instead of savings, I will pay thru the nose! If everybody who did not have a serious accident which was the other party’s fault 100%, and admitted so, has not asked the question, how much is my life worth, especially to myself, maybe it is time to do so.
October 24th, 2018 at 10:22 am
26 I think you misheard. It is Subaru who will put out a Liz Warren edition, and it will be called a “Lizbaru” (pronounced Lez).
I lived in MA as a grad student for five years, a long time ago, and really liked the newtwork of friends I had in the area and tried to find a good job there, but did not. I have watched this almost deranged person, Warren, in a so-called “debate” with some unknown challenger Repub, and could not believe that she is so far in front in the polls, double digits. Has the water in MA got really dangerous to their mental health there? She can compete well with that other whacko from Vermont, the millionaire socialist Sanders, who almost became the Dem party nominee!!!
(Close political parenthesis)
October 24th, 2018 at 10:24 am
26 Still, it will be a wagon, you need the trunk space for the ceremonial Drum to greet your guests who made you a Harvard prof for being 1/128th native american…
October 24th, 2018 at 10:25 am
27 I certainly agree that the Ioniq looks better than the Prius, but it is absolutely stupid to make the powertrain much more complex, with no gain in either mpg or performance.
October 24th, 2018 at 10:31 am
28 it seems that many parts of the U.S. have mental health problems, to put a deranged pathological liar in the white house.
October 24th, 2018 at 11:08 am
31 But we did not. Hillary lost the election!
October 24th, 2018 at 11:34 am
32 Exactly. The deranged pathological liar won.
October 25th, 2018 at 1:41 pm
Please disregard this table tag test:
TESLA Q3 2018 EARNINGS
Revenue
$6.8 B
+128%
Sales
83,775
+220%
Operating Profit
$416 M
+$951 M
Net Profit
$311 M
+$930 M
Source: Tesla
October 25th, 2018 at 1:47 pm
Last tag tests:
[B]OK[/B]
Ok
October 25th, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Ah HA! One HTML tag works.
Header 2
Testing an alternate table.
editor correction
Understand?
Index of points
Second point
col1col2
data 1data 2