AD #2477 – Waymo Set for Public Launch, GM’s Maven Expands Outside GM, Which Brands Hold Value Best?
November 13th, 2018 at 11:34am
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Runtime: 7:10
0:30 Waymo Nearly Ready for Public Launch
1:10 GM’s Maven Expands Outside the Company
1:34 ALG Hands Out Annual Pre-Owned Value Awards
2:43 Big Truck Sales Keep Going Up
3:31 Jaguar Celebrates with Rally F-TYPE
4:53 Most Powerful Non-M 3 Series Ever
5:59 ZF Tests Drone Package Delivery
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On today’s show… big truck sales continue to soar in the U.S…. Waymo is getting ready to launch it autonomous ride hailing service… and BMW introduces its most powerful non-M 3 Series ever. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
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WAYMO NEARLY SET FOR PUBLIC LAUNCH
Self-driving cars are getting closer to being ready for the public. Bloomberg reports that Waymo will launch its autonomous ride hailing service in December in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The service will operate under a new name, using a fleet of Chrysler Pacifica minivans. But it’s going to be a slow rollout. At first, it will only be available to a select number of riders, covering about 100 square miles. There will be backup drivers in the vehicles which will slowly be phased out. But it’s a big accomplishment for Waymo to be the first company to offer this service, while beating out established automakers.
GM’S MAVEN EXPANDS OUTSIDE THE COMPANY
And speaking of mobility services, GM’s car-sharing company, Maven, is going to allow competitor vehicles in its service. Starting next year, members will be able to rent out non-GM cars with its peer-to-peer sharing platform. Maven, which currently operates in the U.S., is also expanding to Canada and other international markets.
WHICH BRANDS HOLD VALUE BEST?
ALG, a company which analyzes residual values of vehicles, just announced the winners of its Annual Pre-Owned Value Awards. They are given to vehicles with the lowest forecasted depreciation from two years to five years of age, during the 2018-2021 period. The winners are determined by analyzing used vehicle performance, brand outlook and product competitiveness. Across all vehicle segments, Subaru was named the top mainstream brand while Jaguar was named the top premium brand. And when it comes to individual vehicle segments, Nissan and Mercedes earned the most awards with three each.
Still to come… Jaguar creates a rally version of its F-TYPE in celebration of its sports car heritage.
BIG TRUCK SALES KEEP GOING UP
Sales of big trucks show no signs of slowing down in the U.S. According to WardsAuto, the medium-duty segment, which consists of Class 4 through 7, saw its sales grow 7% in October. And through the first 10 months of the year, the segment is up 7% as well. The big Class 8 semi-trucks saw sales soar 34% last month and overall are up 33% so far in 2018. And combined, the medium and heavy-duty segments were up 20% in October and are up 19% this year. This is great news since big truck sales are a leading indicator for economic growth, and it suggests that light-vehicle sales will continue to grow as well.
JAGUAR CREATES RALLY F-TYPE
Jaguar just created two rally versions of its F-TYPE convertible to celebrate 70 years of its sports cars. The vehicles pay homage to its 1948 XK 120 and use the same 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine found in the production F-TYPE. They were built to FIA specs and feature upgraded brakes and suspension along with a roll cage and race seats. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear these will be competing in any events but as cool as these things are you can bet collectors will be begging to get their hands on one.
And be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours this Thursday. Joining us is Christian Spenser from Nissan to talk about the all-new Altima. So if you have any questions about that vehicle, send them our way to [email protected] or hit us up on social media. Just look for those links below.
Coming up next, a sporty 3 Series and package delivering drones.
MOST POWERFUL NON-M 3 SERIES EVER
To some the BMW M3 is considered the Gold Standard of performance sedans, but for those that don’t want something so sporty, the automaker has introduced the M340i. It’s powered by a 3.0L turbocharged in-line 6 cylinder engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and optional all-wheel drive. At over 380-horsepower and nearly 370 lb-ft of torque, this is the most powerful 3 Series ever that’s not an M. 0-60 comes in a short 4.2-seconds. A couple other things to take note of are body weight has been reduced up 121-pounds mainly due to more extensive use of aluminum, overall body rigidity increased 25% and it features a newly developed suspension system that’s designed to reduce the amount of body movement passengers can perceive. The M340i will make its public debut at the LA auto show later this month and then go on sale in the summer of next year.
ZF TAKES PACKAGE DELIVERY TO THE SKIES
We’ve shown you how drones can be used as rescue devices and inspection tools and now the supplier ZF is using them as delivery vehicles. It’s using drones at one of its plants in Germany to take spare parts from the warehouse and deliver them to the appropriate workshop. The electric drones only have to travel up to 1 kilometer or just over half a mile on each trip, but it’s more efficient than putting a small package into a truck and should help free up space on the road. In the future ZF also thinks the drones could be used to deliver packages outside of the factory walls. And while the drones are only able to carry up to 3 kilograms or just over 6.5-pounds of goods, we can imagine 10 to 20 years down the road when they’re used to transfer much bigger parts.
But that’s it for today. Thanks for watching and see ya tomorrow.
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Comments (21)
November 13th, 2018 at 12:14 pm
It is noteworthy that BMW still uses an inline 6 cylinder layout for the performance power plant against all the “experts” that were commenting on the inevitable disappearance of this configuration in a “Modern” performance vehicle. BMW Engineering let is success do the talking!!
November 13th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
The inline 6 is a naturally balanced powerplant and if space is not a concern makes for a very good platform. I don’t think many experts poo poo’d the six but they probably suggested that it has begun to lose favor (as we are starting to see of the V-8).
November 13th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
The main reason V-6 engines exist is that they are easy to package, both in longitudinal and transverse installations. Mercedes used them longer than most car companies, and are going to start using them again.
Most 6 cylinder diesels used in bigger trucks are inline.
November 13th, 2018 at 12:45 pm
If GM is willing to allow Maven to use Non-GM vehicles in it’s fleet, then why doesn’t GM Offer On-Star Subscription Services to Non-GM vehicle owners? I would think that this would be a very desirable subscription to buyers of CPO vehicles.
November 13th, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Waymo proves what I said here months ago that the amount of money the automakers are throwing at autonomy is crazy. The tech giants and software gurus will most likely get to the finish line first and rather then spend billions developing their own specific AV hardware and software. Seems it would make more sense to wait for companies like Waymo to have a system that is proven and then partner or buy them.
November 13th, 2018 at 2:11 pm
Lambo, I think I’m following your reasoning; will Waymo get in on the ground floor or merely set a standard and then all the other manufacturers come in and take over. Have to wait and find out.
November 13th, 2018 at 2:20 pm
Re ‘which brands hold value best’, I would like a second opinion.
Not that I doubt Subarus are very popular (however because of their AWD their MPG sucks). However, I will only believe that… Jaguars of all luxury makes hold their value best, when I actually see the detailed data on which this UNbelievable claim is based, if any.
In any case, Jaguar is largely IRRELEVANT in the US car market, the vast majority of JLR tiny sales in the US comes from the LAND ROVERS and NOT from the Jags, and this continues even after Jag had to introduce a so-called “SUV” (which has a really cheap Hyundai-like interior) to bolster its anemic sales.
Even more unbelievable is that…. Nissan of all brands would earn any “award” in this area. Nissan makes cheap junk. Maybe it is because the actual new Nissan prices are so low (after discounts and incentives), that they do not go much lower from there when they depreciate? Again, only when and if I see the actual data will I believe this.
And the bad news continues, this AAH will be about the.. Nissan Altima? I’ll have even more reason to skip the infomercial and just enjoy the discussion among the regulars.
Re this non-M M series BMW, if it not an M, why do they pretend it is some kind of a poor relative to an M and call it M340i? I wish BMW would cut the crap on this one, AND, especially, start again using alphanumerics that provide some accurate info. It used to be that a 340 would have a 4.0 lt engine. Now the 40 in 340 means NOTHING.
I know why BMW does this, today’s 2 lt BMWs have as much power as older 4.4 lt V8 BMWs used to have! But if they had a tradition going back decades where the 30 in 330 meant a 3 liter 6 etc, they should KEEP it, and if they want to advertise the HP, they can say “320i 350HP” or something. Lambo uses the HP to number their cars, rounding it to the next zero, but if BMW started doing this it would discontinue its long tradition.
November 13th, 2018 at 2:25 pm
7 PS re how … ‘well” Jags hold their value, i remember back in the 90s when Autoweek would publish detailed reviews of a model, they also printed a depreciation graph showing how much of its value the car would lose in each of its first 5 years. Guess which flagship luxury car was the worst ever, with a truly unbelievable 72% depreciation in its FIRST year alone?
You guessed it, it was a JAGUAR, the top model XJ 12 with the V12 engine, which sold for about $80k (in good 1990s dollars, not today’s worthless dollars too!)
November 13th, 2018 at 2:43 pm
7 BMW is also using the “M” but not really an M silliness with the M240, while there is also an actual M2.
I, too, miss the actual, meaningful model designations showing engine displacement, dropped by both BMW and Mercedes. Almost worse, Lexus has a mix of model names that mean something, like LC500 and RX350 indicating engine displacement, while the current LS500 has a 3.4 liter turbo V6, and an NX300 has a 2 liter turbo four. Go figure.
November 13th, 2018 at 2:52 pm
Jaguar as the “premium brand holding value” must have included Land Rover. There are three LRs winning individual categories.
https://www.alg.com/vehicle-awards.html
Still, the whole thing sounds suspect, but I don’t have the data.
November 13th, 2018 at 2:55 pm
Interestingly, GM and Ford have no individual category “winners” on the list, while FCA had two, Wrangler and Charger.
November 13th, 2018 at 3:06 pm
Sean, regarding the ALG thing, you don’t really mean that Nissan and Mercedes had 3 awards each, do you? Looking at their site, I see zero segment winners for Nissan, while there are 5 for Subaru, 4 for Toyota and 3 for Mercedes, if you include trucks and vans. This is from ALG’s site at:
https://www.alg.com/vehicle-awards.html
If you were referring to something different, please let us know. Thanks.
November 13th, 2018 at 3:08 pm
I too lament that BMW has lost their traditional naming structure. The M340i could easily be named 330T to signify both displacement and that it has a turbo. Do they even need an “i” in their name anymore since everything is fuel injected?
I also hate that they have things like these M edition cars which are not an actual M car. To me these shenangians are diluting the real M brand.
November 13th, 2018 at 3:28 pm
On brands holding their value I find these results surprising as well. I don’t find anything in the Subaru brand appealing so I have no idea how they are priced new or used. But Jaguar is extremely surprising.
More interesting would be specific vehicles that hold their value best which I would expect to be Ford F150, Jeep Wrangler and a Lexus for luxury brand.
November 13th, 2018 at 3:51 pm
14 My sister has a mid-trim 2017 Subaru Forester, and the pricing is pretty good when new, which helps resale value, as a percentage of new. For that reason, Subaru makes sense. As I remember, her Forester was $28-29K MSRP, pretty well equipped with leather, sunroof, and maybe power seats.
As far as Jaguar, I wouldn’t expect that at all, especially if it isn’t actually JLR they are talking about. still??? Maybe Range Rovers hold their value well.
I don’t know if you checked the link I posted, but Tundra was the top big pickup, and Lexus the winning “premium executive.” There is no way of telling from their web site, but I wonder if they included Tesla. I’d think the Model S might hold its value well, against the cars they’d probably class with the LS.
November 13th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
15 Lexus LS was the winning “premium executive.” The LS was the only Lexus segment winner.
November 13th, 2018 at 4:15 pm
@Kit – I’m still looking into it, but it seems as though you are looking at the Residual Value Awards and we used the Pre-Owned Value Awards. It does not look like ALG has anything up on its website yet for the POVA.
November 13th, 2018 at 4:40 pm
17 Thanks, Sean. I’m not sure of the difference between residual and pre-owned value, but that explains why the site I found is different from what you had for the show.
I just found that I didn’t look at the “brands” listing of my link well enough. It has Subaru and Land Rover as the mainstream and premium brands.
November 13th, 2018 at 5:12 pm
Here is info on the “pre-owned value awards”
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/subaru-jaguar-capture-overall-brand-honors-in-3rd-annual-alg-pre-owned-value-awards-300748102.html
There’s a lot of mysterious stuff there, like the orphan Nissan Quest, and the really substandard Taurus winning segment awards. Anyway, it’s interesting.
November 13th, 2018 at 5:43 pm
#4, Lex you can buy an aftermarket OnStar unit and install it in any car. They became available at Best Buy two years ago or so.
On the residual values, I would have liked to see what vehicle claims the overall highest residual value. For the last 2-3 years, my understanding is that the Jeep Wrangler held this honor. I’m guessing that it is a supply and demand thing and not indicative of a sky high build quality.
November 13th, 2018 at 6:08 pm
The ALG “pre-owned value awards” are based on depreciation of a 2 year old car bought now, and sold in 3 years. That means cars that depreciate horribly the first 2 years, but then level off, could do well in those ratings. That probably explains the Quest, Taurus, and 7 series. Of course, the Quest and Taurus have high early depreciation because they are near worst-in-class. The 7 has high early depreciation because all cars in that class have high depreciation, and some competitors, like S and LS are better received in that segment.