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Runtime: 6:24
0:07 Battle Over Tariffs Brewing
0:58 VW Taking Deposits for 1st I.D. Electric
1:39 FCA Recalls Vehicles for Emission Issue
2:20 Palladium Prices Could Skyrocket
2:48 People Still Afraid of Autonomous Vehicles
3:32 Ranking the Leaders in Autonomy
4:19 Ford F-150 Could Get IRS
5:00 Nissan & Mitsubishi Expand Their Partnership
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.
BATTLE OVER TARIFFS BREWING
President Trump is facing a bipartisan battle over his threat to slap a 25% tariff on imported cars. Democrats and Republicans are uniting against him. Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan and Terri Sewell, a Democrat from Alabama, introduced a bill to block Trump from imposing the tariff until the International Trade Commission conducts “a comprehensive study on the economic importance of automotive manufacturing in America.” The President claims that imported cars and parts pose a security threat and the Commerce Department recently conducted a study into the assertion but it hasn’t made its findings public yet. The Center for Automotive Research says the tariff would increase the average price of new cars by $3,700.
VW TAKING DEPOSITS FOR 1ST I.D. ELECTRIC
European customers will soon be able to order the electric hatchback version of Volkswagen’s first I.D. vehicle. Anyone who wants an early production slot can plunk down a deposit on May 8th. However, it’s not know what the pre-order will cost at this time. A crossover version is slated to come to the U.S. late next year.
FCA RECALLS VEHICLES FOR EMISSIONS ISSUE
A few days after Honda said its recalling 1.2 million vehicles due to faulty airbags, FCA announced a big one of its own. It’s recalling nearly 965,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada because they don’t meet emission standards. But this isn’t related to a previous emission issue, which resulted in a fine. The company discovered the problem during in-house tests and reported it to the EPA. The recalled vehicles will have their catalytic converters replaced to fix the issue. The Dodge Journey, Chrysler 200, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Caliber and the Jeep Compass and Patriot are involved in the recall.
PALLADIUM PRICES COULD SKYROCKET
And Bloomberg reports that this recall could cause a shortage in the supply of palladium, a precious metal used in catalytic converters. Due to stricter fuel economy regulations around the globe, automakers have been purchasing more palladium, which has pushed its price to record highs. It’s currently trading at over $1,500 an ounce and analysts say FCA’s recall could push that price even higher.
PEOPLE STILL AFRAID OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
While autonomous vehicles have the potential to drastically reduce car accidents, Americans are still very leery of the technology. According to a new study from AAA, 71% of people are afraid to ride in a self-driving car, which is up from 63% in a previous poll. But about half said they are comfortable with using it in low speed situations, like at an airport or an amusement park. And 44% said they’re comfortable with it for food or package delivery. AAA believes that the public will warm up to the technology once they get more familiar with it but more measures need to be taken to educate the public about autonomous cars.
RANKING THE LEADERS IN AUTONOMY
Whos’ the leader of the band when it comes to autonomous vehicles? Navigant Research just ranked automakers and suppliers according to their technology, business plans and their potential to make money on AVs. Leading the list is Waymo, but GM Cruise Automation is right on its heels. Ford is listed in third place, followed by the suppliers Aptiv and Intel-Mobileye. Interestingly, Navigant ranks Tesla and Apple at the bottom of the list–at least at this snapshot in time.
AV Rankings | |
---|---|
Waymo | 86.7 |
Cruise Automation | 86.6 |
Ford | 84.2 |
Aptiv | 75.5 |
Intel-Mobileye | 74.2 |
* Score Out Of 100 * |
FORD F-150 COULD GET IRS
The website Ford Authority reports that a variant of the F-150 pickup will get an independent rear suspension. Presumably that will go on upscale versions for customers who want a smoother ride and better handling. The current layout uses a solid axle and leaf springs which is better for towing heavy loads and carrying heavy payloads. We think the independent rear is probably the same as the one that’s used on the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition. Ford is getting ready to refresh the F-150, and an IRS will give it a competitive advantage over the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram pickups.
NISSAN & MITSUBISHI EXPAND PARTNERSHIP
Nissan and Mitsubishi continue to expand their partnership. They just introduced four newly upgraded mini-vehicles or kei cars for the Japanese market, called the Dayz and eK. On top of improvements to the platform, engines and transmissions, the vehicles for the first time will feature Nissan’s ProPilot technology, which allows for semi-autonomous driving on the highway. The new models will go on sale later this month. And just last month, Nissan launched the all-new Livina, which shares a platform with the Mitsubishi Xpander, in Indonesia.
Be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours this afternoon at 3 pm eastern time when we go live. We’ve got two analysts with deep insight into this industry joining us: Michael Robinet from IHS Markit and Charlie Chesbrough from Cox Automotive. Help us to drain their brains! Send your questions to viewermail@autoline.tv then tune in to catch all the action.
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.