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– European Car Sales Up Slightly
– Rate of European Diesel Decline Slowing
– Kiekert Offers Pop Open Door Tech
– Dominos to Deliver Pizza in AV Pods
– Volvo Trucks Teams with NVIDIA
– All-New Ford Explorer Details
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.
EUROPEAN CAR SALES UP SLIGHTLY
Car sales in Europe were up for the first time in nine months in May but just barely. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, sales in the region hit 1.44 million units last month, which is a gain of just 0.04% compared to a year ago. A 9% jump in Germany helped push overall sales in Europe up. But the increase is expected to be short lived due to a softening economy, stricter emission regulations that are upcoming and the uncertainty over Brexit. Through May, sales in Europe are down 2% overall.
RATE OF DIESEL DECLINE SLOWING
And speaking of sales in Europe, diesels sales in the region took a hit after the VW diesel scandal and while sales continue to decline, the rate is slowing. According to LMC Automotive, diesel sales from January to May are down 355,000 units compared to the same time period last year. A significant drop but the rate is slower than last year. And in Germany diesel sales are actually up. In 2015, diesels made up over 50% of the market but now are a third of the overall market in Europe.
KIEKERT OFFERS POP OPEN DOOR TECH
One of the cool features of Tesla’s Model X is that the driver’s door will pop open as the driver approaches the car. Now the supplier Kiekert is offering this feature to any automaker who wants to use it. The door opening can be triggered a number of different ways including a smart watch or any wearable, or even by gesture or voice. Inside the door Kiekert has a motor and gears to open the door, and the driver can select when to close the door by simply touching a screen on the console. As automakers continue to look for ways to differentiate their cars from competitors, this is a feature that a lot of customers would find very convenient to have.
DOMINOS TO DELIVER PIZZA IN AV PODS
Kroger teamed with Silicon Valley startup Nuro to deliver groceries in Scottsdale, Arizona using autonomous pods and soon they’ll be delivering pizzas in Texas. Dominos has partnered up with Nuro to run a pilot program in Houston. There’s not a lot of information, but Nuro says this is the next step in its journey to become the autonomous delivery partner of choice for retailers of all kinds. It’s also interesting that Dominos has done tests with autonomous Ford Fusions, so clearly it’s exploring different avenues for delivering pizza in the future.
VOLVO TRUCKS TEAMS WITH NVIDIA
And in other autonomous news, Volvo Trucks and chip-maker NVIDIA are teaming up to develop artificial intelligence to use in self-driving trucks. The technology will be used in a wide range of vehicles including, garbage, mining and construction trucks as well as vehicles for public and cargo transport. The companies will develop the technology in Sweden and California. NVIDIA also has partnerships with Mercedes, Toyota and Volkswagen. It was working with Tesla but last year Elon Musk announced that the company will develop its own chips instead.
And hey be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours this week. John and Gary are on location in Idaho test driving Hyundai’s new big SUV, the Palisade. So for a deep dive into that vehicle, tune into our website at 3PM eastern time this Thursday.
From the company that revealed the secrets of the Tesla Model 3, Munro & Associates will host an Electric Vehicle Conference on Friday, June 21st at its headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Munro will provide a deep dive into the Motors, Batteries, and Electronics of the Tesla Model 3, BMW i3, Chevy Bolt and Jaguar I-PACE. Purchase tickets on Eventbrite or at leandesign.com. Hurry, only 100 spots are available.
ALL-NEW FORD EXPLORER DETAILS
As Ford gets ready to launch the all-new Explorer, let’s take a look at what makes it all-new. It rides on a rear-drive based platform that’s up to 200-pounds lighter than the outgoing model. The wheelbase is longer, but overall length is nearly the same thanks to shorter overhangs in the front and rear. There’s also about an inch more of ground clearance. If you’re wondering why Ford went back to a rear-drive based architecture, I’m sure customers wanted it, but it’s also because this vehicle was designed to be a hybrid from the very start. And Ford needed a rear-drive layout for the hybrid setups it’s using. Under the hood of the hybrid is a 3.3L V6 engine with an electric motor sandwiched between it and the 10-speed transmission. Mounted under the floor between the 2nd and 3rd rows is a 1.5 kWh battery pack. Customers will also have the choice of a 2.3L turbo four or a 3.0L turbo V6 with two outputs; 365-horsepower or a more-aggressively tuned version with 400-horsepower for the ST model. As we move back down the side of the vehicle, you may notice an odd cut line for the rear door opening in the C-pillar. Designers felt the C-pillar is an important part of Explorer’s DNA, but engineers wanted the largest opening possible and since moving the C-pillar would look even more weird, the door line remains. At the rear, the power liftgate is standard on all trims, which leads into a more spacious interior. Customers complained of the interior being cramped, so engineers were able to add 40 mm or over an inch and a half of width to the interior, even though the exterior width of the vehicle is practically identical to the outgoing Explorer. There’s 3-rows of seats with a fold flat option for the back row. Two captains chairs are now standard for the 2nd row. A bench used to be standard, but more customers opted for the captains chairs, so there’s now a small upcharge for the bench. Also note the large foot pads to step on to get in and out of the 3rd-row or reach something on the roof. There’s no small patch of carpet between the seat and the pad on purpose. It’s hard to clean and always gets ruined. And here’s a nod to all the parents. Those funky-looking cup holders in the rear doors are shaped that way to fit juice boxes as well as traditional cups. Back at the front, the driver has the option for a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch display screen. The standard center display is 8-inches, which is double the size of the old base screen. We’ll have our driving impressions for the all-new Explorer soon, so stay tuned.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.
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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.