AD #2630 – Toyota Shifts Production Plans, Diesel Sales Continue to Climb, Bentley Unveils Sleek Future Concept
July 11th, 2019 at 11:56am
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Runtime: 8:42
0:07 Toyota Won’t Make Corolla’s in Alabama
0:35 VW Beetle Production Ends
0:53 Diesel Sales Continue to Climb
2:25 Bentley EXP 100 GT
4:23 Acura to Give MDX & TLX the NSX Treatment
5:51 Barn Find Revealed
6:40 Thieves Hit Daimler’s Car2Go in Chicago
7:32 Make Money Getting People to Fix Takata Airbags
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.
TOYOTA WON’T MAKE COROLLAS IN ALABAMA
As we mentioned in yesterday’s show, passenger car sales continue to plummet in the U.S. So now Toyota is scrapping plans to build Corollas at a new plant it’s building in Alabama. Instead, it will make a new, yet-to-be announced SUV at the facility, which is scheduled to open in 2021. Toyota will continue building the Corolla at its plant in Mississippi. Corolla sales are down nearly 5% in the first half of the year.
VW BEETLE PRODUCTION ENDS
And Volkswagen is doing the same thing. It just built the last Beetle at its plant in Puebla, Mexico yesterday. And now it’s going to build a new compact crossover called the Tarek, beginning in 2020. It’s a modified version of a model it sells in China called the Tharu.
DIESEL SALES CONTINUE TO CLIMB
Sales of diesel engines continue to climb in the U.S. market, but only in pickup trucks and commercial vans. Automakers sold over 280,000 vehicles with diesel engines in the first half of the year, up 7% from a year ago, while the overall market was down 2%. Ram does the best job of selling diesels despite an embarrassing recall involving accusations of cheating on emission regulations. About one in four Rams sold has a diesel engine. Ford actually sells more diesels in its F-Series, but has a lower take-rate than Ram. The Silverado has the lowest take rate while GMC is second only to Ram. These diesel engines are extremely profitable for automakers. They charge anywhere from $6,000 to over $9,000 for them.
| U.S. LD Diesel Trucks H1, 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sales | Take Rate | |
| Ram | 71,648 | 24.5% |
| F-Series | 87,543 | 20.9% |
| Silverado | 35,062 | 13.75% |
| Sierra | 20,969 | 21.5% |
Be sure to tune into Autoline After Hours this afternoon. Our special guest is Paul Eichenberg, a strategist on electrification, autonomy, connectivity and mobility. Join John and Gary and Joe White from Reuters for some of the best insights as to where this auto industry is headed. That’s 3pm eastern time on Autoline.tv.
BENTLEY EXP 100 GT
Bentley gave itself a pretty sweet 100th birthday present: a wild-looking all-electric car that is its vision of a future Grand Tourer. Despite only having two doors, the EXP 100 GT is a massive 19-feet long and nearly 8-feet wide. That allowed designers to give the car some very interesting proportions. The front overhang is nearly nonexistent while the rear has a long sloping tail. The front end is sure to be polarizing for some, but light that flows across the grille, through the Flying B hood ornament, down the hood and onto the cabin as you approach the car will sure draw your eye away from the design. Bentley believes future battery technology will offer five times the conventional energy density and says a car like this could have a 435-mile range and be recharged to 80% in 15-minutes. It also features 4 electric motors with a combined 1,110 lb-ft of torque, which rockets the car to 100 km/h in under 2.5-seconds. While the EXP 100 GT may seem like a far off concept, you may remember Bentley showed the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept in 2015 that later became the styling inspiration for the all-new Continental GT in 2018. So, we wouldn’t be surprised to see cues from the EXP 100 GT make it on upcoming Bentleys. The only thing we don’t like about this concept is the name: EXP. Anyone remember the Ford Escort EXP that was made in the 1980’s? You don’t remember? That’s good because it was kind of a forgettable car.
ACURA TO GIVE MDX & TLX THE NSX TREATMENT
Here’s some good news. Sales of the NSX are up 62% so far this year. Here’s the bad news. Acura only sold 151 of them. That means there’s plenty of extra extra manufacturing capacity at Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio where the hybrid supercar is made. So the automaker decided to make versions of the MDX and TLX using the same hand-built process and quality control checks as the NSX. A body-in-white is first pulled off the manufacturing line at the main plant and sent to the the NSX plant. Then technicians install the interior, drivetrain, suspension, wiring harnesses, and electronics. The TLX PMC Edition will be the first to launch and combines options from the A-Spec and Advance Packages, which normally can’t be done. It also features an NSX-exclusive red paint color. Only 360 of the TLX will be made and will cost just under $51,000, which is not too bad considering a fully loaded TLX already approaches the $50,000 threshold.
YES! THAT’S A BUICK
Yesterday we showed you these photos of an old car that an Autoline viewer saw while walking around the city of Riga in Latvia. In fact we got a response from Edgars Kronbergs who said, “Hey, I’m from Riga, and I’ve seen that very car. Can’t wait to find out what it is.” So we asked you and a number of you got it right. Steve W, MERKUR DRIVER, dbcrn859, and dlwatib all correctly identified this as a Buick, specifically a 1940 Buick Special. The give away was the badge on the trunk. Even though there are pieces missing from it, there’s enough there that we could match it up with Buick badges from that time.
THIEVES REINVENT MEANING OF CAR SHARING
Car sharing is a convenient way to rent a car for a short period of time but it’s also apparently a good way to steal a car or in this case dozens of cars. Back in April, thieves stole about 75 Mercedes CLA and GLAs from Daimler’s Car2Go car sharing service in Chicago. According to Bloomberg, when employees tried to retrieve the vehicles, the thieves claimed them as their own. Car2Go eventually had to suspend service in Chicago and get help from the police to retrieve the vehicles. All were eventually recovered but some had been stripped of doors, seats and other parts. But the vehicles were mostly used for joyrides, some of which were posted on social media. And this just shows how vulnerable car sharing can be.
MAKE MONEY GETTING PEOPLE TO FIX TAKATA AIRBAGS
Automakers are pulling their hair out trying to get owners to replace the defective Takata airbags in their cars. They sent them letters and postcards and emails, made phone calls and even went knocking on doors. But 15 million cars still need fixing, even though the fix is for free. So a company called Carma is working with Toyota and using social media to get people to fix their car. Even you can do it. You download Carma’s app, and you post messages on social media with a special link about the recall. If someone uses your link and gets their Takata airbag replaced, you get $55. You can post as often as you want to try and make as much money as you can and you can find the app at carmaprojecct.com.
That brings us to the end of today’s report, thanks for watching. And don’t forget to go get your free Slurpee today.
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Comments (26)
July 11th, 2019 at 12:09 pm
from the video, we see that they did not end the production of the VW Beetle, but that of the fake, FWD, “New Beetle” or “A Golf in Beetle’s clothing”
July 11th, 2019 at 12:28 pm
Oh Sean! I remember the Ford EXP and yes a very forgettable car. I believe it was intended to be a sporty version of the Escort. Like many cars of the 80s though it was nothing to write home about.
I like the Bentley however their claims of range of future battery technology seems a bit premature. I guess to be fair they didn’t say when this new battery that can hold 5 times the energy will be produced so I suppose even if its in 2090 they would be correct.
July 11th, 2019 at 12:39 pm
Wasn’t the TLX lauded as a fine driving automobile that didn’t sell well (as also the NSX); guess building two low volume vehicles (three counting MDX which does sell pretty well but as a hand-built) at the same underutilized assembly plant makes sense.
July 11th, 2019 at 12:41 pm
I remember the Escort EXP, but until reading a TTAC article about it just now, I’d forgotten that it was a two seater. It was very underwhelming, both in performance and appearance.
July 11th, 2019 at 12:44 pm
Love the Bentley concept!
I remember the EXP, and it’s Mercury twin LN7. I believe these 2-seaters were originally suppose to have a rear seat, but the headroom was non-existant.
Chrysler did a better job of re-using the Omni/Horizon parts to make the O24/TC3. The 2.2L turbo had potential, but torque-steer and lack of overall quality spoiled the fun. An O24 Rampage mini pickup with the turbo would be a nice entry at the Cours d’ Lemon later this month in Plymouth, MI. Just dreaming
July 11th, 2019 at 12:48 pm
I always thought the EXP would’ve made a fun little roadster. Mechanically, they and their sibling, the Escort were not horrible. In fact, driving my niece’s 1987 Escort from the airport in Kentucky to their home in Aurora, Indiana encouraged me to look into the new “aero” Escorts when they were introduced in 1990. Ended up leasing two wagons over the next five years before swapping to a 95 Thunderbird.
Sort of expected to see something today about that Detroit Free Press article about the DS6 auto-manual tranny in the Focus and Fiesta. What a disaster for Ford! I guess Mullaly wasn’t God’s gift to Ford after all. I wonder if any of the seeds of the 737 MAX debacle were sown under his watch at Boeing?
July 11th, 2019 at 12:52 pm
5
I remember when, after Chrysler discontinued to Rampage do to dropping sales, Lee Iacocca was asked what happened and he said, “Well, I guess every pool maintenance guy in America bought one and the need for one disappeared.” (I’m paraphrasing, of course, from memory.)
July 11th, 2019 at 1:06 pm
5 Drew I remember the Omni GLH which although it wasn’t publicized the GLH stood for “Goes Like Hell”. Can you imagine a car that size today with a 2.2L turbo engine with the improvements that have been made?
July 11th, 2019 at 1:07 pm
7 “due to”… sigh…
July 11th, 2019 at 1:21 pm
5, 8 et. al. The 2.5 turbo in my van is 150 hp. I think the 2.2 turbo in the GLH turbo was also 150 hp, but at a little higher rpm.
I had a very rare, and unreliable 2.2 “turbo III” in a Spirit R/T. It had a Lotus 4 valve head, and was rated at 224 hp, but some published reports indicated that the power was probably under-rated, based on the performance of the cars using it.
July 11th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
I wonder if Mercedes had the ability to shut the ride sharing cars down so they couldn’t be driven. Must have had locators in order to retrieve all 75 vehicles. Seems this should be a wake up call to all ride sharing businesses. It will become a cat and mouse game with ride sharing and thieves. Add deterrents they will find a workaround. Handing the keys over to $40k+ vehicles with nothing more than a likely stolen or hacked credit card. Even a background check could be faked.
July 11th, 2019 at 2:07 pm
You said it exactly, John. It was only a matter of time before car thieves started using ride sharing services to steal or vandalize. One more reason most reasonable people (myself chief among them) will never ride-share any vehicle of their own.
Regarding the airbag replacements (and every other major recall item that some people seem to perpetually neglect), I just hope no one gets injured by a defective one, then decides to sue.
I suppose I understand why car makers are still even trying to reach these people. But for crying out loud, at what point do you ‘call off the search’ and just ‘declare the missing person dead at sea’? How many years has it been since this was front-page headline news? And we still have people who haven’t exercised the common sense needed to get the issue resolved for free? Nothing short of astounding!!
July 11th, 2019 at 2:11 pm
Maybe the reason those bags don’t get changed is the dealerships need to get their acts together. I got a postcard in March to get the passenger side bag changed in my car A 2010 Ford Fusion. I called my local dealer the day I got the card. They told me we won’t have the parts until June or July. I waited, got 3 more post cards. Still no call from the dealer. So last week while on vacation I stopped in. They said Oh yeah we have the parts now. Well I never got a call. He pulls my name up on the computer and says oh we don’t have you listed. WTF? So anyone else getting the runaround may just have said screw it or can’t be without their car all day as on my car they have to rip the dash out to fix it.
July 11th, 2019 at 2:13 pm
MLB , another ting to consider is anything left in the car by a previous user if illegal (ie. drugs or alcohol) could be hung on the next user if the car isn’t properly cleaned out before the next user gets it.
July 11th, 2019 at 2:14 pm
EXP, half of the math cars produced by Ford. In addition to the exponential, there was the natural log of 7 (LN7).
July 11th, 2019 at 2:16 pm
I had a 1986 EXP with a auto and carb. It was a real pooch performance wise ,but was fun as hell to drive once up to speed. It had no acceleration out of the hole. The stick and EFI versions were much quicker.
July 11th, 2019 at 2:49 pm
13 Dealer service for my wife’s ’09 Vibe GT air bag is much the same. Two calls and one waisted trip to the dealer and they still don’t have the parts.
July 11th, 2019 at 2:54 pm
12 Can you imagine what your insurance rates will be if they find out your renting your car out as a ride share? No doubt insurance companies are scrambling to get disclaimers on policies that do not cover your stolen car if used for ride sharing.
Also agree with you MJB on the recalls. I have also experienced a recall only to find out the parts are not available. But I think they hurry to send the recall out even before the parts are available to try and curb the lawsuits. The recall cards typically state something like DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE UNTIL THESE REPAIRS ARE MADE! Like people will just park their car for 3 months waiting on parts. But if something happens, you were warned.
July 11th, 2019 at 4:04 pm
17 A Florida dealer lent a car, a new Focus, to someone I know for a few months while their 2012 Fusion sat in the dealer’s lot waiting for the replacement air bag. I assume that Ford, not the dealer, paid for the loaner.
July 11th, 2019 at 4:18 pm
18 Yeah! How many dealers are gonna do that? Uh you can have our loaner it will be back in a few months.
July 11th, 2019 at 5:06 pm
19 I suspect Ford considered that car “high risk,” if the air bag deployed, since the car had spent its life in Florida, about 1/4 mile from the beach. Still, the customer was not too happy. The loaner was not as nice as her Fusion, and was thirstier, because the Fusion is a hybrid. Also, the Fusion sat in the lot without the 12v battery being disconnected, so a ran down, and was permanently dead, probably years prematurely. She had to buy the replacement battery.
July 12th, 2019 at 9:59 am
Watched autoline this week and wow the crowd that comments during that show are all for the EVs. Not saying I’m against EVs but I believe I’m realistic in how rapidly they will become common place. I like the Tesla vehicles even enjoyed the Volt I drove once. Plus I do believe they will eventually replace the majority of ICE vehicles at some point. I just don’t believe that will be in the next ten years. I think some people believe that EVs are here and even though they don’t fulfill everyones needs that they should be almost mandated. I honestly believe some folks are ready to push for the ban on gas engines. Which can be a great goal but we are far from supporting that goal in battery production alone. Its like saying you want fuel economy ratings to be 100mpg.. Great idea in theory but applying it isn’t so easy.
July 12th, 2019 at 11:11 am
22, Lambo, that’s just about the same way I came out of watching AAH yesterday. We already had the predictions of EV’s taking over the world and the only thing stopping them is the battery. Well yeah (that’s the thing). Strides have made, especially in size and range, but still the cost is still prohibitive for the grand scheme talked about; when it occurs, it occurs. If its good enough, the transition will take place.
July 12th, 2019 at 11:21 am
My prediction on electric cars, is that when, and if they become price competitive with ICE cars, they will become very popular with commuters who can charge them at home.
July 12th, 2019 at 11:41 am
24 My prediction is EVs will become common place for Police, Mail, inner city taxis/uber, trash pick-up and maybe even large truck local drives like UPS and FedEx. I think you’ll see them used by businesses in ride sharing and rental cars. They may even account for 50% of sales in the US by 2040. But I believe there will be a pretty long period where sales will be split between EVs and ICE.
The only exception to that would be governmental mandates, Huge change in gas prices, Huge change in battery technology that lowers cost while improving range. Unless one of those things happen I just don’t see EVs dominating the ICE for at least 20 more years.
July 12th, 2019 at 11:47 am
25 Cont.. Another reason I think will prevent EVs from growing as rapidly is because many people are sold on the idea that there gas costs of say $1500 a year will drop to $80 of electric. As EVs become more popular does anyone really think the cost of electric wont rise too. Soon charging stations will be hit with a road tax and then that fuel cost will start to even out to the same as what you pay for gas. So at that point the car itself had better be on par with the price of a ICE car.