AD #2664 – The “World’s Blackest Black” Paint, Levandowski Accused of Stealing Secrets, Mercedes-AMG GLE Coupe
August 28th, 2019 at 11:55am
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Runtime: 7:55
0:07 Japanese Automakers Avoid U.S. Tariffs
0:57 Levandowski Accused of Stealing Waymo Secrets
2:46 New BMW X6 Features “World’s Blackest Black” Paint
3:56 Roxor Shares Update on North American Operations
4:55 Nissan Creates Perfect Golf Ball for Cheaters
5:52 Mercedes Shows Off New AMG GLE Coupe
6:45 Lamborghini Launches Luggage Transport Service
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.
JAPANESE AUTOMAKERS AVOID U.S. TARIFFS
The U.S. and Japan signed a tentative trade agreement that helps Japan avoid new American tariffs on imported cars. President Trump had threatened to raise passenger car tariffs but says he will not do that, for now. Meanwhile, Toyota and Suzuki are going to take equity positions in each other. But the deal is heavily lopsided in Toyota’s favor. It will buy nearly 5% of Suzuki’s stock, while Suzuki will only buy 0.2% of Toyota’s stock. This has all the inklings of government involvement, getting Toyota to take care of its little brothers. Toyota now holds ownership in Suzuki, Daihatsu, Hino, Subaru, Mazda and Yamaha. That only leaves Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi outside of its orbit.
LEVANDOWSKI ACCUSED OF STEALING GOOGLE SECRETS
Anthony Levandowski, one of the brilliant pioneers in developing autonomous cars, was just indicted for stealing trade secrets from Google. Levandowski used to work at Google’s AV unit, now called Waymo. He’s accused of downloading thousands of company documents before he quit Google and went to work at Uber. And prosecutors are taking no chances. Reuters reports that bail was set at $300,000 cash, he had to pledge property valued at $2 million as collateral, he had to surrender his U.S. and French passports, and he has to wear an ankle bracelet. Larry Burns, the former head of R&D at General Motors, wrote a book called Autonomy, about the AV pioneers. He says that Levandowski was universally disliked by just about everyone he worked with. If convicted, Levandowski faces up to 10 years in prison.
Be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours later this week. The head of Mopar’s North American operations, Mark Bosanac will be joining us and bringing the latest limited edition Mopar muscle car to the studio. They were going to use a very controversial name on the car, but now they’ve backed off. What’s the backstory on that? You’re going to have to join Gary Vasilash and John this Thursday to find out.
NEW BMW X6 FEATURES “WORLD’S BLACKEST BLACK” PAINT
In 2014, a company by the name of Surrey NanoSystems developed a black paint that is so black it’s able to absorb over 99.9% of all light. It’s so dark that it makes 3-D objects look 2-D and almost like a black hole. Even though automakers wanted it, Surrey wouldn’t sell them the paint, because it felt like it would distract from the design…until now that is. The new BMW X6 will debut at the Frankfurt auto show covered in the coating company’s Vantablack paint finish. The only reason the company agreed to the project is because it developed a new version of Vantablack, called VBx2, which has one-per-cent reflectance and provides “just enough of a hint of shape.” Vantablack is not going to become a common paint finish because it’s not durable enough for daily use, but Surrey NanoSystems says it’s great for laser-based sensors where sunlight can cause performance issues in advanced driver assistance systems.
ROXOR SHARES UPDATE ON NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS
At its first major media event, Autoline learned all about the off-road only Roxor and how it’s being built at Mahindra Automotive North America’s facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. About half of the components are sent over from India and the other half is sourced in North America. To meet current demand, Mahindra is making roughly 20 Roxors a day on one shift. But those numbers could soon increase. The company has already seen bigger demand than it expected on the commercial side of the business, like from zoos and resorts. But it also got approval from the California EPA in the last few weeks to sell Roxors in the state and it’s come out with a new automatic transmission version. Mahindra thinks it has an advantage over other ATVs and side-by-sides because of its automotive-grade components and steel body panels and we’ll be sharing our full impressions with you soon.
PERFECT GOLF BALL FOR CHEATERS
Here’s the perfect golf ball for golfers who don’t mind bending the rules out on the course. Nissan created a ball which uses its ProPILOT driver assistance technology so it will always end up in the hole every time you putt. An overhead camera detects the position of the ball and cup. When the ball is hit, a monitoring system calculates the correct route based on the ball’s movement and adjusts its trajectory. Combining sensing technology with an internal electric motor, the golf ball stays on course until reaching the cup. Pretty cool stuff. And if you happen to be in Yokohama, Japan tomorrow through September 1st, you can try out the ProPILOT golf ball at the company’s global headquarters.
MERCEDES SHOWS OFF AMG GLE COUPE
Mercedes is showing off the AMG version of the GLE 53 Coupe before it makes its official debut at next month’s Frankfurt auto show. It’s styling remains pretty similar to the outgoing model. It’s powered by a 3.0L inline six-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine that’s mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission. It also features 48-volt technology and Mercedes’ 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system. In Europe, the non-AMG version is powered by new six-cylinder diesel engines and it’s also developing a plug-in hybrid version. Moving to the inside, the AMG model comes with a performance steering wheel and it features the company’s latest MBUX infotainment system with AMG specific displays. The new GLE Coupe goes on sale in Europe next spring.
LAMBO LAUNCHES LUGGAGE TRANSPORT SERVICE
Some people think the new C8 Corvette doesn’t look as sleek as a Ferrari or Lamborghini. And it’s true. The ‘Vette is designed to carry two golf bags and provide enough luggage space to travel. The Italian exotics aren’t exactly designed to do that. So Lambo came up with a service where Lamborghini staff will transport its customer’s luggage from one destination to another almost anywhere in the world. worldwide. Bloomberg reports there’s a fee for the service, but did not say what the fee is. But it quotes Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of Lamborghini, describing the services as, “an easy option to do for using the car on long road trips.”
As F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.”
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.
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Comments (42)
August 28th, 2019 at 12:19 pm
Was Lamborghini going to launch this service even without the introduction of the Corvette C8 or reaction to it. If the latter, then that certainly is a nod to the C8. Of course the statement about the “very rich” kind of makes any comparison moot anyway.
August 28th, 2019 at 12:19 pm
In fact I saw an article about another exotic, the McLaren GT, which claimed it had humongous cargo room, 505 liters, and that was greater than some well known Volvo wagon or whatever.
August 28th, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Larry Burns was utterly incompetent and at the end he basically was fired. He did nothing for GM for his humongous salary and budget. He would be the last person in the world to badmouth Lewandowski.
August 28th, 2019 at 12:27 pm
Anthony Levandowski must have missed out on Ethics 101. Sounds like he may have plenty of time in the near future to brush up.
The Surrey Nano black paint.. Why? Seems like it might be a cool paint for something you want to cloak in darkness but for anything with decent design lines seems to be counterintuitive.
So did the lawsuit with Jeep and Roxor get resolved?
August 28th, 2019 at 12:31 pm
Oh boy. Just what we need yet another black to slap onto cars.
August 28th, 2019 at 12:38 pm
The MB AMG GLE Coupe is a nice looking vehicle but sadly is nothing exciting. No fault of Mercedes as to me all these CUV/SUV/crossovers all look so similar. All automakers are going to really struggle to make one of these vehicles stand out from the rest. Looking forward to the next new vehicle that will change things up.
August 28th, 2019 at 12:39 pm
I have to concur on the comments on “black”; heck, I don’t even like black wheels. It does sound good for internally painted appointments (and instruments, as described) to reduce/eliminate any glare from the item adorned with it.
August 28th, 2019 at 12:40 pm
Has Tiger put in an order for a set of those golf balls yet?
August 28th, 2019 at 12:42 pm
@7. I second that comment (about black wheels). Can’t wait for that trend to die (a slow and painful death).
August 28th, 2019 at 12:43 pm
Surrey is quoted as saying ” the new black is sooo black that it already looks dirty while still in the paint booth”.
August 28th, 2019 at 12:44 pm
Lamborghini announces new “Sherpa” service to qualified clients…
August 28th, 2019 at 12:55 pm
@2 the 505 liters of cargo space of the McLaren GT: is that when you put your duffel bag on the passenger seat?
August 28th, 2019 at 1:02 pm
So now we have another shade of black, to go with the 13 shades of grey on today’s “color” palettes.
August 28th, 2019 at 2:00 pm
12 no, not at all. Look it up. It is NOT just any MacLaren.
August 28th, 2019 at 2:04 pm
PS the Lambo cargo service sounds ridiculous. I’d rather get a C7 or earlier Vette and have truly Ample Cargo space.
August 28th, 2019 at 2:24 pm
@12: tried to find it. Very nice looking car. I could not see the spec of the luggage compartment, but if you say so, I believe you. I cannot afford it anyway. For now. The Powerball lottery may change the situation.
August 28th, 2019 at 2:42 pm
16 This article says it has 570 liters of cargo space, most of it in the back.
https://www.motor1.com/news/349654/mclaren-gt-unveiled-official-details/
For comparison, a C7 Corvette, and a Porsche Cayman have about 430 liters. The 430 of the C7 is plenty for me, but I normally travel alone, and travel fairly light.
August 28th, 2019 at 2:44 pm
@17: thanks, Kit
August 28th, 2019 at 3:36 pm
17, 18 I looked it up but found another McLaren GT that has two small trunks, 220 and 120 or 170. Splitting the cargo space is worse than having the same lt in one space.
August 28th, 2019 at 3:40 pm
the Miata and the Viper had 4 cu ft which amount to less than 290 lt. But all in one space.
August 28th, 2019 at 3:45 pm
BTW that black X6 looked even more hideous than the regular colored X6 does.
August 28th, 2019 at 3:48 pm
18 On another matter, how do you see Brexit and EU affecting Euro car production and sales?
August 28th, 2019 at 3:50 pm
The Miata trunk is about 160 liters. The last generation Vipers have 14.7 cubic feet, 416 liters of trunk. One cubic foot is about 28.3 liters.
August 28th, 2019 at 3:54 pm
23 I was talking about the 1st gen viper and miata, of whom I have 1:18 scale models for both. 15 cu ft for the final viper sounds enormous.
August 28th, 2019 at 3:59 pm
The MX-5 Miata only has 4.59 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk
https://www.hallmazdamilwaukee.com/blog/cargo-capacity-and-dimensions-for-the-2019-mazda-mx-5-miata/
160 lt is much more than 5 cu ft.
https://consumerguide.com/used/1992-02-dodge-viper/
the original viper had 6.8 cu ft, a far cry from the last one’s 14.5
August 28th, 2019 at 3:59 pm
The MX-5 Miata only has 4.59 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk
https://www.hallmazdamilwaukee.com/blog/cargo-capacity-and-dimensions-for-the-2019-mazda-mx-5-miata/
160 lt is much more than 5 cu ft.
August 28th, 2019 at 3:59 pm
https://consumerguide.com/used/1992-02-dodge-viper/
the original viper had 6.8 cu ft, a far cry from the last one’s 14.5
August 28th, 2019 at 4:14 pm
5 x 28.317 is 141.585 liters. The 160 liters I gave is for the current Miata. It looks like the Viper’s trunk grew a lot more than the Miata’s.
I’ve been trying to find the trunk size of a 1970 VW Beetle, a car I took on a two week trip around Europe with three people, but I can’t find any info on trunk size. It wasn’t much. We didn’t use any suitcases, but carried stuff loose, and in paper bags.
August 28th, 2019 at 4:28 pm
https://www.autonews.com/executives/uaw-presidents-home-targeted-new-federal-raids?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20190828&utm_content=hero-headline
August 28th, 2019 at 4:44 pm
The new Beetle had only 300 or so lt cargo space.
I found articles with all kinds of 1970 beetle specs but no cargo space, only that they increased it by a considerable 3 cu ft (over what?)
August 28th, 2019 at 5:00 pm
re the really lame, only off-road Roxor:
Why would any self-respecting zoo or resort use this ancient atrocity?
They should use EV golf carts instead.
August 28th, 2019 at 5:01 pm
29 I may have found the same thing, that the Super Beetle, with the strut front suspension, had 3 cubic feet more than the ones like mine, but it didn’t give an actual number for either one.
August 28th, 2019 at 5:04 pm
30 They’d use it because it looks like a CJ3, or whatever. Part of the “experience,” as it were.
August 28th, 2019 at 5:53 pm
I just saw all over social media that Jessi Combs was killed trying to break her own land speed record. She was a very talented person in many aspects of the auto industry it will be a tremendous loss for sure especially for her family, friends and many colleagues in the business. Godspeed
August 29th, 2019 at 8:38 am
30 The Roxor also has a turbo diesel that is capable of towing something like 3600 lbs. Plus it is built like the original Jeep as a farm work horse that can track thru some pretty muddy wet lands. Some applications that might night fair well for an EV golf cart.
Considering its intended application I’m not sure why you feel its lame. Its direct competition are things like the Polaris Ranger which isn’t as capable and very close in starting price ($15,500). The John Deer Gator diesel starts at $17,589 and has a towing capacity of only 1500 lbs.
August 29th, 2019 at 9:39 am
32,34 My thought was that they’d use them at zoos and theme parks, just for the look, but until we know what they will actually do with them, we won’t know.
August 29th, 2019 at 10:26 am
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/08/tesla-rolls-out-insurance-offering-claims-big-savings/
Getting rid of the middleman and sharing the benefits, part nth
August 29th, 2019 at 10:36 am
35 I could see John Deere being concerned, as the Roxor could steal market share. The one thing the Roxor doesn’t have is a dump bed which I would imagine could be very useful in those applications.
August 29th, 2019 at 10:44 am
36 “Certainly, Tesla likes to tout its vehicle’s fleet-footedness, and videos continue to appear online of Tesla owners dangerously misusing their vehicle’s semi-autonomous Autopilot feature. Snoozing behind the wheel usually doesn’t lead to lower premiums”.
That comment right there is why I have been saying that semi-autonomous features are a lawsuit waiting to happen. This is not exclusive to Tesla.
August 29th, 2019 at 10:56 am
36,39 Tesla’s having high claim rates keeps insurance expensive, but seeing all of the insurance ads on TV, there could be big savings by not advertising.
August 29th, 2019 at 11:23 am
40 Tesla’s insurance arm could make lots of $ by also insuring non-Teslas such as people owing 3 or 5 cars but only driving the same total miles as others owning just 1 car. Currently most insurance cos charge the 5 car owner 5 times the rate of the single car owner who does the same miles. Tesla’s insurance arm could charge, for example, only half, one fourth etc for the 2nd, 3rd etc car, and steal millions of customers from stupid Geico, and split the huge savings with the customer.
August 29th, 2019 at 11:28 am
41 I’d be very interested in that.