AD #2753 – Hyundai Elantra Impressions; FCA Forms Electric JV With Foxconn; JLR Creates “Morphable” Seat
January 17th, 2020 at 11:54am
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Runtime: 10:04
0:07 FCA Forms Electric JV With Foxconn
0:43 Car Sales Up in Europe in 2019
1:23 Senate Approves USMCA
2:26 JLR Creates “Morphable” Seat
2:59 Corvette V8 Makes Wards 10 Best List
4:30 Buick Getting Rebadged Chevy Bolt for China
5:18 Audi Adds Q5 & A8 Plug-In Hybrids to U.S. Lineup
6:05 New Set Piece Details
7:58 Hyundai Elantra Impressions
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This is Autoline Daily with the latest news in the global automotive industry.
FCA FORMS ELECTRIC JV WITH FOXCONN
FCA is lagging in electric cars and in China. But it’s trying to plug that gap, by forming a joint venture with Foxconn to manufacture electric cars in China. They are also going to be internet-connected cars. Foxconn is a contract manufacturer which also makes most of Apple’s products in China. And it is fascinating to see FCA team up with a contract manufacturer of high tech equipment rather than teaming up with another Chinese car company. We don’t have much more details than this because neither company is commenting publicly.
CAR SALES UP IN EUROPE IN 2019
Passenger car sales dropped in the U.S. and China last year but they were up a bit in Europe. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, car registrations in the European Union hit 15.3 million vehicles, up 1.2% compared to 2018. It’s the sixth consecutive year of growth. The year started off slow due to the impact of the new WLTP emission test that went into effect in September of 2018. But thanks to a strong final quarter, and particularly December’s 21.7% increase in sales, carmakers in Europe finished 2019 on a positive note.
SENATE APPROVES USMCA
The USMCA, the trade pact which replaces NAFTA, was approved in the U.S. Senate yesterday. The pact now heads to President Trump to sign. Under the new deal, vehicles must use at least 75% parts or components from the U.S., Canada or Mexico, to avoid any tariffs. That’s up from the 62.5% required under NAFTA. It also mandates that 40 to 45% of a vehicle’s content must be made by workers earning at least $16 per hour. Vehicles that don’t meet the requirements are subject to a 2.5% duty. Canada still needs to approve the deal but this is good news for automakers and suppliers, since it eliminates the trade uncertainty they were facing.
JLR CREATES “MORPHABLE” SEAT
More and more people worldwide are living a less active lifestyle, which can lead to a number of health issues, including weaker muscles, so Jaguar Land Rover developed a new seat that reduces health risks from sitting too long. The “morphable” seat uses a series of actuators in the foam to continually create micro-adjustments that make your brain think you’re walking. By simulating this, the system helps mitigate health risks from sitting down too long. The new seat is also customizable for the driver and passengers.
CORVETTE V8 MAKES WARDS 10 BEST LIST
Every year, the editors at Wards evaluate the newest engines and propulsion systems in the market and then choose the ten best. The only V8 to make the list this year is the 6.2L small block in the mid-engine Corvette. On Autoline This Week, we’re joined by several Wards’ editors and they explain why they chose that engine.
Bob Gritzinger, Wards Intelligence
“You know, it’s hard to argue with that application. They’ve (General Motors) just done tremendous work and it’s not just taking the engine from the front of the car and stuffing it in the middle. They did all kinds of engineering work with the intake with the sump. I mean the DCT alone is a marvel, the Tremec DCT.”
Tom Murphy, WardsAuto
“490 horsepower or 495 if you spring for the Z51 performance package. 465 pound feet of torque or 470 if you get the sport exhaust. You know, we drove the lower level one, the 490 and 465, and just found it absolutely thrilling. 0 to 60 (MPH) in 2.9 seconds and I was shocked at how tame it sounded. I was expecting this roar from behind me when we were driving it and it was really an enjoyable daily driver, from a sound standpoint. I thought it was great.”
For more about the other engines and propulsion systems that made Wards’ list, you can watch that entire show right now on our website, Autoline,tv or just look for it on our YouTube channel.
BUICK GETTING REBADGED CHEVY BOLT FOR CHINA
Buick doesn’t offer any plug-in vehicles, except in China. They’re sold under the Velite brand, which includes the Velite 5, a rebadged version of the Chevy Volt. Motor1 uncovered a story from Chinese publication, Auto Home that claims Buick will be getting another rebadged Chevy for its Velite family. This time a reworked Bolt EV to be sold under the name Velite 7. As you can see, there’s a number of significant design changes and it also comes with less power; 174 horsepower or 130 kW vs. 201 horsepower of 150 kW for the Bolt. No other details are to be had at the moment, but we’d like to know what you think of the styling changes. Is it better looking than the Bolt?
AUDI ADDS Q5 & A8 PLUG-IN HYBRIDS TO U.S. LINEUP
Speaking of plug-ins, Audi is introducing two of them to the U.S. market, the Q5 SUV and A8 luxury sedan. But Audi better get ready for EV enthusiasts to rip it a new one because of the extremely limited EV range of those cars. Get this, the Audi Q5 plug-in only delivers 20 miles of pure electric driving. The A8 only delivers 17 miles. And that’s in ideal conditions. In the winter those numbers will be cut significantly. But Audi points out the PHEV’s are a second faster 0 to 60, they qualify for about $6,700 in federal tax rebates, and also qualify to drive in high occupancy lanes.
NEW SET PIECE DETAILS
It’s time to introduce you to another member of our new set. I’m going to take you back to 2014 when I was fortunate enough to drive the new Audi A3 around Silicon Valley, California. At dinner, we were treated to lead designer Dany Garand hand-sketching the car while explaining the design philosophy behind its looks. As a side note, if you ever get the chance to hear a designer explain design. Take the time to listen, you’ll learn something. But it was such a cool experience to hear Garand talk about shadow play, tension in body lines and even how certain body lines were influenced by waves and meant to catch light. Another interesting tidbit was how in Audi design in general the top portion of the car or cabin will take up ⅓ of the entire side view while the lower portion takes up ⅔ rds. And best of all, Garand hand-sketched an A3 for everyone that went on that trip…
• What struck me while writing this
• Took the time but doesn’t know me
• If it were me
• Cool to get original artwork
• What did I do right to deserve this?
Last but not least for me, thanks to everyone that corrected my foolish mistake yesterday, saying the Porsche Boxster and Cayman GTS were getting an in-line 6. Of course, being Porsche, it’s a flat 6.
John will be back with his car of the week review right after this.
HYUNDAI ELANTRA IMPRESSIONS
We get a lot of different cars and trucks coming through the Autoline garage and this week I was in the Elantra. Other automakers need to really pay attention to what Hyundai is doing, which is to offer a lot of value for the money. The base price for the Elantra Limited I drove was $23,730 including destination charges. It has all the latest safety equipment like forward collision avoidance, blind spot detection and all that. You get USB ports, an aux jack and power outlet–which used to be for cigarette lighters. You get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated front seats, wireless charging and a remote key fob. But the one I drove had an option package with an 8-inch nav screen, smart cruise control, a power sunroof and forward collision braking with pedestrian detection. The only thing is, that package cost $3,350 which brought the price of the car to $27,215. To me, the Elantra at $24,000 is a screaming bargain. At twenty-seven grand, I think I would start looking at the Sonata. But of course, that’s just the MSRP and no doubt you can go haggle a better price with your local friendly dealer.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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Comments (46)
January 17th, 2020 at 12:05 pm
That Elantra looks pretty nice, but for not much more, you get get a one size larger, much more efficient Camry hybrid. Maybe you can do more effective haggling with the Hyundai, though.
January 17th, 2020 at 12:24 pm
A. Buick. The Velite, of which I saw a few in China last Nov, looks good, as it is a clone of t he 2nd gen Volt. Their Bolt looks even worse than the US Bolt, and has less power. The Art of Joyless Driving. Bring on the Aztecs.
B. Elantra. $27k for a lousy Elantra? You guys are insane if you think this is some… bargain. But I forgot, it has to have the “new car smell”… so if you restrict it to only brand-new cars, I say, RUN and go buy a CIVIC. Life is way too short to pinch pennies on a vehicle you will drive for hours every day for maybe 10 years. I doubt the Civic costs any more than this cheap econobox.
PS I DID drive an Enterprise 2015 Elantra, for a whole week, in the snowbelt, in Jan 2015. Talk about JOYLESS and CHEAP. It was an almost new car, and it did start every time, but other than that, it really REEKED cheapness and lightness. The panels felt paper-thin, and you had to sit in it to experience how cheap and unsafe it felt. But Masochists are people too, and so are the billions of auto illiterates on this planet…
January 17th, 2020 at 1:17 pm
You can get an Elantra GT hatchback, with a manual transmission, for about $20K. That would be a semi-fun, utilitarian car.
January 17th, 2020 at 1:47 pm
Nice to see the Elantra isn’t going with the iPad-growing-out-of-the-dash craze sweeping the automotive landscape, I wonder how many of those pods will be broken off at the base by purses, kids, elbows, or brief cases over the years.
January 17th, 2020 at 5:27 pm
The Chinese Buick Bolt looks good in the front view. The rear looks under-adorned in comparison to the front and in comparison to its Chevy donor.
Hyundai and Kia have been delivering reasonable value, but I am noticing the Elantra interior styling is losing its bling, and hence, is looking drab.
January 17th, 2020 at 6:48 pm
I have a hunch Hyundai/Kia interiors will improve within the next couple years. Given that GM & Ford gave up the car business to the benefit of Honda & Toyota, the Koreans will want a larger piece of the market. They can only achieve that if their quality is considerably improved.
January 17th, 2020 at 6:52 pm
Kit, you get the reward for the day for doing the impossible; You are the first one to ever beat Larry in the number of comments made! Nice job.
January 17th, 2020 at 8:59 pm
Thanks. It’s been a slow day here.
Speaking of Hyundai/Kia, a friend recently bought a 3 year old Kia Cadenza, and it is a pretty nice car, with a n/a V6. It nominally competes with Toyota Avalon, but depreciates much faster, making it a good buy used.
January 18th, 2020 at 6:15 am
In case you still wonder why American Consumers buy so many breadvans (Crossovers and SUVs), today’s drive of the Elantra has all the answers for you.
Note that the pimped up elantra at 27k, (with options well over 30k) is practically the SAME Price as a well-equipped, higher quality, far better reliability than the Elantra, AWD for all those who NEED it, included, THREE ROW SUV, the Subaru Ascent, which, well equipped, sells for a PALTRY $31k.
Even Myself, who would not give those breadvans the time of day, if somebody told me I have a choice between the Elantra and the twice as much car (AND MORE!) AScent, I would go for the Ascent every time, and until the cows come home, and SO have the American Consumers, say what you want, they bought over 700,000 Subarus in 2019, more than all of Hyundais or all of Kia models.
January 18th, 2020 at 6:21 am
9 so how can we avoid the extinction of the sedan?
The answer is also obvious, and related to the above. $27 for a little tinny Elantra is just ludicrous. Prices have to come WAY DOWN for such vehicles, and the answer to this is VOLUME production (as well as other efficiencies).
To achieve higher volumes, the number of sedans in each class has to be cut MERCILESSLY.
It is 100% silly for Hyundai to have a civic size sedan AND for Kia to have another.
In addition, other makers should bite the bullet like FORD did and kill some more loser sedans (not the few ones that sell well!!!)
THIS is win-win.
1. These makers will be more profitable, selling less loser cars.
2. The OTHER makers will ALSO be more profitable, selling MORE copies of their sedans, and
3. If they also give some of the gain to the consumers in lower prices for those sedans, the UNIT sales of these sedans will rise again.
Problem solved, and really it is so OBVIOUS a solution.
January 18th, 2020 at 8:39 am
9 The Elantra starts at ~$19K, and tops out at $27-28K, with all the options. An Ascent starts at $32K, and tops out at near $50K. The two are not in the same price range, or even close.
10 The Fusion was selling fairly well, even after 7 years in the same form, but they are dropping it anyway, rather than selling the new one. I guess they figure the people who would have bought a Fusion will now buy Ford CUVs, rather than going elsewhere to buy a car. I suppose most of them will.
January 18th, 2020 at 11:10 am
11 My recommendation in 10 was not to kill the Fusion or any other OK selling vehicle, but the Fiesta and the Taurus (onetime great, that they managed to ruin) which both I bet lost money.
Many SUVs, incl luxury SUVs, are better bargains than the sedans on whose platform they are built. There are a few that are priced too high, either because the market can handle it (Gladiator, Escalade-Navigator) or because as Lutz suggested are milked to pay for the poor selling compliance BEVs and other green cars they make.
Subaru is flooding the sites I use with ads for the Ascent claiming that a “well Equipped” version goes for $31,995. Similar 3 row SUVs from the Big 3 go for twice as much. The 100% opposite from 30 years ago, when Japanese cars were at a 20% premium over same size domestics.
January 18th, 2020 at 11:15 am
https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2020-01-12-mid-january-snow-ice-rain-storm-west-midwest-northeast
Nasty.. It was fine at 6 AM when I had to drive, and in a few mins I will return home, after more snow and rain, fortunately my tires are only a year old, or I would wish I had the 4matic.
January 18th, 2020 at 11:36 am
12 “Many SUVs, incl luxury SUVs, are better bargains than the sedans on whose platform they are built.”
This is especially true with German luxury brands, like M-B, where a GLS starts at $19K less than an S-Class sedan. The sedan would have a nicer standard interior, and probably has more standard equipment, but that is a huge price difference.
“Similar 3 row SUVs from the Big 3 go for twice as much.” (as Subaru Ascent)
Not really, the base price of the Ascent is $31,995. Tha base price of the bigger, faster, roomier Chevy Traverse, with AWD, is $33,595. That is a long way from “going for twice as much.”
January 18th, 2020 at 12:47 pm
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/news/scca-reclassifies-tesla-model-3all-way-top-rung/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Project+Fox%3A+Low-Buck+DIY+Paintjob&utm_campaign=GRM+Daily+Newsletter+Automation+Email
Also, just curious, Does anyone know how many BEV’s are in owned by single car families? My thinking is it is very few but don’t really know.
And Sean, no need to trim your hair or beard. I believe it is personal preference and you should do what you like. I would wear both longer if it was me.
January 18th, 2020 at 5:12 pm
My experience is each adult needs ready access to one vehicle. So a couple should have two. Upon graduation, the son/daughter needs one. A city with a well developed 24×7, public transportation system can substitute depending on connectivity between the current home and employment.
Ride-sharing or car-pooling can help but the problem is the daily cost needs to be small enough that it doesn’t take too much from the budget. Cars are expensive but losing a day of work is worse.
January 18th, 2020 at 5:45 pm
15 SCCA must have guessed, and guessed wrong on the Model 3 performance when they put it in street B. I suspect it would be much easier to drive well than most of those cars in its new class.
January 18th, 2020 at 7:23 pm
Just saw on the evening news that Tesla has had over 100 intentioned accelerations reported. A lot of previous complaints from other auto manufacturer’s have been mixed, some true, some driver error; I don’t know which this one will fit in the mix. Perhaps more soon (or from other sources).
January 18th, 2020 at 7:24 pm
………..duh, that’s unintentional accelerations.
January 18th, 2020 at 7:56 pm
18,19 Yeah, I figured there would be more than 100 intended accelerations. It would be nice to be able to edit comments here, but we can always post corrections, as I have done a few times.
January 19th, 2020 at 6:56 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgtXped_w4s
From down under. If you don’t mind the accent, lots of interesting stuff here. I think Cwolf would particularly enjoy this one (and learn from it)
January 19th, 2020 at 10:01 am
21 The video was interesting, but obviously biased, as he admitted to holding Tesla stock.
January 19th, 2020 at 10:34 am
Yes, the article was interesting. The word of mouth is a strong seller of new innovations just like the telephone, indoor plumbing and automobiles. But like all good things the market gets saturated; Tesla will be no exception and will only be a matter of time.
January 19th, 2020 at 10:37 am
22 I did not even notice that. Everyody is biased. You are missing the forest for the trees. Did you see the end of it with the Porsche GT3 owner (500+HP, 3,000 lbs) which is still 2 full seconds slower than his Tesla?
PS I looked up Traverse vs Ascent and there was a comparison by “unbiased’ Motortrend, and despite its bigger interior, the Traverse lost.
BTW the Subaru commercials have $31,995 not for the base price but for a well-equipped version. The base was just below $31k. The versions tested at Motortrend were both around $45k.
January 19th, 2020 at 11:03 am
24 If the 911 GT3 is 2 seconds slower 0-60 than his Tesla, the Tesla does 0-60 in one second. I don’t believe that.
https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/18664/2019-porsche-911-gt3-rs-revealed-with-520-hp-three-second-0-60-mph-time
The $31,995 is the base price, but nearly all new US market vehicles are “well equipped,” with power steering, power brakes, power windows, radio, heater, air conditioning, cruise control, and a few other things. Yeah, the base Ascent is generally well equipped, but it still has an old fashioned key to start it.
I’ll have to look up the MT article, and see what they like, and don’t like about the two vehicles. I suspect part of what that wouldn’t like about the Traverse, it that it “drives big,” and maybe not in a good way.
January 19th, 2020 at 11:05 am
Both Ascent and Traverse got very good “road test” scores from CR, but the Subaru is rated higher overall, because of better reliability survey results.
January 19th, 2020 at 11:15 am
24 The base price of the Ascent is $31,995. Check out the Subaru web site.
https://www.subaru.com/build-your-own/2020/ASC.html
January 19th, 2020 at 11:35 am
I saw the GT3 0-60 @ 3.2 seconds. I’ll admit it’s slower than the Tesla, however, what grates my craw is the over-enthusiasm of the Tesla fanatics. Tesla and its followers don’t need to hype everything as the vehicles speak for themselves; just don’t care for the lemmings mentality of some of these owners/followers. “Just the facts mam, just the facts.”
January 19th, 2020 at 12:22 pm
28 I don’t understand the reason for the misinformation, or exaggeration, whichever you want to call it. It’s impressive that the ~$60K Model 3 performance or ~$100K model S performance is quicker 0-60 than the ~$145K GT3, but why say it is “more than 2 seconds quicker,” when it clearly is not. OK, maybe his Porsche is an older one, that is slower than the current one, but from what I can find, even the earliest GT3 RSs do about 3.5 seconds 0-60. Neither performance Tesla is 2 seconds quicker.
January 19th, 2020 at 12:51 pm
I too find it disturbing!
We all error once in awhile but deliberately making false claims only makes one a fool.
January 19th, 2020 at 2:45 pm
Changing the subject but I also just saw that the first production C8 (vin 001) brought 3 million dollars at the Barrett Jackson Aution for charity. I think it was Rick Hendrick but not sure. Charity was Detroit Children hospital (or such); good show to whomever it was.
January 20th, 2020 at 7:22 am
28 29 2 sec lower than that Porsche seemed too high but I did not check it. It’s probably “Poetic license”
January 20th, 2020 at 7:26 am
27 the ads I have to see 10-20 times a day on the web say “$31,995 well-equipped”.
Also, the MT test had interior pics and the Subaru looked great. (the $45k version vs the Traverse $45k version), really upscale, while the Traverse looked cheap.
January 20th, 2020 at 8:25 am
29 Did the article state the top speed of each car? I’m guessing the GT3 RS has a higher top speed and can stay their longer.
January 20th, 2020 at 8:32 am
33 If you want a Traverse with a nicer interior, Buick will sell you one, but it might end up costing $50K.
January 20th, 2020 at 8:44 am
34 Top speed of a 2018 GT3 RS is 193 mph, according to this.
https://www.topspeed.com/cars/porsche/2018-porsche-911-gt3-rs-ar176273.html
The Model 3 performance has a top speed of 162 mph. Yeah, the Porsche could probably stay at top speed longer on a tank of gas than the Tesla on a charge, and the Porsche could stay at the Model 3′s 31 mph slower top speed for MUCH longer, not that any of this matters much.
January 20th, 2020 at 8:45 am
Model 3 performance top speed
https://insideevs.com/news/367116/video-tesla-model-3-performance-top-speed/
January 20th, 2020 at 8:55 am
35 I sure don’t want a Traverse with any interior, or a Buick clone thereof. My next purchase will probably be a S65 AMG or a Tesla S, but I’ll look for the top, performance, ludicrous mode version.
January 20th, 2020 at 8:58 am
34 How important is top speed in the US? If you lived in Germany or other nation with no or very high speed limits, it might matter. If you don’t want to pay $140 each time you merely go 1 mile above the speed limit, (and $10 per every 5 miles thereafter)you can only try the speed on the few (if any) occasions you go to the track.
January 20th, 2020 at 8:59 am
38 I’d also consider a Porsche 911 Turbo S or that in Cabrio
January 20th, 2020 at 9:09 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t422oeK0yY
Will Tesla design a compact car in its new China design studio?
It sure is a hole in its lineup, and it could bring millions of new buyers, BUT can it make it profitably?
In China, it could!
January 20th, 2020 at 9:53 am
39 Top speed over 130 mph or so isn’t important anywhere, even Germany and on tracks, except for bragging rights, kind of like 0-60 times when they get under 6 seconds or so.
January 20th, 2020 at 10:40 am
42 There are two huge differences that make top speed not matter (and be very dangerous and also cause a big ticket) but acceleration still hugely matters, is infinitely safer to go 0-60 real fast than to drive 130 MPH, and there is no ticket for accelerating.
January 20th, 2020 at 10:59 am
43 I didn’t say anything about the relative safety of running fast cars at top speed, or quick cars from 0-60. I said that neither high top speed nor exceptionally quick low speed acceleration is important. My VW Jetta TDI wagon with a 0-60 time of about 14 seconds was quick enough for any normal driving. For three years, I have had a car that does 0-60 in fairly quick 4 seconds, and I have run it from 0-60 at full throttle about twice.
January 20th, 2020 at 11:08 am
41 He seems to have more confidence than I do, that fully autonomous cars are almost here.
As far as Tesla making a smaller car, it makes great sense. Since it would be used mainly for commuting/shorter trips, it wouldn’t need huge range, so the price could be kept down by using a small battery. Bolt and Kona Electric have about 250 mile range, with a 60 kWh battery. Use a 30 kWh battery, and given the saved weight, and the rest of what Tesla does to get good efficiency, you’d still have 150 mile range, fine for the use most of the cars would see, if there is decent charging infrastructure, which there already is in Chinese cities, and there may be sometime in the future in the US.
January 20th, 2020 at 11:27 am
There can be for ‘a ticket for an exibition of speed’ so 0-60 at too rapid a pace can be illegal.