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Runtime: 10:13
0:07 China Car Sales Evaporate
0:27 Geely Starts Selling Online
0:54 China Likely to Extend EV Subsidies
1:50 BMW On Track with CO2
2:43 Honda Civic Type R Makes Us Smile
3:42 Volvo Refreshes S90 & V90
4:19 FCA Looking for High School Designers
5:02 Consumer Reports Picks Safest Cars
6:04 Steer-By-Wire Just Around the Corner
7:53 2020 Volkswagen Passat Review
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
CHINA CAR SALES EVAPORATE
We start our coverage in China, where car sales dropped 92% in the first two weeks of February due to the coronavirus. But Bloomberg reports some car dealerships are reopening, and expects sales to improve by the end of this month. Even so, sales were declining before the virus shut down most of the country.
GEELY STARTS SELLING ONLINE
Meanwhile, Geely, which is arguably China’s most dynamic car company, isn’t sitting on its hands waiting for its dealerships to re-open. It started selling cars online so that customers can configure cars the way they want them and have them delivered to their homes. Geely isn’t the only one. Tesla has been selling cars online in China for several years. But this is the first time Geely is selling cars directly from its own website.
CHINA LIKELY TO EXTEND EV SUBSIDIES
Last year, China cut subsidies for electric vehicles when it learned that some car companies were gaming the system. They were setting up ride hailing companies to buy their electric cars. But those were largely shell companies that never put those cars into service. There are pictures from China of big parking lots full of EVs that are not being used. Yet those car companies were given subsidies for every one they made. That’s a key reason why authorities cut EV subsidies, but that led to a 50% drop in sales. Bloomberg reports the Chinese government will probably extend subsidies for EVs, which were set to expire at the end of the year. But as Autoforecast Solutions reported, roughly 90% of all EV sales in China go to fleets. Only 10% are bought by retail customers.
BMW ON TRACK WITH CO2
Automakers in Europe face stiff fines if they don’t meet emission standards and BMW says it will not face any fines this year or next. BMW’s Chief Financial Officer said it will cut CO2 emissions in vehicles by 20% this year, even though it expects sales to increase. Its fleet average will be just over 100 grams per kilometer this year, down from 128 grams per kilometer in 2018 and 19. And it’s on pace to meet 2021 standards of only 95 grams per kilometer.
HONDA CIVIC TYPE R MAKES US SMILE
The new Honda Civic Type R arrives at dealerships in the U.S. at the end of the month. It features refreshed styling, including a new grille design with a larger opening, which helps improve engine cooling while out on the track. The ride and handling and brakes were upgraded as well, and it gets a new shift lever. A performance datalogger is available for the first time, which combines the car’s onboard computer and sensors with a smartphone app to allow owners to monitor and record the car’s performance out on the track. It’s powered by a 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder and a six-speed manual transmission, which delivers a combined EPA rating of 25 MPG. Here’s what makes us smile. It cranks out 306 horsepower and 295-pound feet of torque. The starting price is just under $38,000.
VOLVO REFRESHES S90 & V90
Volvo just refreshed the S90 and V90. Both models get new fog lights, a different spoiler design and lower front bumpers. The V90 gets LED taillamps and a sequential turn indicator. A new sound system from Bowers and Wilkens is available and a cabin air cleaner system developed for the Chinese market is now available globally. The S90 and V90 now offer the company’s 48-volt mild hybrid system, which provides up to 15% in fuel savings.
FCA LOOKING FOR HIGH SCHOOL DESIGNERS
FCA is launching a design contest for high school students. Called the Drive for Design Contest, it’s open to students in grades 10 through 12 in the U.S. Participants must sketch a Ram truck of the future and turn in their entries by May 1st. Three winners will be selected and prizes include a behind the scenes tour of FCA’s design studio, a scholarship to attend the College for Creative Studies Summer Experience Transportation Design program and serving as a Junior Judge at the EyesOn Design Car Show. If you’re interested, just click the link in the transcript or the description box below.
CONSUMER REPORTS PICKS SAFEST CARS
Consumer Reports announced its Top 10 vehicle picks for 2020. Models were chosen based on its own tests as well as survey data from its members. It only considered models that come standard with forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. And the Asian automakers dominate the list, particularly Toyota, which claimed half of the picks. The Corolla, Prius, Avalon, Supra and Lexus RX were chosen. Subaru also did well with the Forester and Legacy getting nods. And rounding out the list is the Kia Telluride, Honda Ridgeline, and Tesla Model 3. So what do you think? Would any of these vehicles make your Top 10 list?
STEER-BY-WIRE JUST AROUND THE CORNER
The automobile is going through an electronic metamorphosis, not just batteries for electric cars, any component that has an electron running through it. And on Autoline This Week, Robin Milavec, the Chief Technical Officer at Nexteer, talks about how its steer-by-wire system can play a role in this transformation.
Robin Milavec, Chief Technical Officer, Nexteer
“Steer by wire really eliminates any mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the steering gear in the car, and replaces that with algorithms and controls. We see that really enabling future safety features as well as performance. Think about today’s vehicles with automated emergency braking. If an obstacle is detected, the vehicle can brake for the driver if they don’t do it in the right amount of time. With automated emergency steering, you have the opportunity with steer by wire, to see that same object in front of you, and if the driver does not respond you can take an evasive steering maneuver. Because steer by wire breaks that mechanical connection you can actually take the driving wheels in one direction while not really affecting the position of the steering wheel. If you think of an emergency maneuver with the steering wheel rapidly moving in front of the driver, you don’t want that because it can be dangerous. So with steer by wire you can make that maneuver and not impact the driver.”
Robin goes on to say that he believes that its steer-by-wire system will hit the market in 2025. And for more, you can watch that entire show right now on our website or our YouTube channel.
2020 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT REVIEW
We get to test drive a lot of new cars and I just spent some time in the Volkswagen Passat. Even though it was redesigned for the 2020 model year, it’s a very conservative and conventional looking car. The shape and form are defined by long, straight, horizontal lines on the front, the rear and along the sides. The designers played it right down the middle: no “flame surfacing” on the body panels, no big, garish grille, no fancy shmancy headlamps.
Inside it’s the same story. No swoopy dashboard or giant display screen. Instead, you have a layout of conventional controls. There’s even a big center-pull parking brake, which has disappeared from just about every other car in this class.
And yet, everything on this car is so easy to figure out. All the controls are logically laid out and intuitive to use. And the car drives just like you’d expect from a Volkswagen: taut, crisp, and responsive. I was really impressed with the amount of leg room in the back seat. This is exactly the kind of car that should appeal to customers who don’t want flashy styling or high tech gimmickry.
But here’s the thing: sales are abysmal, so bad in fact, that there were rumors VW was going to drop the Passat. Volkswagen denies it’s going away, but last year sales in the US were down 65%. And while I would recommend the Passat to anyone looking for a good sedan, VW is going to have to refigure what it’s going to do with this car.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.
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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.