AD #2819 – Ford & GM Line Up More Cash; New Cybertruck Details; Cadillac Studying Another Performance Wagon
April 20th, 2020 at 12:12pm
Listen to “AD #2819 – Ford and GM Line Up More Cash; New Cybertruck Details; Cadillac Studying Another Performance Wagon” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 11:33
0:07 Production Continues to Slowly Pick Up
0:35 Ford & GM Line Up More Cash
1:05 Car Sales Added to Essential Businesses List
1:34 Commercial Fleet Sales Doing the Best
2:28 Elon Musk Drops New Cybertruck Details
3:05 CARL is AIWAYS’ Autonomous EV Charger
3:46 Cadillac Studies Another Performance Wagon
4:58 Porsche Offers Two-Tone Interior for 911s
5:25 Skoda Pits Fans Against Real Racers in Virtual Series
6:05 Custom Citroen DS Hardtop Coupe
7:10 Honda’s Plan for Used Batteries in Europe
7:49 India’s TVS Buys Britain’s Norton Motorcycles
8:18 Thanks You for All the Kind Comments
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
PRODUCTION CONTINUES TO SLOWLY RAMP UP
Here’s some of the updates on how the auto industry is dealing with the coronavirus. In China production is starting to ramp up. Faurecia, the French supplier, says it expects to be at full production in China next month. In Europe, Audi says it will start to crank up its assembly lines by the end of this month, but production will ramp up slowly and many line workers will be in masks and will maintain social distancing.
GM & FORD LINE UP MORE CASH
In the U.S., GM and Ford are scrambling to line up more cash. GM added a nearly $2 billion credit line from several banks. Ford raised $8 billion in new corporate debt. In normal times, major automakers spend about $2 billion a week. And while they’ve all slashed spending to the bone, they’re still burning through a lot of money. Unless they can get production going again soon, they’re all going to be in deep trouble.
CAR SALES ADDED TO ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES LIST
That may be why the U.S. government added car sales to the list of essential businesses. Specifically the Department of Homeland Security announced that it would classify “workers critical to the manufacturing, distribution, sales, rental, leasing, repair and maintenance of vehicles and other transportation equipment, including electric vehicle charging stations, and the supply chains that enable these operations” as essential workers.
COMMERCIAL FLEET SALES DOING THE BEST
Ward’s forecasts that the April SAAR will come in at only 7 to 8 million vehicles. And it expects the inventory of cars and trucks parked on dealer lots to hit between 130 and 150 days’ supply. It says fleet sales to daily rental companies have been decimated, and companies that rely on them will be especially hurt. Commercial fleet sales are the one segment that are faring the best. Those are sales to police, fire, government and other kinds of essential services.
ELON DROPS NEW CYBERTRUCK DETAILS
Elon Musk dropped a few nuggets of detail about the Cybertruck on Twitter. He says they’re “working on increasing dynamic air suspension travel for better off-roading. Needs to kick butt in Baja.” Sounds like Musk wants to go after the enthusiast that would look at a F-150 Raptor or Colorado ZR2. Elon also Tweeted that the truck has reduced about 3% in size from the prototype version, which resulted in a more level center line and lower window sill. Tesla plans to start delivering the Cybertruck late next year.
CARL IS AIWAYS’ AUTONOMOUS EV CHARGER
Back in 2015, Tesla showed off this cool but creepy looking automatic charger, that looks like a robotic snake. And now Chinese EV startup AIWAYS, has been granted patents in Europe and China for its own autonomous charger. Called CARL, its available in both 30kW and 60kW capacities and can re-charge a vehicle to 80% in under 50 minutes. Instead of having to look for a charger, EV owners can summon CARL with a smartphone app, it will use GPS to locate the vehicle, plug-in and start charging automatically. Once it’s finished it will move on to the next vehicle or return to its base station.
CADILLAC STUDYING ANOTHER PERFORMANCE STATION WAGON
Last week, Cadillac announced it’s working on high-performance versions of the CT4-V and CT5-V. But could we also see a performance station wagon from the brand? On last week’s Autoline After Hours we were joined by Brandon Vivian the Executive Chief Engineer at GM and here’s his response to that question.
(Clip from Autoline After Hours can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
You can watch that episode right now on our website or on our YouTube channel.
PORSCHE OFFERS NEW TWO-TONE INTERIOR FOR 911s
About 90% of all 911s are custom ordered and now Porsche is offering a new interior option for the sports car. The contrasting two-tone look adds quilted panels in the seats and doors, decorative seams stitched in the opposing color. We think the floor mats really pop out. There’s 4 color combinations that can be ordered right now, but Porsche says it’s going to add more.
SKODA PITS FANS AGAINST REAL RACERS IN NEW VIRTUAL SERIES
Another virtual racing series is kicking off, but this one is a little different than the others. Skoda’s new eSports series is a rally racing challenge where regular fans will get the chance to go head-to-head against their favorite professional drivers. Users will race in virtual Skoda FABIA Rally2 evos, individual results will be put into a ranking system and there will be prizes for the winners. The competition lasts five days and kicks off this Wednesday with Rally Argentina.
CUSTOM CITROEN DS HARDTOP COUPE
The Citroen DS is already considered one of the most beautiful cars of all time but we’re absolutely loving this custom model. Two designers wondered what a factory version of a Chapron convertible might look like, but since so many people were already restoring convertibles they decided to do something Citroen had never done with the DS, make a two-door coupe. We recently devoted an Autoline After Hours to the Chapron convertible and we’ll throw a link up for that. To keep the design more in line with the original, the designers kept the curved back window and rounded contours at the rear. And it really is amazing how this looks like it could have rolled off the assembly. The hardtop flows seamlessly into the overall shape and the pillar-less Daylight Opening or DLO just looks right. Like the exterior, the interior has had a few things moved around. And like the exterior, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The project took 5 years and 11,000 to complete.
HONDA’S PLAN FOR USED BATTERIES IN EUROPE
Honda is expanding battery recycling in Europe. Its partnered with waste management company, SNAM, to recycle its hybrid and EV batteries. They’ll either be used in ‘second life’ energy storage units or if the batteries aren’t suitable for that, raw materials will be extracted from them using a new hydrometallurgy process. The materials can be reused in the production of new batteries, color pigments or as additives for mortar. Honda’s car dealers in Europe can arrange for batteries to be recycled through SNAM’s dedicated online platform, who will then decide what to do with the batteries.
INDIA’S TVS BUYS BRITAIN’S NORTON MOTORCYCLES
India was once ruled by the British Crown, but now India is taking control of some of Britain’s most famous brands. We all know about Tata and Jaguar Land Rover and now Reuters reports that TVS, India’s third largest motorcycle maker sealed a deal to buy Norton Motorcycles for $20 million. Norton is 122 years old but the company was in financial distress.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE KIND COMMENTS
Two weeks ago we put a button on our website asking for donations. Our business model is to give you free information about the auto industry, and pay our bills with advertising from automotive suppliers. But with the virus crisis, all that advertising support dried up. And we have to thank all of you who have stepped up and donated to help keep Autoline going while the auto industry is shut down. A lot of you sent comments along with your donations and you can’t believe how encouraging that is for our morale. Here’s a sample of some of them.
Brian Gebby: Autoline, the show *must* go on!
Stephen Grupinski: There is nothing else like it and it is at the top of my podcast feed.
Mustapha Barakat: Love Autoline. Keep up the great work.
Fred Love: You make me smile and you make me smarter.
David Rasmussen: Glad to help. Best wishes to the entire crew.
Grayson Willis: I’ve been watching you guys for so long, kinda feels like we’re family.
Igor Matko: I really find usefull all the latest info and discussions about the auto industry. I hope that this donation will help your work. Best regards from Slovenia.
Charles Orvis: Thanks for mentioning me On “After Hours”!!!!
Jeremy Renton: I’m not in the car industry, but I have enjoyed your material for years.
Venkata Pavan Raja: After coming to U.S. as a student learnt a lot about the auto industry through your programs.
Aaron Berger: Love the EV coverage! Down with COVID-19!
Alexander Carabitses: I probably know more about the auto industry than the majority of 21 year olds, and this wouldn’t be possible: without the content that you put out. Keep it up!
William Routledge: Being a Detroit boy and working my way thru college working in the steel division during summer break, I feel a kinship with many of the people involved in the industry.
Tyler Joswick: I’ve been a Daily fan for over 7 years now.
Alan Buck: You guys rock and hate to the ad revenue drying up. Hope this little bit helps.
James Anderson: Sorry I cannot contribute more but seems like times are hard.
Brian Smith: Enjoy your website and Autoline After Hours in particular.
I look forward each day to your Autoline presentations. Patrick McMichael, Hot Springs, Arkansas.
It’s almost unfair to cite these donors because so many more of you have helped out. But we wanted to give you at least a flavor of some of the comments.
And with that we wrap up today’s report. Thanks for making Autoline Daily a part of your day.
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Comments (38)
April 20th, 2020 at 12:30 pm
Hi John,
almost all words in French have the accent on the final syllable. So it is CitroEn, not… CitrOen!
Is the official pronounciation of this name in English CitroEn? I would not be surprised, as our language does a great job butchering millions of words it adopts from other languages.
On to more serious matters.
I am the most vocal (and maybe the only) one in this forum that always asks for lower inventories and lean manufacturing and profits the Toyota way and challenge that old wives, unscientific tale that alleges that a ’60 day inventory is optimal”. Those who say it most likely do not know what the term ‘optimal’ means in Math.
BUT I have no problem with makers having 130 and even 150 day inventories NOW, because very soon they will NEED them and more! The huge US economy was closed down voluntarily to fight the spread of this virus, AND in a matter of WEEKS, not Months, it will reopen with a BANG.
Try to calculate the amounts, they must be HUGE.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:34 pm
I must accidentaly erased some text before the last line in 1.
My point was, during the lockdown most people must have saved a ton of $.
THose who still got their full salary, and all retirees, whose income was not affected, must have saved a fortune these weeks.
MUCH less (up to 90% less) gas, and at lower prices.
NO Eating out
No Bars
No Concerts, Ball games, Movies!
No Travel, Hotel bills, SIghtseeing etc.
Try to estimate the savings, they should be HUGE.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
I really like the styling of the V wagon but the back seat was pretty small for such a large car.
Watching the video of CARL made me think of a few more purposes for it like some of the jails with COVID outbreaks- body searches, for those hard to reach areas.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:42 pm
2 Huh? During the lockdown, millions of people have lost their jobs, and are spending down their savings, not saving a ton of $.
Yeah, I’m saving money, mainly by not eating out.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:46 pm
The CT-x wagon is something I’d like, if I had only one car, but the last CTS wagon didn’t sell well, either in V, or non-V form. I hope they don’t spend the money to develop it, unless there is reason to think sales would be better than last time.
Regarding Norton, has it existed for the last 40 years, except as a name? Maybe I’ve missed something, but the only “revived” British motorcycle brand I was aware of is Triumph, who have done fairly well.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:52 pm
Not sure why ANYONE would need a new car after the virus dies down. Many people will be rebuilding their finances, anyone who has a trade in will find it almost worthless and I would expect the car companies will be too financially insolvent to drop prices or offer incentives. Maybe GM, Ford and others should focus on getting full price on new ‘must have’ models and selling whatever government fleets are willing to buy. The rest of us will take Larry’s advice and buy good used (cheap) cars and trucks.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:53 pm
PS When does the inevitable ban on foreign made cars start. You KNOW it is going to happen.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:55 pm
4 if you reply to my post, you need to read it carefully first. I was NOT referring to those who TEMPORARILY saw a pay cut or lost their jobs. I specifically mentioned the two vast groups I focused on. EVEN the unemployed saved a TON and probably ate much healthier than by eating out, and even YOU saved from MANY other sources than just eating, I specifically listed many items in 2.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:55 pm
PPS John, what percent of US sales are foreign made, or Canada-Mexico domestics? (50%?) If those were removed, US factories would be much much busier.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Citroen DS “one of the most beautiful cars of all time”?
John, I know you’re a proud owner of one, and I certainly get it that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I want to be especially careful not to step on any toes – especially those of our most gracious Autoline host.
But that car has been on my top 10 least favorite designs list since 1994 when I first saw one in real life while living for 3 1/2 months in Italy.
I must say, however, that this coupe version looks quite nice. I still wouldn’t drive one.
But it looks very nice.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Norton has had a few rebirths with roughly the same outcome. They were at the IOM last year with their race bikes but they used Aprilia motors and their own chassis. I think they were developing a motor.
April 20th, 2020 at 12:58 pm
6 The average age of a car is 12 years. That is the AVERAGE. ANYBODy with a 15 or 20 year car NEEDS A NEW ONE. AND many with much younger cars will WANT a new one, and will buy one. ESPECIALLY BEV cars.
I bet Tesla market share will go way up after the economy is open.
PS ALL: the media is pessimistic because it ALWAYS PAYS for THEM to be, ratings, profits, etc. HOWEVER, if you know anything about HISTORY, the pessimists get it wrong 99% of the time.
Especially, NEVER bet against the US economy.
There will be inflation, because the COngress spends like a drunken sailor these months, BUT the Economy will rebound fast AND furious, no matter what ONE person’s situation is.
April 20th, 2020 at 1:00 pm
9 And how exactly do you propose to “remove” tbe BEST cars off the US market, ie the 55% or so that are NOT from the onetime Big 3? (who also build a TON of cars in mexico and Canda and even in CHINA?)
April 20th, 2020 at 1:08 pm
11 I searched Norton, and found that they had a re-birth in about 2014. Maybe those have Aprilia motors. No wonder I didn’t know they existed, though. They have only three dealers in the U.S., in southern California, the Chicago area, and Austin, TX.
April 20th, 2020 at 1:11 pm
13 Trump likes tariffs. A 100% tariff would remove most of the imported cars from the U.S. market, and double or triple the value of the ones you have.
April 20th, 2020 at 1:13 pm
@7 “PS When does the inevitable ban on foreign made cars start. You KNOW it is going to happen.”: May God forbid that we introduce socialism with state controlled companies in our country.
April 20th, 2020 at 1:18 pm
10, MJB, count me on-board with most of your comments on the DS. Since a child, I’ve always considered it a ‘goofy’ looking car but I will deflect to others excited about it (it’s just not for me; the one-off as well, not a fan).
Also on the AAH show featuring the V-Blackwings’; I find it even more exciting that Cadillac will be looking for opportunities for using the 4.2 Blackwing engine in other venues; maybe utility vehicles or other performance cars in the future.
April 20th, 2020 at 1:30 pm
@12. But it is not 1 person. It is 20,000,000 (and counting). Even if some are coming out ahead on a cash basis, in aggregate, there are 10′s of millions not currently working. Retirees have seen 401K investments shrink. The economy will finish this year without the value of billions of man-hours of labor. Many millions more are working at reduced productivity remotely. I don’t think that we exit this like gangbusters. Even a linear ramp of the economy from May 1 til July 1 will leave a huge hole in the economy. . . . Think about Autoline – Even if things go back to normal soon, I think that 2020 will be a tight year. I doubt that the Autoline Christmas/Holiday party will be bigger than last year. Autoline staff are probably not in line for a new car, either. (Anecdotal, but there are 20,000,000 anecdotal stories out there)
April 20th, 2020 at 1:39 pm
#9. Kevin, 78% of all vehicles sold in the US are made in North America. I don’t have the breakdown for Canada and Mexico.
April 20th, 2020 at 1:42 pm
17 the original DS was stunning technologically and styling-wise was very different from any other cars int he 50s (and even int he 60s, but looked more like a Frog than like Venus de Milo. A bit like Teslas today.
Citroen has brought back the “DS” label to a supposedly luxurious range of ugly vehicles, that are also not luxurious, but should have a comfortable ride. Small SUVs and crossover thingies.
April 20th, 2020 at 2:01 pm
My main experience around a DS, was from when I went to an international model airplane competition in Sweden, in 1996. A couple guys on the British team wanted to make their trip a bit of an adventure, so they drove/ferried a DS estate (wagon). From talking to them, they bought the car pretty cheaply, and needed to do some work on the car before the trip, mainly with all the hydraulic stuff. They made it to Sweden without major problems, but I don’t know how the return trip went.
April 20th, 2020 at 2:04 pm
I like my 2006 Outlander just fine and won’t be replacing it any time soon. It only has 130k miles on it anyhow.
Might get it painted, though. The Florida sun is Hell on clearcoat finishes.
We will be fortunate if things start resembling normal by year’s end.
April 20th, 2020 at 2:10 pm
22 Florida sun seems to be hell on polycarbonate headlight lenses too, from what I see on cars a few years old that are parked outside full time.
April 20th, 2020 at 2:30 pm
17 I think the Corvette would be the ideal application for the Blackwing engine, if it would fit. Mercedes uses their similar engine in the GLS, their big crossover, so I guess it would be appropriate for big GM SUVs, though, somehow, big pushrod V8s seem more appropriate for trucks.
April 20th, 2020 at 3:12 pm
John, what will it mean to consumers for (U.S.) oil to be selling for and less than $0/barrel – as I am reading right now that it is?
April 20th, 2020 at 3:21 pm
24, Chevrolet has a double overcam engine as well with a displacement of 5.5 liter. Cadillac said it isn’t the same as the Chevy but I’m guessing they’ve ‘talked’. I think the Chevy is the upcoming flat plane for the ZO6.
April 20th, 2020 at 3:33 pm
23
I just keep old Red’s polished and protect with 404 Protectant. Buy it at West Marine. Good stuff for UV protection of plastic objects.
24
What if they take the new C8 platform, stuff the Blackwing engine into it, rebody it with Cadillac design language and call it… I dunno… the XLR or something?
April 20th, 2020 at 4:19 pm
26 I guess the Blackwing wouldn’t be a very good “fit” for the Corvette, being a step down in power from the 6.2 SC. That 5.5 should be a fairly big step up, with extra valves and turbos.
27 If they could build serious refinement into the C8, I’d think an XLR version might make sense. The earlier XLR was a major step down in performance, compared to the Chevy, and from what I heard, the top mechanism was a little “underdeveloped.”
April 20th, 2020 at 4:20 pm
#23 – Hard coat on headlamp PC lenses deteriorating under sun light – They vary based on the quality of the hard coat used by the different headlamp suppliers. As you might imagine, the hard coat formulation is very proprietary & tightly controlled by the manufacturers. Last 14 years of gainful employment were with a lighting supplier & from data I observed the hard coat we utilized was one of the better ones in the market.
April 20th, 2020 at 4:27 pm
Sad to say, the US petroleum reserve is not being filled up. Buy low and store would be wise. It might even help the USA petroleum producers. Store gasoline and keep some refineries running.
Drove to Nashville, 120 miles away, twice last week for the video/autopilot upgrade, 20x faster, and another appointment. SuperCharger and home charging cost $13.77 for an extra 480 miles on the odometer. Gasbuddy reports $1.38/gal or roughly 10 gallons per 480 miles, 48 MPG equivalent. This is almost as good as our last Prius but a lot more fun using AutoPilot and Tesla ‘scoot.’
April 20th, 2020 at 7:45 pm
Every dollar “saved” (not spent) represents money not spent on a product or service that involves employees, materials and overhead. Yes, it’s uneven, some keep their salary and receive a “bonus” while others, like freelancers, have no income, don’t qualify for unemployment and have all their overhead to pay.
If “saving” was so awesome we could completely shut down everything and save the most. (Sarcasm) It’s not how the economy works. Eventually EVERYONE would lose their income and the government would have no way to “give” us any more money.
There is nothing wonderful economically about this. What is great is the people and businesses being empathetic and going the second mile for others.
April 20th, 2020 at 8:11 pm
29 Who used your headlights? Maybe you’re not supposed to say.
April 20th, 2020 at 11:19 pm
That Citroen coupe is beautiful, just perfect.
April 21st, 2020 at 7:53 am
When talking off-road trucking there are two distinct categories as well as mixes that border or encompass both that compromise one or the other. It sounds as Cybertruck is leaning toward high speed off-road as opposed to rock crawling. Jeeps offer two distint, i.e. Gladiator models; Mojave (off-road desert and Rubicon (off-road rock crawling). Hmmm
April 21st, 2020 at 8:42 am
#32 – While it could be different now, 8 to 20 years ago it was many Toyota’s, and depending on the economic times, some Nissan, Subaru, Honda, Mazda, Ford, GM, etc.
April 21st, 2020 at 9:42 am
35 Tnx for info.
April 22nd, 2020 at 9:49 am
ALL: The negative prices are NOT REAL OIL PRICES AS OF TODAY. They are OIL FUTURES Prices. They reflect the information that there is NO PLACE to STORE the oil (currently tanker freight rates are SKY HIGH and lucky tanker owners become billionairwes because the huge ships are used just as STORAGE). They are NOT real prices, so don’t get too excited (Cwolf would use a more colorful expression here involving your pants)
April 23rd, 2020 at 5:27 am
I hope caddy does work on the overall quality of the wagon if they do one. I had a CTs wagon, non v, even though it looked great it was the worst car I had ever owned