AD #2989 – Chevy Launches Virtual Shopping; All-New 3-Row Jeep Grand Cherokee; U.S. December BEV Sales Up Big
January 7th, 2021 at 11:58am
Listen to “AD #2989 – Chevy Launches Virtual Shopping; All-New 3-Row Jeep Grand Cherokee; U.S. December BEV Sales Up Big” on Spreaker.
Follow us on social media:
Runtime: 9:54
0:07 Unprecedented Move by Manufacturers Association
1:04 Top Performing Automotive Stocks
2:54 Wuling MINI EV Continues Sales Success
3:28 European Car Sales Look Bleak
4:15 Details of Chevy’s ATPs
5:03 Chevy Launches Virtual Shopping Experience
5:42 Jeep Adds All-New Long Wheelbase Grand Cherokee
8:01 More Details on Bollinger’s Commercial Vehicles
8:33 Goodyear Tests Tires on Lordstown’s Endurance
8:58 U.S. December BEV Sales Up Big
9:23 Diesels Post Strong Sales in the U.S.
Visit our sponsors to thank them for their support of Autoline Daily: BorgWarner; Bridgestone, and Intrepid Control Systems.
This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
UNPRECEDENTED MOVE BY MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
In an unprecedented move, the National Association of Manufacturers, which represents 14,000 manufacturing companies, including many automakers and suppliers, asked U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to seriously consider removing President Trump after he incited a mob to attack the Capitol building yesterday. The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows for the removal of the President under extraordinary circumstances. General Motors CEO Mary Barra tweeted out, “It’s imperative that we come together as a country and reinforce the values and ideals that unite us.” Other business executives were far more forceful. Jay Timmons, the head of the National Association of Manufacturers, and a former Trump supporter said, “This is sedition and should be treated as such.”
This story is far from over, but let’s get back to the latest developments in the automotive industry.
TOP PERFORMING AUTOMOTIVE STOCKS
On Wall Street, the automotive supplier sector enjoyed a pretty good day. The Autoline Stock index of traditional suppliers was up 4.3%. Leading them all was Canadian parts supplier Martinrea, up nearly 10%. Lydall, which makes thermoacoustic materials was right on its heels, up 9.5%. Tenneco and Dana rose over 6%, while American Axle was up 5%. It’s interesting to see traditional suppliers posting strong market gains. Maybe all the investor interest in SPACs or reverse mergers and startups has some people nosing around for other opportunities in the automotive sector.
We invite you to join us later this afternoon for the first Autoline After Hours of 2021. Some of the topics we’ll be tackling include: Will FCA really get rid of the Chrysler and Dodge brands? And are autonomous cars just some kind of vaporware, or are they really on the way? Our guest for the show is Jeff Stout from Yanfeng. If you haven’t seen him before, he’s got great insights and a fun way of expressing them. Pete Bigelow will also be on board, so join John and Gary for some of the best insights into the automotive industry.
WULING MINI EV CONTINUES SALES SUCCESS
As we’ve reported for the last several months, Chinese consumers are snapping up the Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV and December was no different. Over 35,000 were sold last month, once again making it the number one EV in the market. And since the model first went on sale in June, more than 127,000 have been sold. That’s pretty impressive for a tiny two-door car with a short range of only 105 miles. But consumers are likely more attracted to its low starting price of just $4,400.
SALES LOOK BLEAK IN EUROPE
And speaking of car sales, things are looking bleak in Europe. Bloomberg reports that registrations dropped 25% last year in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, the five largest markets in Europe due to strict coronavirus lockdowns. The UK saw its largest drop in sales since World War II. Bloomberg says the first quarter of 2021 will be difficult but things could pick back up in the second quarter if lockdowns are eased. However, it still estimates that sales in 2021 will be down 15% compared to 2019. There was one bright spot though, electric vehicles. Sales of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and BEVs passed sales of diesel-powered cars for the first-time last quarter.
DETAILS OF CHEVY’S ATPs
In other sales news, yesterday we reported Chevrolet increased its average selling price 6% last year. And now the folks at Chevy are sharing more details about its average transaction prices or ATPs. Last year, its ATP was $36,400, thanks to higher priced models in its lineup, like the Corvette, Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado. It’s most affordable crossover, the Trax, has an ATP of $18,500 compared to the segment average of $22,200. And in high volume car and crossover segments, Chevy’s ATP is at or about the segment average and compares favorably to its key competitors like Ford, Nissan and Toyota.
CHEVY LAUNCHES VIRTUAL SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
And speaking of Chevy and sales, the automaker launched a virtual shopping experience for customers. Called Chevy MyWay, it gives customers access to one-on-one live tours of its vehicles with product specialists or a virtual auto show experience. Chevy is currently testing the platform but plans to add more features over the coming months.
JEEP ADDS ALL-NEW LONG WHEELBASE GRAND CHEROKEE
We’re not sure what took so long, as customers have been asking for a 3-row Grand Cherokee for quite a while now, but Jeep is finally giving it to them. The Grand Cherokee L rides on an all-new platform that features a 7-inch longer wheelbase and is also slightly wider. This is not the same platform as the Wagoneer. That vehicle is body-on-frame. And Jeep says there will be a clear distinction, likely in size and price, between the two vehicles. Styling of the new Grand Cherokee is clearly an evolution from the current model, but there are a number of tweaks and you may even notice a few unique differences between the Reserve and Overland trim lines seen here. A short wheelbase version will still be available and a hybrid is coming at a later date as well. Some of the bigger changes to the design that are a little less obvious, include a lowered belt line and thinner A-pillar. Designers also said they learned the grille forward a little bit, which makes the hood look longer and keeps the right proportions for the longer wheelbase. Changes to the interior styling is a lot more obvious though. It looks like things like the vents, Jeep badge on the steering wheel and HVAC controls were thinned out to help make the interior look wider. And note how the infotainment screen bridges the gap between the dash and center console. Overall it has more of a premium vibe. Two engines will be available at the vehicle’s launch; a 3.6L V6 and a 5.7L V8. The all-new Grand Cherokee L arrives at dealers in the second half of this year, while the 2-row and hybrid follow later in 2021. Jeep says that 75% of the Grand Cherokee’s competitors offer a 3-row setup, but it was still the leader in the segment with just a 2-row offering, so it expects to grow its lead with the long wheelbase version.
BOLLINGER PROVIDES MORE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INFO
Bollinger is providing more information about its commercial vehicles. They’re a bit more different than its B1 and B2 vehicles than we thought. There’s a lot of overlap, like the battery systems, hi-volt motors and most of the hi-volt electronics, a lot of the low-volt developments and the powertrain. But Bollinger says it then takes those core components and rearranges them, in what looks like a completely different frame, to accommodate customer needs. Although, still no word on when we could see something like this on the road.
GOODYEAR TESTS TIRES ON LORDSTOWN’S ENDURANCE
Goodyear Tires is giving us one our best looks at Lordstown’s all-electric Endurance pickup truck to date. That’s because Goodyear is going to supply Lordstown with tires and tire services and it recently got to try out the EV truck at its testing facility in Ohio. Goodyear says it wants to have the technology that takes it into the future with EVs and AVs and this is the first step towards that.
BEV SALES UP BIG
Sales of electric cars hit an important milestone in the US market last month. They managed to hit 2% market share. A small number, to be sure, but sales last month were up a whopping 77% compared to November. Most of that was thanks to Tesla, but the Chevrolet Bolt, Hyundai Ioniq and Porsche Taycan all posted impressive percentage gains.
| U.S. December BEV Sales | ||
|---|---|---|
| All BEVs | 33,175 | +77% |
| Tesla | 25,900 | +69% |
| Chevy Bolt | 2,513 | +119% |
| Hyundai Ioniq | 204 | +410% |
| Porsche Taycan | 434 | +233% |
DIESELS POST STRONG DECEMBER
Ironically, it was also a great month for pickup trucks and vans with diesel engines. Sales were up 46% and they outsold electric cars by more than two to one.
| U.S. December Diesel Sales | ||
|---|---|---|
| All Diesels | 82,191 | +46% |
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
Share
Permalink
Comments (39)
January 7th, 2021 at 12:09 pm
Hey Sean, President Trump did NOT “incite a mob to attack the capital building”!!! Cut the CRAP!!! In fact Trump said JUST THE OPPOSITE!! Very disappointed in AutoLine!!
January 7th, 2021 at 12:10 pm
Will the 3 row GC replace the Durango, or will Durango stay around as a price leader?
January 7th, 2021 at 12:11 pm
1 Yes, Trump did incite a mob, but that’s not really an auto related topic.
January 7th, 2021 at 12:22 pm
2) I was wondering that myself. It would make sense to have a dodge variant to pay for the investment in the platform. I guess we will know soon enough.
January 7th, 2021 at 12:26 pm
I saw in TFL that the new Grand Cherokee will be offered while the current model will also remain for 2021. (maybe to the tune of Grand Cherokee Classic)
BEV’s up sharply (diesels still bigger); just saying.
January 7th, 2021 at 12:28 pm
What was that vacuous statement from Mary Bara about? American values? She needs to make a statement that keeps her Chinese compatriots happy. Every manufacturer who has operations in China has to make nice with the CCP or they will be out of there with nothing to show for it. It’s just about the money not some Nothing more. No altruism there, just money.
January 7th, 2021 at 12:30 pm
speaking of “cutting the crap”, yes he did indeed incite the mob attack, spit out the coolaid already.
January 7th, 2021 at 12:46 pm
Great looking vehicle and I’m sure they will have not have a hard time selling every last one of them. My only gripe is with the vehicle’s name: the Grand Cherokee L. Perhaps the should have renamed the current Cherokee the Liberty (something FCA has done in the recent past), or the Patroit, this way they could give the Cherokee name to both versions of this vehicle! This would keep the naming structure in line with the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer and maintain consistency.
January 7th, 2021 at 12:56 pm
Sean,
Where can we get more information on the Autoline Stock Index? Would love to know what stocks are included and the criteria for inclusion.
Thanks!
January 7th, 2021 at 12:57 pm
Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV. Well that’s a mouth full. Can only assume they don’t have emblems with the full name as it would be longer than the car.
As the Chinese keep buying EVs I wonder how the charging structure is keeping up there.
Bollinger seems to be more a design firm, as they have tons of great designs but have yet to build anything for sale or provided any dates that they will have something.
January 7th, 2021 at 12:58 pm
@3&7 – Agree.
@1 – The 25th should have been invoked a long time ago. But now, the Narcissist-in-Chief is taking down the Party of Lincoln with him. Many people saw this coming… as far back as the 2016 primary debates… er… debacles.
Sean and John, thank you for invoking your own version of the 25th Amendment. ALD’s comment section is much more enjoyable and stimulating without its prior egomaniac.
January 7th, 2021 at 12:59 pm
When I looked at the EV monthly sales numbers I saw no reason to get excited. My interpretation is that, still, not many wants them and they are far from prime time, just hyped to the hilt.
I do understand but there is too much reporting on Chinese manufacturers and the brands sold there that are not linked to the US manufacturers. I don’t even care what happens to BYD just because Buffit has a stake in it.
IMO, we rely too much on Chinese products and adding cars to the mix will just be asking for trouble. Thats why I will never own a Volvo even though I like the wagon.
January 7th, 2021 at 1:03 pm
No mystery to the rising ATPs at Chevy. They have been rising for the last several years as they replace sedans and hatchbacks with more expensive crossovers and SUVs. Combined with the dizzying price and destination charge increases they have issued, its no surprise that the average transaction price for the Chevrolet brand has been rising steadily.
January 7th, 2021 at 1:06 pm
Jeep’s prior effort at a 3-row vehicle was highly forgettable. The Commander did not stretch the GC’s wheelbase, but did add rear overhang. As a result, the 3rd row seat was a chore to access. Also, the exterior styling seemed more like a corporate retort to the Hummer. The interior was awash with acres of cheap plastic (Cerberus influence?).
But this new “L” looks like a winner. Price and quality will determine its degree of success.
January 7th, 2021 at 1:10 pm
#9. GM Veteran: we’re still in the process of building our stock index, but here are the companies we include in the category for traditional North American suppliers.
Cooper Standard
Borg-Warner
Adient
Martinrea
Tenneco
American Axle
Aptiv
Dana
Linamar
Goodyear
Magna
Gentherm
Gentex
Allison Transmission
Visteon
Lear
Lydall
January 7th, 2021 at 1:12 pm
@Kit – The Durango is sticking around for now.
January 7th, 2021 at 1:15 pm
@wmb – I’m sure this won’t change your mind about the name, but if you take a close look at the ‘L’ it’s the same, stylistically, as the ‘L’ from the Laredo trim badge.
January 7th, 2021 at 1:15 pm
12 Both Volvo wagons, V60 and V90 are from Sweden.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/2020_aala_alpha_10152020.pdf
14 An Indiana neighbor has a Commander, bought used. I doubt if they ever use the 3rd row, but got a good price on it, I think better than a similarly equipped same-year GC when they bought it.
January 7th, 2021 at 1:16 pm
16 Thanks for info
January 7th, 2021 at 1:21 pm
15 I have a hard time keeping track of these companies, even the one I retired from, Delphi. I guess part of Delphi reverted to GM, and part became Aptiv.
January 7th, 2021 at 1:24 pm
And who owns Volve? Geely in China
January 7th, 2021 at 1:26 pm
21 Yes, true.
January 7th, 2021 at 2:03 pm
@21: Daimler is owned by Chinese shareholders for at least 14.7% (the largest at 9.7% and the third largest shareholder at 5% are Chinese). There is a 3.1% shareholder RN, which I cannot find anything about. Does anyone know RN?
Additionally, there could be Chinese money among the 52.7% held by institutional investors and the 22.8% held by retail investors. Those are unknown, so could be anyone, from any nationality/geographical location.
January 7th, 2021 at 2:13 pm
#20. Kit, Aptiv was carved out of Delphi, and then Borg Warner bought Delphi.
January 7th, 2021 at 2:35 pm
24 Thanks for info. Since you mention it, I remember about the Borg Warner deal, but I’d kind of forgotten.
January 7th, 2021 at 2:45 pm
I guess electric pickup trucks never get into accidents, at least that seems to be the message the idiots in the video are sending by not wearing their seat belts. Must be all those electrons flowing around you that keep you safe in a collision….
January 7th, 2021 at 2:57 pm
the 2 year old occupying whitehouse right now needs to be removed immediately. absolute dumbest incident in american history. also dumbest person to occupy the whitehouse in american history.
January 7th, 2021 at 3:46 pm
I thought the front end of the elect. truck was ugly without a grille….notice I didn’t print “grill!”
January 7th, 2021 at 4:24 pm
wonder why he didnt invite em all down to mar-a-lago? they all looked like mar-a-lago type people to me.
January 7th, 2021 at 5:05 pm
Sean,
I very much enjoy the Autoline shows and hope to continue to do so. However, while in this country and many others, people are able to freely express political views, my own preference would be that political discourse not enter the Autoline programming.
Regards,
Tim Beaumont
January 7th, 2021 at 5:07 pm
Trump was no more guilty of inciting a riot here than GM is to blame for the speeding tickets Corvette drivers get.
The perpetrators were Antifa (dressed in pro-Trump gear), but the media won’t mention that. They worked with someone on the inside in Capitol security to give them a big enough window of time to actually break in.
Surely, I am not the only person who sat back scratching their head thinking, “Wait… This is supposed to be the 2nd most secure building in the United States, and you’re telling me it can be breached THIS easily?? With zero resistance from any security detail???” No way!
There’s way more to this than what CNN is telling people.
January 7th, 2021 at 5:47 pm
31 I wish we could avoid politics here, but since we can’t…. Trump has been inciting violence since he first announced his candidacy in 2015. The idea that those people were “antifa” is absurd. It certainly did look like the police were easy on the thugs, though. I don’t don’t know if they were Trump supporters, or if they were just afraid of them.
January 7th, 2021 at 5:55 pm
@31,21: I am with you, Kit, this is no place for politics, and we cannot let political lies remain uncontested. So here we go.
MJB: Pres. Trump addressed his supporters and incited violence, and then Antifa did it? No. Please see the facts below.
“1:10 p.m. ET
As he ends rally, Trump calls for supporters to ‘walk down Pennsylvania Avenue’
While Congress begins the process of affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win, President Donald Trump encourages his supporters to protest at the US Capitol. Despite promising he would join them, Trump retreated to the White House in his SUV and watched on television as the violence unfolded on Capitol Hill.
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol. And we’re gonna cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. And we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong,” he said at his rally on the Ellipse.”
January 7th, 2021 at 5:56 pm
@33: @31, 32 rather than @31, 21
January 8th, 2021 at 8:58 am
I dont want to get into political debates here either, and I’m not here to defend Trump or even take a side. However I tend to believe real people and facts and not blindly listen to any news cast CNN or Fox. The nice thing about social media is you can get actual real information from people actually there and it also can be garbage just like main media news. So its important to keep an open mind and look for facts. Sad that in this day we cannot fully trust the news organizations to be completely transparent and that has been proven.
When Covid started and the news was showing mass graves and refrigerated trucks parked outside of hospitals in NY it was proven to be file footage or from other places and people who actually live there were able to post on many social media sites that it was BS.
My wife is a nurse and did travel nursing out East at Yale and out West at UCLA and southern Cal and is now at a large hospital in Michigan along with my daughter. So I hear whats going on from people that are actually working in the hospitals and my daughter works in the “covid unit” when they had one. Tons of money was spent to convert a field house into a make shift hospital that never saw one patient. So sorry for not buying into the hype that the media has given this disease. They have treated it like they do when a rain storm comes into the area and now it has become breaking news and requires a special news cast to say its going to rain.
So back to the politics portion and the rushing of the capital there are many videos surfacing now that show the security teams just stepping aside and allowing the crowds into the capital and facial recognition software has proven many were Antifa supporters posing as Trump supporters. Also the coverage and adjectives used to describe what happened is a far different narrative from when crowds protested and disrupted Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing where 70 people were actually arrested.
So as this may sound like I’m in support of Trump what I am really in support of is maintaining our freedoms and the truth. Its very sad that our news media outlets are being used to slant public opinion. They are no longer just providing the news allowing the people to decide how they feel about anything. They are providing a narrative that tells people what to think about things and many people foolishly trust what they are told. The days of Walter Cronkite are gone and there are so many examples to prove this is the case. So regardless if your for Trump or Biden your bigger concern should be, are we being given the whole story, the un-slanted truth and if not why? I’m not saying social media is the place to get your news but it does provide some checks and balance on often times skewed stories like the Nathan Phillips story were the media was quick to make it look like the young man with a MAGA hat was intimidating an elderly native American. Which proved by social media to not be the full story. Or in the many police violence on Blacks was taken out of context and they show only the brutality portion and not the resisting up to that point.
If they actually were fact checking and not in a rush to be first, news stories like the Asiana plane crash in San Francisco in 2013 story wouldn’t make it to air.. That’s where the news reported the pilots names as Sum Ting Wong, Wi Tu Lo, Ho Lee Fuk and Bang Ding Ow. That’s pitiful and a direct representation of the quality of news we get.
So like I said regardless what side your on for this last election. We are all Americans and should not only expect but demand that our news organizations are transparent and provide unbias news.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:55 am
I was looking on Autoblog of pictures of the Mazda Vision Coupe, an inline-six, rwd. Wow, what a sleek looking car, but I’m not sure how even a “short on one end’ guy like me could get in the drivers seat without cracking my head. Still, I like the look and the inline 6 idea.
There is hope in the future for us gassers.
Hey, Ann Arbor (MI) getting 2 Mustang-E’s! That’s pretty neat, but can 2 large tablet screens fit in it without covering the entire windshield?
January 8th, 2021 at 9:56 am
Ann Arbor police, that is
January 8th, 2021 at 10:56 am
35 They should make a wagon version.
January 8th, 2021 at 11:16 am
36 That should be a good test of range loss in coldweather.