This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
FORD DELAYS MUSTANG MACH-E DELIVERIES
Ford is delaying deliveries of the Mustang Mach-E. It started delivering the electric Mustang in limited numbers last year but Electrek reports that some buyers have been notified that their upcoming deliveries, scheduled in the coming weeks, will be delayed for up to a month in some cases. A Ford spokesperson confirmed that deliveries of several hundred Mach-E’s will be delayed for additional “quality checks.” But Ford didn’t reveal what the issue is.
VW DELAYS U.S. LAUNCH OF ID BUZZ
And speaking of EVs being delayed, VW of America CEO Scott Keogh told Automotive News that the launch of its retro-inspired ID Buzz minivan will be delayed by a year in the U.S. The company planned to start producing it in the U.S. in 2022 but now that won’t happen until 2023.
GRAB WANTS TO DO AN IPO IN THE U.S.
Reuters reports that Grab, which you could call the Uber of Southeast Asia, wants to do an IPO on an American stock exchange this year. We’re seeing lots of non-U.S. companies getting listed on American exchanges, especially Chinese EV startups. It’s easy to see why. Where else are they going to go? Stock exchanges in Europe, Japan and Korea are snooze fests. There is so little trading activity on those exchanges. China’s stock markets are much more vibrant, but so many listed companies are state owned, and the state tries to protect them from volatility. So it can be heavily regulated and not very transparent. In the U.S., even if you just look at automotive stocks, trillions of dollars trade hands every day. And that’s why, if any company wants to raise money through the stock market, the best place to do it is in the USA.
OPENING CAR WINDOWS MAY REDUCE COVID RISK
Reducing your risk of contracting COVID could be as simple as opening your car’s windows. According to a study from Brown University, opening your windows can drastically reduce the amount of aerosols that collect inside a car because of the airflow that’s generated. The study used fluid dynamic simulations on a vehicle roughly the size of a Toyota Prius and with occupants sitting diagonally from each other. It also notes opening the windows opposite the people inside the car is best and that just cracking them is not enough, they need to be opened at least half way.
VOLOCOPTER SEEKS FAA APPROVAL TO OPERATE VTOLs
We’re seeing a lot of activity with vertical takeoff and landing vehicles or VTOLs. Last week, GM revealed its working on a VTOL that would be part of the Cadillac lineup. And FCA announced its collaborating with the VTOL company Archer to help it build its aircraft. And now Volocopter, which is backed in part by Daimler and Geely, is seeking regulatory approval to operate its VTOL aircraft in the U.S. The company said if it gets approval from the FAA it could start operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Washington in the next two to three years.
EUROPEAN FORD RANGER GETS RALLY-INSPIRED LOOK
Ford of Europe must have received a good response from its rally-inspired commercial vans that it unveiled back in August of last year because now it’s giving the Ranger the same treatment. The Ranger MS-RT features a hand-built front fascia that includes a honeycomb-shaped pattern in the grille and integrated fog lamps. It also gets 20-inch wheels, bigger wheel arches, unique side skirts, fake carbon fiber mirror caps, aerodynamic load bar, orange stitching on the interior and an MS-RT door frame scuff plate. Like the vans, all of the changes are cosmetic. Under the hood is a 2.0L diesel engine mated to a 10-speed automatic and 4-wheel drive. Although, customers can shell out for a dealer-installed sound box that’s able to generate artificial engine noises via a smartphone app. The Ranger MS-RT will be available in Europe this summer.
NEW TECHNOLOGY FROM GENTEX
Gentex, the maker of digital rearview mirrors, is showing off its expanded capabilities. Integrated trailer cam allows users to get a number of different camera angles when towing. What makes Gentex’s system unique is that it’s WiFi-based, so no extra cables and it doesn’t take up additional dash space or block out the navigation since it’s incorporated into the rearview mirror. Gentex is also now equipping some of its mirrors with cameras and sensors. The cameras not only give the user a view of the road, but of the cabin as well and all these views can be recorded for future use. An iris scanner can then be used for things like biometric data confirmation, which provides another level of security as well as the ability to make in-vehicle purchases or set vehicle settings. And with automated driving features making their way into more vehicles, driver monitoring is becoming a growing field. And Gentex is able to handle that too.
CARS NOT BECOMING A CELL PHONE ON WHEELS
Some people say that cars are turning into cell phones on wheels. But the supplier company Continental says cars are much more than that. A cell phone has one microprocessor, while the average car has over 100. A cell phone has one display, while cars typically have about 4 of them. There are about 7 sensors in a phone, and hundreds of them in cars. Continental says that software now defines 40% of the functions in a car, up from only 10% a decade ago. And that number will only go higher.
GM ANNOUNCES HUGE CANADA INVESTMENT
Canada’s auto industry has been shrinking for years but here’s a huge win. General Motors announced it’s investing $800 million to convert its CAMI factory in Ontario to build the EV600 electric commercial vans it revealed last week for its new BrightDrop business. The plant currently builds the Chevy Equinox but GM will immediately start transforming the plant and is aiming to start delivering the EV600 by the end of the year. GM picked the CAMI plant to build the vehicle because it can dedicate it to only making electric vehicles.
THE STORY OF ROLLS-ROYCE OF AMERICA
Rolls-Royce is the epitome of British luxury cars. But did you know that they used to be made in Springfield, Massachusetts? And production began exactly 100 years ago yesterday when a Silver Ghost rolled out of the factory. Rolls made cars in the U.S. for 10 years, relying on U.S. coachbuilders including Brewster, Willoughby, Merimac and Hollbrook to build bodies for Silver Ghosts and Phantoms. In all, Rolls made 2,946 cars in Springfield, but then the Great Depression hit and its U.S. operations came to an end in 1931.
But that’s an end for today’s show. Thanks for watching.
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Comments (23)
January 18th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
From yesterday, Lambo2015 asked:
“Kit have you bought historical plates for that van.”
It is registered in Indiana, where you can get historical plates for vehicles over 25 years old. I did it two or three years, including registering a “year of manufacture” plate, but for reasons unknown to me, they require you to go into the BMV place every year to renew, rather than doing it by mail or on-line. It wasn’t worth the bother, so the van now has a regular plate.
January 18th, 2021 at 12:43 pm
It must be even more difficult being in charge of a auto manufacturer these days, where to spend your R&D money? VTOL’s, car sharing, autonomous driving, Electrification or fuel cells, personal mobility….. on top of the regular car development, and racing, and military ……
January 18th, 2021 at 12:54 pm
Not sure I’ve ever heard anyone say that modern cars are cell phones on wheels, but I’m glad to see that manufacturers have switched to carplay and android auto rather than trying to integrate those functions into the instrument panel. A cell phone and its apps are updated constantly and provide the latest and greatest software. Meanwhile manufacturers were providing their own versions of maps and voice activated functions that were outdated by the time the vehicle reached dealers.
The comparison is probably only made because of the user interface is about the same. Sure a vehicle has more screens, processors and sensors but to the user most of that processing and sensors are for functions that are invisible to the driver. If 80 processors and 20 sensors are used for engine management most users wouldn’t know the difference. But thanks Continental for stating the obvious that software will continue to grow in vehicle content.
January 18th, 2021 at 12:59 pm
Sean; Your story on the VW buzz minivan talked only about delaying it in the US. Are they still launching it on time elsewhere?
January 18th, 2021 at 1:19 pm
4 From what I’ve seen, the Buzz will be assembled only at Chattanooga, so the US should get it as soon as anywhere.
January 18th, 2021 at 1:43 pm
5 Correction. What I see now, is that the Buzz will be built in Hannover.
January 18th, 2021 at 5:03 pm
No Buzz, then I’ll have to stay with my Tesla Model 3 and BMW i3-REx.
January 18th, 2021 at 8:06 pm
Except for Tesla’s and Bolt, the rest are just promised concept cars that keep getting yet another year delay to production.After awhile it gets little tiring , don’t ya think?
January 18th, 2021 at 8:21 pm
I keep seeing Lucid ads. The ads are pretty good, but I wonder if the cars will ever actually exist.
January 18th, 2021 at 8:23 pm
I finally drove theBronco that has been sitting on the local Ford lot. I lo
I liked everything about it, much to my prior thoughts. Much to my dismay, it only had a 1.5 L and cost $36,000! What a disappointment putting this engine in an otherwise fun suv.
January 18th, 2021 at 8:30 pm
Once you get passed the novelty of the new Bronco, like the one I drove, the base model 2.0L Escape is peppier, just as good , if not better, in other aspects and much less expensive.
January 18th, 2021 at 8:49 pm
10,11 Isn’t the Bronco Sport, basically, an Escape with retro styling and a higher price?
January 19th, 2021 at 6:32 am
I think what everyone is really waiting for is the Bronco (not the Sport); the Sport is entertaining, but as referenced, a gussied Escape. Probably a good vehicle but the Bronco is the one that may “move the needle” in the segment. When and if the Maverick is produced, which is also based on the Sport, then maybe it will be more noteworthy.
January 19th, 2021 at 8:22 am
10 I saw a funny video the other day where a guy pretending to be the voice for big American 3 and at first he is Ford and says, “We are launching a bunch of new vehicles and half our fleet will be electric and the ones that are not will have tiny little 4cyl with turbos”. Then GM is like, “We are canceling some of our best selling models in place of electric and much smaller engines and maybe even make the Corvette electric”. Then lastly the rep from FCA says, “We will probably take our minivan and put a 700 hp Hemi in it, in fact we will try and offer our whole line up with a 700 hp option”. Seemed about right and when you said how underwhelming the 1.5L in the Bronco was I couldn’t help but think of that video.
January 19th, 2021 at 8:29 am
8 I agree, that it seemed like everyone wanted to give the impression that EVs were here and everyone would be hitting the market with a bunch of new models by 2021. Yet everything seems to be getting pushed back, delayed, or just quietly idling by.
I wonder if the recent softer sales are making them rethink if the actual demand is there. If it was just a rush to market that they realize they need more time. Or something else.
January 19th, 2021 at 8:42 am
Three cylinder engines are becoming the next big thing. The 1.5 in Bronco Sport is a 3 cyl., as are the engines in the new TrailBlazer
January 19th, 2021 at 9:21 am
15 The Mach-E will be the big test of whether EVs are ready for prime time. It’s a near-clone of the decent selling Model Y, but will be sold the “regular way” by a legacy car company. If it doesn’t sell well, maybe other companies should slow down on making everything electric.
January 19th, 2021 at 10:01 am
16 Oh I know, in the 4 years that I worked at Ford in the Global engine group which has been 5 years ago now. I was working on 3 programs 0.9L thru 1.5L engines two of which were 3 cyl. Granted most were developed for other nations but still that’s pretty small for a car let alone a small SUV.
January 19th, 2021 at 10:44 am
16 18 My wife had a Terrain with the 1.5T as a loaner and swore that there was something wrong with the engine. ” It shakes, vibrates and makes noise but doesn’t go anywhere.” She made me drive it just to make sure it was okay. She was very happy to get her 2.0T back.
January 19th, 2021 at 11:07 am
19 A 2.0L turbo seems to be the sweet spot and provides adequate power for most applications. Anything smaller just seems to be pushing the boundaries of capability. I had a Chevy Cruise with the 1.4L turbo and is was okay for a local commuter but was horrible choice for HWY driving. At 75 the engine was taxed pretty hard and passing or accelerating above that speed was like being back in a 18 wheeler. Not to mention the 40mpg I would get at 55mph dropped to a pitiful 28. Which was the majority of my driving and I figured if I’m only ever going to get 28mpg anyway I might as well buy something with a V6 that has some upper end power and gets the same mileage on the hwy. So they have their place but the tiny engines are not for American Hwys. IMO
January 19th, 2021 at 11:21 am
My wife has the base Cooper Mini with the 1.5 turbo; it does not lack for power (even at highway speeds); six speed automatic tranny.
January 19th, 2021 at 11:26 am
20 A while back, I test drove a Mini with a 1.5 turbo triple, 6-speed manual, and it drove pretty well. That’s a 2800 pound car, though. I suspect a 3700 pound Countryman with that engine is pretty sluggish feeling.
January 19th, 2021 at 11:37 am
The Cruise is between 3100 and 3200lbs but was also geared poorly and at 75mph was turning like 3000rpm.