Listen to “AD #2996 – VW Delays Launch of ID Buzz; Volocopter Seeks Approval to Operate VTOLs; The Story of Rolls-Royce of America” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 9:02
0:08 Ford Delays Mustang Mach-E Deliveries
0:37 VW Delays U.S. Launch of ID Buzz
1:00 Grab Wants to Do an IPO In the U.S.
3:08 Opening Car Windows May Reduce COVID Risk
3:46 Volocopter Seeks FAA Approval to Operate VTOLs
4:26 European Ford Ranger Gets Rally-Inspired Look
5:27 New Technology from Gentex
6:46 Cars Not Becoming a Cell Phone on Wheels
7:23 GM Announces Huge Canada Investment
8:00 The Story of Rolls-Royce of America
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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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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.