AD #3019 – All-New Nissan Qashqai Debuts; New Tech Can Prevent Hydroplaning; Bold New Honda HR-V
February 18th, 2021 at 11:52am

Listen to “AD #3019 – All-New Nissan Qashqai Debuts; New Tech Can Prevent Hydroplaning; Bold New Honda HR-V” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 10:51
0:07 Nissan Makes Big Investment in the UK
1:03 All-New Nissan Qashqai Debuts
1:57 Natural Gas Shortage in Mexico Hitting Production
2:28 Quantumscape the Lone Bright Spot in Auto Stocks
4:36 Lordstown is Taking Its EV Skateboard Racing
5:32 New System Can Prevent Hydroplaning
6:23 Ford Improves On-Road Safety of Its Vans
7:15 Tesla Cuts Model 3 & Y Base Price
7:50 Tesla Model Y Launched in South Korea
8:21 Bosch Adopts Microsoft Azure to Develop Car Software
8:58 Honda HR-V Gets Bold New Looks
9:53 Old Wreck is a Austin Healey
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NISSAN MAKING BIG INVESTMENT IN THE UK
In a massive vote of confidence for making cars in Britain, Nissan announced it will invest nearly $1.4 billion in the UK. When the UK left the European Union, it looked like it was the beginning of the end of the British motor industry. Nissan talked openly of leaving, Honda already announced it’s on the way out, and Toyota said it was considering it. But Nissan’s announcement of new investment suggests it’s going to be around for years. By the way, a lot of that money goes towards making what Nissan calls e-Power hybrids. That uses an ICE to charge the battery, and the car is powered by an electric motor. But there’s no plug. Only the engine charges the battery. Nissan says e-Power allows the use of a smaller ICE engine battery, yet gives customers the instant response and low-end torque of an EV.
ALL-NEW NISSAN QAHQAI DEBUTS
The e-Power system will be available in the all-new Nissan Qashqai, which is also sold in the U.S. as the Rogue Sport. But in Europe it’s Nissan’s best selling vehicle. In fact, it’s one of the best selling vehicles in Europe, period. Nissan just unveiled the third generation, which has a crisper, sharper angled look and is built on what Nissan calls its CMF-C platform. The headlamps are thinner, the wheelbase is longer and you can order 20-inch wheels. Rear seat passengers get more knee room and there’s more luggage space in the rear, yet the overall length of the vehicle is about the same as before. One notable feature is a 10.2-inch head-up display. While it gets the e-Power system, it will launch with a 1.3-liter mild hybrid, and it goes on sale in Europe this summer.

NATURAL GAS SHORTAGE IN MEXICO HITTING PRODUCTION
First it was a shortage of semiconductor chips, now it’s a shortage of natural gas that’s causing production disruptions. General Motors and Volkswagen announced they’re halting production for a few days this week at its plants in Mexico due to the gas shortage. The companies said production will return to normal once supplies are back to adequate levels. Audi also said it will adjust production levels at its plant in Mexico depending on the availability of natural gas.
QUANTUMSCAPE LONE BRIGHT SPOT IN AUTO STOCKS
It was a down day on Wall Street for the automotive industry. In fact, it was a down day for the global automotive industry. The Autoline Stock index was down overall for car companies, suppliers and retailers. But there was one notable exception. Quantumscape. Shares shot up nearly $16, a gigantic 31% increase for the startup that announced a breakthrough yesterday to make solid state batteries for electric cars.
Current Price | $ Change | % Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Quantumscape | $66.52 | +$15.88 | +31.4% |
Speaking of startups, we’ve got a great Autoline After Hours coming up this afternoon with Jim Taylor, the CEO of ELMS, or electric last mile solutions. So join John and Gary for some of the best insights into what’s driving the automotive industry.


LORDSTOWN IS TAKING ITS EV SKATEBOARD RACING
Remember how EV startup Canoo stripped its skateboard chassis of all unnecessary parts, dubbed it ‘skatecart’ and took it racing in the desert? It was so cool. Now Lordstown Motors is doing something similar, but it’s going for-real-racing. It’s taking the EV skateboard for its Endurance pickup and entering it in the San Felipe 250, an off-road endurance race that takes place in Mexico. And it should be a good test for Lordstown. It estimates the Endurance will have 250+ miles of range from its 109 kWh battery pack. A loop around the San Felipe 250 is roughly 290 miles. Obviously, with only the skateboard and no body, it will be lighter and have more range. But what role will the terrain and temperature play? It will be interesting to see how Lordstown does.
ACTIVE SYSTEM ELIMINATES HYDROPLANING
Hydroplaning can be dangerous when it’s raining, that’s why Easyrain, which is based in Italy, created the first active safety system to prevent hydroplaning. Bosch and Italdesign also helped with the development and recently tested it in a production vehicle for the first time, an Audi A6 wagon. Here’s how it works. A controlled jet of water is blasted out in front of the tires to break up the water layer on the asphalt that the tires can’t dissipate, which restores grip. The injectors are automatically activated by software when a sensor recognizes the vehicle is starting to hydroplane. The system weighs 5 kilograms or about 11 pounds and uses fluid from the windshield wiper tank. The companies plan to perform more tests over the next several months.

FORD HELPS MAKE VANS MORE VISIBLE ON THE ROAD
Speaking of improving safety on the road, Ford of Europe now offers illuminated safety panels for the back of its Transit and Custom vans. It says the panels make the vehicle more visible compared to reflective tape, especially for vehicles coming around a bend in the road. They’re operated via a switch mounted behind the driver’s seat. Right now the panels are only available in the UK, but Ford is looking at making them available in other European markets as well.

TESAL CUTS MODEL 3 & Y BASE PRICE
Tesla is making the Model 3 and Model Y more affordable in the U.S. The base Model 3 now costs just under $37,000, $1,000 less than before, while the base Model Y’s starting price is just under $40,000, $2,000 less than before. But while the standard models get a price cut, Tesla is raising the price of the performance versions of the Model 3 and Y by $1,000 each. Traditional automakers are ramping up their EV launches, so it’s not surprising to see Tesla make its models more affordable.


TESLA LAUNCHES MODEL Y IN SOUTH KOREA
But this should also help boost sales for Tesla. It just launched the Model Y in South Korea, which is available in three trim levels. The Standard Range Model carries a starting price just over $54,000. At the same time, it’s also bringing the refreshed Model 3 to South Korea, which has been available in the country since 2019. And it announced plans to add 27 supercharger stations and 8 service centers across South Korea by the end of the year.
BOSCH ADOPTS MICROSOFT AZURE TO DEVELOP CAR SOFTWARE
General Motors and Volkswagen already announced they’re going to work with Microsoft to connect their cars to the cloud. And now it’s Bosch’s turn. The world’’s largest supplier is going to use Microsoft Azure to develop software-defined cars, and it wants to offer it to automakers for testing prototypes before the year is out. The idea behind using Azure is to update the software in cars more quickly to provide owners new functions and digital services. And since Bosch’s customers include just about every car company in the world, it will undoubtedly make it available to anyone who wants it.

HONDA HR-V GETS BOLD NEW STYLING
The Honda HR-V is going from looking like this… to looking like this. The next-gen version of the crossover, which is also called the Vezel in some markets, just debuted and is much more coupe-like in appearance. The grille looks like a big departure from anything we’ve seen from Honda before. The other big news is that it’s only announced a hybrid powertrain for the HR-V. It pairs a naturally aspirated 1.5L 4-cylinder engine with Honda’s two-motor hybrid system. Both 2- and all-wheel drive are offered. As for the interior, designers cleaned up the look and note how the air vent appears as one giant piece, which really draws your eye across the entire dashboard. The new HR-V/Vezel will launch in Japan first this April, but the rollout to other markets hasn’t been revealed yet.

OLD WRECK IS AN AUSTIN HEALEY
Well, you all passed our Barn Find test with flying colors. If we were back in school days I might have accused you all of cheating because I didn’t see a single wrong answer. Normally we get at least a few. But we like the detail that Oliver Viitamaki provided. They say it’s a “Austin Healey 3000 BT7 Mk1 1959-1961, assuming it has the original engine.” There you go Alejandro. There’s the answer to your mystery wreck. Thanks to everyone for showing off your classic car knowledge.

But that’s a wrap for today’s show. Thanks for watching.
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February 18th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
Hopefully for Honda the new HRV will have a bit more oomph, the present one is kind of gutless.
February 18th, 2021 at 12:38 pm
I do enjoy the barnfinds. I lack the skill to answer but enjoy learning the trivia.
Cheers
February 18th, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Why would Ford mount the switch to the safety panels behind the drivers seat? That seems like a very inconvenient place. Nice feature though.
The Nissan E-power sounds like the same method GM used in the Volt. Wonder how the fuel economy is for it.
February 18th, 2021 at 1:06 pm
My Daughter has a Nissan with a Belt trany.
They have a lot of problems.
Looks like Nissan will now use E-power instead.
I agree with #3 about being same as the Volt.
Does Mirror Finish mean Chrome plating?
Not sure about Variable compression ratio.
What method are they using to achieve it?
February 18th, 2021 at 1:27 pm
#3 & #4. There are similarities to the Volt and Nissan’s e-Power. But there’s one significant difference. The Chevy Volt was a plug-in hybrid system. Nissan’s e-Power is not.
February 18th, 2021 at 1:59 pm
@Marshy – I’m with you. My classic car knowledge is limited. But I still like to try and figure the Barn Finds out beforehand with a little internet sleuthing. It took me about 20-30 minutes to figure out the Austin Healey using the same distinguishing features we pointed out in yesterday’s show.
February 18th, 2021 at 2:32 pm
@Kit – There’s another difference as well. Nissan’s e-Power system drives the wheels with 100% electric power. Like the 1st-gen Volt, it uses one motor to drive the wheels and the engines spins a generator, which charges the battery. But there were scenarios (hard acceleration) with the Volt where the engine could provide torque to the wheels. Nissan says under hard acceleration the e-Power system uses electric power provided by the battery and the engine. I’m not exactly sure how that works, I would guess more energy can be sent to the motor via the generator in addition to the battery, but either way the engine doesn’t provide torque directly to the wheels.
February 18th, 2021 at 2:49 pm
6 I too have limited knowledge of the imported classic cars and at first glimpse yesterday my initial thought was 50s Corvette. But quickly realized this had a metal body and then thought, OH NO! not an original AC Cobra! But then you showed the strait 6. I knew at that point it was most likely an import.
Still kind of fun to try and figure it out using the pictures on Google and comparing it to the limited stand out features still found on this wreck.
Makes you wonder though how and why it was just left there. Glad no skeletons were discovered inside.
February 18th, 2021 at 2:51 pm
The barn find was a snap for me. I was lucky enough to have an older brother who own a 55 and a 59 Austin Healy. both red, and the 1955 had a windscreen that you could lay down. that was so cool 13 yr old!!!!
February 18th, 2021 at 2:52 pm
so cool for a 13 year old!
February 18th, 2021 at 3:56 pm
I bought an MGC in high school, then purchased a Mark III a couple years later. I drove it for a year or so until someone wanted it more than me.
I wish I still had it. It’s worth 2-3 times my MG today, but no regrets. I can’t wait to pull my “C” out of storage this Spring. It will be the first full year since doing a level 1 restoration.
I suggest someone take another look at what remains of that barn find. I know there are many salvagable parts on the engine alone that are worth several hundred dollars on the used market.
February 18th, 2021 at 8:32 pm
The engine of the Volt is geared directly to the wheels at highway speed, for better gas mileage, but as I understand, it is series operation like the e-Power at lower speed. Of what I’ve read from an Australian source, the Note e-Power gets hybrid-like mpg in stop and go droving, but lousy highway mileage.
February 18th, 2021 at 10:52 pm
I was pretty sure the “barn find” was British, but I didn’t know what is was. We have a bunch of knowledgable Brit car people here.
February 19th, 2021 at 3:44 am
The comments section has been interesting and nicely varied lately, from personal stories to some pertinent facts and opinions.
Ford Europe – I think the news of Ford’s profound shift in EV strategy deserves more scrutiny. The little Fiesta was Europe’s best-selling car just a few years ago, and their commercial vehicles quite successful.
Their sales in Europe have hovered around a million for a while, with the obvious exception of last year.
What they’re lacking is any kind of premium presence where so much money’s made. They let Volvo wither, and might have better exploited the storied Ghia name.
So I think that actually makes their decision to be all-electric (with commercial vehicles majority electric) by 2030 so much more noteworthy.
They are clearly anticipating both a further significant reduction in battery costs that will make inexpensive EVs viable, enormous production capacities coming online, as well as a rapid shrinking of the ICE market.
Their partnership with VW should be kept in mind.
An interesting quote: “The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.” Source Ford
Herbert DIESS – He was interviewed in the latest Economist podcast. Worth listening in to, but nothing substantially new for those in the know.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:38 am
I have a little knowledge but not much on the barn find car. Surly thought it was a AH 3000, (especially for he rear pic) but had no idea of year or model.
As far as the Volt goes, I didn’t think that the engine ever powered the wheels, only the generator to charge the Battery. Learn something new every day.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:46 am
13) When restoring my “C’, I learned of several parts were specific only to that model and had to hunt high and low for them. Given my knowledge of MGs, Healys, Jags, I made it a hobby to hunt for hard to find parts then to resell them. Some parts have been reproduced, but people will pay double or triple for the “real thing” in good shape. Amazingly, the parts most desired are things like lights and bezzles, vissors,mirrors and cig lighters/ash trays.
Engine parts and other things like leaf springs are highly sought, but you have to be careful of what you were getting and have a buyer in mind.
I am a British car nut, but learned to research car blogs before buying anything. You might find out many parts are almost imposible to find and repops don’t exist.