AD #3055 – Mary Barra Called a Racist; Big Risk for OEMs Making the Switch to EVs; BMW Helps Improve Image Processing
April 9th, 2021 at 11:53am
Listen to “AD #3055 – Mary Barra Called a Racist; Big Risk for OEMs Making the Switch to EVs; BMW Helps Improve Image Processing” on Spreaker.
Follow us on social media:
Runtime: 11:56
0:07 GM Accused of Not Doing Enough Business with Black Media
1:17 Chinese EV Startups Have a Good Day
2:02 Traditional Automakers Face Big Risk Switching to Electric
3:09 Cadillac Getting Electric D-Sized Crossover
4:38 Hong Guang MINI EV Gets a New Variant
5:39 BMW Helps Improve Image Processing
6:28 Daimler Lays Claim to First Pickup Truck
7:40 Ranking Traditional OEMs by U.S. BEV Market Share
8:32 Mazda MX-5 Miata Drive Review
10:14 Chrysler Pacifica Stow N’ Go Correction
10:35 Do You Know What Car This Is?
Visit our sponsors to thank them for their support of Autoline Daily: BorgWarner, Bridgestone, Intrepid Control Systems and ZF.
This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
BLACK MEDIA COMPANIES CALL OUT GM
Black owned media companies in the United States are attacking General Motors for not doing enough business with them. They recently took out full page ads in several major newspapers calling GM CEO Mary Barra a racist and demanding she give them more business or resign immediately. GM is trying to tiptoe around the issue, but yesterday media mogul Sean Combs joined in. He posted an open letter saying “If You Love Us, Pay Us.” GM spends about $3 billion a year on advertising. It will not say how much it spends with Black owned media companies, but promised to raise that to 4% next year and 8% by 2025. That’s not good enough for Sean Combs. He says if 15% of a corporation’s revenue comes from Black customers, then it should spend 15% on black owned companies. While GM is the first company to be singled out for its media buy, these media companies promise it’s an issue they’ll raise with all major corporations.
CHINESE EV STARTUPS HAD A GOOD DAY
The Autoline Global Stock index did not move much yesterday. Up only 0.6%. But Chinese EV companies outperformed everyone else. Li Auto and XPeng led the way with gains of 4% or more. With the exception of BYD, the Chinese EV startups are listed on American stock exchanges, either the NYSE or NASDAQ. And now Reuters reports that Didi, which you could call the Uber of China, is also going to list on an American exchange. Why are so many Chinese companies coming to America? There are several reasons, but the main one is access to capital. There’s just a lot more access to capital in the US than there is in China.
| Close | $ Change | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYD | $23.00 | +$0.46 | +2.0% |
| NIO | $38.70 | +$1.43 | +3.8% |
| Li Auto | $23.23 | +$1.00 | +4.5% |
| XPeng | $35.45 | +$1.38 | +4.1% |
| Kandi | $6.33 | +$0.11 | +1.8% |
TRADITIONAL AUTOMAKERS FACE BIG RISK SWITCHING TO ELECTRIC
Traditional automakers must place their bets wisely in the switch to electric vehicles. That’s according to a new study from KPMG which says carmakers face a big risk in the transition and that by “getting it wrong by five years, you go bankrupt.” It says global EV sales will make up 24% to 37% of sales by 2030. If EVs reach 30% market share by 2030 that will leave traditional automakers with 40 million ICE vehicles in excess capacity, the equivalent of 200 unneeded plants. It’s a tough balancing act for automakers. If they bet too big and too early on EVs it could risk profits from not having gas powered models. But if they wait too long to make the transition they could get left behind. The study predicts that one or two of the top global automakers will fail to make the switch and that they will cease to exist within the next decade. Who are you placing your bets on?
CADILLAC GETTING ELECTRIC D-SIZED CROSSOVER IN 2024
And speaking of traditional automakers transitioning to an electric future, we’ve got more details about GM’s EV plans. The company has already confirmed that its Factory Zero plant in Michigan will build the Hummer EV truck and SUV, the electric Silverado and the Cruise Origin autonomous shuttle. And now LMC Automotive forecasts that GM will also build the production version of the Cadillac Celestiq at that plant starting in 2023. LMC also says that the first BEV to launch at its Spring Hill plant in Tennessee will be the Cadillac Lyriq next March and that a D-sized Cadillac crossover will go into production in 2024. An electric Escalade? We’ll see. But GM is aiming to sell 1 million BEVs globally by 2025.
POPULAR CHINESE EV GETS NEW VARIANT
China’s best-selling EV, the Hong Guang MINI EV has been so popular it’s getting a new variant, called the Macaron. Updates include new colors, like Avocado Green and White Peach Pink, but also the ability for pretty wild customization. Features that we take for granted are only just being made standard on the Macaron, like a driver airbag, anti-lock brakes, tire pressure monitoring system and low-speed pedestrian warning. If you wondered how it kept prices for the EV so low before, well now you know. The MINI EV is a bit pokey with a top speed of 100 km/h or about 60 MPH and a range of up to 170 kilometers or about 105 miles. But it’s proved to be very popular with younger buyers and the new model seems very affordable as well. Prices range between roughly $5,700 and $6,650.
BMW HELPS WITH IMAGE PROCESSING
BMW is helping out others when it comes to image processing. It’s publishing an anonymization algorithm, which anyone can get access to, that uses AI to block out or blur certain objects in a picture or video. That ability allows developers to train systems that use things like cameras or robots for image processing. For example, areas in BMW’s production plants that contain people are made unrecognizable, so its image processing system can make sure the right part goes on the right car. By publishing algorithms and other source codes, BMW hopes others will use them, make improvements of their own, then republish that and then BMW can get access to those improvements as well.
DAIMLER LAYS CLAIM TO VERY FIRST PICKUP TRUCK
Not only does Daimler claim the first automobile, but also the first truck. Founder Gottlieb Daimler invented this back in 1896, what looked like little more than a fruit cart with a two-cylinder engine that made a whopping 4 horsepower and linked to the rear axle via a belt. But people quickly realized how versatile the vehicles were and changes came fast. In only a few years engine sizes increased and beefier springs were fitted on the back for heavier payloads. I think we know how the story goes from here.
U.S. BEV MARKET SHARE FOR TRADITIONAL AUTOMAKERS
Traditional automakers don’t sell a lot of electric cars. At least not yet. But some are doing better than others. And Porsche is doing the best of all. In the US market over 11% of its sales are battery electrics. Another German luxury maker takes the second spot. Audi. Nearly 8% of what it sells is battery powered. Then there’s a big drop off to Chevrolet. But thanks to the Bolt EV 2% of Chevys are electric. Then Ford, Nissan and Hyundai come in at 1%. We’re still in the early days, so these rankings will change as more EV models come out. Even so, there’s a lot to be said for first-mover advantage. And these brands could emerge as the winners in the race to sell electric cars—at least amongst the traditional automakers.
| Traditional OEM U.S. EV Sales & Market Share Q1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Porsche | 2,008 | 11.5% |
| Audi | 4,324 | 7.8% |
| Chevrolet | 9,025 | 2.1% |
| Ford | 6,614 | 1.0% |
| Nissan | 2,925 | 1.0% |
| Hyundai | 1,907 | 1.0% |
THE MAZDA MX-5 RF IS A GREAT CAR, IF YOU FIT
That Chrysler Pacifica minivan we reported on yesterday is as big as a whale. Nothing mini about it. So now we go to the opposite end of the spectrum: the Mazda MX-5. If you’re over 6 feet tall, or over 1.8 meters, or if you weigh over 200 pounds, or over 90 kilos, don’t even think of trying to squeeze into this car. It really is a tight fit. It’s one of the key reasons why it doesn’t sell better. This was our first drive in the RF model, which has a retractable roof. Or we should say semi-roof, because only the top of the roof retracts. It’s a slick operation that only requires you to push a button on the console. No latches for you to fumble with. Everything goes and stows automatically to the count of just 13 “Mississippi’s.” But you pay for that convenience. A base MX-5 costs about $28,000, while the RF we drove cost $8,000 more–just under $36,000. Besides, the manual convertible top on the MX-5 has always been one of the simplest and easiest to use, so the retractable hard top is not a whole lot more convenient. But it does create a different look to the car. And it is somewhat quieter on the highway. But that’s all relative because the RF is still a noisy car at highway speeds. Even so, if you’re lucky enough to be able to shoehorn yourself into an MX-5 it is one of the most satisfying cars to drive that any enthusiast could hope for.
CORRECTION TO PACIFICA’S STOW N’ GO FEATURE
And a quick correction from yesterday’s review of the Chrysler Pacifica. A Chrysler spokesperson reached out to let us know that while our Pinnacle AWD version only had Stow N’ Go in the third row, not the second, all other non-hybrid AWD versions of the Pacifica do have the feature in both the second and third row.
DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS CAR?
OK you automotive detectives, an Autoline viewer needs your help identifying a car. This short video comes from Mr. Dana in Canada who spotted this vehicle while driving through what looks like a lovely countryside. I’m sure this would have been easier with a grille and headlights, but someone out there has got to know it. Leave your thoughts in the comments.
But that’s all we’ve got for this week. Thanks for joining us and have a great weekend.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
Share
Permalink
Comments (50)
April 9th, 2021 at 12:08 pm
Volvo coupe. Can’t recall exact model name.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:17 pm
The unknown car is a 780 Volvo It might nave the PRV 6Cyl engine.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:22 pm
It is a 262c
https://www.volvocars.com/intl/cars/heritage/heritage-models/30-262c
April 9th, 2021 at 12:26 pm
Is that a factory vinyl roof on the Volvo?
April 9th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
GM is stupid if they cave in like these other spineless Corps giving in to these race hustlers
April 9th, 2021 at 12:30 pm
From the Chrysler web site, it looks like the Pacifica Pinnacle has fancy “captain’s chair” seats, thus no stow ‘n’ go. The lower trim levels have more basic seats.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
Agree with the above. It’s a 1978-80 Volvo 262C Bertone, or simply the Volvo Bertone Coupe. Apparently, the vinyl top was not offered on the ’81 edition, the car’s final year of production.
Back in the day, advertising for the car said it was “bad news” for America’s 500,000 millionaires as only a couple thousand would be produced.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:40 pm
volvo bertone coupe
April 9th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
Tell P-Dippy to stick to music,or whatever it is, and stop starting fires he can’t put out.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:48 pm
The issue with lining up ad spending with outlets owned by a specific demographic is flawed in that it assumes only those outlets influence purchase decisions by the cited demographic.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:53 pm
GM and VW should not throw away the tooling for ICE vehicles too quickly when they switch completely to EVs in 2030 or 2035. They might find that they need that tooling for a while.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:57 pm
So to sum up….Brands that have price insensitive customers sell more expensive EVs than Brands that have price sensitive customers.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:57 pm
Pretty sure #7 got it right , yes vinyl roof, tacky
April 9th, 2021 at 12:58 pm
So does that mean Tesla racist for not spending at black media?
April 9th, 2021 at 1:00 pm
The thing I have yet to hear or read about in the stories about GM and their advertising is how many black-owned media companies exist that align with GM’s supplier requirements and marketing strategy. I worked for ten years at a supplier to GM and we were always pushed by GM Purchasing to achieve a 10% spending level with minority suppliers. However, when we asked for a list of qualified minority suppliers we could get bids from in the services we needed, they never had a list for us.
My guess is that there is some of this at work behind the scenes as we always found GM was eager to increase their spending with minority companies. However, it would probably not be wise for Mary Barra to comment on this in public as nearly any comment other than “we will spend more” will be blown up into a headline by these minority agency “representatives”. Its also interesting to note that there are several black-owned suppliers that have stated that this group does not speak for them.
April 9th, 2021 at 1:03 pm
Daimler may have developed the first gasoline powered truck, because I am pretty certain that there were steam powered trucks around for many years before the gasoline engine was developed.
April 9th, 2021 at 1:07 pm
The car was called the VOLVO BERTONE COUPE in the US. It might be called the same thing in Canada. It was also known as the VOLVO 262C BERTONE in markets that used numbered model designations. The US went with lettered designations in the late 70’s and early 80’s such as”DL”,
“GL”, “GLE”, “TURBO” and BERTONE COUPE.
VOLVO went back to the numerical designations when they introduced the 760 series in the early 80’s
April 9th, 2021 at 1:19 pm
Hey Sean
This is definitely a Volvo Coupe not sure of the year. I don’t think you could confuse that with any other car but a Volvo.
April 9th, 2021 at 1:26 pm
The car in the farmyard is a Volvo coupe by Bertone
April 9th, 2021 at 1:30 pm
That’s an easy photo to recognize. It’s a Volvo 262 Bertone Coupe. It always looked like a chopped top way before the Chrysler 300 made the style ubiquitous.
April 9th, 2021 at 2:07 pm
#15 – thank you for your insight. Not sure if there is racial bias or not, but for sure what they ask comes with a tone of threat. My reaction would possibly be different than GM’s, in fact conceding can be perceived as admission of guilt. If there is no wrongdoing then lay out the process and explain how you got to where you are, change nothing. What a world we live in!
April 9th, 2021 at 2:21 pm
At first glance of the “barnfind” I thought either Volvo or a late 60s Toyota Corona. But after comparing pictures, the roofline and size definitely looks more like the Volvo Bertone mentioned by others.
April 9th, 2021 at 2:21 pm
Re: Chinese EV makers: been getting lots of FB ads for the Kandi NEV, which I think is currently (no pun intended) available. But they say there’s an actual car coming to the US as well, soon. Any thoughts on whether Kandi could be the first Chinese nameplate in the US market, other than Coda?
April 9th, 2021 at 2:27 pm
#14 Dave, Tesla does not buy adverts with anybody, not even car mags, but there are many vloggers that do product reviews and also own the car, a nd one of them is a techie, and he is black and Youtube pays him , he’s got subs and million views , im sure. Take your racist rant elsewhere!
April 9th, 2021 at 3:20 pm
Investors would rather invest in the likes of Lucid, or Rivian (if they go public) Or a Chinese startup like Nio or others,, they hardly invest in legacy autos like GM or Ford, too much ICE tooling and stranded A$$€ts in those
April 9th, 2021 at 3:24 pm
Notice Nikola( NKLA) was valued higher than Ford before the fraudvwas exposed.
April 9th, 2021 at 3:38 pm
@24 – What was “racist”? Did 14 really “rant”? The Oxford diction defines “rant – speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way.” I didn’t know 14’s single sentence of 12 words was lengthy. It contained only to capitalized letters – one to start the sentence and another for a proper noun – so I fail to understand how it can be construed as shouting. In fact, it did not end in an exclamation mark (but your response of 14’s post does).
I think we owe a thanks to 15 for a more insightful response that avoids berating people.
April 9th, 2021 at 3:53 pm
Correcting misspelled word in 27. “The Oxford dictionary…”
April 9th, 2021 at 4:17 pm
Volvo 242 or 262.
April 9th, 2021 at 4:58 pm
Looks like Larry D. is back but now spells his name with an extra e, should we just call him Larrey instead of Rey and be done with it? You’re not fooling anybody LarRey D.
April 9th, 2021 at 5:01 pm
Looks like LarRey D. is back, still cheer leading for Tesla, a car he doesn’t even own.
April 9th, 2021 at 5:41 pm
#9 Dale, I like reading comments on the storys as well as contrasting view points, but to just phone it in with a rasist trope of “Tell P-Dippy to stick to music,or whatever it is, and stop starting fires he can’t put out.” is not o.k. and doesn’t add to the conversation.
Now, I’m not calling YOU a racist, but I wanted to let you know that what you said WAS.
It is the equivalent of telling LeBron James to “shut up and dribble”. It reduces a person down to a consumable good – something that white americans have been doing to Black americans for centuries. People are more than what they do; I’m sure you wouldn’t want anyone to tell you to stop commenting and go back to work.
That said I would like to actually hear what you thought of the story…do you think that GM just needs to ignore calls to increase their business with Black owned media companies and, if so, why? Or do you have insight into what may have sparked this public request of GM in the first place?
My personal opinion is there is more to this story than just a sudden outcry from Black owned media that GM should seek to do more business with them. In my expereince, this kind of open letter from one large business to another is a result of many other smaller or larger transgressions that were not correctly addressed behind closed doors and now it has finally boiled over to the point where is has become public. I’d be curious to know if any other readers have any additional insight in to what may have brought things to such a point…
April 9th, 2021 at 9:38 pm
The vehicle is a volvo 262C Bertone coupe 1977-1981
April 10th, 2021 at 6:40 am
22, I was also leaning towards the earlier year Toyota Corona but yielded to the Volvo Bertone as others have said and after checking photos; a lot of similarities between the two (I think). https://www.pinterest.com/pin/402087072967983484/
April 10th, 2021 at 8:54 am
That “barn find” was based on one of the last real Volvos, before they went to front drive. I think it probably had a DeLorean engine. Well, the Renault/Peugeot/Volvo engine that DeLorean used.
April 10th, 2021 at 12:17 pm
1978-1981 Volvo 262C Bertone Coupé. VERY low production
April 10th, 2021 at 1:08 pm
This whole race baiting BS needs to stop . Any business should able to do business with anyone or NOT do business with anyone they seem fit .No different than saying you have to hire so many minorities no matter their qualifications. Any business should be able the best available period regardless of the race, religion, gender, sexual preference or any other factor these leftists throw out there. The time of everyone gets a trophy should over . It’s making this country weak and a good reason why foreign companies and workers are kicking our butts.The cancel culture needs to be cancelled like yesterday. Want someone’s business? FREAKING WORK FOR IT !!
April 10th, 2021 at 2:48 pm
34 Based on GM’s not-so-great ads, it wouldn’t hurt for them to look for some different agencies, regardless of the ethnicity of the owners.
April 10th, 2021 at 7:29 pm
35 exactly ,who they choose should have nothing to do with who the owners are , but who does the best job for what they are willing to spend. How is demanding someone give business or opportunity to someone based solely on race not racist. If you said you can only use white owned agencies it would be racist so how is demanding it be GIVEN to a minority owner any different?
April 10th, 2021 at 7:32 pm
Funny how equal opportunity became stacking the deck and calling it even and then accusing the other of having privledge.
April 11th, 2021 at 8:01 am
As i feared, our country is slowly becoming a liberal country under Biden. This is what the news media and super large company wants. Part of that is tearing down our country and calling anyone who does not go along with their agenda a racist. It’s got to point anyone can be called a racist. Sad but true.
April 11th, 2021 at 8:51 am
@Kit Just to continue on from a previous day – Vespa electric scooters definitely cater to more expansive wallets. I’ve seen prices for basic transportation at or under about 2K USD here (in the heart of Europe for casual readers).
April 11th, 2021 at 8:57 am
Concerning Cadillac, some of the EVs that will sell in China should work for Europe too – and costs to meet a different set of emissions standards be quasi nil.
Teslas abound round here, and modern Mustangs are anything but a rarity (in fact, a red one parks just across the road). Offer an attractive product, and the market(s) will respond.
April 11th, 2021 at 9:25 am
39 Vespa gas scooters are pricy too, at least in the US. Their 50cc machine is $3999, while a Honda Metropolitan is $2499. I suspect the performance is similar.
April 11th, 2021 at 4:27 pm
I just read that LG Energy struck a deal with SK Innovation, thus resolved the battery issue.
SK will pay $1.8B plus a royalty.
Maybe we will begin to see more electrics as batteries become more available and SK completes its US battery plant.
April 11th, 2021 at 7:53 pm
#30 tdr , I own TSLA Many shares , and holding till I triple at least, and its going towards a CYBRTRK
April 11th, 2021 at 9:41 pm
43,44,45 When did you start buying the stock?
April 11th, 2021 at 9:47 pm
43-45 When did you buy the stock?
April 12th, 2021 at 9:47 am
43-45)
When did you start buying TSLA stock?
April 12th, 2021 at 10:14 am
The switch to EVs isn’t going to be so dramatic that traditional manufacturers cannot adapt. When sales start to take off they can change a plant over to build EVs within a year. Its not like the whole plant needs revamped its basically the powertrain chassis. The body shops, paint shop and the interior and trim are basically the same. I would think the bigger concern would be decommissioning engine/transmission plants and having battery and motor production capacity. So they may need to lean on suppliers that are positioned to assist with this transition.