AD #3111 – BMW M440i Reawakens Love of Open-Air Driving; Fisker Pear to Be Built in Wisconsin; F-150 Is Fastest Cop Car
June 29th, 2021 at 11:49am
Listen to “AD #3111 – BMW M440i Reawakens Love of Open-Air Driving; Fisker Pear to Be Built in Wisconsin; F-150 Is Fastest Cop Car” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 10:27
0:07 EVs Are Cleaner Than ICEs
1:14 Fisker Pear to Be Built in Wisconsin
1:58 EV Startups Become Meme Stocks
4:04 UAW Selects New President
4:49 F-150 Is Fastest Cop Car
5:42 Black Cab Maker Unveils A Campervan
7:07 ADAS Tech Lowers Insurance Rates
7:45 BMW M440i Reawakens Love of Open-Air Driving
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
EVs ARE CLEANER THAN ICEs
Are EVs cleaner than ICEs? You bet they are, according to a study from the Argonne National Laboratory. But you have to drive your EV for about a year for it to catch up to a piston powered car. Manufacturing EVs generates more greenhouse gasses than manufacturing ICEs. But EVs are far cleaner while they’re being driven. Argonne looked at lifecycle emissions, including mining the metals needed to make cars, all the way to recycling cars at the end of their lives. One comparison was between a Tesla Model 3 and a Toyota Corolla. Using the US electric grid, the Model 3 would have to drive 13,500 miles before it was cleaner than the Corolla. In Norway, which uses mostly hydropower to generate electricity, you only have to drive 8,400 miles. And in China, where most electricity comes from coal, you have to drive 78,700 miles.
FISKER PEAR TO BE BUILT IN WISCONSIN
Say, did we just learn where Fisker is going to have Foxconn build its next car called the Pear? Neither company announced anything yet, but Autoforecast Solutions reports that it will be built in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. That’s where Foxconn built a plant with massive state subsidies to make large flat screen TVs. But that plan hasn’t quite worked out, and state officials are hopping mad with Foxconn. So if that plant starts making electric cars everyone is going to heave a sigh of relief. Wisconsin gets a return for taxpayers, Foxconn gets a contract to make Fiskers, and Fisker gets its cars.
EV STARTUPS BECOME MEME STOCKS
We’ve seen young retail investors send stock prices soaring for companies like GameStop and AMC Entertainment. It’s what they call meme stocks or the Reddit effect. Large groups of people converge on Reddit to debate which stocks to invest in, especially if they can hurt big investment companies that are shorting those stocks. And now EV startups are part of the frenzy. Earlier this year EV stocks shot up fast, until the whole tech sector was hit with a correction, EV companies included. But yesterday we saw some big moves for the EV startups that are facing the biggest challenges. Workhorse shot up nearly 9%. Lordstown and Lucid were up more than 7%. The biggest gains came from Chinese EV companies NIO and Xpeng. The big moves have nothing to do with fundamentals like sales or profits. It’s all about helping out the underdogs and sticking it to the man. So these stocks could go a lot higher. But if you’re a careful investor, you’ll keep your hands in your pockets and watch it all flash by.
| EV STOCK PRICES | ||
|---|---|---|
| June 28, 2021 | ||
| Company | Closing | % Change |
| Workhorse | $16.96 | +8.6% |
| Lordstown | $11.79 | +7.2% |
| Lucid | $27.00 | +7.2% |
| NIO | $49.40 | +9.6% |
| Xpeng | $45.31 | +7.4% |
UAW SELECTS NEW PRESIDENT
The UAW has another president. Ray Curry, 55, who is currently Secretary-Treasurer of the union, will take over the top spot. He’s the fourth president in three years. Current president Rory Gamble is retiring, and his two predecessors are in jail. Curry joined the UAW in 1992 as an assembler at Freightliner Trucks in North Carolina. He also served three years on active duty in the U.S. Army and five years in the Army Reserves. He’s taking over a union that’s been rocked by corruption and he’ll have to deal with a court appointed monitor who will oversee the union for the next six years.
F-150 IS FASTEST COP CAR
What’s the fastest cop car on the road today? You probably wouldn’t guess that it’s the Ford F-150. But tests done by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police clocked the F-150 Police Responder at 5.4 seconds going from 0 to 60 mph. That’s 1.2 seconds faster than the outgoing F-150 and 0.4 seconds faster than any other vehicle they tested. Top speed is 120 mph, it does 0 to 100 in 13.1 seconds, and it ran the quarter-mile faster than any other cop car. It’s powered by a 3.5L EcoBoost engine with 500 lb-ft of torque. So you better be careful. The cops start getting those trucks this fall.
BLACK CAB MAKER UNVEILS A CAMPERVAN
The London Electric Vehicle Company, which makes those iconic black cabs, unveiled a plug-in hybrid campervan called the e-Camper. It’s based on a modified version of the company’s VN5 delivery van. It has an all-electric range of 60 miles and more than 300 miles range total. Some features include an integrated electric kitchenette, pop-up roof, central folding table and sleeping spots for up to four people. The starting price is more than 62,000 pounds or about $86,000 and deliveries begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
ADAS TECH LOWERS INSURANCE RATES
Well it’s about time we saw this. Automakers keep installing all kinds of safety equipment on cars, which raises the cost of making them. So the insurance company State Farm teamed up with Ford to study the impact of ADAS–advanced driver assistance systems–on accident claims. Turns out that stuff really works. State Farm is dropping insurance rates up to 20% on Ford, Lincoln and even Mercury models that go back to 2010. And that can help defer the cost of adding all that safety technology.
BMW M440i REAWAKENS LOVE OF OPEN-AIR DRIVING
Everybody loves convertibles, but not many people buy them. They’re expensive and inconvenient. When the top is up its noisy inside. When the top is down the traffic noise around you can be deafening, And if you live in the snow belt, you’ll never drop the top in winter. But on a nice summer day, out on a quiet country road, there’s nothing better than driving a convertible. We had a BMW M440i come through the Autoline Garage and it reawakened our love of open-air motoring. For one thing, this convertible is so easy to use. The top goes down in seconds at the touch of a button. No latches or levers to deal with. Better still, the structure of this car is impressive. There’s virtually no cowl shake, even going over rough railroad crossings. And best of all, this car gets it on. Powered by a turbocharged in-line 6 that cranks out 382 horsepower, it goes from quiet cruiser to rocket launcher at a touch of the throttle. It’s comfortable inside, with soft leather padding anywhere you want to rest an arm or lean a leg. And it comes with all the latest safety and connectivity technology. As well it should. The one we test drove cost almost $75,000. A few critiques. The 8-speed automatic can have some balky downshifts when braking hard from high speed, and the nav system is a bit fussy when trying to zoom in or out. But it’s easy to forget all that when you’re cruising down a two-lane road, with next to no traffic, and you can safely look around at your surroundings, or even look up at the sky. This is one of those cars that will get you to give up travelling on the highway, and seek out all the back roads instead.
Before we go, a quick reminder: If you’ve got any questions about the new Ford Maverick, send them our way. We have the top marketing and engineering execs for the Maverick coming on Autoline After Hours this Thursday.
And that wraps up today’s report, thanks for watching.
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Comments (36)
June 29th, 2021 at 12:03 pm
Hopefully, you didn’t drive that BMW around top down with the windows up like the clown in the footage you showed! How did that silly behavior ever get traction in this country anyway?
June 29th, 2021 at 12:11 pm
So your saying I can get the convertible BMW with 382HP for $75k or a tiny Cab turned into a camper van for $86k.. Humm doesn’t seem like a very hard decision. Don’t expect the camper van to sell very well at that price. You can get a much larger MB camper van for that price or one on a the Transit van for about half that price.
June 29th, 2021 at 12:17 pm
Seems China needs to invest in some alternative power sources or EVs don’t offer near the advantage they could.
I do hope the Fisker deal works out. Sounds like a win win for everyone.
June 29th, 2021 at 12:19 pm
If you live anywhere where it snows, driving the convertible with the top down and the windows up makes a lot of sense. My MB SLC has an ‘airscarf’, which blows warm air onto your neck, so you can put the top down even on the coldest day.
June 29th, 2021 at 12:27 pm
I liked the targa top on the vette i used to have. Seemed a like a good compromise, a hard top when you needed it or open air when you didn’t. Like Kevin said with heated seats it was still comfy in cool weather.
June 29th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
Forgot to mention the BMW M has a face no mother could like, not to mention love.
June 29th, 2021 at 12:30 pm
1. You want to talk about silly behavior… How about the knucklehead wearing a mask while driving the police F150 ALONE? Is he afraid of catching something from himself? What the *&$%!
Sorry, but I’m gonna clown anybody I see doing this, because I think it’s simply asinine behavior.
June 29th, 2021 at 12:53 pm
#7 Lots of silly behavior left over as we exit Covid 19. I’ve decided to just let it go or it will drive me crazy!
June 29th, 2021 at 1:10 pm
A good “convertible” answer is the route C8 took; hard top convertible. I believe the take rate is over 30% currently and priced similarly to the BMW (though you could ‘load’ a Vette at a quite higher number). Another benefit with the C8 HTC is that no luggage space is lost to the vehicle; frankly C8 hit it out of the park (again) with their convertible.
June 29th, 2021 at 1:33 pm
China get a high percentage of its electricity from burning coal, but not as high as Kentucky, Missouri, or West Virginia.
June 29th, 2021 at 1:44 pm
The Ford Police Monster Truck was quickest to 60, but in the Michigan State Police tests, the Charger was quicker to 100 mph, 14.14 seconds vs 16.78. In the Michigan top speed test, the F150 was seriously slow, 105 mph, while the Charger went 140, and all of the rest of the vehicles tested were faster than the F150.
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/MY2021PoliceVehicleEvaluationTestBook_713080_7.pdf
I guess the Ford Media Center bragging release is for unofficial tests of future models, or did they make mid-2021 changes?
June 29th, 2021 at 1:45 pm
Hey John, a Maverick question for your Thursday guest, can you ask if they intend to have an AWD version with the hybrid powertrain? I think the Maverick is a home run waiting to happen but in our area this combination is what we need IMO, thanks, Todd C
June 29th, 2021 at 1:51 pm
8 Yeah, lots of silly behavior, because while things are getting better with a lot of people vaccinated, the pandemic is far from over. Yeah, it is much worse in some other countries, like Argentina and Brazil.
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=bra&areas=gbr&areas=can&areas=ind&areas=arg&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=usin&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=ustx&cumulative=0&logScale=1&per100K=1&startDate=2020-09-01&values=deaths
June 29th, 2021 at 1:52 pm
Regarding the Maverick, is there going to be a regular cab or extended cab version, in addition to the four door with the extra short bed?
June 29th, 2021 at 2:09 pm
I second Kit’s maverick question. IS a regular cab with 6-1/2 foot bed in the near future? If so I’d seriously consider it. I don’t want or need a 4 door truck with a too small bed. The NAPA in my town is still using 15 YO regular cab / short bed Rangers as delivery vehicles . I think Ford is missing a market by not offering it.
Also I saw a render of a ST version that looked great , ask if that is possible in the future to see. Maybe instead of ST they could call it Grabber like the performance Maverick coupe in the 70s.
June 29th, 2021 at 2:33 pm
#1. Raising the windows with the top lowered reduces wind buffering. It is a valid way to drive a convertible.
#7. I see people doing this and it is a puzzle as to what they are doing. It is possible Ford has a policy that all employees driving one of their cars/trucks/SUVs must wear a mask. So, a bit of slack for the driver in this video.
June 29th, 2021 at 3:08 pm
13 Things cant be getting better because of the vaccine. They say it doesn’t prevent the spread. Or is that just another mis-information? But yes more than likely the Ford driver is just following another company policy that has no common sense behind it.
June 29th, 2021 at 3:38 pm
I drive my Miata in cold weather with the windows up and the heater on.
June 29th, 2021 at 4:06 pm
@7 The mask prevents spreading his germs in the vehicle that will likely be driven be someone else in a few minutes. There is likely a pack of chlorox wipes in there for him to wipe down the touch points when he leaves. Company policy. And science.
Some of you folks strain pretty hard to downplay the benefits of masks.
June 29th, 2021 at 4:08 pm
#18 I used to do the same thing in my MG-B when I was 19. But years later (as the owner of two consecutive Miatas) I never had the urge to drop the top in cold weather with the windows up or down! Doing so seems kind of counter-intuitive to me.
June 29th, 2021 at 4:17 pm
In a Miata it is easier for a person as we age, to get in or out with the top down
June 29th, 2021 at 4:37 pm
John, as someone else asked about if there will an “ST” version of the Maverick. What I’d like to know is if Ford will do something sporty with the Maverick, too! More like when Ford did the Adrenaline package for the Explorer Sport Track years ago? A Maverick with a sportier look inside and out, would be a more direct competitor for the Santa Cruz.
June 29th, 2021 at 5:42 pm
17 For the most part, the ~half who are vaccinated are neither contracting nor spreading the virus.
June 29th, 2021 at 5:47 pm
22 A Maverick ST with a turbo 4/manual transmission would be an Americanized Focus ST, a pickup truck instead of a 5-door hatch, with a similar powertrain.
June 29th, 2021 at 9:52 pm
As the truck market has moved more and more to luxury, will the Maverick follow?
June 30th, 2021 at 4:49 am
18 Victor West – I’ve driven various roadsters in winter with the top down and the windows partially or fully up. It’s when a really cozy winter sports jacket comes in handy. And I’m definitely not of the arctic explorer ilk. Though nowadays, there’s the option of heated seats. Pish! Always struggled with the cap.
4 kevin A – About that Mercedes-Benz air scarf: am I right that it only warms the back of the neck?
June 30th, 2021 at 7:36 am
About Argonne’s GREET emissions model, Tesla revealed in their battery day substantial improvements in LiON formulation. After making the cell, there are a series of charge-discharge cycles done in a thermally controlled environment to ‘form’ the internal cell chemistry. Tesla’s recent patent covers the technical details (see web link YouTube.)
Argonne’s GREET model would have used traditional, energy wasteful LiON manufacturing. In contrast, Tesla is/has moved towards more efficient processes that improve the quality and reduce their battery costs.
June 30th, 2021 at 8:37 am
22 Its amazing how many people are interested in a regular cab small truck with a useable size bed. Yet whenever they are offered in regular and 4 door versions the 4 door take is about 80% of sales. I know there is a market there even if it is small they should fill that gap. I wouldn’t think a 2 door version regular cab would require a huge investment.
June 30th, 2021 at 9:53 am
Maybe as the last of the S10s and old Rangers rust into oblivian, someone will start selling regular cab small trucks again.
June 30th, 2021 at 10:16 am
Lambo, The demand never went away for businesses and single people,but when manufacturers decide what you want and then produce product to enforce that mentality what does a consumer do,. I’m old enough to remember when we were told FWD is the way of the future it’s better in snow than RWD and then they shifted to build most cars that way ( the real reason was it was cheaper to produce the small cars that the EPA was demanding. When that faded it was AWD is the way. As was no one wants a station wagon , here is a minivan, then when the soccer Mom stigma was attached it was SUV and CUVs . Now they are going after sedans just as they did convertibles and coupes not that long ago
June 30th, 2021 at 10:43 am
29 Front drive IS much better in snow than RWD. I’m old enough to know. My Plymouth Duster was replaced with a Horizon which was much better on slick stuff. FWD cars with regular “all season” tires will go in snow up to the depth where the front of the vehicle is plowing it. Now, 4WD is such a fad that a lot of people are buying it on vehicles that will never see snow, and manufacturers are making it mandatory in the US market for some vehicles that are sold FWD and RWD in other markets.
June 30th, 2021 at 10:53 am
29 Yeah no doubt costs and profits drive much of what’s being made. Part of the FWD push was to achieve EPA requirements too. They are more efficient and able to get better fuel economy so that also helped the cause. Which is why the Fiero was a cool concept. FWD transaxle placed in the rear so you still get a RWD car.
Anyway, Yeah like I said I think there is still a market for a base regular cab small truck and maybe that market is for small business owners and contractors. So even if that market is smaller than the overall desire for the 4 door I just don’t understand why offering some choice is so difficult anymore.
Lots of folks here remember when you could get a car in a sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon. Trucks came in 2 door, extended cab, 4 door and short bed and long bed where the bed sizes were offered in all cab configurations.
I had high hopes for the new Blazer and Bronco, that they would be offered in a 2 door and 4 door with removable tops and doors and the Bronco is close. But Ford had to stay with a somewhat retro style. Sure would be nice to GM offer those features with an all new design that doesn’t have to remind everyone they did it before but can develop something actually new and fresh with features that many people miss.
June 30th, 2021 at 11:10 am
29 Also I don’t think that manufacturers are behind the trends that drove people from sedans to minivans to SUVs. That’s market driven and like clothes come and go in fads. Minvans made sense for families and offered more room and flexibility than station wagons. But once everyone has one its no longer cool or different. Then people moved to SUVs to haul the family and they offered the ability to seat 7 people and still haul the boat or camper. Much of thins was really driven by seat belt laws and child seat requirements. When I grew up my mom held the baby and the rest of us boys spread out the sleeping bags in the back of the station wagon on long trips. Rarely ever wore seatbelts in fact I remember many pre-1965 (before I was born but still around) cars without any belts. Any family with more than 2 kids found the sedan to be pretty cramped in the back seat if you had two car seats. They are pretty big and bulky not leaving much room for that third kid. So third row seats became a necessary and the big sliding door on a van made getting the kids in and out much easier. I think the SUV was just a shift to not be driving the typical family minivan. Wasn’t cool and the SUV isn’t as ergonomic as a minivan but fads win.
Anyway manufacturers make what sells, and what is available is driven by consumers not by what is made. I will say that to cut costs and reduce complexity manufacturers are limiting choices. Yea they don’t offer station wagons and they don’t offer huge color choices because that appeases a small market of people. So not worth their time. Much like the 2 door trucks we would like to see. It isn’t being made cause they don’t want people to buy them they don’t offer them cause people don’t buy them at the level to justify them.
June 30th, 2021 at 12:36 pm
Did I miss an announcement? Is there no Wednesday show?
June 30th, 2021 at 12:39 pm
Funny Kit I was thinking the same thing.
June 30th, 2021 at 12:44 pm
34 & 35 – Rechecked the email with Wednesday show – It was 11:54.