AD #3149 – GMC Reveals Canyon Off-Road Concept; Ford Electric Crate Motor Specs; Hyundai Santa Cruz Impressions
August 27th, 2021 at 11:48am
Listen to “AD #3149 – GMC Reveals Canyon Off-Road Concept; Ford Electric Crate Motor Specs; Hyundai Santa Cruz Impressions” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 12:05
0:08 GM to Require Salaried Employees Report Vaccine Status
1:00 Geneva Organizers & Qatar Partner for Spin-Off Auto Show
1:32 U.S. August Car Sales Expected to Drop
2:13 Ford Shares Specs for New Electric Crate Motor
3:41 GMC Reveals Canyon AT4 OVERLANDX Concept
4:28 Jeep Introduces Pink Paint Color for All Wranglers
5:03 Kia Develops Sportage Variant Specifically for Europe
5:53 Hyundai Santa Cruz Impressions
8:29 GM Warns LG Chem It Could Turn to Other Battery Suppliers
9:14 New Tech Protects Occupants & 1st Responders in EV Accidents
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
GM TO REQUIRE SALARIED EMPLOYEES REPORT VACCINE STATUS
General Motors is telling its salaried employees in the U.S. they have to tell the company whether they got a COVID vaccination or not. Employees will have to show a photograph of their vaccination card through a “confidential online reporting tool.” GM didn’t say what will happen to employees who don’t reveal their status, or who haven’t been vaccinated. It will use the results to determine COVID safety protocols. At the same time, the UAW says it’s going to encourage its members to get the vaccine but it won’t mandate it. But with GM requiring proof for its salaried workers, it looks like it’s heading towards a mandate for union members. Some UAW workers are threatening a wildcat strike if GM mandates vaccines, which could turn into a big controversy.
GENEVA ORGANIZERS & QATAR PARTNER FOR SPIN-OFF AUTO SHOW
Well here’s one of the most bizarre partnerships we’ve seen. The organizers of the Geneva auto show have teamed up with Qatar Tourism to create a spin-off auto show in the Middle East country. Called the Qatar Geneva International Motor Show, the first event will be held in 2023 in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and the show will be held every two years. That’s about all we know for now but the full details will be revealed at the regular Geneva show next February.
U.S. AUGUST CAR SALES EXPECTED TO DROP
New car sales in the U.S. continue to be held back by the chip shortage. J.D. Power and LMC Automotive are forecasting that August sales will drop 14% compared to a year ago. The good news is demand is high but automakers can’t build enough vehicles to meet that demand because of the chip shortage. There are only 942,000 vehicles on dealer lots, well below the 3 million vehicles dealers had two years ago. That’s also driving up the price of cars, the average transaction price is expected to hit nearly $41,400, a 16% increase.
FORD SHARES SPECS FOR NEW ELECTRIC CRATE MOTOR
We have details for the electric crate motor Ford is going to offer, called the Eluminator. It’s actually right from the Mach-E GT. It makes 281 horsepower or 210 kW, 317 lb-ft of torque or 430 Nm and weighs 205 lbs or 93 kg. It also includes the low voltage harness and connector, but does not come with an inverter, control system or battery. We suspect those things will eventually be available in a kit. But the motor itself will retail for $3,900.
GMC REVEALS CANYON AT4 OVERLANDX CONCEPT
GMC doesn’t want to miss out on the growing market for off-roading and overlanding. It revealed the Canyon AT4 OVERLANDX Concept to show off how the truck can be customized to potential customers. We say think of this like the GMC version of the Colorado ZR2 that it never got. It shares many of the same parts as the ZR2, like the cast-iron control arms, front and rear electronic locking differentials and even the Multimatic DSSV dampers. But it didn’t stop there. It also features heavy duty bumpers with a winch in the front, air snorkel, stainless steel bed cap, roof mounted tent as well as a solar panel. GMC says this concept shows how it envisions the future of the Canyon.
JEEP INTRODUCES PINK PAINT COLOR FOR ALL WRANGLERS
Speaking of off-roading, back wood trails are about to brighten up a bit. Jeep is now offering a pink paint color, called Tuscadero on every single Wrangler model. It’s only available for a limited time and will cost an additional $395. We’ve been reporting for years that brighter colors are starting to gain popularity around the world and this sure does highlight that. And it’s pretty amazing, along with the earlier Porsche announcement, I doubt we’ve ever talked about two pink cars in the same week before.
KIA DEVELOPS SPORTAGE VARIANT SPECIFICALLY FOR EUROPE
You may remember Kia showed off the all-new Sportage at the beginning of June, but it just revealed that for the first time it will also have a dedicated model, designed and developed specifically for the European market. It’s similar to the one shown in June, however it’s a little more compact and you’ll notice some tweaks to the design language, called Opposites United. The ride and handling characteristics have also been tuned for European roads and Kia says it will come with responsive and efficient powertrains. It doesn’t look like there will be much different with the interior. It’s modern and clean with a large, connected display screen that’s bookended by the air vents. The European Sportage will make its official debut during a virtual event on September 1st and is scheduled to launch later this year.
HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ IMPRESSIONS
We got a chance to drive the new Hyundai Santa Cruz yesterday. And while most of us will call it a pickup truck, Hyundai adamantly calls it a Sport Adventure Vehicle. That’s because it doesn’t want the public to think this is a pickup. Instead, Hyundai is aiming this thing at young men who drive a crossover, but want a bed where they can stow their gear, or dump dirty clothes and equipment. The Santa Cruz is built off the Tucson, giving it similar driving manners to a CUV. The styling is crisp and expressive, the interior is laid out to look like a car, the steering is relatively quick, it corners and rides like a sporty CUV, and you get brisk acceleration with the optional turbo 2.5 liter. While it only has a 4-foot bed, Hyundai says it will hold a 4×8 sheet of plywood if you create a shelf over the wheel wells with 2×6 boards that fit into molded-in slots on the side of the bed. The tailgate can be set to open only halfway so it supports the back half of the plywood. With the standard, naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine it can tow 3,500 pounds, while the all-wheel-drive turbo can tow 5,000 pounds. Base price is just over $25,000 but the loaded Premium model we drove comes with a price tag of nearly $41,000. Here’s our Autoline Insight. The Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick are going after different customers. Hyundai is targeting men who are 35 to 45 years old, who live in urban areas who venture outdoors on the weekend. The Maverick is aimed more at a broader audience that will use it as a truck, but for activities like antiquing and gardening. We can’t wait to see which company has the better strategy and we should have a good idea before the year is out.
GM WARNS LG CHEM IT COULD TURN TO OTHER BATTERY SUPPLIERS
Business is booming for manufacturers that make EV batteries. But it’s a risky business. LG Chem, which makes the batteries for the Chevrolet Bolt EV, is about to lose a lot of money. General Motors is publicly blaming LG for battery fires in the Bolt due to manufacturing defects. The recall is going to cost $1.8 billion, and GM wants LG to pay for it all. And that caused LG’s stock price to plummet. GM is building two battery plants in the U.S. in partnership with LG, but CEO Mary Barra says GM has other ways to get the batteries it needs–a clear threat to LG that it could turn to other battery suppliers.
NEW TECH PROTECTS OCCUPANTS IN EV ACCIDENTS
On Autoline After Hours yesterday we learned about a neat little device that can protect occupants and first responders if an EV gets in an accident. Jason Lisseman, a vice president from Joyson Safety Systems, talked about a pyrotechnic device they make to instantly cut battery power if an EV gets in an accident. Here’s how it works.
Jason Lisseman: “A little known technology that we’ve just pivoted with is a little pyrotechnic battery disconnect device that sits in the battery management system, that in the event of an accident we sever power to all vehicle systems. And that keeps our first responders and occupants safe from electrification. Because in the event of an accident you have to make sure that the 450 or 500 volts or up to 1000 volts and 20,000 amps doesn’t short to the body-in-white and electrocute people.”
Gary Vasilash: “So how does this work? Basically, it detects the collision and then it cuts the wires?”
Jason Lisseman: No, it’s an active system. The vehicle crash system (detects) the accident. But there’s also other sensors within the battery management system that look at the temperature of the battery and other such things. So from a signal, when the OEM makes the determination that this is a risk or a particular threshold of an accident, they can fire this device and we effectively break the coupler bus that passes the electricity from the battery system to all the vehicle systems in under, or just over one millisecond. And in doing so we generate a huge plasma arc that we have to manage and mitigate. And the higher the voltage or amperage the more challenging it gets.”
Tesla started using the first generation of this device in 2017 and Volkswagen is using the next generation in its EVs. And Joyson says it’s getting a lot of interest from a lot of automakers.
But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for joining us and I hope you have a great weekend.
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Comments (39)
August 27th, 2021 at 12:08 pm
Regarding the GM threat to LG ,will it be an Ultium? Or Ultimatum
August 27th, 2021 at 12:20 pm
Yesterday’s Autoline After Hours was interesting. Good job Bengt, Gary, and John, as well as Jason from Joyson Safety Systems.
Yesterday, Mary Barra gave an interview to Bloomberg that’s available online. It’s important for her to be seen and heard at this crucial junction, but her only rejoinder concerning alternate battery cell sourcing was the reference to their investment in a company researching solid-state batteries.
I find the idea that gm might conjure up replacement cells for their coming new vehicles very far-fetched. Meanwhile, here in Europe, numerous new EVs are selling quite well (among them the Mach-E, Ford of Europe’s first successful upscale car in an generation). Just a pity that most Teslas are now sourced out of China.
Does anyone else have hallucinations about dropping that crate motor into a three-wheeler? Paging Sandy Munro.
August 27th, 2021 at 12:30 pm
So I’m wondering if Jeep has another reason for using the Tuscadero name for its pink Jeep.
I immediately was thrown back to the 70′s watching Happy Days and Fonzie’s love interest Pinky Tuscadero played by Roz Kelly.
August 27th, 2021 at 12:45 pm
3, yeah I caught that too; Pinky Tuscadero. I’d call the Porsche pink fuchsia and the Jeep’s magenta (but pinkish none the less).
We had Covid on its knees, then the cases eased and July 4th happened. Along with the delta variant, reluctance to get vaccinated, and we’re almost right where we were (not a good place).
August 27th, 2021 at 1:38 pm
Regarding the Joyson device that cuts “all” power when a BEV is in an accident, I hope it doesn’t cut “all” power, all residual power is needed for systems like OnStar to call for help. Also, some accidents are concatenation events wherein the safety systems need to be powered for a secondary (and often more severe) collision.
August 27th, 2021 at 1:54 pm
5 Drew – That’s what the separate 12V battery is for.
August 27th, 2021 at 2:00 pm
I think the correct pronunciation for the Arab country Qatar is “Cutter”. I’ve heard it from news sources.
August 27th, 2021 at 2:29 pm
Covid19 is here to stay, no vaccine will cut it down to its knees, it is a virus, just like your common cold and flu,it will mutate and probably get a little weaker with time, but will be here nonetheless, but then again it might become easier to spread and transmit,, a clue can be found by reading about the Spanish flu of 1918-19 but even that is nothing like COVID19 , and with jet travel Covid19 will be one-step ahead of us humans.
August 27th, 2021 at 2:38 pm
GM making threats to LG seems like they have other battery options,IMHO they really don’t have,nothing but empty threats they have , sourcing batteries is not like switching on a light bulb,Who they gonna partner with,SKInnovation , who still have to build a factory for Ford? Mary Barra is dreaming , or totally clueless,or both.
August 27th, 2021 at 2:54 pm
To vaccinate or not? Tough question to be sure. I wonder though why? Currently vaccination has done seemingly little to slow the spread. Deadly for some, not so much for the masses. 10% of the US population was diagnosed with Covid. Yet as a percentage appox .5% has succumbed. It is #3 on the CDCs cause of death. I certainly glad there is a vaccine, but at an 80% efficacy rate, with what may now require 6 month booster shot. Is this worth the attention it is getting?
August 27th, 2021 at 2:55 pm
Anyone old enough to remember VCRs should remember Goldstar as a second rate discount brand. Goldstar changed their name to LG. Maybe GM shouldn’t be surprised about the defect.
August 27th, 2021 at 3:01 pm
What, exactly, does Ford think people will do with their electric motor, without power electronics? It’s not like you just turn it on and off with a light switch.
August 27th, 2021 at 3:04 pm
11 I have two Goldstar 5500 btu window air conditioners, about 23 years old, and they still work perfectly.
August 27th, 2021 at 3:06 pm
@11: the company name used to be Lucky-Goldstar, hence the “LG”. I remember this because I worked in the chemical industry 35 years ago and Lucky-Goldstar from South Korea was one of our up-and-coming competitors.
August 27th, 2021 at 3:12 pm
@GM Canyon Off-Road: could anyone explain to me what the two lines from the hood to the roof are for?
August 27th, 2021 at 3:18 pm
that santa cruz looks like a modern day brat with 4 doors,instead of 2.
August 27th, 2021 at 3:18 pm
Mary Kay could be a buyer of the pink Jeeps.
August 27th, 2021 at 3:38 pm
Sean, another excellent presentation of Autoline Daily! One tiny criticism in the “for-what-it’s-worth category,” Hyundai is pronounced “Hunday,” (rhymes with “Sunday”) not “Honday.” Back in the formative marketing days at Hyundai on entering the US market, it is thought that factory representatives told dealership sales personnel to pronounce Hyundai as “Honday,” to sound a bit like the established automotive icon from Japan, but over time it has returned to the proper “Hunday.” Hyundai is now completely established and needs to emulate no one in the industry.
August 27th, 2021 at 3:49 pm
@Wim – Apparently those are called Guy cables and are meant to keep low hanging branches from hitting the windshield.
August 27th, 2021 at 3:56 pm
@19: I see, thanks for explaining that, Sean.
That Canyon Off-Road looks great to me, by the way.
August 27th, 2021 at 4:52 pm
18 I still hear people calling it high-un-die. I remember US marketeers pronouncing Renault as “renn-alt,” I guess trying to hide that they were French, though probably everyone knew.
August 27th, 2021 at 8:18 pm
21, back in the 1950s, most people said Ren- alt. I think that as we’ve become more accustomed to the correct pronunciation of foreign words we’ve changed. Yet hardly anyone says Folks-vagen. Then there’s Peugeot.
August 27th, 2021 at 8:47 pm
22 Here is an ad like I remember for the Dauphine. They don’t hide that it is French, but say renn-alt.
https://youtu.be/OCkgf8mM714
Peugeot left the US market about 30 years ago, so a lot of Americans never would have even heard of the brand.
August 27th, 2021 at 9:55 pm
23, fun to see those old ads. I’ve heard people pronounce Peugeot Pew-got or Poo-go. Kit, where did you find that Dauphine ad?
August 28th, 2021 at 2:18 am
23 Kit – Great find. The Dauphine had a city horn and a country horn! Also, if you knew how to pronounce Claire Chennault, Renault shouldn’t be a problem.
August 28th, 2021 at 6:04 am
French 1 and French 2 in high school (only took 3 years
), so for me: ren-know. Nice catch on the add Kit.
The GMC AT4 looks like it means business now, and while most won’t use the vehicle off road, there is a large off-road contingency that will have another serious choice when traversing the ‘hills and dales’.
August 28th, 2021 at 7:37 am
I just saw in my local newspaper that BMW is working on a new larger SUV that will be built in S.C. Probably being called the X8 and trying to get into the increasingly crowded Escalade, Lincoln, Grand Wagoneer market; the behemoths keep coming.
August 28th, 2021 at 5:07 pm
24 I searched “renault dauphine ad” on youtube. I think that was the first one that came up.
August 28th, 2021 at 5:16 pm
I didn’t realize that the only Dauphine body style was 4 door sedan/saloon, I think in all markets, but the wikipedia article says that was the case.
August 29th, 2021 at 4:38 am
The seminal Renault 4 wasn’t long in coming. It was introduced two years after the Mini and produced from 1961-’94 (!), while the rear-engined Dauphine rolled off the lines from ’56-’67. Interesting.
August 29th, 2021 at 5:57 am
And I’ll hazard a guess that the new BYD Dolphin could follow in the Renault’s treadmarks. A compelling EV (as in market-compelling) made by one of the goliaths of cell manufacturing, and unchallenged world champion of electric buses.
27 Chuck – I didn’t know the Escalade was available with gm’s nice inline six turbodiesel. Color me something non-pink.
Given the US produces roughly 150 million gallons of biofuels a month, I can see powerful series hybrids becoming a ‘local’ BEV alternative.
August 29th, 2021 at 6:58 am
31, Sean; and I believe the 3.0 liter Escalade diesel is a no cost option. I think the diesel makes the most sense for these large vehicles.
August 29th, 2021 at 5:00 pm
That diesel would be nice in a car, if there are any cars it would fit in. According to MT, it gets 8.5 seconds 0-60 in the huge trucks, and returns 21/27 EPA gas mileage in an Escalade. In a 4000 pound car, or better yet, car-height wagon, it should do about 6 seconds 0-60, and get 40 mpg on the highway.
August 30th, 2021 at 8:54 am
I am vaccinated and encourage everyone to get them. However I am adamantly against forced vaccinations for anyone. If it is OK to force medical decisions on people, then I have a list of things that GM should be forcing people to do medically.
August 30th, 2021 at 9:29 am
I was required to be vaccinated for various things when in the navy, was required to get a yellow fever shot to go on a cruise in Brazil, and kids need to be vaccinated to enroll in school. It’s a public health and safety thing that should be “forced,” for the good of all of us. Yeah, people disagree, especially with all of the misinformation and disinformation being spewed about.
August 30th, 2021 at 10:56 am
35) Is it GMs role or the governments role when talking about “the good for all”? Should we be using the GM board room when it is politically inconvenient to actually legislate? Is that the role of GM? Imagine what Trump would have done if he could have used executive board rooms across the country to legislate from.
August 30th, 2021 at 11:50 am
36) For as much as some think it is not right for businesses to require vacinations, they also complain when it mandated by the government.
Unfortunately, it is out of sheer stupidity and selfishness for these people who do not take the responsibility of getting vacinated upon themselve. If there is someone to complain to, often they can be found in the mirror.
August 30th, 2021 at 2:58 pm
If this was SAFE and EFFECTIVE then more would certainly take it. Higher death rate than all vaccines combined, side effects and now waining or no effectiveness to variants. (Look at Isreal). Manufacturers have zero liability? People are waking up. Maybe GM will pay damages to employees for adverse reactions. Stop watching CNN!
August 30th, 2021 at 4:27 pm
34 I respect your stance on this as I think people forget the “Live Free or Die” America. Joe G is right and this is NOT a vaccine. This is an experimental drug where if you open the info packet that comes with any other drug it provides the contents of the drug. Information that lets Pharmacists the ability to let you know if you may suffer drug interactions.
The Government has allowed emergency use of a substance without accepting any legal liability for damages. The drug companies cannot be sued and if that doesn’t concern you your a fool.
Those that don’t believe there is adverse affects not being reported are also okay with being lied to. Just like how the Media is saying Florida is a problem yet when you check it is not even according to the CDC website where they rank 27th among cases per 1000.
Everyone seems to be very opinionated about this subject and nothing irritates me more than the people who think the unvacc people are selfish or stupid when I’m told hey go get the jab. Its safe but if not too bad you cant hold anyone responsible. Oh and if you get it you can still get CV and you can still transmit CV and you still need to wear a mask and all it really does is lower your chances of CV being fatal to YOU. Doesn’t affect anyone else so F your selfishness comment.
The reason I feel as I do is I have three brothers and two did get vaccinated and two of us did not. Within the last 6 weeks two of my brothers had strokes. Take a guess which ones? So both are in physical therapy and one will probably recover somewhat enough to go back to work. My other brother loss function of his whole right side. Too young to retire but also will not be able to go to work. On disability he will likely lose his house and may require a wheelchair from now on.. Mind you our family has no history of heart disease or strokes and all my brothers are between 48-55.
If you were in a bar and the bartender said hey drink this.. Whats in it? Don’t worry about it its fine. I have 4 people on my parole that will tell you its safe. You’d be cautious yet for some reason for the Jab people throw common sense out the window and are lining up to be part of an experiment. For me when someone trusts it enough to take on the legal liability of it then I’ll consider it.