AD #3193 – Mercedes-AMG Unveils New SL Roadster; Tesla Triples VW’s Profit Per Vehicle; Toyota Reveals More bZ4X Details
October 29th, 2021 at 11:50am
Listen to “AD #3193 – Mercedes-AMG Unveils New SL Roadster; Tesla Triples VW’s Profit Per Vehicle; Toyota Reveals More bZ4X Details” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 12:06
0:08 Volvo Launches IPO
0:26 Peugeot Introduces Electric 208 In Brazil
1:03 SK Innovation Invests in Solid State Battery Startup
1:34 Hyundai Partners with Solid State Battery Startup
2:03 Tesla Triples Volkswagen’s Profit Per Vehicle
3:52 Mercedes-AMG Unveils New SL Roadster
6:12 Honda Expands Battery Swapping Business
6:55 Toyota Reveals More bZ4X EV Details
9:05 You Said It!
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VOLVO LAUNCHES IPO
Volvo launched its IPO today on the Stockholm market. The company’s shares jumped 22% after its debut which puts its valuation at $22 billion. EV stocks are red hot again. Both Tesla and Lucid posted big gains this week.
PEUGEOT INTRODUCES ELECTRIC 208 IN BRAZIL
And now EVs are starting to make their way to emerging markets. Peugeot just launched the electric version of the 208 in Brazil. The small hatchback is powered by a 50-kWh battery, a 100-kW electric motor and has a range of 340 kilometers or about 210 miles based on the WLTP cycle. But the little EV is priced at $43,400, which suggests to us there will not be a lot of buyers because the ICE version of the 208 costs about $18,000 in Brazil.
SK INNOVATION INVESTS IN SOLID STATE BATTERY STARTUP
The high cost of batteries is one reason why solid state batteries keep getting a lot of attention. South Korean battery maker SK Innovation is investing $30 million into Solid Power, a solid-state battery startup in Colorado. Solid Power is also backed by Ford and BMW. Solid state batteries promise to be cheaper, lighter, faster to charge, and store more energy than lithium-ion batteries. But they’re more difficult to make.
HYUNDAI PARTNERS WITH SOLID STATE BATTERY STARTUP
Difficult to make or not, Hyundai and Kia are partnering with Factorial Energy to test solid state batteries and maybe even manufacture them. Factorial says its solid-state batteries can extend driving range by 20 to 50% compared to lithium-ion batteries. The startup is based in Massachusetts and has Former Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche and former Ford CEO Mark Fields on its advisory board.
TESLA TRIPLES VOLKSWAGEN’S PROFIT PER VEHICLE
Volkswagen’s CEO Herbert Diess is trying to light a fire under his management team to catch up to Tesla. As we reported last week, Diess actually invited Elon Musk to call into a meeting with VW’s top executives. Here’s a key reason why Diess is so worried. VW is significantly behind Tesla when it comes to how much revenue and profit each vehicle generates for the company. Tesla generates nearly $50,000 in revenue for each vehicle it sells. Volkswagen generates a little over $27,000. Keep in mind that Tesla barely sells any vehicles priced under $40,000, while the bulk of VW’s, SEAT’s, and Skoda’s sales are less than that. On the other hand, most Audi’s, Porsche’s, Bentley’s and Bugatti’s are priced much higher than that. Also, these numbers do not include the significant revenue that VW generates with its finance arm. We’re just looking at pure automotive revenue. And here’s the number that worries Diess the most. Tesla generates nearly $7,000 in profit for every vehicle it sells, while VW generates about $2,000. So if Diess truly wants to catch up to Tesla, he’s got some heavy lifting to do. He’s got to get VW to more than triple how much profit it makes for every vehicle it sells.
| Company | Revenue/Vehicle | Net Profit/Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla | $49,948 | $6,702 |
| Volkswagen AG | $27,525 | $2,044 |
| Source: Company financial reports | ||
MERCEDES-AMG UNVEILS NEW SL ROADSTER
Mercedes pulled the wraps off the new AMG SL roadster. The vehicle was developed independently by Mercedes-AMG, including its completely new 2+2 vehicle architecture, which features a lightweight composite aluminum chassis. It says the design gives the structure a lot of rigidity, which translates to better driving dynamics and more comfort and allowed designers to give it the sporty body proportions it wanted. And the new AMG SL is a low-slung car with a long hood and a short rear end. Thin lamps and large air vents are other sporty cues you notice right away. At some angles the rear end reminds us a little of the Porsche 911, but with the top up we’re also getting some classic car vibes. It’s kind of hard to describe, but there’s something about the angle at which the top meets the body at the rear. Not sure if that’s what the designers were going for, but they for sure were trying to look to the past with the two power bulges on the hood, which are meant to be reminiscent of the first SL generation. At launch, there will be two versions of the SL; the SL 55 and SL 63. Under the hood of the SL 55 is a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 that makes about 475 horsepower and helps this two-door go from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. The SL 63 also has a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 but it makes 585 horsepower and does 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds. Both feature a 9-speed automatic and, for the first time in the car’s nearly 70-year history, AWD. To further help keep all that power under control is rear-wheel steering and a newly developed suspension system that is highlighted by a multi-link front and rear axle. The AMG 63 takes that another level up by replacing the mechanical anti-roll bars with active hydraulic units that automatically adjust to road conditions and driving style. We’ve tried to hit the main highlights, but there’s a lot more information on the new AMG SL and we’ll provide a link to the press release if you’d like to learn more.
HONDA EXPANDS BATTERY SWAPPING BUSINESS
Honda continues to work on growing its portable and swappable battery business. These are small, 1.3 kWh lithium ion battery packs, that weigh a little over 10 kg or about 22 pounds and are meant to power all sorts of things, like motorcycles. And it’s now got a swapping station under development that would not only be a point of service for users, but also be used to reduce the load on the grid and Honda is studying how it could provide power back to the grid in the future. Beyond that it announced a new battery sharing service for three-wheeled taxis in India, which are also called Rickshaws and Tuk Tuks. That initiative kicks off in the first half of next year.
TOYOTA REVEALS MORE bZ4X EV DETAILS
Toyota is betting heavily on hybrids and fuel cells, but it’s not totally ignoring pure battery electric vehicles and has revealed more information about what it has coming up. It’s going to launch 7 electric vehicles by 2025 that were developed on a new dedicated platform, designed alongside Subaru. These vehicles will be part of a new bZ series of models, which stands for Beyond Zero. The first of those is the bZ4X. We’ve seen a little bit of its styling before and now we also get a good look at the interior. It has a large center display screen and a unique, forward-mounted instrument cluster as well as the option for a yolk steering wheel. There will be both front- and all-wheel drive versions. The FWD has a 150 kW or 201 horsepower motor, while the AWD has 160 kW or 214 horsepower. That means Toyota is not going after performance with this model. The FWD bZ4X will do 0-100 km/h in 8.4 seconds and the AWD does it in 7.7 seconds. Battery capacity comes in at 71.4 kWh and it’s estimated to return 500 kilometers or 310 miles of range, which, if it hits that, would make this a very efficient EV. But that is aided by a roof mounted solar panel. Look for the bZ4X to be launched worldwide in the middle of next year.
YOU SAID IT!
And now it’s time for You Said It. The all-new Corvette Z06 sure got a lot of you interested. A 670 horsepower, 5.5L flat-plane crank engine was all anyone could talk about. But LTK asked “Where is the manual?” Unfortunately LTK, for the first time in the Z06’s history there’s no manual. And it probably won’t ever get one. Even though manuals are more fun to drive, they create more emissions, lower fuel economy and shift slower.
Frank Meinert says good luck trying to get a Z06. He says “I naively went to the local Chevy dealer. The salesman informed me that they have been accepting deposits for two years. Based on the number of deposits and their best guess at their allocation, if I put down a deposit now, I will never get a Z06. The car looks phenomenal but apparently it is unobtainium.” We agree Frank, it’s almost impossible to get a Stingray or any Corvette model for that matter.
We’ve talked about Tesla’s new 4680 battery cells. But Wim van Acker wants to know “What does the 4680 stand for?” Wim, the number stands for its size, 46mm by 80mm.
And lastly Kevin A has a question about car dealers. He says “I hear a lot of talk about ‘dealer rights.’ What actually constitutes a dealer? Just trying to understand what other OEMs could do to level the playing field with Tesla not having to have dealers.”
Well, Kevin, each state has its own franchise laws. Those laws also state that automakers which sold cars through dealers must always do so. They cannot sell direct to consumers. That would seem to allow Tesla and other startups to sell direct because they never used the franchise system. But powerful dealer lobby groups in many states have successfully limited what Tesla can do. And there is no legal way for traditional automakers to try and sell cars without using the dealer franchise system.
But that’s all for today, thanks for watching and have a great Halloween weekend.
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Comments (45)
October 29th, 2021 at 12:16 pm
VW will never match or exceed Tesla’s profit per vehicle. Why, because they have the overhead of franchise dealer network that adds to the cost of each vehicle.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:20 pm
Shocking isn’t it that Teslas profits are almost 3 times as much as VW. Not to mentioned will soon have Apps and there is an Energy division that sells Powerwalls and MegaPacks that are sold out for a year, and Tesla will soon be selling Energy , like your BEG will need Electronsfrom Teslas SC charging network,thus becoming the next Exxon or Shell, BP, or Chevron, Today Oct 29, 2021, TSLA @$1090+ buy it today , not Oil Stocks, or just buy that Corvette flat plane crank V8 that will one day be a collectible.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:22 pm
#1 I thought dealers were supposed to add to the companies bottom line, as the mother company does not have that overhead.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:34 pm
So if VW charges as much as Tesla does for each vehicle sold, profits will go up. Simple
October 29th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
3. Every owner/general manager of a franchise dealer will try to maximize profits. Have you ever seen a Tesla dealer markup a car over MSRP, or force you to buy an “appearance package”, or tell you one price on the phone and then when walk into the stellership tell you a much higher price.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
Tesla is obviously doing some things right but when you haven’t been in business for 30 years you have very few retired employees. I’m sure VW has expanded and shrunk enough times to have lots of buildings and underutilized resources that add to the bottom line. Being big and diverse also has its downsides.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:45 pm
#5 George, curious , what is your recommendation then , get rid of DEALER model of sales? Not sure the franchise owners would be pleased , but that is what the mother company and NADA and dealers agreed on, and going by their defence and reasoning, from New York to Michigan to Texas they say they are the best getting cars to customers, and Volvo with Polestar and VW in Europe are going to be going Direct sales , it seems. The US market is unique in the this sense of NADA DEALER Franchise laws.
October 29th, 2021 at 1:02 pm
” Tesla moves @ the speed of thought” Harsh Tesla critic Sandy Munro who threw barbs @ Tesla mod 3 gaps and fit and finish in his firs Tesla teardown, the next cTesla car that he took apart was the modY, essentially 70% the same as the mod 3, a scant 2-3 years later, it had a two piece Megacast in the rear, and now samples of the same car from China , the modY has both ends having one Piece Megacasts, making assembly faster and alot simpler on top of eliminating a few hundred stamping machines and Robot Welders, and the floor space those things occupy, You Detroit Veterans should ask John McElroy the efficiency that translates too, as he seems to agree from a comment he made a month or so ago. Elon Musk and Tesla are not hobbled with 19th century thinking, who would go back to typewriters and landline Rotary Phones if they could?
FYI, i used to dream of the convinience of Touch Tone Northern ☎️Bell
October 29th, 2021 at 1:04 pm
” Tesla moves @ the speed of thought” Harsh Tesla critic Sandy Munro who threw barbs @ Tesla mod 3 gaps and fit and finish in his firs Tesla teardown, the next cTesla car that he took apart was the modY, essentially 70% the same as the mod 3, a scant 2-3 years later, it had a two piece Megacast in the rear, and now samples of the same car from China , the modY has both ends having one Piece Megacasts, making assembly faster and alot simpler on top of eliminating a few hundred stamping machines and Robot Welders, and the floor space those things occupy, You Detroit Veterans should ask John McElroy the efficiency that translates too, as he seems to agree from a comment he made a month or so ago. Elon Musk and Tesla are not hobbled with 19th century thinking, who would go back to typewriters and landline Rotary Phones if they could?
FYI, i used to dream of the convinience of Touch Tone Northern ☎️Bell
October 29th, 2021 at 1:25 pm
The US supreme court will have to intervene to make things right about the DEALER system, I wonder how happy buyers of the C8 corvette are to be paying exorbitant prices for their cars that are in demand, who paid MSLP if they were not former GM employees,There are many disgruntled Ford Mach e buyers that were miffed thatDealers were selling beyond MSLP, Often in demand cars are loaded with unwanted options so that the dealers can charge way beyond mark up, “Take it or leave it”.
October 29th, 2021 at 1:45 pm
Rey Maybe try some reading comprehension on others posts before more ridiculous claims of wanting to remain in the 19th century. No one has said the mega castings are not more efficient than conventional assembly methods. Even though you have continued to harp on that for days now. I believe the only negative comment was concerns on repairs. Where a relatively minor accident might be fixed for hundreds now may cost thousands with a single piece casting. Certainly the casting route is a huge win for manufacturing and a cost savings. No one ever denied that. Its just done at the expense of the consumer if it ever needs replaced.
October 29th, 2021 at 2:02 pm
That’s a terrible comparison between Tesla and VW. VW has multiple brands and covers the entire range from the cheapest to some of the most expensive cars available.
By comparison, Tesla has a single car in the form of a sedan (M3) and a jacked up station wagon version of that same car (MY) which represents 95% of its sales in 2021. The X and S only account to the remaining 5% which makes them basically irrelevant in their overall numbers.
October 29th, 2021 at 2:04 pm
For Tesla to be worth more than the entire industry combined is beyond ridiculous and really shows how out of touch with reality our bubble economy really is.
October 29th, 2021 at 2:06 pm
#11 as I said, the Tesla mega cast has sacrificial crash rails, it is bolted on , and most frontenders if it is ICE need major work , most are scrapped, of course from a Fossil car lover you will not admit that, maybe ask John McElroy , expertise, and actually the BEV drive of a Tesla is low down, and Electric motors are simpler than ICE with its hundreds of parts, everything from timing gear and radiators alternators and HVAC systems, all those I had to replace in a a subaru forester, and airbags and side curtains ,and that is why a car is scrapped,the sum of those parts are worth more than fixing a collision car is worth, and you worry about cast pieces.damaged
cast pieces mean you probably did not survive. LOL
October 29th, 2021 at 2:14 pm
I’m sure the “yolk” steering wheel option for the Toyota bZ4X will be “egg-cellent”! I think you meant “yoke” steering wheel…!
October 29th, 2021 at 2:19 pm
#13, Bob, yeah TSLA price is insane, and it will go to $1500/$hare come summer when giga Berlin and giga Texas are @half production, capacity of those 2 factories are 500,000 and 1,000,000 each respectively,fully ramped up, and we are waiting for Giga 6 announcement , oh Giga Berlin is having its own 4680 battery factory built as we speak, Youtubers are vlogging it,3 stories high, and Lambo , the vloggers are all named LARRY/S , yes we are all named Larry, from Giga Texas, to Giga Berlin./S
October 29th, 2021 at 3:04 pm
Yeah, it will take a while to get a Z06. The “garden variety” Stingray I took delivery of last Saturday took 13 months, and it will probably take that long to get a similar one ordered now.
I just test drove a Tesla as the local store. It drove well, quick and quiet, though I didn’t get a chance to see what it was like at the speeds I go on the interstate, or on “noisy” pavement. The one pedal driving was kind of cool, and didn’t take long at all to get used to. The soft seat was clearly not sporty, but was comfortable, at least for the ~30 minute test drive. I’d never like some aspects of the controls, though, like needing to use the touch screen to turn on the wipers. At least it had a normal turn signal stalk. The car was a Model 3 Long Range.
October 29th, 2021 at 3:06 pm
15 kind of yellow and slimey
October 29th, 2021 at 3:17 pm
10 The dealer where I ordered my C8, and an Indy Penske dealer sell them at MSRP for customer orders, which essentially all C8s have been so far. There is no employee/retiree discount, which was about 7% on my C7. I think 2016, the third model year, was the first year of employee discount on C7s, after they got caught up with initial demand. It’s looking like it might take 5 or 6 model years to catch up with C8 initial demand. Mine is the third model year, and they aren’t even close to being caught up. I don’t think people are too annoyed about paying MSRP for C8s, and some have paid way more than MSRP. A C8 is a bargain at MSRP, if it doesn’t have too many of the available non-functional options.
October 29th, 2021 at 3:50 pm
Back of the envelope, the 4680 cell has about 16% more capacity than the 2170. However, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) chemistry is about 17% lower than the Nickel Cobalt Aluminum (NCA) 2170 cells. In effect, the increased capacity of a 4680 cell pack matches the loss of going from NCA to LFP chemistry.
What a neat trick!
October 29th, 2021 at 3:55 pm
#19 kit ,hope You enjoy the drive to Florida, and stay legal on the roads, driving a fast car can be intoxicating, and hope there are no
hurricanes to deal with.
October 29th, 2021 at 4:03 pm
#20 Bob, we have no info yet if the CATL deal will be 4680 cells too, somebody said in Electrek that it is cell to pack Prismatic but also someone said 4680 , so it is too soon to say, but LFP has its advantages like it will tolerate 100% charges whereas NCM &
NCA formulations are not as tolerant, then there’s the safety aspect, but the Chinese are quite well advanced in battery technologies , like BYD blade, not even sure how they can sell their Dolphin SUV for under $30,000.
October 29th, 2021 at 4:29 pm
21 The drive to Florida is done. It was as enjoyable as a drive like that could be. For the most part, I drove about the same speed as in the Camry. I could probably get by with going faster in the Camry.
October 29th, 2021 at 4:36 pm
20 There must be different definitions of capacity for batteries. By the real definition, watt-hours per charge, the 4680 cells should have about 540% of the capacity of 2170 cells, since they have about 5.4 times the volume. Where does this 16% come from?
October 29th, 2021 at 6:03 pm
24 – Kit
The formula for cylinder volume are readily available and you can easily calculate the relative amount of battery chemicals versus the shell and end plates. Do the math and you’ll discover why the 4680 cell versus 2170. It is a simple arithmetic problem even grade school kids can solve.
October 29th, 2021 at 7:19 pm
What I think is interesting with the bZ4X, is it’s propulsion setup. While other OEMs do the BEVs with RWD or AWD, Toyota is doing the bZ4X as FWD or AWD. This setup, at least it appears in the photos, gives them the same bulky, long dash as their current ICE vehicles. I wonder if this makes it easier to build them on Toyota’s existing assembly lines, with fewer modifications to switch from ICE to BEV?
October 29th, 2021 at 7:50 pm
25 Yes, the simple math says the 4680 cells should have 540% of the capacity of 2170 cells.
October 29th, 2021 at 8:11 pm
26 FWD is generally better than RWD for low skill drivers on slick surfaces. That could be a reason. FWD ICE vehicles have better traction in snow than RWD ones, typically having ~60% of their weight on the front wheels, but that may not apply with EVs.
October 29th, 2021 at 8:20 pm
25 This says the 2170 cells are 4800 mAh, and the 4680s are 9000. This makes no sense, nor does the “16% more capacity” stated in #20.
https://www.torquenews.com/14093/tesla-18650-2170-and-4680-battery-cell-comparison-basics
October 29th, 2021 at 9:19 pm
29 enjoy hearing about your new car.
October 29th, 2021 at 10:20 pm
@#28.) Kit your right with front wheel drive vehicles and in one of the images of today’s show, it showed that the bZ4X’s front structure is set up much like that of an ICE vehicle. Yet, the change is that there is no engine and the battery pack, is under the floor! That means that much of the weight, the battery pack, is being dragged in this setup, as opposed to being pushed in the case of other (one motor/RWD) EVs. If all or most of the weight were over the front wheels, as it is with most ICE passenger vehicles today, I could see this arrangement making since and being very efficient. Yet, with the FWD versions of this platform, it just seems that it would be less efficient pulling the battery pack. That’s what leads me to believe that there must be some other reason for the bZ4X’s architectural arrangement. One of the most expensive parts on an ICE vehicle, is the firewall and HVAC unit, which sets under the dash. If this portion is simular to, or not much different on BEVs then, it is on ICE vehicles (not having an engine, would a BEV need a front firewall?), they might save on retooling their assembly lines, training their employees and replacing the robots that they currently use.
October 29th, 2021 at 10:22 pm
30 Tnx
October 30th, 2021 at 4:12 am
I don’t think we should ever expect one of the two biggest car manufacturers by volume to achieve a step-change in profits over a sustained period of time. That could only happen absent competition.
According to his own words, Herbert Diess is deeply troubled by Tesla’s ability to build a Model 3/Y three times faster than “VW”, though. Never mind that omits content and manufacturing depth from the equation – he knows the ins and outs and perceives a need for speed.
Honda – That canister-based exchangeable battery looks a lot like what Gogoro is doing in Taiwan. Very similar weight too.
Also really big news on the domestic (US) battery material front: Jeffrey Straubel’s (Ex-Tesla) Redwood Materials is partnering with a Korean company to make anode/cathode materials, supplies of which are dominated by China.
Incidentally, how much of the IP for LiFe(PO4) cells belongs to BYD and CATL and other Chinese companies ? This chemistry looks set to dominate lower cost EVs, and there’s currently NO significant production outside of China, to my knowledge.
Kit – Very much enjoy your driving reports too. Some of Tesla’s more dubious interface choices have doubtlessly originated in cost/build considerations. I hope common sense prevails one day – instead of a dubious yoke. Fail fast!
October 30th, 2021 at 9:10 am
Keep NADA, Keep the dealers. Keep the franchises. But get rid of the chicken laws that those guys hide behind. Make them compete in an open market. If those dealers support those archaic laws, they are not true entrepreneurs or businessmen, they are simply toadies hiding behind their mothers’ aprons.
October 31st, 2021 at 6:11 am
While we’re talking about cylinder volume over the weekend – there’s a video on youtube of the Blitzen-Benz engine’s startup at Pebble Beach.
I’m perennially fascinated by seeing old valvetrains in action: this one dates from 1909, on a 20.5 liter four.
So now back to EVs and Cadillac’s Lyriq. No word on exports at all aside from China, eventually.
The Tesla Model 3 was Europe’s best-selling midsized car in H1 2021. Audi sold 15.6K E-trons locally over the same period of time, in a growing segment. Sources:
carsalesbase.com/european-sales-2021-first-half-large-suv/
carsalesbase.com/european-sales-2021-first-half-midsized-cars/
October 31st, 2021 at 7:55 am
35 I’m surprised that premium brands so thoroughly dominate mid-size car sales in Europe. Is there less price difference between, say, Passat and A4 in Europe than in North America, or is the image of a premium brand really important to Europeans who buy cars larger than the more mainstream Golf et al? Asian brands certainly don’t do well, with Camry to best selling mid-size car, at #15.
Also, it looks like Ford is getting out of the car business in Europe, as in the US, with no replacement coming for the Mondeo, according to the carsalesbase article.
October 31st, 2021 at 10:19 am
36 So far as I can tell, it’s been a long-standing trend for these cars to move up-market, to the detriment of non-German manufacturers who didn’t adapt.
I just checked, and Citroen for instance has no cars above the small C3 at all anymore. Plenty of crossovers, though. Or take the Mazda 6 – it used to be very prevalent, just like the Ford Mondeo.
Japanese cars certainly haven’t enjoyed the same success in Europe as in the US – especially the more expensive ones, never mind Lexus.
November 1st, 2021 at 8:24 am
14 If you have sacrificial crash rails that are bolted on. Then you no longer have a one piece casting.
November 1st, 2021 at 11:19 am
#38 lambo there are pics and and explainatitoins how it works is not rocket science very similar to 70s concept shock absorbing bumpers of 70s to 80s except this are not shock absorbing are secured by Shear bolts, but then that might be too much for you to comprehend,and you don’t want to do a Google search, as it is easier to hate Tesla.
November 1st, 2021 at 11:30 am
#35 Sean W, some drone shots in Shanghai Giga there are close to over 2000 on Teslas in holding lot 1000 mod Ys and 800 mod3 in
please check in todays Teslarati website.
As of today, Nov1,2021,TSLA is @$1160++ No stopping the Tesla train , will break $1250 by XMas, with Giga Berlin and Giga Texas racing to open, Giga Texas is almost a mile long on 3 to 4 floors, biggest factory in the World by floor space, over 10,000,000 sq ft, if I’m not wrong.
November 1st, 2021 at 11:44 am
#38 fenders and end pieces are easily replaced subframe on both end are the fast pieces,ordering the scafrificila pcs and replacing them should be easier and faster than putting on frame machine and straightening subframes as I have watched my bodyshop friend do it, once steel is crushed rust and corrosion will come, as I have experienced with 3 cars, a Subaru ,a Honda Civic and a toyota Sienna minivan, even with tons of tar and rustproofing liberally applied,”OUT OF SIGHT , OUT OF MIND” ,but CarFax will show up,in a search, in most cases.
November 1st, 2021 at 12:12 pm
39 You crack me up. I’m not sure what you do for a living besides binge on you tube videos but I’ve been in the automotive industry over 35 years and actually designed and manufactured products. I’ve been involved in crash tests actually there personally watching them, not some video. I’ve ran engine dyno’s and worked for Ford’s global engine group. So other than just repeating stock prices and “stuff” I’ve maybe seen or heard I comment based on actual experience. My point was a very simple point that you keep harping on this one piece casting and then say it has bolt on sacrificial rails. Anyone with the slightest idea of how to count past 1 knows then its no longer a one piece casting. It requires assembly. Maybe that’s too much for you to comprehend.
November 1st, 2021 at 12:26 pm
GM and Ford are Dinosaurs ,and are more like huge Oil barges that takes miles to turn around, The Chinese will rescue them for pennies on the Dollar. You might be an engineer but have no CS , have a nice day, GM needs your help. Go have a chat with Mary B.
November 1st, 2021 at 12:29 pm
42 Chances are your kind of thinking are what brought GM to BK as change is hard. LOL
November 1st, 2021 at 1:10 pm
I’m sure you would take great enjoyment in the Chinese taking over the US auto industry but I for one would hope Ford and GM can provide products as the EV market grows. Maybe its juts the American in me or maybe I’m a dinosaur but either way I’ll continue to support American made.