AD #3241 – BMW Phasing Out V-12 Engines; Subaru Electric Race Car Concept; Lamborghini Now Offering NFTs
January 18th, 2022 at 11:56am
Listen to “AD #3241 – BMW Phasing Out V-12 Engines; Subaru Electric Race Car Concept; Lamborghini Now Offering NFTs” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 9:02
0:08 BMW Phasing Out V-12 Engines
0:57 Lime Brings E-Bikes to U.S.
1:44 Ford Partners to Make E-Commerce Easier
2:14 ZF Develops New Tech to Improve Semi-Truck Efficiency
3:39 Subaru Shows Off Electric Race Car Concept
4:31 Honda Testing 2nd-Gen Autonomous Work Vehicle
5:20 Lamborghini Jumps into NFTs
6:12 Clunky but Cute Auto NFTs
7:01 De Tomaso Scraps Plans to Open U.S. Plant
7:44 Rivian To Kick Off Production in Georgia in 2024
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BMW PHASING OUT V-12 ENGINES
It’s not a nail in the coffin, but it is the end of an era. BMW will build the last of the V-12 engines it will ever put in a production car. The twelve’s will be fitted into limited production versions of the M760i xDrive, which will be priced at a cool $201,000. The 6.6-liter ICE cranks out 601 horsepower and rockets the big sedan to 60 MPH in 3.8 seconds. Everyone who buys one will get a hand-built desk trophy to commemorate the final V12 vehicles. In a way, we can almost consider this the beginning of a funeral procession for the internal combustion engine, as traditional automakers turn their focus to battery electric propulsion.
LIME BRINGS E-BIKES TO U.S.
Lime, the e-scooter startup, is jumping onto the e-bike bandwagon. Washington DC is the first city in the U.S. to get its e-bikes. It will expand to more cities in the U.S. this spring including Atlanta and Charleston. It already operates e-bikes in 50 cities globally. Its latest gen e-bike features a swappable battery that’s compatible with its e-scooters. Other features include a phone holder, an automatic two-speed transmission that eliminates gears and it has a usable life of about five years. Electric bikes are becoming more and more popular and according to Deloitte, 130 million are expected to be sold in the U.S. between 2020 and 2023.
FORD PARTNERS TO MAKE E-COMMERCE EASIER
More and more people are paying for things online so Ford just signed a deal to make it even easier. It partnered with a financial service startup called Stripe to help improve the automaker’s e-commerce experience for customers and improve payment acceptance for dealers. Stripe will also help Ford create solutions for commercial customers. The new services will be available in North America starting in the second half of this year and will roll out to Europe afterwards.
ZF DEVELOPS NEW TECH TO IMPROVE SEMI-TRUCK EFFICIENCY
Big commercial trucks still have a long way to go in terms of improving efficiency, which is why that sector is still a major focus for many suppliers. The giant Germany company ZF has an entire package, from hardware to software, or what it calls its Intelligent Trailer Program. Things like Automated axle control can improve cornering, extend tire life by limiting how many wheels contact the road when the trailer is empty and automatically adjust height to make loading and unloading easier. On top of that, all sorts of vehicle data can be monitored directly on the truck or at a central location via a cloud connection. And you’ll likely see more solutions like this as emissions standards for big trucks continue to ramp up.
SUBARU SHOWS OFF ELECTRIC RACE CAR CONCEPT
Subaru has no intention to stop racing and is developing an all-electric race car for future competition. It revealed what the vehicle might look like at the Tokyo show with the STI E-RA Concept. It features 4 motors, which were developed by Yamaha, that are attached directly to the 4 wheels and a 60-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. A special torque vectoring system takes in a bunch of inputs to put down the optimal power at each wheel and Subaru says its goal is to lap the Nurburgring in 6 minutes and 40 seconds. That’s about a minute faster than what the Tesla Model S Plaid did in November when it set the EV lap record. Subaru wants to do this by 2023 and testing starts in Japan this year.
HONDA TESTING 2ND-GEN AUTONOMOUS WORK VEHICLE
Honda continues to develop its Autonomous Work Vehicle or AWV that it first showed several years ago. It’s now in its 2nd-generation and is based off Honda’s ATV chassis, so it’s 4-wheel drive. But it’s also electric with enough juice to travel up to about 28 miles. The latest test has been at a large-scale construction site helping take some of the load off workers, it can carry 880 pounds and tow over 1,600 pounds, and cutting down on the number of trips to haul material. Honda says it wants to develop additional generations of the AWV and will do that through field tests like this. And any new partners that might be interested can check out the AWV at the World of Concrete show right now in Las Vegas.
LAMBORGHINI JUMPS INTO NFTs
There’s an investment craze going on all around the world as people try to figure out new ways to get rich quick. They’re pouring money into crypto currencies, meme stocks and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, which use blockchain to guarantee their authenticity. Well, you just knew someone would come up with an automotive angle to it. And Lamborghini is one of the first car companies to try and cash in on the NFT craze. Lambo did some carbon fiber research at the international space station. So now they’ll be auctioning off five of these plaques with a piece of carbon fiber that came back from space. Lambo calls them Space Keys, and says it’s a milestone for the company. And this is just the first step. Lamborghini plans to issue other NFTs and hints they could even include the VINs on some of its cars.
CLUNKY BUT CUTE AUTO NFTs
Wait, it gets better. Here are some NFTs of digital automotive art. They’re made by a British artist named Mike Turner, who’s raising money for charity. He calls them ”clunky-but-cute” low polygon versions of some of the most iconic road and race cars. Each one costs just over one BNB, which is another type of crypto currency. Right now, one BNB is worth about 460 bucks.
DE TOMASO SCRAPS PLANS TO OPEN U.S. PLANT
Italian sportscar maker De Tomaso is scrapping plans to open a plant in the U.S. because COVID disruptions would have caused it to miss production targets. Instead, it’s partnering with auto sports development company Capricorn, to open a facility at the Nurburgring in Germany that will be up and running this summer. Capricorn has experience in Formula 1 and also helped develop the Porsche 919 LMP1 race car. The new facility will hand-build the P72, which features a 5.0L engine and a new chassis and suspension developed by Capricorn. De Tomaso will start delivering the P72 in early 2023.
RIVIAN TO KICK OFF PRODUCTION IN GEORGIA IN 2024
Rivian, as you probably know, is going to build a massive assembly plant in Georgia to make its pickup, the R1T. And AutoForecast Solutions says the trucks will go into production in 2024.
Traditional full-size pickups have always been body-on-frame. But with the electric Chevrolet Silverado, we may need to come up with a new term. Maybe we need to call it body-on-skateboard, because it uses a skateboard architecture. We’re going to get into all the details of how General Motors engineered that truck this Thursday on Autoline After Hours because our special guest will be Nicole Kraatz, the chief engineer of the Silverado. What do you think we should ask her about? Let us know because no one knows more about this EV than she does. Then join John and Gary Thursday afternoon for some of the best insights into the automotive industry.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching.
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Comments (41)
January 18th, 2022 at 12:20 pm
Can you ask Nicole if they ever considered the name E-Valanche for there new truck. Kidding but kind of not.
January 18th, 2022 at 12:23 pm
Question for Nicole Kraatz.
GM developed the skateboard architecture many years ago. Several other manufacturers are using it now. Why did GM abandon it for so many years?
January 18th, 2022 at 12:29 pm
I cant help but wonder if these E-bikes and E-scooter businesses do that well. I’m really surprised that they are launching in DC. I’m sure they do fine in the warmer months but in a good portion of the mid-west 4-5 months are not what I would consider biking weather.
They seem to do well on some college campuses where students are faced with a long walk to class or using a bike/scooter. Plus its a young crowd. But with snow and ice I just would think these EV mobility devices would find more use in warmer climates. Not to mention we have many more rain days than sunny California.
January 18th, 2022 at 12:33 pm
It looks like BMW is phasing out V12s only in BMW brand cars, not Rolls-Royce, at least for now.
January 18th, 2022 at 12:33 pm
While think it’s interesting to see BMW giving plaques for their last V12s, I would think that doing so would carry ore meaning for the Rolls Royce brand!
Lamborghini’s sell of NFTs, just shows, yet again, that those with dispensable income purchase things that leave others scratching their heads.
To your question, Sean, of what to call the electric Silverado, I believe that calling the same thing they call the Ridgeline! Both are unibodied SUV/CUVs, with the storage area behind the rear seats cut off, extended and exterior styled to resemble a pick-up truck. Not that I have a problem with that, for, in my mind, if it looks like a pick-up and does the things that pick-ups do, it should be consider, and respected as, a pick-up truck!
January 18th, 2022 at 12:37 pm
@3 do you use all your worldly possessions 12 months out of the year?
I, for example, use my convertible and my road bicycle only between May and October. My snowgear in winter. Just saying.
January 18th, 2022 at 12:57 pm
“beginning of a funeral procession for the internal combustion engine.”
Not so fast “Char-wee”. Regardless of how much the gleeful greensters (this site included) like to promote a new EV age, ICEs aren’t going away anytime soon. In my view, it will still take not decades, but several generations, to complete the transition to EVs. High EV cost, mining issues to produce their batteries and the need to convince EV owners in rural areas they can rely on some future re-charging network will all lengthen the time for transition to EVs. In the meantime, there are opportunities for those OEMs still making ICEs to wring out excess emissions, reduce engine size and number of cylinders and eke out even more mileage increases.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:00 pm
3 You are 100% correct. I have severe doubts those overpriced e-bikes will sell even one fourth of the predicted (not actual!) 130 million. That is a ridiculously high number. I wish Autoline would occasionally revisit the predictions it so often cites as news, and that some naive readers may consider as facts, and show how horribly off the mark they have been.
i am currently at our local library branch and have the latest (Feb 22) issue of Consumer Reps, I quickly went thru it and then paid more attention at the auto items at the end.
on p 60, titled “Road test”, it pits apples (the aging Model S) vs oranges (The new, after 16 years, Nissan Frontier Pickup). The S gets a lousy 60 noverall score and a decent 88 Road test score, while the Frontier gets an even lousier 54 and 67 respectively. What you’d expect from an old lady tester that drives a Buick. But the words are different than the numbers. For the S, it says “Confounding Controls spoil a Superb EV”. Said like the old lady above, 100%. So if you are not smart or diligent enough to read the manual or to understand the controls, you are better off with the Buick. (or the Lexus, such as the Buick LS400!)
On the next page 61, there is a table with the old lady’s rankings of several car segments, the last of which is another ‘apples and oranges’ combo called “EVs and Luxury Sedans”. Despite its high praise for the S, it is way down, and the top two are the BMW750 4.4 V8 and the Audi A8 3.0T, with 84 and 83. In fact, the road test of the 7 is a near perfect 99, while the one for the A8 is a close 2nd at 96. I wonder what the old lady appreciated in the 7 vs the S, maybe the much hallowed “Ride”, an attribute especially important for geezers with bad backs?
But this has become too long. On to the next one.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:07 pm
On BMW’s ending V12s, too bad. I hope Mercedes and ROlls does not follow suit, or Audi with its W12s. David Davis once said you should, once in your life, own a V12. The above will make prices of used V12s, which used to be extremely affordable as the models aged, much higher, esp if the other makers follow suit.
Another news item I saw in the NYT’s today, there was an auto section about high auction prices for classic cars etc, but the big news item was that in Europe, EVs outsold Diesels for the first time. Before you shrug this away, note that this is NOT the US, where it would not be as earth shaking. This is Europe, where, until a few years ago, Diesels were more than 50% of the market. Much of this has to be the 180 in Government policies there, which went from full support for diesels even for the most ridiculous tiny city cars, to full support of EVs and persecution of ICEs.
Enough said. Time to take advantage of our heat wave here (32F!) and go for my long walk around the local river park.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:35 pm
People getting rich with NFT. I confess I am struggling to understand what the heck is NFT, and what does it mean. I thought NFTs were JPEGs. Lambo’s item seems to be both tangible and fungible.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:43 pm
8 Larry, er s65AMG, have you ever driven, or even been in a new Model S, or any Tesla? The controls are lousy, and make no sense. That is reflected in CR’s “road test score.” Reliability and safety are part of the overall score. I don’t know if the S got dinged for some aspects of “full self driving,” but it might have.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:46 pm
http://www.covidtests.gov is up and running right now!
January 18th, 2022 at 1:49 pm
Not to get into semantics but the “skateboard” is the ‘frame’, so it is still body on frame (as is where).
And the passing of the V12 from BMW; I don’t note it as the passing of the baton to BEV, as V12′s have been few and far between for many a decade (same as the V-8′s but to a lesser degree). A proclamation of the passing of the genre is still premature in my evaluation of current propulsion.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:53 pm
12 I was surprised that the web site wasn’t “backed up,” but it worked well. I’ll see how long before delivery of the tests.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:57 pm
@13 on 12 cylinder engines: I am with you. When Ferrari and Lamborghini phase out the 12 cylinder engines it is the true exit. I have no facts and figures at hand, but I am expecting that those two are the largest producers of twelve cylinder engines with VW Group (Lamborghini/Bentley) being the largest. Does anyone of you know who are the largest 12 cylinder engine producers?
January 18th, 2022 at 1:58 pm
Back in the last millenium, I once had the pleasure of driving BMW’s 850i with that original, sublime 5.0l V12.
The smooth pull from just above 1’000 rpm was truly astounding, and simply unique at the time.
Mercedes’ then CEO averred their hallowed S-Class already had the perfect engine (of course!) and they definitely were not going to build anything with more cylinders (I was there in the Parc des Eaux Vives and remember it).
Ho ho ho. Back then, BMW badly needed some credibility in the luxury department, and twelve cylinders provided for that like nothing else.
A pity Lincoln and Cadillac just didn’t find the mojo to compete.
But so many years later, all the modern horsepower monsters leave me completely jaded. It’s actually Tesla’s evolution that has drawn me back into the automotive orbit.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:04 pm
16 I always thought the 850 with a manual transmission would be really cool, but they were pricey new, and I’m sure it’s way “too late” to buy one now.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:20 pm
I still have a hard time thinking EVs are more environmentally friendly than the ICE when you include all the cradle-to-grave functions of mining, manufacturing, and life’s-end recycling. Factor in the lessor harmful emissions of synthetics and I’m really having doubts on all this.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:22 pm
6 No, I do not use all my possessions all year round which was precisely my point. Lime I believe is a rental e-bike and I’m sure business cane be great in the summer months. Just pointing out that they probably have a great business model in the south and West coast but I would think renting bikes in Michigan in February has to be a struggle.
17 A few of the guys I know that were also building Lamborghini replicas used the BMW V12 mated to a Porsche manual transmission. I believe they all were able to get the engines cheaper than the transmissions. I saw pictures but never drove one.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:28 pm
@19 sorry, I have misunderstood you.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:29 pm
7,18 Agree and I believe we will eventually come to the realization that EVs have their use as do ICE’s and they will both live on for many more years together. The EVs will help reduce our gas usage while driving up our cost of Electricity. Meanwhile governments and municipalities will continue to institute fees and fines that will also drive up the cost of using an ICE. In the end we will all pay more for our gas and Electric and it will be a matter of choice on which one works best for each consumer. IMO
January 18th, 2022 at 2:29 pm
@19: you being “Lambo” are the one to educate us on 12 cylinder engine.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:34 pm
22 Oh no! My Lamborghini has a Cadillac 4.6L NorthStar engine in it. I’m building it to drive it. I want to be able to get parts at the local parts store and not pay a fortune for them. I have no knowledge on BMW’s V12. Mine is all GM underneath.
January 18th, 2022 at 2:40 pm
There’s been a rash of e-bike fires in NYC
https://www.consumerreports.org/electric-bikes/how-to-prevent-e-bike-fires-a2493889574/
January 18th, 2022 at 2:40 pm
17 Kit – The BMW 850i with a manual transmission is a unique machine, and to me at least, a rare gem of an automobile.
While I prefer smaller cars, especially in Europe, it should be perfect for the US.
The small block is another engine of note (I can’t judge the latest complete package), but that twelve really is something else. Like entering a different realm.
Incidentally, given the right car, a tiny Japanese 3-cylinder turbo can be loads of fun.
19 Lambo – Is there something inherently wrong with the original manual mated to the BMW V12? Or is it a question of souped-up engines requiring a beefier transmission?
January 18th, 2022 at 2:53 pm
I like Rivian’s approach and vehicles thus far. I hope they don’t end up choking on their ambitions. They already have a medium size assembly plant for the two rather expensive vehicles they make. By the time this new plant comes online, GM and Ford will have been in the market with their EV trucks for more than a year and Ram (and maybe Tesla) will be hitting the market at about the same time. Unless they plan to start selling less expensive versions (which is not part of their stated plan), I am not sure they will need two assembly plants. Unused capacity kills profits, and one day soon even the EV companies will have to worry about making a profit.
January 18th, 2022 at 3:49 pm
8,11 I just read the CR review of the Tesla S, and it confirms what I thought. The “road test” part is hurt mainly by the awful controls, and the overall score is hurt both by that, and very poor reliability. Comparing the Model S to a C8 Corvette, the Corvette has a higher road test score, mainly because it has user friendly, intuitive controls, while driving very well, as does the the Tesla. The Corvette has a slightly lower “overall” score, I suspect because it lacks some safety features, like automatic emergency braking. Both have poor reliability survey results, but my Corvette has been fine, so far.
The Tesla was quicker in CR’s acceleration tests, both 0-60 and quarter mile. They “just floor it” for the acceleration tests, rather than using launch control with cars that have it, like the Corvette. Just flooring it is better for an EV in 0-60 runs, but in normal driving, the Tesla would also be effectively a little quicker, with immediate acceleration when you push on the right pedal.
January 18th, 2022 at 4:23 pm
25 No I don’t believe there is anything wrong with the BMW manual transmission other than its a longitudinal RWD set up. The Lamborghini is mid engine and needs the rear axles to basically come out the side of the transmission which is why they opted for the Porsche transmission. Even still I believe they had to beef of some parts of it to handle the TQ.
January 18th, 2022 at 6:58 pm
21 When they have the engine in front of, rather than the behind the transmission, do they need to make the engine run backwards?
January 18th, 2022 at 8:14 pm
28,29 Or maybe they use a Cayman/Boxster transmission, which should run the right direction. If that’s the case, the torque handling capability might be marginal, though the stock 850i engine had barely more peak torque than the 2.5 turbo in the Cayman/Boxster GTS.
January 18th, 2022 at 8:44 pm
28 What transmission are you using? A GM 4T80 or similar?
January 19th, 2022 at 4:19 am
The web link is to Dan O’Dowd on CNBC who claims that Tesla software is dangerous based on YouTube videos, He has never had a Tesla with the software he criticizes and claims “it does not work.”
A ‘safety engineer who uses Internet YouTube from strangers for his data source does not appear to be credible.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:06 am
31 Yea I basically took the Cadillac DTS cradle and made my tubular chassis to accept it as it was in the DTS. Used the suspension axles and even brakes. Essentially moved the DTS whole front to the rear of my car. The engine is transverse mounted but I’m not trying to fool anyone. Its a kit car and I just wanted reliability and not a bunch of cobbled up parts. That engine/trans combo was designed and built to work together and should be plenty enough power for the car.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:14 am
33 Thanks for the info. That’s what it thought it would be, just to make a really cool looking car to drive, but it’s more “exotic” than if you’d used a 3800 or Chevy V8 from a front drive Monte Carlo, or something like that.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:14 am
29 Yea I’m not real sure what Porsche transmission they used as I had to plans to go that route so didn’t pay much attention. However I do know they didn’t have to change engine rotation. There was a guy making adapter plates and it sounded like mating them up was pretty simple.
If I was just starting the project today tho I would probably be looking for a totaled out C8 and use that engine transmission set up.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:18 am
Speaking of 12 cylinder engines, probably a lot of Rolls-Royce and Bentley SUV drivers don’t know how many cylinders their engines have, kind of like a lot of 3 series convertible drivers don’t know which wheels the power is delivered to.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:22 am
34 When I started the project I did have a old school GM carbureted V8 mated to a GM transaxle. But felt that was old technology and if I was going through all this work might as well build something that is a bit more efficient and will have no trouble starting in the cold. Plus I didn’t like the mismatch of parts I didn’t want to worry about twisting axle shafts since most of the transaxles out there were designed for smaller 4cyl or V6 engines. That DTS was the only FWD V8 and the trans was made to push that heavy ass DTS so just seemed like a good choice.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:26 am
35 My first thought on Porsche transmissions was 911, but on second thought, it would probably be Cayman/Boxster. The latter would be the right configuration. The transmissions might be a little fragile if driven abusively with the V12, but for most driving, should be fine.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:54 am
@Lambo – Of course, thank you for elucidating. So not a Lamborghini Espada! The Northstar is another fine engine that GM left to wither. Sigh.
January 19th, 2022 at 9:35 am
32) I see these types of “reviews” all the time. The software is not “dangerous” if the actual driver of the car pays attention. It is dangerous if you do not pay attention. FSD and Autopilot both drive like my teenage niece. Usually fine, sometimes not. You have to pay attention or you will be in trouble. I believe that their marketing is actually the dangerous piece here. Calling something for which it is not, FULL SELF DRIVING, is irresponsible and very dangerous. There are people that actually think this car is self driving when all it is doing is operating pedals and steering wheels. The driver of the car is still left with the hardest task which is deciding what the car should do. The driver has the added task to determine if the car actually did what was expected and if not force the car to do it. I see no point in this level of technology for the cost and it is ridiculously irresponsible for TESLA to call it FULL SELF DRIVING when clearly it does not drive itself FULLY.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:01 am
40 Couldn’t agree more. Its been expressed here many times that any of these autonomous features short of level 5 is just driver assist features and need to be presented that way. I fully expect (after someone is killed) a lawsuit to force Tesla to change the name. Its very misleading and sorry but the general public is full of stupid people. You wouldn’t think we would need warning labels to tell people to not use a hair dryer in the shower but someone obviously did.