AD #3312 – GM Tantalizes EV Details; Will Ford & VW Make Mid-Size Pickup EVs?; Twitter Deal Tanks Tesla’s Stock
April 27th, 2022 at 11:58am
Listen to “AD #3312 – GM Tantalizes EV Details; Will Ford and VW Make Mid-Size Pickup EVs?; Twitter Deal Tanks Tesla’s Stock” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 10:16
0:08 Twitter Deal Tanks Tesla’s Stock
0:59 GM’s Tantalizing EV Details
3:28 U.S. Vehicles Spew Out More Particulates
4:12 VW Amarok Built Off Ford Ranger
5:09 Will Ford & VW Make Mid-Size Pickup EVs?
5:55 Dodge to Revive Hornet Name
6:25 Chrysler to Make EV Minivans
7:25 Firestone to Use Guayule Tires at Indy
8:03 Honda’s Bargain EV Prices in China
8:37 Lucid Gets Big Order from Saudi Arabia
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TWITTER DEAL TANKS TESLA’S STOCK
Yesterday, some of you in the comments section wondered why we didn’t cover Elon Musk’s deal to buy Twitter. That’s because we didn’t consider it to be an automotive story. Well, overnight it sure turned into one. The stock market reacted very badly to the news, sending Tesla’s stock down $121 a share, for a 12% drop, which wiped out $125 billion in market capitalization. That’s nearly three times what Elon Musk is paying to buy Twitter. Many investors are worried that Musk will have to sell shares in Tesla to buy Twitter. Others are worried that running Twitter will distract him from running Tesla. But others will see this as a golden opportunity to buy on the dip.
GM’S TANTALIZING EV DETAILS
General Motors reported its first quarter earnings yesterday, and the numbers are sort of interesting. It sold 831,000 vehicles globally, up 1%. That generated nearly $36 billion in revenue, up 11%, and it posted a net profit of almost $3 billion which was down nearly 3%. But what was really interesting was GM’s conference call with Wall Street analysts, where we picked up some interesting details.
GM has 140,000 reservations for the Silverado EV, which is much higher than previously disclosed. The Hummer EV has 70,000 reservations, also higher than previously announced. And 60% of these potential customers are new to GM.
While the Bolt EV just went back into production GM expects to sell 50,000 of them this year, with 40,000 of those in the US.
GM has locked up long-term contracts for the raw materials and batteries needed to sell 1 million EVs in the U.S. in 2025 and is looking for upside opportunities to get even more. It says those EVs will generate $50 billion in revenue by 2025, and $90 billion by 2030.
The Chevrolet Equinox EV will debut this fall with a $30,000 MSRP, which already accounts for higher raw material and battery costs. That’s also ten grand cheaper than comparable crossovers from competitors.
We have a link to the transcript of the earnings call in today’s transcript and description box so that you can read the whole thing if you’d like to.
U.S. VEHICLES SPEW OUT MORE PARTICULATES
Vehicles in the U.S. spew out way more harmful particulate emissions than comparable cars in Europe and other parts of the world. That’s because Europe mandates particulate filters on gasoline as well as diesel cars. The filters cost automakers around $200. According to British testing specialist Emissions Analytics, the Ford Escape puts out 95% more harmful particulates on cold starts than its European counterpart, the Kuga. And luckily for U.S. automakers it’s a pretty simple change because the EPA is looking into requiring particulate filters for a new set of rules coming in 2027.
VW AMAROK BUILT OFF FORD RANGER
Even though Volkswagen is getting ready to launch an all-new Amarok pickup, it will continue to produce the first-gen truck for select South American markets. But the two models will have practically nothing in common as the new one is based on the 4th-generation Ranger that launched last year. And with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look, WardsAuto is filling in all the details. As you might expect pretty much everything is shared with the Ranger; suspension, interior and its range of gas and diesel 4- and 6-cylinder engines. The Amarok will have its own, unique styling, inspired by the original, as well as its own hood, headlamps, fenders, door skins and display graphics. However, that too is based on Ford’s SYNC 4 operating system. The new Amarok will be built alongside the Ranger in South Africa.
WILL FORD & VW MAKE MID-SIZE PICKUP EVs?
And there may be more to Ford and VW’s truck partnership. Scott Keogh, CEO of VW of America recently said the company is actively looking into the development of an electric truck. And Ford CEO Jim Farley at the kick off of Lightning production yesterday said it’d be coming out with another electric pickup. And this is not the next-gen F-150 Lightning. So, a tie-up on electric trucks could be in the cards. Keogh referred to an electric pickup as a “chance of a lifetime” and a “huge opportunity for the brand.” For Ford, it might finally be a chance to make a dent in the Toyota Tacoma’s dominance of the mid-size truck segment.
DODGE TO REVIVE HORNET NAME
Classic car enthusiasts may be happy to learn that Dodge is reviving the Hornet name. The Hornet was a compact car built by AMC in the 70’s. But like other classic names drug up for a new model, the new Hornet will be a compact crossover, based on the Alfa Romeo Tonale. As long as the chip shortage doesn’t hurt its debut, CEO of Dodge Tim Kuniskis says it could launch this summer.
CHRYSLER TO MAKE EV MINIVANS
And sticking with Stellantis, Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell says it’s safe to say an electric minivan will be in its future lineup and it’s looking at ways of “rethinking what the minivan should be and needs to be.” But interestingly, that still includes Stow N Go and flexible seating, even though EV batteries are typically housed in the floor.
FIRESTONE TO USE GUAYULE TIRES AT INDY
Bridgestone wants to commercialize the use of sustainable natural rubber in tires by 2030. And it’s turning to Indy Car racing to help make that a reality. The tires are made from guayule, a shrub that grows in the American southwest, which Bridgestone has been researching since 2012 and currently grows at a research farm in Arizona. The guayule tires will first be introduced at the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge at the end of May and they’ll make their debut as an alternate tire at the Nashville grand prix in August.
HONDA’S BARGAIN EV PRICES IN CHINA
Yesterday, we reported that Honda is launching two BEV models in China with joint venture partners Dongfeng and GAC. Well, now we know pricing, at least for the Dongfeng version. The e:NS1, which is available now, costs between $27,000 and $33,000, including subsidies, which is about $1,300. The GAC version, called the e:NP1, will be available to order starting next month.
LUCID GETS BIG ORDER FROM SAUDI ARABIA
EV startup Lucid just received its largest order by far. Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase up to 100,000 vehicles over a ten-year period. The government committed to buying 50,000 cars with the option to purchase 50,000 more, which includes the Air sedan and other future models. Lucid will deliver the first models in 2023, which will be built at its plant in Arizona and its future plant in Saudi Arabia. It’s not too surprising to see the country make a big commitment like this. The country’s Public Investment Fund is Lucid’s largest shareholder with a 61% stake and as we just mentioned, Lucid will also manufacture EVs there.
WILL GEARHEADS REALLY GO ELECTRIC?
All this news about electric cars is fine and good, but are hard core gearheads really going to go electric? That’s the topic on Autoline After Hours tomorrow. Mike Musto, the director of new media with Hemmings and Henry Payne, the car critic with the Detroit News will be on board, so join John and Gary for what promises to be a very controversial topic.
But that’s a wrap for today. Thanks for joining us.
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Comments (33)
April 27th, 2022 at 12:34 pm
John/Sean, I often hear that if we like the Autoline Daily program to “Like” and or comment while viewing U-Tube. Sometimes I watch on this website, sometimes on U-Tube. Any suggestions of what’s better (or are they equally beneficial)? Splitting the viewing media also splits viewers responses so it’s a mixed bag (depending on where you view the show); again, suggestions?
April 27th, 2022 at 1:14 pm
Chrysler EV Minivans…thr Toyota Sienna is so dead on arrival.
April 27th, 2022 at 1:28 pm
I remember this Hornet from my earlier years.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/hudson-hornet-1951-54
It had a big flat head six, and was the hot thing in Nascar for a while, because it had a lower center of gravity than other American cars, so it handled better.
Elon’s buying twitter could hurt his reputation, and Tesla by extension, depending on what he does with twitter. He would probably be wise to leave twitter mostly as it is, as Jeff Bezos did with the WaPo, and Rupert M. did with the WSJ. I would not think it would be a good thing for Tesla if Elon politicizes things.
April 27th, 2022 at 1:28 pm
#1 – YouTube has all but saturated content with excessive ads. There are so many advertising minutes that it steps on their other ads. In contrast, videos watched on private web sites are relatively YouTube ad free. YouTube ads are killing the content goose that lays golden eggs.
April 27th, 2022 at 1:31 pm
Although they will have to be tactful to a major supplier, I will love to hear the feedback from the professional Indy drivers about guayule tires. Easy to dismiss, but worth the effort to progress.
April 27th, 2022 at 1:40 pm
I wonder what the range of a $30K Equinox EV will be? It can’t be very long, because the battery will need to be small to sell at that price. Still, even if it’s only 125 miles, it would work for most commutes, if charged every overnight. It will be hard to sell Bolts after the Equinox arrives.
April 27th, 2022 at 1:42 pm
Tesla stock will rebound quickly this drop is just a knee jerk reaction. Opportunity for others.
Dodge Hornet reaffirming the fact that the sedan has evolved into a CUV/SUV. That is the family sedan of today.
April 27th, 2022 at 2:07 pm
Exactly why would classic car enthusiasts be happy about Chrysler perverting another AMC name for a lousy badge engineered crossover. I have a friend with a 77 Hornet AMX who will be livid. The big time screw job that Chrysler did to AMC during the takeover still has them pissed off 35 years later.
April 27th, 2022 at 2:10 pm
About the Twitter purchase, the web link is to Fisker’s self-censorship, “I do not want my free speech to be actively managed or controlled by a competitor,” Fisker … Perhaps some of the other eyewash EV claimants will follow Fisker’s example and improve the Twitter signal-to-noise level.
In less than a week, this ‘buzz’ about Elon and Twitter will fade into a well deserved obscurity. After all, Twitter makes no cars, EV or ICE, so let’s get back to auto technology and progress. Years of Autoline.TV far out weight the ‘chicken little’ panic over Twitter.
April 27th, 2022 at 2:24 pm
7 Yep, the CUV/SUV is the family sedan of today, and I still don’t get it. I’ve had one for about a month, a FWD Highlander LE hybrid. I got it because it was the most efficient vehicle on the market with a long enough flat floor to carry my toys.
It gets about 40 mpg for a slow, 50-55 mph trip I make with only a few stops, but the Camry LE hybrid got 50+ for the same trip. The Highlander gets 32-33 mpg at ~80 mph on the interstate, but the Camry got 44.
A Camry hybrid station wagon, if it existed, 11 inches lower and significantly lighter than the Highlander, would get about the same mpg as the sedan, and drive the same. If only they would make something like that. It should also have the same floor length as the Highlander, given that the Camry and Highlander are similar vehicle length.
The trade off for “sitting up high” is worse handling, and significantly worse gas mileage for vehicle that does, basically, the same thing a station wagon would do.
April 27th, 2022 at 2:32 pm
8 I agree about using the Hornet name, but what “screw job” did Chrysler do to AMC? AMC was Renault Alliance/Encore, the renamed Hornet, and Jeep, before Jeep was such a big thing. Someone was going to buy AMC, which would not have survived on its own.
April 27th, 2022 at 2:47 pm
#3, so twitter should be a liberal mouthpiece, and if you don’t like what liberals say just keep your mouth shut. OH that sounds so familiar, we say what we want but you can’t say what you want.
April 27th, 2022 at 2:55 pm
12 Twitter is in no way a liberal mouthpiece, but there is a limit to what they have allowed. My Florida senators and governor are on twitter, and fairly active, but most of what they tweet at least borders on reality.
April 27th, 2022 at 3:06 pm
#1. Chuck, we always go through the comments section on both our website and YouTube channel. So if anyone posts on either site, we’ll see it. The “likes” are only tracked on the YT channel.
And we are able to capture the views whether you watch on our site or on YT. Personally speaking, I find the comments on our website to be more informed overall. There are some very good comments we get on YT, but there’s also silly ones.
April 27th, 2022 at 3:10 pm
#8. XA351GT, tell your friend that after Chrysler bought AMC, there were so many AMC execs that got promoted to senior management positions in Chrysler, that there were a lot of pissed off executives at Chrysler. Bob Lutz told me back in the day that they were saying, “But, but, but, we bought them!”
April 27th, 2022 at 3:12 pm
14, Thank you John; I shall stay predominately on this website then; may watch on YT, but come here for the ‘better’ interaction.
April 27th, 2022 at 3:15 pm
That seems to be a common practice in the auto industry. Develop a great car, it sells well and then fades off into obscurity after a few cycles. Then they let a few years or decades pass and bring the name back attached to some God awful vehicle that is nothing like the original. So many vehicles come to mind like Nova, Impala, GTO, Thunderbird. They know those vehicles names have value and trying to capitalize on it they completely ruin it. You notice they don’t bring back names like Vega, Pinto, Cimirron, Aztec, Pacer, Gremlin, Citation, Chevette.
Much like movies the recreation or sequel is rarely ever better than the original. But I guess you start to run out of original names hence the number/letter naming.
I think they forget that some folks have a true attachment to the original vehicle and any attempt to bring it back will likely fall short. Only chance of reusing a name is to do something like the retro styling that was done with Camaro, Mustang and Challenger’s. Even those draw criticism. Some would prefer to just have them build the original design on an updated platform. I guess someone decided that hacking on the name of a classic is valuable enough even if it does tick off a few that remember the original. Too bad.
April 27th, 2022 at 3:24 pm
17 Pacer and Citation were brough back from Edsel trim levels, but I’ll be surprised if they return again. Another Edsel trim level, Corsair, was recently revived for a Lincoln CUV.
15 That’s interesting. I hadn’t heard that, but I wouldn’t blame the Chrysler people for not liking to be passed over by AMC people. I suppose there are people blaming Chrysler for the closing of the Kenosha plant, but they kept it open for more than 20 years after buying AMC.
April 27th, 2022 at 3:32 pm
14,16 I use on the web site for Autoline, except for AAH. I often just read the transcript, and don’t watch the show, except for segments that are only on the video.
17 I think the current Challenger is a very good use of the name, even though it is huge, compared to the ’70 to ’74 version. The Mitsubishi Challenger of the late ’70s-early ’80s was not a good use of the Challenger name, but most people have forgotten about that one.
April 27th, 2022 at 3:52 pm
U.S. vehicles need particulate filters as well. should be mandated for 2013 model year vehicles. at latest 2024 model year.
April 27th, 2022 at 3:53 pm
2023 model year vehicles.
April 27th, 2022 at 4:18 pm
Most people focus on the Jeep brand as the brass ring in the Chrysler purchase of AMC. Most people don’t understand how AMC’s business practices transformed Chrysler. Specifically, AMC was so small that it could not engineer/manufacture most of their vehicle parts. That is, Chrysler learned from AMC how to leverage suppliers. in many cases, Chrysler quit giving unique specs to suppliers (we know they told suppliers to reuse Ford specs during the development of the 1994 Ram pickup).
Yes, AMC’s Francois Castaing led the transformation. It may have ruffled some feathers, but Chrysler was highly profitable in his tenure and he complemented the talents of Chrysler’s other executives (Tom Gale, Dennis Pawley, et.al.).
April 27th, 2022 at 4:21 pm
#11 For one Chrysler lied to the AMC employees then they DESTROYED all the existing sheet metal and dies to make them. they had every thing melted down for pennies on the pound.
April 27th, 2022 at 4:27 pm
There is a very good but very long video on youtube documenting the rise and fall of AMC . He goes onto very deep detail over everything. If you wish you should check it out.
April 27th, 2022 at 4:31 pm
23 Except for the former Hornet, renamed Eagle 4wd wagon, Renaults and Jeeps were all AMC had when Chrysler bought them. Has GM saved the body tooling for Aztec? I doubt it. Chrysler continued to use the Rambler/Jeep I6 for a long time.
April 27th, 2022 at 4:36 pm
24 I’ll check it out. If you have a link, post it.
April 27th, 2022 at 8:00 pm
GM pick up and SUV/CUV plans sound pretty exciting!
A Ford/VW midsize EV pickup is pretty exciting too! The thing about may of the BEV pick-ups from the start-ups, si that many are tweeners. Being bigger then midsize trucks, but smaller then the full size pick-ups. Seeing how all these vehicles claim their own space in the market, will be interesting to watch!
April 28th, 2022 at 7:26 am
“The Chevrolet Equinox EV will debut this fall with a $30,000 MSR”
It looks like I will get my EV sooner then expected. I think GM will make a killing with EV’s. Like the saying goes “it better to under promise than to over promise” and thats what GM is doing. GM is now getting smart!
April 28th, 2022 at 8:55 am
28 If GM can actually offer the EV Equinox in that 30K range they will put the hurt on Tesla Y sales for sure. Not that I think that’s the goal as its more about moving EV products. Its pretty obvious that American consumers prefer the CUV/SUVs over sedans even if they come in a small package. Being a grandparent its much easier to put kids into car seats in a higher vehicle than a sedan. Lifting strollers or even groceries is easier than it is up out of a trunk. With fold down seating picking up large packages is easier. Cause even with the fold down seating in my car the opening is smaller than the rear seat back.
So my point is I’m not sure why any automaker would be focusing on a EV sedan for the US. That Equinox is just about the perfect size family sedan replacement. Not so large that its like driving a Tahoe or so small that passengers are cramped. I also think that due to side crash requirements or whatever pushed for the high belt line and smaller windows sedans have become more claustrophobic while the CUVs still over that open feeling. If Gm launches a line of EVs from a small CUV to large Suburban sized SUV they will likely take a good chunk of the EV market. But it seems weird that they would plan for so many with none having any high volume expectations. I think a 30K Equinox could garner sales on par with the model 3.
April 28th, 2022 at 9:08 am
29) The key to success will be range. I am fairly certain the $30K equinox will come with a small battery pack and very limited range. They will likely offer an optional long range battery pack for $10K more. A small range Equinox will thusly become a commuter/local runabout car. Something to have as a second car that is never used for any longer trips. That will limit its success as who buys a family car to not do family trips in?
The long range version is where it is at for families. It will go head to head with the model Y and although cheaper, it will unlikely be cheap enough to put much of a dent in TESLA sales. Thus the lower sales expectations as a long range Equinox starting at $40K will be at minimum a $15K premium over an ICE equinox that can do everything with zero range anxiety for a cheaper price.
April 28th, 2022 at 10:04 am
29 “Cause even with the fold down seating in my car the opening is smaller than the rear seat back.”
Yep, the thing that makes hatchbacks so great is the large opening. You have easy access, and don’t have to lift heavy items so high, like you do with SUVs and trucks. My friend who bought a Model S would never have bought the car, had it been a sedan rather than a hatchback.
April 28th, 2022 at 11:27 am
31 Yeah hatchbacks are pretty versatile and I’m not sure why they arnt more popular in the US. When Ford had the Focus I really liked the hatch version but as most CUVs are hatch I guess its just that evolution into the taller vehicles. I know my grandmother struggles to get out of my car because it sits so low. She is a tiny short woman too. But she drives a Jeep Cherokee and likes the size of it.
April 28th, 2022 at 11:31 am
32 Yep, CUVs are today’s hatches in the US, but they are ill handling gas hogs compared to car-height hatches, like the late Focus. The Focus ST is a great car, utilitarian, while being fun to drive.