AD #1616 – Toyota Posts Big Gains, Design Trend Challenges, MINI Introduces New JCW Model
May 8th, 2015 at 11:42am
Runtime: 6:55
- Toyota Posts Big Gains
- Top 10 Jobs Of 2025
- MINI Introduces New JCW Model
- SEAT Reveals New Ibiza
- Design Trend Challenges
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On today’s show…GM predicts what will be the top jobs in 10 years, Toyota posts impressive financial earnings, and the challenge designers face picking out future styling trends. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for May 8th, 2015. I’m Christie Schweinsberg, from WardsAuto sitting in today and I’ll have news on a big event coming up toward the end of today’s show so stay tuned for that. But right now here’s today’s news…
TOYOTA POSTS BIG GAINS
Toyota posted its full year financial earnings and the results are pretty impressive. The company’s sales were up slightly compared to the previous year, hitting 10.1 million units, including its Daihatsu and Hino subsidiaries. Despite the modest sales gain, the company’s revenues came in at $248 billion dollars, up 6% from a year ago. Toyota’s operating profit was $25 billion, a gain of nearly 20%. And its net profit soared to $19.8 billion dollars, a 19% increase. As impressive as those numbers are, Toyota is forecasting that next year’s earnings will be even higher.
TOP 10 JOBS OF 2025
Can you picture where you’ll be or what you’ll be doing in 10 years? Maybe not, but it’s still important to keep an eye on the future. With that in mind, General Motors asked employees of various experience levels and backgrounds to rate what they think will be the Top 10 jobs in 2025. Here’s a list of all ten. A few that jumped out at us are Autonomous Driving Engineer and 3D Printing Engineer. While there may not be many ready to step into these positions today, as technology advances these jobs will become more and more important. And with this exercise GM hopes to better understand what jobs will be needed to create the products of the future all while forming a company people want to work at.
And we’ll be back with more right after this.
MINI INTRODUCES NEW JCW MODEL
Unless you know what to look for, it’s hard to tell the difference between a regular 3-door MINI and the high-performance John Cooper Works model. While MINI tried to distinguish this recently introduced next-generation JCW from it slower counterparts, it’s still pretty hard to tell the difference. Except for maybe the bright red roof on this model and the Fiesta ST-like rear spoiler. But there are other exclusive bits along the front bumper, down the sides and on the rear fascia. The interior also received some JCW touches as well. Engine output increased by 10-percent to just over 230-horsepower, while torque shot up 23-percent. Making the 0 to 60 run in just over 6-seconds for either the 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission. No word yet on when the John Cooper Works models will be hitting dealer showrooms.
SEAT REVEALS NEW IBIZA
Spanish automaker SEAT, which is owned by Volkswagen, just revealed its all-new Ibiza hatchback at the Barcelona Motor Show. It’s powered by a range of three and four cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. All of which are compliant with Euro 6 emission standards. The suspension and the steering system were upgraded to improve ride and handling. Plus it comes with a number of new safety and infotainment features. SEAT has been struggling to turn a profit in recent years but in the first quarter, the company did post a positive operating result. So hopefully the new Ibiza can keep its momentum going.
IT’S A CROSLEY, NOT NASH, STILL LOOKS YOUNG
The other day Autoline asked for your help identifying this classic car a viewer spotted in Cuba. It did not take long for a few of you to correctly point out that it’s an early-50’s Crosley station wagon. Crosley produced cars from the late-30’s into the early-50’s and may best be known for its sheet-metal engines, which were a colossal failure due to corrosion and tarnished the automaker’s reputation. And if you think you have something that will make a good Barn Find, just send it to viewermail@autoline.tv.
Automakers are currently working on vehicles that won’t be on the road for several years. Coming up next, how that creates a challenge for designers.
DESIGN TREND CHALLENGES
On Autoline This Week the topic is all about design. That’s because the special guest is the newly appointed head of design at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ralph Gilles. His team is currently working on vehicles that won’t come out for several years. In the following clip, Ralph talks about the challenges of picking out future styling trends.
(The ATW preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)
Ralph has a lot of great insights into design. So head on over to Autoline.tv to watch that entire show right now.
And just a word on an upcoming event before we go today…if you’re involved with vehicle interiors, you won’t want to miss our WardsAuto Interiors Conference on May 13 in the newly renovated Cobo Center. We’ve got a great roster of speakers including our keynotes Moray Callum of Ford and Marc Girard of Designworks, a BMW Group Company. You’ll get to check out the Ward’s 10 Best Interiors winning vehicles on display, see supplier technology exhibits, and sit in on your choice of nine panels covering everything from HMI to luxury to innovative materials. Seating is limited, so visit AutoInteriors.com now to reserve your spot.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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Comments (29)
May 8th, 2015 at 12:41 pm
IT’S A CROSLEY, NOT NASH, STILL LOOKS YOUNG. I love it. Sometimes the headlines just crack me up.
May 8th, 2015 at 12:56 pm
The new MINI JCW is nice, if you want to spend $33K or more for a 2 door hardtop MINI, but they really need to get the next generation of convertible and Countryman to market, or at least put the new engines in the existing ones. We recently read here that FIAT is now outselling MINI in the U.S. That doesn’t look good, for MINI.
May 8th, 2015 at 1:32 pm
JCW……It still makes me think of JC Whitney.
May 8th, 2015 at 2:23 pm
Yes, Crosley did make an engine that was “oven brazed” together out of sheet metal stampings. The engine was okay, the anti-freeze was not. It set up galvanic corrosion by electrolysis that would go after sheet metal but not cast iron. When cast iron corrodes it forms a layer that then does not corrode further. When, after WWII, Crosley switched to cast iron, it only added 13 pounds to the weight of the vehicle. The problem from then was that the rest of the car was awful. Just a tin box on wheels. Very sparse.
May 8th, 2015 at 2:28 pm
3 J.C. Whitney has accesories for MINI, like velour dash covers, but BMW would rather you not think of that.
May 8th, 2015 at 3:11 pm
Can’t help it Kit,I used to buy parts from JC Whitney back in the 60′s.If bmw wants to refer to using jcw instead of John Cooper Works for their mini,they should realize that us old folks remember those initials differently,lol.But I doubt they actually care.
May 8th, 2015 at 3:40 pm
On the MINI web site, they mostly spell out John Cooper Works, but, understandably, it is often abbreviated as JCW.
May 8th, 2015 at 4:02 pm
Did anyone catch this new History channel show “Lost in Transmission” with one of the guys from the defunct US Top Gear? It was like Top Gear re-imagined and one hour of my life I’ll never get back.
May 8th, 2015 at 4:54 pm
Pedro, if you’re interested, CSPAN was showing a policy discussion from the Brookings Institution hosted by the State Dept. on the topic of autonomous cars and multinational regulation thereof, and technology diffusion. Maybe you’ll like that better. I personally haven’t got the fortitude.
Also, EETimes will have a podcast tonight on connected cars. Joy, I know
May 8th, 2015 at 5:00 pm
crxn, the EETimes gig is on 5/11.
May 8th, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Maybe if everyone ignores the subject, it will just go away?
May 9th, 2015 at 10:06 am
Are Red Bull/Renault getting it together, sort of? All 4 cars made it to Q3, but, surprisingly, the 2nd string outqualified the 1st string.
May 9th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
@ Pedro: A general rule of thumb,the history channel just can’t do automotive stuff worth a damn.Counting cars is proof of that.
May 9th, 2015 at 12:27 pm
@ #13 Being a little hard on the Count and crew ?
May 9th, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Kit, just a follow up on the discussion the other day about stealing a push-button equippevehicles. If you can get it by amplifying the signal, and driving off, it won’t shut down until you turn it off. If you can get back to your secret shop and program a new key (or fob ), its yours to drive until caught.
May 9th, 2015 at 12:58 pm
15 Thanks. When I checked my Prius a couple days ago, I found that it would not only keep going, but it didn’t even beep at me. It only had a couple not-too-intrusive warnings in the display, that you could get rid of with black electrical tape. The thief could get by quite a while by parking in a secure place, and not locking the doors.
With a Prius, if the accessories are off, especially the A/C, the engine would run only occasionally to keep the battery charged, but would not run often, or very long. If the thief parked it inside, though, he might have a CO problem.
May 9th, 2015 at 1:54 pm
There was another show in which a group of restorers would drive throughout the country, respond to a viewers wish and help them remodel their old classic. But those guys were actually mechanics, these 2 clowns, Rutledge and some other dude there, are not, they charge people and then find others to actually do the work and supposedly make no profit, complete BS non-sense.
May 9th, 2015 at 3:01 pm
I think I saw that show, pedro. I think the purpose was to overcome the hurdles the owner faced to restore their car. The show is not my cup of tea, because nothing was taught to the viewer during restoration.I bet the owner was happy.
May 9th, 2015 at 3:12 pm
The lesson I am learning from my restoration of my “69″ MGC is that one has to be very careful of the quality of any replacement parts. Many re-pop fenders are thinner than original, so proper fitting is much more difficult. Thank God I hoarded a stash of mint parts in my youth, so I am for the better. Everything has to be 100% perfect to have a car sold for to dollar at auctions, like “Macon”. The show pedro mensioned are just cars meant to be driven.
May 9th, 2015 at 3:40 pm
That is why Wheeler Dealer is my favorite, you actually learn something by watching Edd China restoring them cars. #19 True, the cheap replacement for my Crapola’s damaged hood weighs a lot less than the original, shows how thin the metal is. I just wonder how much weight you save if you replace all these body panels with after market, thinny thin parts.
May 9th, 2015 at 6:46 pm
Many people buy Toyota’s without even knowing what the competition has. Take for example the Tacoma truck. All the truck experts will tell you the new Colorado is far better, but yet, Toyota’s sells a lot more Tacomas. Don’t tell me it’s because the Toyota’s are more durable because the difference today is not even worth mentioning.
Those Toyota buyers don’t want to do their homework and feel safe because it’s a Toyota. It to show we Americans are not so smart.
May 9th, 2015 at 6:55 pm
Isis fighters and other terrorists think they’re (Hilux)good enough to be used as military vehicles and gamble with their lives that they will not give out in battle, so I guess not only Americans are not that smart. The previous Colorado has that awful 5 cyl motor, unreliable POS
May 9th, 2015 at 8:47 pm
21 Yep, Toyota has the reputation, and they actually are reliable, though crude, by today’s standards. One thing Tacoma has, though, is more choice of body styles. You can get an actual regular cab Tacoma. Those seem hard to find.
May 9th, 2015 at 9:31 pm
22 The thing I’ve heard about the 5 cylinder in the old Colorado from a couple friends who have them is, 4 cyl performance, and 6 cyl thirst. Also, they just sound “industrial.”
The new Colorado is much better, powertrains and otherwise. Time will tell about the reliability. Yeah, a Hilux would be much better as a war machine. I suspect most of them used by the terrorists even have carburetors, the better for repairs under adverse conditions.
May 10th, 2015 at 5:20 pm
The hi-lux by any standards today is crude,much like the original jeeps were.The taco’s aren’t much better,and in some cases worse,frame rust out,failing pinions due to poor angles of the driveline.I’ve read all sorts of complaints,yet the lemmings have no problem plunking down new truck prices for 10 year old tech etc.Kinda reminds me of something PT Barnum said a long time ago….
May 10th, 2015 at 8:30 pm
I just read a Colorado/Taco comparison by autotrader.com, and another by I forget whom. Both comparisons pointed out the obvious. The Chevy is quieter, more comfortable, drives better, etc. The “disagreement” in the comments section indicated that the people posting had never even sat in, much less, driven the Colorado. One thing mentioned is that the Taco is better off-road which may (or may not) be true. If true, it is probably only because the Chevy has an air dam that hangs down lower. Of course, that matters to only a handful of people. Fewer than a quarter of Jeep Wrangler owners use them off-road, and a lot fewer yet of pickup owners do.
May 10th, 2015 at 8:32 pm
BTW, one thing I thought I liked about the Tacoma was that they sold a regular cab version. I just that they have dropped it.
May 10th, 2015 at 9:31 pm
The taco was better off road then the last iteration of the colorado/canyon.I have no idea if that still stands.My last jeep,an 08 JK 2 door was by far the most off road capable then anything else road legal.Too bad they were junk.And I took it off road almost daily during good weather for my prospecting and using my metal detector.Great fun and it would go anywhere it would fit.
May 10th, 2015 at 9:47 pm
I have a standing joke with some friends, which is probably true. I do more off-road driving with my Prius and MINI than most Wrangler drivers do with their vehicles. Of course, my off-roading is very mild in nature, at the national model airplane site in Muncie, Indiana, on terrain like a poorly maintained lawn that is overdue for being mowed.