AD #1965 – Honda Unveils All-New CR-V, Top Selling Luxury Brands in the U.S., BMW Reveals New 5 Series
October 13th, 2016 at 11:41am
Runtime: 6:52
To watch this episode on YouTube click here.
- ChargePoint Files Suit Over VW Settlement
- Top Selling Luxury Brands in the U.S.
- BMW Reveals New 5 Series
- Honda Unveils All-New CR-V
- Chevy Offers Diesel with New Cruze Hatchback
- Cadillac Opens Unique Exhibit
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On today’s show… ChargePoint says VW’s diesel settlement is a threat to its survival… we break down the top-selling luxury brands in the U.S. and we’ll take a look at a couple of new reveals from BMW and Honda. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
CHARGEPOINT FILES SUIT OVER VW SETTLEMENT
As part of its punishment for its diesel emission cheating, Volkswagen agreed to spend $2 billion over a 10-year period to improve the EV infrastructure in the U.S. But now ChargePoint, the world’s largest EV charging network, has filed a lawsuit to change that settlement. According to Reuters, ChargePoint says the Justice Department’s ruling is a threat to its survival, and other EV station companies, because VW will flood the market and drive out competition by offering free or subsidized charging. The company must install chargers that work with any automaker’s EV. The DOJ rejected that argument and says the growing EV market will allow for companies to compete. A U.S. District Court Judge will make a final ruling on the settlement next week.
TOP SELLING LUXURY BRANDS
The luxury segment is one of the most important for an automaker because those vehicles really help boost revenue and profits. So let’s take a look at the top luxury brands in the U.S. Through the first nine months of the year, Mercedes-Benz has sold the most vehicles, just over 274,000, which is up slightly compared to a year ago. Lexus is number two but its sales have slid 4.5%. Following closely behind is BMW and it’s struggling too. The German automaker’s sales are down 8% so far this year. Next on the list is Audi. It has sold 152,000 vehicles, which is up 3%. And rounding out the list is Acura and Cadillac, both automakers are just shy of 120,000 vehicles sold. And that is down from last year. Even though the overall car market has plateaued, it’s kind of surprising to see that most of the top luxury brands are lagging behind the overall market.
| TOP LUXURY BRANDS IN U.S. Jan.-Sep. 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mercedes-Benz | 274,360 | +1.5% |
| 2. Lexus | 236,193 | -4.5% |
| 3. BMW | 230,133 | -7.9% |
| 4. Audi | 152,179 | +3.2% |
| 5. Acura | 119,727 | -9.3% |
| 6. Cadillac | 119,286 | -5.1% |
| Source: Wards Auto | ||
Still to come…Honda pulls the wraps off the new CR-V and BMW does the same with the new 5 Series.
BMW REVEALS NEW 5 SERIES
New product is what this industry is all about and BMW just pulled the wraps off its all-new 5 Series. Style wise, you’ll notice that the lower fascia is longer and more aggressive looking. The headlights flow into the newly-shaped twin kidney grille. Less change has happened in the rear, but the bumper is slightly different and the taillights look thinner. Speaking of thinner, the 5 Series has dropped up to 137-pounds thanks to the use of more magnesium, aluminum and high-strength steel. In the U.S., under the hood you’ll find two turbocharged engines, a 2.0L 4-cylinder unit and a 3.0L inline-6. Both are mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. There will also be a plug-in hybrid variant, but we’ll have to wait to get more information on that. Moving to the inside, the sedan features the latest iDrive 6.0 system with a 10 and a quarter inch touchscreen. It also gets Gesture and Voice Control, an updated Head Up Display and Driver Assistance Systems. The all-new 5 Series will hit U.S. dealers in February of next year.
HONDA UNVEILS ALL-NEW CR-V
Honda just revealed the all-new CR-V. It’s styling has been updated but as you can see it still looks pretty similar to the current model. Base models are equipped with a 2.4L direct-injected 4- cylinder engine. And for the first time, the CR-V is offered with a turbocharged engine, a 1.5L 4-cylinder that cranks out 190 horsepower. Both engines are mated to a CVT and fuel economy ratings will be revealed closer to its launch date. In addition to the convenience and safety upgrades, the new CR-V also features a couple of firsts for Honda. It’s available with an active grille shutter, to help improve aerodynamics. And like its competitors, the Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue, the CR-V is now available with a hands-free tailgate. The CR-V is the top selling crossover in the U.S. and the company believes it will maintain that position with the new model.
Coming up next, a look at the new Chevy Cruze hatchback.
CHEVY OFFERS DIESEL WITH NEW CRUZE HATCHBACK
Chevrolet unveiled the new Cruze Hatchback in the U.S. back in January and now we’re learning more details about the car. In addition to a gasoline engine, it will also come with a 1.6L diesel, which will go in the sedan version and the 2018 Equinox as well. The engine can be mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 9-speed automatic transmission. GM estimates the Equinox will get 40 miles to the gallon on the freeway with the diesel, so it would not be surprising to see the Cruze hit 50 MPG. The Cruze Hatchback will be available soon, while the diesel version will hit showrooms sometime next year.
CADILLAC OPENS UNIQUE EXHIBIT
And in other GM news, Cadillac has a unique exhibit at its headquarters in New York. The automaker took a welding robot, similar to what might be found on an assembly line, and turned it into an artist. Using image processing the robot picks a subject then turns the image into computer data and then back into a physical object, in the form of a drawing. The exhibit just went live and is free and open to the public.
You’re not going to want to miss Autoline After Hours this afternoon. That’s because we’ll have an Acura NSX in the studio along with Ted Klaus, the Chief Engineer of the supercar. So for an in-depth look into the development of the NSX, head to our website, Autoline.tv at 3PM eastern time this afternoon.
But that’s it for today. Thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow for the latest news in the global automotive industry.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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Comments (15)
October 13th, 2016 at 12:17 pm
I didn’t care for the styling of the last couple of generations of Honda CRVs, but this new one looks very intriguing.
And the present BMW 5-Series is soooooo much better looking the the Bangle-Bungle of a couple of generations ago (which looked more like a Peugeot than a BMW).
October 13th, 2016 at 12:18 pm
I sell Honda cars after selling Hyundai for 15 years. I will say they are a reliable stick to the formula that works kind of car and car company. I will also say they build the most boring cars in the universe with the exception of the all new CIVIC. That’s not a put down, it’s an observation from a guy who worked for a company that wasn’t afraid to go out on a limb with new stuff or be the first to do something. Honda should break out of their shell and live a little.. they’ll probably sell more cars in the process! I say all this to say that new CR-V looks more or less like the old one… or like a SUBARU. So in my eyes they dropped the ball.
October 13th, 2016 at 12:19 pm
It looks like the VW scandal hasn’t hurt Audi, with their having the best performance vs. last year of the “luxury” brands.
Probably Lexus’s negative number would be positive, but for those ugly noses, and Cadillac’s negative would be positive, but for CUE.
IMHO, or course.
October 13th, 2016 at 12:21 pm
If you are intrigued by the Cadillac robotic art, you might also want to check out robotart.org It is an annual competition for universities and others to show what robots can do art-wise.
October 13th, 2016 at 12:23 pm
I wonder if this new CR-V will have the idle vibration issue of the current model. They have never fixed/solved this issue as far as I know. That issue kept me from buying one. I test drove two and they both had the vibration.
October 13th, 2016 at 12:51 pm
So the CR-V gets a turbocharged 1.5L engine. I thought for sure that would go in a refreshed/updated HR-V. What a badly needed upgrade that would have been. As it is, the HR-V feels like it’s standing still at WOT. Oh well, the new CR-V looks better even if it is only a cautious, mild refresh. And since it now comes with a hands-free tailgate, which I promise you will only be available on the Touring trim level, perhaps the push button tailgate will now move down a trim level or two.
October 13th, 2016 at 1:02 pm
I am really hoping the Cruze hatchback and Diesel engine versions sell well. Perhaps it will encourage more variety of models from GM and others. This is from a guy who loved the design of the original Chevy Citation hatch (too bad it was not more reliable).
October 13th, 2016 at 1:11 pm
6 The Cruze hatch is actually showing up at dealers. I saw one at the Kokomo, Indiana dealer about a week ago. It looked pretty nice, but I didn’t check out the cargo area to see how flat the seats fold, etc.
If it is actually available with the diesel/manual power train, that will be cool. I hope it sells well enough that they keep offering it. An overnight doubling of gas prices would help sell such cars. Otherwise, I’d be surprised if it sold very well, in today’s American truck-centric market.
October 13th, 2016 at 1:11 pm
How are Lincoln’s sales numbers trending? I can’t help but feel that, as long as people perceive Lincolns as badge engineered Fords, sales might not see any big increases.
October 13th, 2016 at 1:22 pm
@Rum – Lincoln sales are 80,435 this year, up 8.7%. That increase is driven by the MKX, which is up nearly 50% so far this year.
October 13th, 2016 at 1:26 pm
I should have said driven solely by the MKX. It’s the only Lincoln vehicle who’s sales are up for the year.
October 13th, 2016 at 2:41 pm
I’d think the Continental should help Lincoln, even though it is, basically, a stretched Fusion. It looks good in the photos, and if it is quiet and rides well, it should appeal to the intended market.
October 13th, 2016 at 3:37 pm
I don’t see why Chargepoint has their girdle in a knot over VW. Chargepoint doesn’t own any charging stations, just acts like AirBnB for them. VW has said they don’t want to run a charging system.
So why not just contract to operate this new opportunity?
October 13th, 2016 at 7:01 pm
The ChargePoint suit is without merit because they have totally failed to install a viable network along the Interstates. I know because I drove 700 miles from Huntsville AL to Stillwater OK and never saw anything but a useless, low capacity L2 charger along the way. Let VW make the Interstate chargers that work for ALL electric cars … not just Nissan or Tesla or BMW/VW.
Now every city has dozens to hundreds to thousands of shopping centers that need ChargePoint L2 chargers. This is 2-3 orders of magnitude, 100-1000 more business opportunities than Interstate chargers that they have totally failed to cover. Then there are 4-5 orders of magnitude, 10,000-100,000 more homes that want and need L2 chargers.
Thanks for the ‘heads up’ as I have no problem with filing a ‘friend of the court’ statement that ChargePoint has failed in the Interstate market so let VW do that one. ChargePoint has a fine business model in handling the urban needs that dwarf Interstate chargers.
Bob Wilson, Huntsville, AL
October 14th, 2016 at 11:27 am
Bob, I disagree. People will be soon migrating to >200 mile electric cars as only family car and will rely on charge points along highways. With such vehicles urban charging points at malls aren’t needed.