On today’s show…Holy Moly, electric cars with more than 1,000 horsepower!…Tesla hits the panic button over Model 3 production…and we tell you what automotive designers think about design clinics. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily, the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
HEY YOU, START BUILDING MORE CARS!
Tesla is suspending production of the Model S and X today as it struggles to boost production of the Model 3. If Tesla misses its target of making around 2,500 Model 3’s a week its stock could take a pounding from Wall Street. So it’s all hands on deck.
UBER SETTLES OUT OF COURT
Uber settled out of court with the family of the woman who was killed by one of its autonomous vehicles. Financial details were not revealed, but settlements like this usually involve two to three million dollars.
WORLD SALES DROP
Weak demand in the U.S. and a big drop in China caused world vehicles sales to slip in February. WardsAuto reports automakers sold 6.9 million vehicles, down 2% compared to the year before. However, when combined with January, total sales are up 2.6% for the year.
VW CONSIDERS TRUCK IPO
In another sign that Volkswagen needs cash in its rush to develop electric cars, it’s looking into spinning off its heavy truck division. That would include Volkswagen Truck & Bus, MAN and Scania. Analysts say an IPO could bring in more than $12 billion for Volkswagen, which had to pay out more than $30 billion in fines, buybacks and make-goods over its diesel emission cheating scandal.
OMG, how would you like to be able to park 1,000 horsepower in your driveway? That’s coming up next.
SF MOTORS TOUTS 1,000 HP
We’re getting a first look at the electric cars coming from SF Motors, called the SF5 and SF7. It’s also teasing what could be a CUV. SF says they have 1,073 horsepower and 300 miles of range. The SF5 goes on sale next year. The batteries are being developed by Martin Eberhard who developed Tesla’s battery pack based on 18650-type batteries. We think the front end is reminiscent of the new nose going on the Ford Fusion. SF Motors is a Chinese-owned company, with headquarters in San Francisco and manufacturing plants in China and Mishawaka, Indiana.
BULLITT IS A PRICEY MUSTANG
We now know what it will cost to feel like the King of Cool. The new Bullitt Mustang is priced at about $47,500 including destination charges, which is more than $11,000 on top of a Mustang GT. Orders for the Bullitt are open now, with sales starting this summer.
EU MANDATES eCALL
Vehicles that can talk with other vehicles and the infrastructure will greatly improve safety and now the European Union has mandated that all new vehicles built after April must have an automatic emergency call function, called eCall. If a vehicle’s airbag control unit is triggered, an emergency alert is sent out with the vehicle’s exact location. The alert can also be sent manually if someone were to witness a serious accident. It’s believed eCall could reduce response time by 40 to 50% depending on where the accident occurred.
What do car designers think about holding design clinics with consumers? We’ll take a look at that, right after this.
ARE DESIGN CLINICS HELPFUL?
For designers, creating a new style for a brand isn’t an easy task. How do you know what the public will actually like? On Autoline This Week, John sits down with designers from Jeep, Buick and Ford and discussed the pros and cons of holding a clinic to gauge the public’s reaction to a new design.
(The ATW preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.
To learn more about how cars are designed, you can watch that entire show right now on our website, Autoline.tv or on our YouTube channel.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and please join us again next week.
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Comments (20)
March 30th, 2018 at 11:48 am
Since you have to pay destination charges no matter where you live or how close you are to an assembly plant, why isn’t the cost just baked into the base price of the car to begin with, as in just add it to the MSRP to start with? Why is it always broken out to show exactly how much it is?
March 30th, 2018 at 12:02 pm
EV auto makers….how about you give us a vehicle with 300hp and 1000mile range instead of the opposite?? I’ll bet ya you would sell 100 times the amount of cars you do now. That 300 mile range is probably under non realistic conditions. As from you show yesterday “Afer Hours” people just don’t want electric or hybrid vehicles.
March 30th, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Very interesting point made by one of your AAH panel guests, “If a design is polarizing, you know you’re on the right track. If everybody likes it, it’ll get old fast.”
As much as many on this forum dislike the spindle grille Lexus has chosen to hang their hat on (which I happen to like), this statement should help explain why they have stayed with it. In fact, if you look back at the evolution of the spindle, it’s actually gotten more pronounced and ‘radicalized’ as design iterations progress.
In fact, just keep an eye out for other mfrs getting more bold with their grilles…;)
March 30th, 2018 at 12:09 pm
The price for the 2019 Bullitt Mustang seems too high above the GT V8. Sales figures will tell the story but I think many once they think about the price jump, will go back to the GT. Imagine if they offered the same green color on the GT. Opps…don’t want to do that…do we.
March 30th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
If Tesla has production process and quality issues throwing more bodies at the line won’t help produce more cars. They will just not produce model S and X. I understand Elon not wanting to do things like all the other automakers and wanting to take a new and fresh approach but sometimes 100+ years of making cars you perfect a few things. What will happen is they will have people doing jobs they weren’t doing last week and create more quality issues. Deviating from standard process creates most quality issues.
Does SF motors have dealerships or are they partnered with another established dealer network? Guess we didn’t force the Chinese maker SF to partner with an American company like they do to US makers selling in China. Just saying
March 30th, 2018 at 12:27 pm
#2, Fred
Exactly what I was thinking. 300 hp is plenty (for most, especially if your thinking ‘eco’ and electric); make a vehicle that would cover 95 percentile that one would drive in one day (say on vacation) and then you open up the market for mass distribution.
Mustang Bullitt: Wow, I really like the color (but the Mustang enthusiasts will eat this up). I’m a Camaro guy (maybe I should have just shut-up).
March 30th, 2018 at 12:48 pm
6 Chuck I hope they do buy loads of the Bullitt…in a few years there will be plenty used with a few miles for us bargain hunters. Na Camaro guys are needed to keep the pony car wars hot…without us those cars would become dull and go away.
March 30th, 2018 at 12:51 pm
Oh when I get one I am way overdue for a speeding ticket.
March 30th, 2018 at 1:29 pm
The Bullitt price will be much higher with dealer market adjustments. Most dealers will not sell these cars at list. Do love the Highland green color.
March 30th, 2018 at 1:35 pm
Elon needs to take a step back, take deep breath, hire some folks in the factory that know how to build cars at a factory level, if that’s really is the problem. If it’s not the problem, then Elon could still blame then and go back to business as usual. This has been a train wreck since it was announced he had plans to build the Model 3,
I don’t know how Tesla is going to make it out the second quarter without any fresh infusion of cash, and since they won’t report financials until early May, it will be near the end of the second quarter before any new filings for more money could be ready? I saw today’s new spin- SpaceX is going to deploy over 4,000 satellites for his new space based broadband network. Actually, like everything else he does – it’s a genuinely great idea, but who’s turning it into reality?
March 30th, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Ecall, OnStar might have a nee home in Europe.
March 30th, 2018 at 2:04 pm
2. It’s easy to make fast EV’s, but given the watt hours per pound of today’s batteries, it is not easy make long range EV’s. That’s what plug-in hybrids are about. They will do most commutes on plug in power, but have long range when needed.
March 30th, 2018 at 2:30 pm
One type of battery technology that may hold the future of EV’s is the fluid exchange cell. I’ve heard about before. Here is a link to an article that talks about it. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/524781/a-battery-with-liquid-electrodes-can-be-recharged-or-refilled/
March 30th, 2018 at 3:52 pm
One characteristic of electric motors I believe, is they pretty well draw the energy they need, regardless of size. So if they put in 300 hp, not 1,000 hp, the range wouldn’t change much on the EPA cycle.
With most regions producing electricity using some fossil fuels, how long will it be before there are mpge standards for electric cars? Although much less of a problem than ice engines, I can’t imagine a bureaucrat passing up the opportunity.
March 30th, 2018 at 4:20 pm
Tesla shareholders should sell their stock now because his is just the beginning for Tesla as things will only get progressively worst when Europe begins building electrified versions of their luxury sedans.
March 30th, 2018 at 4:22 pm
Chevrolet’s Bolt uses a 200 horsepower electric motor meaning Chevrolet could be a vehicle featuring all-wheel-drive and 800hp (a 200 hp electric motor at each wheel).
March 30th, 2018 at 6:47 pm
#3 “If a design is polarizing, you know you’re on the right track. If everybody likes it, it’ll get old fast.”
Prius owners are snickering.
April 1st, 2018 at 8:13 pm
#17 Yep, Prius styling is timeless, especially the gen 2.
April 2nd, 2018 at 3:14 am
The link points to the original article:
“Tesla Goes Bankrupt
Palo Alto, California, April 1m 2018 –
Despite intense efforts to raise money,
including a last-ditch mass sale of Easter
Eggs, we are sad to report that Tesla has
gone completely and totally bankrupt.
So bankrupt, you can’t believe it.”
Bob Wilson
April 2nd, 2018 at 10:10 am
#1 – The destination charge is separate because most OEMs (GM is one of the exceptions) like to advertise their prices excluding them to make them sound cheaper. Just like cell phone plans that advertise $40/month, then stick you with another $10-15 in other fees.
Also, I do believe the destination charges are supposed to reflect the true average price for delivering the vehicle. If you live close to an assembly plant, then you are helping to subsidize an owner who lives much further away.
Finally, GM and others sells a lot of their vehicles to employees/suppliers at fixed discounts, but the destination charges are the same to all customers regardless of who is buying.