AD #2403 – Ford Could Offer Small Pickup in U.S., Harley Shows New Products, Toyota Boosts Range of Fuel Cell Semi
July 31st, 2018 at 11:29am
Runtime: 6:37
0:32 BMW Building New Plant for Both ICE & EV
0:58 New Silverado Has Biggest Pickup Bed
1:48 Lexus Announces 2019 ES Pricing
2:50 Ford Ponders Small Pickup for U.S.
3:26 Harley-Davidson Shows New Products
5:07 Toyota Boosts Range of Fuel Cell Semi
5:51 Uber Ends Autonomous Semi Development
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On today’s show… Ford could introduce a pickup smaller than the Ranger in the U.S…. Toyota increases the range of its fuel-cell semi by more than 100 miles… and Harley-Davidson introduces a new range of motorcycles it hopes will turn the company around. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
BMW BUILDING NEW PLANT FOR ICE & EVs
BMW is expanding its manufacturing footprint in Europe. The company announced it’s building a one billion euro, or about $1.2 billion dollar, facility in Hungary. The plant will have the capacity to build 150,000 vehicles a year and will be capable of producing both combustion and electrified vehicles on the same line. However, BMW did not reveal which models will be built at the new plant.
NEW SILVERADO HAS BIGGEST PICKUP BED
Americans love their trucks, and it seems like there’s always room for them to get bigger. Chevy announced that the 2019 Silverado’s bed will have a significantly increased volume compared to the outgoing model. The Silverado’s short and standard boxes will have 10 more cubic feet than their respective 2018 models, and the 2019’s long box will gain 14 cubic feet. That will make it the largest pickup bed on the market. Chevy also says it will be made of higher-strength steel and the bed floor materials will be improved. Other improvements include stronger, more accessible tie-downs and larger cutouts in the bumper for steel-toed boots. The 2019 Silverado will be available this fall.
LEXUS ANNOUNCES 2019 ES PRICING
Lexus announced pricing for the 2019 ES sedan. It starts at $39,500, not including destination charges, which is $550 more than the outgoing model. The ES300h will have 215hp, get 44 mpg, and will cost just over $41,000. As for the other trims, the ES350 is powered by a 3.5-liter V6, good for 302 hp and 25 mpg. And the performance trim, called the ES 350 F Sport, will start just over $44,000.
Still to come… Harley-Davidson introduces a new range of motorcycles.
FORD PONDERS SMALL PICKUP FOR U.S.
It was a sad day when I learned the Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup would compete in the mid-size truck segment, but it seems like Ford could fill the small truck void. Reports are starting to swirl that the automaker will launch a pickup smaller than the Ranger in the U.S. market by 2022. It would be built on the next-generation Focus platform and could be called the Courier, a name used most-recently on a Fiesta-based model for Europe and Brazil. Ford was late to the game getting the Ranger into the mid-size segment and it looks like it doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON SHOWS NEW PRODUCTS
Harley-Davidson is looking to attract a new generation of riders and is showing off some interesting new products. Three new motorcycles will spawn from a modular middleweight platform with four engine displacements, ranging from 500cc to 1250cc. Harley will enter the Adventure Touring class for the first time with a bike called the Pan America, which is shown here with a 1250cc engine. There’s also a “Custom” model, again with a 1250cc engine and a 975cc “Streetfighter” model, which is a sport bike. These models are planned to launch beginning in 2020, but additional models will follow through 2022. And expanding on its LiveWire motorcycle, which comes next year, Harley will expand its no-clutch “twist and go” portfolio of electric two-wheelers. Expect to see those through 2022.
And be sure to check out our coverage of the Center for Automotive Research’s MBS conference. John is talking to the experts about new technology trends and the issues the auto industry faces. Look for those interviews throughout the week on our website, Autoline.tv.
Coming up next, Toyota gives its fuel cell semi-truck a big boost in range.
TOYOTA BOOSTS RANGE OF FUEL CELL SEMI
Toyota just unveiled its second fuel cell semi-truck and its got an estimated 300 plus miles of range. The truck is known internally as “Beta” and is an improvement on Toyota’s first fuel cell semi known as “Alpha.” Alpha has 200 miles of range and makes 670 horsepower and 1,325 lb.-ft of torque from two Mirai fuel cell stacks and a 12-kilowatt-hour battery. Since commencing operations in 2017, Alpha has been driven almost 10,000 miles doing shipping runs in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Beta will begin operating in California this fall.
UBER ENDS AUTONOMOUS SEMI DEVELOPMENT
And in other big truck news, Uber announced it’s stopping development of autonomous semi-trucks and will just focus on self-driving cars. But even though Uber won’t continue to pursue automated trucks, they’ll be one of the first vehicles seen on a wide spread basis with autonomous technology, since they mostly drive on predictable highway routes instead of busy urban environments.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (29)
July 31st, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Ford may be onto something with a smaller (than now mid-sized) pickup. Of course we have been saying this for years (right here on this forum). Granted it was easy for us to promote this idea, after all it does take a significant amount of money to “test the waters” for this retro-small pickup. I think others should (and will) follow; I believe this is a market.
July 31st, 2018 at 12:13 pm
I have to agree with #1. Trucks have gotten progressively larger, to the point where they’re not useful to a certain portion of the population. I believe that there is still a market for a small truck like those available in the 70s through 90s. I think it will be a hit and others will jump on the small truck band-wagon.
July 31st, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Sean,
How is the Silverado getting its bed volume increases? Is the bed actually longer, or wider? Or are they raising the sides?
July 31st, 2018 at 12:18 pm
I can envision the new Small Ford pu being something like a Subaru Baja. I don’t see Ford building a 2 door body style, but a 4 door crew cab. And will it be FWD? like the Rabbit Pickup and the Dodge Rampage of the ’80s?
Even though we’ve all been clamoring for a truck like this, look for it to be a sales flop because it’s too small. Consumers are so fickle.
Tomorrow at around 6:pm eastern, look for the greatest salesman on the planet put a positive spin on Tesla’s loss of another $1.3b loss (my estimate) for q2.
With the next Silverado having such a deep bed, who will be able to reach anything inside it. I’m only 5’8″ and I can barely see over the top of the bed let alone reach anything inside it.
July 31st, 2018 at 12:18 pm
It sounds like the smaller Ford pickup will be more like a Rabbit Caddy or Rampage, rather than the old Ranger. It sounds interesting.
July 31st, 2018 at 12:20 pm
Maybe they will lower the Silverado to the height of pickups of the early 2000′s, and raise the side of the box. That would be a great way to get more volume.
July 31st, 2018 at 12:24 pm
Ford could have a huge hit with that mini truck if they don’t get greedy. Just offer a small truck with a standard cab , long and short box. There is no need for a 4 door or extended cab with already having the Ranger as a 4 door only. Make it priced right and companies will snap them up . I still see last generation Rangers being used as delivery trucks .
July 31st, 2018 at 12:38 pm
3 – As others suggested, GM raised the sides to get more volume. They also sculptured/contoured the inner panels (front and sides) to add volume which may or may not be useful. With that said, I did see a video where GM will be be offering some storage units that take advantage of the contoured walls without eating up the center storage capacity.
July 31st, 2018 at 12:44 pm
Ford would finally have a model I might be interested in!
July 31st, 2018 at 12:50 pm
On the Toyota fuel-cell semi… If the “alpha” has been running since 2017, and it has only accumulated 10,000 miles, that is not very impressive. For my former employer, when we were running test trucks on typical duty cycles, we logged 5 to 10 times that number of miles per year per truck. So either the Toyota semi has had a lot of down time, or this is more of a PR/marketing program rather than true product development.
July 31st, 2018 at 12:59 pm
Yes, Please!
Ford Courier.
Ideally, with four doors and ladder frame construction. But a Unibody, FWD would still probably get me interested.
July 31st, 2018 at 1:18 pm
Boy I hope Ford doesnt screw this small pickup offering up. That Courier looked uninspiring to say the least. I assume with it sharing with the Focus platform it will be a uni-body Eco-boost 4 cylinder with FWD and maybe an AWD option. Will it even have towing capability?
Hey GM offer a small pickup on a frame with airbag suspension to provide varying ride height on demand and decent load carrying capacity. Offer it in 2 door extended cab only. Offer a 5 ft bed and 6.5 ft with a gate that allows you to enclose an 8ft sheet of plywood from sliding out. Three powertrains your 2.0l with and without turbo 4cyl and a V6. RWD and 4WD. Provide at least 1000lb payload with brakes to stop it loaded and you’ll kill this little Courier. IMO
July 31st, 2018 at 1:36 pm
So Harley realized that discontinuing the Buell line in 2009 was maybe a bad idea? Sportbikes in general are popular so maybe it was the Buell name that prevented them from being as successful, after all part of the price of a Harley is the HD name itself.
July 31st, 2018 at 1:47 pm
The Courier, even with FWD, unibody, and a tow rating of zero, would work for what most pickups are used for, transporting one or two people around town, and getting a bag or two of groceries.
Back in the days of “regular cab” S-10′s and Rangers, college kids liked them, because they would have a good excuse to go places with their “significant other,” without taking extra passengers along.
July 31st, 2018 at 1:54 pm
12 I was surprised that Buell didn’t do better. I would have expected Harley riders to buy a Buell as a second or third bike, something “different” but still very much in the Harley mold. The cheaper of the Buells were even a decent value, as Harleys go. As I remember, the Cyclone, the cheapest one with the 1200cc engine, had an MSRP of about $8K.
Harley clearly needs to attract new riders. Their current rider base of 70-some year old “baby boomers” are not going to be buying many more new bikes.
July 31st, 2018 at 2:11 pm
Kit , I remember mini trucks being referred to as Sports cars( 2 doors ,2 seats) and a huge trunk. I remember them being fairly peppy because of not weighing a whole lot. I’ll tell you right now if it does happen and only as a 4 door they screwed the pooch. there are enough 4 door offerings already. Same goes with the upcoming Bronco . If they hang 2 extra doors on it they are going to not make the people who love and own Broncos happy at all. Example is the upcoming Blazer . The people who bought Blazers think they are a joke. Just trying to gain sales through a vintage name.
July 31st, 2018 at 3:20 pm
I like that Ford is bringing back a modern interpretation of the Ranchero and hopefully GM will follow suit with an El Camino. If that happens, then history will have truly repeated itself once again.
I would prefer it to be built on the Fusion or Taurus platform rather than the Focus. Being too small of a truck can make it a flop like the old Suzuki X90 trucklet was.
July 31st, 2018 at 3:29 pm
15) Personally I am in total agreement with you but unfortunately the the auto enthusiasts tend to make all the wrong decisions for the auto industry. What happened when the Ford Bronco & Bronco II went 4 door (Explorer/Expedition) Sales went thru the roof. Ditto for the Blazer, S1- Blazer, and Cherokee. The Toyotabaru- Exactly what we asked for (for the most part) and sales suck. The list of cars enthusiasts wanted over the years and their limited sales success tells the tale. Even the Thunderbird going from 2-seat to 4-seat in 1958 sold better than the more stylish car it replaced.
I agree with you but if you only tool up for one body style, you’ll make a lot more money.
July 31st, 2018 at 3:58 pm
17 …but aren’t there enough big, and “mid size” 4 door pickups? It’s been more than 30 years since the last of the small, FWD pickups were sold, so wouldn’t it be worth making the Focup a 2-door, “regular cab” machine? Yeah, I suppose not, but I’d find it a lot more intriguing than if it ends up being a slightly smaller Ridgeline, or something like that.
July 31st, 2018 at 4:04 pm
#14 I knew a few guys that owned Buell’s and they loved them but I think they were never really considered to be a “Harley” by the die-hard Harley owners. Again part of that admission price of owning a Harley is the name. So Buell was not only separate division it was an even cheaper entry into the Harley family. Wasn’t accepted that well.
My guess is this next generation of sport bikes will not only bare the Harley name but the steeper price tag will come with it.
July 31st, 2018 at 4:04 pm
17 With the Toyotabaru, It seems difficult to make enthusiasts happy. They built that car, and it’s too slow, or it should have been a convertible, or… something. I think it’s cool, as it is, but yeah, I didn’t buy one.
July 31st, 2018 at 6:11 pm
#14 Certainly two seats have their advantages but my experience was many mini trucks were bought out of economics. Folks that needed a truck but didnt want to spend the money for a full size truck which is now in the $40S. So if they can offer a little pickup in the $20s but still have some decent capabilities it should sell. Biggest problem I saw was people that bought mini pickups and loaded them like full size. Which is why they need to keep the beds small enough that if you fill em with Mulch or topsoil the truck can handle what the bed can hold.
Ford will make a huge mistake if they place a bed/cab on a focus chassis. The powertrain and brakes cant handle another 800lbs.
July 31st, 2018 at 6:40 pm
If Ford would have been smart they would have brought over the tooling from the Falcon Ute after production ended in Australia . Made the changes needed to make it US compliant and they’d have their mini truck with 90% of the work already done.
July 31st, 2018 at 6:48 pm
http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=2rupt6N8&id=1F9946E6A85D727F12B0A407277 Okay if I didn’t screw up the link this is what I’m talking about.
August 1st, 2018 at 1:30 am
https://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/ford-australia-builds-final-falcon-ute-20160729-gqgskb
The Australian Falcon Ute was like was called Ranchero years earlier in North America. It would have been a major thing to make it sellable in the US, not least because it was only made as RHD, probably with the power train offset to the left for better driver foot room. If it could have been made US compliant and sold for Mustang prices, or less, it might have done well here.
August 1st, 2018 at 1:57 am
20 As I mentioned earlier, most pickup trucks sold in America, including huge “crew cab” ones, end up hauling nothing and towing nothing. People just “like them,” for whatever reason.
A plumber/handyman I know uses an older Ranger for his work, and an FWD Focus-based truck would serve his purposes quite well. He probably never carries more than ~200-300 pounds of tools, pipe, fittings, etc. A current Focus has an official maximum load rating of 830 pounds. If you make a pickup on that platform, it wouldn’t take much to make that 1230, 430 for two people, and 800 for what’s in the box. The Dodge Rampage, built on the small-than-Focus OmniRizon platform had a load rating of 1145. The Rampage used rear leaf springs, as did the first generation Caravan/Voyager. That might be the easy way to make a Focus-based mini Ranchero, that could be sold for under $20K, minimally equipped. Of course, Ford might not want to do that, because it would take sales away from their bigger, and much pricier trucks.
August 1st, 2018 at 8:29 am
#26 I just dont think launching a car based pickup like Rancharo or ElCamino would be wise with the decline in sedan interest. I believe a small truck would still need to have a higher seated position. Actually taking from what you mentioned in reference to load capacity the old minivan platforms would work well since they had load capacity for 7 people and have a proper wheel base and length.
August 1st, 2018 at 9:37 am
I found that the Chrysler vans used rear leaf springs through 2007 model year. It might be fairly cheap and easy to make a pickup based on that platform, if the tooling is still around.
August 1st, 2018 at 12:29 pm
Perhaps a Ford Courier in the marketplace would provoke FCA into bringing the 700 in from Mexico. That’d be just fine with me.