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Runtime: 7:03
0:26 Musk Settles Suit with SEC
1:04 Weekend Racing Results
2:33 May Mobility Expands in Michigan
3:14 Smart Reveals Forease Concept
3:57 Ford Introduces New Mondeo Hybrid
4:49 Nissan Updates the Altima
5:46 VW And Microsoft Partner on Digital Services
6:17 RIP Tony Swan
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On today’s show…Elon Musk and Tesla settles its lawsuit with the SEC…Volkswagen partners with Microsoft…and Nissan shows off the all-new Altima. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the voice of the automotive industry.
MUSK SETTLES SUIT WITH SEC
Well that didn’t take long. Elon Musk has already settled his lawsuit with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency sued him last week over misleading statements about taking Tesla private. But over the weekend both sides resolved the issue. Musk can remain CEO of Tesla but he must step down as chairman for at least three years. Also, both Elon and Tesla must pay $20 million fines. And the company has to hire an independent chairman to oversee Tesla. This has been a black eye for the company but it’s good news that Elon can remain because it’s hard to imagine Tesla without him.
WEEKEND RACING RESULTS
In racing news over the weekend, it sure looks like Lewis Hamilton has almost locked up the Formula One driver’s championship. Hamilton powered his Mercedes to his 7th win of the season at the Russian Grand Prix, but only after his team mate Valtteri Bottas was ordered to pull over and let Lewis by. Mathematically speaking, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel still has a chance to win the championship, but it will take a lot of luck and a Herculean effort. Meanwhile, the NASCAR race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval was packed full of action. The roval is a combination of road course and oval, the first-time NASCAR ever ran anything like it. Ryan Blaney in a Ford Fusion had the win fall into his lap when Jimmy Johnson, running second, spun his Chevrolet Camaro into Martin Truex’s leading Toyota Camry. It happened on the last turn of the last lap, and if this is the kind of action that rovals can generate, NASCAR needs more of them.
Ford is investing billions to expand its fleet of electrified vehicles and we’ll have more about that, right after this.
MAY MOBILITY EXPANDS IN MICHIGAN
May Mobility, a Detroit start-up company first started operating a fleet of autonomous shuttles it developed in July in Detroit and now it’s expanding even further in its home state. A 3.2-mile section of Grand Rapids, Michigan will see four of May Mobility’s six-seat, electric shuttles running around from March of 2019 until March of 2020. The vehicles will be used as a compliment to the city’s existing public transportation and will be free to riders. The companies involved and the city of Grand Rapids, will use the test to better understand the usage of autonomous vehicles, their environments and impact on a city.
SMART REVEALS FOREASE CONCEPT
The smart brand has already started its transition away from internal combustion engines and is showing a new electric drop-top concept, called the forease. The convertible pays tribute to past show cars, the crossblade, which was first shown in 2001 and the forspeed in 2011. While it’s clearly a concept with flush-mount door handles and only half a steering wheel, the forease is based on the production smart EQ fortwo cabrio, so it’s actually able to drive. The smart brand currently only sells battery electric vehicles in the U.S., Canada and Norway. Europe will follow by 2020 and the rest of the world soon after that.
FORD INTRODUCES NEW MONDEO HYBRID
Ford is investing $11 billion into its worldwide electrified vehicle lineup through 2022 and the automaker just announced it will come out with a new generation of Mondeo hybrid models. For the first time that will include a version of the Mondeo wagon as well. The hybrids are powered by a 2.0L Atkinson cycle engine, electric motor/generator and a 1.4 kWh lithium-ion battery. The full range of Mondeo hybrids will launch next year.
Coming up next, Nissan gives the Altima a new look.
NISSAN UPDATES THE ALTIMA
With Ford and FCA abandoning the passenger car market, Asian automakers are poised to dominate that segment. According to Cox Automotive, Asian automakers will account for 88% of all mid-size car sales in the U.S by 2022, up from 64% in 2012. And speaking of mid-size sedans, the new Nissan Altima, goes on sale this week. It features a new bold grille, to go along with two new engines. It comes standard with a 2.5L four-cylinder and it’s also available with a 2.0L turbo four-cylinder, which replaces the V6 in the outgoing model. It also comes with new safety and driver assistance features. The Altima starts at $24,600 with the 2.5L engine and front-wheel drive and goes all the way up to $36,600 with the 2.0L turbo and front-wheel drive.
VW AND MICROSOFT PARTNER ON DIGITAL SERVICES
Mobility has the potential to completely transform the auto industry. So, to help prepare for that change, Volkswagen announced its formed a partnership with Microsoft to help it develop digital services and mobility offerings. VW will use Microsoft’s Azure platform to create the ‘Volkswagen Automotive Cloud’ which will be used for the company’s connected car fleet and other digital services. The new platform will eventually be rolled out to VW’s other brands in all regions of the world.
RIP TONY SWAN
We end today’s show on a sad note. Our friend and colleague Tony Swan, 78 years old, succumbed to his fight against cancer. Tony was an excellent journalist who worked at Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics and Car and Driver, to name a few. He was an auto journalist and racer, a true enthusiast. He was a frequent guest on Autoline over the years and we’re going to miss his acerbic wit and insights.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.