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Runtime: 6:32
0:15 GM & Amazon Could Invest in Rivian
1:54 Tesla Contests Autopilot Report
3:02 Honda Urban EV Prototype
3:15 Honda Shows Off Small EV Ute
3:38 Ford’s Lane Keeping Bed
4:30 Most Congested City in U.S. & World
5:12 Ford Preparing to Move Production Out of Britain
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.
Hi I’m Sean McElroy. It’s February 13th, 2019. And now the news.
GM & AMAZON COULD INVEST IN RIVIAN
Big news today involving General Motors, Amazon and Rivian. Reports say that GM and Amazon could invest $1-2 billion in Rivian. While GM and Rivian would not confirm the story, GM put out a statement saying it admires Rivian, while Rivian put out a statement saying it respects GM. And that tells us something big is brewing. An official announcement could come out later this month.
Here’s our Autoline Insight. A move like this could put GM ahead of Tesla and Ford in the electric pickup race. Amazon might be interested in getting electric delivery trucks, which would instantly give Rivian a good base of sales. But there would also be consumer interest, especially from hunters and outdoorsmen who would love to pull up to their campsite or blind without making any noise. A source knowledgeable with the program tells Autoline Daily that Rivian and GM want to do a swap meet, where Rivian can reach into GM’s parts bin and GM gets access to Rivian’s EV technology. Here’s another thought. Sounds like GM is going to take a big stake in Rivian. Would it be satisfied in just doing that, or, if everything goes well, would it want to buy Rivian outright?
TESLA CONTESTS AUTOPILOT REPORT
A company by the name of Quality Control Systems is challenging a 2017 report from NHTSA that Tesla’s crash rate went down by about 40% after Autopilot’s Autosteer feature was introduced. It obtained the data used by NHTSA through the Freedom of Information Act and says it actually suggests that the crash rate went up after the technology was introduced. But the problem is, Quality Control Systems only looked at 5,700 of a possible 43,780 vehicles equipped with Autopilot, discarding vehicles for various reasons. The website Electrek looked into Quality Control Systems and as far as it can tell, it’s run by a single person, who’s a public health professional that investigates injury in humans and tries to find ways to prevent and treat those injuries. Tesla responded and says it stands by NHTSA’s claim and its data continues to show that owners are less likely to get in an accident with Autopilot than without it.
HONDA URBAN EV PROTOTYPE
Speaking of electrics, here’s our first look at the prototype of the Honda Urban EV that will debut in Geneva. The automaker says a mass production version of this car will be on sale later this year.
HONDA SHOWS OFF SMALL EV UTE
That’s not the only EV Honda will have in Geneva. It teamed with Istituto Europeo di Design to create the Tomo concept, a small, electric ute designed by 13 students. They were asked to come up with the ideal means of transport for young people in the next six years. Geneva kicks off on March 7th.
FORD’S LANE KEEPING BED
Could lane-keeping technology save your relationship? Ford is showing off the “Lane-Keeping Bed” that uses pressure sensors to detect when someone has veered from their side of the bed. A conveyor belt system will then return them back to their half. It kind of reminds me of the “Here It Goes Again” music video by OK Go.
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MOST CONGESTED CITY IN U.S. & WORLD
Inrix, a company that analyzes traffic data, says the average American spends around 97 hours a year in traffic jams, which costs $87 billion, or about $1,350 per driver, in wasted, unproductive time. It also ranked the top 60 congested areas in the U.S. and Boston is the worst. But it’s not nearly as bad as other cities around the world. Factoring in population, Moscow ranks number one at 210 hours lost due to congestion. Boston is number 7 on the global list, the only city in the U.S. ranked in the top 10.
FORD PREPARING TO MOVE PRODUCTION OUT OF BRITAIN
Last week, Nissan announced it scrapped plans to build its new X-Trail SUV in Britain due to the uncertainty over Brexit. Now Ford told British Prime Minister Theresa May that it’s preparing to move production out of the country. The company has two engine plants in Britain and employs 13,000 people. Ford, which is the top selling automaker in the country, says leaving the European Union will cost it up to $1 billion. But if Ford pulled out of Britain that would be devastating. The Ford brand has dominated the English market since the 1960s.
And don’t forget to join us for Autoline After Hours tomorrow afternoon. Joining John and Gary for that show is John Plonka, the chief engineer, of the all-new Cadillac XT6. This is your chance to have any questions about the SUV you want answered. And you can send them our way to viewermail@autoline.tv or hit us up on social media.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching, we’ll see you 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.