This is Autoline Daily reporting on all aspects of the global automotive industry.
GHOSN WHISTLEBLOWER DEMOTED
We have a follow up to a story from earlier this week. We reported that Nissan wanted to oust the executive who blew the whistle on former CEO Carlos Ghosn; senior vice president, Hari Nada. It was reported he was being pressured to resign over being implicated in a scheme where he was paid more money than he was supposed to get. However, after an investigation, Nissan didn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing by Nada. Because of that Nada will remain with the company but he’s being demoted to a senior advisor “to avoid undue suspicion.”
RENAULT LOOKING FOR NEW LEADER
Earlier this week, Nissan named a new CEO and now its alliance partner Renault is looking for a new leader. Reports out of France say that the automaker will replace chief executive, Thierry Bollore. Bollore was once Carlos Ghosn’s right-hand man and Renault wants to distance itself from the former executive’s financial misconduct. A proposal to oust Bollore could happen as soon as next week.
CONSUMER REPORTS CRITIQUES TESLA FEATURE
Consumer Reports tested Tesla’s Smart Summon feature that launched at the end of September on its own Model 3 and it has several critiques of the system. CR said the feature only worked intermittently for them, sometimes getting confused about where it was and shutting down or shutting down for no obvious reason. When it did work, the car moved slowly and would drive more toward the center of the parking lot isle, weaving back and forth, and one time it went the wrong way down a one-way isle. Like other features Tesla has launched previously, customers are essentially beta testing the Smart Summon feature for the company. Working out the kinks and fine tuning the technology for the final end product. As Consumer Reports says, “this is a work in progress.”
CULLINAN DRIVES ROLLS-ROYCE GROWTH
Rolls-Royce is on the rise. It set a sales record in 2018 and it’s on pace to top that this year. Rolls has sold more than 2,500 vehicles in the first half of 2019, which is up over 42% from the same time period last year. Part of that success can be attributed to the new Cullinan SUV that didn’t start reaching customer hands until late in 2018. According to Wards, 400 Cullinans have been sold through the first 5 months in the U.S., which happens to be Rolls’ biggest market. The company says it has another 6 months worth of Cullinan orders and could have more if all five of the models it offers weren’t built at the same plant in the UK. The manufacturing line is running at full capacity. And with an average price of $410,000 in the U.S., Rolls is making a nice profit on each Cullinan it sells.
LEXUS TEASES NEW BEV CONCEPT
Is the Toyota group realizing that fuel cells may not have been the right path to take with its electric vehicles? Lexus is teasing a battery electric concept that will debut in Tokyo later this month. It looks to have pretty radical styling and is said to “offer a glimpse into Lexus’ future vision.”
BMW TO PAY FOR EVs WITH GAS POWERED CARS
Well here’s a bit of an oxymoron. To help pay for its shift to electric cars, Bloomberg reports BMW will double sales of the X7, 7 Series, 8 Series and M8. The company plans to introduce 25 new electric and hybrid vehicles by 2023 and is cutting costs by $14 billion to help pay for them. The company’s profits have also taken a hit this year. Its second-quarter operating profit dropped 20%, so to raise the cash it needs, BMW is going to boost sales of its profitable gasoline powered vehicles to pay for its EVs.
SEAT SHOWS HOW DRONES CAN IMPROVE SAFETY
Spanish automaker SEAT, which is part of the VW Group, is showing how drones can help improve safety. In its demonstration, a drone flies ahead of a connected vehicle and sends back information about what’s ahead. The drone captures and sends a picture via the cellular network to a Multi-Access Edge Computing or MEC server, which scans the image for things like bicyclists or other cars. If something is detected, an alarm is sent to the instrument cluster in the vehicle, so the driver can be ready to take action. According to the 5G Automotive Association, the implementation of 5G cellular technology can reduce the risk of accidents by 69% due to the fast speeds at which it can transfer data.
WHAT YEAR IS THIS CORVAIR?
We’re hoping there’s a big Chevrolet Corvair fan somewhere out there. Autoline viewer Matthew Gamcsik saw this car at the side of a hiking trail he frequents. It’s clearly a Corvair, but is there anything that gives away the year of this car or has it all been bashed away by those rocks? Let us know in the comments.
And a programming note. There isn’t a new Autoline After Hours today. But John and Gary will be back next week and it’s a show you won’t want to miss because our special guest is none other than Bob Lutz. GM’s former Vice Chairman, isn’t afraid to share his opinion and we can’t wait to get his insight as to what’s going on in the global automotive industry.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching.
Share
Permalink
Comments (56)
October 10th, 2019 at 11:56 am
That drone idea was mine several years ago. Guess I should have patented it
As was discussed I think on AAH, Toyota is waiting to make money from BEVs. Hence hoping for Solid-State batteries.
Be careful asking Bob about Tesla (for the 100th time), that might light a fire of responses from the gang
October 10th, 2019 at 12:07 pm
A. “However, after an investigation, Nissan didn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing by Nada. Because of that Nada will remain with the company but he’s being demoted to a senior advisor “to avoid undue suspicion.”
This stinks to high heaven. Can anybody explain to me the logic of “I found no evidence of wrongdoing by this fat cat, but I will Demote him instead of PROmoting him.”
Here is what I think happened. This fat cat sure cheated, just like our “French” (or, more accurately, born in Brazil of Lebanese parents) Mega-crook Carlos, and they did not fire him, to thank him for blowing the whistle on the other fat cats, but demoted him to teach him not to cheat again.
B. On Rolls, I also believe they make profits from all their models, BUT just because a model is sold at a lofty price, such as the $410k average of the ugly SUV Cullinan, that by itself implies NOTHING. For example, look at the Bugatti Veyron, which sold for $1-2 million US, they lost $3 MILLION on EVERY ONE they made.
C. BMW paying for EVs from the profits of ICEs is the idiot’s way which GM and Lutz already tried and FAILED. It is ALSO not fair to the ICE buyers. I sure as hell would NEVER buy an ICE car from a company who uses my hard earned $ to subsidize EVs or any other worthwhile endeavor. At a minimum, I want a tax deduction for my charitable donation!
October 10th, 2019 at 12:15 pm
I think that ICE vehicle manufacturers are always going to be disadvantaged in the transition to BEVs. Why? Because every BEV sold is an ICE vehicle not sold and that is contrary to their cultural self-image.
Save for buying a mature BEV manufacturer and leaving them alone, I don’t see any resolution for this.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:26 pm
I think it’s a 1965 corvair.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:27 pm
I’m going to guess 1960 Corvair; it has the indexes for the surround chrome strip that I haven’t seen on other years. Oh yeah, I can be ‘major league’ wrong.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:28 pm
Back on the Rolls Cullinan, I checked it and it actually is not built on the BMW X7 big SUV platform but on “a version of Rolls-Royce’s modular “Architecture of Luxury” platform”. If I were to care to buy one, I would not pay $410k for a re-heated X7, even if the X7 is the best SUV ever according to Doug Munro.
RR has wised up in this regard. The RR Ghost, much cheaper than the Phantom VII, was built on the 7 series platform and shared a lot of components with the 7. So did all other ROlls models except the top of the line Phantom. But with the Phantom VIII, ROlls built the above platform and builds not just the Phantom but also the CUllinan and its other models on it.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:30 pm
As for Lexus, instead of “teasing’ and BS’ing us, it should tell us why this BEV of theirs is a better Value than (insert Tesla model here).
October 10th, 2019 at 12:50 pm
Here is one of the ways BMW will pay for EVs:
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/mark-phelan/2019/10/10/bmw-330-i-2019-specs-review-apple-carplay/3895079002/ I don’t use it very often, and you need Apple Music for it, but my two Jeeps have Apple CarPlay as standard, no charge. Not so sure BMW is the ultimate anymore.
How far/long do the batteries last in that drone? Thinking of upgrading my iPhone to the 11 Pro Max just to get that extra 5 hours battery life.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:50 pm
How does BMW plan to “double the sales of 7 series, X7, et. al.? The only way to double sales of the 7 series would be to offer a $40K rebate, given the way the new one looks. Some people would like the looks of it, but probably not many.
BMW will need to increase the price of the Rolls truck, with brexit soon to add a lot of cost and disruption with getting parts to the factory in the UK. Probably most car production, like Mini and Ford will leave the UK, but Rolls Royce and probably Bentley almost have to stay, for the “image.”
October 10th, 2019 at 12:56 pm
The Corvair looks like 1060-1964.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:57 pm
9 That’s 1960-1964.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:59 pm
If it was a 1066 maybe William the Conqueror drove one of these at Hastings.
October 10th, 2019 at 1:02 pm
“Bloomberg reports BMW will double sales of the X7, 7 Series, 8 Series and M8.”
All of these are TINY volume niche vehicles, not the cash cows like the 5 and esp the 3/4 series, or the X3/X5. So double of a tiny number is just another tiny number.
Still, there IS a way to double them without deep discounts, IF their next generation is designed, styling-wise, from a CLEAN sheet of paper, and does NOT keep aping Chris Bangle’s atrocities of 2001-08
October 10th, 2019 at 1:08 pm
https://www.autonews.com/manufacturing/british-inventor-james-dyson-cancels-electric-car-project?utm_source=breaking-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20191010&utm_content=hero-image
Remember that Cuckoo billionaire from the UK, the vacuum cleaner guy, who thought he had a better EV (and could waste billions building it?)
Apparently he got serious and CANCELLED the stupid project.
October 10th, 2019 at 1:10 pm
13 I am sure his family and other heirs have just breathed a sigh of relief, for now they should be able to inherit his billions, instead of having them wasted on the stupid thing.
October 10th, 2019 at 1:20 pm
I think it is safe to say the Corvair is a first series model. If that is a front sway bar lying on the ground, it would be at least from a 1962. That was the year suspension improvements were made.
October 10th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
Tesla is taking a huge risk allowing this AV parking feature to be used by consumers. After a death or running over a child I’m sure their next over the air update will be to dismantle that feature. Followed by the consumer lawsuit that they were sold a feature that has been disabled. Not good.
BMW isn’t doing anything new, aren’t all manufacturers using their gas powered cars to pay for the BEV’s (with the exception of Tesla). I guess the news there is them trying to double sales of a few models.
The SEAT drone could be helpful for some of those desert truck races or maybe even remote off-roading trail riding. However I don’t see it being very viable for everyday use on regular roads. IMO
October 10th, 2019 at 1:57 pm
16 If a “smart summon” Tesla hit my car, as it was driving the wrong way in the middle of the lane in a parking lot, I’d be pi$$ed, even if no one was hurt.
October 10th, 2019 at 2:18 pm
“Still, there IS a way to double them without deep discounts, IF their next generation is designed, styling-wise, from a CLEAN sheet of paper, and does NOT keep aping Chris Bangle’s atrocities of 2001-08″
The trouble is, with the 7-Series, the next generation, starting right about now, is the one with the seriously bloated kidneys in the front.
October 10th, 2019 at 2:35 pm
The Corvair is a 1960. That is the only year that had a concave front facia.
October 10th, 2019 at 2:38 pm
18 That for sure, but also the absence of clean, elegant lines and smooth design. Instead, they all look like they have been in minor accidents with all these unnecessary bumps and flares in the sheetmetal. An evolution of the 95-01 7 and 8 would be the easiest and most successful way to go.
October 10th, 2019 at 2:40 pm
and the interior, of course, which is not worthy of a car in BEntley territory, a lot needs to be improved there. But again, I fail to see how these low-volume niche cars will make a difference. Their problem is they cannot double the sales of the 3 and 4 series, which actually dropped, almost in half, because of the Model 3.
October 10th, 2019 at 2:43 pm
I think the Corvair is a 1960.
Sad that there’s no AAH today but really looking forward to next week’s with Mr. Lutz.
October 10th, 2019 at 2:49 pm
And speaking of Bentley, I just checked used Silver Spur (the big sedan, but much less expensive than the bigger Mulsanne) and there were 7 in the US for less than $30,000, incl one 20 miles from here, I may ask for a test drive. The dealer is not highly rated though (3.6/5 vs the 4.5-5s I have bought my 2 mercs from). These cars are 2006-8 but have low miles (this one has 55,000 and the asking price is $26,995 (so I bet they aim for $25k)
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/749987490/overview/
October 10th, 2019 at 3:04 pm
What is America’s “Dream Car” and what is it for each state? Apparently the majority consider their dream car not some $25 mill vintage Ferrari, but a much more affordable car I have a high opinion about too.
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/68006/americans-dream-car-clearly-teslas-model-lamborghini/index.html
October 10th, 2019 at 3:07 pm
Tesla Model S – 20 states
Ford Mustang – 13 states
Range Rover – 6 states
Jeep Wrangler – 4 states
Chevy Corvette – 4 states
Chevy Camaro – 3 states
Seriously, the very affordable Camaro and Mustang are “dream” cars for entire states? Makes little sense to me. The Range Rover, at least, is not affordable by the many, and makes sense. And the… Wrangler? WHo voted in this? High school and freshmen college students?
It seems many people do not understand what a “dream” car is.
October 10th, 2019 at 3:18 pm
23 Interesting. Some of those colors are so similar it’s hard to differentiate, but it’s easy to see the Model S states. I’m surprised Camaro would be the “dream car” for Texas. I would have expected F-150, unless pickups were excluded from the voting.
22 That would be a cool car to have for a while, but I’m not sure I’d want that twin turbo W12, and not just because it’s thirsty. It sounds like some potentially very expensive repairs. There’d be so few of them that it would be hard to find any actual data, though.
October 10th, 2019 at 3:27 pm
24 I don’t quite understand their methodology, but yeah, I certainly wouldn’t associate Camaro, Mustang, or Wrangler with “dream car.” To me, a dream car would be something I clearly couldn’t afford, or wouldn’t want to afford. If for no other reason, I’m not sure I’d want the attention of driving any car much more expensive than a 911 or S-Class.
October 10th, 2019 at 3:37 pm
Great show as always and sad to hear todays autoline after hours isnt on.
Cant wait for Bob Lutz on mext weeks show!
JB
October 10th, 2019 at 3:39 pm
Btw bmw sales will continue to slide. That has to be the stupidest announcement by BMW…
October 10th, 2019 at 4:41 pm
i had a 1963 2dr so that,s all can think it is, i know it had back up lights i,m not sure if 60 or 61 or 62 had them
October 10th, 2019 at 4:48 pm
29 Backup lights would have been an option, if not standard, for all years.
October 10th, 2019 at 6:33 pm
The drone is doing a typical Air Cavalry reconnaissance mission ahead of advancing ground troops.
October 10th, 2019 at 6:36 pm
Judging by the concave panel between the headlights that battered Corvair is a 1960 model from the first generation. Only year for that design feature. From 1961 to 1964 the panel is vee’d outward, with a horizontal crease behind the emblem and/or trim in the middle.
October 10th, 2019 at 7:16 pm
Great show, excited to hear Bob Lutz is on next week.
October 10th, 2019 at 7:19 pm
After a week of testing, the first version of Smart Summon appears to have a 20′ distance limit, like the earlier basic summon. I can do two, 20′ segments but then it gives up on any more. There is speculation that it may be a function what level Autopilot was bought.
It is better to have than not but without resolution of segment length, not as flexible as some YouTube videos.
October 10th, 2019 at 8:15 pm
Some of you do not understand what aspiration means to many people. I believe the reason the Mustang, Camaro, and Wrangler are on this list is the same reason they are also high as the most accessorized vehicles sold. An aspirational vehicle can also be the vehicle you customize as yours. It becomes as rare as Range Rover, BMW 7 series, or Merc-Benz S class.
October 10th, 2019 at 8:15 pm
Looks like a 1963 Corvair to me as I believe it has back-up lights.
October 10th, 2019 at 8:19 pm
The drone system reminds of the episodes of Speed Racer where he uses the Mark V’s version of a drone for recon and rescue. Sorry Bradley, I think Speed Racer predates you.
October 10th, 2019 at 8:20 pm
The Tesla auto summons features will likely have owners answering a court summons.
October 11th, 2019 at 3:43 am
#38 – The built-in, Tesla dash cam (now four cameras) has turned out to provide a lot if accident video for insurance companies and the police. More witness and occasionally victim than cause, the Tesla dash cams have become a fact evidence to the misdeeds of others.
October 11th, 2019 at 7:35 am
35 the S class and the 7 are far from rare and are easily affordable even to Hyundai buyers, if they only grew a brain and bought CPO or used.
That is not what a dream car is.
PS When I was in high school, I suppose my dream car was the RR Silver Shadow I used to draw 3-d badly all the time. Not now.
Now I guess it would be a Ferrari 430 or A porsche 911 Turbo S convertible. Or the nightmare to maintain “Grosser” Mercedes 600 of 1963-81.
October 11th, 2019 at 8:36 am
35 Some folks just dream bigger than others. I would have to say my dream car has always been an exotic or something I felt was responsibly unobtainable. Which is why I am building a Lamborghini Diablo kit car. The dream car without the investment. Plus I enjoy the fabricating as a hobby. I hope to also do a Cobra kit one day.
October 11th, 2019 at 8:43 am
Dream car: put me down for a new Corvette. Now, when evaluating what people pick for their dream cars, it may have to do somewhat on where they are in the way of owning current vehicles; not everyone is a new car buyer (and did they survey some that haven’t ever owned a vehicle before). An aspirational vehicle to a used car buyer could very well be that Camaro, Mustang or other not top of the pack sort of vehicle.
October 11th, 2019 at 8:58 am
42 The “survey” was some kind of counting of twitter posts, or something like that. From the article:
“based on geotagged twitter data (over 100,000 tweets) tracking discussion of “dream cars” and related hashtags (like #dreamcar) across the country.”
An actual survey with the question “What would be your dream car”? would be interesting, and might return similar results.
October 11th, 2019 at 9:48 am
Actually, my “dream cars” are ones that don’t exist, or are not sold in the US, like Camry hybrid wagon, and C-class wagon with a diesel and manual transmission.
October 11th, 2019 at 9:54 am
25 Re the Bentley, the twin turbo v12 is a concern, but on the other hand, I had 3 years of 4 turbos in my 2 diesels and no problems. Also, if this W12 is the same as in the VW Phaeton, it may be possible that the excellent shop I found 5 miles from here, who does Mercs, Audis, BMWs and VWs, may be able to service a Bentley too.
There is also the much shorter (20″ shorter!) coupe and convertible versions.
October 11th, 2019 at 9:59 am
100,000 Tweets is a pretty large sample, but biased because it only includes people who have twitter. (I never bothered with it). Still, it is impressive how prevalent the Tesla S is! It took 20 of the 50 states, and the iconic (but not “dream” Mustang was a distant second.
The Bugatti Veyron would be a dream car, but the new Tesla Roadster obliterates it at 1/10th of the cost. Shows the limits of ICE motors.
October 11th, 2019 at 10:19 am
45 The W12 has also been used in some years of Audi A8, so there should be some people who know how to work on them.
October 11th, 2019 at 10:22 am
Definitely a 1960-1964 Corvair, I don’t know how to narrow it down from there. I think the concave between the headlights is just damage, not a design feature. I know the reverse lights were available since 1960. Even the paint color was available all four years. Might have to go out there and look for a VIN!
October 11th, 2019 at 10:29 am
Maybe Tesla should look at Corvairs for ideas for a Model 3 refresh. Second generation Corvairs looked pretty good to most people, including the grill-less front end.
October 11th, 2019 at 11:20 am
Without the year provided I could see the Mustang or Camaro being a dream car. I would love to own a 1965 Mustang Shelby GT350 fastback in white with blue stripes. Also would love a 60s Camaro resto-mod. The 2020 Corvette has been added to the list. I would love to get ahold of a totaled 2020 Vette just to place the running gear under my Lamborghini body.
October 11th, 2019 at 11:42 am
52, Lambo, great point about an older dream car. When talking classic, my short list would be a ’69 Z-28 and or a variety of C2 Corvettes (63-67).
October 11th, 2019 at 11:44 am
So much for German engineering. Doesn’t say much for BMW.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/research-guides/the-10-cars-owners-ditch-after-less-than-a-year-more-than-any-other-according-to-data/ss-AAIjxKH?ocid=ientp#image=1
October 14th, 2019 at 7:16 pm
Video of the C8 (at Atlanta) with the 5.5 L flat plane crank double overhead cam. This engine (really a variant of this engine will probably adorn the C8 ZO6 when introduced.
October 14th, 2019 at 7:16 pm
Oops, forgot the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK__THZ_K50