AD #2751 – Genesis Introduces 1st SUV; GMC Unveils New Yukon; Biggest Sales Losers In 2019
January 15th, 2020 at 12:02pm
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Runtime: 10:51
0:07 Big Truck Sales Up In 2019
0:40 Biggest Sales Losers In 2019
1:29 Faraday Could Earn Billions from Data Monetization
2:44 GMC Unveils New Yukon
4:16 GMC Terrain Gets AT4 Trim
4:50 Genesis Unveils 1st SUV
5:39 You Said It!
7:48 Automakers Adopt UVeye Scanners
8:44 Supplier Schaeffler Joins Hydrogen Council
9:35 Honda & Isuzu Partner to Test Fuel Cells
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BIG TRUCK SALES UP IN 2019
While sales of passenger vehicles in the U.S. dropped slightly in 2019, it was the opposite for big trucks. According to Wards Intelligence, sales of medium and heavy-duty trucks were up a combined 8% in 2019. But there could be trouble brewing. While the Class 8 segment was up 10% for the entire year, sales have actually declined for the past three months. And if that trend continues into this year, it’s a bad sign because big truck sales are a leading indicator as to where the economy is heading.
BIGGEST SALES LOSERS IN 2019
And 2019 was an excellent year for automakers in the U.S. market, what with sales topping 17 million units for 5 years in a row, if you include heavy-duty pickups. But there were some big losers last year. Nissan saw its sales drop nearly 10%, as the company is in crisis over the whole Carlos Ghosn affair. Mazda dropped more than 7%, which really has us scratching our heads because the company has such a solid lineup of cars. Ford dropped more than 3%, which is partially explained by dropping so many car models including the Focus, Taurus and C-Max, but mostly explained by the botched launch of the Explorer. GM was down 2.5% but that was mainly due to that bone headed strike by the UAW.
| 2019 U.S. MARKET, BIGGEST LOSERS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nissan | 1,345,000 | -9.9% |
| 2. Mazda | 278,000 | -7.2% |
| 3. Ford | 2,343,000 | -3.2% |
| 4. GM | 2,877,000 | -2.5% |
| Source: Wards Intelligence | ||
FARADAY COULD EARN BILLIONS FROM DATA MONETIZATION
Automakers are praying that mobility services, data monetization and advertising in cars could be a gold mine for them by the end of the decade. Faraday Future’s CEO, Carsten Breitfeld, gave us his vision of the kind of money they think they can generate. He says that if Faraday could build an owner base of 10 million cars, that would translate into 150 million user hours per day. And he calculates they can earn 30 cents for every use hour. Well, that translates into $45 million a day, or about $16 billion a year. Sounds crazy right? Well, McKinsey did a study a couple of years ago, predicting the global market for data monetization in cars could hit $750 billion by the end of the decade. And if they’re right, we think it could hit a trillion dollars a few years after that.
GMC UNVEILS NEW YUKON
Hot on the heels of the all-new Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, GMC is showing off the new Yukon and Yukon XL. You’re first greeted by massive grilles and like so many trucks and SUVs, the headlamp assemblies feature large C-clamp running lights. Three engine options will be available, a 5.3L V8 comes standard, a 6.2L V8 is available and standard on the Denali trim and in 2021 customers will also be able to choose GM’s new 3.0L inline 6-cylinder diesel. All three are mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Like the Tahoe and Suburban, the Yukon’s will get an independent rear suspension, which helps improve interior space, but they will have the option for an electronic limited slip differential and an adaptive air suspension system that can raise 2-inches off-road, lower 2-inches to make getting in and out easier or lower ¾ of an inch on the highway to improve fuel economy. The interior features a number of premium touches, a large center display screen and even a Power Sliding Center Console. For the first time, the Yukon will also be offered with the off-road focused AT4 trim, which includes unique tires, underbody skid plates and a black interior theme with deep red accents. The new Yukon and Yukon XL go on sale this summer.
GMC TERRAIN GETS AT4 TRIM
And speaking of GMC, that AT4 trim line must be really popular with customers and making the brand a nice profit because with the introduction of the Terrain AT4, GMC now offers the trim on all of its models. It didn’t release a lot of information on the Terrain AT4, but all AT4 models have a more rugged exterior look, black chrome grille, fog light surrounds and rear badging as well as unique interior touches. The Terrain AT4 will be available this fall.
GENESIS UNVEILS 1ST SUV
Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis is finally adding an SUV to its lineup with the launch of the GV80 in Seoul, South Korea earlier today. The design of the SUV was created by the company’s design studios in Korea, Germany and the U.S. The GV80 launches with a 3.0L V6 diesel in South Korea, while two turbocharged gasoline engines will be available shortly after its launch. It’s standard with rear-wheel-drive but all-wheel-drive is also available. Some exclusive features include, a Road-Noise Active Noise Control system, that Hyundai debuted in November and the driver’s seat contains seven air cells that help reduce fatigue from a long drive. The GV80 is available now in South Korea.
YOU SAID IT!
Now it’s time to get you all in on the action. We had a number of comments yesterday that we’d like to respond to.
KlasseAct says, “LM002… First.”
If you don’t get the reference, yesterday we said that the Urus is Lamborghini’s first SUV. As KlasseAct is pointing out, that’s not really correct. The funky-looking LM002, sold between 1986 and 1993, could probably be considered Lambo’s first SUV. Although, some might call it a truck. But still a good catch by KlasseAct and several others.
ChuckGrenci had a question about the new Chevy Trailblazer. He asks, “Does the Trailblazer replace the Trax or is it an additional model?”
Well, Chevy is keeping the Trax for now and the Trailblazer will slot between the Trax and Equinox. For those keeping track, the Trailblazer makes 6 utility vehicles in Chevy’s lineup and 7 if you include the Bolt.
Here’s a comment from Kumo G that flat out just made us laugh and we’d thought we’d share it. Hope I read this in the right tone. “Sporty versions of a SPORT utility vehicle…you don’t say! Soon there’s (going to) be luxury versions of luxury vehicles and economy versions of economy cars!” Thanks for the laugh.
And last but not least, Bob Wilson is helping us promo our own shows. “Thursday’s ‘Autoline After Hours’ looks pretty good: Sandy Munro, Munro & Associates; Frank Markus, Motor Trend; Gary Vasilash, AD&P; John McElroy, Autoline.tv. Now is a good time to submit questions to: viewermail@autoline.tv.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves Bob. Thanks.
AUTOMAKERS ADOPT UVEYE SCANNERS
Here’s yet another Israeli startup that’s come up with some cool technology. UVeye is the name of a company that started out developing scanners for security checkpoints to detect terrorist bombs attached to the undersides of cars. But they realized their scanners could also detect oil leaks, rust, dents and damage. So they set to work to develop a version that automakers could use to look for defects in vehicle assembly. Now Skoda, Daimler and Honda use their technology, while Volvo and Toyota like it so much that they invested in the company. One popular application is in paint booths, where the scanners can detect dirt or smudges with resolution that goes down to 0.5 millimeters. UVeye claims that one OEM was able to increase its paint shop throughput by 4x because the system is so much faster than human inspectors.
SUPPLIER SCHAEFFLER JOINS HYDROGEN COUNCIL
They say that hydrogen fuel cells are the powertrain solutions of the future…and always will be. But even though fuel cells are a long way off from going mainstream, more and more companies are getting involved. The governments of South Korea and Japan are pouring a lot of money into development. A few weeks back, we reported that Hyundai plans to have 200,000 fuel cell systems in vehicles and for power generation by 2030. And now the German supplier Schaeffler is throwing its hat into the ring. It’s joining the Hydrogen Council, which is based in Belgium and has members from 81 companies from the transport, energy and industrial sectors. Schaeffler is supplying bipolar plates which require precise forming and thin-layer coating, which go into the fuel cell stack.
HONDA & ISUZU PARTNER TO TEST FUEL CELLS
And speaking of fuel cells, Honda and Isuzu are joining forces to study the use of hydrogen power in heavy-duty trucks. As part of the two-year deal, Isuzu will test Honda’s fuel cell system, which was developed for passenger vehicles, in its commercial trucks. Fuel cells for passenger vehicles are still very expensive but Honda and Isuzu believe fuel cells can be cost competitive for heavy-duty trucks that travel longer distances.
Electric cars can be far cleaner than cars powered by internal combustion engines. But it also depends on how you’re generating the electricity. Richard Hinton, one of our viewers from Australia sent us this picture of an EV charging station. Look closely and you’ll see that it’s powered by a diesel generator. Hey, we know we’re still early in the EV game, but in this case, it would be more efficient to simply have a car with a diesel engine.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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Comments (61)
January 15th, 2020 at 12:09 pm
“Data mining” proposed by Faraday presumes a user base. Tesla already has +400,000 cars in daily contact with their servers. I’m not sure the claimed value of this data is of value except for the improved Tesla modeling of their SuperCharger network and user driving experience. In 10 years, Faraday will be late.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:11 pm
From my viewpoint, the front end styling of the new Yukon has gone from classy to cartoonish. They should confine the gargantuan grille competition to the HD pickups.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:31 pm
I like the new styling, most buyers want there truck to look truckish. Still waiting for a new Avalanche which I suspect is never going to happen.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:31 pm
I am wondering about the longevity of the new 1.0, 1.3, and 1.5 liter motors in many of the new cars like the Trail Blazer and other small SUVs. A lot of stress on such a small motor and the boxy vehicles.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:33 pm
2 I have to agree that the new Yukon looks too square and boxy. I think GM is making a mistake with this new bold look. The side profile could easily be mistaken for the Ford Excursion which hasn’t sold as well. I believe the appeal to many consumers of GM’s large SUV was it was a elegant refined look that wasn’t so truck like. I also believe the reason for that is many of them replaced the old minivan and are being driven by todays soccer moms who occasionally haul 6 kids around but don’t exactly want a lifted up aggressive looking truck. Guess we will see.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:35 pm
Hey how do I shut off those in car ads they are proposing? Give me a break I am going to pay mucho thousands of $ for a car then be bombarded with ads for who knows what so the manufacturers can make even more money on me. Just show me the off switch for the ads and I might consider buying one of their cars if it is a really good performer that is cheap to run.
Do these guys really believe this fairy tale or are they just trying to bilk the investment community?
January 15th, 2020 at 12:39 pm
The AT4 trim is another disappointment from the marketing geniuses at GM. It is supposed to signify off-roading capability, yet the equipment varies significantly from model to model, with some being well equipped for off-road driving and others merely being window dressing. It lacks any integrity, proven by your story where the items you mention that are common on this trim level on all GMC models have absolutely nothing to do with off-road capability, (“all AT4 models have a more rugged exterior look, black chrome grille, fog light surrounds and rear badging as well as unique interior touches”). Where are the skid plates, larger tires and longer travel suspension components? They could take a lesson from Jeep, whose Trail Rated badge (and now Trailhawk trim level), means that it has the goods to go off-road and has successfully traversed the Rubicon Trail.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:43 pm
Who would have guessed, developing safety devices to prevent terrorism would render a great inspection for oil leaks, rust, dents and damage?
The clip you showed reminded me of the lengths drug smugglers go through to get product into the US. Back when I worked in the exhaust industry our aftermarket group would test replacement exhaust on old cars from a local dealership. In turn they would get a new exhaust for free. We got in this car and tried to put an exhaust system on it only to find the routing had been modified like the one in your clip with the exhaust under the rocker. They made a false floor to store the drugs undercoated it and had moved the exhaust. The dealership had no idea what had been done to the car. Have to say they actually did pretty good work cause it didn’t stand out too much. Like how many noticed it on the car during todays show?
January 15th, 2020 at 12:45 pm
Where, again is this hydrogen going to come from? There are few places in the world that it comes out of wells in the ground, but not in huge quantities. Electrolyzing water makes no sense, when the electricity can be used more efficiently in other ways.
Yeah, I’ve heard that H2 can be extracted from tar sands and oil in the ground, but CO2 is a product of the reaction so what’t the point of that? It sounds like a lot of companies are on the hydrogen fuel cell band wagon, though.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:47 pm
I also have serious doubts about the “monetizing of data” stories that keep coming out.
Who will be buying all of this data?
How much of it do they really need, year in and year out?
If they are not buying it now (or not much of it), where will they get the budget to buy trillions of dollars of data?
The cost of this will have to be passed along to consumers. If they start pricing themselves out of the market for their product, will they reduce or stop buying the data?
This just seems like an awfully big new marketing expense that isn’t really necessary. It may ramp up for awhile, but I predict that companies will quickly realize that they don’t really need it. And that will trigger a data “price war” among providers and a rapid end to this foolishness. My data is simply not worth that much!
January 15th, 2020 at 12:48 pm
7 While I don’t like it at all, it seems that the “macho look” goes over well with a lot of Americans. Look at the Subaru Outback. They took a perfectly good Legacy wagon, and gave it a lift kit and plastic body cladding, and quadrupled the sales. That is a turn off to me, but I’m not a typical car buyer in America.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:50 pm
@7 GM seems to always do that, water down a good thing. I’m sure an AT4 Terrain is supper duper off roadie!
January 15th, 2020 at 12:51 pm
@11 Not that I’m such a fan of all the off road pretense but living in the snow belt having more ground clearance and some extra protection in the wheel wells isn’t such a bad thing.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:52 pm
9
The only sensible application I’ve seen for fuel cells (besides space capsules) was in Texas City, Texas where GM had a couple of semi-trailers full of their developmental fuel cell systems. (early 2000s)
They had them parked at the local refinery and were using the byproduct hydrogen to power the plant. If you have to create the hydrogen on purpose to power the fuel cell, the economics go to Hell pretty quickly.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:54 pm
Okay, so Faraday Future (who has yet to sell their first car), is going to rake in $16 a year on a fleet of 10 million vehicles. So, how much will GM, Ford, Toyota, FCA, Nissan, VW, etc. make on their MUCH larger fleets? The supply of data is going to dramatically overwhelm the demand, and in a very short time frame.
Faraday Future is an optimistic company, but 10 million vehicle sales in ten years? I can’t imagine that, even when I wear my rose-colored glasses!
January 15th, 2020 at 12:54 pm
Thinking that GV80 is going to sell well.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Sorry, that should be $16 billion on a fleet of 10 million vehicles.
January 15th, 2020 at 12:58 pm
10 I think they expect this data to be like the information our smart phones and Google does already. Have you ever noticed soon as you do a search for something on your phone you get ads about it? Hell I was not even on my phone and having a random conversation about something obscure like the price of tea in China. Next day I’m getting ads for Chinese Tea. I know it sounds like its some kind of conspiracy thing and some might say listening to our conversations is. But I think its just gathering of data to market to us. So this data from your car like shops you visit and restaurants they can send you coupons. I doubt the data is worth quite what they think but I can see how it would be useful for companies to target people. If you visit Bass Pro shop well Cabela’s would like to send you their sales flyer.
January 15th, 2020 at 1:00 pm
@5 – Ford hasn’t built an Excursion in over 14 years. Perhaps that is why it’s sales are so poor.
The Expedition, on the other hand, is sell No very well. As it is assembled in the same plant at the Super Duty and Navigator, it’s capacity is limited.
January 15th, 2020 at 1:03 pm
12 Yea kinda like when Dodge offered the Journey in an RT version with same engine and transmission. So the road and track version consisted of stripes. oooooh!
January 15th, 2020 at 1:05 pm
Sean, the new Yukon seems to be increasing the differentiation versus the Tahoe/Suburban, and increasing the differentiation for the Denali trim. Photos in the Detroit News show a unique instrument panel for the Denali.
Also, congratulations to GM for adopting an independent rear suspension, ala 2003 Expedition (18 years later!).
January 15th, 2020 at 1:06 pm
19 Ahe yes Expedition, good catch.
Big truck similar looking name both Fords.
January 15th, 2020 at 1:09 pm
16 I think that GV80 looks pretty good, for an SUV, and I like that green.
19 The thing I remember about the Excursion when it was introduced, was that it weighed at least 1000 pounds more than a Suburban, but had less cabin space and towing capacity. Most of the few I still see have a really noisy, stinky diesel. A couple days ago, one was parked at a McDonalds, with the engine idling, stinking up the whole area.
January 15th, 2020 at 1:09 pm
19 Typos —- The Expedition… is selling very well.
January 15th, 2020 at 1:14 pm
20 They also had a Grand Caravan R/T. I saw one at my condo a couple days ago. Fortunately, Dodge has quit using R/T as a “trim level,” and all current R/Ts, Charger, Challenger, and Durango have at least the 5.7 “hemi” V8.
January 15th, 2020 at 1:15 pm
23 – Ah, the Excursion Valdez. That SUV was the poster child for the anti-SUV sentiment (particularly Keith Naughton from the NYT) and triggered regulatory changes to expand under 8500# GVW regulations to under 10,000# GVW vehicles.
January 15th, 2020 at 1:22 pm
24 The Ford is selling well in comparison to itself. 2018 sales were only 54,661 and 2019 was up to 86,422 a good jump. But in comparison to the GM which sold 178,829 in 2018 and 175,862 in 2019 the Ford isn’t selling half of what GM is.
January 15th, 2020 at 2:21 pm
23 The gas Excursion had a dismal MPG of 9 or 10, but Motorweek had a long term Diesel which got 100% more, 19+ MPG.
January 15th, 2020 at 2:21 pm
2, 4, 10: Agree 100%
January 15th, 2020 at 2:22 pm
16 You are aware that all Genesis models, even its 3 series rival, have had truly dismal sales so far?
January 15th, 2020 at 2:22 pm
As far as the Genesis SUV, the Q is, is it a clone of the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade, or is it much bigger and more powerful than they are? (not that I would ever bother to test drive, let alone buy one; today i was too lazy to even test drive the G 90 big sedan with its 400ish HP and Torque, when I drove to the dentist at noon for a brief 5 min appt.
January 15th, 2020 at 2:23 pm
11 Subarus were always ugly ducklings, although the white wagon my neighbor got looks quite good. Their impressive success lately is more due to great marketing, clever ads (that work for their intended audience) and a perception as plain Janes who can be quite useful to dog owners, esp in the snowbelt.
January 15th, 2020 at 2:26 pm
so in AAH this Thu, any idea what new investigation of his Munro will be presenting (if anything, or will he just be a panel member)?
January 15th, 2020 at 2:40 pm
31 I don’t know how big the Q thing is, but it’s definitely not a clone of the Telluride/Palisade. The 2wd Genesis is rear drive, while the Kia/Hyundai are front drive.
January 15th, 2020 at 2:48 pm
32 Most Subarus are also pretty good values. My sister has a mid-trim Forester, which is pretty well equipped with leather, some of the new safety gadgets, etc., and the sticker was under $30K. I doubt if she got it for much under sticker, but it was still a good value, if you want that sort of vehicle.
January 15th, 2020 at 2:53 pm
Wikipedia describes the GV80 as “MIDSIZE”. its engines are not much more powerful than those of the T/P. Another site claims the GV80 is roughly as large as the BMW X5, so it’s actually smaller than the T and P. If they price it right, it might sell better than the sedans, but not by much, given that the 70 is a cheap 3 series almost Civic-sized car, that should have sold a ton of units, esp with all the ‘employee of the month’ awards it got, but it did not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_GV80
January 15th, 2020 at 2:55 pm
35 the three row Subaru Ascent is really good value at $31k if you don’t go for the options. Easily undercuts even the domestic 3-row SUVs, let alone those from Japan.
January 15th, 2020 at 3:13 pm
36 The G70 did get a lot of awards, considering the so-so review it got from CR. CR ranked it 2nd to the Audi A4 of “luxury compact cars,” but that appears to be mainly because it had better reliability survey results than many others. The “road test” score of the Genesis was below most of the competition. Also, it was slower and thirstier than similarly equipped (turbo 4, automatic) A4, C-Class, and 3 series. The Gen recommends regular gas, though, while the Germans all recommend, or “require” premium.
January 15th, 2020 at 3:43 pm
That Genesis GV80 is one handsome SUV. I’d buy it.
January 15th, 2020 at 3:52 pm
30
You’re aware, of course, that sedan sales have fallen off a cliff, making it rather fallacious to set your expectations on how a new SUV is going to sell based on their market performance.
Unrelated subject:
The other day, sitting at a traffic light, I watched a late-model Kia SUV roll up behind me. The thought struck me that the corporate grill shape on a Kia almost seems designed to tickle your subconscious pattern matching system the same way a BMW twin kidney grill might. Do you suppose they could possibly be *that* subtle over at Kia?
January 15th, 2020 at 3:54 pm
@Larry – A quick search resulted in this from Road Show by CNET, “The GV80 rides on a new, rear-wheel-drive platform that’ll soon underpin other Genesis products, namely, the next-generation G80 sedan.”
January 15th, 2020 at 4:24 pm
Had to laugh at the diesel-powered charging station image. Actually saw a diesel-powered generator on a trailer with signage indicating it’s a portable EV charging station. Hilarious!
January 15th, 2020 at 5:08 pm
41 Based on the engines the QV80 will use, it looks like the n/a V6 will probably go away in the G80. That non-turbo engine is part of why a friend bought a G80.
January 15th, 2020 at 5:25 pm
To the host of this Great show:A hair cut and a beard trim would be very appropriate to go with your new background set.Thanks
January 16th, 2020 at 7:04 am
41 Thanks for the info, I had already seen posts here that said it was RWD, but new platform too, they are really splurging.
January 16th, 2020 at 7:06 am
40 I am 100% correct and you are really unaware of everything.
Sedan LOSER sales have fallen off, SUCCESSFUL Sedans are setting RECORDS, such as the Tesla Model 3, which is a competitor to the G 70, in the same price range,or even pricier, and sells TEN to TWENTY TIMES what the pitiful Genesis G70 sells.
Similarly with the Accord and the Camry, the 3 series and the E class and all kinds of other GOOD sedans, they are doing JUST FINE thank you. Do look at the detailed sales numbers, maybe you will be much better informed if you do.
January 16th, 2020 at 9:05 am
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/01/does-mileage-matter-hottest-porsche-taycans-range-revealed-debate-ensues/
Some here found the 310+ mile range of Teslas inadequate to take them to the track. I would be curious to see how they compare them to the ranges of the Porsche Taycan “Turbo”, at almost twice the price, which has puny range below even 200 miles.
January 16th, 2020 at 9:07 am
46 PS As it stands, the EPA rates the Turbo S at the equivalent of 68 mpg (MPGe). In contrast, the Tesla Model S Performance with its 100 kWh pack earns a 97 MPGe rating and goes the distance at 326 miles.
Note that the Taycan So-called “Turbo S” sells for close to $200k.
January 16th, 2020 at 9:26 am
46 No EV would work for a typical “track day,” except possibly a Model 3, if you had a “supercharger” on site. Well, also the Taycan would work, if you had one of their 600v fast chargers on site.
I’m still curious as to why the Taycan is so inefficient. The most likely reason would seem to be the motors, but with electric motors almost a commodity, why are the ones Porsche uses so bad?
January 16th, 2020 at 10:06 am
48 the most appropriate Tesla for the track, the Roadster 2.0., has a range of 620 miles and can easily do all the track it wants and even go to and from the track without recharging.
January 16th, 2020 at 10:13 am
If roadster 2.0 loses 80%+ of its normal range on a track, like other EVs, even it would be marginal.
January 16th, 2020 at 10:37 am
If you want to race electric cars. Save yourself 30K+ and here you can drive at 370mph. Includes a jump.
https://www.amazon.com/Carrera-63504-Speed-Battery-Operated/dp/B07PKDN44F/ref=asc_df_B07PKDN44F/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=&hvpos=&hvnetw=o&hvrand=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207582771651&psc=1
January 16th, 2020 at 11:02 am
51 I was never any good at slot car racing, but raced r/c buggies for a few years, and was fairly good at that. It was a fun winter alternative to model airplane flying for a few years, when there were 25 or 30 people racing two evenings a week on an indoor track.
January 16th, 2020 at 11:28 am
51 you are not really reasonable here. If the Roadster indeed has 620 miles range, even if it gets 1/6th of it ONLY for the pure track miles, it can still do plenty, as I said, and still go to the track and back on its own power. And this under the 100% worst case scenario, that you will not able to recharge it while you wait for your next turn at the track and all that.
Three times the range (or 420 miles more range than) of the Taycan so-called “Turbo S” is not the same range.
January 16th, 2020 at 11:29 am
The link is to “carwow” YouTube driving to exhaustion: Tesla Model 3, Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace, Nissan Leaf, Kia e-Niro, and Mercedes EQC.
January 16th, 2020 at 11:42 am
54 Have you ever done a “track day”? I’ve only done one, but it included five or six, 20 minute sessions. I drove about 100 miles each way to get there. If the average speed on the track was 60 mph, probably close, and good for easy calculation, that would be 100 miles of track driving for the day, if there were 5 sessions.
Take the (so far non-existent) Roadster 2.0. Drive it from my home in Indiana to the track, and there’s 520 miles of range left. Then drive the 100 miles on the track, and you run out of juice and coast to a stop during the 5th session on the track. OK, you probably don’t coast to a stop; the car will cut power way down, so you can get to the paddock, and maybe to a charger somewhere. With a gas car, either you arrive at the track with a full tank, or might need to get gas, but many, or most tracks have gas available on-site, or if not, it’s available a short distance from the track, and you can fill it up in five minutes.
January 16th, 2020 at 11:47 am
55 Great video
January 16th, 2020 at 11:55 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYokHWi40u0
short (7 mins) and sweet. An owner who put 40,000 miles on his Model 3 tells you exactly how much it cost to own and run it.
January 16th, 2020 at 3:34 pm
The fact is that most car buyers are not driving longer yearly mileage especially millenials who are choosing to stay near city centres and prefer cities with more public transport. So many small engines are barely stressed. Even truck buyers are not towing or using their purchases for the stresses and demands they are designed for. Big large engines might be under less stress but the pain is heavy fuel consumption, weight, build cost, engine space required and safety in designing the engine not to be a meteorite when it hits an object.
January 16th, 2020 at 4:02 pm
With average car price sticker cost rising, Subaru has succeeded by offering a cheap AWD saloon range. The engineering is pretty well established so reliability is above average (useful in the “snow” belt). Subaru however faces the same challenges as small car makers- cutting its carbon emissions or lose access to whole sections of urban buyers with limited capital to do it inhouse. In Europe Subaru barely sells as rugged vehicles have a limited market. Euro winterbelt Buyers go for used premium 4wd SUVs and switch to winter/snow tyres every Autumn without fail. That and having better torque from diesel engines…
January 16th, 2020 at 6:08 pm
As Ford found out (Jaguar-Volvo) and many other new premium sub-brands have found out (Acura/Infiniti/Alfa-Romeo/Peugeot DS, Saab) the investment cost to get on the short-list for a premium purchase is enormous while sales are low, keeping dealers engaged difficult and investing in motorsport risky and superexpensive. Lexus is a rare win, Volvo is a rare near death recovery. Audi threads a fine line between a reskined VW and a well reviewed white elephant.
What has won is cheaper brands (Skoda-Seat/Dacia/Jeep) that don’t invest in brand halo but offer much the same as full brands but consumers understand the trade-off over more expensive choices. Too cheap and buyers prefer used western cars. GMC does that and allows buyers to spend more on (profitable) upgrades. What underpins all these are cheap truck platforms that offer poor emissions and fuel economy. WHat happens when the casual truck buyer deserts the car makers and the new “rich” in India/China/Asia/Africa cannot afford premium car costs and never will