AD #2768 – Toyota Corolla Hybrid Impressions; Hinrichs Forced Out of Ford; Chrysler Pacifica Refreshed
February 7th, 2020 at 11:49am
Listen to “AD #2768 – Toyota Corolla Hybrid Impressions; Hinrichs Forced Out of Ford; Chrysler Pacifica Refreshed” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 11:49
* Our apologies to Thomas Gallagher the former CEO of the Genuine Parts Company. We mistakenly call him John Gallager in today’s video. *
0:07 Hinrichs Forced Out of Ford
0:47 EV Startup NIO Fighting to Survive
1:43 Detroit 3 Workers Earn Good Profit Sharing Checks
2:10 Automotive Hall of Fame Reveals New Inductees
2:57 NHTSA Approves Nuro’s AV Delivery Pods
4:13 Chrysler Pacifica Updates
5:01 Mercedes Reveals Pop-Up Camper Van
5:42 Kia Cadenza Refreshed
6:16 Volkswagen Unveils New Atlas
7:13 Will Fuel Cell Vehicles Ever Catch On?
9:37 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Impressions
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
HINRICHS FORCED OUT OF FORD
Ford announced a bombshell this morning. Joe Hinrichs is being forced out as president of the company and Jim Farley is being promoted as Chief Operating Officer, which means he is likely going to be the next CEO of the company. As we reported earlier this week, Hinrichs was blamed for the botched launch of the new Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, which hurt the company’s financial earnings badly. But as we also pointed out, Ford has performed dismally under its CEO Jim Hackett. And we would not be surprised to hear Ford announce his retirement before the year is out.
EV STARTUP NIO FIGHTING TO SURVIVE
Despite Tesla’s amazing ability to raise money, it’s not easy being an EV startup. NIO, the Chinese electric car startup, just managed to raise $100 million. While that would be a ton of money for you and I, it’s not nearly enough money to keep a car company running. Bloomberg reports that NIO spent lavishly on splashy showrooms and glitzy marketing and has lost $6 billion since it began in 2014. Investors are deeply concerned. Its stock price is 60% below where it was about a year ago. So far sales of its ES8 and ES6 fell far short of expectations and that was before the coronavirus paralyzed China. Unless someone steps up with a big bag of money, it’s hard to see how NIO can survive.
DETROIT 3 WORKERS EARN GOOD PROFIT SHARING CHECKS
Meanwhile, UAW workers at GM, Ford and FCA just learned they’re getting pretty good profit sharing checks. GM workers will get $8,000, Ford workers will get $6,600 and FCA workers will get $7,280. Ironically, those GM workers may have received checks for over $10,000 had they not gone out on strike.
AUTOMOTIVE HALL OF FAME REVEALS NEW INDUCTEES
The Automotive Hall of Fame, located in Dearborn, Michigan, revealed the inductees for 2020. Most notable is Jay Leno, who is a total car nut but his work on his CNBC show “Jay Leno’s Garage” is the main reason why he’s being honored. Also being admitted is Hyundai’s chairman and CEO, Mong-Koo Chung, Thomas Gallagher the former CEO of the Genuine Parts Company and Helene Rother, one of the first female interior designers, who started her career with General Motors in 1942 and later worked for Nash Motors and other companies. The new members will be officially inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Detroit this July.
NHTSA APPROVES NURO’S AV DELIVERY PODS
Big win for autonomous delivery company Nuro, which is backed in part by the SoftBank Group. NHTSA is allowing it to deploy up to 5,000 of its low-speed electric, AV delivery pods for a 2-year period. Nuro had pilot projects in Arizona and Texas, so we’d expect these pods to be making deliveries in those areas. To get the approval, Nuro agreed to provide real-time reports about safety issues, have regular meetings with NHTSA, engage the community in deployment areas and monitor the vehicles at all times by humans who can take over remotely if needed. This should be exciting news for any company that’s working on autonomous vehicles. This is the first-time NHTSA approved the deployment of automated driving systems without meeting all existing U.S. auto safety standards, like having mirrors and a steering wheel.
CHRYSLER PACIFICA UPDATES
We’ve got a number of reveals coming out of the Chicago Auto Show. Check out the new face of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan! We’d love to hear what you have to say about the styling change. You’ll also notice the taillights have been redesigned and now stretch across the entire tailgate. Another big update is that the Pacifica is now available all-wheel drive and even better it’s still available with Stow n’ Go seating. The new minivan is also the first vehicle in North America to get FCA’s all-new Uconnect 5 system, which includes a 10.1-inch display screen and Amazon Alexa capability. New driver assistance features are available as well. The updated Pacifica goes on sale in the 4th quarter of this year.
MERCEDES REVEALS POP-UP CAMPER VAN
And speaking of vans, Mercedes is now offering a pop-up camper van in the U.S. for the first time. It’s a modified version of the Metris and is built by Driverge Vehicle Solutions in partnership with Peace Vans. Called the Weekender, the elevated roof has a sleeping area for two and the rear bench seat opens into a bed for two. The swiveling front seats rotate 180 degrees to create a lounge feel for the interior. And it also comes standard with a second battery to power devices and any other campsite needs. No word on price or when it will be available.
KIA CADENZA REFRESHED
And while you may not have realized it still existed, Kia gave the Cadenza a fresh look. The new large grille is what sticks out most, but there’s also changes to the whole front fascia, the hood, rear decklid as well as front and rear lighting. The dash and instrument cluster have been completely redesigned, the audio controls were moved and a 12.3-inch touchscreen is now standard. Also standard is a host of new driver assistance features. The new Cadenza goes on sale later this year.
VOLKSWAGEN UNVEILS NEW ATLAS
Volkswagen updated the Atlas. The biggest difference is the front-end design, which includes the same grille used on the Atlas Cross Sport. There’s also minor tweaks to the rear and the new bumper design adds 3-inches to its overall length. Interior updates are highlighted by a new steering wheel, but also include contrast-stitching on the seats and doors and its 8-inch display screen is now standard on all trims, except the base model. Like the other vehicles, new driver assistance technology is available and all-wheel drive can now be mated to both the V6 and 4-cylinder engines. The new Atlas goes on sale this spring.
WILL FUEL CELL VEHICLES EVER CATCH ON?
While battery electric vehicles grab the headlines when it comes to environmentally friendly vehicles, automakers like Toyota, Honda and Hyundai are pouring R&D dollars into fuel cell vehicles. But they only sell them in California, and only in limited numbers at that. So will fuel cells ever catch on? On Autoline This Week we’re joined by three reporters from Wards and here’s what they had to say about whether fuel cell vehicles will become mainstream.
Tom Murphy, WardsAuto
“So our forecast, from LMC Automotive, is suggesting well below zero (percent market share) right now, going up to 0.2% globally several years down the road. With a lot of that growth coming in Europe, and apparently, BMW is going to be one of those big players. In addition to Hyundai and Toyota who are already there.”
John McElroy
“Yeah because Japan and South Korea are really pushing hydrogen fuel cells.”
Bob Gritzinger, Wards Intelligence
“Yeah you could probably get by with a fuel cell in one of those markets but you know in the U.S. or even Europe at this point, it’s hard to justify. But it is that future looking technology that does work, we’ve driven it, we’ve given 10 Best Awards to it and it’s out there. Decades in the future but eventually we’ll just be emitting a little bit of water.”
Tom Murphy
“And these are fun to drive. I mean you’ve driven a fuel cell, right? There’s nothing unusual.”
John McElroy
“Look it’s an electric car and instead of a battery, it’s got a fuel cell which generates electricity.”
Bob Gritzinger
“Instead of having to plug it in, you pump it.”
John McElroy
“And yeah, you can fill the tank almost as fast as it takes to fill a gasoline tank.”
Christie Schweinsberg, Wards Intelligence
“It is worth noting that several automakers see a relatively robust market on the commercial vehicle side for fuel cells. So even if they don’t succeed and you don’t have one in your driveway, chances are maybe the vehicle that brought your packages from Amazon might be a fuel cell.”
John McElroy
“Especially for long-haul across the country.”
Bob Gritzinger
“Long haul but also in ports, those kinds of things, places where you can create that hydrogen infrastructure in a closed environment.”
You can watch that show right now on our website, Autoline.tv, or you can find it on our YouTube channel.
TOYOTA COROLLA HYBRID IMPRESSIONS
We like to report on the cars we get to test drive and this week I spent a lot of time in the Toyota Corolla Hybrid. Even though Toyota is investing in fuel cells, in the near term it’s far more bullish on hybrids. In fact, Toyota is very skeptical about the sales prospects for battery electric cars. For one thing, hybrids cost far less to buy than an electric car. The LE model I drove carries a sticker price of $24,000 but according to True Car, most people are paying $22,000 for it. It’s rated at 52 miles to the gallon and while I averaged 49, that was in cold winter weather. So that’s about a 5% reduction in mileage. Had I been driving an EV, I would have expected close to a 40% drop. Last year, Toyota sold about 16,000 of them in the U.S. market. That means it outsold just about every electric car except for the Tesla Model 3, even though the Corolla Hybrid really didn’t become widely available until April of last year. The main selling point of the car is its fuel economy, other than that it’s a decent car but with no other outstanding features. The only thing I didn’t like about it, is that it must have the heaviest doors in the industry, with a commensurate high opening and closing effort. For a compact hybrid car, it’s kind of weird that the doors feel so heavy.
But that’s it for this week’s reports, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again on Monday.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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Comments (42)
February 7th, 2020 at 12:02 pm
John,
If I remember correctly, a couple of years ago you thought Jim Farley would be the next Ford CEO instead of James Hackett!
February 7th, 2020 at 12:09 pm
The Corolla hybrid is, basically, a more “normal” looking, but less utilitarian Prius. They share the same powertrain, and are similar size and weight.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:12 pm
That Atlas continues to be butt ugly!
February 7th, 2020 at 12:19 pm
A. Ford. If Farley replaces Hackett, it will be a similar ‘improvement’ as when Hackett replaced Marc Fields. Good luck to Ford… it will sure need it, with such (lack of) leadership.
B. If I ever needed a minivan, I’d not waste my time with the losers and get the best, the Honda Odyssey. The Sienna is nice too, but not as good.
C. Hall of Fame. I applaud Jay Leno’s selection, that woman designer may have also accomplished something, but the HYUNDAI Ceo??? why the hell is this character induced in the Hall of Fame? I assume, for the Guiness World record of the most failed attempts to sell a Hyundai-Kia luxury car, NONE of which (about 15 of them) ever succeeded. Good work, fat cat from Hyundai!
D. Speaking of the Koreans, “Kia Kadenza”? or Cadenza, who cares? What the hell is that? Did it sell more than 10 units last year? My point exactly, too many LOSER Models instead of, like the Marines, A FEW GOOD ONES that they can sell at a good price AND make a good profit!
E. Corolla Hybrid. At $22k, the price is indeed right. Too bad the dog is no longer eating the Hybrid Dogfood.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:19 pm
Finally Fords board sees that Hackett is not the man for the job. Hopefully Farley can turn things around.
Nuro’s delivery pods seem like a great option for apps like Uber eats and the many grocery store delivery services.
Pacifica front end looks like the old Chrysler 200 front end.
MB camper van; they may not have eluded to a price but based off current offerings they run about $100k
February 7th, 2020 at 12:19 pm
I found the seating in the Corolla more comfortable than the Prius.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:26 pm
6 The interior of the Corolla hybrid is really poor, esp those white plastics should hurt the eye (the Volt has them too). But then, those who buy it could care less about the luxuries in life, they prefer to spend their time marveling about the great MPG they are getting (even tho nobody should care, given the dirt-cheap gas prices in the USA).
February 7th, 2020 at 12:27 pm
The only way fuel cell vehicles will ever catch on is if someone can develop a much more efficient way to make hydrogen. It would take a new process that would use a third of the energy needed today.
To make enough hydrogen to fill the fuel tanks of the Honda and Toyota fuel cell cars it takes 250 KWh of electricity, which will take you 330 highway miles. Or you can take that 250 KWh and charge an electric car 3 or 4 times and go over 1000 mile. Now you know why Elon Musk create a car company called Tesla and not Hydro!
February 7th, 2020 at 12:28 pm
I think both the old, and new Pacifica looks pretty good, and except for maybe reliability, it’s the best minivan out there. Also, the hybrid, even if never plugged in, gets substantially better mpg than the competition.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=41893&id=41943&id=41895&id=41386
February 7th, 2020 at 12:31 pm
9 it most certainly is not. And it does not even look good, it looks rather lame. And “except for reliability”? what else is there in this segment? AND the interiors are lousy, I’ve been in them.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:34 pm
4, D. The Cadenza is Kia’s competition of Toyota Avalon. A friend has one, bought used at a very good price, and likes it. It’s quick, quiet, and comfortable, and has been reliable. Knowing what he paid for his 3 year old used one, it would be a very bad car to buy new, with its fast depreciation.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:38 pm
I saw the comment about the Atlas and allegedly how ugly it is, and I went to the video and saw the brief segment it shows it.
It’s not ugly at all, it looks just like any other large SUV on the outside, BUT the interior was FAR BETTER than your average drab grey and fake silver plastic SUV interior.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:38 pm
10 It has a practical, functional interior, and is priced right if not over-equipped. FYI, the Odyssey didn’t do so well in CR’s reliability survey either.
Maybe the one with the “lousy” interior was the Dodge Caravan clone Voyager. That is different from the Pacifica.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
I’m with #5 …… the new Pacifica front end looks like the old Chrysler 200. BORING!
February 7th, 2020 at 12:43 pm
8 Exactly. I do not understand why anyone is even considering fuel cells for road vehicles. Unless a way comes to pass to dissociate water by osmosis or something, using little energy, it makes no sense.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:44 pm
I don’t see what is ironic, if meant in a funny or strange way, for the auto workers to choose to strike in effort to maintain an average wage package over an extra $2000 profit sharing. I just thought the comment itself lacked forethought.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:45 pm
10 The Pacifica is far better looking than the goofy looking Odyssey or Sienna. The Odyssey with its drop in style line behind the rear doors is just weird. That’s one ugly looking van. The Sienna has that lower grill that could swallow a Prius. I haven’t ridden in either one but from exterior looks alone the Pacifica wins hands down. IMO
February 7th, 2020 at 12:47 pm
14 I guess they could make it less boring, with a Lexus-like spindle nose or something. Maybe that would help minivan sales, or not. It might be worth trying something new.
February 7th, 2020 at 12:52 pm
On and off, I’ve been reading up on the production of hydrogen. It may not be realistic for many years to come but technology is rapidly advancing while seeking new and more affordable methods. Utilizing solar and salt water are just two areas being explored. If large profits can be had, someone will find a way.
February 7th, 2020 at 1:00 pm
17). Totally agree! I think the ride is a bit better in the Odyssey but the huge dash and windshield is a killer.
February 7th, 2020 at 1:05 pm
Styling is not a Toyota strong point. My Camry has that big lower grill, kind of like the Sienna, and definitely not why I bought the car.
February 7th, 2020 at 1:19 pm
Farley is a real car guy and that is is the first step to fixing Ford. He is the driving force behind adding the Mustang name to the Mach E so it better make a splash or he is out. Buddy Hackett has got to his package and leave ASAP. Good news overall!
February 7th, 2020 at 1:40 pm
16 – Don’t forget about the six weeks of pay and benefits (except healthcare) that those workers gave up. They ended up with a pretty good new contract, but I wonder how it would pencil out if they had taken the last offer before they went on strike, did not then give up the six weeks of pay and the reduction in their profit sharing. Of course, they got a signing bonus but would have gotten that anyway. I bet the net increase in their overall pay is far less than one might initially think. The real winners were the Ford and FCA workers!
February 7th, 2020 at 1:47 pm
4C – I am sure the reason Mr. Chung is being inducted is because he oversaw the transformation of a small, domestic automaker in South Korea building poor quality products into the fifth largest international automaker that builds good quality vehicles with attractive styling. And that is only a fraction of the overall business empire named Hyundai. It is one of the largest and most successful companies in the world.
February 7th, 2020 at 2:13 pm
I wonder if the Pacifica tail lamp is a sign that FCA is trying to blend Chrysler and Dodge, baby step to merge the two.
February 7th, 2020 at 4:04 pm
I like the idea of Jay Leno getting inducted, I think he deserves it.
February 7th, 2020 at 9:35 pm
26 I like Jay’s shows. I think my favorite was with his Stanley Steamer. That was interesting. No wonder steam cars didn’t do too well, with the 10-15 minute warm up time before you could get moving.
February 9th, 2020 at 9:46 am
For any Formula 1 Haas fans; the first inklings of 2020. Here’s a link (a little dry in my opinion, but some news just the same). Hoping for a better year for Haas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDdlqrqAIG0
February 9th, 2020 at 11:02 am
28 I was surprised that Haas kept both drivers, the way they kept taking each other out, but there was a lot more wrong that that. Presumably things will get better. I look forward to F1 in 2021, with major rules changes that should mix things up. I hope Mercedes doesn’t quit as a constructor, so we can see how they’d do with the changes.
February 9th, 2020 at 11:15 am
I too will patiently wait for 2021, however, I certainly don’t want to call a ‘wash’ to 2020 (we’re both not getting any younger)
Looking at the video, it didn’t seem that when Mag and Gro were together there wasn’t ever much of a smile or comradery between them, so yes, it may not bode well for the team if they remain together. I will be excited to see whether the Ferarri’esk copy will be competitive against the others this upcoming season (but it’s got to be better than last). Haas, last year, eked out a few points and threw away probably treble of the should have gotten (achieved).
February 9th, 2020 at 5:07 pm
If you want to sell hybrids and plugin hybrids, let loose all the power at low speeds. There is more than enough power to bring the tires to the edge of ‘smoke’ up to 45-50 mph. Instead the control laws make the Prius a gutless speed bump. How do I know?
Use any commonly available track apps and you’ll see they limit low speed power to ‘pedal’ car values.
February 9th, 2020 at 5:52 pm
31 I suspect a Prius has all of the low speed acceleration it can, with the engine and MGs it has. I think they should offer a “performance” Prius with the Camry hybrid powertrain, if it would fit. It has about 70% more m
Power than a Prius, and from my experience, gets very close to Prius mpg, even in the bigger, less aerodynamic car.
February 10th, 2020 at 7:06 am
32 Wrong. Bigger, longer cars are MORE aerodynamic than smaller ones (shorter). They have an even lower CD because of the much smoother flow.
This is why the Tesla S is more aerodyn than the Prius with all its non-functional sheetmetal twists and turns (we saw later that the Honda Hybrids and even the IoniQ can get just as good MPG with no weird styling)
In addition the Tesla S has a smooth underbody (as all BEVs), no aero-damaging crap like all these exhaust pipes and mufflers.
February 10th, 2020 at 8:13 am
Great video to explain the biggest struggle for EVs. The one thing he doesn’t take into consideration is that a gas engine is not 100% efficient so the values are a bit skewed but even with that taken into account you can see the huge problem with batteries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hatav_Rdnno
February 10th, 2020 at 9:06 am
33 Wrong. Aerodynamically shaped cars are more aerodynamic than cars that are “just styled,” like a Camry, and narrower cars with skinnier tires, even having the same CD, have lower drag, because they have less frontal area..
The Tesla S may have a slightly lower CD than a Prius, .24 vs .25, but being 8 inches wider, and the same height as a Prius, it is going to have about 10% more drag.
February 10th, 2020 at 9:06 am
“All BEVs are equal, but some are more equal than the others”
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a30799498/2020-porsche-taycan-turbo-s-vs-2020-tesla-model-s-performance/?utm_campaign=socialflowFBCD&src=socialflowFBCAD&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&fbclid=IwAR1Pq_4s4SfMy0WgEfm7MQJCZ5xJrnngwK0RJANfg2uMcRxN3f1GYwSKup0
The comparison test of the year. C&D tests the Taycan “Turbo” S vs the Tesla Model S.
February 10th, 2020 at 9:15 am
35 I am 100% correct in what I wrote. GO read the test of the original Tesla S by your Car and Driver, written by the great Czaba Czere.
ALWAYS the longer vehicle, if they have the same cross section against the wind, WILL have a SUPERIOR CD.
This is why the Model S, being much longer than the Prius, also had a much lower cd than the allegedly ‘scientifically designed’ prius with all those twists and turns that we later found out they did not really matter, they were largely for show, to make the Prius look different than more vanilla Hybrids like the IoniQ or the Hondas.
PS Enjoy the C&T test of the Taycan “Turbo” S vs the Tesla S Performance. David beats Goliath, and in this case it’s an 8 year old David and a brand new Goliath that costs $85,000 MORE than the David. Absolute ROUT of the Porsche by the aging Model S. Tesla can do nothing wrong these days…
February 10th, 2020 at 9:32 am
37 So you’re saying that an 80 inch wide, 50 inch high, 250 inch long box will have less drag than an 80 inch wide, 50 inch high, 220 inch long airfoil shape? I rather doubt it.
Yeah, much of the shape of the current Prius is not for aerodynamics, but the car still has a lower CD than most cars.
February 10th, 2020 at 9:44 am
If everything else is more-or-less equal, yeah, longer vehicles tend to have lower Cd, but everything else isn’t equal. According to this, the Mercedes A-Class has the lowest Cd of any production car, and it is a 17 inches shorter than a Tesla S.
https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/most-aerodynamic-new-cars-2018/
February 10th, 2020 at 9:51 am
38 NO, YOU, NOT ME, are saying that.
I will try one last time.
Compare the aerodynamics of these simple objects.
1. A Smooth sphere, say radius is 2 feet.
2. Cut the shpere in half and add cylindrical sections in the middle, say 2, 4, or 6 feet long (options 2, 3 and 4)
I am saying Option 4 will be far more aerodynamic than Option 3, 3 more than 2, and 2 more than 1.
Clear now?
February 10th, 2020 at 9:52 am
39 well, DUH, of course if other things are not equal. BEVs also benefit from having smooth undersides, as I mentioned already, no ICE car can compete with all that gear they have below the floor, mufflers, tailpipes etc, which no BEV needs to have and ruin the flow.
February 10th, 2020 at 10:17 am
41 Duh You said in your earlier posts that longer equals lower CD, period. You don’t seem to even know what coefficient of drag means.