AD #2777 – Peugeot Jumps Into Pickup Segment; Hyundai Develops Intelligent Shifting; AMG Unveils New GLE 63 S Coupe
February 20th, 2020 at 11:46am
Listen to “AD #2777 – Peugeot Jumps Into Pickup Segment; Hyundai Develops Intelligent Shifting; AMG Unveils New GLE 63 S Coupe” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 8:39
0:07 Daimler Does A Management Shuffle
0:55 France Sic’s Top Prosecutors on Ghosn
1:29 Peugeot Jumps Into 1-Ton Pickup Segment
3:04 Nissan Explores Subscriptions
3:58 Mercedes Adds AMG To Subscriptions
4:33 AMG Unveils New GLE 63 S Coupe
5:13 Ford Experimenting with Dealer Kiosks
6:10 Hyundai Develops Intelligent Shifting
7:30 Adasky Offers Low Cost Thermal Camera
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
DAIMLER DOES A MANAGEMENT SHUFFLE
Daimler just reported a big drop in earnings and now it’s restructuring its management roles and getting rid of some executives. CEO Ola Kallenius will take over responsibility for Mercedes Vans. Daimler’s CFO will take over the same position at Mercedes-Benz, while the current Mercedes’ CFO will leave the company. Mercedes’ head of R&D becomes Chief Operating Officer at Daimler and it’s also consolidating Mercedes Product Strategy and Steering into one position. Daimler says these changes will speed up its decision-making process and help it react faster to a changing market. Daimler better hope it works because as we reported earlier this month its net profit plunged 64%.
FRANCE SICS TOP PROSECUTORS ON GHOSN
Carlos Ghosn may have escaped from Japan but it looks like he has not escaped from the long arm of the law. Bloomberg reports that France put a team of elite investigators on the case. They’re examining the possible misuse of corporate funds, breach of trust, document forgery and money laundering. At one point, there was talk that Ghosn might seek to stand trial in France, but if French prosecutors charge him with these crimes, he’ll probably prefer to stay holed up in Lebanon.
PEUGEOT JUMPS INTO 1T PICKUP SEGMENT
Move over Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, and make way for the Peugeot Landtrek. The French automaker is jumping into the one-ton pickup segment which accounts for about 2.4 million vehicles a year globally. The Landtrek is offered with a 1.9-liter turbodiesel that generates 150 horsepower and 250-pound feet of torque. It’s mated to a 6-speed manual. And there is a 2.4-liter turbo gasoline engine that produces 210 horsepower and 236-foot pounds. It’s offered with either a 6-speed automatic or manual. Inside it’s laid out quite nicely for a work truck, and features a 10-inch display screen. Peugeot is going to build single cab, dual cab and chassis cab versions and it will go into production later this year.
DESIGNING THE CADILLAC ESCALADE
We’ve got a great Autoline After Hours coming up this afternoon. Our special guest is Phil Kucera, the Interior Design Manager for Cadillac, and we’ll be talking about how they designed the interior of the all-new Cadillac Escalade. Joe Dematio from Hagerty will also be on the show, so join me and Gary Vasilash for some of the best insights on what’s going on in the automotive industry.
NISSAN EXPLORES SUBSCRIPTIONS
Nissan is dipping its toes into subscription services with the launch of a pilot program in Houston. Called Nissan Switch, it covers delivery, cleaning, insurance, roadside assistance and regular maintenance. Subscribers can swap vehicles for an unlimited number of times, even every day. There’s a $500 activation fee on top of the monthly payment. For $700 a month you can choose from an Altima, Rogue, Pathfinder or Frontier. And for $900 a month, you get those vehicles plus, your choice of the Leaf, Maxima, Murano, Armada, Titan and 370Z. That tier also includes the GT-R but you’ll have to pay an extra $100 a day and you’re limited to just seven consecutive days with it.
MERCEDES ADDS AMG TO SUBSCRIPTIONS
Mercedes is also expanding its subscription service to include AMG models. It’s currently only available in Atlanta and costs about $3,600 a month plus a $500 activation fee. Prices for the other tiers in its subscription service range from $1,100 to $3,000 a month. A number of automakers have also tested subscription services over the last several years and have had mixed results. But obviously, Mercedes and Nissan feel it’s something customers will be interested in.
AMG UNVEILS NEW GLE 63 S COUPE
And speaking of Mercedes-AMG, it launched the new GLE 63 S Coupe. It’s powered by a 4.0L V8 twin-turbo engine that’s mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission, along with the company’s 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system. It cranks out 603 horsepower and 627 lb.-ft. of torque and moves from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.7 seconds. Seven selectable drive modes are available which modify the response of the engine, transmission, suspension and steering. And the leather wrapped interior comes with AMG specific badging and switches.
FORD EXPERIMENTING WITH DEALER KIOSKS
To help streamline the dealership experience, Ford is testing digital kiosks at several locations across the U.S. They allow customers to check-in and select the type of service their vehicle needs without having to speak with service staff. The average customer check-in time is just over two minutes and one dealer says 85% of its customers found the process easier and 90% said it was able to answer all their questions. The company is also testing the kiosks outside of dealerships, so a customer can schedule service even if it’s closed. Eventually these outdoor kiosks will be able to accept and deliver keys.
HYUNDAI DEVELOPS INTELLIGENT SHIFTING
One way to improve the efficiency of cars with internal combustion engines is to shift the transmission at the optimum time. Now Hyundai claims it developed the world’s first predictive shift system, which uses traffic and road conditions to automatically shift to the optimal gear. They call it ICT, for Information and Communication Technology Connected Shift System. It uses software in the transmission to collect and interpret real-time input from the navigation system as well as cameras and radar from the smart cruise control. The nav input includes elevation, gradient, curvature as well as current traffic conditions. Radar detects the speed and distance between the vehicle and others, and a forward-looking camera provides lane information. It will even slip the transmission into neutral to coast when it senses the car will have to slow down or stop ahead. Hyundai says it reduces the frequency of shifting in corners by 43% and reduces brake use by 11% which makes the brake pads last longer. Hyundai is working on the next generation of the system which will use 5G to communicate with traffic signals for even greater efficiency.
ADASKY OFFERS LOW COST THERMAL CAMERA
An Israeli startup called Adasky developed a thermal sensing camera that looks like it’s perfect for L2 through L4 cars at night or in bad weather. It’s a solid-state camera which means it has no moving parts, no shutters. So it offers high performance at low cost. Adasky says it’s cheap enough to use for backup cameras. Compared to today’s cameras, the thermal camera is much better at seeing pedestrians at greater distances. It says automakers are interested in using it for blind spot detection, especially for buses and trucks that may not see a pedestrian or bicyclist when they’re turning. The camera is sensitive enough that it can even see a road that is covered with a thin blanket of snow.
And that’s it for today’s report, thanks for watching.
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Comments (44)
February 20th, 2020 at 12:12 pm
PEUGEOT JUMPS INTO 1 Ton PICKUP SEGMENT;
Is this a typo? Because the Ranger and Hilux are not 1 ton trucks either. Are they even 1/2 ton? I can not imagine a 1 ton truck with choices of a 1.9 and 2.4L engines.
February 20th, 2020 at 12:20 pm
1
I think that’s a Euro-spec term. I had a 1988 Jeep Cherokee “Metric Ton” spec built for export. A 2-dr, 2wd XJ with a 4.65 Dana 44, a 4-cylinder engine and a 4-speed automatic.
A peculiar critter it was, but I liked it a lot.
February 20th, 2020 at 12:26 pm
Aren’t what are referred to as “half ton” pickups in the US, like F-150 et. al. actually ~1 ton in payload rating?
February 20th, 2020 at 12:27 pm
Nissan and MB subscription services sound ridiculous but when you figure even at $3600 a month that’s only $120 per day for an AMG. Probably less than renting from any rental car company. At $700 a month its like $23 a day. Considering it includes delivery, cleaning, insurance, roadside assistance and regular maintenance it doesn’t sound as ridiculous but still not for me. Would be a nice option at those daily rates but since its by month and with a $500 activation fee I cant see there being very many people jumping at joining. Besides how abused do you suppose those GT-Rs will be?
February 20th, 2020 at 12:40 pm
1,2,3, I also was somewhat confused by the truck referenced as a one ton pickup. American pickups as generally 1/2 ton nomenclature , 3/4 and 1 ton (the big boys, heavy duty).
February 20th, 2020 at 12:43 pm
4 Ι bet the subscription does not include the top end AMGs as the S65 which sells for $200k+ new. Or the SL 65 or the CL 65 for that matter.
I checked the link and it took me to more pages and finally I verified my guess
”
For an additional daily fee, you can upgrade your vehicle to a more premium model — make the most of those special occasions.”
So all animals are equal, but some are more equal than the others and you will pay thru the nose if you want the top end AMG models.
February 20th, 2020 at 12:43 pm
I liked the Ford kiosk idea of the a la carte menu selection (with prices front and center); hopefully with a summation before entering the preference for service so knowing what you can afford (or want to afford) for services and product.
February 20th, 2020 at 12:47 pm
I also checked the link about the “one ton” claim and downloaded the detailed PDF, which contained this: Maybe 1 ton refers to volume (as 1 cubic meter) and not to weight, but they do repeat the claim and give the specific dimensions of the cargo volume capacity below
“As One ton Pick-up pickup customers want real transport capacity, the PEUGEOT LANDTREK has the
most accommodating cargo box in the segment!
The size of the cargo box is a central design element of the architecture and makes it possible to load:
2 “Euro-pallets” in Double Cab versions (1.63m x 1.60m x 500mm body and 1.22m between the
wheel arches),
3 “Euro-pallets” in Single Cab versions (2.43m x 1.60m x 500mm tipper and 1.22m between the
wheel arches).”
February 20th, 2020 at 12:55 pm
“Communication Technology Connected Shift System” sounds a lot like we who drove manual transmissions did. Of course today, manual transmissions are an anti-theft device.
When my wife used to lug the engine, I explained that she had to reach the one, two, or three red marks to shift. Then she go a speeding ticket and went to Court.
Judge,”Mrs. Wilson, please explain why you were speeding.”
“Well your Honor, I wanted to shift but my husband told me I had to reach the red mark on the speedometer.”
Judge,”Say what!” and the cop,”That is what she told me too.” The court gallery erupted in laughter. The Judge settled everything down and said:
“Mrs. Wilson, I wish your husband was here. Regardless, case dismissed.”
February 20th, 2020 at 1:32 pm
The cars that could probably make the best use of “communication technology,” like GPS to determine location, especially in hilly areas, would be hybrids. By knowing in advance when the car would be going uphill and downhill, it could save, and use battery energy more efficiently.
February 20th, 2020 at 1:43 pm
9&10 Doesn’t a true Variable Speed transmission or CVT eliminate the need for all that technology and just automatically put the transmission at the optimal ratio for torque and fuel economy?
Seems so strange to me they have a solution and because it takes some getting used to they completely defy the sole purpose and add shifting feeling points and let the engine rev up and down. I think its easier to get used to if you’ve ever ridden snowmobiles.
February 20th, 2020 at 1:48 pm
11 I’d think that even a regular automatic, with proper controls, should “do the right thing” for efficiency without input beyond driver input. Even with a hybrid, the advantage would probably be minimal, except in very hilly areas where the battery might run out of juice uphill, and “headroom” downhill, which advance information about climbs and descents would be useful. Of course, the ultimate stupid transmission “feature” is programmed jerks with a CVT, to make if feel more like a regular automatic, while compromising the CVT’s ability to use the exact best ratio, if programmed well.
February 20th, 2020 at 1:53 pm
11 My SilverWing scooter has a snowmobile-like belt CVT, and the main downside, to me, is that the range of ratios is fairly small, so the engine is running faster than optimum for gas mileage at highway speed. It is turning about 5500 rpm at 65 mph.
February 20th, 2020 at 1:55 pm
I can’t believe Nissan thinks the subscription arena is a good place to invest some of their limited resources.
February 20th, 2020 at 2:50 pm
Kit….scooter!?!?!?! You need to promote yourself to a VTX 1800. 1800cc’s from two cylinders is a riot. But remember to hold tight to the grips when you twist the right one.
February 20th, 2020 at 2:53 pm
14 I cant believe any of the automakers think that these subscription services is a good investment. If they do, there is defiantly allot of people with disposable income. But hey why not we all pay subscription services for apps and streaming services that used to be free with a TV antenna. Instead of a single phone in the home with a single bill we now pay to have multiple lines and data for everyone. Soon no one will own anything and we just rent or borrow everything.
February 20th, 2020 at 2:59 pm
15 I have another bike, with only one cylinder, a KLR650.
February 20th, 2020 at 3:11 pm
16 I guess the subscription thing could be an alternative to what I do, owning multiple cars, when I really only need one. At those prices, though, I’m better off owning extra cars, even though I get screwed badly on insurance. Also, I can decide on a minute to minute basis what I want to drive.
I see that the Mercedes subscription thing is limited to only three places, Nashville, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.
February 20th, 2020 at 4:38 pm
I just read that BMW is joining Mercedes in a race to the bottom, with a Mini-based sloped roof sedan called 2 series gran coupe. Unlike the 4 series gran coupe, the 2 isn’t even a hatch. I suppose this means the next 2 series 2 doors will be downgraded to transverse engine, fwd based.
February 20th, 2020 at 4:39 pm
18 Yeah I wonder how quickly and easily the exchange is if you want to switch vehicles. Could be a hassle if it takes more than a few minutes if you plan to do it often. If they make it as easy and quick as getting gas that would be acceptable.
If its successful and expanded to more cities maybe the price will come down to where it makes sense. Right now it seems like a luxury option and far from a better way to do things.
February 20th, 2020 at 6:06 pm
20 Also, for me, it would need to be more than a “one brand” thing, and the cars wouldn’t need to be new. I might be interested in a “subscription” where I could switch from an S-Class, to a CT6, to a 911, to a Cayman, to an LS, etc., of whatever age and condition would put them within a certain price range. Carfax? How about doing that? Of course, an option to buy, exiting the subscription, should be part of it.
February 20th, 2020 at 6:19 pm
I have to ask; How many of you would really use a subscription service, would consider one or could even afford the cost? To me it is just silly and only is derived from ones fascination to sample what it feels like to be foolishly rich.
February 20th, 2020 at 6:24 pm
22 Depending on the cost, I might be interested as an “extended test drive” of used cars, as described in #21. Other than that, no way.
February 20th, 2020 at 10:00 pm
3: Kit, my 1971 F100 was a half ton. The F150 is a 3/4 ton.
February 21st, 2020 at 5:57 am
I went to the link from the story on the Peugeot Landtrek, and as Autoline’s take that it is a competitor for Ranger and Toyota Hilux, that does appear to be its segment. The 1000 pound capacity refers to what the bed can hold and also listed is a 7000 pound towing capacity. Looking at some of the videos it appears to be on par (size wise) with our mid-sized trucks here. It is not a bad looking truck (inside and out), has gas and diesel offering and a variety of cab options, and of course the presented material makes it look quite capable; whether it can crack the American market remains uncertain (but doubtful) but until price, support and reputation catch up, it will remain a competitor in an already tough segment.
February 21st, 2020 at 7:59 am
‘foolishly rich”
Like “if you are so smart, why AREN’T you rich?
The only foolish rich are the ones who did not EARN but instead INHERIT their wealth. Like Bill Ford, for one. So make sure you keep buying Fords (=Lincolns), genius.
IF you HAD a brain, in fact, you would be able to see that subscription DOES make sense, not for Nissans or even Mercs, but for exotics like Ferraris and Lambos, where you don’t want to be saddled with the high-risk maintenance of these things, EVEN if you can afford a dozen of them or two (dozen), AND you want to SAMPLE them before you may actually buy ONE of them.
February 21st, 2020 at 7:59 am
26 was of course in reply to 22.
February 21st, 2020 at 8:38 am
22 I guess it would depend on what you wanted the service for? Do you want the service so you can drive a line-up of vehicles that are all new and fit your changing needs without having to buy multiple vehicles? Or would you get the service to help make a decision on buying. I honestly dont think anyone would get the service with the intention of just trialing cars to later make a purchase. Especially for a Mazda or Nissan. You can go to any rental car company and trial one there for like $160 a week. I like Kit would not be interested in something that tied me to a particular brand.
I really believe the service will appeal to the folks that want a sports car one week need a SUV for a couple days then maybe a sedan but they don’t really want to buy three vehicles. Maybe don’t have the space or parking available to have multiple vehicles. If you figure the payments of three vehicles and the insurance and maintenance a subscription service would be cheaper. However they own nothing.
Where I work we don’t have company cars and use Enterprise for travel and so I drive a lot of different vehicles. Sadly none are not high end. I am there frequently so often times they will give me a big free upgrade just because the Yukon or convertible has been sitting there a while. So its nice to drive lots of different vehicles. Mostly they are Kia’s, Nissans, and Toyotas but because of our proximity to Detroit there are always a few Chrysler 300s, Chevy SUVs and Ford Mustangs. Oh I even got a Dodge Charger with the V8 for a week. So most any of those can be had at a monthly rate less than the $700-900 the subscription services are, and you’re not tied to what I assume is a yearly subscription.
So to answer your question, the only way I would consider a subscription service would be on high end vehicles but then again and if I have that much extra cash then I can afford to own a few vehicles.
February 21st, 2020 at 8:50 am
https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/tesla-gets-court-approval-clear-forest-german-factory?utm_source=breaking-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200221&utm_content=hero-headline
One more obstacle out of the way for Tesla to build its Gigaplant in Berlin-Brandenburg.
February 21st, 2020 at 8:55 am
The more I think about it, the “subscription” service I might be interesting in, would be for used, high-end vehicles, that have 3-5 years depreciation. That would be fun for a while. It might be complicated, but I’d think a dealer network might be able to do that. In my area, the closest M-B, Porsche, and Audi dealers are the same company. Make their trade in, and end of lease cars available, with “bracketed” subscriptions based on current value of the cars.
February 21st, 2020 at 8:56 am
I enjoyed all of AAH yesterday, both the first half, the Escalade guy did a good job, and in the ensuing general discussion. I even learned a few things from it.
It was unusual that both panelists guessed some Acura loser model to the Data quiz. I guessed wrong too (I thought it was Corvette that had stable sales of about 35k a year the last 5 years) but at least I had the correct company, the correct answer was the obvious one, the Escalade. (I thought it sold more, as they did)
Other things I learned, back when the rich had chauffeurs that would sit unprotected in the front seat, the seat was made of leather for its durability and rain resistance, while the passenger cabin used some upscale non-leather cloth fabrics.
Also that many even today order leather not for its luxury but for its durability and strength
AND another thing I only learned recently (that Alcantara is not real leather), there are artificial leathers that are more upscale and have better feel than real leathers (I wonder how they beat the smell of real leather though)
February 21st, 2020 at 8:59 am
30 Some daily rental companies as Hertz also offer exotics (I bet there are many restrictions such as mileage etc). This could be used as an extended test drive after a first brief test drive at the dealers, assuming one is still interested in the vehicle. After the 1day or weekend rental, one can look into subscription deals.
Some time ago I believe Lexus offered day-long test drives for free, or maybe it was Caddy.
February 21st, 2020 at 9:02 am
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/02/report-chinese-ev-subsidies-may-be-coming-back/
From the “toldyaso” files. CHina (Europe too) are committed to BEVs, and now it looks like China will bring back its BEV subsidies to make sure the demand is there and growing.
February 21st, 2020 at 9:03 am
31 If durability were a major factor, most car seats would probably now be cloth. Today’s cloth seats last about forever, while leather, and “naugahyde” by various names, tend to dry out and crack over the years. Cloth is certainly not fashionable, though.
February 21st, 2020 at 9:05 am
You got to admire Chinese Engineering and Can-do spirit and their lightning speed.
First they build a brand new Hospital for their coronavirus patients in TEN DAYS and then another one in SEVEN.
Then, after they ran out of face mask production capacity, to much the exploding demand, they converted an idle auto plant in just days, AND it will be making ONE MILLION such masks PER DAY. 365 Million a year? There are only 1.5 billion people in all of China.
February 21st, 2020 at 9:08 am
34 for people with pets and kids, cloth seats are a NIGHTMARE. How can they be durable? They get easily torn, cut, but above all SOILED, and it is a NIGHTMARE to clean them. And if they are light colored as the fabric in my Pontiac 2000 back then, they never look 100% clean for any length of time.
Listen to the Discussion in AAH. THis is not just my opinion.
The M-B Tex (not your 60s shiny vinyl, this one has hairs actually and perforations and is always very dry) is chosen by many families as an even better alternative to leather, if they need to clean it all the time after their kids and pets.
February 21st, 2020 at 9:09 am
32 It seems that the rentals for exotics, or even not-quite-exotics like Porsche 911, are only available in some large metro areas. If it were convenient to do, I might like to rent a 911, or a car like an S-Class for a day or two, to “see what I’m missing.”
February 21st, 2020 at 9:21 am
36 The cloth seats in my friend’s cheap Pontiac are about like new at 250K miles. The leather seats in another friend’s BMW with about 100K miles are kind of ratty looking. Maybe the leather would have done better with use of some treatment, though. Neither of these people have pets or young kids.
As far as pets, my sister had a Mazda 5 with black cloth seats, and has two dogs. Other than dog hair that showed a, but could be removed with a vacuum and sticky rollers, the cloth was fine. She sold the car at about 100K miles. She now has a Subaru with leather, and it shows som “scuffs” from dog claws, but is mostly in good shape at, I think, about 50K miles.
To me, black, as in my Camry, or dark grey like my friend’s Sunfire, is the right color for cloth. Yeah, light colored cloth will show dirt, and cannot be cleaned very easily. My 2012 Prius had light tan cloth, and I was very careful not to spill coffee on it. The black leatherette in my Mini has held up well, but it has only ~30K miles.
February 21st, 2020 at 10:07 am
38 Honda used to market the Element as very easy to clean after dogs, and I believe this was achieved by having no cloth anywhere, but various kinds of plastic and vinyl and metal surfaces.
The Element was not successful, ie I am pretty sure it failed to meet its sales and profit targets, as its sales were meager for such an inexpensive mass market model, and eventually Honda wised up and killed it.
Incidentally, while there were a ton of Priuses and now a ton of Teslas in this area, the cars I seem to see around all the time are Subarus, they seem more than even Hondas, Toyotas or even domestics. Hard to believe with an only 4% market share (double the 2% it had 7 years ago). Maybe it is just my sample, the 500 or so cars in my 365 unit condo complex and the work lots.
Another point made at AAH is that Mary Barra is finally cleaning up house, and killing any unprofitable models and exiting unprofitable markets. Long OVerdue, and actually makes the entire industry, not just GM, healthier, for the competitors of these models, which probably also did not do very well, now will sell more units and be more profitable (or less unprofitable).
February 21st, 2020 at 10:11 am
38 I never treated the leather in the 740il but it always looked fantastic and never had any tears. I also never treated the MB-Tex in either E class, and they seem fine, except the beige one overseas has some tear in the driver seat, it is not much and in 3 years I still have not bothered to go to a leather upholstery artisan there (the M-B dealer also refers you to one of these) to fix it.
I know for sure that I will not buy another cloth car in my lifetime. Good riddance! Leather is far more satisfying, even the MB-Tex, and much less troublesome. Cloth is a bacteria haven too, and when it’s dark it only hides the dirt.
February 21st, 2020 at 10:47 am
40 My friend’s BMW, a 5 series, has cracks and “wrinkles,” but no tears clear through that I know of. It spends a lot of time in the Florida sun, which would not be good for it.
I’ve heard that you should never use Armor-all on anything, that you want to have around very long. What I heard is that it will temporarily plasticize vinyl, hard rubber, etc., but will cause the more permanent plasticizer to evaporate out more quickly. If that’s true, I suspect it is best not to put anything on MB Tex or equivalent, except water on a cloth to wash it.
For practicality, if you don’t eat and drink much in your car, which I don’t, cloth is the best seat material for cars. It wasn’t always that way. Cloth used in ’50s cars wore out in about a year or 10K miles, whichever came first.
February 21st, 2020 at 11:04 am
I always drink coffee in the car for long trips, and when I don’t get my dose of caffeine I get sleepy easy. I don’t have meals in the car, but I keep snacks like gum, candy and (preferably unsalted) nuts and granola bars when I want to save time and not stop for a meal.
Still, I hate cloth and how it feels. Even my office ‘executive’ rocking chair is not cloth, I don’t even know if it is leather, probably not, but it is a very pleasant soft padded plastic (checking the arms of the chair now).
February 21st, 2020 at 11:24 am
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-gigafactory-brazil-government-incentive/?cc=1&fbclid=IwAR0lnEHKZW5i80ZLgMDsShqQ-t3Cxh5xSK8zA4UAeGR2WDNye-STixOTOxE
I never thought of Latin America as a place for another Gigafactory, but this article suggests that Brazil is very interested.
February 21st, 2020 at 12:36 pm
I drink coffee and eat on the road and very much prefer the comfort of cloth to leather. If it gets stained – so what. Cloth still lasts forever. For someone wearing shorts in the summer leather can be dangerous. I had a van that had leather trimmed seats and had to put some type of cover on the seat bottom just to protect us from the 4 inches of hot leather around the seat.