AD #2864 – Rivian Moving Operations to California; Apple Updates CarPlay App; Lexus NX Already Showing Its Age
June 23rd, 2020 at 11:45am
Listen to “AD #2864 – Rivian Moving Operations to California; Apple Updates CarPlay App; Lexus NX Already Showing Its Age” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 10:13
0:07 Rivian Moving Its Operations to California
1:04 NASCAR Shows Support for Bubba Wallace
2:48 VW Says Mexican Workers Test Positive for Virus
3:20 Toyota Production Slowly Returning to Normal
3:48 Apple CarPlay Updates
4:35 Porsche Improves 911 Cabriolet’s Climate Control System
5:38 Hyundai Considers Battery JV with LG Chem
5:50 What Will Your Car be Worth in Three Years?
8:06 Lexus NX Review
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
RIVIAN MOVING OPERATIONS TO CALIFORNIA
Autoline has learned that Rivian is going to move most of its operations out of Michigan and over to Irvine, California where it just bought a huge facility. Rivian will do most of its design, engineering and technical development there. It will keep some employees in Michigan to finish up current work, but all future programs will be done in Irvine. One source tells us that RJ Scaringe, the CEO, wants all the tech people in one place. Right now Rivian has facilities in Plymouth, Michigan, in Irvine and in San Jose, California. Another source tells us that a lot of people in the Michigan facility are hopping mad. Rivian executives told them that the company was three to four times ahead of where Tesla was at this point in its history. But they feel that all the thanks they get for making Rivian so successful is getting broomed out the door.
NASCAR SHOWS SUPPORT FOR BUBBA WALLACE
Wow, did you see the NASCAR race at Talladega yesterday? It was an exciting race, but the big news is that before the race started, the entire NASCAR community of drivers and crew, walked down pit lane with Bubba Wallace’s car. And he got a warm and lasting embrace from none other than Richard Petty, his team owner. Bubba is the only black driver in the Cup series. He’s the one who got NASCAR to ban Confederate battle flags. And he’s very vocal about the Black Lives Matter movement. But on Sunday, someone left a noose in his garage–a symbol of racial hatred. That’s what prompted the entire community to rally behind him. NASCAR says it will track down who ever left the noose and will ban them for life from any NASCAR event. It’s really impressive to see this kind of support for Bubba. In fact, I think it’s unprecedented in any sport.
And hey, be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours on Thursday when our guest will be Jim Owens, the marketing manager for Ford Performance. That’s the part of Ford that handles the GT, all the high performance Mustangs, the Raptor and the ST and RS models. No doubt you have questions you’d like us to ask him, so start thinking about them. And join Gary and me for some of the best gearhead talk in the industry.
VW SAYS MEXICAN WORKERS TEST POSITIVE FOR VIRUS
Automakers are seeing mixed results getting their operations back up and running. Volkswagen reported that 2% of its workers in Mexico tested positive for coronavirus. It started sending them back a week ago and says it “will remain focused on training and preparation for the start of manufacturing.” While other automakers have opened facilities in Mexico, the city of Puebla, where VW’s plant is located, has been one of the hardest hit by the virus.
TOYOTA PRODUCTION SLOWLY RETURNING TO NORMAL
Meanwhile Toyota says it will make 10% or 71,000 fewer vehicles next month than it planned to before the coronavirus hit. But that’s better than the 20% drop it saw in June. However, the return to normal will be slow. The Japanese automaker still has planned line shutdowns as well as operating some plants on one shift and says it expects to see similar results for August.
APPLE UPDATES ITS CARPLAY APP
Apple CarPlay is getting updated. We think the big news here is that owners will be able share digital car keys with other people, just by sending what is basically a text message. Of course, Tesla’s have been able to do this for years. This feature will first be available on BMW’s made after July 1st and owners will be able to start the car with the app. All someone has to do is place their phone on the smartphone tray and press the start button. Apple says more vehicles that have these abilities will be coming next year. While the Apple CarPlay screen will look mostly the same, there are new apps for parking, ordering food and EV charging. Apple Maps will now even plan out special routes taking charging points into consideration.
PORSCHE IMPROVES 911 CABRIOLET’S CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM
Along with the new Porsche 911 Cabriolet comes a new climate control system. Closed-top cars typically just use an interior sensor to control temperature, but Porsche slowly suppresses that sensor as the top is opened. Once fully opened, the system starts taking data in from the engine, soft-top, doors, seats and sensors throughout the car. It’s looking at variables like outlet temperatures, outside temps, and coolant temperatures as well as engine and vehicle speed. It processes 350 signals in half-second intervals in coordination with twenty external and twenty internal interfaces. The climate control system then sets what it thinks is the right temperature, fan speed and air distribution, so all drivers have to do is drive.
HYUNDAI CONSIDERING BATTERY JV WITH LG CHEM
Hyundai is going to strengthen its cooperation with LG Chem. Reuters reports that the two want a new joint venture in Indonesia to build battery cells for future electric vehicles. It would be the first for Hyundai and is seen as a move to challenge Toyota’s lead in Southeast Asia.
WHAT WILL YOUR CAR BE WORTH IN THREE YEARS?
Automotive Lease Guide helps automakers figure out what a car will be worth in three years. The companies use that info to come up with what they can charge for lease payments. It’s what they call residual values. On Autoline This Week, Eric Lyman, the Chief Industry Analyst at ALG, gives his advice on what automaker’s can do to improve their residual values.
Eric Lyman, Chief Industry Analyst, ALG
“The number one thing that we see in this time period is incentives. So, if you can minimize your incentives, you’re not going to put that downward pressure on your used vehicles. It’s very common sense. You’ve got a 4 year old vehicle versus a 3 year old model, same milage, everything, people are going to pay more for that 3-year old, right? So, 3 to 2, 2 to 1 and 1 to new, right? So, when you lower the price of that new vehicle it pushes down the 1, 2, to 3 year old vehicle. We call that the Pass Through. So, if you put a thousand dollars of cash on the hood of a car, I’m going to give away some of our secret sauce right here, we see about $500 to $550 of erosion in a comparable 3-year old vehicle. Now, the kicker here also is, why do you incentivize and put cash discounts on your car? Probably because your MSRP, your price, is too high. So, if you can lower your MSRP, you can lower your incentives, you get a double bonus because you’re not hitting that dollar value in the used market by discounting. And you also have a lower denominator for what the industry uses, which is the percent residuals. So, the percent residuals is the dollar value in 3 years divided by the MSRP. So, you lower that pricing, you make it appropriate. And you look at Subaru. Subaru has been a perennial winner in the past of our residual value award. Why? Because they’re matching their production to consumer demand. That allows them to minimize their incentives and they have exceptionally strong residual values as a result. And there’s a lot of other things they’re doing right but at the baseline that’s the number one thing they’re doing to support their residual values.”
You can watch that entire show right now on our website or on our YouTube channel.
LEXUS NX ALREADY SHOWING ITS AGE
We just had a Lexus NX hybrid in the Autoline Garage. Anytime you get in a Lexus you know you’re getting into one of the best made vehicles in the market. All the independent studies show that, and have for decades. But the NX also shows how fast automotive technology is evolving. Even though the NX debuted as a 2015 model it’s already showing its age. For example, at a time when most cars have gone to electronic gear shift buttons, the NX still uses a manual lever. And it feels notchy, especially trying to shift out of Park into Reverse. I found myself struggling with it a bit. The same goes for the door handles. The inside handles have a detent point that feels like it snaps when you reach it, instead of opening slickly. One of the modern touches in every Lexus model is a scratch pad that you use for selecting items on the console screen, such as changing radio stations. The scratch pad controls a cursor on the screen and while some people like it, I do not. It’s too easy for the cursor to overshoot or undershoot where you want it to go, especially while you’re driving down the road. I much prefer a rotary knob. From a driving standpoint the NX hybrid delivers a luxury ride. But I found the engine to be quite loud when you accelerate hard enough to get it to downshift. Now keep in mind here that I’m nitpicking. That’s what you do as a car critic. You try to find any weaknesses in a car. In the case of the NX it’s not so much that there are weaknesses. It’s just that the state of automotive technology is moving forward more quickly than in the past, and the 5-year old NX is starting to show its age.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.
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Comments (48)
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:20 pm
please bring your son back
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:21 pm
Once again you champion “gadgets and rainbows” for cars that do not add to the functionality or long life of the owner’s experience. the gear selector is the latest example of your worship at the designer’s table at the expense of the functionality of the car. there is no groundswell of demand to “ditch” the gear shift lever. That is all in our mind!
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:40 pm
@Phred – I disagree. Electronic shifters clear up space on the center console/steering column/dash, which allows for more storage, increased interior space and/or more functions.
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:41 pm
@George – I’ll be back after the 4th of July break.
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:42 pm
Is there some unwritten rule that says if you start an electric car company that you have to treat your employees like dirt? First Elon, now R.J. Very disappointing.
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:44 pm
Wow – I’m shocked on both ends with Rivian going & coming. Haven’t heard any news too thrilling about either states governors. Hopefully Michigan will recoup their loss with some other manufacturer. Pretty harsh reality thrown at workers.
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:50 pm
@2 – I agree totally with about the gear shifter. With a traditional, shifter on the column or console, you don’t have to look at the indicator to operate the shifter once you get used to it, you can feel in indents. I don’t think that will happen with most of the push button operators. Why are they doing this? to free up space?? for what? Most vehicles have redundant controls on the steering wheel and now many are getting a mouse or that scratch pad thing which is another redundant control in many cases.
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Sounds like Rivian took advantage of the automotive expertise in the Detroit area to speed up development and not make some of the same mistakes made by Tesla. Hopefully they retain some of the manufacturing experience as that seem to be one of the areas that Tesla lacked.
Not saying the move doesn’t make sense but sadly this is another step toward making San Jose/Freemont the new Motor city. Electric motor city.
June 23rd, 2020 at 12:59 pm
2,3,7 The Prius gear shifter is the best. It’s smooth and slick in operation, and you don’t need to look at it to use it. Since it always goes back to the same place, they have it so just pushing the start/stop button to turn the car off puts it in park. They should use that shifter in the Camry hybrid, rather than the “traditional” looking console shifter they use.
June 23rd, 2020 at 1:05 pm
@9 can you shut off the car and leave it in neutral? The odd time that is handy, rare but it’s still nice at times.
June 23rd, 2020 at 1:07 pm
Does the processing of 350 signals in half second intervals from 20 internal and 20 external sensors seem like overkill to anyone else?
I mean; I would hope the fan speed isn’t changing every second or two trying to keep up with an ever-changing cabin temp of a convertible. Seems kind of like wanting to waterski but don’t want to get wet.
June 23rd, 2020 at 1:17 pm
10 You can’t completely shut the car off and leave it in neutral, but I think you can put it in neutral in accessory mode, but I’m not sure. I guess I never wanted to do that. I accidently left the Camry in drive or neutral a few times when turning it off, when I first got the car. It will let you do that, and the car roll away, but it beeps at you.
June 23rd, 2020 at 1:24 pm
The Endurance truck from Lordstown Motors gets an official announcement with VP Pence on Thursday.
https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/06/vice-president-mike-pence-to-visit-lordstown-on-thursday.html?fbclid=IwAR19yIJJLRopEL-zhiHFX73LTjfmjFGgWNXUX87NMdY7Y8pk341iC4W_Sus
June 23rd, 2020 at 1:24 pm
10 Lots of vehicles with push button start and dial or push-button transmissions have a separate button that will allow you to place the transmission in neutral for towing. Not sure about Prius but I believe you need to hold the neutral button down for a few seconds then you can shut the car off.
June 23rd, 2020 at 1:29 pm
14. Yeah, there may be a way to shut the Prius off in neutral. Even though I had a Prius for 8 years, that never came up, so I never tried to find out.
June 23rd, 2020 at 1:52 pm
Anybody seen pictures of this supposed noose in the garage area? Or is this just another hype job by NASCAR to be relevant in today’s society? Got a lot of publicity for BLM and Richard Petty’s team, which isn’t getting it done on the track. Just sayin’…..
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Coming to California will be their demise if they decide to produce cars and incoroporate here. I have lived here 53 years and everyone is LEAVING. This place is horrible for doing business. Telsa finally figured that out.
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:06 pm
#16. Ziggy, NASCAR called in the FBI to investigate. The G-Men will find out who did it. No way NASCAR, Petty or Wallace did this for publicity.
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:10 pm
11 – Exactly the same I thought. I wonder why add so much complexity for so little? I’d think true enthusiasts would pick toggle switches over sensors any day, yet we live in a world with Porsche SUVs and sedans anyways.
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:15 pm
What’s the big deal about being able to control that BMW with a phone? I have the same control of my two jeeps with the UConnect app on my iPhone. Good for one year and renewable after. Start, stop, unlock, lock, tire pressures, fuel fill, location, safety checks, faults. Can even see vehicles I leased and turned if if less than the year expired. I would assume the rest of the American FCA vehicles have the same software. John, get up to date.
For the shifter opinion, I like levers best. I had a rotary dial on my 2017 Pacifica and like was mentioned, I had to look at it to be sure it was set as I wanted. I had a 2015 Grand Cherokee with the ratchet shifter and never had the least trouble selecting or knowing what gear I was selecting. Won’t roll away if one has/had any brains. Or, use the parking brake! (My 2020 has the old fashioned manual kind of lever, as did a 2018 I had.)
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:16 pm
My first oopsie with an electronic shifter was the day after I purchased my 2019 QX50. I took her to the car wash and had to figure out how to get her into neutral! My muscle memory had me going from Park to Drive and back again. The car wash operator was NOT amused.
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:17 pm
I really hope that Bubba didn’t pull a Smollett. What better way to keep your job when your results have been fair to poor since taking over the #43. Now if he were to get fired it would be because everyone is racist not that he didn’t produce results. I watched the race last night and found ,let’s say interesting that a guy that finished 14th got a longer interview than the guy who actually won the race and very dramatic style at that. I know why NASCAR is doing it which is to placate sponsors who don’t want to be associated with anyone who isn’t woke. I just don’t know how this is going to play to the long time hard core fans that actually pay to go watch the races at the tracks. I have a feeling that they will feel they’ve been thrown under the bus and been classified as racists. I was wondering if they flew the Alabama state flag at the track as it has the stars and bars in the corner of it. Allowing people to kneel during the anthem won’t sit well either. NASCAR fans are very patriotic and I don’t see that going down well.
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:27 pm
the scenery it that red lexus clip looked very much like here in B.C. with the Mountains, snow,and steep pitch on the roofs of the houses
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:30 pm
My fusion has a rotary dial. It is simple enough. 1 detent for reverse. 2 detents for neutral. Drive is technically the 3rd detent but it is also the end of the dial so switching to drive is simply twisting it until it no longer twists. Low gear is a button on the dial which is set below the surface so it is also easy to locate. I drive it without ever bothering to look because I don’t need to look to figure out what gear I am in.
With all my cars I have some column shift, some center console lever shifts, and this rotary dial. I don’t find one better than the other, just different. I do find that switching between my cars is fun because my hand has to remember where to be placed to operate the gears LOL.
Now, I never forget where to place my hand when I drive my manual shift cars. I just have to remember that when I drive the 5 speed it doesn’t have a 6th gear and when I drive the 6 speed I have to remember it has more than 5 gears. So there is that.
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:42 pm
22. Wallace has finished well into the upper half the last two races.
As far as Nascar, I might get mildly interested again if they’d just give points for about the top half of the field, and add up the points at the end of the season. “Playoffs” are for stick and ball sports, not motor racing. Then, get rid of the stupid “competition cautions” or whatever they call them, and don’t take multiple breaks during each race.
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:48 pm
24. I’ve had more cars with push buttons, a 1957 Chrysler and 1964 Dodge Dart, than with automatics on the column. I had one of those, a ’65 Ford that I got when it was old enough to be almost “collectible,” but didn’t have it very long.
June 23rd, 2020 at 2:51 pm
Now that everyone’s all about the work from home thing, why not let the Rivian people continue to work in Michigan? Cheaper to pay people in Detroit than in CA.
June 23rd, 2020 at 3:01 pm
27. Maybe a lot of their tech people would rather live in California. It does seem odd that they’d move to California, while Tesla are threatening to move out of CA. Probably Tesla will eventually be a Chinese company, though.
June 23rd, 2020 at 3:11 pm
@27 Cheaper to do basically everything in Detroit than in Cali. My guess is they want that same Vibe that Tesla gives off. They don’t want to appear like another old American Detroit steel automaker trying to do an EV. They want to appear more high tech/silicon valley I-phone doing things differently.
June 23rd, 2020 at 3:17 pm
Rivian, Nicola, Tesla, GM, Ford and others; anybody else think that the flood of EV trucks will soon saturate with who knows who will go under first. Cars are one thing, trucks while also evolving are even less prone to quick change. It’s going to be something to watch (grab the popcorn).
June 23rd, 2020 at 3:24 pm
@Don – The difference is you can’t give that ability to someone else. For example, if a family member wanted to borrow your vehicle they’d have to physically get the keys from you. You won’t have to do that with this new app.
June 23rd, 2020 at 3:40 pm
Since the majority of EV sales are on the coast, maybe it would make sense to move there. Also, many Detroiter’s are ICE diehards and have less interest in buying an electric vehicle. Just a possible reason
June 23rd, 2020 at 3:54 pm
30 I’m thinking the same thing. I know a number of pickup drivers, and I don’t hear any of them saying “I can’t wait to buy a new electric truck.” I don’t see how these companies are all going to survive, or even ever build an actual salable vehicle.
June 23rd, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Do not like shift by button transmission and won’t have it in any vehicle I own. I want the shift handle, and I enjoy resting my hand on it.
One other point – I prefer cup holders that are positioned side-by-side as opposed to front to rear. It’s a more ergonomic user friendly layout.
June 23rd, 2020 at 4:47 pm
Cup holders have come a long way in the last 36 years. I have a first generation Dodge Caravan, I think one of the first vehicles to have cup holders, and they are not very good. They are about an inch deep, with no springy or rubber things to help keep the cup or can stable. If you have a very tall cup, or a 12 oz can even half full, you need to hold onto it if cornering beyond very gingerly.
June 23rd, 2020 at 5:12 pm
I think shift levers vs push button is a matter of preference. Personally, I prefer a lever, and a gated one at that…if you know what I mean. Technology is great, convenient and helpful. Some of it is good, some of it is just fluff for the techies. I for one would rather not have tech take over. As a driving enthusiast, I see no joy in technology taking over for driving skill. So as far as shifting goes, I don’t like the move to push button because its all the more a move away from…wait for it…manual transmissions!!
June 23rd, 2020 at 6:49 pm
30 Why is any of this newsworthy? We saw it already in the 20th century when we went from 100s of car companies in the 1920s to just three (and all of them sick, and two of three bankrupt) in the 2000s.
June 23rd, 2020 at 6:54 pm
8 sounds like extreme wishful thinking from somebody working for the bankrupt Detroit 3 or their suppliers, trying to portray them as such successful makers. Look at the EVs Ford and GM had for sale. ALL pitiful, esp the Ford focus electric, and even worse, the Fiat 500e from FCA. SO much for their valuable “expertise”.
PS Last time I checked, Tesla, whatever its alleged and corrected mistakes were, not only dominates the BEV field with not even a distant second challenger, BUT it also, from a tiny David, became a Behemoth worth more than Ford and Bankrupt GM combined.
That surely got to hurt… lol. Don;t cry for Tesla, cry for the Detroit 3 who may go bankrupt (in GM and FCA’s case, one more time!)
June 23rd, 2020 at 7:14 pm
https://6abc.com/sports/no-charges-in-nascar-noose-incident-involving-bubba-wallace/6262489/
June 23rd, 2020 at 7:19 pm
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/06/tesla-to-texas-county-how-does-5000-jobs-sound/
Meanwhile…
June 23rd, 2020 at 7:50 pm
Starting in 1966, there were standard, though maybe not too detailed, rules for automatic shifters. That ended GM’s PNDLR for Hydra-Matic cars, and, as this article discussed, may, or may not have put an end to Chrysler’s push buttons.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-mysterious-disappearance-of-the-chrysler-pushbutton-automatic-a-government-conspiracy/
The rules must have been repealed, or are blatantly stretched or ignored, given today’s proliferation of different shifting arrangements. At least the law, or the manufacturers, have kept the pedals in the same relative position, and have kept manual transmission shift patterns consistent, except for reverse.
June 23rd, 2020 at 9:38 pm
Seems the FBI ran down to investigate the supposedly rampant racism in nascar only to find out every garage has a noose like rooe in every garage to close the door.
Since BLM can sponsor a racear I think its time blm gets the fines for tearing down statues, rioting and looting etc…they also seem to have millions to give to a political party running for president , senate and the house,
Time to bill people of any color when they da,age personal and government property.
Just drive your car into a street sign and watch you as a driver get a bill from the government…
Just a heads up. The “racist noose” is in each and every garage.
We will accept the apology …;)
June 23rd, 2020 at 10:12 pm
42. It’s mostly individuals. not BLM, right-wing Boogaloo, or any other actual organization that is doing the vandalism. The individuals causing the trouble need to be held accountable, though.
June 24th, 2020 at 7:22 am
During the McCarthy era, “patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel”.
Today, barking “racist” up all kinds of trees is the same.
I do not follow NASCAR, only NASDAQ, and that only for 30 seconds a day. So I don’t know the sordid details. Any ‘sports’ where you watch a bunch of heavily modified cars going round and round, puts me to sleep. I could never watch it at home, let alone watch it in the speedway.
I was reading Woodward’s book “Fear”, allegedly very critical of Trump, but it also revealed many things most do not know.
Initially Trump, a New Yorker, (not some kind of Hillbilly or redneck from the deep south!) was discouraged to run as a Repub, for many and specific reasons:
He was so called “pro-choice” on abortion. He had to change that to pro-life.
He made significant and big campaign contributions, but 80% of them were to DEMS. When asked about it, he was very frank, he said that if he did not grease those crooks, they would not give him a license to build a brick outhouse, let alone ten casinos and twenty big hotels and towers!
And it went on and on. When that scum of the earth, Putin’s puppet in Syria, the murderer Assad, gassed 1,500 children or so, Ivanka sent him a ton of gruesome photos, and he, very decent reaction, wanted to kill the SOB. Then after input from all kinds of advisors, they decided to fire 60 lame missiles to damage some airfields, which of course the Syrian-Russian War criminals could fix in just 2 days. When he made the decision, he was having a state dinner for the CHinese President-for-Life Xi Jinping (sp), and he actually told him what he did.
“Good. He Deserved it”, replied Xi.
June 24th, 2020 at 7:32 am
Question of the day. Will CV-19 delay or boost the shift to EVs? The chiefs of VW and Bentley think the latter. (cannot read the full article)
https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/coronavirus-will-boost-electrification-shift-vw-and-bentley-execs-say?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200624&utm_content=article3-headline
June 24th, 2020 at 7:35 am
https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/maserati-turns-twin-turbo-v-6-replace-ferrari-built-v-8s?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200624&utm_content=article5-image
I assume Maserati is trying to lower its costs, so it shoots itself in the foot. A very old friend bought the dirt-cheap (5 series rival) Maserati Ghibli a few years ago, and his main reasoning to me was “it has a ferrari engine” (although in the case of the Ghibli they cut two cylinders from it)
June 24th, 2020 at 9:44 am
@38 Your so full of crap Larry and I only wish you had a clue of 1/2 of what you spew on here about what it takes to design and develop and test a vehicle. Let alone develop a production assembly line or run a large company that has employed and been such a large part of the state you live in for over 100 years. You whine about the bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler like that’s the sole indicator of a successful company. If you had a clue you would also know Apple, Marvel entertainment, six flags and Texeco also filed bankruptcy. Not going to even get into the millions more that was given to the banks during the government bailout which they caused by over-extending on home mortgages.
I’ve been in the auto industry for over 30 years working for suppliers and for Ford Motor Co. I interviewed at Tesla and toured the Freemont plant during my interview and although Tesla did develop an amazing powertrain and electronics its blatantly obvious they didn’t have the expertise to do a proper launch or they would not have the fit and finish issues they have. They would not have had the production problems they had.
When I toured the Freemont plant they were trying to get some Engineers from Detroit to help prepare them for high volume production which they were not anywhere near prepared for. Which turned out to be obviously true when they built a tent in the parking lot. So you can continue to cheerlead for Tesla about the stuff you know like they are a leader in EV sales but everything else much like your profession. Leave the work to the people that can do cause they know how. All others teach or talk in terms of philosophy. So it was not wishful thinking it was reality which escapes you.
June 24th, 2020 at 12:00 pm
38 Cont- Also the big three are adjusting to a new market and yes struggling to find the right combination with EVs. Just as I would bet Tesla would struggle stumble and probably fail miserably if they tried to make an ICE vehicle. Not to say they wouldn’t eventually figure it out just as all the other tradition automakers will figure out EVs.
Its easy for a new company to trip up traditional players of an industry when it completely shifts. Like what video stores did to the movie industry and what streaming services are doing to Cable and video stores. Keep in mind Tesla only makes EVs and 3 models at that. Wait until they been around 50 years have retirees and proven themselves to stay on top of the EV game. Easy to talk crap when the segment they compete in isn’t even 10% of the market.