This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
And there’s a lot of news involving the Ford Motor Company today.
BIG DEMAND FOR NEW BRONCO
It looks like the automaker has a smash hit with the new Broncos. Shortly after it started taking $100 deposits, the reservation page crashed because there was so much demand. Ford dealers say the interest in the Bronco has exceeded their wildest expectations. Ford will not say how many people put down deposits, but we hear that the first year’s production is already sold out.
MILES’ MUSTANG FETCHES RECORD PRICE
The movie Ford Vs. Ferrari may have helped one Mustang collector get a better payday. Ken Miles’ prototype 1965 Shelby GT350R sold at auction for $3.85 million, the most a Mustang has ever sold for. Miles was a key figure in developing the Ford GT40 that won LeMans, but tragically died during testing of one of the race cars. Just for comparison, a concourse level ‘65 GT350R typically sells for a little over $1 million.
VIRTUAL WORLD USED TO TRAIN YOUNG DRIVERS
Speaking of racing, Ford of Europe is turning to virtual racers and their games to help teach young kids how to drive. The automaker has been doing in-person training since 2013, which has seen 45,000 young drivers from 16 countries participate. But with the current environment, Ford is switching to the virtual world. Team Fordzilla drivers use the multiplayer format of the game to set up certain scenarios, like hazard awareness, and make sure they’re done at realistic speeds. This might be more useful than you think. Ford commissioned a survey that found 33% of young drivers had already watched online tutorials on how to drive and about half said they felt like video games improved their driving.
EV CONVERSION KIT FOR FORD F-550
We’re not quite done with Ford news yet. A company by the name of Lightning Systems is offering an all-electric powertrain for Ford F-550 chassis cabs. The system features a total power output of 180-kW and a 128-kWh battery pack, which returns over 100 miles of range. The best part is, old buses can be retrofitted with the system.
FORD EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH MOBILEYE
Ford is updating its Co-Pilot 360 driver assistance system with upgraded camera-based technology from Mobileye. The system, which will be available globally, will be equipped in Ford’s next-gen vehicles, including the new F-150 and Mustang Mach-E. As part of the deal, Ford will display Mobileye’s logo in its SYNC touch screen menus.
FORD TOURNEO & TRANSIT CONNECT ACTIVE
And in our final bit of Ford news, it introduced Active versions of its Tourneo and Transit Connect vans in Europe. The Active trim adds rugged, SUV skid plates and cladding, as well as an optional mechanical limited slip differential and a raised ride height. The interior features exclusive seat trim patterns and stitching and Active badging. Ford will start delivering the new Tourneo and Transit Connect Active vans by the end of the year.
MARY BARRA EXPECTS RECOVERY EARLY NEXT YEAR
Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors, says she thinks the auto industry is starting to recover and expects the U.S. economy to return to 90% of pre-pandemic levels early next year. But she also says that there’s a lot of uncertainty.
MUNRO’S BMW i3 TEARDOWN ANALYSIS NOW DIRT CHEAP
Sandy Munro is hoping he can help inspire the next Elon Musk to develop an electric car. So he’s slashing the price of the benchmarking study he did on the BMW i3. That study, which is 23,793 pages long, covers everything from how BMW made the body to the battery and electronics. It has cost analyses and assembly processes. Sandy Munro says it cost over $2 million to do the study, but he’s now selling it for only $10. You can download your copy at munrolive.com.
AMERICANS WILL DRIVE LESS IN THE FUTURE
Automakers are struggling to sell vehicles during the pandemic but it will remain that way even after it’s over. A new study from KPMG says working from home and online shopping will result in Americans driving up to 270 billion fewer miles a year, even if there is a vaccine. Since people won’t be driving as much, it could result in one million fewer vehicles being sold each year. Researchers expect 14 million vehicles will be taken off U.S. roads and vehicle ownership will decline to less than two vehicles per household. This will hurt dealers and mechanics, who won’t have as many vehicles to service. But there is one silver lining, demand for commercial vehicles is expected to increase due to the surge in online shopping.
PRATT & MILLER CREATES ROBOT TO DISINFECT AIRPORTS
Business travel was decimated by the pandemic. And people will only go back to flying if they think that crowded airports are truly safe again. So Pratt & Miller developed this autonomous robot to disinfect airports. They call it the LAAD, or Large Area Autonomous Disinfecting vehicle. It uses an electrostatic sprayer to spread disinfectant in the air and on surfaces that people will touch. And its sensors make sure that it completes its coverage. So far the LAAD has been tested at an airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. But Pratt & Miller says it can be used at convention centers, shopping centers, stadiums and other large areas.
CORVETTE RACING WINS LAST TWO IMSA EVENTS
Pratt & Miller is an impressive company that works on all kinds of technology from aerospace to military to automotive. It’s also the company that runs the Corvette Racing team for Chevrolet. And in the past two IMSA races, at Daytona and Sebring, those C8 Corvettes finished first and second. Corvette Racing has now won 101 races since it was formed in 1999.
And that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching.
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Comments (32)
July 20th, 2020 at 12:00 pm
I’m wondering if Ford will do the same upgrades to the US versions of the Transit Connect. It seems that Europe always gets the cool stuff and we here is the US just have to sit back and wish.
July 20th, 2020 at 12:02 pm
Oh another thing. Ford best have their best foot forward with the new Bronco,as if they blow it,they will never have a staunch following.
July 20th, 2020 at 12:15 pm
I guess Europeans like lifted minivans with stupid body cladding, or at least Ford thinks they will. Maybe we’ll luck out in the U.S., and not be inflicted with the Transit Connect “active,” since it doesn’t have 4wd, which Americans seem to want on everything these days.
July 20th, 2020 at 12:18 pm
These electric Silverado’s still show up for sale. Bob Lutz was on the board at one time.
https://www.viamotors.com/electric-vehicles.html
July 20th, 2020 at 12:29 pm
Ford best hope they don’t have an introduction like the Explorer. Once is a mistake two is a permanent disaster.
July 20th, 2020 at 12:32 pm
It appears that Mary Barra is drinking the Trump Cool-Aid. She has high hopes, but we are not going in any direction that supports her projection.
July 20th, 2020 at 12:52 pm
I think the Euro Ford Transit is the start of a new trend: vehicles that just LOOK off road capable. Sort of like a modern version of the sedans that just LOOK fast, but are stock mechanically.
July 20th, 2020 at 1:09 pm
The new Bronco looks more like an International Scout to me than anything. Glad they have interest but the big question will be for how long?
July 20th, 2020 at 1:23 pm
6. I agree. Also, so far GM, and probably most other car companies are having trouble getting production back up to speed, even if there are customers, which there probably aren’t many of. I’m wondering how the quality will be with the first few weeks or months of production, after the shut down. Operations will be different, as plants change procedures to keep workers farther apart, and I’d think the workers’ being “out of practice” after a ~2 month shut down wouldn’t help.
8. The upcoming Ford I find interesting, at least to see and test drive, is the E-Thing. I expect it to be closer to actually competing with Tesla than anything else, so far. I guess it’s supposed to go on sale in late 2020, not too far away.
July 20th, 2020 at 1:43 pm
it Cost Munro $2 mill and he sells it for $10? His accountant must havebeen the budget guy for the failed Bolt.
BTW when the first, ugly tiny Echo-based Prius came out, I read that Toyota lost $10k on each, sold them for $20k but it cost it $30k to make one. It took the hit and the Prius became a mega-hit, esp the later, far better models.
But the Bolt was already losing $9k a piece when it sold for $42k, so if GM did the same, it would have to lose $30k a piece to sell them at $20k. I assume the beancounters screamed at the suggestion.
As for the Bronco demand, the demand for the Fiat 500 was also very strong when it came out. But it did not last long.
July 20th, 2020 at 1:44 pm
Ford is on a roll with new products. Mach-E, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang GT500, Mach1, and new F-150. I work at a Ford dealership, and even the Explorer that started off slowly has now hit it’s stride and selling well. Many repeat Explorer customers coming back for the new one. And the Ranger is now number two in small truck sales behind Tacoma in one year. Oh, and don’t forget Lincoln. Hits with highly acclaimed Navigator, Aviator and Corsair. Looking forward to Sync4 with OTA updates and wireless AppleCarPlay/Android Auto.
July 20th, 2020 at 1:56 pm
Re. comment #6 – Interesting I have quite the opposite impression. GM has been on track to transforming itself in the greenest car company on this side of Tesla. Their Cadillac strategy along with electric skateboard plans, workforce diversity efforts and plans on becoming carbon neutral in plants are as far removed from drinking ‘Trump CollAid’ as it could be. I’m becoming a GM fanboy, even if Mrs Barra just for the genuine effort, even if she can’t deliver on some of these things.
July 20th, 2020 at 1:58 pm
Re. Comment #10 – Munro sold this report long ago to those who valued this information. He is now leveraging his Youtuber celebrity status and going for the masses!! I hope he sells a million copies.
July 20th, 2020 at 2:06 pm
10 You keep saying, ad nauseum, that GM loses $9K on each Bolt, selling them for $42K. This article says cost is about $29K, and going down, as batteries get cheaper.
https://www.torquenews.com/8861/gm-needs-see-two-things-they-push-electric-vehicles
Oh, and there is a difference between the $27K I mentioned as employee price for a base Bolt, and the $20K you pulled out of somewhere.
Yeah, Prius got cheaper to make, with the 2nd generation powertrain, and much more practical with the liftback body in 2004.
July 20th, 2020 at 2:10 pm
10,13 …and at first, he sold the reports for much more than $10, 6 or so years ago when he did the teardown.
July 20th, 2020 at 2:11 pm
I’m probably in the minority on this, but I’m not that impressed with the Bronco, it seems like they just copied the Wrangler in the way of features such as removable doors and tops, which I’m not a fan of since all that removable stuff usually ends up rattling after not too many miles. I was also hoping that the styling was going to be a little more futuristic, I saw some early artist renderings that were going in that direction and thought they really looked good while still capturing the Bronco essence. And the prices that Ford is asking seem pretty high to me, especially when compared to what you can get a Ranger for. Guess I’ll have to keep bugging Suzuki to bring the Jimny state side.
July 20th, 2020 at 2:19 pm
16. Is an earlier version of Jimny what they sold as Samurai in North America?
July 20th, 2020 at 3:48 pm
Our backup to the Tesla is a 2014 BMW i3-REx with Magiceye. It reads speed limit signs and there is a hack for lane keeping. IMHO, the Ford deal drives a nail into the LIDAR efforts. As Elon once said,’We don’t drive with rays emitted from our eyes.’
As for the Munro document, it is the best illustrated parts breakdown available. In effect, the ultimate Clinton’s repair manual.
July 20th, 2020 at 10:03 pm
18 Does the Munro document show what you need to know to take the car apart, if you want to put it back together?
July 21st, 2020 at 5:23 am
Jalopnik reports a possible/probable Bronco Sport pickup truck: wonder if others will follow (a lot of us have expressed desire for something like this). I won’t buy Ford (and I can’t really give anyone a good reason) but I hope others will follow and I might be a player for a GM (just my preference). Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/ford-bronco-sport-compact-pickup-truck-likely-coming-next-year/ar-BB16XWv7?ocid=msedgdhp
July 21st, 2020 at 8:08 am
20 Sounds interesting, a more modern Dodge Rampage or VW Caddy?
July 21st, 2020 at 8:11 am
18 Bob I think you meant Chilton repair manual.. A Clinton repair manual as that would include a hitman in a Fed Ex uniform to fix your problem.
July 21st, 2020 at 9:49 am
This must be the Nth debbie downer study falesly predicting lower car sales. “even with a vaccine”? ESPECIALLY if there is NO vaccine, people in the US and all over the world will NEVER use public transport again!!!! Are you guys kidding us? and MANY MANY MANY jobs cannot be AT ALL done from home, AND many others will NEVER be as efficiently done as in the WORKPLACE, ESPECIALLY SERIOUS SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES. I know, because I have taught courses remotely and I know their drawbacks. AND I had the best equipment, videoconferencing etc, NOT like you post some canned lectures online and nobody can interrupt you and ask questions and LEARN and UNDERSTAND the material.
July 21st, 2020 at 10:16 am
23 The segment on Americans driving less in the future is probably partially true but as the population continues to grow will the less driving be off-set by the increase in drivers?
I mean will dealerships and mechanics be affected? Yeah but probably not near as much by less driving as they will be because cars just need routine maintenance like they used to.
Cars used to need points and plugs like every 15k miles wire sets and more frequent oil changes. With synthetics most vehicles are 10K between oil changes and not much else for 100k. Even tires that used to be a common problem have gotten so good that many vehicles have forgone the spare and replaced it with a can of fix a flat. Some tires are rated for 70-80k miles now.
So yea I think mechanics and dealerships may see declines but not as much due to less driving but just because cars last longer with less maint. Plus the fact that now they cost so much that people need to keep them longer. Used to only finance a car loan 5 years and now they are out to 7. So what did they expect?
As for public transit and ride sharing. I would really hope that we will see things turn to normal at some point. No doubt things will be different and we will see some folks wear masks all the time now and see hand sanitizer everywhere and dividers in restaurants but I really believe most people want to get back to life as it used to be.
July 21st, 2020 at 10:30 am
23 Also to your point that many jobs cannot be done from home or at least shouldn’t be.
I agree that schools and universities cannot provide the same education online as they can in person. There is an element that’s lost by not being in person. Heck most youth today struggle with social skills as it is. Compound that with even less social interaction and we will have a whole generation of people that have no idea how to function in society. In person you can tell if a student is confused but maybe too afraid to ask a question. You can stop and make sure they are following along. Online those students will fall behind. Not to mention the increased fear of public speaking. Kids could go through HS and college and never have to speak in front of a class. Its uncomfortable but I would say is necessary.
July 21st, 2020 at 10:46 am
23. People will be using public transportation as much as ever after there is a vaccine, and are using it, even now. People in NYC, Boston, London and Paris are not going to go out and buy cars, when it would cost more to park them than they are making.
Schools need to be open, both for the education aspect, but also for socialization. My limited experience with home schooled kids is that they tend to be social misfits, especially with interaction with other kids. Safely opening schools is another matter, though. Yeah, little kids don’t normally get very sick from the virus, and may not even spread it as easily as big kids and adults, but can still spread it among themselves, and take it home with them.
July 21st, 2020 at 11:07 am
In my case, I’m driving fewer miles, by not going to restaurants 14 times a week, instead getting a “curbside pickup” at Kroger or Walmart an average of about once a week. Also, I’m not going to stores to buy other things, instead, ordering on-line. That should result in the sale of more delivery vans to FedEx and UPS, but fewer personal vehicles, as they get less use.
July 21st, 2020 at 11:23 am
17 Don’t know, but if I had to guess I would say no, the Jimny is such a better vehicle than the Samurai and bigger in all dimensions. But it could be descended from it….
July 21st, 2020 at 11:35 am
28. After posting #17, I searched it, and the Samurai was a Jimny, but two generations earlier than the current one. Yeah, the current one would be much different, and better than the one from the 1980s.
July 21st, 2020 at 11:38 am
28 Yeah according to this article the Jimny was derived from the Samurai in 1998.
Couldn’t quite figure out from this article if its coming to NA or not but they gave prices in dollars.
https://suvgeek.com/2020-suzuky-jimny-4×4/2020-suzuki-jimny-usa-price-availability/
July 21st, 2020 at 12:20 pm
30 It won’t be coming to the US, at least not “officially” and street legal. I’m sure a few will be imported to use off-roaf, and maybe driven illegally with plates from another vehicle.
July 21st, 2020 at 2:30 pm
Sorry guys, I meant Chiltons. There is a Technical Information subscription service that has more details like torque values and processes. But they only have sketchs, no actual parts.
Regardless, the Munro document has enough that one of my bucket list projects, cooled exhaust recirculation, looks more doable.