AD #2993 – GM Launches New Delivery Business; Continental’s 3D Navigation Display; Next-Gen Mustang a Ways Off
January 13th, 2021 at 12:00pm
Listen to “AD #2993 – GM Launches New Delivery Business; Continental's 3D Navigation Display; Next-Gen Mustang a Ways Off” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 10:02
0:08 Continental Develops 3D Navigation Display
0:49 Next-Gen Products Slated for Later This Decade
1:38 Bentley Hires New Design Director
3:04 Mahindra Cuts North American Workforce in Half
3:51 Mercedes Creates App for EV Customers
4:44 Hyundai Teases Kona N Performance Vehicle
6:06 GM Jumps into VTOL Segment
6:38 Cadillac Reveals Luxurious Autonomous Pod
7:02 New Cadillac Celestiq Details
7:48 GM Launches New Delivery Business
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
CONTINENTAL DEVELOPS 3D NAVIGATION DISPLAY
We love to show you new technology from the supplier industry. And today it’s 3D navigation from Continental, which partnered with HERE and Leia to develop the display. The system combines HERE’s maps that include 3D depictions of buildings and topography, Continental’s 3D display and Leia’s Lightfield technology which makes the 3D effect visible from numerous angles. This allows the driver and passengers to see the 3D maps without the need for special goggles or an eye tracking sensor. The companies didn’t reveal when we could see this in a vehicle or if any automakers are interested in the display.
NEXT-GEN PRODUCTS SLATED FOR LATER THIS DECADE
We have some updates on future products from AutoForecast Solutions that will be available late this decade. Production of the current BMW 3-Series at the company’s plant in San Luis Potosi ends in July of 2027. Production of the next-gen version kicks off at the same plant in August of 2027. Mustang fans are going to have to wait awhile for the next-gen model, it doesn’t go into production until December of 2028 at Ford’s Flat Rock, Michigan plant. And Lincoln begins production of the all-electric version of the Corsair at its Oakville, Ontario plant in September of 2026. We don’t know if that will be the company’s first EV but it’s pretty late in the game and by that time Cadillac will have a full lineup of EVs.
BENTLEY HIRES NEW DESIGN DIRECTOR
Bentley hired a new design director. Andreas Mindt is taking over for Stefan Sielaff, who had been with the company for 6 years, but is leaving to pursue other opportunities. Mindt has spent his entire career at the VW Group and previously was the Head of Exterior Design for Audi.
MAHINDRA CUTS NORTH AMERICAN WORKFORCE IN HALF
Mahindra’s roller coaster ride in the U.S. continues. Reuters reports that the company cut more than half of its workforce in North America. As of early 2020, it employed more than 500 people. That should come as little surprise after the International Trade Commission ruled Mahindra’s off-road-only Roxor looks too much like a Jeep, which forced Mahindra to stop building and selling the Roxor in the U.S. But Mahindra expects to hire a good portion of those workers back after the ITC ruled right before Christmas that the automaker’s redesigned Roxor no longer infringes on Jeep. Outdoor recreational vehicles have seen a surge during the pandemic and no doubt Mahindra wants to get in on that action.
MERCEDES CREATES APP FOR EV CUSTOMERS
Mercedes is launching a new feature on its Mercedes me app, called Eco Coach, which is meant to train plug-in hybrid and pure EV buyers on how to get the most out of their vehicle. Now, before you get bored and click away, there are a few interesting aspects to this. First, users can score points by doing things, like charging in different locations or on successive days, and then use those points to earn bonuses. That includes vouchers for charging or for the Mercedes-Benz Collection shop and even CO2 compensation, where investments are made in CO2 offset programs. And because customer behavior can have a big impact on battery life, Mercedes says one of the main goals of the app is to help prolong the service life of its battery-powered vehicles.
HYUNDAI TEASES KONA N PERFORMANCE VEHICLE
Hyundai released a teaser video for its next performance vehicle, the Kona N, where we get to see a few of its unique features. The lower air inlet on the front fascia seems to be quite a bit larger and extends more into the upper grille area. The grille pattern is also a different honeycomb pattern. There’s N-specific side skirts, a larger roof-mounted spoiler, integrated diffuser in the rear bumper and dual exhaust tips. Under the hood is a turbocharged 2.0L engine mated to an 8-speed DCT, which is the same setup in the Veloster N. In that car, the engine produces 275 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. The Kona N is expected to go on sale as a 2022 model.
Be sure to join us tomorrow when Sandy Munro will be on Autoline After Hours. Always interesting, often sarcastic, and definitely informative, Sandy is one of our favorite guests. So join John and Gary when we go live at 3 pm eastern time on our website and YouTube channel.
GM JUMPS INTO VTOL SEGMENT
CES is being held virtually this year. Even so, there’s a lot of good automotive technology coming out of the show. General Motors unveiled a bunch of new technologies and products. What’s getting a ton of attention is the VTOL, or vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, that would be part of the Cadillac lineup. It’s a quad rotor, electric drone with an automotive 90 kilowatt motor. The idea is for personal transportation when time is of the essence and you don’t want to get stuck in traffic.
CADILLAC REVEALS LUXURIOUS AUTONOMOUS POD
And once you land, Cadillac has this autonomous vehicle that you can get into. To us, it sure looks like this is a luxurious version of the Cruise Origin. It features huge door openings, a massive glass roof and wrap around sofas instead of individual seats. The layout is meant for passengers, especially families and friends, to focus on each other.
NEW CADILLAC CELESTIQ DETAILS
GM also showed us a bit more of the Celestiq, but only in the background. And yes, they pronounce it Ce-LESS-tick, not Ce-less-TEAK. This is the limited-production, luxury sedan that will be hand built in Detroit. It’s all electric, built off the Ultiium platform, comes with all-wheel-drive, 4-wheel steering and an all-glass roof. That glass uses suspended particles and is divided into four sections, so each occupant can set the level of transparency they want. It also gets a dashboard screen that stretches from pillar to pillar. GM hasn’t said anything about pricing, but we would expect it to cost at least $150,000, any maybe a whole lot more.
GM LAUNCHES NEW DELIVERY BUSINESS
GM’s presentation involved a lot more than Cadillac. It’s also launching a new business unit for delivery and logistics companies, called BrightDrop. The services cover everything from the first to last mile of delivery. Its first product is the EP1, an electrically assisted pallet that carries up to 200 pounds and is meant to move things short distances, like from a delivery van to a customer’s front door. It can even follow a courier walking on a route at up to 3 miles an hour. BrightDrop’s second product is an electric, light commercial van, called the EV600. It features large door openings and walkways for easier access to the cargo area, which is over 600 cubic feet. And it can be packed full of EP1’s. The van uses GM’s Ultium platform and batteries, with an estimated range of 250 miles. FedEx will be its first customer and will get the first vans late this year.
Think about all this. In just a couple of years GM will have over 30 electric vehicles in its showrooms, it’s one of the world leaders in autonomous technology, it is ramping up fast in mobility services, and will be a major competitor in electric commercial vans. And it has the capital, the manufacturing facilities and the dealer network to pull it all off. If a startup made an announcement like this the world would beat a path to its doorway. GM stock went up around 4% yesterday, but any startup would have seen a massive jump in its stock.
There’s a lot of good information coming out of CES and you can check out our series of interviews with Magna. Just look in the Autoline On The Road section of our website, or on our YouTube channel.
But that’s all we’ve got for today. Thanks for watching.
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Comments (32)
January 13th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
The New GM Logo does not fit the 100+ year old automotive company.
It would have been better used for a division,
which could be called “General Motors Technologies” (GMT). This would have increased their stock price because GM would rebrand a portion of itself as a “Tech” company.
January 13th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
Or eGM?
January 13th, 2021 at 12:38 pm
That new Conti display looks cool and what’s even cooler is driver distraction in 3D.
Seems like GM has been a punching bag for so many people in the last decade or two…. 3? I remember all the negative press they got from certain government people over the Volt. They would have taken less flak if the thing was fuelled by puppy carcasses.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:11 pm
Lex, I always wanted GM to introduce a line of performance trucks under the label GMW, but I’m sure BMW would have objected.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:16 pm
I could be wrong but the Mercedes app seems like someone sat down and tried to figure out how to make something as complicated as possible. When I fuel up I really dislike the discount fuel cards requiring me to look for a specific gas station brand. So I sure as heck wouldn’t care about scoring points by using different charging stations or consecutive days. Besides the fact that if you can afford a MB you probably are not too worried about credits and points for charging. How about keeping it simple and at the lowest price and forget points and apps?
January 13th, 2021 at 1:19 pm
Sean, Not everyone is as fond of humorous car adds as I am, but I would love to see Hyundai hire Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan the Barbarian to pitch the Kona N
January 13th, 2021 at 1:29 pm
One thing I don’t hear much about when these stories of VTOL vehicles are mentioned is the level of autonomy involved. This whole segment isn’t very clear when asked, will they need a licenced pilot? Will they have crash detection since a city filled with these low flying VTOLs could be criss-crossing at low altitude all over a big city like LA or NY? Are they going to be something you just punch in an address and its completely autonomous? Or is someone going to be piloting remotely? Will there be a mush more basic pilots license that allows individuals to fly one without having to get a traditional extensive and expensive pilots license? Sorry so many questions..
January 13th, 2021 at 1:58 pm
Sean:
I watched the GM CES presentation and chuckled when the Cadillac interior designer and Mary Barra pronounced the top line Cadillac as the Sa LES tik. However, Design Chief Michael Simcoe pronounced it Selles TEEK. Somehow I knew this would be a problem with these silly names that end in q, but I guess its too late now to come up with a list of classy but memorable and pronounceable model names.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:02 pm
On BrightDrop, they very briefly mentioned a franchise support system for this new line of commercial products and then got off the topic quickly.
I think it should be offered to GMC dealerships. They will already have service and charging equipment to support the Hummer models and the commercial business was taken away from them during the bankruptcy and then only offered to Chevrolet dealerships when GM decided to get back into the medium duty truck business. Seems like that would be the right thing to do, but we will have to wait and see.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:19 pm
It looks like Ford plans to drop the Mustang, but they learned that announcing the demise of the Fusion two or three years early was a mistake. Saying the next Mustang will be 7 years out gives them cover for now, and they’ll announce dropping the car later.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:57 pm
7 These electric VTOL things sound like so much BS to me. The one mentioned yesterday would have a range of “up to” 60 miles, meaning that it would be more like 30 miles, because a dead battery is a guaranteed crash. Also, the idea of low flying multi-rotor things flying around over cities seems absurd, both from the noise standpoint, and they would be running into each other.
To the extent that they might ever exist, I’d think they would be completely autonomous. Yeah, I could be wrong about all of what I said, but not likely.
January 13th, 2021 at 3:07 pm
Nice report on the Kona N, but you buried the lede-other sources have reported that there will be an AWD version available, which would seem to be a first for the N cars. Korean RS Quattro?
January 13th, 2021 at 3:19 pm
12 Maybe a mini Macan, at less than half the price.
January 13th, 2021 at 3:35 pm
10 I really doubt Ford will drop the Mustang. My guess is they pushed any new model out to 2027 to give the Mach-e time to prove if there is real interest. If it does well the 2027 Mustang might be an EV. If Mach-e sales are mediocre the Mustang will live on another cycle as an ICE. Either way Id bet the Mustang will remain in Fords lineup, its just a matter of the powertrain for that next generation.
January 13th, 2021 at 4:06 pm
14 They will almost certainly continue to sell something called Mustang, like a mildly lifted electric 5-door hatchback. If they don’t intend to have a new real Mustang for 7 years, meaning two door coupe and convertible, I doubt if anyone at Ford knows what they will actually do. If EV popularity takes off, I could see them doing electric Mustang coupe and convertible. I’ve heard that the next generation Porsche Cayman/Boxter will be electric. I don’t know when that would be. I think the current one started with 2016 model year.
January 13th, 2021 at 4:07 pm
14 Especially if GM drops the slow selling Camaro.
January 13th, 2021 at 4:18 pm
Unfortunately, there will probably not be another Camaro. The current one drives great, but the styling is too “juvenile” for many, and the cabin décor is underwhelming. Two friends have them, both V6 automatic, and really like them, but they just don’t sell well.
January 13th, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Interesting how the Cadillac autonomous pod has that sectional group seating with only two seatbelts, one placed in each corner. Guess they don’t expect many riders.
January 13th, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Strange Elon Musk tweet:
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1349466269121179653?s=20
January 13th, 2021 at 4:42 pm
14 They had better build both versions if they decide to add EV to the Mustang brand. If Ford thought the faithful was pissed in 1988 when they planned to make what became the Probe the new Mustang , just wait if they made it EV only. I hope these brands understand what makes their cars iconic enough for people to still be buying them after 60 years. What makes a Mustang a Mustang is 2 doors ,long hood /short deck RWD and a V8. Now there isn’t anything wrong with offering variations as long as the original idea is still offered.
January 13th, 2021 at 5:04 pm
The Cadillac’s autonomous pod triggers a key question about occupant safety standards, particularly as the image showed no restraints and the message encourages the freedom of a casual lounge . What type of collision standards and occupant restraints are required? No matter how good autonomy technology may be at detecting risks, it cannot avoid collisions.
Present collision/restraint requirements for bus/public transportation greatly lack the requirements for personal transportation, often with tragic results. Is it too much to ask for a sane application collision/restraint requirements?
January 13th, 2021 at 5:32 pm
I have noticed I have not been as progressive , perhaps as I should be, but as long as all classes of autonomous cars have yet to be perfected, I sure as hell don’t want to have anyt6hing flying over me that uses this technology.
January 13th, 2021 at 6:18 pm
20 After 2027, V8 2 door Mustangs might be something available only used, like manual transmission Corvettes, starting with the 2020 model year. We should know more of the plans for future Mustangs by about 2023-2024.
I remember the Probe and its Mazda counterpart being the best cars for one of the SCCA solo classes for a while. Interestingly, the Pinto-derived Mustang II sold very well early on, but not many are still around. It’s been years since I’ve seen one at a car show.
January 14th, 2021 at 6:37 am
The latest-generation Mustang has been a truly global success for Ford, and here in Europe, the uniquely affordable V8s in a contemporary car whose size and design fit the market are a winning combination.
An excellent halo car to have, perfectly augmenting the brand – I’d be loathe to part with such a product.
January 14th, 2021 at 7:56 am
24 The current Mustang is good enough that there is no reason not to continue it beyond 2027, with minor refreshes. They’ve done that with the Challenger since 2008, and it is still selling in reasonable numbers. I think the Mustang should have an engine choice between a turbo 4 and a V8, but they could always add one if the market seemed to justify it.
January 14th, 2021 at 8:43 am
Yeah Ford should pursue the first vehicle to be offered with an ICE and EV powertrain and the Mustang could be an ideal platform, if they also offered it in a variety of body variations. It could easily pull in the 50K+ needed to justify an EV and also design the car to accept a turbo 4 and V8 version. Then design the body to be offered in a 2 door coupe, 2 door hatch (fastback) 4 door sedan and convertible and maybe even a modern wagon like the Magnum. Maintaining the original Mustang heritage of a 2 door coupe with a gas engine will keep the die-hard Stang fans happy, and I don’t think offering it in other variations dilutes the brand at all. In fact I think that it would appeal to a much larger group of buyers. 4 door sports sedans have been popular for quite some time and the Dodge Charger, Nissan Maxima, BMW M-class, MB S class and all sorts of smaller 4 door Rally sport type cars seem to do alright. Ford could literally replace almost all their passenger cars with extensive Mustang lineup.
The difficult part would be designing an attractive iconic body that will look good in all those versions and the engineering it would take to package the hugely different powertrains. But if they pulled it off the Mustang would dominate the US market and be back seeing sales numbers like they did in the 1960s
January 14th, 2021 at 9:16 am
26) Sounds very similar to the BMW 3 series strategy. Make a sporty looking 4 door and an SUV but have a 2 Door variant for those looking for the ultimate in a sports car.
Maybe Mustang should use a P3 plug in hybrid system in the rear differential that can give Ford the best of all worlds. Time will tell if they are that advanced over at Ford. I doubt it though. They will likely just restyle the Mach-e into 2 door form and call it a Mustang.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:37 am
26 If Ford made different rear drive cars based on the Mustang platform, the sedan, wagon, etc. should have names other than Mustang. They don’t call Charger “Challenger sedan,” nor should they.
27 For a few years, BMW has been calling the 3 series coupe, convertible, and “Grand Coupe” 5 door hatchback 4 series. These marketeers must spend thousands of hours discussing how to name vehicles.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:58 am
28 I see that the 4 series Gran Coupe is no longer sold in the US. It was never sold in the US with a manual transmission, though it is in the rest of the world.
January 14th, 2021 at 10:33 am
28 kit don’t forget the Charger predated the Challenger. The Challenger took the Magnum wagon’s place in the production line with the Charger and 300. So it’s a little different situation in regards to the Mustang, But a sedan and wagon based on the platform would be fine just don’t brand it Mustang. IMO
January 14th, 2021 at 10:46 am
Falcon might be a good name for a sedan and wagon based on the Mustang platform. That would be a reversal of what they did in 1964.
January 14th, 2021 at 12:22 pm
Just google 4 door mustang and click images. You’ll see some decently designed 4 door modern stangs and the old 60 station wagon. It could be done and do the name proud.
They used to offer many cars in a 2 door and 4 door option and I think doing that while maintaining the Mustang name would be okay.