AD #3059 – Audi Unveils Q4 e-tron; Nissan Creates Special Edition GT-R NISMO; GM & LG to Open 2nd Battery Plant
April 15th, 2021 at 11:46am
Listen to “AD #3059 – Audi Unveils Q4 e-tron; Nissan Creates Special Edition GT-R NISMO; GM and LG to Open 2nd Battery Plant” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 10:22
0:08 GM & LG Plan to Open 2nd Battery Plant in Tennessee
0:43 Bosch & Qingling Motors Form Fuel Cell Joint Venture
1:34 Polestar Raises Over Half a Billion Dollars
3:22 Porsche Develops New Taycan Manufacturing Process
4:18 Audi Unveils New Q4 e-tron
6:28 Mazda MX-30 Arrives in U.S. This Fall
7:18 SEAT Refreshes the Arona & Ibiza
8:08 Nissan Creates Special Edition GT-R NISMO
9:04 Dodge Extends Durango Hellcat Production
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GM & LG PLAN TO OPEN 2ND BATTERY PLANT IN TENNESSEE
More details are coming in about General Motors plans to open a second battery plant in the U.S. with LG Chem. Reuters reports the $2.3 billion factory will be located in Spring Hill, Tennessee, near its current assembly plant. A formal announcement will be made tomorrow. The new plant will make batteries for the Cadillac Lyriq, and the batteries will use a different chemistry than the ones GM and LG will produce at their other battery plant in Ohio. Construction of the new plant will kick off next year but it’s unclear when it will open.
BOSCH & QINGLING MOTORS FORM FUEL CELL JOINT VENTURE
According to the China Society of Automotive Engineers, there could be more than 1 million fuel cell powered vehicles on Chinese roads by 2030. That’s why the supplier Bosch and Chinese commercial vehicle maker, Qingling Motors, are forming a joint venture to develop and build fuel cell systems for the Chinese market. It’s not just for commercial vehicles, it’s aimed at all Chinese automakers. Bosch is providing the fuel cell stack, air compressor, and control units for the system and small scale production kicks off this year. The two companies will also test a fleet of 70 Qingling trucks equipped with the system sometime this year. Bosch and Qingling are aiming to bring the fuel cell to market by 2022 or 2023.
POLESTAR RAISES OVER HALF A BILLION DOLLARS
Polestar, the spin-off from Volvo that’s owned by Geely, just raised over half a billion dollars from Chinese and South Korean investors. $550 million, to be precise. Polestar says the money will help accelerate product development. Currently it only has two models, the Polestar 1, a plug-in hybrid with a $155,000 price tag; and the Polestar 2, a BEV sedan that starts at $60,000. Next year it’s going to add the Polestar 3, an electric, fastback crossover. So far this year, Polestar sold only 585 cars in the U.S. market. But it only has 6 retail outlets in the U.S. right now. And the Polestar 2 is actually outselling the Volvo XC40 Recharge. Even though both vehicles are mechanically identical, the Polestar 2 is made in China, while the XC40 Recharge is made in Belgium. That’s a real handicap for Polestar. European vehicles only pay a 2.5% import tariff coming into the U.S., while Chinese made vehicles pay a 27.5% tariff.
PORSCHE DEVELOPS NEW TAYCAN MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Porsche implemented a new process for manufacturing the all-electric Taycan that not only saves money but takes stress off of employees. All Porsche bodies are dipped in an anticorrosive coating and feature specifically placed holes so the coating gets into every nook and cranny. Unless they’re plugged, those holes will start to rust over time. Previously, they were filled by hand with tightly fitted plastic pins, as much as 3,600 times per shift. But Porsche is now using a machine, which kind of looks like a big price gun that applies adhesive patches over the holes. Not only does it need one patch size to cover the four different hole types, but the machine is able to do it more than four minutes faster than a human. Porsche will adopt the process at another one of its paint shops in Germany this summer as well.
AUDI UNVEILS NEW Q4 E-TRON
But that’s not the only EV news in VW land. Audi pulled the camo off the new Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron. Let’s get right into the good stuff. Two battery sizes are offered. One has 52 kWh of usable space, while the other has 77 kWh of usable space. Only the larger will be offered in the U.S. and Audi estimates it will return 250 miles or 402 kilometers of range on the EPA cycle for single motor, rear-wheel drive versions. That motor is estimated to put out 125 kW of power, but there’s also AWD available, which adds a motor to the front axle and combines for 225 kW of power. Audi did not reveal range estimates for that setup. Size-wise, the Q4 e-tron is about the same size as the Q5, which will slot it right below the e-tron that’s currently out. But since it’s smaller and offers a single motor setup, it will be significantly less expensive than the e-tron. In the U.S., Audi plans a starting price of under $45,000 before destination or incentives vs. about $60K for the e-tron. Pricing in Germany starts at just under 42,000 euros for the small battery pack. We highlighted the interior back in early March and we’ll provide a link to that if you’d like to learn more, but as you can see, the focal points are large digital displays and a push-button gear selector. Both models go on sale in Europe this June, while they’re scheduled to arrive in the U.S. before the year is out.
And this makes for an easy segue to our reminder to tune into this afternoon’s Autoline After Hours because our guest is Matthew Mostafaei, the project manager for e-tron vehicles. So join John, Gary and Stephanie Brinley from IHS Markit to learn more about Audi’s transition to a full electric lineup.
MAZDA MX-30 ARRIVES IN U.S. THIS FALL
One last bit of EV news. Mazda announced the MX-30 will first be available in California this fall. And for those wondering about the rotary range extended version, it arrives as a 2023 model year vehicle.
SEAT REFRESHES THE ARONA & IBIZA
Spanish automaker SEAT is spicing up its small models, the Arona and Ibiza. Since the vehicles are basically the same but with a different body, they share an interior. The center display screen now sits in a floating position higher on the dash, which required the middle air vents to move as well. SEAT really massaged the whole dashboard, which features new round air vents in the corners and a number of color accent panels. Both vehicles offer a range of gasoline engines, as well as a CNG option, which are all paired to either a manual or dual clutch transmission. In the styling department, the Arona has the biggest changes, highlighted by fog lamps that now flank either side of the grille. But the Ibiza gets a few minor tweaks as well.
NISSAN CREATES SPECIAL EDITION GT-R NISMO
Godzilla just got a little meaner. Nissan is launching a new special edition version of the GT-R NISMO in Japan this October. It features unique 20-inch wheels with red accents to match other parts of the car as well as a clear coat carbon fiber hood, which is 100 grams lighter because it’s not painted. But in our opinion the biggest improvements are found inside the engine. It’s still powered by a twin turbo 3.8L V6 that makes about 600 horsepower, but the piston rings, connecting rods, crankshaft, flywheel, crank pulley and valve springs have been weight balanced and dialed in with tighter tolerances, which allows for faster revs and quicker turbo spooling. Nissan didn’t reveal price, but a standard GT-R NISMO costs nearly $211,000, so you know the special edition will top that.
DODGE EXTENDS DURANGO HELLCAT PRODUCTION
The Hellcat engine continues to prove to be a home run idea. Consumers just can’t get enough of them. And now Dodge says it’s extending production of the Durango SRT Hellcat. It only planned to build 2,000 of them for a single model year. It’s still sticking to that single model year, but it got more than 2,000 orders, so rather than turn those customers away, Dodge will fill all orders that were placed. It wouldn’t say how many that is, but as we said the other day, prices can go over $90-grand, so there was no way Dodge was going to leave that source untapped.
And with that we wrap up today’s show, thanks for watching.
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Comments (34)
April 15th, 2021 at 12:05 pm
10 years ago was said rotary was perfect range extender for bev vehicles what took so long? kinda like skyactiv x or phantom skyactiv x
April 15th, 2021 at 12:08 pm
I wonder how many of those folks that bought the hellcat Durango did so with the understanding it was a limited production run with expectations of it becoming a collector. Making more than originally announced could change that.
April 15th, 2021 at 12:14 pm
@Lambo – This is not the first time this has happened with a Hellcat-powered vehicle and I haven’t heard any complaints before.
April 15th, 2021 at 12:16 pm
2 I was thinking the same thing. Buyers may sue about their building more than 2000, unless they had signed an agreement when they ordered them saying that there might be more than 2000 built.
April 15th, 2021 at 12:31 pm
Audi needs to get more creative with the front end of their EVs. The huge fake grille is kind of silly.
April 15th, 2021 at 12:33 pm
Am I be being to cynical here? the Porsche article was basically an announcement that they have eliminated several jobs with a robot.
All cars are dipped (elpo or ecoat depending on your religious belief) and all cars have body plugs. The narrative makes it sound like a special Porsche thing.
The patch application robot is neat but not sure if it’s a first at Porsche or industry wide. Haven’t seen one but haven’t been in a paint shop for a few years either.
April 15th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
pronounced TIE-CON, not TIE CAN.
April 15th, 2021 at 1:28 pm
So, currently there is an e-tron, a Q4 e-tron and a Q4 Sportback e-tron, with more e-tron variants to follow I’m sure.
Does anyone else find Audi’s e-tron naming strategy frustrating and confusing? Did a Cadillac marketing executive take over the Audi model name department?
April 15th, 2021 at 1:49 pm
8 Audi uses e-tron for electric cars, like M-B uses 4Matic for 4wd cars, and Ford uses ecoboost for GDI turbo engines. It seems that everyone likes their trademark monikers.
April 15th, 2021 at 1:59 pm
6 Yeah I didn’t see the Porsche plug application as being ground breaking technology. I’ve seen the rubber plugs and stickers both used and robots used for similar applications. I doubt they could install the plugs repeatable but the tape sure.
April 15th, 2021 at 2:19 pm
#7. Don, Porsh, or Porsh-ah?
April 15th, 2021 at 2:30 pm
11. John. Have you ever seen those T-shirts that say, “Porsche is a 2-syllable word?” Further: https://www.hendrickporsche.com/manufacturer-information/how-to-pronounce-porsche/
And lets’ not get started on the ‘Beemer’ vs. ‘Bimmer’ thing.:)
April 15th, 2021 at 2:37 pm
11 I’m pretty sure it’s Porsh-uh, with accent on the first syllable. At least that’s what owners I know say.
April 15th, 2021 at 2:38 pm
12 A Beemer has two wheels, and a Bimmer has 4.
April 15th, 2021 at 2:41 pm
12,13 The link shows the “sh” on the 2nd syllable, which sounds right.
April 15th, 2021 at 2:57 pm
9 – I understand what they are trying to do, I just think they are doing it poorly. In your examples, those are typically optional items.
The e-tron models are only available as EVs. Once their conversion to an all-EV lineup is complete, will all of their models be called something e-tron? What will be the point of that? It just doesn’t seem like they are thinking it through.
But, its still not as bad as Porsche with the turbo trim level designation on an all-electric car. Talk about strict marketing guidelines!
April 15th, 2021 at 3:14 pm
Nissan saved 100g of weight on the GT-R hood… that’s less than the coffee in my mug after I’ve taken a few sips. Vanity metric?
April 15th, 2021 at 3:14 pm
Nissan saved 100g of weight on the GT-R hood… that’s less than the coffee in my mug after I’ve taken a few sips. Vanity metric?
April 15th, 2021 at 3:24 pm
Can someone explain why the Polestar is outselling the XC40 since the XC is an SUV and the polestars are small (expensive) saloon/coupe cars with a brandname few have ever heard from before. Note to all- Geely can build the Polestar in China and land it in the US for the same price as the XC WITH a 20% import duty over the Euro import tax and thats with a small model run…Imagine if the duty was dropped and Geely offered a competitive “standard” EV
April 15th, 2021 at 3:29 pm
16 Yeah, I’m sure e-tron will “wear out,” and will probably go away when most, or all Audis are EVs.
Regarding “turbo,” I remember turbo dial up internet, with the lightning fast speed of 56 kbit/sec. Yeah, the word “turbo” has been used rather loosely, and Porsche is one of the worst culprits. Most current gas Porsches have turbocharged engines, but “Turbo” is used as a trim level, both with the gassers, and now the EV.
April 15th, 2021 at 3:45 pm
18 Heck, the wine in my glass is more than the weight saved with the delete paint option.
I never much understood why anyone would buy a GT-R, a Nissan at Ferrari prices. Also, from most of what I’ve read, it is less pleasant as a daily driver than many, or most $200K+ supercars with better pedigrees. Being a Nissan probably doesn’t help much if it breaks, either, as probably most dealer shop people have never seen one.
April 15th, 2021 at 4:19 pm
19 Could EVs generally appeal to the same people as cars? Maybe Jaguar and Audi would have done better with a car, rather than a CUV as their first electric vehicle.
April 15th, 2021 at 4:25 pm
It’s Porsh-eh. I know because they dipped me in the vat of Weissach wisdom, and my parents calmed me with drives in my dad’s 356 pre-birth. Being fluent in German also helps.
April 15th, 2021 at 4:41 pm
23 The only Porsche I ever drove, until recently, was an uncle’s 356. That was shortly after I got my license. The main things I remember are that it was quicker, and had shorter shifter throws than my parents’ Beetle.
April 15th, 2021 at 6:12 pm
When i was in college and had an upholstery shop, a friend who had an exotic car business allowed me to drive anything on the lot. During a visit in 2000-2001, he let me have a 19999 Boxter S for a few days. This had to have been the most fun car I ever drove. The road manners were impeccable. This car had a “Triptonic” shifter (I think that’s what it was called).
It was pretty fast and could take corners almost as faast. it was a wonderful car! At that time he had sold the business and purchased cars for special clients. I wonder how he is doing today?
April 15th, 2021 at 7:05 pm
25 For the regulars here, I now have a Porsche, and no longer have a Corvette, for now, until the one I ordered last September arrives. I traded my 2016 Corvette for a 2019 Cayman, with relevant money exchange for the value difference. The Cayman is a base car, manual transmission, with few options. It’s a really fun car, much different, but in some ways similar to the Corvette.
Tiptronic is the name Porsche used to use for automatic transmissions. I think different types of transmissions used that name. Porsche currently uses PDK for their automatics which are dual clutch units.
April 15th, 2021 at 9:04 pm
The tiptronic name has also been used for Audi, and maybe VW automatic transmissions with manual override modes.
April 16th, 2021 at 5:53 am
I remember seeing the original Boxster concept during the press days of the Detroit Autoshow, or NAIAS to be precise.
The Porsche Boxster/Cayman is one of the very few vehicles that still elicit something like desire in a part of my brain.
April 16th, 2021 at 8:04 am
People complain about the sound of the the turbo boxer four in the current Boxter/Cayman, but it works great, even the smaller 2.0 in the base car. I agree that the six in the earlier cars sounds better, but it needs to be revved more to do its job. Now, for an extra $27K, you can get a naturally aspirated six in the GTS 4.0 version of 718 Boxter and Cayman.
April 16th, 2021 at 8:16 am
I think that big flat six sans turbos will be one of the the select engines (and combos) by which the end of the era of mass-produced, combustively-propelled cars of some exception will be remembered.
April 16th, 2021 at 8:27 am
30 I suspect Porsche will still be putting flat sixes, both turbo and non-turbo in 911s for many years to come. I’ve read somewhere that the next generation Boxster/Cayman will be electric, but I don’t know when, or if.
April 16th, 2021 at 8:57 am
Congrats, Kit, that sounds like a fun car to drive around. I haven’t driven one of those, but my father-in-law has the 1994 Porsche 911 Speedster (identical to the photo on the link under my name) and that is lots of fun to drive. How are you adapting to putting the key to the left side of the steering wheel?
April 16th, 2021 at 9:15 am
32 It’s definitely fun. The key (simulated) on the left was easy to used to, maybe because the 1950 Plymouth I drove when in high school had the key on the left.
April 16th, 2021 at 9:37 am
33) Congratulations on the new purchase. They are a great fun driving car.