Listen to “AD #3530 – Electric Ford Explorer Goes On VW’s MEB; Last Call Dodge Will Make Your Eyes Bleed; BMW M Says BEVs Will Outsell ICE” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 11:43
0:08 China Market Slows, Even EVs
0:56 Automakers Interested in India Again
1:50 EU May Approve E-Fuels
3:09 Kia Concept EV5
4:00 Acura Type S HP & Lb-Ft
4:27 “Made in USA” Trips Up EV Charger Market
5:23 Polestar BST Gets Special Treatment
6:53 BMW M Says BEVs Will Outsell ICE
7:36 Last Call Dodge Will Make Your Eyes Bleed
9:57 Electric Ford Explorer on VW’s MEB
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CHINA MARKET SLOWS, EVEN EVs
Over the last 20 years foreign automakers raced into the Chinese market, where the boom times looked like they would last forever. Not so much anymore. While it’s still the largest car market in the world, things are getting tougher in China. Sales of passenger vehicles peaked in 2017 at nearly 25 million units. Last year that dropped to 23.6 million. And booming sales of electric cars have started to slow, which kicked off a price war that shows no signs of slowing down. Reuters reports that BYD, the Number One electric brand in China, is cutting back production. And Ford only sold 84 Mach-Es in China last month.
AUTOMAKERS INTERESTED IN INDIA AGAIN
This is one of the reasons why automakers are getting interested in India again. Ford, General Motors and Mitsubishi all bailed out of the Indian market a couple of years ago and they may come to regret that decision, because car sales shot up 24% there last year. Car sales in India were 3.8 million in 2022, almost the same as Japan. And they’re expected to hit around 7.5 million by 2030. Nissan and Renault are investing in the country and Volkswagen says it may go there too. Even Tesla is talking about building an assembly plant there. India reportedly surpassed China in January as the world’s most populous country with 1.4 billion people. And that means the market potential is enormous.
EU MAY APPROVE E-FUELS
The EU wanted to ban the sale of all new internal combustion cars by 2035, but political and corporate pressure are forcing it to back down a bit. Reuters reports the European Commission is drafting new rules that will allow IC engines to be sold after 2035 as long as they run on e-fuels. The rules would include a mandate for sensors that would shut the engine off if it detected fuel with carbon in it. We’ll have to wait and see if this really goes anywhere. Powertrain experts tell Autoline that e-fuels will be considerably more expensive than gasoline and will only be produced in low volume.
KIA CONCEPT EV5
Kia is becoming a leader in the EV segment and continues to expand its EV lineup. Meet the Concept EV5, an SUV that shares a resemblance to the EV9 that it unveiled last week. It has a minimalist interior with a completely flat floor. A large display screen sits on top of the dash and many of the interior components are made from sustainable materials. There is no b-pillar which allows the seats to swivel to face open doors that open butterfly style. And the trunk has a bench seat with a table that can be used when the tailgate is open. Kia didn’t share any specs about the Concept EV5 but it did say it’s a preview of the production version that will debut in China later this year.
ACURA TYPE S HP & LB-FT
Acura shared some power details about the upcoming performance version of the Integra, the Type S. Its 2.0L turbocharged engine that’s mated to a six-speed manual transmission, cranks out 320 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. That’s all Acura is sharing for now and we’ll get more details when the Integra Type S is officially revealed next month.
“MADE IN USA” TRIPS UP EV CHARGER MARKET
If EVs are ever going to catch on in the American market, we’re going to need a lot more public chargers. But that charging infrastructure is going to slow dramatically because of “Made in America” rules that are kicking in. The U.S. provides $7.5 billion in subsidies to install public chargers as long as they’re assembled in the U.S. with U.S. components. But the U.S. doesn’t make a lot of chargers, especially Level 3 chargers. An executive for XCharge North America, which imports chargers it makes in China, says it will take 12 to 18 months to move production. However, for companies that already make chargers in the U.S. the boom times are about to begin. That includes Tesla and BorgWarner, which makes DC fast chargers in Dearborn, Michigan.
POLESTAR BST GETS SPECIAL TREATMENT
Polestar is starting to expand its lineup with the rollout of the Polestar 3 in China, but it’s also giving the Polestar 2 a little extra flare. The BST edition 230 is based on the long range, dual motor model that has 350 kW or over 450 horsepower and will do 0-60 in 4.4 seconds. It also comes standard with Ohlins dampers, lowered ride height, Brembo brakes and unique 21-inch wheels wrapped in sport tires. The exterior comes in either an exclusive green color or black and both feature a black stripe that stretches the entire length of the car. MicroSuede inserts for the seats and steering wheel round out the list of upgrades. Polestar says a total of 230 will be made for Europe and North America.
BMW M SAYS BEVs WILL OUTSELL ICE
Holy mother of god! Maybe hell has frozen over. BMW’s M performance division says it’s going to sell more BEVs and PHEVs than IC cars by 2027. And by 2030, it says IC cars will only account for around 10% of sales. BMW currently offers two M badged BEVs and it plans to introduce two more this year. M versions of its Neue Klasse BEVs are expected to launch in 2027, which likely explains why BMW believes that’s when sales will take off.
LAST CALL DODGE WILL MAKE YOUR EYES BLEED
For the last month, Dodge has been showing these crazy teaser videos, which include this menacing-looking leprechaun and drop hints about “the ultimate Dodge special-edition model.” Well, last night it revealed the Challenger SRT Demon 170 on the Las Vegas Drag Strip doing wheelies. You can think of this like the Demon that debuted in 2018 with 808 horsepower, but on steroids. When running on E85 ethanol, the Demon 170 produces up to 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque. Its name comes from the fact that E85 can be up to 170 octane. On a prepared surface, with rollout, it’s capable of doing 0-60 in 1.66 seconds and eclipsing the quarter mile in 8.9 seconds at 150 MPH. Because it can run under 9 seconds and doesn’t come standard with a roll cage or parachute it’s been banned by the NHRA. However, a harness bar and parachute mounting system will be sold through Dodge’s performance parts brand, Direct Connection. When running on E10 gasoline, the Demon 170 makes “only” 900 horsepower and 810 lb-ft of torque. But it took a lot of upgrades to build this tire shredding monster. Most of the sheet metal is the same, except for the hood, fascias and fenders flares. The only carryover parts from the Demon engine are the camshaft, valve springs and lifters, but that’s about it. The throttle is bigger, the supercharger is new. So, are the cylinder head studs, driveshafts, differential, and patent-pending trans brake. Production of the Demon 170 starts in July. Pricing starts at $96,666, not including destination charges. Dodge hopes to build as many as 3,000 but it will stop making them on December 31st and then that’s it.
ELECTRIC FORD EXPLORER ON VW’S MEB
Ford of Europe pulled the wraps off its first EV based on VW’s MEB platform and it’s calling it the Explorer. Obviously, that’s a name that Americans know very well and Ford recently said it was going to launch vehicles in Europe that are “unapologetically American.” There was worry that this vehicle might not be different enough from VW’s EVs. But what do you think? We don’t see much similarity and think designers did a good job of blending in Ford’s current DNA. That’s most evident on the interior, which is highlighted by a movable 15-inch center display that runs on Ford’s Sync system. The interior is otherwise minimalistic and uses light to accentuate parts of the dash, doors and center console. It doesn’t give any indication about the battery for the Explorer EV, other than it will charge from 10-80% in 25 minutes. But for reference, most of VW’s MEB vehicles have battery packs with 55-82 kWh of total space. Ford says it expects the starting price to be below 45,000 euros. Orders start this year and deliveries kick off in 2024.
But that’s the end of today’s show. Thanks for joining us.
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