Runtime: 9:01
0:30 OEMs Pile-On Incentives to Sell EVs
1:31 New Mercedes G-Class Details
2:22 Mercedes Creates Camper for New Pick-Up
3:26 Will Off-Lease Cars Harm Sales?
6:28 Classic Car Road Trip
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On today’s show…Mercedes reveals more details about the all-new G-Class…automakers are offering heavy subsidies to sell electric vehicles…and we look at a classic car road trip across America. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
OEMs PILE-ON INCENTIVES TO SELL EVs
Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electrics grew faster than the overall U.S. market in 2017. While total sales fell 1.9%, the green car segment grew 12%. Even so, only 3.2% of shoppers decided to buy a green car. Hybrids easily dwarf sales of plug-ins and BEVs. But sales of BEVs and PHEVs are growing far faster. Automakers are offering heavy subsidies to sell battery electrics. Incentive spending on the BMW i3 tops $17,000. For the Nissan LEAF it’s over $16,000 and over $10,000 for the Chevrolet Bolt. Those are staggeringly high incentives and don’t include any kind of federal or state incentives for BEV buyers.
| 2017 U.S. GREEN CAR SALES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hybrids | 363,541 | +6.3% |
| BEV | 99,142 | +24% |
| PHEV | 90,839 | +27.3% |
| TOTAL | 553,522 | +12.2% |
| Source: WardsAuto | ||
| U.S. MARKET GREEN CAR INCENTIVES | ||
| CAR | INCENTIVE | % of MSRP |
| BMW i3 | $17,697 | 36.7% |
| Nissan LEAF | $16,271 | 45.9% |
| Chevy Bolt | $10,562 | 23.7% |
NEW MERCEDES G-CLASS DETAILS
The Mercedes G-Class is known as a good off-road vehicle and the automaker is improving that tradition with the new model. It features a ladder-type frame with independent suspension. To keep ground clearance at a maximum, the components of the double-wishbone front axle are mounted directly to the frame without the use of a suspension subframe. And the rigid rear axle is connected to four longitudinal control arms on each side and a Panhard rod to make sure the G-Class tracks straight. The 9-speed transmission has been improved to reduce shift and response times and helps send power through 3 locking differentials. The now more capable SUV will make its debut at the Detroit auto show in a couple of weeks.
MERCEDES CREATES CAMPER FOR NEW PICK-UP
And speaking of Mercedes, aftermarket companies are already coming up with camping solutions for its new X-Class pickup truck. The first is a removable camper that mounts in the bed of the truck and features a gas stove, seats, two beds and even has space to take a shower. The other solution is a fully equipped kitchen that pulls out from under a teak wood tonneau cover. Highlights include a cooler, cooktop, washing station and a second pull out adds even more counter space. So, whether it’s off-roading, camping or both, Mercedes has got you covered.
Are new car sales in trouble with the millions of vehicles coming off-lease? We’ll take a look into that, right after this.
WILL OFF-LEASE CARS HARM SALES?
The car market in the U.S. is being flooded by millions of vehicles coming off-lease. And it’s only going to grow over the next several years. So, will this threaten new car sales? On Autoline This Week, the chief economists from GM and Ford, discuss if off-lease vehicles will have an impact on sales.
(The ATW preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)
For more of the economists’ automotive outlook for 2018, you can watch that entire discussion right now on our website, Autoline.tv or you can find it on our YouTube channel.
Driving classic cars for several thousand miles in the middle of winter sounds crazy but that’s just what some enthusiasts are doing. We’ll have more about that, right after this.
THE DRIVE HOME
This is the third year of “The Drive Home” where some classic car lovers motor their way to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. When it started in 2016 there were only 3 cars and a handful of enthusiasts making the trek. But today the cars and the crew have doubled.
Everything kicked off this year with an event in Boca Raton, Florida before the 6 cars and drivers hit the road for a 10 city, 22-hundred-mile trip to spotlight why classic cars need to be driven.
David Maderia, Vice Chairman, America’s Automotive Trust
“When we started people thought we were crazy in Year One. You’re gonna drive vintage cars across America and put ‘em at risk. You kidding me? And we said as you know “Yeah” cars are meant to be driven and we drove ‘em in the snow — they were made for that. And we’re doing it. Cars that are in a museum never driven are dead. Now people get it. And they’re rooting us on and they’re joining us and there’s more enthusiasm about it when there were a lot of skeptics. I don’t hear the skeptics anymore.”
In fact, some joined this year’s event to take advantage of the towns that the drive visits as well as the people it touches throughout the 10-day tour.
Diane Flis-Schneider, Executive Director, Concours d’Elegance of America
“It’s a great promotional opportunity, this event, this drive, over 2,200 miles will reach some great car enthusiasts in many destinations in many states, many who are unfamiliar with what we do, and love to take a vacation and thought they would like our event to be an experience for them.”
And if you’d like to experience The Drive Home in person, maybe talk to some of the drivers or check out the cars, we’ll put a link to its website in today’s transcript. That’s where you can find the remaining schedule and stops before it wraps up on January 12th outside Detroit.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.
