Runtime: 7:47
0:27 Global Sales Grow In 2017
1:27 Harley Closes Plant, Confirms Electric Bike
2:38 Harman Shows Off Auto Technology
4:22 Hyundai Teases New Santa Fe
5:16 Tesla Model 3 Engineering Issues
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On today’s show…Hyundai gives a glimpse of the new Santa Fe…Harman shows off new automotive technology…and we look at more of the issues Munro & Associates discovered on the Tesla Model 3. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
GLOBAL SALES GROW IN 2017
While car sales dipped slightly last year in the U.S., automakers had a pretty good year on a global basis. According to WardsAuto data, sales of light, medium and heavy duty vehicles hit 96 million units in 2017, a gain of about 3% compared to the year before. Sales in North America reached 21.2 million vehicles, which is a slight drop. But it was the only region where sales fell in 2017. Sales in Asia topped 45 million units, which is a 4% gain. Over in Europe automakers sold just under 21 million vehicles, which is an improvement of more than 3%. South America had the largest growth of all regions, with sales up a strong 13%. And automakers sold another 4.6 million vehicles outside of those markets. All in all, it was a pretty good 2017 and if the growth continues this year, the industry could come close to topping 100 million units.
| 2017 GLOBAL SALES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total Vehicle | 96.0 M | +2.7% |
| Total North America | 21.2 M | -1.4% |
| Total Asia | 45.4 M | +3.8% |
| Total Europe | 20.8 M | +3.6% |
| Total South America | 3.99 M | +12.7% |
| Total Other Markets | 4.6 M | +0.3% |
| Source: WardsAuto | ||
HARLEY CLOSES PLANT, CONFIRMS ELECTRIC BIKE
As we’ve reported previously, things at Harley-Davidson aren’t going so well. Global sales were down 6.7% last year and it’s forecasting an additional drop of nearly 5% this year. So, now the motorcycle maker has announced it will close its factory in Kansas City, Missouri and consolidate production in Pennsylvania. One of the reasons for the decline in sales is Harley has failed to connect with millennials, but hope may be on the way. Autoblog reports a representative confirmed that the all-electric LiveWire bike is “an active project that we are preparing to bring to market within 18 months.” The person also added Harley wants to be “the world leader in the electrification of motorcycles.”
Samsung continues its push into the automotive industry and we’ll have more on that, right after this.
HARMAN SHOWS OFF AUTO TECHNOLOGY
Samsung has been making a big push to get into the automotive industry, which analysts say is a way to lessen its reliance on the smartphone business. In March of last year it finalized the purchase of Harman International for $8 billion and now we’re starting to see what the two are bringing down the pipeline. Digital Cockpit is a single software and hardware solution that sees the infotainment and cluster combined into one display. There’s also a premium package that can power up to 4 display screens, which includes the first application of automotive-grade QLED or Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diode displays. Here’s something pretty cool: Augmented Reality navigation. It gets rid of the traditional map and replaces it with real pictures and video, which then has the navigation route laid overtop of it. Looking more toward the future, based on a passenger’s schedule, location and biometric data the vehicle will be able to build a mood-based music experience. Switch to autonomous mode and passengers can take advantage of a large QLED Moodroof that plays relaxing sounds and video. And if we think about shared mobility, a vehicle will need to provide a personal experience for a wide variety of users. The company’s Configurable Entertainment features shape-shifting speakers where not only the cone of the speaker changes shape, but a display on top could also change visual elements, like the logo and grill. If a group of people get in to go to a concert, it could sound like a hard-hitting JBL system or a more premium Harman-Kardan system for a couple going to a nice dinner.
HYUNDAI TEASES NEW SANTA FE
Hyundai is giving us a taste of what the new Santa Fe will look like. As you can see from the rendering, the new Santa Fe has a larger grille and the daytime running lights are separated from the main headlights. The styling is sleeker and it features a character line that runs from the headlights back to the taillights. There’s no other details for now but we’ll learn more when the Santa Fe makes its premiere sometime in February ahead of its debut at the Geneva auto show in March.
Coming up next, a look at more of the engineering issues Munro & Associates discovered while tearing down the Tesla Model 3.
TESLA MODEL 3 ENGINEERING ISSUES
Sandy Munro is an expert at design, engineering and manufacturing who does a lot of competitive benchmarking for automakers and suppliers. Right now he’s doing a benchmarking report on the Tesla Model 3. And he’s found a number of engineering issues on the car including some of the assembly line fixes. Take a look.
(The Tesla Model 3 tear down is only available in the video version of today’s show.)
All week long we’ll be showing you more of what Munro & Associates have found as they dig into how the Tesla Model 3 was designed and engineered. And we’ll have more to show you tomorrow.
And don’t forget to join John and Gary this Thursday for Autoline After Hours. We’ll have the new Hyundai Kona in the studio with us because our special guest is John Juriga, the Director of Powertrain at Hyundai/Kia’s Tech Center. So if you have any questions send them our way to viewermail@autoline.tv.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and making Autoline Daily a part of your day.
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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.
