AD #2291 – Trump Supports Gas Tax Increase, AMG GT Family Gets New Member, More Model 3 Driving Impressions

On today’s show… President Trump wants to increase the gas tax to help pay for his infrastructure program… new details about Dyson’s electric car… and we’ve got more results from Munro & Associates teardown of 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.

TRUMP SUPPORTS GAS TAX INCREASE
In a move that surprised lawmakers during a meeting at the White House yesterday, President Trump supported the idea of a 25-cent increase in federal gasoline and diesel taxes, in order to help pay for new roads and bridges. The Administration is seeking $200 billion over 10 years to spend on its infrastructure program and Bloomberg reports the president signaled he’s willing to increase that amount as well. Federal gas tax revenue has declined over the years due to inflation and improved fuel efficiency of vehicles. But it won’t be easy to get a gas tax hike. It hasn’t been raised since 1993 and an any increase is at odds with other Republican leadership.

DETAILS ON DYSON’S EV PLAN
New details have emerged about vacuum maker Dyson’s electric vehicle plans. The Financial Times reports that its first model will launch before 2020 and will be a premium low-volume vehicle. Fewer than 10,000 will be built, so the company can learn about the manufacturing process and establish relationships with suppliers. The company has decided not to use a solid-state battery in the car as initially planned, and will instead save the technology for a second and third model. About 400 people are working on the EV which Dyson is spending around 2 billion pounds to develop.

And we’ll be back with more right after this.

HYUNDAI TO SHOW ELECTRIC BUGGY
A design school in Italy, who’s name I’m not going to pronounce very well, Istituto Europeo di Design or IED for short has worked with 14 automakers over the years to develop concept cars and now it’s teaming up with Hyundai. The two actually worked together on the PassoCorto concept sports car in 2014, but this time it’s an electric buggy, called the Kite. It was designed by 15 students from all over the world, including China, India, Italy, Mexico, Great Britain, and South Korea. The two-seat concept has no roof, doors or windshield and is actually the first concept from IED to have an interior. The Kite will debut in Geneva next month.

AMG GT FAMILY GETS NEW MEMBER
And speaking of more Geneva reveals, the Mercedes AMG GT family is about to welcome a new member and this one comes with four doors. The car is currently undergoing wind tunnel testing and judging by those massive air intakes, you know there’s going to be something fun to talk about under the hood.

SUBARU TO SHOW VIZIV TOURER CONCEPT
Subaru will also show another concept that carries the VIZIV name, which stands for Vision for Innovation. All we’ve got for now for VIZIV TOURER CONCEPT is what its rear LED lighting signature will look like. But more to come on March 6th.

SWIND HYPER-ELECTRIC BICYCLE
I’m sure we’ve all seen electric assist bikes or eBikes, but now there’s a company by the name of SWIND that calls its EB-01 the ultimate hyper-electric bicycle. It’s a pretty fitting name too. The bike’s 15 kW electric motor can propel it to speeds of 60 miles-per-hour and its 1.75 kWh lithium-ion battery provides as much as 80-miles of range. It even has regenerative braking. But it’s also hyper-expensive too. It goes on sale today with a price of nearly $21,000 or 15,000-pounds.

Coming up next, more feedback from Sandy Munro on the Tesla Model 3.

MORE MODEL 3 DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
All week long we’ve been showing you the latest that Munro & Associates has found in its benchmarking study on Tesla’s Model 3. And here’s the latest.

(Clip from video with Sandy Munro can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)

We’ll have our final installment tomorrow on what Munro & Associates is learning from its benchmarking study on the Model 3.

And don’t forget to join us this afternoon for Autoline After Hours, when John and Gary give you some of the best insights as to what’s happening in the automotive industry.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.