AD #2331 – VW Truck & Hino Form Partnership, Model Y Production Details, New Hydroplaning Detection System

On today’s show… Volkswagen’s and Toyota’s truck units form a partnership… Volvo Trucks introduces its first all-electric truck… and Continental develops a new system to prevent hydroplaning. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.

VW TRUCK & HINO FORM PARTNERSHIP
There’s a lot of activity in the big truck market today. First up, Volkswagen Truck & Bus and Toyota’s truck unit, Hino, just formed a partnership to collaborate on logistics as well as to develop new technology and powertrains. The two companies say this will help slash development costs and help expand their global footprints.

VOLVO’S FIRST FULL EV TRUCK
Next up, Volvo Trucks just introduced its first all-electric truck, called the FL Electric. It is designed to transport cargo in urban areas or it can be used as a garbage truck. The truck is powered by a 185-kW electric motor and has between 2 and 6 lithium-ion batteries, depending on the setup, which provides a range of up to 300 kilometers or about 186 miles. Sales of the FL Electric kick off in Europe next year.

BIG TRUCK SALES CONTINUE TO CLIMB
And lastly, big truck sales continue to soar in the U.S. WardsAuto reports that medium and heavy-duty trucks were up 11% in March. All of that growth came from the big Class 8 trucks, which saw sales jump 26%, compared to a slight 0.1% increase for Class 4 through 7. And through the first quarter, big truck sales are up nearly 20%. And it’s the same story in Canada. Sales of medium and heavy-duty trucks are up 26% in the first quarter.

Still to come… despite production issues with the Model 3, Tesla moves forward with plans to build a new small crossover.

TESLA MODEL Y PRODUCTION DETAILS
Despite currently being in a “production hell,” with the Model 3, Reuters reports that Tesla is pushing ahead with plans for its Model Y small crossover that’s based on the Model 3. The automaker has began accepting bids for supplier contracts on the electric SUV and is aiming for production at its Fremont, California plant to start in November of 2019. It will also produce the Model Y in China, which is slated to start in 2021.

NEW CONTI SYSTEM DETECTS HYDROPLANING
Autonomous vehicles will need to be able to handle almost any condition Nature can throw their way and now the supplier Continental is focusing on hydroplaning. The condition causes a specific splash and spray pattern to come off the tires, which surround view cameras may be able detect as hydroplaning and send a warning to the driver. Also, Continental’s tire mounted sensors produce a characteristic signal when excessive water builds up in front of the tire. But if the vehicle does start to hydroplane, Continental is looking at torque vectoring by individual wheel braking as a way to stabilize it. And if it’s a connected vehicle, the system would be used to warn other drivers of the road conditions.

Is the auto industry too focused on the short term? We’ll show you what one former executive says about that, coming up next.

AUTOMAKERS TOO FOCUSED ON SHORT TERM
Is corporate America too focused on the short term? That’s what author and former President of JCI’s North American Automotive operations, Rande Somma says. In the following clip from Autoline This Week, he discusses how the Detroit automakers were too focused on short term goals, while he was dealing with them at JCI.

(Clip from ATW #2211 can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)

You can watch that entire discussion, right now on our website, Autoline.tv or you can find it on our YouTube channel.

And don’t forget to join us for Autoline After Hours this afternoon. Joining John and Gary is Rich Silbert, the Engineering Development Manager for the new Jeep Cherokee. If you have any questions, send them our way to viewermail@autoline.tv. And then join us live at 3PM eastern time at our website, Autoline.tv, for some of the best insider discussions in the automotive industry.

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