AD #2343 – Lexus Takes the “Premium” Out of Its Hybrids, Global Sales Up in Q1, BMW To Use Magna Lidar System

On today’s show…people all over the world keep buying more and more cars…Magna lands a big Lidar contract with BMW…and Mahindra explains why its off-road vehicle looks like a Jeep. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

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

GLOBAL SALES UP IN Q1
Global car sales continue to grow. WardsAuto reports that automakers sold over 24 million vehicles in the first quarter, which is a 2% gain compared to last year. In Europe, sales reached 5.5 million units, which is a 2% increase. Sales in Asia hit 11.7 million vehicles, up over 2%. Carmakers sold 4.2 million vehicles in North America, which is a 2.4% improvement. And sales in South America soared 15% in the first three months of year, to just over a million units.

BMW TO USE MAGNA LIDAR SYSTEM
A few months back we showed you a new kind of Lidar that the supplier company Magna developed. And now comes news that Magna will supply BMW with solid-state LIDAR for autonomous cars. The system, which was developed with Israeli start-up company Innoviz, can support Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous driving. The LIDAR generates a 3D point cloud in real time of the vehicle’s surroundings, even in difficult settings like direct sunlight, varying weather conditions and multi-LIDAR environments. And 3D mapping is a critical component of making autonomous cars a reality.

Lexus has found a way to boost sales of its hybrids and that’s coming up next.

LEXUS TAKES THE “PREMIUM” OUT OF ITS HYBRIDS
The hybrid version of any car tends to only be available on the higher trim levels, making an already pricy package even more expensive. But Lexus is finding success by taking “some of the premium out” of its hybrid models. Or in other words, making them less expensive. According to WardsAuto, in the first quarter, RX Hybrid sales are up over 33% and the NX is up close to 170%. Lexus will do the same with the new ES sedan that just debuted at the Beijing auto show and is currently only seeing a hybrid take-rate of 10%. That could be a nice shot in the arm, sales wise, for a vehicle that has been the best-selling Lexus car since 1992.

JEEP EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH HARLEY
Jeep is trying a new way to boost the brand outside of the American market. It will sponsor driving events and rallies that Harley-Davidson is holding in Europe, the middle East and Africa. Mopar is also part of the festivities and will be showcasing its products and services. Jeep and Harley have been doing these events for four years and are extending their partnership because it’s been so successful.

Don’t forget to tune into Autoline After Hours this Thursday. Our special guest is Steve Miller, the CEO and Chairman of the International Automotive Components Group or IAC. He has held that position since 2015, but also worked at Ford, Chrysler, Federal-Mogul and Delphi and is known as a bit of a business restructuring expert. So, you know he’ll have something to say about the current state of the automotive industry.

Mahindra, the Indian automaker is making an off-road vehicle that sure looks like a Jeep. Coming up next, we’ll tell you how they can get away with that.

WEEKEND RACE RESULTS
In racing news over the weekend, Lewis Hamilton won the Formula One race with his Mercedes at the crazy, crash-filled Grand Prix of Azerbaijan. Joey Logano took the win in his Ford Fusion at the Talladega superspeedway. And Steve Torrance won the Top Fuel category at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in North Carolina.  

MAHINDRA EXPLAINS JEEP RESEMBLANCE
Recently, Indian automaker Mahindra introduced a new off-road vehicle for the American market called the Roxor. It bears a striking resemblance to the original Jeep. On last week’s Autoline After Hours we were joined by Rich Haas, the President and CEO of Mahindra North America. And he told us about the company’s relationship with Jeep that goes back to the Second World War.

(The AAH preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)

For a deeper dive into the Roxor, you can watch that entire discussion right now on our website, Autoline.tv or you can find it on our YouTube channel.

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