Runtime: 6:33
0:27 NASCAR Looking for Potential Buyers
1:22 Pedestrian Fatalities on the Rise
2:47 Volvo Expands Hazard Light Alert
3:29 Volvo’s Next Infotainment System to be Android Based
4:01 Drive.ai Launches AV Ride-Hailing Pilot in Texas
4:51 New Toyota Highlander Coming Soon
5:24 Ford Halts Truck Plant Due to Fire
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On today’s show… NASCAR could go on the auction block… more people are getting run over by cars than ever before… and we’ll tell you when Toyota is going to replace the Highlander. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
HOW MUCH IS THAT NASCAR IN THE WINDOW?
Could NASCAR be up for sale? Reuters reports that the France family, which controls NASCAR is working with Goldman Sachs to potentially find a buyer. NASCAR soared in popularity during the 1990s, bringing in major sponsors to the series. But when it’s most popular star, Dale Earnhardt, was killed at the 2001 Daytona 500, that growth came to an end. And when NASCAR introduced it’s “Car of Tomorrow” in 2007 it seems the public started losing interest in the series. The Car of Tomorrow meant every car was exactly the same, and they used decals of headlights and grilles to try an distinguish Chevys from Fords from Toyotas. Television ratings and track attendance have dropped and NASCAR has failed to bring in a new generation of fans. Reuters says there could be several media companies interested in buying the series.
PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES ON THE RISE
More and more people are getting run over in the U.S. Pedestrian fatalities hit a low point during the Great Recession in 2009 when fewer people were driving, but in 2016 they jumped 46% to nearly 6,000 fatalities, the highest total since 1990. The increase is in urban and suburban areas, away from intersections, on busy roads and in the dark. And with the rise of SUVs, the accidents are more likely to involve those types of vehicles as well as high horsepower models. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recommends improvements to road design, lighting and speed limit enforcement, as well as better headlights and vehicle design. We here at Autoline believe that distracted drivers and distracted pedestrians are probably playing a role.
Still to come… Volvo incorporates Google’s operating system into its next-gen infotainment system.
VOLVO EXPANDS HAZARD LIGHT ALERT
You may not know, we didn’t either, that ever since 2016 all new 60 and 90 series and now XC40 Volvos sold in Sweden and Norway come standard with a feature, called Hazard Light Alert. If any vehicle equipped with the system turns on its hazard lights, an alert is sent to the dashboard of all nearby Volvos connected to the cloud service. Now Volvo is extending the alert system to select models in its truck division and it doesn’t matter if a car or truck hits its hazard button, both will be alerted. We like this idea, and Volvo says it’s open to collaborating with other automakers.
VOLVO’S ANDROID-BASED INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM
In other Volvo news, it’s next-generation infotainment system, called Sensus, will be based on Google’s Android operating system. It plans to embed the voice-controlled Google Assistant, Google Play Store, Google Maps and other Google services. Part of the appeal is that new apps and software updates will be available in real-time and can be applied automatically. Volvo says it will be a couple of years before we see the first Android-based Sensus system.
DRIVE.AI GOES BIG IN TEXAS
If you live near Frisco, Texas, which is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and you want to experience an autonomous vehicle, here’s good news. The start-up, Drive.ai, which uses Nissan NV200 vans, just launched a pilot program for an autonomous ride-hailing service in the city. The test will last for 6-months and will include a person behind the wheel to take over, if needed.
Coming up next, a look at when Toyota is going to bring out the new Highlander.
NEW TOYOTA HIGHLANDER COMING SOON
The best way for any automaker to boost sales is to come out with a brand new vehicle. And in the US market right now, the best kind of vehicle to bring out is an SUV. We just got word that Toyota will replace the Highlander at the end of next year. Autoforecast Solutions says that the new Highlander will go into production in December of 2019 at Toyota’s plant in Princeton, Indiana. Last year Toyota sold 215,000 Highlanders in the U.S. market and so far this year sales are up 10%.
FORD HALTS TRUCK PLANT DUE TO FIRE
We’ve also got news that Ford’s truck assembly plant in Kansas City has temporarily shut down due to a fire at a supplier plant. Ford makes the F150 and Transit van there. The supplier is Meridian, which makes magnesium castings and assemblies. Meridian began operations in Canada 37 years ago and two years ago was acquired by the Chinese company Wanfeng.
Hey, just a quick reminder that Autoline After Hours is this Thursday. Our special guest is Rob Wichman, the director of engineering for RAM Truck, who will be bringing one of those new beauties with him. So, if you have any questions about that pickup, send them our way to viewermail@autoline.tv. Then join John and Gary for some of the best discussions in the automotive industry.
That’s it for today. Thanks for watching and we hope to see you again tomorrow.
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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.