AD #2546 – Audi Unveils Q4 E-Tron, Trump Puts Pressure on Automakers, Goodyear’s Wild Tire Concept

This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.

TRUMP PUTS PRESSURE ON AUTOMAKERS
The Trump Administration is stepping up its pressure on automakers to support its rollback of fuel economy regulations. Bloomberg reports that during a conference call in late February, the White House told auto executives to go along with its plan or face blowback from President Trump if they side with California. Trump wants to revoke California’s ability to set its own emission standards. And the administration wants to cap fuel economy standards at 37 MPG after 2020, instead of having it rise to 47 MPG under rules created by the Obama Administration. The White House recently called off negotiations between it and California, citing a lack of progress, which is leaving automakers in a pickle. While the industry wants the regulations eased, it hasn’t supported the President’s proposal. Automakers just want a common national standard, in order to avoid a patch work of regulations throughout the country.

CARLOS GHOSN SET FREE ON BAIL
Well it’s official, Carlos Ghosn is out of jail. Earlier in the week, a Tokyo court granted him bail but that decision was appealed by prosecutors which delayed his release. But the appeal was denied and Ghosn was set free after paying $9 million in bail. However, Ghosn has agreed to strict conditions to get out of jail. Reuters reports that he can’t leave Tokyo and has to set up cameras outside his home. He can’t use the internet or send or receive text messages and can only use a computer at his lawyer’s office. Ghosn, who denies the allegations, has been accused of under reporting his income for years. He faces at least a decade in prison if he’s convicted on all charges.

UBER NOT CRIMINALLY LIABLE IN FATAL ACCIDENT
And speaking of court cases, prosecutors in Arizona say that Uber is not criminally liable in the accident involving one of its self-driving cars that killed a pedestrian nearly a year ago. However, Reuters reports that prosecutors recommended that the backup driver be referred to police for additional investigation. The driver could be charged with vehicular manslaughter. Uber suspended its self-driving program after the accident but it resumed tests in December in a small area in Pittsburgh.

Every sports car enthusiast is dying to learn more about the upcoming mid-engine C8 Corvette. GM will not even admit it exists. But freelancer Don Sherman knows more about the car than anyone outside of General Motors. He’s coming in Autoline After Hours this Thursday. And so is the Autoextremist, Peter DeLorenzo. It should be a great show, so mark your calendars so you don’t miss it.

VOLVO BUSES TESTS 1ST AUTONOMOUS, ELECTRIC BUS
Volvo Buses is getting set to test its first autonomous, fully electric bus. The full-size, 12-meter bus can carry up to 80 passengers. The company has teamed up with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to test two buses on its campus, with the goal of expanding the route beyond the university and on to public roads.

FORD UPDATES COMMERCIAL TRUCK LINEUP
Ford is updating its commercial truck lineup. It now includes the all-new medium-duty F-600, which it says has the capability of a Class 6 truck in a Class 5 Super Duty package. Automatic Emergency Braking is now standard on Transit and Transit Connect and available on the rest of its commercial vehicle lineup. Connectivity with 4G Wi-Fi is standard on all models. And Ford’s new 7.3L V8 gasoline engine is now available on its large trucks and vans.

AUDI UNVEILS Q4 E-TRON CONCEPT
Has the Volkswagen Group become the king of modular architectures? The variety and size of vehicles it’s able to produce is quite amazing. Yesterday we showed you the I.D. BUGGY concept, which is based on its electric MEB platform and so is the newly introduced Audi Q4 e-tron concept. The compact, electric SUV is powered by two electric motors, one at the front, one at the rear, which combines for 225 kW of total system power and provides acceleration to 100 km/h in 6.3-seconds. An 82-kWh battery pack is said to return 450-kilometers or about 280-miles of range. Audi says the Q4 e-tron concept gives an advanced look at a production vehicle that will come out by the end of next year.

MITSUBISHI SHOWS OFF SUV CONCEPT
Speaking of concepts, here’s our first look at the Mitsubishi ENGELBERG TOURER that we teased a little while back. Its wild design is said to convey power and the ability to go off-road with confidence. The ENGELBERG TOURER is a PHEV powered by a 2.4L gasoline engine paired with two electric motors, which drive the front and rear axles. A battery that’s mounted in the middle of the vehicle provides up to 70 km or about 43-miles of range. One thing that kind of jumped out at us is how clean the interior design is. We’d like to see something like it make its way into a production vehicle.

GOODYEAR’S WILD TIRE FOR AUTONOMOUS FLYING CARS
You won’t just see new vehicles at the Geneva auto show, Goodyear is showing off this wild concept called the Aero, which is a two-in-one tire that’s designed for autonomous, flying cars. The tires work for both driving on the road and as a propeller when the vehicle is in flight. It uses a non-pneumatic structure that is flexible enough to absorb bumps in the road and strong enough to rotate at the high speeds necessary to fly. Light based, fiber optic sensors monitor road conditions and the tire. And an embedded artificial intelligence processor, combines data from the tire sensors and V2V and V2I communications to adapt to a flying or driving mode and identify potential tire issues. While this likely won’t become reality, Goodyear says some of its technologies, like the non-pneumatic structure and intelligent tire capabilities, are being developed by the company today.

But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.