AD #2600 – New Discovery Sport Unveiled, Zetsche Steps Down as CEO of Daimler, Ford Creates Package Delivery Robot

This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.

ZETSCHE STEPS DOWN AS CEO OF DAIMLER
Dieter Zetsche stepped down as the CEO of Daimler today, a position he held for more than a decade. However, he won’t leave the company entirely and will be named Chairman of the Supervisory Board in 2021. Zetsche helped lead the company through its separation with Chrysler and eventually lead Daimler to become the number one luxury brand in the world. Replacing Zetsche is Ola Kaellenius, the head of R&D at Daimler. Kaellenius, who is Swedish, is the first non-German to run the company.

CR FINDS MANY UBER & LYFT CARS HAVE OPEN RECALLS
Most recalls get ignored by car owners, so it’s not surprising to learn that a number of Uber and Lyft cars have open recalls. Consumer Reports looked at the safety records of about 94,000 Uber and Lyft vehicles operating in New York City and the Seattle area. It found that about 1 out of every 6 Uber and Lyft cars have an open recall, which is on par with private vehicles. But it’s not just the ride hailing companies, Consumer Reports also looked at for-hire vehicles, like taxis and limos, and found that the open recall rate for those vehicles was close to 25%. Uber and Lyft do have policies to address recalls but ultimately the onus is on the driver to get the car fixed. CR says more federal oversight may be needed to fully address the problem.

TOYOTA LAUNCHES GRANVIA VAN
Toyota’s front ends have gotten, shall we say, more expressive in recent years. But nothing in North America compares with the Granvia that will launch in Australia later this year. It’s an 8-passenger luxury van that is based on the all-new HiAce platform and features what looks like very soft leather seats. And believe it or not, there’s actually a Lexus version, called the LM, that has an even more radical grille. We’ll let you soak that up for just another moment… Ok, and if this is your sort of thing, may we point you to the Toyota Esquire to help feed your appetite?

EVgo INSTALLS EV CHARGERS AT CHEVRON STATIONS
One of the things holding back the adoption of electric vehicles is the lack of a public charging network. That’s why EVgo, which operates the largest EV fast charging network in the U.S., has teamed up with Chevron, to install chargers at several of Chevron’s gas stations in California. More than a dozen fast chargers, ranging from 50 to 100 kW of capacity, have been installed or are under construction at five Chevron stations around Los Angeles and San Francisco.

CHEVY INTRODUCES ‘BUCKLE TO DRIVE’ FEATURE
Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rates of seat belt use. That’s why Chevy is introducing a new feature that prevents the driver from shifting out of park, if they’re not wearing their seatbelt. When the brake pedal is pressed, the driver will hear an audible warning and see a message in the instrument cluster that reads “Buckle seat belt to shift.” Called Buckle to Drive, the feature is part of Chevy’s Teen Driver system and is standard on the 2020 Traverse, Malibu and Colorado, which all come out this summer.

LAND ROVER UNVEILS NEW DISCOVERY SPORT
Land Rover has introduced the new Discovery Sport. While appearance is pretty much the same, the big changes are under the skin. The crossover is now based on the automaker’s new Premium Transverse Architecture, which is 13% stiffer than the outgoing model. At launch, the Discovery Sport will be available with a range of 4-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, including a mild-hybrid with a belt-integrated starter generator. Later in 2019 a plug-in hybrid and 3-cylinder gas engine will join the lineup. The interior features a large display screen that’s flush-mounted with the dash and seating for up to 7 people. Pricing in the UK starts at 31,575 pounds, which is a little less than $40,000.

FORD CREATES PACKAGE DELIVERY ROBOT
If an autonomous vehicle is deployed to make a package delivery, how does the package get from the vehicle to the front door? We’ve seen drones and wheeled robots and now say hello to Digit, Ford’s walking, two-legged package delivering robot. It deploys right from the back of an autonomous vehicle and uses sensors that allow it to navigate to the front door of a house or place of business. I don’t know about you, but Digit creeps me out a bit and I certainly don’t want to run into it while hiking in the woods.

You won’t want to miss Autoline After Hours tomorrow afternoon. That’s because our special guest is Carl Widmann, the head of Ford’s performance division, who will also be bringing a Mustang GT350 to the studio with him. So if you have any questions about that car or any of Ford’s other performance vehicles, send them our way to viewermail@autoline.tv. That’s this Thursday at 3PM eastern time.

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