AD #2652 – Fix for Wrangler Death Wobble, McLaren Returning to IndyCar, Are Used Cars Hurting New Car Sales in China?

This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.

ARE USED CARS HURTING NEW CAR SALES IN CHINA?
Sales of new cars in China are falling well below previous forecasts. Analysts blame dropping consumer confidence and a trade war with the U.S., but maybe there’s a simpler explanation. Up until recently, if you wanted to buy a car in China, you had to buy a new one. There were few used ones available. Not anymore. At the end of last year, there were 325 million vehicles in China. The car parc is growing by over 15 million vehicles a year, and that is creating a bigger market for used cars, which are forecast to grow 20% this year. In developed countries, used car sales are typically two to three times greater than new car sales. In China, it’s the opposite. New car sales are twice as much as used. So China’s market may have hit an inflection point where more and more consumers are choosing to buy used cars instead of new ones. 

EV STATIONS NEED MORE SMART CHARGERS
The number of charging stations for electric cars in the U.S. grew 40% last year, Michael Berube, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation, told attendees at the Management Briefing Seminars last week. But he says that more smart chargers are needed to eliminate spike loads when EVs get plugged in. Uncontrolled charging causes stress on the grid, he said. Meanwhile, Mike Ableson, the VP of EV charging infrastructure at General Motors says GM does not want to spend capital installing chargers, it wants to spend it making EVs. So GM is partnering with Bechtel, the largest construction firm in the U.S, to build DC fast chargers. And it’s using OnStar data to determine where people typically park long enough to charge an electric car. GM and Bechtel want to attract outside investors to fund the effort. Even so, Ableson says the typical Chevrolet Bolt EV owner rarely charges their car on the road. They almost always recharge it at home.

JEEP CREATES FIX FOR WRANGLER “DEATH WOBBLE”
The Jeep Wrangler has been plagued for years by what some critics call the Death Wobble. It’s a severe vibration in the front end typically triggered by hitting a bump at highway speeds. FCA faces a class action lawsuit over it, but now claims it has a fix by installing a new steering damper. The Detroit Free Press reports the problem is with air getting into the previous damper in cold weather, when the oil in the damper thickens and air bubbles are trapped in the oil. The problem is not uncommon with vehicles that use a solid front axle and has been around for decades. But while Wranglers used to be bought by serious off roaders who were attracted to its impressive off-road capabilities, most buyers today use it to commute back and forth to work.  

MCLAREN RETURNING TO INDYCAR IN 2020
After a 40-year absence, McLaren is returning to IndyCar next season. It’s partnering with the Arrow SPM team and Chevrolet. It will be renamed Arrow McLaren Racing SP and will field two Chevy-powered cars in the 2020 season. McLaren and Honda had an ugly divorce in Formula One, so that’s why it’s going with Chevrolet engines. McLaren says it brings in technical expertise, commercial experience and marketing strength that will help the team regularly challenge for wins and the series title. That should make former F1 and McLaren driver, Fernando Alonso happy. He surprisingly failed to qualify for the Indy 500 this year after a strong performance in 2018. 

WEEKEND RACING RESULTS
In racing news over the weekend, Jamie Chadwick won the first-ever all-women’s racing series championship in the W Series. And Kevin Harvick recovered from a tire puncture in his Ford early in the NASCAR race to win at the Michigan International Speedway.

MYSTERY CARS REVEALED
Another mystery car up. Another mystery car down. Although, you all are starting to slip. It took ‘til the second comment for the right answer to come out. These are Autobianchi Bianchina Trasformabile’s. Autobianchi is an Italian car company that was formerly just called Bianchi, but who’s name changed in 1955 when it merged with Pirelli and Fiat. These particular cars were based on the Fiat 500 and made from 1957 until 1962. Thanks to John B for sending the pics in and you can do the same by sending it to viewermail@autoline.tv.

AIWAYS ROAD TRIP UPDATE
Last month, we told you about AIWAYS, a Chinese electric car company that’s driving two of its U5 electric SUV prototypes nearly 9,000 miles from the city of Xi’an in China to Germany, to arrive just in time for the Frankfurt auto show. And we have an update on their progress. The vehicles have completed about half of the journey and have crossed China and Kazakhstan, and are arriving today in the city of Kazan in Russia. The company is doing the trip to prove the durability of its electric powertrain. The U5 is scheduled to go on sale in Europe next April.

BASEBALL SIGNED BY HENRY FORD SELLS FOR $24,000
Remember that rare baseball signed by Henry Ford that was up for auction? It ended up fetching a pretty hefty sum and sold for just under $24,000. That’s a big increase from another baseball signed by Henry Ford that was sold at auction for $15,000 in 2016. The baseballs were custom made by the Ford Motor Company for the 1933-34 World’s Fair in Chicago. In addition to the signature, the ball also featured a stamp of the company’s iconic art deco Ford V8 logo.

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