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Runtime: 8:14
0:07 Dark Mood Over Frankfurt
0:43 VW ID.3 Range and Price
2:04 BMW Hydrogen Prototype Hints at Future Vehicle
2:46 BMW’s Kidney About to Burst
3:09 Mercedes Concept Features Digital Grille
4:09 Honda’s Little EV Has Big Price
4:42 Hyundai Concept Hints at Future EV Design
5:11 Audi Reveals Wild Autonomous Off-Roader
5:47 Land Rover Defender is Back
6:45 New Nissan CEO Let Go for Familiar Reasons
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on all aspects of the global automotive industry.
DARK MOOD AT FRANKFURT
The Frankfurt auto show is well underway, but rather than being a celebration of the automobile, the atmosphere is one of doom and gloom. German automakers are deeply worried they’re going to lose their preeminence in the global auto industry. They’re the masters of mechanical precision, but as software and connectivity become more important to cars and car buyers, they’re afraid they’re going to lose their preeminence. A slow down in the German economy, falling car sales in China and Brexit are all contributing to a dark mood.
VW ID.3 RANGE AND PRICE
Having said that, there are some really cool cars that were unveiled at the show, like Volkswagen’s ID.3 electric, one of the most important cars the company has ever developed. The base model, which costs around $33,000, has 45 kilowatt hours of usable energy. It has a range of 205 miles on the WLTP, which means the EPA range will be about 183 miles. Next up is a 58 kilowatt hour battery with 420 kilometers of range, or about 232 EPA miles. And a 77 kilowatt hour pack delivers 550 kilometers of WLTP or 304 EPA miles. The base car weighs 3,789 pounds and has a drag coefficient of 0.267. The rear drive ID.3 is powered by a 150 kilowatt motor with 228 pound feet of torque, and has a top speed of 100 miles an hour. You get 1 year of free charging, at least for German customers and the batteries are warranted for 8 years or 100,000 miles. It goes on sale in Germany in the middle of next year.
| VW ID.3 Details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery | Range | Cost |
| 45 kWh | 330km/183m | €30,000/$33,000 |
| 58 kWh | 420km/232m | |
| 77 kWh | 550km/304m | |
BMW HYDROGEN PROTOTYPE HINTS AT FUTURE VEHICLE
BMW revealed a fuel cell prototype called the i Hydrogen NEXT, which is an X5 that’s been equipped with a hydrogen powertrain. It’s a precursor to a model the company will debut in 2022, that will feature its next-gen fuel cell powertrain. BMW says its prepared to start selling fuel cell vehicles in 2025 depending on “market requirements and overall conditions.” So in other words, as long as there is customer demand and a decent refueling network. Interestingly, China is starting to invest heavily in R&D for fuel cells.
BMW’S KIDNEY ABOUT TO BURST
BMW is giving a hint at the design of the next 4 Series with the Concept 4. It’s a sleek electric that indicates what the i4 will look like. But we’re betting that its massive kidney grille will cause a lot of mixed reactions. As we’ve said before, a grille on an EV is going to look very dated very quickly.
MERCEDES CONCEPT GETS DIGITAL GRILLE
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Vision EQS. The fully electric concept has a range of 435 miles based on the WLTP cycle. It cranks out around 469 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque which helps move it from 0 to 60 MPH in under 4.5 seconds. The structure is made from a mix of steel, aluminum and carbon fiber. It features what the company says is the world’s first digital front grille with 188 LEDs, that are also used for signaling.
HONDA’S LITTLE EV HAS BIG PRICE
Honda announced the price for its cute little city electric car, the Honda e and this sucker’s not cheap. In Germany, it starts at nearly 30,000 euros, or about $33,000, and that’s including a 2,000 euro government subsidy! The version with the larger electric motor and a few added on features starts at roughly 32,500 euros, or nearly thirty six grand. That could hold back sales when it goes on sale in the middle of next year.
HYUNDAI CONCEPT HINTS AT FUTURE EV DESIGN
Speaking of EVs, Hyundai revealed the 45 concept. The name comes from the vehicle it was inspired by, the Hyundai Pony Coupe Concept, which debuted 45 years ago as well as the 45-degree angles made by the front and rear glass. Hyundai says the 45 concept hints at the design direction of future EV models. And note how Hyundai is not relying on a fake grille for brand identity.
AUDI’S WILD, AUTONOMOUS OFF-ROADER
In more EV news, Audi showed off this wild electric off-road concept, called the AI:TRAIL quattro. It’s powered by four motors, but it’s not only electric, it’s also autonomous. The AI:TRAIL can achieve Level 4 autonomous driving on the road and Level 3 for short periods while off-road. And one interesting idea Audi has for off-roading at night is to use drones that are mounted with LED lights. But as cool as this car is, we don’t think Audi will ever build anything like it.
LAND ROVER DEFENDER IS BACK!
While on the subject of off-roading, that’s what Land Rover is known for and it brought back its most-iconic off-road model, the Defender. It features throw-back styling and comes in two wheelbases, the 90 and 110. Not only will power come from a range of gasoline and diesel engines, but a mild- and plug-in hybrid option will also be available. Land Rover’s new infotainment system, called Pivi Pro will debut on the new Defender and it also includes the ability to do over-the-air updates. Pricing for the short wheelbase starts at 35,000 pounds and the long wheelbase starts at just over 45,000 pounds.
NEW NISSAN CEO LET GO FOR FAMILIAR REASONS
Hiroto Saikawa, the guy who led the charge at Nissan to get rid of CEO Carlos Ghosn because of financial improprieties, got fired yesterday for the very same reason. It turns out he was paid close to a million bucks more than he was entitled to. And he wasn’t the only one. So no doubt more execs at will get the axe. Saikawa was temporarily replaced by Nissan’s COO, and the company is looking for a permanent replacement. Here’s our Autoline Insight, once Nissan picks a new CEO and the dust settles, we expect FCA to get the green light to join the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.
Speaking of Autoline Insight, be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours on Thursday afternoon when Ralph Gilles, the head of design for FCA will be on the show. Ralph has great insights into how automotive design will evolve in the future and some of his inspiration comes from unexpected areas. If you want to submit questions to Ralph shoot an email to viewermail@autoline.tv
And that’s it for today’s report, thanks for watching.
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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.
