AD #2857 – Nikola Finalizing Deal With An OEM; Are U.S. Roads Too Soft?; 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible Review

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

NIKOLA CLOSE TO DEAL WITH A CAR COMPANY
Nikola says it’s getting very close to announcing that it will do a deal with a car company that is going to build its pickup truck, called the Badger. On Autoline After Hours yesterday, Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola, said they’ve narrowed the field down to three OEMs. Take a look.

Trevor Milton, Founder, Nikola
“We have a lot of groups in right now ready to do a deal. We’re finalizing it right now. And soon we’ll be announcing it, probably in the next two to three months or so. And that will be with what OEM it is. It will be built at their factory, sold, serviced and warrantied through their distribution, through their third party logistics. So you’re going to get the same quality of dealership service that you do with another truck. So it’s a smart way to go.”

By the way, that is a full-size pickup which will be offered with either battery power or a fuel cell and battery combination. Milton claims that the battery version will deliver 300 miles of range, while the fuel cell adds another 300 miles of range for a total of 600 miles. There’s a ton of great information about Nikola in that show and you can watch it right now on our website or YouTube channel.

U.S. SALES FORECAST DOES NOT LOOK GOOD
Bank of America’s senior auto analyst, John Murphy, released his annual “Car Wars” report and his conclusions are sobering. He predicts new car sales in the U.S. will hit 12.8 million this year, down 25% from 2019. And it might take until the mid-2020’s before sales of new cars top 16 million again, which is still well below the 17 million sold in 2019. Murphy says this crisis is different than anything the industry has seen in the last 20 to 30 years. But despite the drop-in sales, automakers are going to increase the number of launches over the next several years. Between 2021 and 2024 they will introduce an average of 63 new vehicles a year, up from 40 the last couple of decades. Most of the new vehicles will be crossovers, which will saturate the market in that segment, and Murphy warns that could create profitability risks. He said GM’s push to electric vehicles could hurt its market share since it won’t be updating gasoline powered models, since that money will go to EV development.

NEW BOSCH SEMICONDUCTOR IMPROVES NAVIGATION
The German supplier Bosch introduced a new semiconductor chip to help improve navigation. The sensor continually monitors changes in the vehicle’s speed and direction, processes that information and sends it to the navigation system. Then the data is combined with GPS data and used for navigation. This way if the GPS signal is interrupted, like going through a tunnel, the sensor can step in and make sure the car knows where it is. The chip can also be used for fleet management and tolls as well as vehicle alarm systems, thanks to its ability to detect vibrations and impacts. The new sensor is already in production and is being shipped to automakers but Bosch didn’t reveal which companies are using it.

ELECTRIFY AMERICA SUBSIDIZES EV BUSES FOR SHUTTLE PROGRAM
Electrify America is doing more than creating a nationwide network of fast charging stations in the U.S. It’s also helping to pay for the vehicles that will be using those chargers. Three new GreenPower EV Star shuttles are being added to Sacramento, California’s on-demand micro-shuttle program, called SmaRT Ride. And Electrify America fully subsidized the costs of the shuttles, the DC fast-charging infrastructure to support them, and the retrofit costs for wheelchair access. The buses are equipped with a 118 kWh battery pack, which can return up to 150 miles or 280 kilometer of range, and the first one is scheduled to go into work on Monday. The EV shuttles will also allow SmaRT Ride to expand its service area and before coronavirus lockdowns hit, it was providing 230 rides a day.

PORSCHE REVEALS CAYENNE GTS & GTS COUPE
Porsche revealed the GTS version of the Cayenne and Cayenne Coupe. The big news here is that a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 from the Panamera GTS replaces the twin-turbo 3.6L V6 of the previous model. The new setup produces about 460 horsepower, which is about 20 more than before. With its standard 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, the Cayenne GTS will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds or 4.2 with Porsche’s Performance Start feature. That’s about half a second faster than the old GTS. Unique to the Cayenne GTS Coupe is the option for a centrally located sport exhaust system that was tuned for high frequency. A revised suspension system also lowers ride height by about 1.2 inches or 30mm compared to Cayenne S models. And to further set the GTS apart, the wheels, lighting, air intakes, window trim, interior accents, logos and more are all tinted or painted black. The new Cayenne GTS and GTS Coupe start hitting U.S. dealers this fall and will carry a starting price of just over $108,500 and nearly $112,000, respectively. Those prices include destination charges.

HANS MEZGER – PORSCHE 917 BUILDER – DIES
In more Porsche news, the man responsible for the overall construction of the 917 and its twelve-cylinder engine, Hans Mezger unfortunately passed away two days ago at the age of 90. But there’s more than just the beautiful 917. He developed the 911’s air-cooled 6-cylinder engine, Porsche’s turbocharged Formula One engine from the mid-80’s that helped win several championships and even engines for Harley Davidson. Now that’s an impressive career.

EARLY GT40 DESIGN SKETCHES UNEARTHED
Speaking of famous race cars, Ford Performance, the same folks that needed help solving the mystery of a mid-engine Mustang concept, also unearthed what are believed to be some of the earliest design sketches of the Ford GT40. The pictures show the car from different angles and one is a wire drawing that shows its internal components. They were found while archivists were searching through the styling collection of negatives they have and are from 57 years ago. Ford Performance also showed the first clay model of the GT40, which was created only a week after these sketches. You can see how the sketches influenced the clay model and eventually the famous race cars.

STIFFER ROADS WOULD IMPROVE FUEL ECONOMY & REDUCE EMISSIONS
Are roads in the U.S. too soft? Yes, we’re talking about those asphalt and concrete surfaces that millions of drivers drive on everyday. While they seem solid, large trucks actually deflect the surface of roadways as they drive over them. And that deflection is having an impact on the efficiency of those trucks. According to a study from MIT researchers, adding rigidity to roads would improve gas mileage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They suggest incorporating a small amount of synthetic fibers or carbon nanotubes asphalt, and removing some of the binder, to get a denser material, or using concrete instead of asphalt. If 10% of roads were made stiffer each year, MIT researchers say that 440 megatons of carbon dioxide would be eliminated over the next 50 years.

2021 LEXUS LC 500 CONVERTIBLE REVIEW
I just had the convertible version of the Lexus LC 500 in the Autoline Garage this week and all I can say is, what a car! For me, the hardtop version of the LC is one of the best looking cars on the market today. And while the convertible is still a head turner, it doesn’t have quite the flowing lines of the hardtop. That’s often the case with convertibles with motorized tops. When you fold up the roof and stuff it behind the back seats it usually ends up in a big lump that’s hard to hide. The good news with this top is that it’s a one-touch operation, with no latches or levers to deal with.

The 5-liter V8 in the LC literally roars to life. If you’re in a garage when you start it up the noise can be deafening, but it only takes a moment or two for it to settle down to a quiet burble. And all it takes to bring the roar of 471 horses back to life is to put your right foot down with authority.

What impressed me the most about this convertible is how solid it feels. Any time you cut the root off a car it loses a lot of torsional rigidity. But Lexus has done a great job of masking any cowl shake. Part of that may have just been done by adding more mass. This is a heavy car, nearly 4,300 pounds. But the end result is that the LC feels rock solid, even when going over broken, bumpy pavement.

And what makes that even more impressive is that this car is fitted with giant wheels and brakes. Specifically 21-inch wheels, with 15.7 inch front brakes and 14.1 rear ones. And while it uses aluminum calipers, that’s a lot of unsprung mass. Even so, the ride and handling of this car is butter smooth.

While Lexus classifies this convertible as a 4-seater, that’s just the figment of imagination from some copywriter. I contend it’s a physical impossibility to put any human being in the back seats, as long as anyone is occupying the front seats.

This model is so new that Lexus hasn’t released the pricing on it yet. The hardtop starts at $93,000 and the hybrid version costs over $97,000, so the convertible will easily top one hundred grand. Lexus doesn’t sell a lot of LCs, only about 100 a month in the U.S. market. But a car like this wasn’t brought to market to sell in big numbers. It’s all about building brand image. And Lexus has done a terrific job of polishing its image with the LC convertible.

And with that we wrap up this week’s worth of reports. Hope to see you back here again on Monday.