AD #2865 – Big Honda Production News; Updated Sedona Minivan Gets SUV Styling; Mercedes & NVIDIA Join Forces

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

NOOSE IN NASCAR GARAGE HAD BEEN THERE FOR MONTHS
In yesterday’s show we led off with the news that someone left a noose in the NASCAR garage of Bubba Wallace. No doubt you’ve already heard the FBI discovered that noose had been in the garage since last October and had nothing to do with Wallace. So something that looked like a hate crime turned out to be nothing of the sort. What a relief. But the one thing this episode did, was give NASCAR, and all the drivers and team crews the opportunity to rally around Wallace and take a strong stand against racism.

JUDGE ORDERS GM & FCA CEOs TO MEET OVER LAWSUIT
A federal judge ordered GM CEO Mary Barra and FCA CEO Mike Manley to personally meet within the next week to resolve GM’s racketeering lawsuit against FCA. The judge called the litigation in the suit “a waste of time and resources” and said it could take years before a ruling is made. Last year, GM accused former FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne of orchestrating a bribery scheme with the UAW to harm GM and actually take it over. GM said that cost the company billions of dollars, but FCA says the suit is without merit and wants it dismissed. Experts say it will be hard for GM to prove FCA violated federal racketeering laws. But whatever happens Mary and Mike have to give the judge an update by July 1st.

UPDATES ON HONDA’S FUTURE PRODUCT
We’ve got some big updates involving Honda’s future product. Autoforecast Solutions reports the next-generation Civic, code named CCA-2YN, will go into production at Honda’s plant in Canada next March. Exactly one year later, in 2022, the new Honda HR-V will go into production in Mexico. Then, in May of 2024 the next-gen Acura RDX, code name CCA-2DU, goes into production in East Liberty, Ohio. And the next-gen Passport gets built in the same plant in January 2026. One thing you’ll notice from this is the nice, steady product cadence that Honda has. That kind of cadence gives Honda’s workers plenty of time to adjust, it gives suppliers plenty of time to plan, and all of that is what helps Honda crank out high quality products.

SEGWAY PHASING OUT 2-WHEEL TRANSPORTER
Segway is ending production of its most well-known product. Its two-wheeled personal transporter, called the PT, will be phased out on July 15th. Introduced back in 1999, it was supposed to revolutionize how people got around but it mainly was used by law enforcement and tourists. It never caught on due to an initial price tag of $5,000, which was too pricey for most customers. And it was also difficult to ride and led to a number of high-profile crashes. But it’s easy to see why Segway is discontinuing the PT. It only accounted for 1.5% of the company’s total revenue last year. And besides, these days it seems like everyone is riding electric scooters.

VW ARTEON RECEIVES NEW R & PLUG-IN VARIANTS
Here’s a full look at the updated Volkswagen Arteon that was teased earlier this month. The front fascia is reworked with newly designed lower air intakes and grille, which is now available with a central lighting bar that connects with the Daytime Running Lights. Volkswagen is doing the same thing with the all-new Golf as well. Rear end styling is mostly the same but with an updated lighting signature. A 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder that makes 268 horsepower comes standard and is mated to an 8-speed automatic. But two new powertrains are being added for Europe; a plug-in hybrid and an R model. Volkswagen did not release much information about either setup, but we know the plug-in will make about 215 horsepower and the R will make roughly 320 horsepower. Also exclusive to Europe, at least for now, are an all-new station wagon version and VW’s new Travel Assist system, which allows for partial automated driving. The interior is similar to the outgoing model but changes include new steering wheel and HVAC controls, upper door trims and a redesigned dash panel.

KIA REVEALS ALL-NEW SEDONA
Speaking of teasers turning into reveals, here’s the all-new Kia Sedona, which is sold as the Carnival in the Korean market. As you can see the minivan looks much more like an SUV and that’s on purpose. Kia thinks the design will attract younger customers. Note how the Daytime Running Lights flow into the newly designed grille, which also features new mesh patterns. And note how the low- and high-beams are separated with the high-beams which are set into the top corner of the grille. The upright rear end is what really makes it look more like an SUV and the lighting that extends across the rear helps accentuate the vehicle’s width. More details to come in the third quarter, which is when the new Carnival/Sedona goes on sale in Korea.

NISSAN KICKS UPDATES
The new Nissan Kicks, which goes on sale in Japan next week, is getting a number of updates. Most noticeable is the new grille, which now extends much further down the face of the crossover. That also required the headlamps and lower air vents to get redesigned as well. Rear end styling, from what we can tell, has not changed. The automaker’s e-POWER technology is now available, which uses an electric motor to directly power the wheels and a gasoline engine to charge the battery. No word yet on that setup or if it will be offered outside of Asian markets. Other new features include Nissan’s ProPilot advanced driver assistance system and automatic accident report.

MERCEDES & NVIDIA TEAM FOR NEW SOFTWARE ARCHTICTURE
Mercedes-Benz and chip maker NVIDIA are teaming up to build a software architecture for smarter vehicles. The two say they “plan to develop the most sophisticated and advanced computing architecture ever deployed in an automobile.” We’ll see about that. First they have to catch up to Tesla. The system is based on NVIDIA’s Ampere supercomputing architecture, which brings AI into the car, as well as Over-the-Air updates and Level 3 autonomous driving, including the ability to automate driving from address to address. The new software architecture will start making its way into Mercedes-Benz vehicles in 2024.

SKODA HIGHLIGHTS ITS ONLY TIME AT LE MANS
Skoda can trace its roots back to more than 120 years ago, but the automaker has only once competed in the 24 hours of Le Mans. And that was exactly 70 years ago today. In 1950 Skoda entered a modified version of its 1101 Sport with a shortened wheelbase and aluminum body. While the 50 horsepower car was able to make its way up to second place in its class for a time, a mechanical failure knocked it out of the race for good. And that is today’s history lesson.

On Autoline After Hours tomorrow our guest is Jim Owens, who heads up Marketing for Ford Performance. If you’ve got questions about the Ford GT, or the Mustang, or Raptor, and the ST and RS models, send them our way. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. What about the high performance version of the Mustang Mach E? We’ll get into that tomorrow when we go live at 3 pm eastern time. Mike Martinez from Automotive News will also be joining us, so join me and Gary for Autoline After Hours.

UNIQUE DONATION TO AUTOLINE
Before we go I have to give a special shout out to one of our viewers. Yesterday we just got a $100 bill in the mail with a Post-it note saying “Thanks for Autoline!” No signature, no return address, just $100. The envelope has four stamps including an old 4¢ stamp with the tagline “Wheels of Freedom.” It has the silhouette of a farm tractor, a passenger sedan and a semi truck all fitting into a graphic of a steering wheel. A quick online search shows that this stamp was issued in 1960. Then there’s a 5¢ stamp with the tagline “Stop traffic accidents.” It was issued in 1965. Next is a 12¢ stamp of Henry Ford with a Model T, which was issued in 1968. And then there’s a 29¢ stamp with the image of a Jeep being unloaded off a cargo ship which reads, “U.S. supports allies with Lend-Lease Act.” By the way, the stamps have a Post Office cancellation mark from Fargo, North Dakota. So thank you Fargo, whoever you are. We really value your support, and all of you out there who have donated to the Autoline cause.

Before we go, a programming note here. The Autoline crew is going to take a much needed break next week, and actually we’re going to start our vacation this Friday. And then we’ll resume our normal production on July 6.

And that wraps up today’s report. Thanks for watching.