AD #2879 – Tesla Updating the Model S & X; FCA & Waymo Expand Partnership; Does Anyone Actually Use Paddle Shifters?

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

TESLA UPDATING THE MODEL S & X
Tesla is going to be updating the Model S and X, according to Electrek. It says they’re being updated under a project codenamed Palladium. They’re going to get new battery modules and motors which will improve efficiency and performance, including the Plaid mode that Elon Musk has talked about. Plaid is the next level above Ludicrous, which already provides astounding levels of acceleration. Electrek reports that the S and X could get a styling update, but it’s unclear if that involves new sheet metal or just ornamentation and trim. Though the Model S got a mild front grille change in 2016, the styling of those models have not been updated and sales are falling. New styling could perk up sales again.

INSIGHT INTO THE TESLA & DAIMLER PARTNERSHIP
There’s a fascinating inside report from Reuters of how Tesla and Mercedes-Benz worked together a decade ago. Back in 2009, Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes, bought 10% of Tesla for only $50 million. They sold those shares in 2014 and they must be kicking themselves over that. Those shares would be worth $30 billion today. Daimler invested in Tesla to learn how it operates and to get batteries for the electric version of the Mercedes B-Class. But it sold those shares because it felt that Tesla would not be able to scale up for mass production. During the time they worked together, Mercedes engineers helped Tesla develop the Model S, which could help explain why the car is so good. But Mercedes was shocked at how Tesla would burn through money during product development, whereas Mercedes would strictly adhere to its budget. Here’s our Autoline Insight. This is one of Elon Musk’s great advantages over traditional automakers. He has not had to worry as much about profitability. While Tesla may finally be getting close to being profitable for a full year, for the last decade, it stayed alive mainly by borrowing. 

FCA & WAYMO EXPAND PARTNERSHIP
FCA and Waymo have expanded their self-driving partnership to include light commercial vehicles. Waymo will work exclusively with FCA to develop and test autonomous Class 1 through 3 LCVs. Waymo’s Level 4 system will initially be equipped into the Ram ProMaster. In addition to that, the two companies will work on integrating Waymo’s Level 4 autonomous technology across FCA’s lineup. The companies began collaborating in 2016 and since have launched the first commercial autonomous ride-hailing service with Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans.

JEEP RENEGADE & COMPASS GET PLUG-IN HYBRIDS
Jeep revealed plug-in hybrid versions of some of its vehicles at CES this year and now two of them are available for order in Europe. The Renegade and Compass 4xe, which is how Jeep will signify all its electrified models, both feature a 1.3L turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine that comes in two outputs; 130 horsepower or 180. The engine is paired to a 6-speed automatic and a 60-horsepower electric motor mounted in front of the rear axle, which means all-wheel drive is standard. Zero to 100 km/h is expected to be around 7.5 seconds, which is not all that impressive, but it’s over second faster than any other Renegade or Compass. A 11.4 kWh battery mounted under the 2nd row seats is said to return an average of 50 kilometers of all-electric range, but that’s based on the older NEDC test. If we do a quick conversion that comes to about 21.5 EPA miles. The Renegade and Compass 4xe will still be very off-road capable, even coming in the Trailhawk trim with a number of selectable off-road settings.

YOUR DOG COULD BECOME THE FACE OF JEEP
Speaking of Jeep, your dog could become the face of the brand. It’s asking for people to submit pictures of their dog with any Jeep brand vehicle by August 3rd. Jeep will pick eight photos that fans will have a week to vote on and then announce the top dog on August 26th, which is National Dog Day. It’s kind of funny that we would report about this today. For those of you who don’t know, it’s National Hot Dog Day today in the U.S. Anyway, back to the cute puppies. The winning dog will be used across Jeep’s social media channels for a year. Subaru has had lots of success using dogs in its ads, so maybe Jeep is hoping for the same?

FORD DOUBLES PRODUCTION OF BRONCO FIRST EDITION MODELS
And it might need that success because here’s more proof that fans are going ga-ga for the new Bronco. Ford is doubling production of its First Edition model, which was supposed to be limited to 3,500 examples. Those 2- and 4-door First Editions are pretty well decked out and come with starting prices of nearly $61,000 and $65,000, respectively. Ford told potential customers who already made a reservation for a First Edition model they could cancel it since the vehicle won’t be as exclusive with the doubling of production, but we doubt that will happen. 

TOYOTA VENZA PRICING RELEASED
Toyota is getting set to launch the new Venza in the U.S. It’s now hybrid only, and it features a 2.5L four-cylinder engine with three electric motors and all-wheel drive. The setup is expected to deliver 39 MPG combined and it comes standard with Toyota’s suite of driver assistance technologies. Moving to the interior, it’s standard with an 8-inch touchscreen but a 12.3-inch touchscreen is also available. And it’s the first Toyota to offer a fixed panoramic glass roof. Pricing starts just over $33,600, while the top trim starts just under $41,000. The new Venza will be built in Japan and starts arriving at dealerships in the U.S. in September.

WORLD’S FIRST TATTOOED VEHICLE
Lexus is showing off a unique version of its UX crossover. No, that’s not a new camouflage wrap you’re looking at, that design was tattooed onto the car, which the company claims is a world’s first. The vehicle features a koi fish along the entire length of the vehicle, which was created by London tattoo artist Claudia De Sabe. She used a Dremel tool to etch the design instead of her traditional tattooing needle. Car paint was used to fill in the koi design and waves. And gold leaf was also added to give it a bit of a 3D element. The entire project took six months to complete, however the actual tattooing took place over five, eight-hour days. But what do you think, is it a keeper or should Lexus throw it back in the pond?

And coming up next, John will be here with some thoughts on paddle shifters.

DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY USE PADDLE SHIFTERS?
It’s amazing to see how many cars come equipped with paddle shifters these days. My only question is, does anyone actually use them? Paddles shifters are located behind the steering wheel, within easy reach of the fingers on your left and right hand. You can use the paddles to upshift or downshift the transmission as you drive. But when I drive a car with an automatic transmission, I put it in Drive and leave it there. Today’s automatics are so good there’s no need to fuss around with shifting. Now, there are two situations in which I’ll use the paddles: on snowy, icy roads I’ll downshift to use engine compression to slow the car down, and in some cars with dual clutch transmissions you can get a better response by using the paddles because DCT’s don’t have a torque converter. But I probably haven’t used a paddle shifter in over a year and I’ll bet that the vast majority of car buyers never use them. In fact, I’ll bet that a significant number of owners don’t even know what the paddles are for. And so I’ll predict that in a few years paddle shifters will disappear on everything except high performance cars. So let’s do an informal poll here. Does your car have paddle shifters, and do you ever use them?

Did you know that General Motors revived its Defense division? It’s getting back into developing military equipment and just landed a big contract from the Army. It’s going to make what they call the ISV, the Infantry Squad Vehicle, and it has impressive hard-core, off-road capabilities. The chief engineer of GM Defense, Mark Dickens, will be our special guest on Autoline After Hours this Thursday. So join Gary and me for some of the latest developments in the automotive industry.

And with that we wrap up today’s report, thanks for watching.