AD #2917 – SEC Opens Investigation Into Nikola; Daimler Slapped With More Diesel Fines; All-New Hyundai Tucson

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

SEC OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO NIKOLA
The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Nikola to determine if company founder Trevor Milton misled investors. Last week Hindenburg Research, a company that specializes in digging up malfeasance of corporations and then shorting their stock, issued a long list of complaints against Nikola. That drove the price of Nikola’s stock down 36%. But so far Nikola’s partners are not abandoning it. Speaking at the RBC Capital Markets conference yesterday, Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors, said they did the appropriate diligence on Nikola and that their deal to work together will help GM drive down the costs of its EVs. GM is getting $2 billion worth of Nikola stock. .

CNH ANNOUNCES IT’S MAKING NIKOLA’S PROTOTYPE SEMI
Meanwhile, CNH, a heavy truck maker in Europe, announced it started making prototypes of the electric semi that it will supply to Nikola. That truck, called the Tre, will undergo testing later this year and will go on sale at the end of 2021.

DAIMLER SLAPPED WITH MORE DIESEL FINES
Daimler is being punished once again for cheating on diesel emissions. Last year, Germany fined the automaker $1 billion and now it has to pay another $2.2 billion to the U.S. Department of Justice. Daimler is accused of installing software in 250,000 cars and vans that lowered emissions while they were being tested, but allowed them to go higher out on the road. $1.5 billion will go towards settlements with investigators while the other $700 million will go to owners, who will receive nearly $3,300 each to repair their vehicles. Meanwhile, Volkswagen announced that it completed its oversight and monitoring from the Justice Department, which began back in 2017. The company says it successfully designed and implemented a program that will prevent and detect fraud and violations of environmental law.

 

ALL-NEW TUCSON FEATURES MORE EXPRESSIVE STYLING
Yesterday we talked about how the styling of the Hyundai Venue stands out in a crowd and so will the all-new 4th generation Tucson, which made its online debut yesterday. The overall look is much more expressive than the outgoing model. Hyundai describes it as jewel-like and we’d say that’s pretty spot on. Note how the body surfaces almost look like the facets of a cut gem. The interior also has a few interesting styling elements. Check out how the upper part of the dash wraps around into the doors. Then there’s the center section, what Hyundai calls a waterfall, which consists of two 10 and a quarter inch screens stacked on top of one another. And finally, we wanted to point out the lack of a hood over the digital instrument cluster. Now let’s move under the hood where the new Tucson will have the option of either a naturally aspirated 2.5L 4-cylinder engine or a 1.6L turbo. The 1.6L only comes in the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions and while we know the combined power output of the hybrid is about 230 horsepower, we don’t know motor sizes, battery sizes or EV range of the PHEV. There will also be short and long wheelbase versions of the Tucson available, depending on the market. It first goes on sale in Korea as a 2021 model, followed by the U.S. and other global markets as a 2022 model.

JAGUAR F-PACE RECEIVES SIGNIFICANT REFRESH
Now we move from the all-new to the significantly refreshed with the Jaguar F-PACE. But it’s not the exterior styling that sees the big changes, that’s pretty much the same, it’s the interior that’s all-new. The dash has a multi-layered look with the air vents tucked into the upper section and a larger 11.4 inch curved display that was pulled away from the surface. We also applaud the addition of two large knobs to the HVAC controls. Much more user friendly. Under the hood is the choice of 2.0L and 3.0L engines, both gasoline and diesel and in a number of power outputs. All are mated to an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. A plug-in hybrid is also available for the first time, but only for the European market. It pairs a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine with a 105 kW electric motor and a 17.1 kWh battery pack. Total system power comes to about 400 horsepower and EV range is rated at 53 kilometers or 33 miles, based on the WLTP test. The new F-PACE is already available to order in Europe.

AUDI A3 GETS CNG OPTION
Audi is introducing a natural gas powered version of the A3 for Europe, which has a wide availability of CNG stations. It’s powered by a 1.5L four-cylinder turbo engine, that features a modified cylinder head, injection system, turbocharger and catalytic converter, so it can operate using CNG or biomethane. The car is also equipped with a small reserve gasoline tank. The engine always starts in CNG mode and only injects gasoline in rare conditions. If the pressure in the CNG tanks drops below a certain level, the engine switches to gasoline mode. With both tanks, the A3 has a range of 445 kilometers based on the WLTP cycle or about 276 miles. The CNG A3 goes on sale in Europe this fall and has a starting price just below 31,000 euros.

MERCEDES TESTS SOLID-STATE BATTERIES IN CITARO BUS
Solid state batteries are starting to make their way into electric vehicles, just not where you’d expect it. Mercedes is now offering a version of its articulated Citaro bus that’s available with solid state batteries. The company says the batteries are about 25% more efficient than traditional lithium-ion ones, and provide 441 kWh of energy. The solid state batteries are also cobalt free and have a guarantee to last up to 10 years.

 

 

AUTOMAKERS STILL STRUGGLE TO PASS IIHS HEADLIGHT TEST
When are automakers going to get the message that most of their headlamps stink? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety no longer awards its highest safety rating to cars unless they have good headlamps. That rating is called Top Safety Pick Plus, and automakers covet the award. Volkswagen recently failed to get that top award with the Arteon because it’s headlamps weren’t good enough. So VW quickly added adaptive headlamps as an option. That got it a Top Safety Pick, but not the Top Safety Pick Plus rating because the lamps are not standard equipment. It’s amazing to see automakers add automated emergency braking, blind spot detection, lane keeping assistance and all that other safety equipment, but then skimp on cost when it comes to the headlamps. The IIHS started complaining about headlamps three years ago but automakers are still coming out with brand new models that have inferior lamps.

GMC TEASES HUMMER’S NEW CRAB MODE
Have you heard that the new electric Hummer will have an available crab mode? It’s a feature that allows the EV to move sideways, kind of like how a crab walks, and is enabled by its 4-wheel steering system. Off-roaders are sure to love it. The new Hummer makes its public debut in a little over a month on October 20th, and goes on sale late next year.

We’ve got a couple of great shows coming up. First, on Thursday, we have Jorg Trampler, the head of engineering from ZF North America coming on Autoline After Hours. ZF, as you may well know, is working on all kinds of fascinating technology. Then, next Wednesday, we’re going to do a deep dive analysis into Tesla’s Battery Day. And we’re bringing Sandy Munro and Bob Galyen on board to dissect Tesla’s technology. Sandy and Bob are two of the foremost experts in EV technology and their insight will be invaluable in figuring out the most important parts of Tesla’s announcements. Stay tuned, more details to follow.

And that wraps up today’s show. Thanks for making Autoline Daily a part of your day.