AD #2936 – European EV Sales Taking Off; Jeep Running Out of Steam?; Mercedes Testing Electric Off Roader

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EV SALES TAKING OFF IN EUROPE
As we reported last week, sales of electric vehicles hit a bit of a milestone in the U.S., reaching 2% market share. And thanks to stricter emission regulations and generous subsidies, electric sales are taking off in Europe. According to a report by Transport & Environment, in the first half of the year, the market share for EVs tripled, reaching 8%. But that also includes plug-in hybrids. However, that’s still impressive since the overall car market is down due to the pandemic. Overall sales of EVs is expected to reach about 1 million units this year in Europe and hit 1.8 million in 2021. The study also says PSA, BMW, Volvo and Renault are on track to meet EU emission standards this year but Daimler, Volkswagen and Jaguar Land Rover will likely be fined for missing targets.

NEW CAR SALES RECOVERING IN CHINA
New car sales in China are rocketing forward thanks to the country getting the Covid-19 virus under control. Reuters reports that sales shot up 12.8% last month. Automakers sold over 2.5 million vehicles, and sales of New Energy Vehicles, which includes hybrids, plug-ins and BEVs shot up 68% to 138,000 vehicles. Trucks and commercial vehicles were up 40% as the government spent heavily on infrastructure projects. Sales are still down nearly 7% for the year but the gap is closing.

JEEP RUNNING OUT OF STEAM?
Is Jeep starting to run out of steam? The rugged, off-road brand has been on a tear for years, outgrowing the market and raking in profits for FCA. But last quarter Jeep sales fell 9% in the U.S. market. Sales of every model were down, with the exception of the Gladiator, the newest model in the Jeep lineup. But help is on the way. The Jeep Wagoneer will come out next year, which will get Jeep into the full-size SUV segment. And Autoforecast Solutions reports that the next generation Grand Cherokee will go into production in January, 2023. New models always help sales, but Jeep needs help right now before the Ford Bronco hits the market.

AUDI FORMING NEW EV VENTURE IN CHINA
Some of Audi’s future electric vehicles will be made in China. Audi signed a memorandum of understanding with FAW to form a new venture to build premium EVs. The vehicles will be developed on the same architecture as the Porsche Taycan and should start being manufactured in the country by 2024. Audi also plans to make electric vehicles with China’s SAIC and hopes EVs will make up a third of its sales in China by 2025.

MERCEDES TESTING ELECTRIC OFF ROADER
Speaking of electric vehicles, Mercedes is helping to sell the idea that EVs can tear up more than just paved roads. Meet the EQC 4X4-squared, a modified version of the automaker’s all-electric EQC SUV. It’s big claim-to-fame is portal axles at all 4 corners, which more than doubles ride height and drastically improves approach and departure angles. They’re (approach and departure angles) actually better than the ones on the G-Class. Other highlights include black fender flares to accent the vehicle’s wide stance and off-road drive modes that were influenced by the GLC. Mercedes calls the EQC 4X4-squared a “driveable study” and that sounds about right to us. Remember last week we reported that Mercedes will make electrified versions of the G-Class and this vehicle likely serves as a test bed for an eG-Class and probably other electric off roaders.

MERCEDES & BOSCH TEST SELF-PARKING FEATURE
A few months back, Ford and Bosch announced they’re developing self-parking cars and testing them at a parking garage in Detroit. Now Bosch is working with Mercedes-Benz and parking garage operator Apcoa, to test autonomous parking at the Stuttgart airport. The companies are using S-Classes for the pilot program, which is already available with the technology needed for self-parking. Owners just drop off the vehicle at a special staging area, use a smartphone app to tell the vehicle to find an open spot, and then it drives itself with the help of technology installed in the garage. And when you return, you just use the app to summon your car. But instead of using Lidar to detect lanes and obstacles, new video cameras from Bosch are being used to monitor the vehicle’s surroundings. Since vehicles can be parked closer together, the companies say garages can squeeze in 20% more vehicles with the technology. But this is another example of how autonomous driving is slowly but surely becoming a reality.

GENESIS’ SMART POSTURE FEATURE
You know how when you think you have a great idea only to find out it already exists? Today is that day for Autoline viewer Scott Stephenson. You may remember on Friday we featured an email from Scott who wondered with today’s advanced tech, why can’t he select his “height, inseam, and arm length and the car will automatically position my power seats in the ergonomically correct position for my dimensions?” Well, you can Scott. MJB was quick to respond on Friday, “Hey Sean, I hate to be the one to break the news to you and Scott Stephenson (actually, I love breaking this news), but that neat little ‘wish-cars-could-do-this’ feature Scott mentioned of having the driver’s seat adjust to ones exact body proportions is already standard in the Genesis G90 flagship sedan. YEP! You simply punch in your inseam, height and weight and voila! The car automatically adjusts your seating and steering wheel positions to what is recommended according to clinical analysis for a healthy back. The feature is called Smart Posture.” As luck would have it, we just happened to have one of the new Genesis G80’s at the office, so we checked to see if it had Smart Posture. It did. I plugged in my height, inseam of my pants and weight, hit the adjust posture button and the seat moved into position. It was not exactly how I like it, but I think it would take less time doing it this way than adjusting everything individually.

And don’t forget to join John and Gary for Autoline After Hours this thursday, for some of the best insider discussions in the automotive industry.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and have a great day.