AD #2960 – Mazda3 Turbo Impressions; Nissan May Sell Mitsubishi Stake; Ford Considers Making Its Own Battery Cells

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

NISSAN CONSIDERS SELLING MITSUBISHI STAKE
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is the world’s largest automotive group–for now that is. Bloomberg reports that Nissan is considering selling all or part of its stake in Mitsubishi. Nissan is in deep financial trouble and presumably needs to raise money. Officially, Nissan denies the story. But Bloomberg doesn’t just make these things up.

TESLA NO LONGER SELLING $35,000 MODEL 3
Tesla keeps lowering its prices, but it’s getting rid of its $35,000 Model 3. It introduced the entry-level Model 3 in 2019 but quickly dropped it a few months later. But in order to say it was making $35,000 Model 3s, the company would sell a Standard Range Plus model, which costs $38,000, with limited software features for a $3,000 discount. Tesla has been offering that for the last year and a half but Electrek reports the company is no longer offering the deal for 2021. It’s not clear why it’s no longer doing this but we wonder if you have any theories?

HYUNDAI LOOKS TO COLLABORATE WITH STARTUPS
Two years ago, the Hyundai Group launched its ZER01NE Accelerator program to discover new startups and study the use of their technologies. And now the company is renewing the program for 2020 and is looking for new startups to collaborate with. Companies can start applying today through the end of December and all applicants must be registered corporations. Hyundai will announce the startups it chooses in February. Selected companies will be given a budget and Hyundai will consider an equity investment as well.

PORSCHE CREATES FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING JOINT VENTURE
Porsche, its management and IT consulting subsidiary MHP, and the insurance group Munich Re have created a joint venture called FlexFactory. The goal is to make production of low volume items, of all different kinds of products, more flexible and cost efficient. The FlexFactory serves as a consultancy and doesn’t provide its own production facilities, rather it offers its knowledge and expertise needed to set up flexible production. The companies say FlexFactory enables companies to implement innovations faster and more efficiently than the traditional manufacturing process and with less capital investment.

TOYOTA INTRODUCES NEW MIRAI
When it comes to selling hydrogen cars, Toyota is like a bulldog. It just won’t give up. It’s opening 7 new refueling stations in California and despite miniscule sales it’s coming out with the second-generation fuel cell powered Mirai. So far this year, Toyota sold only 368 Mirai’s in the U.S. market, down 72% from last year. The big news is the styling. Now it looks more like a normal car instead of some sort of science experiment. The interior was upgraded and gets a 12.3-inch multimedia touch screen. It gets all the safety technology that Toyota offers, and there are new trim levels and colors. But that’s about it. Like we said, the big news is the new body.

ROLLS-ROYCE LAUNCHES NEW APP FOR CUSTOMERS
The all-new Rolls-Royce Ghost launched in September, but if you’re a potential customer, how do you specify that you want the rarest of woods or the supplest of leathers during a lockdown? Sure you can send emails, but that can seem laborious. So, Rolls-Royce created an app for that. Called Whispers, it actually launched in February, but now includes a video function that allows owners to talk right with executives, designers and craftspeople. And once you get past picking all of the goodies you want in your car, you can even watch your car being built at different locations on the production line. The app is only available to Rolls-Royce owners, and now their spouses, but users can also get much more, like virtual magic lessons, buy first-edition books or even list their collection of cars. 

AUDI UNVEILS NEW SQ2
Audi introduced the new SQ2 crossover, which has a sportier look than before thanks to new headlights and bumpers. It’s powered by a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that’s mated to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The setup helps move the SQ2 from 0 to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds. It’s also offered with new infotainment and safety features as well. Audi will start delivering the new SQ2 to customers in Europe in early 2021, which has a starting price just under 46,000 euros or about $54,000.

Could suppliers turn into car companies? Well, at least one of them could. Magna makes just about everything that goes into a car and even assembles cars for Toyota, BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar. Soon it’s going to add Fisker to the list and will make cars for BAIC in China. So how far could this go? Join us for Autoline After Hours this Thursday when our guest will be Don Walker, the CEO of Magna.

FORD CONSIDERS MAKING ITS OWN BATTERY CELLS
Ford’s new CEO Jim Farley is singing a different tune when it comes to battery production. Former CEO Jim Hackett said in July there was no advantage for the automaker to make its own battery cells. But Reuters reports that Farley says, “We are discussing cell manufacturing… I think that’s natural as volume grows.” As we know, Ford has the Mustang Mach-E coming out, it recently revealed the electric Transit van, it’s increasing production of the electric F-150 due to strong interest and is hybridizing most of its models in Europe. And some analysts question whether battery cell manufacturers will be able to keep up with demand.

F-150 EQUIPPED WITH NEW MAX RECLINE SEATS
Speaking of Ford, have you ever tried to sleep in the front seat of your vehicle? It’s possible, but usually not very comfortable. When reclined all the way, there’s typically a weird gap between the seat bottom and seat back and between the shoulders and head rest. Ford is fixing that with its max recline seats, which will be available in the new F-150. The rearward section of the lower seat cushion raises as the seat is put back all the way to provide better support to the lower back, while the area around the shoulder can be adjusted to help supply neck support. Ford likens the experience to a first-class seat on an airplane. 

MAZDA3 TURBO IMPRESSIONS
Guess which automaker is doing the best this year? Well, actually, this is 2020 so we really have to ask, which automaker is doing the least worst? And the answer to that is Mazda. Its sales in the U.S. market are only down 0.7%, which is better than anyone else. And we mention that because we had the Mazda3 turbo in the Autoline Garage last week. Even though the base hatchback starts around $25,000, the one we drove cost nearly $10,000 more because it came standard with all the equipment you can imagine. It’s powered by a 2.5-liter turbo which provides plenty of power with 227 horsepower and an impressive 310 pound feet of torque. And if you fill up with premium gasoline that jumps to 250 horsepower. Thanks to all-wheel-drive this little hatchback just gets up and goes in any kind of situation. The cockpit is well laid out and we appreciate how Mazda uses crisp fonts on its gauges which are designed with that chronometer kind of look. The back seat is cramped, so if you’re not driving you better call shotgun. We like everything about this car and would recommend it to any enthusiast. But the sales don’t match our enthusiasm. They’re down by double digits. One reason is that this is a passenger car in a world that’s gone crazy for CUVs. Another reason is that this is a hatchback and they don’t sell well in the USA. And then there’s that rear sail panel. It’s very eye-catching, but probably just a little too weird for most people. But if you like the look, you can’t go wrong with this car. 

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching.