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Runtime: 10:22
0:07 Automotive Suppliers Have Good Day on Wall Street
0:49 Volvo & Geely Merging Powertrain Operations
1:32 Cadillac Adds Mild Hybrid in China
2:27 Jim Farley Calls for U.S. Battery & Charging Support
4:15 Daimler Says EV Transition Will Cost Jobs
5:03 Explorer Gets 1st King Ranch Edition
5:40 V8 Wrangler Costs $75,000
6:17 Lyft Going After an Older Demographic
7:04 Ferrari Returns to Le Man’s Top Category
7:38 Toyota C-HR Review
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS HAVE GOOD DAY ON WALL STREET
What a day on Wall Street. The Dow set an all time record yesterday and that boosted shares across the board, including a lot of traditional automotive suppliers. Visteon was up over 5%, Dana was up nearly 7% and Adient was up 9%. The Autoline Stock Index, which tracks over 50 automotive stocks, including OEMs, suppliers, retailers and EV startups was up a solid 4%. The biggest gainer of all was Fisker, up 38% and it’s up more than 50% for the month, thanks to its announcement that Foxconn will make cars for it, presumably in China.
| Current Price | $ Change | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visteon | $130.58 | +$6.90 | +5.6% |
| Dana | $24.90 | +$1.58 | +6.8% |
| Adient | $39.92 | +$3.36 | +9.2% |
| Total | $3,410 | +$131.52 | +4.0% |
| Fisker | $22.58 | +$6.29 | +38.6% |
VOLVO & GEELY TO MERGE POWERTRAIN OPERATIONS
Volvo and Geely are walking back plans to merge into one global business. Instead they’re going to merge their powertrain operations into a new standalone company that will focus on next-gen hybrids and ICEs. It’s expected to be up and running this year and will produce systems for both companies as well as other manufacturers. They’ll also further collaborate on autonomous and EV solutions. Here’s our Autoline Insight. No doubt Volvo wanted to remain as a European-centric car company. Also, both Volvo and Geely have a lot on their plate right now, and a merger could create all kinds of havoc that would delay their work.
CADILLAC GETS MILD HYBRID OPTION IN CHINA
Speaking of powertrains, Cadillac is giving the XT5 and XT6 an update in China. It’s now offering a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which gets paired with the SUV’s 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. The motor helps assist the engine under acceleration and the system also adds a regenerative braking and electric idling function. Cadillac says fuel efficiency of the XT5 improves by 5%, while it’s a 6% improvement for the XT6. It didn’t reveal what testing procedure those figures are based on, but some companies still quote NEDC, which is outdated. We mention this because if the EPA numbers would be anywhere close to what’s quoted here, we could easily see the 48-volt system make its way to the U.S. as well.
JIM FARLEY CALLS FOR U.S. BATTERY & CHARGING SUPPORT
Ford CEO, Jim Farley, is calling on the U.S. government to support large scale battery production and improve the charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles in the U.S. Farley says that will help boost demand for electric vehicles. He compared the lack of battery production to the chip shortage that’s disrupting production, saying “we can’t go through what we’re doing now with chips.”
DAIMLER SAYS EV TRANSITION WILL COST JOBS
Daimler Trucks CEO, Martin Daum, says the transition to electric vehicles will result in thousands of job losses in Germany by 2033. EVs use fewer parts, so not as many workers are needed to build the components. Daum did not reveal how many jobs will be affected but the company employs around 14,000 workers at its plants in Germany. However, it will reduce its workforce through severance packages and retirements not with forced layoffs. And for more insight into how electric vehicles will impact factory jobs, check out our Autoline This Week with Jeff Dokho, the Research Director for the United Auto Workers, to learn how the union is preparing for the transition.
FORD ADDS KING RANCH TRIM TO EXPLORER
Ford said it’s Explorer customers demanded a more refined interior so for the first time it’s applying its King Ranch trim level to the SUV. Like all King Ranch models, the interior is draped in leather. It’s on the seats, the dash, doors and center console. It also comes with open pore wood accents, a unique grille color and King Ranch badging all over. The King Ranch Explorer hits dealerships this spring with a starting price of just over $52,000. Tack on another $2-grand for 4-wheel drive.
V8 WRANGLER PRICED AT $75,000
Jeep said it put a V8 in the Wrangler because customers wanted it, but the price is likely a bit higher than some of them would have thought. Right now, only the Launch Edition is available, which tips the pricing scale at a shade under $75,000. We’re not sure if more versions are coming, but that’s just about $20-grand more than the next-most-expensive version of the Wrangler, the 4Xe. You get a lot of content for that price, but it’s still a heckuva lot of money for a Wrangler. The Wrangler Rubicon 392 hits dealers this spring.
LYFT GOING AFTER OLDER DEMOGRAPHIC
Mobility provider Lyft is going after an older demographic. It’s introducing Call A Lyft Ride, which allows someone without the app to book a ride by calling a special phone number. A price is provided upfront and paid for by card over the phone. Lyft will even text updates as well as a tracking link to see where the vehicle is at. The service is first being offered in a number of select cities in Florida and will no doubt appeal to senior citizens who really don’t like all this new-fangled online technology.
FERRARI RETURNING TO LE MAN’S TOP LEVEL
The biggest name in racing is returning to the highest level of endurance racing. Ferrari announced it will compete in the Hypercar category at Le Mans in 2023. While it hasn’t revealed any information about the car, Ferrari’s return was made possible because the LMP1 category is being replaced. The Hypercar category allows for a wider spectrum of vehicles, including ones based on production vehicles. 1973 was the last time Ferrari competed in the top category at Le Mans.
TOYOTA C-HR REVIEW
We recently had the Toyota C-HR roll through the Autoline Garage and had mixed feelings about it. First, the styling. It sure is a busy design. But here’s the weird thing. It can look garish from some angles, but purposeful and pleasing from others. Under the hood is a naturally aspirated 2-liter that develops 144 horses and 139 pound feet of torque. That’s not a lot. This is a 3,300 pound vehicle so that works out to 23 pounds per horsepower, which puts it in pretty pokey territory. Worse, peak horsepower comes on at 6,100 rpm and peak torque comes on just under 4,000 rpm. So you really have to wind it out if you want to get anything out of it. But the engine complains at anything over 3,000 rpm, and its CVT often has the engine working at that rev range. We think a turbo could transform this car, because once you get past the anemic power, it’s a decent vehicle. It’s comfortable, with good road manners. Better still, you get Toyota’s excellent Safety Sense system with all the latest safety technology including pedestrian detection. Standard equipment includes 18-inch black alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, heated mirrors, an 8-inch touch screen and a decent sound system. Unfortunately, no heated seats, which we really missed since our test drive matched up with the lowest temps we’ve had here this winter. Even so the CHR is priced at $26,000 including destination charges, which is a good value. Toyota sells about 48,000 C-HRs a year in the U.S. market, and here’s one thing we did not know about it. The C-HR is made in Turkey. Now that was a surprise.
Before we go we’ve got a reminder to join us for Autoline After Hours this afternoon when we’ll get into the future of auto shows. Are they ever going to make a comeback? And what do they need to do to reinvent themselves. Join John and Gary for some of the best discussions of what’s going on in the automotive industry.
But this is the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in.
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.
