AD #3130 – COPO Camaro Features New Big Block V8; Ferrari Posts Strong Q2 Earnings; Daimler Changes Name

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

RENAULT SECURES LITHIUM SUPPLY
Automakers are scrambling to make sure they have a supply of lithium as they race to ramp up battery production for EVs. Renault just locked up a supply of lithium that will come from geothermal brine deposits in Germany. It signed a 5-year deal with German-Austrian startup Vulcan Energy which will supply Renault with 6,000 to 17,000 tonnes of lithium annually starting in 2026. Vulcan also has supply deals with Stellantis and LG Chem.

FERRARI POSTS STRONG Q2 EARNINGS
Ferrari shrugged off the Covid pandemic and chip shortage and posted strong earnings for the second quarter of the year. It sold 2,685 cars and brought in over a billion euros in revenue, which is better than it did in 2019. And it posted a net profit of 206 million euros, despite spending more on capital investments and R&D. In fact, things look so good that Ferrari reopened the Cavallino restaurant which is right across the street from the factory in Maranello.

DAIMLER CHANGES NAME TO MERCEDES-BENZ GROUP AG
There are a stunning number of changes going on in the automotive industry and now Daimler AG is going to change its name. When it spins off its truck division later this year, it’s going to drop the Daimler name and call itself Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Over the years, the company has been known as Daimler-Benz and even DaimlerChrysler. And it sure is a shock to see it walking away from the Daimler name altogether. It says the name change emphasizes the focus on its car and van business. What do you think? Did they really need to change the name?

RIVIAN IN TALKS TO OPEN PLANT IN THE UK
A few weeks ago, we reported that EV startup Rivian is looking for a second location to open a plant in the U.S. And maybe that factory is going to end up in England. Reuters reports that Rivian is in talks with the British government to open a plant near Bristol. We’re guessing that Amazon, a big investor that’s going to buy 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian, wants to start using them in Europe. And making them in Europe avoids a 10% import tariff. 

TOYOTA TO MAKE SPARE PARTS FOR CLASSIC LAND CRUISER
Toyota is going to start making spare parts for the original 40 Series Land Cruiser, which was built between 1960 to 1984. Toyota met and talked with Land Cruiser dealers and fan clubs to figure out what parts have the biggest demand and need. And while it doesn’t have a complete list yet, it will include engines, driveline components and exhaust. It’s even got a questionnaire on its website where customers can submit requests, which Toyota will use to determine the next round of parts it remakes. 

COPO CAMARO FEATURES NEW BIG BLOCK V8
We know some of you get bored with all the EV coverage, so here’s a little something to get some gasoline pumping through your veins. The COPO Camaro is back for 2022 and it includes a new big block V8. The 572 cubic-inch engine features a cast-iron block, aluminum heads, forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, 4-bolt main caps and forged aluminum pistons. A carbon fiber hood and wheelie bars come standard, like all COPOs, and pricing for the big block starts at $105,000, excluding tax, title, license and dealer fees. There’s also two other LSX-based Small Block engines available and new for 2022, Chevy says it will not limit production. We wonder if that’s because the availability of the COPO is expanding? This release was also featured on GM’s China website, which is interesting. We’ll look into this and report back.

TOYOTA RACING COROLLA SPORT WITH HYDROGEN ENGINE
Toyota is already making improvements to its new ICE race engine that runs on hydrogen, which we first reported on in April. It’s a 3-cylinder unit that’s used in a race version of the Corolla Sport and first got track time in a real race back in May. But over the weekend it competed in a 5-hour race in Japan with one pretty big improvement, which really helped out performance. Engineers were able to reduce a number of abnormal combustion events and that increased torque by about 15%. It was also able to cut refueling time by about 40%, from 5 minutes down to 3. Toyota says it will continue to accelerate the development of its hydrogen engine through racing efforts.

BOSCH SEES OPPORTUNITY TO USE HYDROGEN AS FUEL IN ICEs
On Autoline After Hours last week we also talked about the opportunities for using hydrogen as a fuel in IC engines. Sujit Jane is the President of Powertrain Solutions at Bosch and here’s what he had to say.

(The AAH clip is only available in the video version of today’s show.)

Sujit Jain says it may take a while before we see IC cars running on hydrogen, but he says automakers are definitely interested in the idea, because there would be zero CO2 emissions from the tailpipe.

1909 CURTISS THREE CYLINDER REPLICA
And as long as we’re talking about internal combustion engines, let’s end the show with this beauty. You’re looking at a replica of a 1909 Curtiss Three Cylinder motorbike. None are known to exist so the owner meticulously reverse engineered this one from the original designs and specs. He even had to cast his own cylinder heads and carburetor bodies. Reportedly, the original was capable of going 90 miles an hour, which would have been a stunning speed in 1909.

But that’s a wrap for today. Thanks for watching and we’ll be right back here again tomorrow.