AD #3198 – Nikola to Pay for Misleading Statements; Byton Probably Won’t Survive; AWS Could Be More Popular on EVs

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

NIKOLA WORKING TO SETTLE WITH SEC
EV truck startup Nikola says its nearing a deal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It’s likely to pay a $125 million fine to settle charges that its former founder, Trevor Milton, made misleading statements about the company’s technology. Nikola expects to pay the fine in installments over the next two years and it also plans to seek reimbursement from Milton. The settlement still needs approval from SEC commissioners. But despite the turmoil, Nikola claims it expects to deliver up to 25 trucks to customers by the end of the year. We’ll see.

BYTON PROBABLY WON’T SURVIVE
And speaking of struggling EV startups, Nikkei Asia reports that Chinese EV startup Byton is nearing bankruptcy. The company suspended worker payrolls and also idled production because it’s about to head to court to start bankruptcy hearings. The company has several prominent backers including Foxconn, Chinese automaker FAW and the Nanjing government but sources say they’ve lost interest in supporting Byton and in Foxconn’s and FAW’s case, they’re moving forward with their own EV plans. So, as of now, it looks very unlikely that Byton will survive.

CANADA WOULD RESPOND IF U.S. PASSES EV PROPOSAL
Last week, the Canadian government slammed the Biden Administration’s EV credit proposal to give an extra $4,500 to union made cars in the U.S. Canada’s trade minister said the extra incentive would have a negative impact on Canadian manufacturing and would also harm U.S. workers since the country’s supply chains are deeply integrated. And now Canada is doubling down on its criticism and says it would respond “appropriately” if the U.S. approves the proposal. The House of Representatives could vote as early as today on the measure. But Canada isn’t the only one pushing back against the extra tax credit, a group of 12 foreign automakers sent a letter to Congress urging it to drop the proposal and Tesla has also criticized it.

NEW ACURA MDX TYPE S GOING ON SALE
The new Acura MDX Type S is going to start hitting dealer showrooms next month. We’ve touched on this model briefly before, but let’s go back through the highlights. Under the hood is a turbocharged 3.0L V6 that makes 355 horsepower and is mated to a 10-speed automatic and standard AWD. Other upgrades include an adaptive air suspension system, exclusive damper tuning, larger Brembo front brakes, 21-inch wheels with performance tires as well as a number of unique design elements. Acura says the Type S will be the fastest and best-handling MDX ever, but it comes at a cost. It didn’t reveal exactly, but says pricing starts in the high $60,000 range.

FORD TESTS E-TRANSITS WITH CUSTOMERS
Ford is nearly ready to start making its electric Transit van and so it’s handing out pre-production models to select customers to test in their fleets. They’ll use the vans in a number of specific applications, like for rental, delivery or maintenance, to evaluate vehicle performance, identify the best driving routes for an EV and test charging. And they’ll do this connected to Ford’s fleet management system, called Ford Pro. So, not only will customers learn how EVs fit into their fleets, but Ford will learn how its customers use the electric van. And to help tackle any line of work, the E-Transit comes in 8 possible configurations, including three roof heights and three lengths, plus chassis cab and cutaway versions. Production will begin later this year at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant, where the ICE Transit is made too, and sales are slated to kick off early next year.

AWS COULD BE MORE POPULAR ON EVs
Range is still one of the top bragging rights for any EV, so in order to get as much range as possible, engineers are stuffing as many battery cells as they can into a vehicle. And that’s causing wheelbases to increase significantly. For example, a Hyundai IONIQ 5 is practically identical in overall length to a Hyundai Tucson, but its wheelbase is nearly 10-inches longer.

While that’s good for range, longer wheelbases do have at least one negative effect on vehicles, decreased maneuverability. That’s why we think you’ll see more EVs with rear-wheel steering, like the Mercedes EQS or GM’s large Ultium vehicles. And probably a good reason why ZF is making its rear steering system even more capable. AKC 2.0, as it calls it, is now able to turn rear wheels up to 10-degrees, which is going to greatly improve turning radius and high speed stability.

VOLKSWAGEN PERFORMANCE CARS IMPRESSIONS
We just got the chance to get behind the wheel of Volkswagen’s performance cars, the Jetta GLI, the Golf R and the Golf GTI. Let’s take a look at the GLI first, which gets a slight refresh for the 2022 model year.

It features new front and rear bumpers, a redesigned grille and new colors and wheels. It now comes standard with VW’s Digital Cockpit and new driver assistance technology is available. Powering the GLI is the same 228 horsepower, 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder as before. It’s mated to a six-speed manual or a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. We drove the DCT. And while the Jetta GLI isn’t as sporty as the Golf models, it’s still a fun car to toss around. The Jetta GLI starts just under $32,000, more than $10,000 higher than the standard Jetta.

Next up is the all-new Golf R. Under the hood is a 315 horsepower, 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder, that can be matched with a six-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT. We drove the DCT and wow what a powerful car. It also features six-driving modes, which are pre-programmed to have different steering and throttle response. Its all-wheel-drive system with rear-torque vectoring lets you really carve through the corners. The Golf R is only available in one fully-loaded trim that starts around $44,600 for the manual and about $1,000 more for the DCT.

And last but not least is the Golf GTI, our favorite of the bunch. The new model is powered by an updated version of its 2.0L turbo four-cylinder engine, which now produces 241 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine can be mated to a six-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT. We drove the manual. The handling is great and you feel firmly planted while behind the wheel. Clearly not as powerful as the R, the GTI is still plenty fun to drive and is more practical as an everyday driver. It’s also not nearly as expensive as the R, the GTI starts just over $30,000.

But that’s it for today, thanks for joining us and have a great weekend.