AD #3211 – Ford Reveals New Ranger; Tesla Racks Up Cybertruck Reservations; FCA Accuses GM of Corporate Espionage

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

VW CEO’S JOB STATUS STILL UP IN THE AIR
Yesterday, Volkswagen’s executive committee from the board of supervisors met to decide what, if anything, they’re going to do with CEO Herbert Diess. German unions are furious with him because he warned there could be up to 30,000 manufacturing jobs lost in the transition to electric cars. They don’t like his attitude and they want him out. But the executive committee couldn’t come to any decision. Reuters reports that it wants more time to try and figure out a compromise that will satisfy everyone. So VW is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t. If it gets rid of Diess or handcuffs him, that means the company will be embracing the old status quo. But if it supports Diess, it’s going to run into a buzzsaw of union problems.

TESLA GERMAN WORKERS PLAN TO FORM WORKS COUNCIL
Elon Musk is also going to have to deal with German unions. He successfully stiff armed the UAW when it tried to organize workers at Tesla’s plant in Fremont, California. But when it comes to Giga Berlin, there’s no avoiding it. IG Metall, the giant German union, says workers at Giga Berlin are going to elect a works council to represent them. Under German law, all manufacturing companies have to allow workers to vote on having a works council represent them. But most of the people that Tesla hired so far at Giga Berlin are managers, not line workers. And IG Metall is worried that the works council will be dominated by white collar managers, not blue collar workers. 

CHRYSLER ACCUSES GM OF CORPORATE ESPIONAGE
General Motors and Chrysler are at each other’s throat and this story has a union connection too. Several years ago, GM accused FCA of bribing UAW officials to get a better contract that put GM at a disadvantage. GM also accused FCA of using UAW officials to orchestrate a takeover, where FCA would take over GM. And it said FCA used off-shore bank accounts to funnel bribes to the UAW. But a federal judge didn’t see it that way and tossed the case out. But GM says it has further proof of off-shore accounts and filed a motion this week for the court to reconsider the case. So now Chrysler is accusing GM of using corporate espionage to get that proof. And we can’t wait to see what the court decides.  

FORD REVEALS ALL-NEW GLOBAL RANGER
Oh goodie, we get to look at the all-new Ford Ranger. Or the one for global markets, that is. Even so, the global market version will be a dead ringer for the one that eventually ends up in North America. So let’s dive right into the styling. It’s a good bridge between the Maverick and F-150 with design elements from both, including the C-shaped lighting signature and horizontal grille bar. As for the interior, it still looks pretty utilitarian, but big digital display screens add a bit of tech. The whole Ranger project was led by Ford’s Product Development Center in Australia which not only upgraded the chassis, but also extended the wheelbase and made it wider. Under the hood will be three turbodiesel engine options at launch with the top version a 3.0L V6, but you can bet there will be gas engines too. We’re pretty sure there’s no way the U.S. version will get a diesel, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a gas hybrid. There will be a choice of both manual and automatic transmissions as well as two 4-wheel drive systems. The all-new Ranger will be made in Thailand and South Africa, but you’ll have to wait awhile to get one. Deliveries don’t kick off until early 2023.

STELLANTIS UPDATES EVs TO EKE OUT MORE MILES
Range is still an important consideration for anyone shopping for an EV. That’s why Stellantis is making adjustments to some of its electric vehicles to eke out a few more kilometers. It’s adding low rolling resistance tires, made tweaks to the gearbox ratio and installed a new heat pump that’s tied into a humidity sensor on the windshield. The Peugeot e-208 and e-2008 as well as the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense, all get these improvements. The tweaks improve range by as much as 8% or 25 kilometers, which is over 15 miles. Remember, these models haven’t even been out a full two years yet, and it’s unusual to see a traditional automaker making improvements so soon. But it really drives home how important it is to increase range.

BMW M BRAND NEARLY 50 YEARS OLD
Happy birthday BMW M! My you’re getting old, but you sure do a good job of hiding your age. Believe it or not, the BMW M brand has been around for nearly half a century, and it’s getting ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary next May. And to honor the occasion, it’s dipping into its past. Starting in January, customers of new BMW M models can order their car with the classic BMW Motorsport logo. The emblem of blue, violet and red shifted semicircles was first used in 1973 and those who opt for the retro look can have it applied to the front, rear and wheels of their vehicle. BMW will also open up 50 of its classic paint finishes for select models as well. 

YANFENG UNVEILS NEW INTEGRATED INFOTAINMENT SCREEN
Chinese interior supplier, Yanfeng, unveiled an infotainment screen that features a camera underneath the panel. They call it CUP, or camera under panel. It integrates various different functions like driver safety assistance, HMI, and emotion and movement recognition all into one camera. That includes monitoring drivers to make sure they’re paying attention while using hands-free driver assistance systems. It still needs more development but Yanfeng says it will be production ready in the future.

TESLA RACKS UP OVER 1.2 MILLION CYBERTRUCK RESERVATIONS
Tesla’s Cybertruck was supposed to be in production already, but despite the delay, it continues to rack up reservations. According to Electrek, a crowdsourced tally now puts the number of reservations at over 1.2 million, which would be worth over $80 billion. Tesla only requires a fully refundable $100 deposit for the Cybertruck, and it’s a non-binding reservation, not an order. But that’s still an impressive number, especially considering the truck was unveiled two years ago and was supposed to be running down the assembly line already. Tesla now says it will start producing the electric truck late next year. And even if it only converts a small percent of those reservations to sales, Tesla still has a massive hit on its hands.

MERCEDES REVEALS EQB PRICING IN EUROPE
Mercedes’ electric compact crossover, the EQB, is now on sale in Europe. It has a starting price of 55,300 euros or about $62,000 in Germany for models with 168 kW of power. The more powerful 215 kW version starts at about 58,000 euros or $65,000. Both of those prices are for five-seat models with AWD. If you want seven-seats, it will cost an extra 1,400 euros or around $1,600. The EQB is equipped with a 66.5 kWh battery pack that provides 420 kilometers or 260 miles of range based on the WLTP cycle, which is the same for both models.

And before I sign off, I just wanted to let you know that there won’t be a new Autoline Daily tomorrow or Friday and there won’t be an After Hours tomorrow either. That’s because in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, and the Autoline Crew is taking some time off. Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays and we hope you have a lot to give thanks for, too. 

Thanks for watching and we’ll see you back here again on Monday.