AD #3335 – Nissan Stops U.S. Ariya Orders; Rivian to Split Commercial & Retail Businesses; New DeLorean Unveiled

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

NISSAN STOPS TAKING U.S. ARIYA ORDERS
Nissan continues to run into bad luck with its Ariya electric vehicle. Now, the automaker has stopped taking orders in the U.S. because supply chain issues in Japan are disrupting production. Nissan’s chief operating officer, Ashwani Gupta, said the automaker would rather limit orders to what it can realistically deliver, instead of continuing to take orders and make customers wait longer. It’s not known how long it will keep orders for the Ariya closed but it’s scheduled to go on sale this fall in the U.S. Nissan had to delay the launch in Japan from March to May because of parts shortages as well.

RIVIAN TO SPLIT COMMERCIAL & RETAIL BUSINESSES
EV startup Rivian has run into parts shortages and other manufacturing issues trying to build its R1T pickup. So to help get everything back on track, Rivian is planning to reorganize by splitting its commercial business, which includes its Amazon delivery vans, from the retail side that includes the truck and R1S SUV. As part of the shake-up, Rivian is replacing its executive vice president of manufacturing engineering with a former Magna International executive, who will become Rivian’s chief operations officer. Issues have led to a more than 70% drop in Rivian’s stock this year, so it needs to shake things up to try and turn that around.

STELLANTIS TO SUPPLY TOYOTA WITH LARGE VANS
Stellantis and Toyota are expanding a light commercial vehicle partnership in Europe. The two automakers signed a deal to have Stellantis supply Toyota with large commercial vans including a battery electric version starting in 2024. It will mark Toyota’s first entry into the large commercial vehicle segment in Europe. Stellantis has been building mid-size commercial vans for Toyota for the European market since 2012 followed by compact vans in 2019.

EXTENDED DEFENDER MAKES ITS DEBUT
Here’s the new Land Rover Defender 130 that was teased about 5 days ago. This is the extended model that has an additional 340 mm or over 13 inches added to the back end. This allows for 8 passengers in a 2+3+3 seating configuration and much more cargo space. Styling is pretty much the same as the 90 and 110 series models, but it does feature new color options both inside and out, a new, larger 11.4 inch touchscreen, standard air suspension and 20 inch wheels. There are two gas and two diesel engine options for the Defender 130 and all of them are 3.0L 6-cylinders, but with different power outputs. That power is sent to all 4 wheels via a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. Pricing for the Defender 130 starts at just under 74,000 pounds in the UK, which is roughly $93,000.

NEW DELOREAN SHARES LITTLE WITH ORIGINAL
Speaking of teasers making their debuts, here’s the DeLorean Alpha, a new, and electric, take on the original DMC-12. Although, we’d say there’s only wisps of the original, like the louvered rear window or butterfly doors, which look massive and way more accommodating than the first version. But those big doors lead to an interior that’s pretty spartan and highlighted by two display screens, one that rises out the center console and the other for driver information. The new DeLorean Motor Company says it’s aiming for a 100+ kWh battery to provide over 300 miles of range and 0-60 in 2.9 seconds. That’s an estimated 4.35 seconds to reach 88 MPH just in case you were wondering. The Alpha is certainly a cool car, but like any startup it will be a struggle to start and maintain production.

STRONG INTEREST IN SILVERADO EV WORK TRUCK
Automakers see huge potential for electric vehicles in the commercial market. Not only can they sell the vehicles but also after-purchase services, like fleet management and charging. And GM’s fleet department is reportedly seeing a lot of interest in the commercial version of the Silverado EV. It has been able to secure 85,000 pre-orders from 370 companies or 229 Silverado EVs for each of them. But GM has a long way to go before it reaches full EV production potential, so your guess is as good as mine as to when all those orders will be fulfilled. But any automaker that has quoted massive pre-orders is going to run into the same issue.

VOLVO INVESTS MORE IN FOSSIL-FREE STEEL
Volvo is committed to becoming climate neutral by 2040 and that’s why it’s the first automaker to sign the SteelZero initiative, which aims to increase demand for fossil-free steel and transition the steel industry to carbon neutrality. Volvo is committing to 50% of the steel it buys being fossil-free by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Steel production accounts for 7% of all greenhouse gas emissions globally but in the auto industry, Volvo says steel production is responsible for 33% of all-production related emissions when manufacturing a vehicle.

TOYOTA LAUNCHING FUEL CELL DELIVERY VAN
Toyota has signed an agreement to provide access to shopping in two areas of Japan that were hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. As part of that agreement, Toyota will help establish a mobile retail business that will use hydrogen-powered fuel cell vans. The service kicks off on June 10th.

But that’s it for today, thanks for tuning in.