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Runtime: 10:13
0:00 UAW’s Fain Likely to Win Reelection
1:25 Toyota Closes U.S. Sales Gap with GM
2:31 Commercial Vehicles Struggle in IIHS Tests
4:42 Porsche Overhauls Bonus Plan with Shares
5:20 Honda To Sell Rebadged Mitsubishi Triton Truck
6:10 Honda Unveils Next-Gen Hybrid System
6:38 VW Replaces ID.4 With ID. Tiguan
7:42 Lancia Debuts New Gamma Crossover
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
UAW’S FAIN LIKELY TO WIN REELECTION
Despite accusations of wrongdoing and having three former union presidents come out in opposition to his reelection, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is poised to be re-elected for another four years. The union started voting earlier this week on new leadership and even though votes are still being counted, Bloomberg reports that Fain has a large enough lead that it’s unlikely anyone else will overtake him. And most of Fain’s allied candidates are also expected to win. The results could be announced as early as today or over this weekend. The election is being overseen by a court-appointed federal monitor that was put in place in 2021 following the union’s corruption scandal. While Fain was able to bring in wage increases of 30% for Detroit 3 workers during their last round of contract negotiations, he’s also been accused of things like improperly demoting UAW vice president Rich Boyer after he refused to approve benefits for Fain’s fiancée and her sister. Last month, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into that allegation. But apparently, many members are happy with Fain’s leadership and he’ll likely lead the UAW during the next contract negotiation in 2028.
TOYOTA CLOSES U.S. SALES GAP WITH GM
With the exception of 2021, General Motors has been the top-selling automaker in the U.S. for the past 95 years but Toyota is closing that gap fast. Through September, GM has sold just over 2 million vehicles, while Toyota has sold 1.88 million, or a difference of about 130,000 vehicles. And in the third quarter, the gap was only 37,000 vehicles. While analysts say it’s unlikely that Toyota passes GM this year, it could do it in 2027. GM placed a big bet on EVs but with the elimination of the federal EV tax credit demand has plummeted. Meanwhile, hybrid sales have soared. Toyota, which offers hybrids for most of its models, saw hybrid sales increase 57% in the third quarter. GM on the other hand only sells one hybrid, the Corvette E-Ray, which is very low-volume. GM has promised to offer more hybrids next year but it hasn’t confirmed any specific models.
COMMERCIAL VEHICLES STRUGGLE IN IIHS TESTS
Cargo vans and heavy-duty pickups fall short of passenger vehicles when it comes to front-crash prevention. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested 7 cargo vans and 4 Class 3 heavy-duty trucks and gave most of them marginal or poor ratings in vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian crash avoidance tests. But there were some exceptions. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 earned a good rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention, and the Chevy BrightDrop 400 and Rivian van earned good ratings for pedestrian crash avoidance. The IIHS will continue to evaluate Class 3 vehicles this year and next, adding ratings for headlights and rear AEB. And it will also test Class 4-6 trucks in the future. The tests are part of the IIHS’s goal of reducing traffic fatalities 30% by 2030. In 2024, more than 6,200 people were killed in crashes involving commercial vehicles, accounting for 16% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S.
PORSCHE OVERHAULS BONUS PLAN WITH SHARES
Porsche is overhauling how it will pay employee bonuses. It’s going to start paying part of bonuses with company shares and to help fund the program it will repurchase its own shares on the open market. Under the plan, Porsche will increase the performance-related portion of employee compensation from 10 to 30%. The automaker says the change will help reward top performers, while allowing it to reduce payroll if targets aren’t met. Porsche’s approach isn’t common in the auto industry. Typically share-based performance applies to senior executives and not the entire workforce.
HONDA TO SELL REBADGED MITSUBISHI TRITON TRUCK
Honda is going to come out with a brand-new body-on-frame pickup truck, unlike the Ridgeline, which is uni-body. Media in Japan report that Honda will launch a rebadged version of the MItsubishi Triton mid-size pickup in 2028, a move that would mark the first major collaboration between the two automakers. The model will initially go on sale in Southeast Asia, but other markets are being considered. This platform is also supposed be used for the new Pajero SUV, however not for Mitsubishi’s new mid-size body-on-frame truck that comes out in the U.S. in 2028. That model is supposed to be based on the next-gen Nissan Frontier. And this could just be the start. Honda is reportedly considering rebadging other Mitsubishi models as well as exploring joint purchasing.
HONDA UNVEILS NEXT-GEN HYBRID SYSTEM
Speaking of Honda, it says its next-gen hybrid will come out next year and it came up with a new name for the system, which is simply called ‘Honda Hybrid.’ The setup will be able to run on electric-only power more often and there’s even a mode where the engine can charge the battery, kind of like an extended range EV. It’s expected to improve fuel economy by over 10% and slash costs by more than 30% compared to the current hybrid system.
VW REPLACES ID.4 WITH ID. TIGUAN
Volkswagen is going to drop the ID.4 and ID.5 from its lineup and replace them with the ID. Tiguan. Going forward all of VW’s EVs outside of China will use more traditional model names. The ID. Tiguan is based on the rear-drive version of the MEB+ platform, but AWD is also available. Base models feature a 140 kW or roughly 185 horsepower electric motor and a 58-kWh battery pack. The next step up comes with a 210 kW or 280 horsepower motor, a 77-kWh battery and up to an EPA converted 500 kilometers or 310 miles of range. The top-line version has the same battery pack, but is AWD and has slightly more power, 220 kW or about 295 horsepower. ID. Tiguan pre-sales kick off next week in parts of Europe and prices start at about 42,700 euros.
LANCIA DEBUTS NEW GAMMA CROSSOVER
Lancia is kind of like the Chrysler of Europe, in that it only has one model and it’s also part of the Stellantis Group. But the Ypsilon will finally get a new sibling in the lineup with the introduction of the new Gamma crossover. The model is based on the STLA Medium platform and will come with both hybrid and pure-electric powertrains. The new Gamma is built in Italy and goes on sale in November.
Don’t forget our next installment of Lessons From the Masters: What it Takes to Run a Car Company with Chris Theodore will launch late this afternoon. Most of you will be on to Part 2 of Chapter 3, which discusses different types of corporate structures, along with the advantages and disadvantages each one offers. All of our YouTube and Patreon members get Part 3 of Chapter 3. It dives into a number of topics from corporate age and culture to finance and IT.
But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in and I hope that you have a great weekend.
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The ID 4/5 does look better as the ID Tiguan and more range is always better and with a familiar name, from a popular model.
I guess Honda sees an opportunity in the markets that the Mitsubishi Triton Truck is sold in and doesn’t feel that their Ridgeline would not fit the needs of the market their (too big, to expensive?). I wouldn’t be surprised if the eventual did produce their own or take a more actual roll on the development of the next generation Triton.
While this may be off topic from Friday’s report and was dealt with a few days ago, going back to the new Jaguar Type-01, as I said then, it does seem to look better to my eye every time I see it in print. Yet, the leaders and designers of the model seems to have missed a number of opportunities, IMHO. Jaguar’s throughout their history have always been voluptuous and the this one is stiff. The vehicle’s exterior is so big, but the interior is so tight! Yes, individual have spent a lot of money on expensive clothes that the know are too some and squeezed themselves into them, but this would be like buying shoes that are the size of cement blocks on the outside, that where still too small on the inside! While minimalism is the new fad, when most are spending upwards of $130K plus, they are looking for more! More pampering, more luxury, something really special, but when you look at just the interior of the Type-01 and compare a fully loaded version with the interior of the Flying Spur, Bentayga and a Cullinan, vehicles that a full load Type-01 could reach compete with on price, and the Jaguar is woefully lacking! The vehicles that the 01 would be direct competitors with, would be the Escalade iQ, the Mercedes/Maybach and the Mercedes-AMG S600. When given the opportunity to have one of those four vehicles, I’m sure the the two Mercedes would go first and it might be a tossup on the other two, depending on whether you were a sedan or SUV person. The Type-01 is an amazing vehicle on its own, but even in a market where they have few competitors, the competition might still have an upper hand.