AD #4411 – Harley Electric Spinoff LiveWire Faces Collapse; Virginia Cracks Down on Speeding with Speed Limiters; Global Auto Plants Struggle Below Capacity

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

VIRGINIA CRACKS DOWN ON SPEEDING WITH SPEED LIMITERS
To crack down on speeding, Virginia is now installing speed limiters on vehicles of drivers charged with excessive speeding. The state launched the program in July and it’s installed 100 devices so far, which is an alternative to a suspended license. The limiters are GPS-based and use location to determine speed limits, which then prevents drivers from exceeding those limits. The devices do feature an override button for merging or emergency situations that allows the vehicle to go over the limit twice between turning the car on and off, for 30 seconds each time and by 5 MPH. Installation costs up to $100 and $180 in monthly fees and enrollment periods range from 60 days to 6 months. There have been glitches with the devices picking up lower speed limits from nearby roads but officials say there is a fix that will roll out soon. And these devices could become more common. Eight states plus Washington DC have passed laws allowing the limiters and several more states have introduced legislation.

HARLEY ELECTRIC SPINOFF LIVEWIRE FACES COLLAPSE
Harley Davidson launched its electric motorcycle company called LiveWire in 2018, just when it looked like electric bikes could become an emerging segment. But it spun LiveWire off as a standalone company in 2022 when the market never materialized. And now LiveWire is warning investors that it could go out of business next year. Reviewers generally praised the electric bikes for their torque and handling, but the motorcycle community never embraced them, and especially not Harley riders. Now Harley Davidson is exploring whether it should restructure the company, find a partner, or sell it.

  

HONDA RAMPS UP FLEET SALES STRATEGY
If you go back about a decade ago, Honda was criticizing competitors that relied on selling cars to fleets. But so far this year Honda and Acura have ramped up fleet sales 54%, especially with Accords and CRVs. Some of those cars are being used as loaners by Honda dealers. And since daily rental companies typically sell cars before they’re a year old, it creates a pipeline for certified pre-owned cars for dealers. And yet, despite ramping up fleet sales, they only represent 11% of Honda’s total sales, compared to 13% at Toyota, 24% at Hyundai and 26% at Nissan. Total fleet sales in the U.S. market are about 3 million vehicles a year.

FORD LAUNCHES ‘PRIVACY PROMISE’ AFTER GM SETTLEMENT
Just days after General Motors agreed to pay $220 million to settle claims it violated customer privacy, Ford launched a website to educate customers on its privacy practices and how they can customize vehicle data and privacy settings directly in the vehicle or through the Ford app. Called Privacy Promise, Ford says it wants its customers to know their data is safe and that they’re in control of what they share. The company also made sure it pointed out that it does not sell customer data, which is what GM was accused of doing.

   

GLOBAL AUTO PLANTS STRUGGLE BELOW CAPACITY
A general rule of thumb in the auto industry is that the breakeven point for an assembly plant is when it runs at 80% of capacity. Anything below that means a plant is probably losing money, anything above that means it’s profitable. And right now, the global auto industry as a whole is doing terribly. While capacity utilization varies widely by company and even by plant, Europe’s auto industry is only operating at 60% capacity. The U.S. is only at 63.6%. And China is running at 66% according to the latest report from the Federal Reserve. One of the factors dragging down the U.S. numbers are plants that are sitting idle but are getting retooled for production like GM’s Fairfax and Orion plants and the Stellantis Belvedere plant and Ford’s Louisville plant.   

TOYOTA AND WAYMO EXPAND ROBOTAXIS GLOBALLY
Toyota and Waymo announced plans to begin tests of autonomous bZ4Xs in Japan next year. The vehicles will be built at one of Toyota’s plants in Japan and Waymo’s AV hardware will also be integrated at the facility. The bZ4Xs have been modified for robotaxi service with more rear legroom, automatic doors, a power liftgate and ambient lighting to make getting in and out easier. In addition to Japan, the companies will launch the service in the UK and other Waymo markets in the coming years.

TOYOTA UNVEILS WOODLAND FAMILY OFF-ROAD LINEUP
Speaking of Toyota, it’s already established TRD as its performance and off-road brand, but says it wants to explore a broader vision of what every day adventure can look like. So it revealed a whole lineup of adventure-ready vehicles at the SEMA show in Las Vegas that are all branded with the Woodland name. And instead of big trucks and SUVs, Toyota used its more family-focused vehicles, including the RAV4, Grand Highlander, Sienna, bZ, and Crown Signia. All the models feature lift kits, larger fenders, black wheels, all-terrain tires, roof racks and a similar two-tone paint scheme. So what do you think? Could Toyota find some success with a more family-friendly off-road lineup?

CHINESE AUTOMAKER PATENTS IN-CAR FOOT BATH
Chinese automaker Deepal, which is owned by Changan, wants its rear seat passengers to be super relaxed. It filed a patent for an in-car foot bath that unfolds from under the front seat and has water jets for massaging. The design also features components that help prevent sloshing and swaying as well as an easy way to drain the water. Even so, we think you’d still make a mess unless the vehicle wasn’t moving and therefore probably not that practical. But it’s still a better idea than the in-car toilet from Chinese automaker Seres.

And that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thank for making Autoline a part of your day.