AD #2447 – FCA Management Shakeup, GM Test Tracked Radio Habits, BMW Reveals New 7th-Gen 3 Series

On today’s show… FCA’s new CEO makes changes to his management team… the new BMW 3 Series makes its debut in Paris… and Bob Lutz discusses Cadillac’s luxury strategy. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

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FCA MANAGEMENT SHAKEUP
Mike Manley, the new CEO of Fiat-Chrysler, is shaking up his management team. Here are the major switches. Tim Kuniskis, who is currently the head of Alfa Romeo and Maserati, will now be head of the Jeep brand in North America. He will remain the head of Alfa globally. Harald Wester, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, takes over as the Chief Operating Officer of Maserati and will remain as CTO. Reid Bigland, who is the head of the company’s operations in the U.S. and Canada, will once again lead the Ram brand. He was the head of the brand in 2013 and 2014. And the head of the Mopar brand, Pietro Gorlier, was named the Chief Operating Officer of the European, Middle East and Africa region.

GM MONITORS DRIVER’S RADIO HABITS
You’ve heard us discuss data monetization. Well here’s a perfect example. The Detroit Free Press reports that last year, General Motors conducted a test where it tracked drivers radio listening habits, in order to see if there is a relationship between what they listen to and what they buy. It was a three-month experiment, in which 90,000 drivers in Los Angeles and Chicago agreed to participate. The company used in-car Wi-Fi to track the listening habits of drivers. GM believes it could help them develop a better way to measure radio listenership, which could be valuable to advertisers. Or to put it another way. Monetize data.

The Paris auto show kicked off this week and coming up next we’ll look at some of the vehicles that made their debut.

NEW 7TH-GEN BMW 3 SERIES
With the Paris auto show underway, we’re getting a number of fresh reveals. BMW debuted the 7th-generation 3 Series sedan that’s now longer, wider and taller than the outgoing model. The kidney grill has been elongated into the headlamps, which feature a new LED lighting signature. At the rear you’ll notice lighting units that are more rectangular with hockey-shaped LED elements. The lines of the interior, which seems less cluttered, all flow to the center, making the infotainment screen the focal point. In the U.S., two powertrains have been announced. A 2.0L turbo 4 that makes 255-horsepower and a in-line 6-cylinder will produce 382-horsepower for performance M models. A plug-in hybrid version will also be added to the lineup. The new 3 Series will start arriving in March of next year with a starting price of a little over $41,000. All-wheel drive adds another 2-grand.

MORE PROJECT BLACK S DETAILS
Infiniti had its coming out party for the Project Black S. While there’s a ton of information in the press release, which you can find a link to in the transcript or description box, here are the highlights. The powertrain is able to generate electrical power under both braking and acceleration. The unique brake-by-wire system harnesses kinetic energy from a single motor/generator unit, while heat energy comes from motor/generators fitted to the engine’s twin turbochargers. Electricity is stored in a 4.4 kWh battery pack mounted mounted in the rear of the vehicle. Infiniti hopes some of the practices its employed on the prototype vehicle will help it shorten the development time of other new vehicles. Specifically in the areas of rapid prototyping or 3D printing and digital testing.

KIA REVEALS NEW PROCEED
Kia revealed the new ProCeed. It’s been transformed from a three-door hatchback into a five-door wagon. It was designed, developed and engineered in Europe, exclusively for that market. Production of the new Proceed kicks off in November in Slovakia and it goes on sale in the first quarter of 2019.

NEW MERCEDES B-CLASS LOOKS LESS VAN-LIKE
Mercedes took the wraps off the new B-Class. At launch it will be available with 5 engine options, two gasoline and three diesels. And the engines are mated to either a 7-speed or 8-speed dual clutch transmission. It’s the second model in Mercedes’ car line-up to feature its new multimedia system called MBUX, which is customizable and adapts to the driver. It also offers new driver assistance features, including semi-autonomous driving in certain situations. It looks as though styling was updated to make it look less like a van and more like a crossover. The company will start delivering the new B-Class to customers in Europe starting in February of 2019.

Coming up next, Bob Lutz shares his thoughts on Cadillac’s luxury strategy.

BOB LUTZ DISSECTS CADILLAC’S LUXURY STRATEGY
Ford and GM are taking two very different approaches to luxury. Lincoln is more or less copying Lexus’ strategy, while Cadillac is emulating the German luxury brands. Recently on Autoline After Hours, we were joined by GM’s former Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, and he shared his thoughts on Cadillac’s strategy.

(Clip from AAH # can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)

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But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.