AD #2632 – Euro NCAP Awards Model 3 with 5-Star Rating, VW & Ford Will Save Big on EV Costs, Lincoln Updates the Navigator

This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.

UAW NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN TODAY
The Detroit Three and the UAW start bargaining over a new labor contract today and one of the most contentious issues will be health care benefits. General Motors and Ford spend nearly $1 billion a year on health care but they say this spending does not result in healthier workers. UAW members only pay out of pocket for 3% of their benefits, compared to 20% for most employees at Fortune 500 companies. The automakers want their workers to pay more, because they believe that will lead to more preventive measures that will hold down cost.

VW & FORD WILL SAVE BIG ON EV COSTS
So far, no automaker can make a fully accounted profit by selling EVs, not even Tesla which sells more EVs than everyone else put together. But Volkswagen and Ford are going to save a ton of money by splitting the cost on electric cars. Not only is Ford going to get VW’s MEB platform which is designed exclusively for EVs, it’s going to buy EV components from Volkswagen. Did you see last week’s Autoline After Hours with Paul Eichenberg? In it, he pointed out that in 2016 Volkswagen paid about $2,000 for the electric motor, inverter and gearbox for its EVs. Now it’s paying less than $1,000 for them. And with Ford coming on board and adding more volume, VW will undoubtedly be able to negotiate a lower price.

EV STARTUPS IN TROUBLE
But it’s not all butterflies and bunny rabbits in EV land. Seres, an EV startup formerly known as SF Motors, just cancelled the launch of its electric SUV, the SF5, in the U.S. It’s also laying off 90 employees, nearly one-third of its workforce. Seres blames a slowdown in China, but many EV startups are struggling. Faraday Future is trying to avoid bankruptcy, and NIO saw its stock crater, as sales in China came in far below expectations. As the traditional automakers start to get their act together developing electric cars, life is only going to get a lot more difficult for all these startups.

VW ID.3 INTERIOR VIDEO LEAKED
Volkswagen’s first ID electric vehicle, the ID.3, will debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September, but somebody in VW land accidently let a video of the interior leak out. Posted on YouTube by Auto Conspiracy, we get a good look at the ID.3’s digital instrument cluster with a knob at the end that twists for gear selection. It looks as though the center screen can be configured with up to four display tiles featuring frequently used systems. And you’ll be able to control certain functions with your voice by saying “Hey ID” or “Hello ID.” 

PETITION LAUNCHED TO CREATE EV CHARGING EMOJI
And speaking of EVs, Electrify America has submitted a proposal to the Unicode Consortium, the governing body for emoji creation, to introduce the very first electric vehicle charging emoji for smartphones. There’s a petition on Change.org if you’d like to support the creation of the emoji.

WEEKEND RACING RESULTS
In racing news over the weekend, Kurt Busch swapped paint with his brother Kyle at the end of the race in Kentucky to get his first victory of the season in his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Kyle didn’t take the loss so well. They were supposed to fly home together, but Kyle left without Kurt. In IndyCar, Simon Pagenaud’s Chevrolet dominated the race in Toronto. His third victory of the season in his Penske Chevrolet. And Lewis Hamilton extended his championship point lead even further with a victory in his Mercedes.

LINCOLN UPDATES THE NAVIGATOR
Lincoln is adding a few updates to the Navigator. Three monochromatic colors are now available, Pristine White, Ceramic Pearl and Infinite Black, for Reserve series versions of the SUV. It also now comes standard with power running boards, heated and ventilated front seats, a wireless charging pad and Lincoln’s Phone As A Key technology. And the company’s Co-Pilot360 suite of driver assistance technologies is available as well. The 2020 Navigator hits dealerships in November.

EURO NCAP GIVES TESLA MODEL 3 5-STAR RATING
The Tesla Model 3 continues to impress safety regulators. Last year, NHTSA gave the car a five-star rating in every category tested by the agency. And now the Euro NCAP, Europe’s vehicle safety agency, just gave the car a five-star safety rating as well. It even received a 94% in its Safety Assist category, the highest score any vehicle has achieved in its most recent protocol. Euro NCAP was particularly impressed with its driver-assistance technology like lane support, speed assist and automatic emergency braking.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.