Runtime: 5:40
0:29 MDX Refresh Includes 1st A-Spec Model
1:15 SKODA Supports Geocaching with Trackable Coins
2:30 Genesis Poaches Top Talent
3:10 Honda Launches New Mini-Van in Japan
4:17 Green Cars Sales Make Progress in U.S.
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On today’s show… Hyundai puts together an international team of top talent to run its Genesis luxury brand… Acura updates the MDX… and green cars continue to make progress in the American market. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
ACURA MDX GETS FIRST A-SPEC MODEL
Acura just introduced a refreshed version of the MDX. It keeps the same look as the outgoing model but its available with new colors. And the interior received minor upgrades as well. For the first time the MDX is available with an A-Spec variant. It offers a sportier appearance and has unique touches both inside and out. The MDX is still powered by a 3.5L V6 but its nine-speed automatic transmission has been improved for smoother acceleration. A base version starts at $45,295 but the price jumps to over $62,000 with all-wheel-drive and the Advance and Entertainment packages. The 2019 MDX goes on sale next month.
SKODA CACHES IN
Geocaching is an outdoor activity that sees people using navigation techniques to find containers, called geocaches or just caches. They’re typically filled with all sorts of things, including trackables that are shared or taken from one cache to another. The activity has become so popular that SKODA has launched 500 of its own trackable Geocoins for hunters to seek out. The 5 coins feature vehicles from SKODA’s history, including its very first car in 1905 to a SKODA RAPID that circumnavigated the globe in 1936. If you’re interested in looking, they are currently located at sites around the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Portugal, Canada, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
Still to come… Hyundai poaches top talent from outside Korea to run its Genesis luxury brand.
GENESIS POACHES TOP TALENT
Hyundai is a proud company that is equally proud to be South Korean. But when it decided to create Genesis and make luxury cars, it knew it had to hire the best talent in the world. So the head of the brand globally is Manfred Fitzgerald, an American who worked at Lamborghini. The head of performance engineering is Albert Biermann, a German who used to run BMW’s M division. And Luc Donckerwolke a Belgian who heads up design was hired away from Bentley. These three brought in even more talent from outside Korea, and now have quite the international team of top talent. And it shows. Genesis cars can compete with the best.
HONDA’S NEW SMALL VAN FOR JAPAN
Japan’s kei cars, with dinky 660cc engine, will put a smile on your face. Here’s Honda’s latest, the N-VAN. It sits on the same platform as the N-BOX, which would be an appropriate way to describe the styling of the van. It’s available in front- or 4-wheel drive with either a CVT or 6-speed manual. Note the pillar-less opening between the passenger front and sliding door, which makes for a huge space to get people or cargo in and out of. The van went on sale last week with a starting price a little over $11,000, and there’s already a dedicated website for customizing the N-VAN.
Coming up next, green car sales continue to show impressive growth in the U.S.
GREEN CARS MAKE PROGRESS
Sales of green cars continue to make progress in the American market. Total sales for the first half of the year came to 288,000 vehicles, up more than 7%, compared to the overall market being up 2%. Even though hybrids represent the biggest segment, sales continue to fall. But sales of electrics, plug-in hybrids and fuel cells are growing dramatically. Even so, you have to put these numbers in perspective. These vehicles still only account for a little over 3% of total vehicle sales. But if they can maintain this kind of growth, sales will top 1 million vehicles in the next decade.
| U.S. Green Car Sales YTD | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 164,000 | -7.3% |
| BEV | 65,100 | +36% |
| Plug-In | 57,600 | +38% |
| Fuel Cell | 1,400 | +36% |
| TOTAL | 288,100 | +7.7% |
Be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours this Thursday. Have we got a treat for you, an all-electric Corvette from a company called Genovation. Not only is it beautifully engineered, it’s wicked fast. Greg Migliore from Autoblog will also be there, so join John and Gary for some of the best insights into cars and the people who make them.
And that brings us to the end of today’s report. Thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.
