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Runtime: 8:01
0:28 Car Sales Defy Experts
1:17 Drop in Passenger Car Sales Slows
1:34 Tesla Props Up EV Segment
2:39 Nissan Altima Body Panel Gap Explained
3:39 Tesla Auto-Park Update Coming Soon
4:21 VW Teases New Pickup
4:43 BMW Reveals 8 Series Convertible
5:33 Car Dealers Oppose Import Tariffs
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On today’s show…car sales in the U.S. defy analyst expectations once again…BMW reveals the convertible version of the 8 Series…and why car dealers say import tariffs are a bad idea. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the voice of the automotive industry.
CAR SALES DEFY EXPERTS
Once again new cars sales in the American market came in stronger than the experts were predicting. Wards Intelligence reports that the SAAR, the annualized rate, stood at 17.5 million vehicles. Automakers sold 1.3 million new cars and trucks, which was down 3.4% from last year. But in October last year, sales soared as hundreds of thousands of vehicles that were destroyed by hurricanes had to get replaced. Several automakers had a fantastic month. Tesla tripled its sales. Jaguar Land Rover shot up 20%. FCA achieved an amazing 11% gain as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Alfa Romeo posted good gains. Mitsubishi, Volkswagen and Volvo also saw their sales go up.
| U.S. AUTO MARKET OCTOBER 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| SAAR | 17.51 M | vs. | 17.8 M |
| Sales | 1.35 M | -3.4% | |
| Tesla | 17,851 | +221% | |
| JLR | 10,494 | +20% | |
| FCA | 176,000 | +11% | |
| Mitsubishi | 8,000 | +4% | |
| VW | 20,000 | +0.6% | |
| Volvo | 7,327 | +0.6% | |
| Source: WardsAuto | |||
DROP IN PASSENGER CAR SALES SLOWS
Sales of passenger cars fell. No surprise there. But they fell by only 44,000 cars, representing 30% of the market. That’s a much lower rate of decline than we’ve seen lately. Could that mean car sales have finally bottomed out? Time will tell.
TESLA PROPS UP EV SEGMENT
Sales of electric cars more than doubled compared to a year ago, but Tesla gets almost all the credit. Wards estimates that Tesla sold 12,000 Model 3’s which is an impressive number but is down from the 15,000 that were sold in September. Sales of diesel engines also fell, but that was because of sales declines with the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado.
Once again, the market continues to defy the experts. And with the unemployment rate the lowest it’s been in half a century and wages growing 3% this year, the car market should keep on rolling for some time to come.
Still to come…why Nissan intentionally put a big gap between the hood, fenders and headlights on the new Altima.
MIND THE GAP
Back in the day it wasn’t uncommon for body panel gaps to range widely across the entire car, but as manufacturing techniques have improved, it’s something you almost never see anymore. That’s why it was so surprising to see the large gap between the hood, fenders and headlights on the new Nissan Altima we recently drove. It took me a few days to notice it, but after I did it was the first thing my eyes were drawn to every time I looked at the car. As you can see, it was large enough for me to fit my fingers through. So, I contacted Nissan to see what’s up. It says that due to the clamshell design of the hood, it’s an intentional design element to keep the character line throughout the entire car. And to keep out any weather or debris, there’s a seal between the hood and headlights. That gap really does help to maintain the character line into the hood. And I’m sure designers would be happy to know it was a focal point that drew my eyes in every time. But, as always, we’d love to know what you think.
TESLA AUTO-PARK UPDATE COMING SOON
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed an update to its auto-park feature is coming soon. Called Summon, it currently allows Model S owners to park the car outside the vehicle, in a tight spot with a smartphone app. The upgrade will give the car the ability to drive around a parking lot, find an empty spot and read parking signs. It will also allow owners to control the vehicle with their smartphone like a radio-controlled car as long as it’s still within sight. And it will follow you around just by holding down the summon button with the smartphone app. The over-the-air update will be available within 6 weeks for all Tesla vehicles produced in the last two years.
VW TEASES NEW PICKUP
Volkswagen is showing off a sketch of a new pickup it will reveal at the Sao Paulo auto show next week. It’s smaller than its Amarok pick-up that’s sold in global markets and is built on the same platform as the Tiguan. For now, VW only plans on selling it in Brazil but the company says it may also introduce it to other regions as well.
BMW REVEALS 8 SERIES CONVERTIBLE
BMW just revealed the convertible version of the new 8 Series coupe. The soft-top roof is fully electric and sits under a body-color panel with a “double bubble” design. And unlike some convertibles, it still looks good in profile with the top up. The new 8 Series Convertible costs just over $122,000, including destination charges and will go on sale in March next year.
Auto dealers say tariffs on imported cars are a bad idea. And we’ll tell you why, right after this.
CAR DEALERS OPPOSE IMPORT TARIFFS
Even though NAFTA has been renegotiated, the Trump Administration is still threatening to slap tariffs of European and Asian built vehicles. On Autoline This Week, we’re joined by Wes Lutz, the 2018 Chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association and he discussed why dealers don’t want tariffs and how it can impact consumers.
(The ATW preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)
You can watch that entire episode right now on our website, Autoline.tv or you can find it on our YouTube channel.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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.
