Follow us on social media:
Runtime: 6:36
0:07 UAW Likely to Ratify New Ford Contract
0:49 Tesla Clobbers BMW
1:36 Tesla Plans German Factory
2:22 Maserati To Revamp Entire Lineup By 2023
3:10 Motor Trend C8 Corvette Dyno Results Botched
3:54 Hyundai Develops New Noise Control System
4:46 Hyundai Teases Plug-In SUV
5:08 Medium & Heavy-Duty Truck Sales Drop in U.S.
Visit our sponsor to thank them for their support of Autoline Daily: Bridgestone.
This is Autoline Daily reporting on all aspects of the global automotive industry.
UAW LIKELY TO RATIFY NEW FORD CONTRACT
Last week, it looked like UAW members wouldn’t ratify its new labor contract with Ford. But now it looks like the deal will go through. Bloomberg reports about half of the votes have been counted so far with nearly two-thirds of members voting in favor of the new contract. Last week, Ford updated the deal to fix a problem with pay increases and since then, workers at 17 factories have approved the new contract. However, Ford still isn’t out of the woods yet. Two of its largest plants have yet to vote and if they reject it, the deal could go down. Voting ends on the 15th, so we’ll find out what happens in just a few days.
TESLA CLOBBERS BMW
Tesla has done an extraordinary job of elbowing its way into the luxury segment. At first the German luxury brands sneered at the Silicon Valley upstart. Now they’re licking their wounds. A study from Bloomberg News shows that BMW and Mini have lost the most customers to Tesla on a percentage basis. Audi, Acura and Infiniti are next. As the Tesla Model 3 becomes more popular, sales of the BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A3 have plummeted. Last quarter alone BMW 3-series sales dropped 64%. And what’s really got to worry the German luxury brands is that the Model 3 sells at a higher price than their cars do.
TESLA PLANS GERMAN FACTORY
And if the German brands think it’s bad now, Tesla has announced it will make its next factory as well as a new engineering and design center in Berlin. Elon Musk said the factory will make batteries, powertrains and vehicles, starting with the Model Y. It’s not expected to start pumping out cars until sometime in 2021, but the German brands have got to be worried that German consumers will be proud to drive around in German-made Teslas.
MASERATI TO REVAMP ENTIRE LINEUP BY 2023
As we reported yesterday, FCA has no new models planned for Alfa Romeo. But it’s a completely different story with Maserati. Mike Manley, the CEO of FCA, told financial analysts they will renew Maserati’s entire line-up by 2023. All the new products will offer a battery electric version. A new sports car debuts late next year, with a cabrio and an all-electric version to come in 2021. A new D-segment utility also debuts in 2021. The next generation of the GT, the GC, the Quattroporte and Levante will follow after that. Manley says he believes there is still tremendous potential with Maserati, even though it’s struggling right now.
MOTOR TREND C8 CORVETTE DYNO RESULTS BOTCHED
Remember that Motor Trend article about how it put a new C8 Corvette on a dyno and got way more horsepower and torque than the SAE rated numbers of 495-horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque? Well, if you were skeptical of MT’s findings, you were right to feel that way. Motor Trend came out and said that the dyno operator selected two incorrect settings, with the biggest goof being that it was set for an all-wheel drive vehicle, so the dyno thought the ‘Vette was overcoming way more inertia than it really was. No one has been able to put the C8 on a dyno with the correct parameters, but it looks like the SAE numbers are pretty spot on.
HYUNDAI DEVELOPS NEW NOISE CONTROL SYSTEM
Hyundai is adding to its Active Noise Control system with new technology called Road Noise Active Noise Control, or RANC. By using microphones and sensors to analyze sounds and vibrations, speakers invert the sounds of road and engine noise to quiet the cabin. Hyundai says the old system of adding insulation was ineffective in stopping noise and contributed to added weight. The company claims during testing, the new RANC system reduced in-cabin noise by 3 decibels, which is twice as effective as the current insulation. Hyundai says its new RANC technology will first be equipped in an upcoming Genesis model.
HYUNDAI TEASES PLUG-IN SUV
Hyundai will have a new SUV concept to show off in LA later this month. The plug-in hybrid is the latest concept to express Hyundai’s new global design language and even features a morphing grille where each individual cell moves in a programmed sequence to optimize airflow and aerodynamics, when the vehicle is in motion.
MEDIUM & HEAVY-DUTY TRUCK SALES DROP IN U.S.
Passenger car sales in the U.S. were down last month but so were sales of medium and heavy-duty trucks. According to Wards Intelligence, the segment was down 2.5% in October but that’s because sales of the big Class 8 trucks dropped 11%. The medium segment, Class 4 through 7, was actually up 8% in October. But while sales were down last month, through the first 10 months of the year medium and heavy-duty truck sales are up 11%. So we’ll have to keep our eye on, if last month was a blip or a sign of things to come.
| U.S. BIG TRUCK SALES, OCTOBER 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| October | YTD | |
| Medium (Class 4-7) | +8.2% | +7.1% |
| Heavy (Class 8) | -11.4% | +15.5% |
| Combined | -2.5% | +11.4% |
| Source: Wards Intelligence | ||
We have a really cool Autoline After Hours coming up this Thursday, with Matt Vachaparampil from a company called, Caresoft. They’ve developed the technology to use a giant MRI machine to scan cars allowing them to see every nut, bolt and washer. This could revolutionize competitive tear downs, because they don’t need to tear down a car to see everything that’s inside it. So join John and Gary on Thursday for some of the best insights into the new technology that’s revolutionizing the auto industry.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching.
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.
