AD #2737 – Hyundai Sonata N-Line Details; Plug-In Hybrid Sales Plunge; Ford Offers Free GT500 Instruction

This is Autoline Daily reporting on all aspects of the global automotive industry.

DAIMLER’S CREDIT RATING CUT
Daimler, which used to be the Rock of Gibraltar from a financial standpoint, just had its credit rating cut. S&P Global Rating just cut Daimler’s credit rating to A-, which is still good, but S&P indicated it will probably cut that rating again in the next two years. The parent company of Mercedes-Benz is being hit by slow sales in China and Europe and it has to invest heavily in electrification. Daimler already announced it will cut 10,000 jobs and warns that its earnings will be under pressure for at least a couple of years.

MERCEDES EQUIPS SIDE VIEW CAMERAS ON ACTROS TRUCK
We’ve seen video cameras used in place of outside side-view mirrors on concept cars for years. But now we’re seeing them on production cars. Lexus is using them on the ES sedan, Audi on the e-tron and Honda on its small city car the Honda-e. And Mercedes is also using the technology for its big trucks. Starting this past June, the camera mirrors or MirrorCam as Mercedes calls it, are now standard on the Actros truck. Two cameras are mounted on the left and right of the roof frame and images are displayed on two upright monitors mounted on the A-Pillar inside the cab. The images are divided into a main and wide-angle view. As you could imagine on a big truck, the system helps improve overtaking, maneuvering, driving in poor visibility or conditions and cornering and braking situations.

PASSENGER DRONE MARKET SET TO EXPLODE
There will be hundreds of thousands of passenger drones flying above us in the next couple of decades. That’s according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan. The first passenger drones or air taxis, will begin operating in 2022 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 46% to reach 430,000 units in operation globally by 2040. The United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Singapore are expected to be the first adopters while Brazil and Mexico aren’t expected to be too far behind. We’ve seen a number of automakers invest in passenger drones over the last several years because they want to get a slice of what could be a very profitable market.

HYUNDAI SONATA N-LINE DETAILS
Performance sells, especially these days and automakers love it because performance models have higher prices and profit margins. That’s why Hyundai is coming out with a performance version of the Sonata. It’s called the Sonata N-line, which is separate from the company’s performance brand called N. While N cars, like the Veloster N, are full-bore track cars, the N-line is good for a few hot laps. The Sonata N-line gets beefier springs, shocks, and bushings, as well as Continental 245/40R 19 summer tires. The electric steering features a rack-mounted motor, rather than column mounted. And the seats are more heavily bolstered. It gets a turbocharged 2.5 liter that puts out 290 horsepower and 310 pound feet of torque and is mated to an 8-speed wet clutch DCT. 

FORD OFFERS FREE GT500 INSTRUCTION
Ford is offering a complimentary track experience for owners of the new Mustang Shelby GT500. Called the GT500 Track Attack, you’ll get professional driving instruction at the new Ford Performance Racing School at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. In addition to learning in the classroom, you’ll also be taught cornering, braking and launch techniques from instructors out on the course. Ford is covering the cost of the driving school but owners will have to pay for their travel and hotel. Ford will announce plans and schedules for the GT500 Track Attack in the near future.

MINI COOPER SE RANGE REVEALED
MINI is gearing up for the launch of its first EV and has released pricing and range estimates. The Cooper SE is estimated to have an EPA range of 110 miles. While that’s well behind other EVs, it’s not too surprising, given the Cooper SE’s 32.6-kWh battery pack. If you remember, the 2017 Nissan LEAF with a 30-kWh battery is rated at 107 miles. Pricing starts at $30,750, which does not include the federal tax rebate of up to $7,500. That puts the MINI in the same price range of EVs like the Nissan LEAF and Hyundai Ioniq Electric. 

MOST CADILLACS WILL BE ELECTRIFIED BY 2030
And in other EV news, Cadillac’s president Steve Carlisle says most, if not all, of the brand’s models will be electrified by 2030. That includes a large, all-electric SUV, similar to the Escalade, that will start production in 2023 at GM’s Detroit/Hamtramck plant, confirming our earlier reports. We’re not expecting every model to go electric-only by that time. Carlisle says Cadillac could still sell vehicles with internal combustion engines alongside EVs, depending on consumer demand. Following along with the EVs will be a welcome change by many, real names. Cadillac is going to start phasing out its alphanumeric naming structure. Here’s hoping for a new Eldorado.

KIA TO RENAME THE OPTIMA THE K5
And speaking of name changes, the Korean Car Blog reports that Kia will drop the Optima name in the U.S. and other overseas markets and rename it the K5, which is what it is called in Korea. Kia revealed the all-new version last month and it’s on sale now in South Korea.

SKODA’S CLEVER SNOW SCRAPER
Skoda has come up with another smart, simple solution that its customers will find helpful. You may remember this washer fluid reservoir cap that also acts as a funnel. And now it’s offering a snow scraper that fits right behind the fuel filler or EV plug door. And the corners of the scraper can also be used as a tire tread depth gauge. It fits every Skoda model, except non-electric versions of the CITIGO. 

PLUG-IN HYBRID SALES PLUNGE
Automakers believe that plug-in hybrids are the perfect bridge from internal combustion engines to battery electrics. Consumers can experience a pure electric driving experience, but still have the long-distance driving range they’re used to, even in winter. The only thing is, consumers don’t seem to agree. Sales of plug-in hybrids are going nowhere. There are 27 plug-in models sold in the U.S. market, but only 110,000 of them were sold in the first 11 months of the year, and that was down nearly 30% from a year ago, according to data from Wards Intelligence. And that means from a business standpoint that this segment is a disaster.

ADAS MAKING BIG IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY
All that new safety equipment in cars is really making an improvement in safety. General Motors studied the impact of safety technology with the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan. They compared vehicles with this technology to the same kind of models without it, and the results are extremely encouraging. Cars with automated emergency braking had 46% fewer rear end accidents. Rear park assist, which warns when you’re about to back into something, cut those accidents by 38%. Vehicles equipped with IntelliBeam, which automatically dims the high beams, cut accidents by 35%. And lane departure warning cut them 20%. Traffic fatalities in the U.S. have been falling for three years, and as more vehicles get this technology we should see a noticeable reduction in car accidents.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.