AD #2744 – Ram Outsells Silverado For First Time; Bosch Fights Sun Glare; Daimler & Volvo Consider Engine Partnership

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

U.S. CAR SALES DOWN IN 2019
Car sales in the U.S. in 2019 dipped below the 17 million mark for the first time in five years. According to Wards Intelligence, automakers sold 16.97 million light vehicles, which is a drop of 1.4% compared to the prior year. That’s still a pretty good number, which was helped by a strong economy and interest rate cuts. We would expect 2020 sales to perform similarly because they almost never go down in an election year.

RAM OUTSELLS SILVERADO FOR FIRST TIME EVER
And one of the most interesting sales stories in 2019 was the battle between the Silverado and Ram for the number two spot in pickup sales behind the Ford F-Series. And Ram won the battle for the first time ever. The brand sold nearly 640,000 pickups in 2019 which was up 18% from 2018. Chevy sold over 575,000 Silverado’s in 2019, down 1.7%. GM thought the Silverado would surpass Ram in the third or fourth quarter, once it had its full line-up of pickups in showrooms. Obviously the strike hurt, but Ram would have outsold Silverado without the strike. But Ram isn’t going to stop there. FCA CEO Mike Manly told us the company first had to take the number two spot before they could go after number one. So look out Ford!

SYD MEAD PASSES AWAY
We have the sad duty to report that Syd Mead, designer, futurist and friend of Autoline passed away just before the New Year. He was probably best known for his designs that were featured in movies like Blade Runner, Tron and Aliens. We were lucky enough to have Syd on our shows several times and while it’s sad to see him go, it’s nice to know his designs will live on forever.

NEW EMISSION RULES FOR HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS COMING
Heavy duty vehicles are one of the biggest polluters of NOx emissions in the transportation industry and so the U.S. EPA is setting the wheels in motion to clean them up. The agency will propose new limits for heavy duty vehicles that will significantly reduce engine emissions, which will be announced early this year and be applied to future models. States like California and its Air Resources Board would like to see a roughly 70% reduction of NOx emissions from 2019 levels by 2023. The EPA also says the new proposal will offer engine manufacturers the opportunity to improve certification procedures, which will reduce costs. The EPA last updated NOx standards for highway heavy duty trucks in 2000.

DAIMLER & VOLVO CONSIDER ENGINE PARTNERSHIP
Automakers are investing heavily into electrification but sales of vehicles with internal combustion engines still dominate the market. So as the transition continues, automakers are looking for ways to cut costs. And Reuters reports that Daimler and Volvo are in talks to jointly develop combustion engines. Back in October, Volvo said it would merge its engine operations with Chinese parent company Geely and was considering supplying its next generation engines to other companies. Daimler and Volvo could form the new engine division as early as March.

LAMBO INTRODUCES REAR-WHEEL-DRIVE HURACAN EVO
Lamborghini introduced a rear-wheel-drive version of the Huracan EVO. Powered by a V10 engine and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the supercar cranks out 610 horsepower, moves from 0 to 100km/h in 3.3 seconds and has a top speed of 325 km/h or just over 200 MPH. It also features a new Performance Traction Control System, which can deliver torque even when the car is straightening out from a drift or side-slipping. The Huracan EVO Rear-Wheel-Drive is available this spring and will carry a hefty price tag of $209,000 in the U.S.

ASTON & AIRBUS UNVEIL HELICOPTER
Aston Martin must think that luxury air travel is really going to take off. Yes, bad pun intended. It has shown an autonomous drone, called the Volante Vision Concept and as recently as December, Aston teased a helicopter it was working on with aerospace company Airbus. And now it’s showing off the limited edition ‘copter in its full glory. There are 4 interior and exterior designs to choose from, including unique paint schemes to luxurious leather seats emblazoned with Aston’s flying wings. Deliveries of the helicopter will start in the first quarter of this year.

SEGWAY EXPANDS INTO ELECTRIC BIKES
Ever since being purchased by Chinese company Ninebot, Segway has really started to expand its personal mobility offerings. At CES this week, it will debut the S-Pod. It’s a self-balancing chair that is controlled via a navigation panel, it can reach speeds of up to 24 MPH and is meant for enclosed campuses. And it was actually inspired by the Gyrosphere from the movie Jurassic World. While the S-Pod may seem like it’s right up Segway’s alley, the company is also getting into the world of bikes. It’s working on a dirt eBike that will have nearly 75 miles of range and can travel over 45 MPH and is also going to show off an electric motorcycle, called the APEX. While there’s not much information, it will have blistering performance with a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds. 

BOSCH FIGHTS SUN GLARE
Sun glare can be a very annoying problem while driving. In fact, it causes two times as many accidents a year compared to any other weather-related condition. And while sun visors do help, they aren’t always able to completely block out the sun and they can block your view. That’s why Bosch has created a virtual visor that consists of a single, transparent LCD screen and a camera that features AI facial detection and tracking software. The system is able to track where the sun is hitting the driver’s face, darkening only the section of the display through which light hits the driver’s eyes. The rest of the display remains transparent, so the driver’s field of vision isn’t obscured. Pretty cool stuff but Bosch didn’t say when the technology will be available.

And be sure to watch our coverage of CES this week, which is being brought to you by Magna, Gentex and Bose. John will be talking to automakers and suppliers about the new technology and gadgets they’re showing off. Look for those interviews beginning later this week on our website, Autoline.tv or our YouTube channel.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.