AD #2853 – Tesla Records Strong China Sales; EPA-Estimates for Ford’s Escape Plug-In; Mazda Mazda6 Impressions

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

GERMANY RAISES GAS GUZZLER TAX
Over in Germany, the government is putting more muscle into its efforts to get cleaner cars on its roads. Reuters reports it’s increasing taxes on gas guzzling vehicles next year, by doubling a climate protection surcharge on vehicles that emit more than 195 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Cars that emit 95 grams of CO2 or fewer don’t face any additional surcharges and electric vehicles are exempt from any motor vehicle tax until 2030.

GERMANY MANDATES EV CHARGERS AT GAS STATIONS
And to help spur more EV growth, Germany is mandating that all gas station companies have to install EV chargers at all of their locations. Last year, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced a goal to have one million charging stations in the country by 2030. Currently, it only has 28,000 charging stations and most of those don’t have fast charging capability.

TESLA RECORDS STRONG SALES IN CHINA
And now let’s move over to China, where car sales are rebounding. The China Passenger Car Association reports that automakers sold 1.6 million vehicles in May, which is up 2% compared to a year ago. It’s the first increase in sales since last June. The premium and luxury brands did the best with sales up almost 30%. And Tesla had a fantastic month, it sold more than 11,000 Chinese made Model 3s, up 205% compared to April.

ADAS MAKES PIMPIN’ YOUR RIDE HARDER
More and more vehicles are being equipped with advanced driver assistance systems, which will help reduce accidents and save lives. But if you want to do something as simple as repainting your car, it will require a different approach to make sure the technology still works properly. We recently spoke with John Waraniak, Chief Technology Officer at SEMA, and he explained why painting cars with ADAS systems will be different.

John Waraniak, Chief Technology Officer, SEMA
“We’re finding out a lot of the wraps and cool paints, a lot of the really cool colors that SEMA members put on vehicles – you put in a couple of deep coats of primer, some really cool metallic, clear coat, candy colors – you have to be very wary of paint build up over those ultrasonic sensors and certainly if there’s a radar or there’s a camera that aperture, if you will, or that line-of-sight has to be clear. So, we want to make sure those are all back in calibration. So, working with the service providers and the service research at the OEMs, we’re able to gain access to that information and develop a set of best practices and guidelines for the aftermarket, that we’re learning from the collision repair industry.”

You can watch that entire interview right now on our YouTube channel.

KARMA OFFERS SPORT & APPEARANCE PACKAGE FOR REVERO GT
Karma Automotive released a new sports and appearance package for the Revero GT. The plug-in hybrid is quite a bit faster with the packages; 3.9-seconds zero to sixty, which is down from 4.5. But Karma didn’t say how it achieved that. Although, it did say the system will feature electronic torque vectoring. In the styling department it now comes with standard Black paint, but for some reason it’s shown here in blue. It also gets carbon fiber accessories, fender and dashboard badges, red calipers, drilled rotors, 22-inch wheels and a slight twist on the company’s logo. The performance upgrades can also be ordered without the styling enhancement. Karma did not reveal pricing for the packages, but the 2020 Revero GT starts at a little under $145,000.

EPA-ESTIMATES FOR NEW FORD ESCAPE PLUG-IN
Ford revealed the Escape Plug-in Hybrid will have an EPA-estimated 37-miles of all-electric range. The propulsion system combines a 2.5L Atkinson cycle engine, CVT, electric motor and a 14.4 kWh battery, which is mounted under the 2nd row seats. It’s also rated at EPA-estimated 100 MPGe, which would make it best in class. The exact release date is not known yet, but when it does go on sale, the Escape Plug-in will have a base price under $35,000 in the U.S., before any incentives. For those of you keeping track, at the beginning of the year Ford still had more than an 85,000 vehicle buffer before it hit the 200,000 mark and its EV and PHEV tax credits start running out.

TOYOTA RAV4 PLUG-IN SALES START IN JAPAN
But just like the hybrid market, Ford will compete with Toyota for plug-in crossover sales. Ford is #2 in hybrid sales to Toyota, which is launching the new RAV4 plug-in. It pairs a 2.5L engine with two electric motors, which offers all-wheel drive and combines for about 300 horsepower. A 18.1 kWh battery, which is mounted under the floor provides 95-kilometers of WLTP range, which converts to roughly 52 EPA miles. The RAV4 plug-in is also quite fast and will do zero to 100 km/h in 4-seconds. That sportiness is reflected in the sport-tuned suspension and unique design features. A few firsts for the RAV4 are seen in the plug-in version as well, including paddle shifters and a head-up display and the option for its largest-ever infotainment screen. The RAV4 plug-in is on sale in Japan right now and carries a starting price of just under 4.7 million yen, which is about $43,000.

TOYOTA REFRESHES LARGE FORTUNER SUV
Speaking of Toyota reveals, it showed a refreshed version of its Fortuner SUV, which rides on the same platform as the Hilux pickup. Like most of Toyota’s models, styling is more hard-edged. The front is dominated by a large spindle grille, cut in two by a body-color bar carrying the Toyota badge. The skid plate, fog lamps and LED headlights were reworked as well. A 2.8L diesel now makes 201 horsepower, 27 more than before and it’s 17% more fuel efficient. The refreshed 7-seater is scheduled to go on sale this summer in markets like India and Australia.

HYUNDAI IN BETTER INVENTORY SHAPE THAN KIA
Did you know that the South Korean auto industry never shut down due to pandemic? South Korea did a better job than most countries by enforcing safety precautions early in the outbreak and avoided the worst of it. And that really helped Hyundai. Over 57% of the vehicles it sells in the American market are made in South Korea. Compare that to Kia, which gets 40% of it’s vehicles from there. As a result, Hyundai has much more inventory for customers to choose from and its sales have not been hurt as much as Kia’s. Ward’s reports that at the end of May, Hyundai had 157,000 vehicles in inventory, while Kia had 57,000.

MAZDA MAZDA6 IMPRESSIONS
Well it happened again. Last week I was test driving the Mazda 6, with what they call the Signature package, and I walked away from it shaking my head. This is an excellent sedan. And yet it doesn’t sell very well. I would put it on the same level as the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord or Hyundai Sonata, but it doesn’t come anywhere near them in sales. Believe me, it’s not a problem with the car. Somehow Mazda’s marketing, advertising or its dealers just can’t seem to get enough people to put it on their shopping list.

The 6 looks really good and feels really refined. The interior is nicely appointed with soft, padded surfaces on all the places you’re likely to touch. The Signature package provides Napa leather seat trim and what Mazda calls Ultrasuede. That’s an interwoven material with ultra-fine microfibers with a hand that feels like real suede. Hand is designer talk for the way a material feels when you run your hand over it.

But this car is more than just good looks. It drives solid, with low levels of NVH in all driving conditions, though at startup it’s 2.5L turbo engine is a tad bit coarse. That engine delivers 227 horsepower and 310 pound feet of torque, with torque vectoring, or what Mazda calls G vectoring, keeping the car going where you want it even under heavy cornering. But the 6 only comes with a 6-speed automatic which isn’t a lot of gears in this day and age where 8- and 9-speeds are more common. The 6 is rated at 26 miles to the gallon which puts it towards the bottom of the segment. I think an 8-speed would bump those numbers up.

The Signature model is loaded with features, just about everything you can think of. Even the front passenger gets a 6-way power seat. The one I test drove was priced at $36,600 including nearly $1,000 for the destination charge. For its class that’s a very competitive price.

And that’s why I walked away from this car shaking my head. If Mazda could only figure out a way to put butts in seats and get car shoppers to take a test drive, they’d sell a lot more.

And with that we wrap up today’s report.