AD #2914 – MC20 Won’t Help Maserati’s Turn Around; Production Lucid Air Finally Debuts; Toyota Highlander Goes Soft

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

EUROPE COULD GET EVEN STRICTER EMISSION STANDARDS
Europe already has the most aggressive GHG emission standards in the world but some lawmakers in the European Parliament want to tighten them up more. Currently, the EU is targeting a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030. But members of the environment committee agreed to cut them by 60% instead. However, that number will likely be watered down, since two other parliament committees have agreed to a 55% cut and member states must agree to the deal as well. And not all are in favor of the 60% target. The full European Parliament votes on the law next month. Europe’s goal is to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

HYUNDAI LAUNCHES HYDROGEN AD CAMPAIGN
Scientists have been praising hydrogen as the fuel of the future, but that future always seems to be 10 years away. Hyundai wants to change that. It’s launching a global ad campaign called Hydrogen for You, which is abbreviated as the letter H, the number 2 and the letter U, or H2U. The company is hiring celebrity DJs, models, photographers and others who will drive around in Hyundai Nexo fuel cell cars and talk about their experience. It’s all about changing public perceptions of hydrogen and showing that it’s an alternative to using batteries.

CALIFORNIA GETTING MORE HYDROGEN REFUELING STATIONS
And in other fuel cell news, the California Energy Commission is awarding subsidies to expand hydrogen refueling stations in the state. Shell received a nearly $41 million grant, which still needs formal approval, to install hydrogen refueling equipment at 48 existing Shell gas stations, upgrade two current Shell Hydrogen stations as well as add light-duty fueling capability at a current heavy-duty truck hydrogen station. And as part of the deal, Toyota and Honda have agreed to sell more fuel cell vehicles in the state to support the new stations. However, the companies didn’t reveal how many more they plan to sell.

 

THE MC20 WON’T HELP MASERATI’S TURN AROUND
Maserati is in trouble. Last year it’s sales plummeted 45% and it lost 200 million euros. And that was before the pandemic hit. Now, it’s doing even worse. But the company has a plan to claw its way back to profitability. And part of that plan is launching the MC20, a beautiful mid-engine hyper car with spectacular specifications. Zero to 100 kilometers an hour in only 2.9 seconds. Zero to 200 km/h in only 8.8 seconds. A top speed of 201 miles an hour. That’s thanks to a 3-liter V6 that cranks out 630 horsepower and 538 pound feet of torque all going through an 8-speed DCT. With its carbon fiber monocoque it weighs about 340 pounds less than a C8 Corvette. Inside, it’s masterfully laid out, with beautiful appointments and contrasting colors that invite you to slip into the seats. And in a nod to the modern era there are two 10-inch screens and all the instrumentation is digital. So will the MC20 help Maserati get turned around? No, not on its own. It’s generating a ton of publicity and will polisih the brand image, but with an estimated $200,000 price tag, sales will be tiny. What will really help Maseratii is its next SUV, the Grecale, which will slot in below the Levante. And that should go on sale next spring.

MERCEDES USING AUGMENTED REALITY TO HELP TECHS
Mercedes is turning to augmented reality to help its mechanics fix cars. Called Mercedes-Benz Virtual Remote Support, onsite dealer technicians put on a pair of Hololens goggles to give them immediate, real-time support from Mercedes technical specialists anywhere in the country. Using Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, the remote tech can see exactly what the onsite tech is seeing. Both users can view detailed 3D images and holograms, see where changes need to be made, mark visual information, add documents, and insert arrows and circles, to highlight areas to focus on. Not only does the technology help speed up repairs, since techs are able to diagnose issues faster, it also helps keep employees safe by working remotely during the pandemic. Mercedes recently rolled out the technology to all of its dealers in the U.S.

AUDI INTRODUCES S VERSIONS OF THE E-TRON
Audi introduced the S versions of the e-tron and e-tron Sportback. They feature 3 electric motors, two at the rear axle and one at the front. Audi claims it’s the first mass-produced EV in the world with 3 motors. The vehicles move from 0 to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and have a top speed of 130 MPH. In S gear, which provides full boost performance for 8 seconds, the models can hit nearly 500 horsepower and more than 700 lb.-ft. of torque. The S versions are a bit wider than the standard e-tron models and they feature silver attachments at the front and rear as well as aluminum mirror housings. Pricing for the e-tron S starts at a little over 91,000 euros or close to $110,000 and the e-tron S Sportback costs 2,000 euros more. Both models are available in Europe this fall.

 

LUCID FINALLY DEBUTS PRODUCTION AIR SEDAN
Lucid Motors finally debuted its Air sedan yesterday. Since styling hasn’t changed much from the prototypes, let’s focus on other areas. And one thing that caught our eye is the unique clamshell design of the trunk and frunk, which create less seams on the car and allow for easier access. Also aiding access are rear doors that open to 90-degrees. Speaking of getting into the Air, the car activates a lighting sequence as you approach and presents the door handles. It recognizes each individual user through their smartphone, uses a camera that monitors the driver to confirm who they are and then sets preferences to that person. Once inside you may notice the huge glass roof, but if you sprung for the top infotainment setup, you’ll likely be drawn to the massive 34-inch screen that blends the instrument cluster and infotainment together. There’s also a lower screen that interacts with the upper screen. The upper screen shows basic information, while the lower allows users to go into more detail. And just in case drivers get too distracted with what’s happening on the screens, there’s a whole suite of driver assistance technologies, what Lucid calls DreamDrive. In all, the Air has 32 sensors and cameras and claims to be the first to combine high-res LIDAR and full-surround radar. Now let’s get to the numbers. Three power outputs are available; 620-horsepower, 800-horsepower and 1080. Thanks to a drag coefficient of 0.21 the Air has impressive range. The Touring model can go 406 miles, the Grand Touring goes up to 517 and the Dream Edition has 465 miles or 503 miles of range, depending on the tire size. The Dream Edition is actually a limited edition that will launch first in 2021 and will carry a price of about $170,000. Next comes the GT in the summer of 2021 at nearly $140,000, followed by the $95,000 Touring model and then comes the standard Air in 2022 at $80,000. Anyone interested in the Air can plunk down a $1,000 refundable deposit right now.

Autoline After Hours is back this afternoon and we’ll be talking about GM’s global product plans with Tim Herrick. He’s the one in charge of everything GM does that is not electric. But those are the vehicles that will generate the money GM needs to invest in electrics. This ought to be a fascinating discussion so join John and Gary as well as Stephanie Brinley from IHS Markit when we get going live at 3 pm eastern time.

TOYOTA’S HIGHLANDER GOES SOFT
The Toyota Highlander made a recent run through the Autoline Garage and it helped us understand why it’s Toyota’s fourth best selling model in the American market. While it wears an angry face, the 3-row Highlander now behaves more like a kitty cat. Everything about it is soft. The suspension is softly sprung and runs over rough roads with barely a ripple. The cabin is softly quiet. The interior features soft rounded edges on the instrument panel, the console, the seats and door panels. And all the surfaces are covered in soft padding. The front side windows are laminated to make the interior quieter and Toyota engineers took advantage of moving the Highlander onto the TNGA platform to tune out frequencies that can interfere with conversations. Meanwhile, under the skin, the Highlander is ready to rumble. There’s a hybrid version, but we drove the big 3.5 liter V6 that comes with an 8-speed automatic. With 295 horsepower and 263 foot pounds on tap it moves this bulky SUV around with ease and can tow a 5,000 pound trailer. The base Highlander is front drive, but there are two optional all-wheel-drive systems that you can choose from, while the hybrid version gets an electric motor on the rear axle to power the rear wheels. Toyota has stuffed the Highlander full of its safety and infotainment systems that are too numerous to list here. Of course, our Platinum edition tester came with everything and the $51,100 price tag reflects that.

That wraps up today’s show. Thanks for watching.