AD #2942 – GMC Hummer EV Unveiled; Tesla Rolls Out Full Self Driving Beta Update; Ford Shows Off 4th-Gen AV

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

CHINA COULD HIT 2019 PRODUCTION & SALES NUMBERS
China implemented drastic lockdown measures after the COVID outbreak but it got the virus under control and now its economy is opening again and doing much better than other countries. Because of that success, a government official said China may come close to reaching the same vehicle production and sales numbers it did last year. In 2019, the country built 25.7 million units and sold 25.8 million passenger and commercial vehicles. And another official said vehicle ownership in China could hit 280 million this year. For comparison, there were over 111 million registered vehicles in the U.S. as of 2018.

AUTONATION POSTS RECORD PROFITS
One of the few bright spots in the U.S. economy right now is with new car sales. They’re coming back stronger than expected. And to put an exclamation point on that, AutoNation, the largest dealer group in the country, just reported record third quarter profits. But it was mainly the result of aggressive cost cutting, such as slashing advertising and laying off employees. Revenue was actually down a bit for the quarter, but thanks to cost cutting its net profits were up 83%. 

LG CHEM BOOSTS CYLINDRICAL CELL PRODUCTION
A lot of electrified models will be hitting the market over the next few years, which means we’re going to need a lot more batteries. So, to keep pace LG Chem announced its tripling production capacity for cylindrical cells, like those used by Tesla and is eyeing the U.S. and Europe for the expansion. Interestingly, the company also said it’s developing a new form factor for its cylindrical cells that would have five times more energy density and 6 times as much power, but it didn’t say how it achieved the gains. LG Chem posted record third quarter profits and is forecasting more growth from its battery sales in the fourth quarter.

FORD SHOWS OFF 4TH-GEN SELF-DRIVING VEHICLE
There’s been a lot of activity with autonomous vehicles lately. And now Ford and Argo AI have introduced their fourth-generation test vehicle. Unlike the previous generations which were modified Fusion Hybrids, the fourth-gen model is an Escape Hybrid. We wonder if that’s because Ford is dropping out of the sedan market? But the Escape model features new long-range Lidar with higher resolution, higher resolution cameras and improved radar sensors. Near-field cameras and short-range Lidar have been added to the front side of the vehicle, and a similar setup is equipped at the rear, which keeps track of what’s going on ahead, to the side and behind the vehicle. Engineers modified the Escape Hybrid’s battery with more battery cells to help power the self-driving system. The new model also features an improved sensor cleaning system, to keep them free of rain, dirt and other debris, so they can “see” properly. Ford is testing the autonomous vehicles throughout the U.S. in Austin, Detroit, Miami, Palo Alto, Pittsburgh and Washington D.C.

TESLA ROLLS OUT FULL SELF DRIVING BETA UPDATE
And in other autonomous news, Tesla rolled out its Full Self Driving Beta update to a limited number of owners. Elon Musk confirmed the update in a tweet and said the rollout will be extremely slow and cautious. Not many details about its capability are known at this point but Electrek reports that it’s expected to improve upon its Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control feature to include turns in intersections. Combined with its Navigate on Autopilot, vehicles would technically be able to drive on both main roads and the highway. 

GMC HUMMER EV UNVEILED
General Motors officially unveiled the GMC Hummer EV last night, and while we’re going to get more details later today, here’s what we know for now.

• The launch edition is going to cost $112,595. The base version will start at just under eighty grand, but it will not be on sale until the spring of 2024. 
• The launch edition has 1,000 horsepower, 11,500 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 time of about 3 seconds.
• The latest version of Super Cruise is available with automated lane changes when the driver selects the turn signal.
• Four-wheel steer will improve the handling and turning radius of this big truck.
• A large battery pack provides over 350 miles of driving range. And it’s also capable of 800-volt DC charging up to 350 kilowatts, which can provide 100 miles of range in 10 minutes of charging.
• It has massive ground clearance thanks to standard 35-inch tires, and if that’s not enough for you, it’ll fit up to 37-inch tires on the stock setup.
• And just to be on the safe side it has what they call Extract Mode that uses the adaptive air suspension to raise the vehicle another 6 inches. 
• There are 18 video cameras that give you a lot of different ways to view the vehicle while driving, including front and rear views under the vehicle, which give a great look at the underbody protection.
• Crab Walk is a mode you can select to take advantage of the 4-wheel-steering to move the Hummer diagonally if you get caught in really tight off-road situations. 
• And just to make sure your friends and neighbors stop and stare, the 6-bar grille lights up with a dramatic flair, and provides an animated light show that indicates when you’re approaching, walking away or while it’s charging up.

GM is going to provide us with more information later today and we’ll make sure you see it in tomorrow’s show.

MANLEY CALLS FOR EU AUTOMAKER SUPPORT
In the first half of the year, Europe produced 3.6 million fewer vehicles which cost automakers $118 billion because of shutdowns related to the coronavirus. And new vehicle registrations in the region are also expected to drop by 25% this year. But at the same time, Europe is moving ahead with stricter emission regulations and harsher penalties for automakers that miss targets. Because of this, FCA CEO Mike Manley is calling on the EU to support automakers transition to electric vehicles because he says COVID is the “biggest single risk ever to face our industry.” Manley says automakers have to invest even more to meet emission targets but they can’t do it alone. In order for EVs to become more common, he says all EU countries need to expand EV charging networks and offer incentives to purchase electric vehicles. You’ll probably remember that FCA has worked out a deal to buy carbon credits from Tesla so it can avoid big fines this year.

VW MAY DUMP BRANDS TO RAISE CASH
The future of several of Volkswagen’s brands are back in limbo again. Reuters reports the automaker is conducting a five-year review to determine what it will do with Bugatti, Ducati and Lamborghini. It’s even hosting talks with potential buyers for Ducati to see what it could get for the brand. But nothing is official yet. Sources say the review could result in partnerships, a restructuring of the brands or an outright sale. Here’s our Autoline Insight. We know VW has to somehow raise cash for its massive push into electrification, but it also just plunked down about $3.7 billion to buy out truck maker Navistar. And maybe one of these brands will be used to pay off that debt. 

NISSAN REVEALS MAGNITE CROSSOVER
The red-hot compact crossover segment just got a little more crowded. Nissan unveiled the Magnite, which is a cross between the words magnetic and ignite. And one of the first things you might notice is, no V-motion grille. It’s more of hexagonal shape and a little less aggressive looking. But Nissan added some meanness back in there with thin LED lighting that features crisp lines. A similar hexagonal shape to the grille is reflected in the air vents of the cabin, which really stands out from the rest of the interior design that is otherwise rather simplistic. Under the hood is an all-new 1.0L turbocharged 3-cylinder that Nissan claims is one of the powerful engines in its class. The Magnite is scheduled to first launch in India early next year, followed by other markets after that.

Be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours tomorrow when the industry expert and consultant Paul Eichenberg will be on the show, as well as Doron Levin from Seeking Alpha. 

And with that we wrap up today’s show, thanks for watching and we’ll see you tomorrow.