AD #2975 – Acura Unveils All-New MDX; Tesla Sets Sales Record in China; Passenger Car Sales Continue to Plummet

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

QUANTUMSCAPE IS THE HOTTEST AUTO STOCK IN THE WORLD
Yesterday, we reported how QuantumScape claimed it’s on track to come out with solid state batteries for EVs in a couple of years. Investors loved the news, sending the stock up 31% to $57.90. That made it the hottest automotive related stock in the world. The second hottest stock was Chinese automaker Great Wall. Its shares are traded Over The Counter and were up 12%, closing at $2.03.

PASSENGER CAR SALES CONTINUE TO PLUMMET
Sales of passenger cars continue to fall in the American market. Last month they dropped another 21% compared to a year ago. And they only account for 23% of all vehicles sold–that’s less than half their market share from a decade ago. Even so, Bob Carter, the head of sales at Toyota Motor America, says they’re committed to passenger cars. He says other automakers are dropping out of the segment faster than passenger car sales are falling, and that Toyota believes it will enjoy good volume and profits in the segment. Right now, one out of three Toyota’s and Lexus’s that are sold are passenger cars.  

TESLA BREAKS MONTHLY SALES RECORD IN CHINA
As we’ve reported, the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, is the number one electric vehicle in China, with more than 33,000 sold in November. But it’s not the only EV enjoying success. According to the China Passenger Car Association, Tesla sold more than 21,600 made-in-China Model 3s last month, which is a record for the company. Back in October, it was reported that Tesla built 20,000 Model 3s in China for the first time and was shipping some to Europe. This led some analysts to speculate that the company couldn’t handle all that volume in China. But Tesla’s performance in November is proving those doubters wrong.

HUMMER EV BEGINS WINTER TESTING
We’ve got a quick little update on the GMC Hummer EV. It recently showed up at the company’s proving grounds in Michigan for validation testing and will soon head up north to get abused in the cold. The automaker says it’s been able to reach this stage of the process so quickly through the use of extensive virtual testing. And you can really see the advantage of an EV that rides on a skateboard platform. The body and chassis are completely separate, so to come out with a new vehicle type, a new body just needs to be slapped on. It’s very similar to how it was done when most vehicles were body-on-frame. 

ARMADA GETS STYLING UPDATE
Nissan’s big-ol SUV, the Armada, just got a fresh new look. The grille, hood, bumpers, fenders, and lighting are all new. Note how the V-motion grille is bigger and block-ier as well as the front and rear C-shaped lighting that we’ve seen a lot on big trucks, which is meant to create a rugged look. Moving on to the interior, the biggest change here is a new, standard floating 12.3-inch center display screen. We know a lot of you aren’t fans of floating screens, but here’s the reasoning behind it. Display technology is advancing faster than the typical vehicle design cycle, so it’s cheaper for an automaker to slap a screen on top of the dash rather than embedding it because they don’t have pay for all that re-tooling. And if you notice, the hard points of the Armada interior are the same old to new. The switchgear, screen and materials are different, but overall it’s mostly the same. Same goes for the engine. It’s still a 5.6L V8 mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission, although we will note the engine is rated at 400 horsepower, which is 10 more than before. The 2021 Nissan Armada also features new driver and towing technology.

NISSAN UPDATES THE KICKS
Speaking of Nissan refreshes, the 2021 Kicks debuted as well. The design overhaul is not as significant as the Armada, but you’ll notice a much larger V-motion grille, bigger side curtain air vents, new lighting and reworked rear bumper and back door. The interior features a new 7-inch instrument cluster, center console and seating and trim materials. Higher trim levels also get an 8-inch center display and rear disc brakes. 

REFRESHED HYUNDAI SANTA FE ON SALE SOON
The refreshed Santa Fe will be hitting dealerships soon in the U.S. It’s slightly larger than the outgoing model and it sports updated styling in the front and rear fascias, the grille and the head and tail lights. It’s also available with new powertrains, including a standard 2.5L four-cylinder with direct injection that’s mated to an 8-speed automatic. An optional 2.5L four-cylinder turbo that’s matched with an 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. And a hybrid, powered by a 1.6L turbo that’s mated to a six-speed auto. Moving inside, two larger touchscreens are available as well as new connectivity features. The refreshed Santa Fe arrives at dealers later this month with a starting price around $28,000. The ICE models are built at Hyundai’s plant in Alabama while the hybrid is manufactured in Korea. That model arrives in the first quarter of next year.

ACURA UNVEILS ALL-NEW MDX
Let’s slide away from refreshes and get to something that’s all-new. The 2022 Acura MDX rides on an all-new light truck platform that is designed to give Type S levels of performance. It features MDX’s first ever double wishbone front suspension setup as well as an all-new multilink rear suspension. Body rigidity was also significantly improved over the previous model. This helped Acura make the MDX more upscale as the model shifts to the brand’s flagship vehicle. The styling is identical to the prototype Acura teased recently. The front end is very distinctive, but also note the short front and rear overhangs and the kickup in the rear window. Overall, we would describe the look as sophisticated performance. The interior features two large display screens, both 12.3-inches, one in the instrument cluster and one for the infotainment. However, they’re not a dominating presence. That goes to the overall layered and blocky look of the interior, which falls in line with some of Acura’s more recent models. And in sticking with the flagship theme, the interior also uses authentic materials, like open-pore wood, brushed aluminum and soft-touch leather. Under the hood is a 3.5L V6 that Acura says has been advanced and puts out 290 horsepower. It gets mated to a 10-speed automatic, which replaces a 9-speed unit. There will be a Type S version of the MDX as well, that comes with a whole host of unique elements, including a 3.0L turbo V6 that makes 355 horsepower and nearly the same lb-ft of torque. The all-new MDX hits showrooms in February with starting prices ranging between nearly $48,000 to about $61,500 depending on the trim level. The Type S arrives in the summer of next year, but no pricing on that yet.

TOYOTA SHARES NEW MIRAI DETAILS
Last month, Toyota unveiled the new Mirai and now it’s sharing more details about the hydrogen powered car. Not only has its styling been updated, the layout of its fuel cell system also changed. The fuel cell stack and other power units are now under the hood, while the motor and drive battery moved to the rear. It also features three high-pressure hydrogen tanks, instead of two. Thanks to improvements to the system and the extra tank, the Mirai has a range of 850 kilometers or about 530 miles, which is a 30% improvement over the previous model. But that’s based on the Japan Electric Vehicle Standards in the WLTC test mode, which is part of the WLTP procedure. So, we’d expect a smaller EPA range. The new Mirai is on sale now in Japan with a starting price just over $68,000 without incentives and it should follow in other markets very soon.

FORD CREATES VERSATILE F-150 TAILGATE 
One of the coolest design features on the new Ford F-150 pickup is the tailgate. It really doubles as a workbench. It has notches to accommodate c-clamps and tie downs to hold boards or other things for you to cut. And to save you from fumbling around with a tape measure, there is a 45-inch, or 100 centimeter ruler, that is molded into the tailgate. It also has cup holders, a pencil tray and slot to hold your glasses.

 

We’ve got a great Autoline After Hours tomorrow. Two guests: Bill Warner who founded the Amelia Island Concours, and Ray Evernham, who was the crew chief who took Jeff Gordon to three NASCAR championships. We’ll be talking about the changes going on in the classic car market as well as the future of motor racing. So join John and Gary for what promises to be a fun show. 

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