AD #3063 – Cadillac Reveals More Lyriq Details; Biden Urged to Ban New ICE Cars By 2035; Infiniti QX55 Pros & Cons

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

BIDEN URGED TO BAN ICE CARS BY 2035
The governors of 12 states are telling President Biden it’s time to ban the internal combustion engine. They don’t want any new ICE cars being sold after 2035. And they want specific milestones set along the way to monitor progress. Those states account for over 40% of all new car sales in the U.S. The governors also want to set standards and provide incentives to ensure that by 2045, all sales of new medium and heavy-duty trucks are zero-emission. The White House didn’t comment on the governor’s proposal but last month the Administration proposed to spend $174 billion to boost incentives and improve the infrastructure for EVs.

GM ADOPTS NEW WORK POLICY
General Motors adopted a new work policy with so many employees working from home due to the pandemic. It’s a simple directive called Work Appropriately. That’s an amazing change for a company that used to be known for its bureaucracy, thick policy manuals and strict procedures. The new policy is a simple guideline because when and where people come back to work varies by region and by job function. Now, GM is trying to figure out the best way to keep employees engaged as they work from home. It’s holding Happy Hours, treasure hunts and fitness challenges. It’s holding meetings with off-the-cuff discussions to generate spontaneous ideas and creativity, as well as for career mentoring. It seems to be paying off. GM says it’s finding it easier to recruit new employees because they don’t have to relocate. And it’s getting more diversity amongst those who are joining the company.   

PEUGEOT GOES OLD SCHOOL TO DEAL WITH CHIP SHORTAGE
Peugeot came up with a way to restart production at one of its factories that was hit by the chip shortage. Reuters reports it’s going to put old-fashioned analog gauges into the 308 rather than a digital speedometer. Not only does the move allow Peugeot to ramp production back up, it will free up chips for its more popular models when they start coming in. A French news channel also reports Peugeot is considering a 400-euro discount for the vehicles with the analog gauges.

LORDSTOWN FAILS TO COMPLETE OFF-ROAD RACE
You can learn a whole lot about a vehicle by taking it racing and Lordstown learned it miscalculated the amount of energy it would use during the San Felipe 250. We reported about the EV startup’s plans to enter a modified version of its Endurance pickup in the off-road race, but unfortunately for the team, it only completed 40 of the 280 miles. Pre-race, Lordstown estimated a 3X energy consumption while racing off-road, but due to larger tires and driving in deep sand, the true energy usage was 4 times normal levels. So, it determined the second leg, of about 65 miles, could strand the truck in the middle of a mountain with no place to charge it. Lordstown says it looks forward to next year and we hope it does compete again. There’s a lot to learn and tweaks to be made. But this also shows why Jeep and Rivian want to install charging stations at trail heads. And it also might not be a bad idea to open a tow service near places like Moab and Rubicon Trail.

AUTO INDUSTRY GROUP WANTS CRASH TEST RATINGS UPDATED
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents most major automakers in the U.S., is calling on NHTSA to update crash test ratings to include modern safety technology. The Alliance wants the New Car Assessment Program, or NCAP for short, to include things like forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, automatic high beam headlights, lane departure and lane keeping technology in its evaluations. The Alliance argues that the current ratings are pretty much meaningless to consumers since a majority of 2020 models received 5-star ratings and the rest 4 stars. The Alliance says tests should not only focus on crash worthiness but also crash avoidance. It also wants NHTSA to regularly identify new safety technologies to add to the ratings, meet with the auto industry on an annual basis to discuss R&D, evaluate how effective the ratings are and update them every three years.

INFINITI QX55 PROS & CONS
The all-new QX55 is an extremely important CUV for Infiniti. The brand really struggled in the first quarter in the U.S. market, with sales down 25% compared to a year ago. It’s counting on the QX55 to help turn that around since this is the fastback version of the QX50, which is Infiniti’s best-selling vehicle. The QX55 is a roomy 5-passenger vehicle with styling that stands out, though some may consider it a bit garish. It’s powered by a 2-liter turbo with 268 horsepower and 280 pound feet of torque, which provides plenty of get up and go whenever you need it. At light throttle it sounds like it’s got a hangover, but once you really step on it, it generates a guttural exhaust note that sounds terrific. All-wheel-drive is standard. The steering is adaptive, which is fine for maneuvering in tight parking lots, but it adds a bit of imprecision in spirited driving. Worse, the safety system kicks in anytime you cross lane makers without using the turn signals. It emits an annoying warning buzz and applies the brakes which gets to be tiresome for those of us who like to clip the apex or haul ass on an on-ramp. Inside, the QX55 offers wide, spacious seats, fairly intuitive controls, and a comprehensive infotainment system. While a base version costs $46,500, our test car was a fully loaded, Sensory trim line that costs $59,000. We think it should sell well. While the discriminating enthusiast may find fault with some of its features, it will meet the needs and aspirations of its target customers.  

CADILLAC REVEALS MORE LYRIQ DETAILS
Cadillac dribbled out a few more details about the first version of the all-electric Lyriq that goes on sale in the first quarter of next year, which is about 6 months earlier than it originally announced. The starting price is $60,000, including destination. It comes standard with a 19.2 kilowatt Level 2 home charging module at launch, but it will become an option after that. Cadillac claims you’ll be able to get over 50 miles of range for every hour of charging, which is pretty good for Level 2, but you need a 100-amp circuit to be able to get that. The launch vehicle will feature a 100-kWh battery pack that Cadillac estimates will deliver over 300 miles of range. It’s driven by a single electric motor on the rear axle that generates 255 kW of power or 340 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. And this might be a bigger vehicle than you realized. It’s about the same overall length as the XT6, but its wheelbase is about an inch longer than the standard-length Escalade and it weighs as much as a base Escalade with 2WD, a little over 5,600 pounds. Cadillac says it will start taking reservations in September.

A quick reminder to be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours. The topic is about sustainability because our special guest is Deborah Mielewski, who’s in charge of sustainability at Ford. So join us this Thursday for a deep dive into the benefits of using more environmentally friendly materials in vehicles.

CITROEN AMI CELEBRATES 60TH ANNIVERSARY
For a lot of people, there’s no middle ground when it comes to Citroen design. You either love it or you hate it. And the same could be said for the Ami 6, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. It garnered nicknames like the Atomic Cockroach. But it was the brainchild of famous designer Flaminio Bertoni and still features one of the most distinctive styling cues of all time, the inverted rear window. It’s called the Z-line roof because when looked at in profile it looks like a “Z.” Citroen went on to sell over a million Ami 6s, which included a station wagon version that was added in 1964. 

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching.