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Runtime: 10:31
0:00 China Closing Idled Car Plants
0:56 Chery Nearing Deal to Build Cars in Spain
1:49 BMW EV Sales Up 40% In Q1
2:26 Mercedes BEV Sales Slide 9%
3:10 Porsche’s Sales Dip in Q1
4:07 Toyota Reveals All-New 4Runner
5:49 New Buick Enclave Unveiled
6:48 Ford Focus Gets New Performance Model
7:27 Opel & Vauxhall Revive Frontera SEV
8:16 Major OEM Adopts Clarios 12-Volt AGM Battery
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CHINA CLOSING IDLED CAR PLANTS
As we’ve reported China has too many car brands producing too many vehicles. That’s led to a price war in the EV segment and more car exports out of the country, which has concerned European and U.S. officials. But the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says the country is addressing its capacity issues. Last year, Chinese car plants had a capacity utilization rate of 70%, so idled factories are now being closed, which should help those numbers. Chinese officials have also said they are being more cautious about approving new EV production plans. But local governments rely on car plants for jobs, which could make it harder to address the country’s overcapacity issues.
CHERY NEARING DEAL TO BUILD CARS IN SPAIN
At the same time, more Chinese brands are looking to build vehicles overseas. Spain’s industry minister says that it’s nearing a deal with Chery to produce cars in the country and it could be formalized in the next few days. Chery would produce vehicles at a plant that Nissan shut down in 2021. It’s currently owned by engineering firm EV Motors, but it’s involved in the talks with Chery too because it would continue to operate the facility. EV Motors could also make other production and commercial deals with Chery. Chery was holding talks with the Italian government about building vehicles in the country as well but it looks like it’s going with Spain instead. By building vehicles in Europe instead of importing them, it will help Chinese automakers avoid backlash because governments are more likely to welcome the jobs they bring.
BMW EV SALES UP 40% IN Q1
The German premium brands reported sales for the first quarter. Let’s start with the BMW Group, which fared the best. It sold just under 595,000 vehicles, including Rolls-Royce and Mini, and that’s a gain of 1.1% compared to last year. The Group sold 82,700 BEVs in Q1, which is a big increase of 28%. But if you exclude Mini and Rolls-Royce, BMW’s fully electric sales were up 40%. BMW says it has now sold 1 million fully electric vehicles worldwide.
MERCEDES BEV SALES SLIDE 9%
Sliding over to Mercedes, it didn’t perform as well as its German rival. The automaker sold 568,400 cars and vans in the first quarter, a drop of 6% compared to a year ago. But it was the passenger car side that dragged its sales down the most. Its car sales were down 8%, while its vans were up 7%. However, both units were hurt by the slowdown in EVs. Mercedes Cars sold 47,500 BEVs in Q1, a drop of 8%. And its electric van sales were down 17%. Combined, the Group sold 50,500 BEVs in the first quarter, down 9%.
PORSCHE’S SALES DIP IN Q1
And Porsche also saw its sales dip in the first quarter. It sold 77,640 vehicles, a 4% decline. Its only electric model, the Taycan, saw its sales tumble 54%, with just over 4,200 deliveries. But Porsche blames that on the model changeover. The new Taycan, which has more performance and range and faster charging times, will start being delivered to customers this month. Porsche will also start delivering the all-electric Macan in the second half of the year, so its EV sales should improve as the year goes on.
TOYOTA REVEALS ALL-NEW 4RUNNER
We’ve got a bunch of new product to look at today and I figured we could start off with the all-new Toyota 4Runner. It now rides on Toyota’s global truck platform, called TNGA-F, the same as the new Tacoma, Land Cruiser, Tundra and Sequoia. We think it looks like a slimmed down version of the current model with design cues that tie it into those other trucks. And also like those other trucks, the new 4Runner is ditching its less fuel efficient engine. The 270 horsepower 4.0L V6 is being replaced with a turbocharged 2.4L 4-cylinder engine, which is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. In standard output, it makes 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, but there’s also a hybrid version with an electric motor integrated into the transmission that bumps power up to 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. That setup is capable of towing up to 6,000 pounds, which is 1,000 pounds more than the V6. 2- and 4-wheel drive capability as well as a host of off-road option will be sticking around for the all-new model and Toyota is also adding a Trailhunter trim, which is its idea of a factory-built overlander. The interior is still blocky and rugged, but it looks like it added some more soft-touch materials, new storage compartments and large digital display screens. I think that about wraps up the highlights and you can expect to see the new 4Runner on sale in the U.S. this fall.
NEW BUICK ENCLAVE UNVEILED
Sticking with U.S. SUVs, Buick pulled the wraps off the new Enclave. Longer, wider and taller than before, it adopts similar styling to Buick’s other new cars, which is inspired by the Wildcat concept. The SUV also gets a large new digital display that floats on top of the dash as well as Super Cruise hands-free driving technology, which is a first for Buick. Under the hood will be a turbocharged 2.5L engine that makes 328 horsepower, which is a little more than the 3.6L V6 that it replaces. It’s mated to an 8-speed transmission, which can send power to the front or all four wheels. Orders for the new Enclave are expected to open this summer. And one of the trims customers will be able to order is called Sport Touring. And like our next new model, it comes with a bunch of ST badges and logos all over it.
FORD FOCUS GETS NEW PERFORMANCE MODEL
Ford is introducing a new performance version of the Focus in Europe, called the ST Edition. Unlike the ‘Sport Touring’ Enclave, this ST stands for Sport Technologies. And it’s upfitted with an adjustable coil-over suspension system, Brembo front brakes, new lightweight wheels, a manual transmission and a turbocharged 2.3L engine that’s been tuned to close to 275 horsepower. With that setup, it will do 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds. And it also has some sporty upgrades to the interior as well.
OPEL & VAUXHALL REVIVE FRONTERA SUV
Let’s stay in Europe with our new reveals. Opel and Vauxhall are reviving the Frontera SUV, which was around for about a decade from the early-90’s until the early-2000’s. Those were based on an Isuzu platform that was used for vehicles like the Isuzu Rodeo and Honda Passport. This time around we think it’s using either the STLA-small or STLA-medium platform. It will initially be offered as a pure electric model, but it will also offer a 48-volt hybrid setup at some point. Details are still pretty scarce but they did provide a number of pictures and we can see that it can accommodate both left- and right-hand drive and features a couple of digital display screens. No word yet on when the new Frontera will launch.
MAJOR OEM ADOPTS CLARIOS 12-VOLT AGM BATTERY
We’ve got an update on a battery company that we had on Autoline After Hours close to 2 years ago. Clarios, which used to be part of Johnson Controls, announced that it’s going to supply a major automaker with its newest 12-volt AGM, or absorbent glass mat battery. These are your more traditional, under-hood batteries. And Clarios says this new version has better rechargability, so with the engine working less to charge the battery, it can help reduce fuel consumption as well as cut CO2 emissions up to 80% compared to traditional AGM batteries.
But with that we wrap up today’s show. Thanks for tuning in.
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I still don’t quite understand all of these N/A V6es being replaced with turbo 4s in big, heavy vehicles. They get barely better mpg in EPA tests, and might get worse mpg in real world driving, at least with some drivers.
I tend to agree with Kit. The larger frontal areas and poorer aerodynamics of SUVs often trigger a small displacement engine into thirsty turbo boost mode… such as a slight incline at highway speeds.
I agree with Kit & Drew, but I don’t think the real world matters. What matters is being able to increase government test results, and these small engines must do well on that, otherwise there would not be such a push for them.
The turbo four in my Mini gets pretty good mpg, over 40 in moderate speed, constant speed driving, but my base 718 Cayman is kind of thirsty for the size and weight of the car. It’s a 6-speed manual, and the gearing is kind of short, hurting highway mpg, and the wide tires probably don’t help. Of course, mpg is not what you buy that car for.
Kit- it’s all the numbers they can get for a specific test. The hell with real world driving and that the customer will rarely see what is claimed. Just like gearing of many cars that were set for tests that were developed when the speed was 55mph. So, the cars got geared and tuned for that speed knowing full-well that most people will drive at 70+. Its back up to 80 in the test now but only for a portion.
I find a turbo 4 to be quite inadequate for a 5,000lb vehicle but EPA is the driver here. Not the customer.
These representative Toyotas get 2 mpg better “combined” EPA ratings with the turbo four than the earlier V6 versions, but they say “premium gasoline required” for the ’24 RX making it much more expensive to operate than the old one.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=47150&id=44436&id=47590&id=45864
They say “premium recommended” for my Mini, but I use only regular, and it works fine, at least in normal driving. If I were going to do a track day or something like that, I’d use premium in it.
I just watched a video from TFL where they compared all the midsized trucks and I think all but one beat the EPA ratings. Maybe the engineers do know more us. Maybe.
From my experience, most cars underperform their highway rating at 80 mph. The one recent exception was a base C7 Corvette, which slightly beat its rating on a couple 1100 mile trips. My current Mini got about 34 mpg on that trip, and the Highlander hybrid, about 33, going ~80 most of the time. As expected, the much larger Highlander, being a hybrid, does considerably better than the Mini for tanks with a lot of short trips and/or stop and go driving.
Buzzard, interesting. I’ll find that article. I suspect they just weren’t driving very fast, maybe 65 mph or so. All of my recent cars beat their highway ratings at that speed, but not at 80, except the C7.
Earlier today, I read the Car and Driver article that compared the new 4Runner to the new Land Cruiser. It appears that, instead of competing directly with the Sequoia and Lexus LX550, the now smaller Land Cruiser competes with the 4Runner and GX550?! I don’t understand how, with a clean sheet redesign and being 5 inches taller, Toyota couldn’t have figured out a way to give the LC three rows of seating, even if that meant the new 4Runner had to settle with only two rows. This way, like the Grand Cherokee, the Grand Cherokee L and the Wagoneer models, there is a progression with vehicles with serious off road chops, if they were out fitted as such, with the LC being the tip of the arrow! Now it seems a little disjointed, with LC being more expensive and having more headroom because it’s taller, but only being a five seats, has less room for people and their things then the 4Runner. Its seems that Toyota was attempting to make the LC a closer competitor to the Wrangler and Bronco, but, IMHO, Jeep and Ford has done a better job, perceptionally, of keeping there two serious off-roaders from treading into the same waters of other vehicles currently offered in their show rooms!
The Enclaved and most of the redesigned Buicks, looked better before their refresh which grafted the Wildcat concept styling, IMHO. The previous design was the best the looking Buick line-up in recent years, to my eye. The Wildcat concept was incredible, but the use of it’s aesthetics on existing, road going products, not so much. The interior and the exterior seem to be from two different vehicles as well! I just don’t understand what GM/Buick were trying to go for with this redesign of the Buick lineup. Maybe I’m just too old and out of touch.
The Vauxhall/Opel Fontera looks nicely styled and has more of an SUV look to it, then the class CUV/crossover vibe. The interior looks handsome too!
wmb, I suspect the new Land Cruiser is to compete as a bargain, more reliable Land Rover than anything else. A lot of 3 row CUVs, including my Highlander, should have a two row option. That space where the not-very-room 3rd row folds could make some very useful storage space. Toyota, and Land Rover recognize that in some of these vehicles, the 3rd row would never be used, so they don’t have it. Minis like mine should be sold without the 2nd row which is almost useless, but takes up storage space.
Buzzerd, I watched/listened to the TFL thing up through the mpg test, and while interesting, there is about three times as much talking saying nothing, as giving information. With all of the blather, they never gave much of a clue about how fast they were going on the mpg loop. Also, they didn’t say what engines any of them had, and some have more than one option. Still, interesting results. All except the Frontier beat their EPA highway ratings. They hadn’t run the Gladiator yet, but being very heavy and draggy, it probably won’t do very well.
Buick could have used their own historical sport badge, GS, instead of ripping off Ford’s ST badge. If they thought the GS badge infers more power, they could have gone with the T-type badge, one I personally always liked. Would love to know why they decided they needed to use ST. Ford may not be too happy about it, but I’m not sure you can trademark and package designation.
That new Focus ST looks sweet.
Is Buick trying to be GM’s Lexus with the new, kind of ugly front end?
4 Runner w/o V6 is a mistake.
I just read some of a Jeep Wrangler forum about the 3.6 V6 vs the 2.0 turbo. Both seem to have fans. The 4 cylinder turbo has more low end grunt and gets slightly better mpg, but the V6 has more linear throttle response, and less NVH. The 2.4 turbo should work fine in the 4 Runner, but, as discussed earlier, what’s the point? Maybe they should offer both the V6 and turbo 4, as with the Jeep.
Turbochargers are sophisticated pieces of machinery, but have become very cheap over the years. And they do deliver when it comes to low-end torque.
I also prefer naturally aspirated, big-displacement 6s or 8s where pure EVs don’t make sense, but manufacturers wouldn’t choose to go with turbos if they didn’t derive a significant advantage from it. Say regarding cost, weight, dimensions, modularity, and packaging.
Seeing tiny 3 and 4-cylinder engines in American cars remains perplexing, though.
GM-Vet I dont think the ST is an exclusive Ford thing, Within Ford it stands for Sport Technologies. But it could be like the Porsche 911 S/T that stood for (Sport Touring). So, I guess it depends on what the letters stand for. And Ford has a higher performance the RS or Rallye Sport. But just like the Dodge SRT stands for Street Racing Technologies. Is GT (gran Touring or gran Turismo), GS (Gran Sport or Gran Sedan), SS (Super Sport). RT (Road & Track) So just depends on what the letters stand for.
Sean, the small 3 cylinder turbos don’t seem to make much sense as shown by this:
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=47375&id=46573&id=46710
The 3 cylinder turbo Bronco Sport and Trailblazer get barely, if any better mpg than the faster, heavier Mini Countryman S with a 2 liter 4 cylinder turbo. Consumer Reports got similar results in their mpg testing.
I regularly get better MPG in my cars than EPA estimates. Sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot. Turbo or not, I always do better than EPA. Unless I am driving 80MPH, then it is about the same or slightly worse than EPA estimates.
The buick styling just does not work because they were applying design cues made for a coupe onto an SUV. So it looks like an amalgam of 3 cars and all of it out of proportion. I think the only “wildcat” concept car stuff applied to new buicks is the headlight lighting signature and even those are squished and grotesquely out of proportion to the body. Otherwise there is no “wildcat” styling on any of the buick SUVs. A shame as the wildcat was a really good looking coupe.