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  • Chicago Auto Show Postpones 2021 Gathering Due to Pandemic

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    Chicago Auto Show organizers have postponed the 2021 event indefinitely.

    In what has become an all-too-familiar scenario, the coronavirus pandemic claimed another automotive event: the 2021 Chicago Auto Show.

    The pandemic has forced nearly every major show since the 2020 Chicago Auto Show in February to either reschedule, cancel all together or shift to an online format. No new dates have been set and the website for the show simply shows the dates as “Spring 2021.” It was initially set to run Feb. 13-21.

    “We are working with our partners at McCormick Place as well as state and city officials to develop a plan that allows us to open the 2021 Chicago Auto Show in a safe and responsible manner,” Mark Bilek, senior director of communications and technology for the Chicago Auto Show, told TheDetroitBureau.com in an email.

    (Detroit Auto Show organizers moving NAIAS again.)

    The 2020 Chicago Auto Show was basically the last full-on, in-person auto show.

    “State officials are currently reviewing our plan. While our traditional February dates are unlikely, we are hopeful to be able to stage the show sometime in the spring.” Bilek told Automotive News show organizers were hoping some time in March, April or May.

    Chicago is one of the larger shows on the North American circuit of global auto shows, and very focused on consumers. Bilek noted the show organizers are working with healthcare officials with the city and state to determine when the show can be held.

    Not only does the show have to deal with the always changing impact of the pandemic, it’s also got to find a space between other auto shows that have already been forced to reschedule dates. The most immediate show between now and the now postponed Chicago event is the annual Consumer Electronics Show.

    Organizers now say they plan to go to an “all-digital” format for CES in January. Better known as the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual show has become a major event for automakers at a time when their vehicles are becoming increasingly high tech. Dozens of automakers and auto suppliers filled an entire wing of the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center in January 2020.

    (CES goes digital — but will automakers (virtually) stick around in 2021?)

    “Amid the pandemic and growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it’s just not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA, the group that runs the annual show.

    Nissan showed off the Ariya Concept at CES last January. Will automakers go with the show in 2021 when it becomes an internet-only event.

    The New York International Auto Show, normally held in April, moved to Aug. 20-29 at the Javits Convention Center. Show organizers tried to push back its 2020 show to this fall before ultimately cancelling it. They got proactive and delayed the 2021 event.

    The North American International Auto Show in Detroit for 2021 moved its projected June date to now late September in what organizers are calling a “reimagined indoor and outdoor show.”

    Public days for the show will now be Sept. 28 – Oct. 9, 2021 with the media preview and other events actually kicking off Sept. 24. Organizers say the NAIAS will be a “fall show going forward.” When it finally opens, it will be 2.5 years between Detroit auto shows.

    (New York Auto Show postponed until August due to coronavirus.)

    Other shows are still formulating plans, and those plans don’t even account for large classic car shows like the Pebble Beach Concours and others.


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  • Trade-In Values on Used Car Prices Falling Back to Normal

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    Trade-in values are returning to normal after a rise in used-car prices pushed them up earlier this year.

    New vehicle sales continue to rebound from dreadful lows in late spring and early summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, and part of that comeback means that the value of that car, truck or utility vehicle being traded in is returning to normal too.

    So potential buyers who want more than top dollar for their trade better pull the trigger pretty soon, according to a new analysis of data from Edmunds.com.

    According to the car shopping experts, the average trade-in value last month dropped 3.3% to $15,874 from $16,411. In short, dealers are feeling less desperate to get new vehicles off their lots and aren’t overpaying for your trade. This also means they’re no longer hunting for good quality used vehicles to stock their previously owned lots either.

    (Black Friday offering up some good deals for new car shoppers.)

    “After experiencing a remarkable surge over the past few months, used car values are finally cooling down now that some of the major supply issues faced by the industry are being addressed,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ executive director of insights.

    Potential buyers may want to accelerate their decision if they want to get better-than top dollar for their trade.

    “While inventory is still tight in some areas, we’re expecting to see more lease returns make their way to the used market. This steady supply of near-new inventory will help address the increased demand we’ve been seeing in the market during COVID-19.”

    The average value for 3-year-old vehicles also fell in October to $20,401, a 1.7% decline compared to $20,747 in September.

    The website examined trade-in values for some of the top-selling vehicles in the U.S. ­– Toyota Camry, Honda CR-V and Ford F-150 – in September and October. All of them saw the value drop with CR-V faring the best with just a 3% slide. The F-150 and Camry saw drops of 5% and 7.6% respectively.

    (Asian carmakers report increase in October sales.)

    The news gets better — if you’re a dealer.

    Edmunds noted that despite dealers offering less money on that F-150 that a potential buyer wants to use as part of their down payment, automakers are still seeing small increases on their average transaction prices, or ATPs.

    New vehicle sales in the U.S. are rebounding from spring and summer lows due to the pandemic.

    The ATP for all used vehicle purchases in October climbed to $22,418, a 0.5% increase compared to $22,299 in September. The ATP for 3-year-old used vehicle purchases in October dipped to $24,007, a 0.3% decrease compared to $24,067 in September. In short, dealers are getting more money out of the deal.

    The prices have remained flat, according to the website, because there has been an influx of off-lease and off-rental vehicles in the market place. Many rental companies, but Hertz in particular as it goes through bankruptcy, are selling off vehicles that they aren’t using because of the drop in travel during the pandemic.

    “We’re finally hitting the tipping point in the used car market,” said Ivan Drury, Edmunds’ senior manager of insights.

    (U.S. new car sales show signs of life in September.)

    “If your household has a second vehicle that you are thinking about selling because it’s going unused during the pandemic, there’s no point in holding onto it in the hopes of its value increasing again. You won’t get a dramatically higher value for your trade-in than you would have just last month, but you should still get a bit more money than usual since values are still inflated.”


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  • Tesla’s Pubic Relations Team Gets the Ziggy

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    Tesla CEO Elon Musk was reportedly unhappy with the media coverage of Battery Day last month.

    If Elon Musk cuts Tesla’s public relations department who don’t respond to automotive reporters will anyone notice anything different?

    Musk’s disdain for big corporate media has been well chronicled for several years now – mostly courtesy of the man himself and in 140 characters or less. Fortunately for those of us in small, non-corporate media, we’ve been treated just like the big boys. To be clear, wanting equal access generally means MORE access, not less — or none at all in this case.

    Why are we – or specifically me – talking about Musk and Tesla’s apparently now-defunct PR department? Well, it seems he’s decided that along with no marketing efforts, he also doesn’t need any public relations tasks completed either. Several media reports, led by Electrek, are reporting demise of public relations at the EV maker.

    (Tesla accidentally produces open-air Model Y.)

    This is all came up yesterday when Jalopnik’s Jason Torchinsky humorously laid out his one-way relationship with Tesla’s PR team. In the piece, he talks about how he got in trouble with an editor for not trying to get a comment from the then-nascent EV maker for a story he’d written. Since then, he’s always made repeated attempts to reach out to them.

    Tesla CEO Musk emphasized his distaste for the SEC during an interview on “60 Minutes.” Apparently, there are some good reporters out there.

    Straight forward emails. Begging emails. Sarcastic emails. Funny emails. WTF emails … and all of them in vain.

    Questions … unanswered. Confirmation requests … unconfirmed. Sigh ….

    The automotive media chorus, comprised of mostly middle-aged men driving mostly brown station wagons manual transmission, was quick to join in support of Torchinsky. Many relived their own frustrating efforts to get some sort of cooperation from Tesla’s public relations people, who I now envision as the same cardboard cutouts of people you see in the stands at pro sporting events these days, but sitting in cubes instead.

    Being the good reporter that I am I sought to confirm the rumor about the end of public relations at Tesla. Particularly tricky if true, I might add. Undaunted I reached out today to the one Tesla person who has responded to me in the past few years. In fact, compared to Torchinsky and many others I’ve seen in top-secret auto reporter forums where we lament the slow death of the manual transmission and brown station wagons, this person and I are virtual besties because I’d heard from someone – gasp!– this year!

    My last response came from Tesla’s Kamran Mumtaz on Jan. 28, where his email could essentially be summed up as “no.” To be clear, it was nicer than that, but I have parents and I’ve been told “no” before and, well, it was basically the same experience. We’ve all been there.

    Joe Rogan, left, spoke with Tesla CEO Elon Musk for more than two hours on his podcast.

    (Tesla hits quarterly deliveries record but Wall Street is not impressed.)

    I’ve also reached out to Gina Antonini, who works in Communications and External Relations at Tesla, according to her LinkedIn page. We’ve never spoken, traded emails or texts before … and we still haven’t.

    The aforementioned Mumtaz may actually have been the last person to head up Tesla’s public relations team. A scan of his LinkedIn page shows he’s had some high-level public relations jobs, although Tesla was his first auto pr job. It also shows he’s still employed there, but he doesn’t have a title. Just says he works at Tesla. Could be working on the line now. Could be working security with the deletion of the pr team.

    I don’t know … because I still haven’t heard back.

    To be clear, automotive media types are a pretty lucky group. We drive nice vehicles occasionally (or often), we get fed well on a regular basis and the pr folks at every other automaker generally treat us pretty good. Many of them are former reporters and they understand that fair criticism is part of the deal. If they feel you’ve been unfair, they’ll call and you can hash it out, but petulant behavior by angry executives is rare because their pr folks generally let them know what’s coming in advance and remind them that, well, fair criticism is part of journalism — the good, helpful part of journalism. Suck it up buttercup.

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk, shown here with an early prototype of the Model S, used to talk with the media at auto shows.

    Musk has decided he doesn’t need to a pr team to help out reporters who are just gonna be unfair to him and his company anyway. If I had a few minutes with him, aside from asking him for the $1 million money clip I’m almost certain he carries in his pocket, I’d remind him that it’s hard to report the entire story without all the information and, believe it or not, we value automaker input — and that, well, fair criticism is part of journalism — the good, helpful part of journalism.

    (Tesla speaking truth about its power at Battery Day.)

    But, I have children and understand how they behave (kind like that last clause!) so I know what the response will be. So for now, I guess we’ll all have to suck it up, buttercup.


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  • Ford Outperforms GM, FCA in Third Quarter Sales

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    Ford said the F-Series finished the third quarter strong with a 17.2% increase in September.

    Ford Motor Co. outscored its Detroit rivals, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler during the third quarter by reporting a smaller sales decline and picking up share in the pickup market.

    Ford, reporting a day after GM and FCA, was down 4.9% compared to a year ago. GM and FCA reported 10% declines during the third quarter as the industry showed signs of recovering from the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, which stalled sales last spring.

    “Despite the challenging pandemic environment, our retail unit sales were down only 2 percent and we had our best third quarter of pickup truck sales since 2005,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president of sales marketing and service. “F-Series finished the quarter on a high note with September sales up 17.2% with over 76,000 F-Series pickups sold. This is a testament to our winning product portfolio and the performance of our great dealers.”

    (U.S. new car sales show signs of life in September.)

    Volvo Cars enjoyed its best September sales results since 2004.

    FCA’s Ram pickup deliveries slipped 3.4% year over year to 156,157 pickups during the third quarter as the Chevrolet Silverado pickup from GM fell 5.4% to 145,525 units. Subaru and Toyota reported sales gains in September as actual sales gains versus the previous year.

    Volvo Cars USA maintained its upward momentum trend announcing its fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Retailing 10,274 cars in September 2020, the strong result represents 10.2% growth over the same period last year and marks the best September result for the brand since 2004.

    Honda brand sales climbed 11% as trucks set a September record with a 20.4% jump, while Acura September sales increased 16.6% on strong performances from MDX, RDX and ILX. “September marks a high-water mark for Honda sales this year with double-digit gains and our first month in positive territory since the pandemic began,” said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of National Operations at American Honda.

    (Automakers expected to report strong September sales.)

    Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total September sales of 24,237 vehicles, an increase of 28.7 percent compared to September 2019. Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. (MMNA) today reported third-quarter 2020 sales of 24,857 vehicles, an increase of 1.5% over the same period in 2019, and up a significant 49% over the previous quarter of 2020.

    Mitsubishi Motors saw sales rise 1.5% versus last September and a 49% compared with the second quarter of 2020.

    Volkswagen of America reported its sales 7.6% and Porsche Cars North America Inc. said third quarter U.S. retail deliveries rose 5% from the same period a year ago, continuing a recovery trend from coronavirus lockdowns in the first half of 2020.

    September 2020 sales benefitted from two extra sales days, and the Labor Day holiday weekend, which fell in August for 2019 results. Incoming figures from reporting automakers are reflecting year-over-year improvements for the month, and on an unadjusted volume level the sales tally for the month is expected to be up 2-3% year over year the first time since February 2020 the market will realize a monthly y/y improvement,” noted IHS analysts Stephanie Brinley.

    (Tesla hits quarterly delivery record but Wall Street is not impressed.)

    “The SAAR reading for the month is expected to improve from the 15.2 million unit reading in August, possibly bumping against a 16-million-unit pace. But this would still be well below the 17.2 million unit reading of September 2019,” she said.


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  • Ford Cutting Mustang Mach-E Price Up to $3,000

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    The new Mustang Mach-E is set to arrive in showrooms shortly — with a price cut.

    If cost is keeping buyers from getting into a new electric vehicle, Ford is apparently trying to change a few minds, slashing as much as $3,000 off the sticker price of its new 2021 Mustang Mach-E electric car.

    The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker has been tweaking different parts of its first long-range electric vehicle since showing it to the world late last year. The price cuts, which don’t affect the $7,500 federal tax credit, is just the latest touch up.

    Only the GT model doesn’t see any kind of price cut as the new EV is set to start rolling into dealerships later this month.

    (Ford will let you customize your new Mustang Mach-E before taking delivery.)

    Only the GT model doesn’t see a price cut, which are as large as $3,000, depending upon the model.

    The move, which were revealed in a dealer memo by MachEforum.com, is designed to help the vehicle “remain fully competitive in a segment that is seeing dynamic price changes.” In short, Ford is keeping with Tesla — specifically the Model Y.

    The new pricing is as follows:

    • Select RWD from $43,895 to $42,895
    • Select AWD from $46,595 to $45,595
    • CA Route 1 RWD from $51,800 to $49,800
    • Premium RWD from $50,000 to $47,000
    • Premium AWD from $52,700 to $49,700
    • First Edition from $59,300 to $58,300

    (As order banks open, Ford upgrades Mach-E performance specs.)

    The company noted it would reinvoice the existing vehicles and offer adjustments to customers where necessary. The pricing adjust is just the latest in a series of improvements to the EV Ford has been making as it nears its delivery date, which was already delayed due to the pandemic.

    The new Mach-E is expected to begin arriving in dealerships later this month.

    In June, it was announced that all versions of the Mach-E will get a boost in performance from what it had originally announced. The extended-range all-wheel-drive model, for example, will now be rated at 346 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, up from the previously announced figures of 332 hp and 417 lb-ft. It is now expected to be able to hit 60 in the mid-5-second range.

    In May, Ford revised the charging time numbers for the Mach-E, revealing it boosted its charging capabilities by as much as 30%, getting an additional 61 miles of range in just 10 minutes using a 150 kilowatt-hour fast charger.

    (Ford reduces charging time for Mustang Mach-E by as much as 30 percent.)

    After that it announced that new owners will get 250 kilowatt hours of free charging through FordPass Rewards at Electrify America fast-charging stations. Electrify America has 13,500-plus charging stations across the country — the equivalent of about three “fill ups.”


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  • Battle Between Nikola, Hindenburg Heats Up with SEC Probe

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    Nikola’s Trevor Milton continues to deny many parts of the recent report from Hindenburg Research accusing the company of fraud.

    The battle between Nikola Corp. and Hindenburg Research is heating up as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is now investigating the EV startup based on some of the allegations laid out in a recent report by the short-selling research firm.

    Nikola, which recently finalized a $2 billion deal with General Motors, angrily denied the charges in the report, fraud being the most damning, and suggested it may file suit against the research firm about the allegations. Since then, the company has started working with SEC investigators. The SEC has not commented on the probe.

    “On September 11, Nikola’s legal counsel proactively contacted and briefed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding Nikola’s concerns pertaining to the Hindenburg report. Nikola welcomes the SEC’s involvement in this matter,” the company said in a statement.

    (Nikola CEO Angrily refutes claims of short-selling research firm.)

    In the wake of the report, the Phoenix-based company revealed it engaged law firm Kirkland and Ellis to evaluate its options. The research report, which was released Sept. 10, is titled “How to Parlay an Ocean of Lies into a Partnership with the Largest Auto OEM in America.”

    Hindenburg Research’s report claims that Nikola committed fraud to get a deal with GM.

    While clearly a reference to the new deal with GM, the firm claimed on its website, “Today, we reveal why we believe Nikola is an intricate fraud built on dozens of lies over the course of its Founder and Executive Chairman Trevor Milton’s career.”

    The ongoing news temporarily put GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra on the hot seat during a question-and-answer session during her online appearance at the RBC Capital Markets Global Industrials Virtual Conference. Barra touted the new deal with the EV upstarts, saying that it was a great strategic fit for the automaker and its own electric vehicle development program.

    “It allows us to have more people using the technology, which gives us the advantage of scale, which will help us drive costs down,” Barra said.

    (GM forges $2B deal with Nikola to build trucks, develop new electric and fuel-cell technology.)

    “And then from a fuel cell perspective, using the Hydrotec fuel cell technology, and entering a new segment for us, a growth segment, again validating our fuel cell technology, I think it starts to unlock an all-new growth area for us as it relates to fuel cells.”

    GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said earlier that the company had done due diligence on Nikola.

    However, when pressed about the allegations in the Hindenburg report, including that Nikola engaged in “lies and deception” in showcasing its electric vehicle technology, including staging a video that showed one of its trucks cruising down a hill, Barra said the company had conducted its due diligence before closing the deal. She then referred further questions about Nikola to representatives of the Phoenix-based company.

    Nikola was on the offensive earlier Monday, noting there were “dozens” of inaccurate statements in Hindenburg’s report, and it outlined several examples. It also made the same claims last week when the report was initially released.

    Aside from denying many charges, the company is also explaining some of the them in the report, such as towing one of its truck prototypes to the top of a hill and allowing it to roll down, appearing to be operating under its own power.

    (Nikola Motors begins taking reservations for Badger hydrogen/electric pickup.)

    “Nikola never stated its truck was driving under its own propulsion in the video, although the truck was designed to do just that (as described in previous point),” the company states. “The truck was showcased and filmed by a third party for a commercial. Nikola described this third-party video on the Company’s social media as ‘In Motion.’ It was never described as ‘under its own propulsion’ or ‘powertrain driven.’”


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  • Mercedes-AMG Project One Hypercar Caught Testing

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    The Mercedes-AMG Project One, the hypercard based on F1 technology, is inching closer to its release date.

    We’re still waiting to find out more about the Mercedes-AMG Project One – as in how much more than 1,000 horsepower the hybrid hypercar’s Formula One-derived powertrain will be able to punch out.

    For now, we’ll have to settle for rudimentary details and know that whatever the final figure comes in at, the next special edition developed specifically by and for AMG will be obscenely quick, somewhere in the 2 second 0-to-60 range, with a top speed expected to reach 350 km/h, or about 220 miles per hour.

    First unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and originally intended to hit the road late last year, part of the celebration of AMG’s 50th anniversary, the project fell behind schedule and appears to have been further delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Exactly when it will now be unveiled is still unclear though the automaker hints that with the “final” version of the drivetrain now being put through its paces, it is “ever closer to production.”

    (Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercar caught track testing.)

    Why is it taking so long? There’s no question this is the most complicated project ever undertaken by AMG, especially from a powertrain perspective.

    First unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and originally intended to hit the road late last year, the Project One has been delayed a few times.

    “The adaptation of a complete Formula1 drive unit for a road-legal hypercar is a tremendous undertaking,” the German performance brand said in a release accompanying this images of the Project One in testing

    “This adaption will result in new standards being set for performance in a road-going vehicle,” no easy trick trying to balance its track heritage with the need to ensure it can handle day-to-day driving duties that will likely include spells caught in traffic.

    The drivetrain stays close to the current F1 equation, starting out with a single-turbo 1.6-liter V-6 that is closely related to what Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton sits in front of in his own race car – though it revs to “only” about 11,000 RPMs due to the difference between track and street fuels. According to some early reports, the engine is still expected to turn out more than 600 horsepower, or an astounding 375 hp per liter.

    The hypercar pairs the internal combustion engine with four electric motors, two on the front axle, another on the rear. Don’t worry about the math. The fourth motor is built into that turbocharger and eliminates traditional turbolag since it doesn’t have to wait for exhaust gases to build up and spin its impeller

    The Project One hypercar races from 0-to-60 mph in about 2 seconds, hitting a top speed of about 220 mph.

    blades.

    (Mercedes-AMG Project One takes F1 onto the streets.)

    Dubbed an MGU-h, or motor generator unit-heat, it makes about 80 kilowatts and can rev up to a screaming 100,000 RPMs. The primary motors are believed to produce about 120 kW each, or something on the order of a collective 482 hp.

    Each of the driving motors has its own single-speed gearbox and the front units can be varied in speed, slightly trimming power to one side or the other to help torque vector, or steer into a turn.

    That was among the many technical challenges facing engineers working on the Mercedes-AMG Project One, notes the automaker.

    Mercedes-AMG built the Project One to mark AMG’s 50th anniversary, but there is no finish date.

    “In many aspects, such as noise level, the development team ventured into uncharted territory with this project, working with great tenacity and exceptional engineering expertise to find solutions that could be developed to production maturity.”

    Another challenge was working out the complexities of the hypercars active aerodynamic technology, from front louvers to the big rear spoiler.

    (Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 is the everyday driver you can take to the track.)

    Work has continued at both the AMG development center in Affalterbach, as well as at the Mercedes test track in Immendingen. With the program seemingly accelerating and near production-ready prototypes now being tested, the automaker confirmed it “will soon be tested on the north loop of the Nurburgring” from where we imagine plenty of additional pics will start appearing.


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  • Tesla Chooses Texas for Next Gigafactory

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    In case you were wondering if Texas or Oklahoma was the site for the new Gigafactory, that’s Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on the left.

    Things are coming up roses for Tesla these days – yellow roses – as the California-based EV maker announced it will build its next Gigafactory on a 2,000-acre plot of land just outside Austin, Texas.

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the choice – Tulsa, Oklahoma was the other finalist – during the company’s second quarter earnings call. He said the site, which is on the banks of the Colorado River, would be an “ecological paradise” with a hiking and biking trail open to the public, should open sometime next year.

    The plant, dubbed GigaTexas, will build a variety of vehicles, including the new Cybertruck and the Tesla semi. It will also handle Model 3 and Model Y production for the eastern half of North America. He also noted that Tulsa could still be in line for a future factory. After announcement, Musk was quick to point out the company will still grow in California.

    (Tesla reports $104M Q2 profit; fourth consecutive quarter of profits.)

    “We expect California to do Model X and S for worldwide consumption, and 3 and Y for the western half of North America. We also think the Tesla Roadster … would make sense in California. I think this is a nice split between Texas and California.”

    Tesla’s Cybertruck is one of four products that the company will build at GigaTexas once it’s complete.

    In addition to what is going to get built where in the U.S., Musk addressed potential future products and how they fit into the company’s plans.

    “It would be reasonable to assume we’d make a compact vehicle of some kind, and probably a high capacity vehicle of some kind,” he said. “These are likely things at some point. I do think there’s a long way to go with 3 and Y, Cybertruck and semi. There’s a long way to go with those. I think we’ll do the obvious things.”

    While future product is critical to the company’s long-term growth, Musk says he’s got his eyes on a short-term prize: full-self driving. The CEO has long predicted that (insert year here) will be when FSD will be available in vehicles.

    However, after years of missed deadlines, the company may be on track to meet his latest goal of having it available sometime this year. He called it the “most important thing” on his very full agenda, adding “everything else is pretty small by comparison.”

    (Texas offers Tesla $80M in incentives for new gigafactory.)

    Musk has been selling the FSD to buyers for several years now but increasing the price for the dormant technology during the past few years, starting at $5,000 to add it and now it sits at $8,000 and it’s going to get pricier as it gets closer to launch. However, there’s a good reason to charge so much money for the technology, Musk believes, as you’ll get what you pay for — and then some.

    Tesla is getting ready to produce its first heavy-duty model, the all-electric Semi. It, too, will be built at the new plant in Texas.

    “I think the upgrading of the fleet to full-self driving, essentially with an over-the-air software update, I mean may go down as the biggest asset value increase in history as a step change,” he said. “Overnight … you’d have like, I don’t know, a few million cars suddenly becoming five times more valuable.”

    Those vehicles also become an even bigger revenue stream for Musk and Tesla as then he can begin to sell access for services, like shopping, games, movies, etc. that could be used by drivers as they allow their vehicle to drive them to their destination.

    In fact, Musk is using an advanced test version of the technology now and says he can drive from his home to the office without intervention. While he wouldn’t commit to it being ready this year, he suggested he thought it would be, then it would be a matter of governmental approvals.

    (CEO Musk sees big growth coming soon for Tesla.)


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  • Nissan Donates EV Ambulance to Tokyo Fire Department

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    Nissan donated a battery-electric e-NV400 ambulance to Tokyo’s ambulance fleet.

    Nissan Motor Co. has donated an electric-powered ambulance to the Tokyo Fire Department.

    The EV being added to the Tokyo Fire Department is based on a 3.5-ton Nissan NV 400 with seating for seven and zero emissions. Plans call for it to serve with other ambulances with gasoline engines in the Ikebukuro branch through a collaboration among Nissan, the Tokyo Fire Department and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Nissan officials said.

    “Nissan strongly believes in sustainable mobility and strives to contribute to a world with zero emissions and zero fatalities,” said Ashwani Gupta, representative executive officer and chief operation officer at Nissan. “This project is another great example of our efforts to enhance accessibility of eco-friendly vehicles to local communities.”

    (Nissan plans for restructuring call for $2.8 billion in cost cuts.)

    Nissan’s new ambulance is being used by Tokyo’s fire department.

    The EV ambulance package was developed by Gruau, a major European emergency vehicle bodywork company. It is based on a converted Nissan NV400 currently on sale in Europe and the bodywork, was done by Autoworks Kyoto to fit with Japanese regulations and designed to meet customer needs.

    The introduction of the first EV ambulance in the Tokyo Fire Department fleet is part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Zero Emission Tokyo” initiative.

    The Nissan EV Ambulance is equipped with an electric stretcher making for easier operations by the firefighters and ambulance attendants.

    (Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow gets go for Big Apple debut.)

    The noise and vibration levels in the vehicle are significantly lower in comparison with a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle, helping reduce negative impact on patients as well as on staff handling sensitive medical equipment on-board the vehicle.

    Nissan is expanding its battery-electric van offerings to meet the needs of different segments.

    Two lithium-ion battery packs support its EV capabilities (33 kilowatt-hours) with an additional battery (8 kWh) allowing longer use of electrical equipment and the air-conditioning system. The ambulance can also turn into a mobile source of power in case of a power outage or natural disaster.

    Nissan officials also said they expect the EV Ambulance to be inexpensive to maintain and efficient to charge. The expense of charging the vehicles lithium-ion battery with the 33-kWh capacity is expected to be relatively minimal, Nissan officials said.

    (Nissan officials predict first full-year loss in a decade.)

    Nissan has recently introduced the electrified version of the e-NV200 van and added the XL Voltia trim level aimed at delivery companies. The roof of the rear cargo area has been raised to allow for the driver to stand up straight while in the back of the van.


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