Motoring News
Ford trucks serve as home generators
During the widespread power outages last week in Texas, caused by significant cuts in power production resulting from record cold temperatures that froze non-winterized natural gas pipelines, caused a nuclear plant to shut down, and disabled non-winter specification windmills, many Texans were left in freezing homes. Owners of new Ford F-150 pickups equipped with auxiliary electrical generation capacity, however, were able to keep the lights on. While the feature is designed for contractors who need portable power on job sites, the 120- and 240-volt feeds can also power home circuits.
Once Ford heard about owners pressing their pickup trucks into service in this way, the headquarters contacted dealers and asked them to loan pickups in stock with this feature to more homeowners. In communications with dealers, Ford offered an additional $600 for dealers to add F-150 PowerBoost hybrids to their fleets of loaner vehicles. Ford said its records showed that there were
415 trucks with the 7.2-killowatt power system sitting on dealers’ lots in Texas when the cold snap started. Each of these trucks would be able to provide full power for 32 hours at a time. Ford also offers versions capable of providing less power, either 2.0 kW or 2.4 kW.
Trucks loaned out for purposes of generating power will not be titled and can still be sold as new vehicles when the crisis is over.
General Motors investing in pickup truck production
General Motors has announced plans to invest another $100 million to increase its pickup truck production capabilities. The investment will allow GM to produce more full size pickup trucks. Included in the plans are $93 million in upgrades for the Romulus, Michigan powertrain facility and $7 million for a casting plant in Bedford, Indiana. Mary Barra, GM’s CEO, noted that GM was the sales leader in the full-size pickup truck market last year, thanks to the combined sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra exceeding those of the Ford F-150. On an individual model basis, however, Ford’s F-150 retained its sales crown.
Ford moving to EVs in Europe
Last year, Ford sold no EVs in Europe. Last week the company announced in a press release that by mid-2026, “100 percent of its passenger vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, moving to all-electric by 2030.” It went on to proclaim that “Ford’s commercial vehicle range in Europe also will be 100% zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, by 2024; two-thirds of commercial vehicle sales [are] expected to be all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030.”
Backing up this move to a fully electric product lineup is a $1 billion investment in a new electric-vehicle manufacturing center in Cologne. It will start producing all-electric vehicles starting in 2023.
Jaguar Land Rover moving to EVs worldwide
Jaguar Land Rover has announced that it will move to all electric vehicles for its Jaguar brand by 2025. Land Rover will follow by 2030. It is a new strategy for the company, which currently offers only the I-Pace crossover utility vehicle as an EV.
The move comes in the face of ever stricter CO2 emissions limits being placed on automakers in Europe. The UK government, while no longer part of the European Union, is in step with this move to EVs. It wants to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel powered cars starting in 2030. Other governments are also moving in that direction.
Kia Carnival
Kia’s next minivan, replacing the Sedona, will be named Carnival. This 2022 model will, however, be called a multipurpose vehicle. Kia has taken note of the fact that minivans have an image problem in the minds of some buyers.
Introduced last week, the Carnival is the first Kia to show off Kia’s new logo. It also features styling that uses design cues found in the very popular Kia Telluride SUV. Depending on the interior chosen, the new Kia Carnival will seat seven or eight passengers in three rows. Standard equipment will include a 290-hp V6 engine. The list of safety systems includes the expected advanced features and what Kia calls a segment exclusive blind-spot view monitor.
Consumer Reports ranks reliability
Based on its readers’ experiences, as determined in surveys, Consumer Reports has found that the most reliable cars are made by Mazda. Following Mazda to make up the top ten are BMW, Subaru, Porsche, Honda, Lexus, Toyota, Chrysler, Buick and Hyundai. The five brands at the bottom of the list were Lincoln, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Land Rover and, in last place, Alfa Romeo.
Tesla fell five spots to 16th place in this year’s survey because of problems with the Model S, Model X and Model Y. Only the Model 3 demonstrated sufficient reliability to be recommended by the publication.
Porsche to be spun off?
Reports surfaced last week suggesting that the Volkswagen Group is considering spinning off Porsche, and the reason, according to Bloomberg, is Tesla. The California-based maker of electric cars has a current valuation that exceeds that of Volkswagen. Listing Porsche separately, Bloomberg suggests, could be one way to unleash added value. It predicts that an initial public offering of Porsche could value the company at $133 billion, which is about $24 billion more than the current value of Volkswagen, based on its stock price. A Porsche IPO would be an extreme measure, but it may be required if VW’s CEO Herbert Diess wants to get the markets to recognize the value that exists in long-established automakers.
Bloomberg notes that there are obstacles to such a plan. Among them are objections from the Porsche and Piech families, which retain a significant number of shares in the company, and the German state of Lower Saxony, which also has an interest in the company.
Tesla cuts Model 3 and Y prices
Tesla has reduced the prices for the base standard range versions of the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover by 2.6 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively. Model 3 standard range vehicles now start at $36,990 while the base Model
Y’s starting price has been reduced to $39,990. Tesla also cut prices in Japan. However, it did raise the prices of the performance versions of these two models by about 1.7 percent. CEO
Elon Musk has long complained that the Telsas are too costly and at a “Battery Day” event last year, he announced that the company is working on a $25,000 car.
Amazon testing Rivian EVs
In an effort to meet the goals outlined by the Paris climate accord a decade early, Amazon has started testing electric delivery vans made by Rivian in Los Angeles. Amazon also announced that it plans to expand its electrically-powered delivery fleet to 15 more cities before the end of 2021. Amazon, which has invested in Rivian, will ultimately acquire 100,000 electric vans and use them for Amazon Prime deliveries.
GM developing off-road EV racer
General Motors is developing an off-road racer inspired by upcoming Hummer trucks. The racer will be an electric vehicle and will compete in upcoming Extreme E events. It will be produced as part of GMC’s sponsorship of Chip Ganassi Racing. The resulting racer will have a grille and bodywork inspired by the Hummer pickup truck.
Honda blindsided by Shop-Vac closure
One of the features that many buyers looking at the Honda Odyssey minivan find attractive, especially parents with small children who tend to leave remnants of their snacks ground into the upholstery and carpeting, is the HondaVac. First offered in 2014, the HondaVac option has been popular, thanks to ease of use and the fact that it is always handy, as it is built into the car. Now, Honda has had to withdraw the option because the supplier, Shop
Vac, closed its factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania during the fourth quarter of last year. The move left nearly 400 workers jobless and left Honda without a supplier for the feature. As a result, it has now withdrawn the option as it seeks a new supplier.
Chrysler’s minivan lineup for 2021
In a virtual presentation for the New England Motor Press Association earlier this month, Chrysler’s marketing manager Mary Ann Capo and brand operations manager Darren Jacobs outlined the changes Chrysler, now part of Stellantis, has made to its minivan lineup.
The Chrysler Pacifica has been updated for 2021. It is offered with front- or allwheel drive and is available in a frontwheel-drive plug-in hybrid version, the only PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) in the minivan field. In addition, Chrysler has added a new Pinnacle trim level to the top of the Pacifica lineup. Capo called it a “living room on wheels.”
Bolstering comfort is premium quilted Caramel Napa leather upholstery with second row lumbar pillows. Other standard features include a power folding third row seat along with handsfree sliding doors and liftgate, and the company’s new Uconnect5 infotainment system with a 10.1-inch touch screen.
The list of safety gear is extensive and includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and a surround view camera system.
For 2021 there will be no Dodge Grand Caravan, as this older model has been discontinued. In its place, Chrysler will continue to rely on the Voyager, introduced last year. It is a Pacifica with fewer features and a lower starting price of $27,235, plus $1,495 for destination charges.