#2021 BMW X2 Engine Options

[itcars]

First Look: The New BMW X2 M Mesh Edition

Since the BMW X2 launched in Spring 2018 it has successfully carved out a distinctive place for itself in the BMW model family. Now, BMW UK is introducing the M Mesh Edition which features exclusive content and new color combinations.

The M Mesh Edition builds on the style offered by the M Sport X model & gives the BMW X2 an even more exclusive and distinctive appearance. The most prominent enhancement is the BMW M mesh kidney grille in high-gloss black. Like the grille on the BMW X2 M35 it has a pronounced three-dimensional mesh inspired by racing cars.

The BMW X2 M Mesh Edition features exclusive inserts in the bumper trim, prominent cladding on the side skirts and door and the wheel arch trim in a new signature color Frozen Black-Brown. The Edition comes as standard with a unique 19” Bi-color Aerodynamic alloy wheel with black accents which can be upgraded to a 20” Bi-color alloy wheel.

BMW Individual High-gloss Shadow Line with extended features also comes as standard. As well as the High-gloss Black window and exterior mirror surrounds, the mirror base, mirror triangle, B-pillar trim and trim surround on the C-pillars, this package also includes the surround for the M mesh kidney grille, a ring around the BMW badge on the boot lid and exhaust tailpipe finishers in Black Chrome.

The edition comes with X2 logo projection from the exterior mirror on the driver’s side as standard and also includes door handle lighting, ground lighting, exterior mirror lighting and door entry light.

LED headlights with cornering lights frame the front-end design. The updated front end catches the eye with the standard LED headlights and the absence of the circular front fog lights featured previously brings extra distinction to the design. In adverse weather conditions and poor visibility, activation of the cornering light provides optimal illumination of the road’s edge.

Adaptive LED headlights with matrix high-beam function as an option. Adaptive LED Headlights, including a four-segment matrix function for high beam, are also available for this edition as an optional extra. These headlights help increase visibility and avoiding dazzling other road users. High beam is split into several LED segments, which activate and deactivate independently to adapt road illumination to the traffic situation at hand.

Sporty interior Exclusive elements of this edition are also echoed in the interior of the vehicle with M seats featuring integral headrests in black Dakota Leather. Contrast stitching in Grey completes the look and can be found on the instrument panel, center console and floor mats. The BMW X2 M Mesh Edition also brings special entry sills with “Edition” inscription. The optional panoramic roof, which floods the cabin with light, can be tilted and opened like a conventional sunroof.

The M leather steering wheel comes as standard, as does a car key featuring an exclusive M identifier. Cars with a manual gearbox also have a gearshift lever with M badging. The interior trim strips are in Aluminum Hexagon Anthracite, the BMW Individual headliner in Anthracite.

Power of Choice: customers can take their pick from seven engines. Customers can take their pick from three different types of drive system for the BMW X2 M Mesh Edition. The Sports Activity Coupé (SAC) is available with three efficient diesel engines, three petrol units and a plug-in hybrid drive system, all of which meet the Euro 6d emissions standard. The BMW X2 also offers customers a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive and manual or automatic transmission. Depending on the drive system selected, customers can order their car with sDrive front-wheel drive or BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive, a manual gearbox or automatic Steptronic transmission

The Plug-in hybrid drive system in the BMW X2 xDrive25e offers electric range of up to 35 miles. The plug-in hybrid powertrain recently introduced for this model series gives the BMW X2 M Mesh Edition remarkably efficient performance and the ability to drive with zero local emissions. A highly efficient electric motor, with an output of 95 hp and torque of 165 Nm are relayed to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission and teams up with a 1.5-liter petrol engine generating 125 hp and peak torque of 220 Nm. The engine’s power is directed to the front wheels through a six-speed Steptronic transmission.

The resulting hybrid all-wheel drive system has a combined system output of 220 hp and overall torque of 385 Nm to make the BMW X2 xDrive25e exceptionally agile and able to deliver 0 to 62 mph in 6.8 seconds.

The high-voltage battery’s gross energy capacity of 10 kWh translates into an all-electric range of up to 35 miles* in the statutory WLTP test cycle. When the new BMW X2 xDrive25e is driving on the electric motor’s power alone (in MAX eDrive mode), the top speed is 84 mph but with the engine and electric motor working together, the maximum speed increases to 121 mph.

Maximum Connectivity The BMW X2 M Mesh Edition boasts intuitive operation and intelligent connectivity, allowing the driver to focus their attention entirely on driving. The ID6 display and operating system offers three different ways of operating individual vehicle and navigation functions: using the iDrive Controller, the Control Display’s touchscreen functionality or a voice control system capable of understanding naturally formulated sentences. The hands-free facility with Bluetooth interface and DAB digital radio are included as standard.

The standard BMW Navigation system features an 8.8-inch Control Display with touchscreen functionality, along with a 5.7-inch information display in the instrument cluster and Real Time Traffic Information. Upgrading to BMW Navigation Plus brings an even larger 10.25-inch Control Display as well as BMW Head-Up Display, which projects important driving information and navigation/assistance system readouts onto the windscreen, where they appear in high resolution in the driver’s field of view.

The BMW X2 M Mesh Edition is available to order from BMW retailers now from £34,510 RRP with first customer deliveries in March 2021.

[superautoreviews]

BMW X2 2021 Interior, Specs, Price

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BMW X2 2021 Interior, Specs, Price

BMW X2 2021 Interior, Specs, Price – The newest BMW X2 2021 style and design is defined to fulfil the requirements of countless shoppers after the conclusion. Simply being reasonably tiny in proportions but however a superior and portable SUV, this product is going to be alluring to world-wide admirers from the car maker. It can have a reasonable quantity of changes around the powertrain, everyday visual appeal, and repair looking at the precursor. This high-quality SUV series produced it was very first on the 2016 Paris Vehicle Display and possessed ever since then been just about the most ideal versions available in the market, providing inflexible competitors to probable competitors.

BMW X2 2021 Redesign

Exterior And Interior Design

Typically the BMW X2 2021 entrance fascia offers an original physical appearance, along with 3-dimensional renal grilles occupying the centre portion. Each and every conclusion of your grilles markings the starting of modern-seeking as well as elongated front lights that have been created using the brand new Guided technological innovation for better exposure but inadequate vitality intake. Round fog lighting will likely be evident underneath the front lights, purposefully located about the enormous top fender for improved exposure in the course of unpleasant climate conditions.

BMW X2 2021 Exterior

The cabin from the BMW X2 2021 will probably be roomy, thinking about the additional 1.5 ft . in size from the past design. It will likely be an essential 5-seater, together with comfortable chairs engrossed in great leather material covers. Air-flow air vents are going to be of the new design, using the multi-purpose 3-spoked potential controls twisted utilising the high-quality leather material fabric. An excellent six-lecturer music system will probably be readily available for this specific design.

BMW X2 2021 Interior

A strong 8.8 -��� HD touchscreen display show by way of Harman Kardon noise will constitute the brand-new infotainment method. Extra standard capabilities would include a several-measure analogue tool group, auto parking detectors, a luxury cruise manage, lane leaving notifiers, rearview video camera, the navigation and Yahoo Charts providers, USB 2. 0, Wireless Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection. It will have got an exclusive, spectacular moonroof. Essential safety attributes for your travellers will incorporate safety bags and safety straps for each and every.

BMW X2 2021 Engine

The engine strength production of your 2021 X2 can vary based on the gas option, whether or not diesel or fuel. The conventional product will undoubtedly be a 2.-litre 4-tube turbocharged petroleum engine. That can provide a result of up to 189 hp. The particular diesel counterpart can have a production of 148 hp. Equally, motors include an associated half a dozen-rate handbook transmission gearbox as well as a non-obligatory seven-rate original program. Buyers can have the satisfaction to pick from a front side tire push as well as an all-time generate powertrain. Typically the engine can increase out of -62 mph throughout 6.6 moments. And it will surely come with an incredible 68.9 mpg profit. The most notable most rate with this design is going to be 130 miles per hour.

BMW X2 2021 Engine

BMW X2 2021 Release Date And Price

To conclude, the entire BMW X2 2021 Automobile is likely to make its first appearance in the very same time that your 2020 Frankfurt Vehicle Show is going to take the spot. Then afterwards be introduced on the world-wide market place at the beginning of 2021. Lastly, the basic toned on this design may have a beginning price of approximately $30,000.

[enginerumors]

2021 BMW X2 Canada Specification, Towing Capacity, Redesign

2021 BMW X2 Canada Specification, Towing Capacity, Redesign

2021 BMW X2 Canada Specification, Towing Capacity, Redesign – This 2021 BMW X2is really a athletic substitute for any BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same simple technical underpinnings for example the exact same 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-rate automated and even accessible all-tire push that X2 contributes a good athletic pizzazz for the blend. By using special style in addition to a focus on…

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2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 packs big character in a small footprint

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2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 packs big character in a small footprint

Even with the large wheels, the GLA45 is pretty unassuming in daily operation.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

The first-gen Mercedes GLA45 AMG sucked. It was an expensive heap that was perpetually uncomfortable and looked about as good as it drove. Thankfully, Mercedes-AMG learned some lessons over the years. Now, the new-for-2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 is a fully realized compact luxury crossover with a bonkers little powertrain tucked under the hood for good measure, making for one hell of a second act.

Like

Gobs of power

Carlike handling

Well-appointed interior

Don’t Like

Rides a little stiff

Low-speed driveline wonkiness

Tiny trunk

The original GLA-Class looked like a surprised hatchback wearing tall shoes. The gist is the same this time around — the second-gen GLA-Class is still basically a hatchback with a lift kit — but I think the look is more cohesive. The wide-eyed countenance has been swapped out in favor of something a little more streamlined, but I think the GLA45 looks best from behind, where a short overhang and those ever-present quadruple AMG tailpipes make for some aggressive aesthetics. 

The GLA’s interior no longer feels woefully cheap. There is no tiny little screen floating atop a menagerie of dated buttons; instead, everything is mounted nice and low, and borrowing many different design staples from larger, more expensive Mercedes models means the interior feels far more precious than before, even though the dashboard is still mottled vinyl and there’s still a fair few instances of hard plastic scattered around. Being an AMG, I’m not surprised to see carbon fiber making an appearance on the dash and door panels, but thankfully, there isn’t so much of it that I feel like I’m headed to Hot Import Nights. Pair it with some more premium touches like proper metal on the optional Nappa-leather-wrapped steering wheel ($400), and you’ve got quite the nice place to spend some time.

Small cars need to prioritize function, since there isn’t a whole lot of excess space floating around. The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 has some solid interior packaging in this case, with a sufficiently deep cubby under the armrest, large door pockets and a big storage tray ahead of the cup holders. The crossover’s roof is pretty flat, which means back-row occupants have plenty of space, and it feels much airier when the $1,500 panoramic glass roof is thrown into the mix. Rear-seat storage options are limited, as the middle seat doesn’t convert to a folding armrest (unless you pay $360 for the privilege) and the door pockets are a little small, but folks in the back do get cargo nets on the front seat backs along with two USB-C ports and a 115-volt two-prong outlet, which is nice. However, despite being a hatchback, cargo space is on the paltry side; the GLA45’s 15.4-cubic-foot trunk pales in comparison to that of the Volvo XC40 (20.7), Audi Q3 (23.7) and BMW X1 (27.1).

Under the GLA45’s hood lies one of my personal favorite automotive engineering marvels: the M139 engine. Capable of making in excess of 400 horsepower in some current European-only applications, this high-strung turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 is built in its own high-tech corner of Mercedes-AMG’s Affalterbach engine facility, and it deserves that royal treatment. While the noise wavers somewhere between “angry beehive” and “angry farm equipment,” the 382 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque this engine delivers in the GLA45 is pitch-perfect.

It’s a strange engine, too; sure, it���ll sit down low in the revs and spit out torque as needed, but there’s a little bit of old-school Honda VTEC action happening here, because the M139 loves to rev. It will sit between 4,000 and 7,000 rpm all day, generating more motive force than any Michigan backroad can tolerate. The GLA45’s eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is hit or miss, though; while it delivers nearly instant shifts (and a little extra tailpipe theater) under heavy load, it’s not very smooth at lower speeds. If you feed it just a little more throttle than necessary, especially when the stop-start system is activated, it’ll lurch forward clunkily. Some sharp stabs of the throttle are met with a “hurry up and wait” attitude, too, as the transmission hunts for the gear it wants and then takes its sweet time bringing it up.

The rest of the GLA45’s driving experience is largely mode-dependent. The car is surprisingly chill in its default Comfort setting. The standard adaptive suspension is still sports-car stiff in this mode, but it’s smooth enough on nice roads to where I could envision long trips being more than manageable. Flip the switch to Sport and the GLA45 is ready to party; body roll disappears underfoot, the steering weight increases to nearly comical proportions and the transmission finally knows what gear it wants to be in ahead of time. It’s far too aggressive for any road that wasn’t paved yesterday, especially in post-snow Michigan where thaw cycles put smaller potholes inside of last year’s still-not-fixed large potholes, but it’s still a dang hoot.

Even the fuel economy isn’t the absolute pits. The EPA rates the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 at 20 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined. For a nearly 400-hp performance car, that’s not bad at all, and in real-world driving I’m able to get surprisingly close to 30 mpg on the highway. A light foot will get you far.

The GLA’s cabin is properly upscale, and if you’ve been in any other modern Benz, it should feel pretty familiar, too.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Whereas the first-gen GLA-Class felt like more of a technological punishment, the opposite is the case with the 2021 GLA45. MBUX, the automaker’s latest and greatest infotainment system, is standard, residing on a 10.3-inch touchscreen with redundant physical controls on the steering wheel and center console. It’s a fabulous system, with a menu layout that doesn’t take long to master, responsiveness even shortly after a cold start and all the usual embedded frippery like a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The “Hey, Mercedes” natural-language voice recognition works brilliantly, as well. Charging comes by way of four USB ports total — a USB-C by the cup holders, a USB-A in the center armrest and a pair of USB-C ports in the back. Make sure your cords are up to date, though, because the USB-A port up front doesn’t support smartphone mirroring. Embedded navigation is a $1,295 option, and while it includes the neat augmented-reality turn-by-turn display, it may not be worth the scratch if you’re a smartphone fanatic.

While safety tech might not be at the front of your mind in a performance car, Mercedes-Benz makes sure it’s there — provided you feel like paying for it. Standard driver assists are limited to blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking. Plunk down $1,090 to add a surround-view camera and parking sensors, or drop $1,700 for full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, active blind-spot monitoring and route-based speed adaptation.

Don’t like the touchpad? Great! With MBUX, you can basically ignore it.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Despite all the fresh stuff plucked from higher branches on the Mercedes-Benz tree, the 2021 AMG GLA45 isn’t all that expensive. It’ll cost $55,550 including destination to get your foot in the door, and most of the available options are contained in inexpensive upgrade packages. My tester piles it on, including uprated leather, metallic paint, larger 20-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof and the navigation package, leaving the factory with a $62,150 window sticker. Not too shabby.

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 doesn’t really have much true competition. Its diminutive footprint puts it a class below other higher-powered luxury utes like the BMW X3 M40i and the Audi SQ5, and there are no analogous variants of the BMW X1/X2 or Audi Q3 — the BMW X2 M35i could be close, I guess, but it’s closer to the slightly less peppy GLA35. That’s probably for the best, though, because any automaker would have a hard time topping the GLA45’s equal doses of entry-level luxury and flat-out powertrain insanity.

Climb in the driver’s seat for the latest car news and reviews, delivered to your inbox twice weekly.

[perksofwifi]

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 Remains Small, Ridiculously Powerful

America’s love affair with SUVs has sprouted ever more new models in every shape and size, and more than a few ultra-powerful performance models. Yet, the Venn Diagram of the SUV realm’s myriad size classes and its horsepower-crazed offerings isn’t exactly an eclipse—particularly left out? Small SUVs, which generally are tepid and weak. Not the all-new 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA 45, which builds on the original GLA 45’s micro-niche offering of insane power in a tiny, semi-tall package based on the more pedestrian GLA 250 also redesigned this year.

AMG previously squeezed logic-defying power from its smallest engine, the turbocharged 2.0-liter used in the first-generation GLA 45 and its swoopy sedan sibling, the CLA 45. Things get less logical this time around, with the new subcompact GLA 45’s four-banger pumping out a decidedly un-subcompact 382 horsepower (at 6,500 rpm) and 354 lb-ft of torque (between 4,750 and 5,000 rpm). Those figures are up 7 ponies and 4 lb-ft over the previous-generation GLA 45’s already insane outputs. Consider that now, the GLA 45’s four-cylinder output is snarling just behind the 405 ponies pumped out by the BMW M2 Competition coupe’s turbocharged six-cylinder.

To reach its lofty power output, the AMG’s hand-built 2.0-liter M139 engine features two-stage fuel injection, a redesigned intake system, and a new twin-scroll turbocharger for better throttle response. The result, AMG claims, is responsiveness similar to a naturally aspirated engine to go along with those big-time power figures that overwhelm anything else in the GLA’s size class. Among the next-most-powerful tiny luxury crossovers you can buy? The BMW X2 M35i, which offers “just” 302 horsepower from its turbocharged four-pot. Know what else makes 302 horsepower? The Mercedes-AMG GLA 35, the starter AMG that slots between the bonkers GLA 45 and the regular-grade, 221-hp GLA 250.

Mercedes further sets the GLA 45 apart from its lesser GLA 35 sibling by flipping the engine 180 degrees. Still transversely mounted, the engine simply faces the other direction than in the 35. The orientation situates the four-cylinder’s intake facing forward, toward the front of the car, while the exhaust and turbocharger components are located on the firewall side of the engine, a boon for cooling pathways, shorter-distance ducting, and “the flattest possible and most aerodynamically advantageous” front-end bodywork. OK, Mercedes.

Another 45-versus-35 differentiator? The former’s AMG Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel drive, which can not only split engine torque between the front and rear axles, but also side-to-side between the rear wheels to maximize traction. (The 35’s simpler setup lacks the rear-axle torque vectoring function.) Between the 4Matic+ system and the mighty four-cylinder sits a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in place of the previous GLA 45’s seven-speed unit.

The AMG-fettled powertrain helps the GLA 45 scamper to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, according to Mercedes—a figure we think is likely conservative. After all, even before the original 355-hp GLA 45 received a 20-hp injection for 2016, one year after going on sale, it matched that 4.3-second acceleration time in our testing. Mercedes-AMG once again says the GLA 45 is capable of—and electronically governed to—155 mph. While the 35 matches the 45’s top speed, it supposedly takes an extra 0.7 second to reach 60 mph.

Among the GLA 45’s host of driver-selectable driving modes are Slippery, Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Individual, and Race. There also is one mode named “Master,” which AMG says is exclusive to 45’s optioned with the available AMG Dynamic Plus package and should be used only on racetracks because it allows extra oversteer beyond “Race.” We’ll have to wait until we drive the GLA 45 and experience it for ourselves, but AMG notes that every drive mode alters the GLA’s stability control, all-wheel-drive system, transmission behavior, suspension softness, exhaust sound, and throttle response.

Handling improvements are promised thanks to the new GLA’s stiffer body shell, which provides a more robust basis for the suspension to do its work, and a new variable-rate steering rack. Torque steer, an obvious concern for so powerful a front-drive-based vehicle as the GLA 45, is said to be mitigated by AMG’s tuning of the MacPherson struts up front and four-link rear suspension setup, as well as the new-for-2021 electronic adaptive dampers. The 45’s front brake rotors measure 13.8 inches and are squeezed by fixed four-piston fixed calipers, while the rears are 13.0 inches in diameter and grasped by single-piston floating calipers.

Taken together, the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45’s advances for 2021 indicate that the most powerful small luxury crossover available extant remains so while surely being even more of a hoot to drive. Does the world need as many different types of SUVs as are available today? Who knows, but we won’t argue against more more powerful SUVs no matter their size. Speaking of size, while we know how (not) big the GLA 45 is, we don’t yet know how big its price tag will be. The old GLA 45 started at about fifty grand and only went up from there, and we don’t expect the new one’s bigger power to come with a smaller price tag when it arrives in the U.S. later this year.

The post The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 Remains Small, Ridiculously Powerful appeared first on MotorTrend.

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[jesusvasser]

Wheelspinning Our Way Through 2017

If 2017 was the year of President Trump everywhere else, in the automotive world, it seemed to be the year of Elon Musk. Again. Musk’s Tesla began 2017 with some 440,000 intenders each holding $1,000 deposit receipts for a new $35,000+ Model 3 with hopes they would start to get their cars by midyear.

Tesla ended 2017 with Musk now building anticipation for a new semi truck, apparently named “Semi,” which he says will have a 500-mile range and will begin deliveries in 2019, with a new Roadster model—actually a 2+2 targa grand touring car capable of 250 mph+ and 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds—arriving at dealers a year later.

Musk said Tesla delivered just 233 Model 3s by the end of the third quarter. When I asked Tesla public relations for an update on deliveries through, at least, mid-December, the response was to refer to Musk’s third-quarter analysts’ call held November 1. Tesla PR said the number of deliveries will be updated in the first quarter 2018 analysts’ call. So it goes.

In reality, 2017 was the year that traditional automakers ramped up their counter-assault on Tesla’s electric vehicles, with plans for everything from fuel cells and solid-state batteries to new ways to make the internal combustion engine cleaner and more efficient. Here’s how I saw the year in automobiles …

Fords with a future: CEO Mark Fields announces a $700-million investment in its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant to build a hybrid Mustang, a 300-plus mile EV SUV by 2020, and a hybrid-powered fully autonomous vehicle by 2021. Ford also will build hybrid versions of its F-150 pickup, and its Explorer-based Interceptor Police Utility vehicle and Taurus-based Police Interceptor sedan. At the same time, Fields attempts to assuage President-elect Trump’s anti-North American Free Trade Agreement position by cancelling plans for a new Mexican assembly plant.

Mary Barra adds “chairman” to her title: General Motors’ board elects its first female CEO to become its first female chairman, as well. Through much of its 109-year history, GM has assigned those titles to separate executives.

U.S. auto sales hits another record: Automakers report January 5 that they sold 17.54 million cars and light trucks in 2016, topping 2015, the previous record year, by 56,211 units. While car sales clearly have peaked, we’ll finish off calendar year ’17 at a still-healthy 17.1 million, according to AutoTrader’s mid-December estimate.

North American International Auto Show highlights: The 2017 Detroit Auto Show featured the new Kia Stinger, Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, Toyota Camry, Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept (the next Altima), Honda Odyssey, Infiniti QX50 concept, Chevrolet Traverse, Lexus LS, and Volkswagen I.D. Buzz concept (a modern EV Microbus). Sergio Marchionne reveals in his annual Detroit show press conference that the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will share the new longitudinal engine platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Ford shows nothing of significance.

EPA says Fiat Chrysler’s diesel Jeeps and Rams violate the Clean Air Act with defeat devices: Just prior to President Trump taking office, the Environmental Protection Agency announces it’s investigating Fiat Chrysler for alleged fuel economy/emissions test cheating devices on its Jeep and Ram EcoDiesel engines. Fiat Chrysler in May announces it has a software fix to solve the problem.

GM and Honda announce a fuel cell deal: In late January, General Motors and Honda announce a joint venture to design and develop a next-generation, compact fuel cell stack. They plan to build these fuel cell stacks together at a GM plant in Brownstown Township, Michigan, that assembles battery packs for the Chevrolet Bolt and Volt by 2021.

Geneva International Motor Show Highlights: The new McLaren 720S was the show’s runaway hit, though Robert Cumberford also singles out the Fittipaldi EF7 by Pininfarina. Automobile staff also like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Mercedes-AMG Concept GT, Volkswagen Arteon, Range Rover Velar, Alpine A110, Volvo XC60, and Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e.

GM sells Opel/Vauxhall to PSA Peugeot Citroen for $2.3 billion: The world’s third-largest automaker runs from one of the world’s largest markets¬—the European Union, collectively, is about as large as the U.S. market in millions of annual sales. It’s also a very tough market, with strict regulations, loose enforcement (see, German-brand diesels), and relatively strong unions that make it hard to move assembly plants to former Soviet satellite countries with lower labor costs. In the end, though, it may have been Brexit that pushed the sale over the line. GM’s Vauxhall was stronger in the United Kingdom than was Opel on the Continent.

Trump rescinds the Obama administration 2025 CAFE standard: Automakers selling cars and trucks in the U.S. were required to reach a 54.5-mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard under an agreement reached with the Obama administration in 2010, shortly after the GM and Chrysler loan guarantee bailouts. But the standard always was subject to a “mid-term review” that could pull back the standards. The new Trump administration jumps ahead of that review with an executive order. For automakers, it will offer relief from having to reach the 54.5-mpg CAFE number. However, automakers already were well on their way in engineering new powertrains and lighter, more aerodynamic (and CAFE standard “footprint” measurements) bodies. We’re not likely to see much pullback from those plans, so most automakers will probably be close to meeting the ’25 standard, if a few years late, anyway. What’s more, Trump’s executive order does nothing to the California Mandate requiring a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles sold there and in 16 other, mostly coastal states. The California Zero Emissions Mandate already is responsible for cars like the Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf, as well as Tesla’s relative success.

Trump wants to tear up NAFTA and place a tariff on Mexican-built autos: After the U.S. auto sales peaks of 2015 and 2016, there’s no shortage of auto manufacturing capacity. As I reported in late March, Trump’s plan to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement would not push automakers to build new, $1-billion+ factories in the United States (although Volvo, for one, already plans its first assembly plant here). The president specifically attacks Ford for moving Focus production from Michigan to Mexico in 2018, though it’s adding more profitable Ranger pickup and Bronco sport/utility production in its place in Michigan. Ford has since rescinded its plans for a new Mexican plant, and instead will move Focus production to China. President Trump has yet to act on rescinding U.S. participation in NAFTA.

Tesla’s market cap exceeds GM’s and Ford’s: Tesla’s market capitalization first passes Ford Motor Company’s, then in April, General Motors’. Tesla stock has since settled into the low $300s-per-share range, while GM stock has rallied to top the disruptive EV automaker’s cap, again. As of December 21, Tesla was worth about $55.1 billion to GM’s $60.1 billion. Wall Street bulls have defended Tesla’s stock value as a sign of an all-electric future. Tesla will be well positioned to lead that future, the bulls say, though as it continues to lose money and have problems getting Model 3 production up to speed, more and more bears are popping up in the analysts’ community.

Tesla loses $397 million in the first quarter: The losses are worse than analysts’ expectations, but by early June, stock values start to rise again.

Ford fires Fields: Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields, a corporate veteran credited for turning around Mazda (which Ford formerly controlled) in the late 1990s, is fired allegedly for lagging on electric car development. The real reason is Ford’s lagging stock value, a bigger concern for William Clay Ford and his relatives, who control the company with 40 percent of its stock. Fields’ replacement is Jim Hackett, hired away from the office furniture company, Steelcase.

GM shareholders reject a dual-class stock proposal: Greenlight Capital wants to split GM stock into two classes [not unlike Ford’s Class B stock] in order to cash in some value out of the automaker. To those of us far from Wall Street it seems the sort of action that would put GM in the same position it was in 12 years ago, when an economic downturn or a change in automotive tastes due to something like a spike in oil prices could lead to serious cash shortage. At GM’s annual meeting in June, shareholders roundly reject Greenlight’s proposal.

BMW 2 Series to lose manual option?: In June, a BMW executive in Germany was quoted indicating that the company would stop importing manual transmission 2 Series models to the U.S. The uproar that caused in the purist-enthusiasts’ community resulted in a clarification. If BMW stops selling stick shift 2 Series models here, it won’t be until the car’s next generation, expected to be the 2020 model year (now less than two years away). Automobile magazine’s Four Seasons ‘17 M2 came with just one option; the dual-clutch seven-speed automatic, because, BMW said, customer demand for the manual created a shortage. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next 2 Series came only with a DCT, which is handy for Level III or IV autonomous features. And the upcoming X2 “sport/activity vehicle” almost certainly will not be offered with a three-pedal layout.

Volvo goes all-electrified by 2019: The misleading headline at Volvo’s own website reads, “Volvo goes all-electric,” but the copy underneath says that by ’19, all Volvos will have an electric motor. While the hyperbole led The Cult of Elon to believe they had won their revolution, at Volvo, this entails everything from pure battery-EV to plug-in hybrid to 48-volt. For sure, the 48-volt revolution is coming, with that technology aiding stop/start systems and in some cases limited EV driving while accommodating the expansion of elaborate infotainment systems. In any event, Volvo’s announcement spurred similar claims later in the year from rival premium automakers.

Nissan launches ProPilot Assist in its all-new, 2018 Leaf: The automated cruise control will start and stop in rush hour traffic, but you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel, which gently helps you around curves. The new Nissan Leaf’s range is now 150 miles on a full charge, still 78 miles short of the Chevy Bolt’s stated range.

Cadillac launches Super Cruise: Is Cadillac in the autonomy lead? Yes, I think it is, even if Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have slightly more capable systems in the works. As part of Super Cruise’s safety redundancy, GM mapped 180,000 miles of U.S. roads. You must take the wheel of the Cadillac CT6 to change lanes, but otherwise it’s even easier than two-fingertip steering on long, boring Interstates.

Toyota and Mazda announce joint-venture U.S. assembly plant: Likely to be built somewhere in the UAW-bereft Southeast, the joint venture also will help struggling Mazda get into electrified powertrains. Let’s hope it leads to a future for the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Toyota 86, as their Fiat and Subaru deals are not likely to have sequels.

Mazda announces Skyactive X engine technology: Mazda will equip its next 3, coming in 2019, with a compression ignition gasoline powered engine said to nearly equal a similar-sized four-cylinder turbodiesel, and match it for CO2 emissions.

Fiat Chrysler ‘confirms’ it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors: The late-summer denial that a Chinese automaker was looking to buy Fiat Chrysler comes in the middle of a year in which CEO Sergio Marchionne is pretty transparent about his desire to find a dance partner. In my Motor City Blogman column, I note that Jeep and Ram are the two brands that would attract such a partner, and that if Marchionne expected value to be paid for the rest of the brands, the company might have to go it alone for a while longer.

IAA Frankfurt motor show highlights: The Honda Urban EV concept, Mercedes-AMG Project One, a roadgoing F1 car driven onto the stage by Lewis Hamilton (who would soon win his fourth World Driver’s Championship), Renault Symbioz concept, a modern rolling living room, Ferrari Portofino, Hyundai Kona, Kia Proceed concept, and according to Robert Cumberford, the new Borgward Isabella and something called the Aspark Owl.

Delphi splits in two: We don’t often cover Tier One suppliers, but it’s worth noting that this former GM parts division this year split into two companies. Delphi Technology continues to work on updating and improving powertrains, mostly the internal combustion engine, while Aptiv covers autonomy and connectivity. While I often write about automakers’ latest autonomous technology breakthroughs, much of the advances are coming from companies like Aptiv, Continental, Bosch, etc.

GM will launch ‘at least’ 20 new battery-electric or fuel cell vehicles by 2023: While no one has figured out how to make money on BEVs or fuel cells yet, this announcement spurs on GM’s already soaring share prices. The first two new EVs will arrive by mid-2019 and will be based on the current Chevy Bolt, while the new models after that will be off a new electric/fuel cell platform, including what looks to be the C8 Corvette E-ray.

Tokyo Motor Show highlights: The Honda EV Coupe concept, Mazda Vision Coupe concept, Mazda Kai concept (next Mazda3), Subaru Viviz Performance concept (next WRX/STI), Daihatsu DN Compagno concept, and the Toyota TJ Cruiser. In time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Toyota also displays a new Century limousine and a Tokyo cab, replacing models first designed for the 1964 Olympics that raised the city out of its postwar doldrums.

Tesla loses record $619 million in the third quarter: The cost of developing the much-awaited Tesla Model 3 and its production facility no doubt contributed to all this red ink. CEO Elon Musk says Tesla delivered just 233 of its mass-market EVs as of the end of the quarter, and says ramp-up of production to 5,000 per month now is delayed to the end of the first quarter of 2018—originally, this was the goal for the end of the year.

Peugeot-Citroen launches car-sharing service ahead of return to the U.S.: Free2Move is launched as an aggregation app for Car2Go and Zipcar in Seattle. The app will help PSA relearn the U.S. market ahead of its planned return selling cars here, says North American chief Larry Dominique. PSA will sell one of it from Performance Junk WP Feed 4 http://ift.tt/2BXQdmE via IFTTT

[eddiejpoplar]

Wheelspinning Our Way Through 2017

If 2017 was the year of President Trump everywhere else, in the automotive world, it seemed to be the year of Elon Musk. Again. Musk’s Tesla began 2017 with some 440,000 intenders each holding $1,000 deposit receipts for a new $35,000+ Model 3 with hopes they would start to get their cars by midyear.

Tesla ended 2017 with Musk now building anticipation for a new semi truck, apparently named “Semi,” which he says will have a 500-mile range and will begin deliveries in 2019, with a new Roadster model—actually a 2+2 targa grand touring car capable of 250 mph+ and 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds—arriving at dealers a year later.

Musk said Tesla delivered just 233 Model 3s by the end of the third quarter. When I asked Tesla public relations for an update on deliveries through, at least, mid-December, the response was to refer to Musk’s third-quarter analysts’ call held November 1. Tesla PR said the number of deliveries will be updated in the first quarter 2018 analysts’ call. So it goes.

In reality, 2017 was the year that traditional automakers ramped up their counter-assault on Tesla’s electric vehicles, with plans for everything from fuel cells and solid-state batteries to new ways to make the internal combustion engine cleaner and more efficient. Here’s how I saw the year in automobiles …

Fords with a future: CEO Mark Fields announces a $700-million investment in its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant to build a hybrid Mustang, a 300-plus mile EV SUV by 2020, and a hybrid-powered fully autonomous vehicle by 2021. Ford also will build hybrid versions of its F-150 pickup, and its Explorer-based Interceptor Police Utility vehicle and Taurus-based Police Interceptor sedan. At the same time, Fields attempts to assuage President-elect Trump’s anti-North American Free Trade Agreement position by cancelling plans for a new Mexican assembly plant.

Mary Barra adds “chairman” to her title: General Motors’ board elects its first female CEO to become its first female chairman, as well. Through much of its 109-year history, GM has assigned those titles to separate executives.

U.S. auto sales hits another record: Automakers report January 5 that they sold 17.54 million cars and light trucks in 2016, topping 2015, the previous record year, by 56,211 units. While car sales clearly have peaked, we’ll finish off calendar year ’17 at a still-healthy 17.1 million, according to AutoTrader’s mid-December estimate.

North American International Auto Show highlights: The 2017 Detroit Auto Show featured the new Kia Stinger, Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, Toyota Camry, Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept (the next Altima), Honda Odyssey, Infiniti QX50 concept, Chevrolet Traverse, Lexus LS, and Volkswagen I.D. Buzz concept (a modern EV Microbus). Sergio Marchionne reveals in his annual Detroit show press conference that the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will share the new longitudinal engine platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Ford shows nothing of significance.

EPA says Fiat Chrysler’s diesel Jeeps and Rams violate the Clean Air Act with defeat devices: Just prior to President Trump taking office, the Environmental Protection Agency announces it’s investigating Fiat Chrysler for alleged fuel economy/emissions test cheating devices on its Jeep and Ram EcoDiesel engines. Fiat Chrysler in May announces it has a software fix to solve the problem.

GM and Honda announce a fuel cell deal: In late January, General Motors and Honda announce a joint venture to design and develop a next-generation, compact fuel cell stack. They plan to build these fuel cell stacks together at a GM plant in Brownstown Township, Michigan, that assembles battery packs for the Chevrolet Bolt and Volt by 2021.

Geneva International Motor Show Highlights: The new McLaren 720S was the show’s runaway hit, though Robert Cumberford also singles out the Fittipaldi EF7 by Pininfarina. Automobile staff also like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Mercedes-AMG Concept GT, Volkswagen Arteon, Range Rover Velar, Alpine A110, Volvo XC60, and Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e.

GM sells Opel/Vauxhall to PSA Peugeot Citroen for $2.3 billion: The world’s third-largest automaker runs from one of the world’s largest markets¬—the European Union, collectively, is about as large as the U.S. market in millions of annual sales. It’s also a very tough market, with strict regulations, loose enforcement (see, German-brand diesels), and relatively strong unions that make it hard to move assembly plants to former Soviet satellite countries with lower labor costs. In the end, though, it may have been Brexit that pushed the sale over the line. GM’s Vauxhall was stronger in the United Kingdom than was Opel on the Continent.

Trump rescinds the Obama administration 2025 CAFE standard: Automakers selling cars and trucks in the U.S. were required to reach a 54.5-mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard under an agreement reached with the Obama administration in 2010, shortly after the GM and Chrysler loan guarantee bailouts. But the standard always was subject to a “mid-term review” that could pull back the standards. The new Trump administration jumps ahead of that review with an executive order. For automakers, it will offer relief from having to reach the 54.5-mpg CAFE number. However, automakers already were well on their way in engineering new powertrains and lighter, more aerodynamic (and CAFE standard “footprint” measurements) bodies. We’re not likely to see much pullback from those plans, so most automakers will probably be close to meeting the ’25 standard, if a few years late, anyway. What’s more, Trump’s executive order does nothing to the California Mandate requiring a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles sold there and in 16 other, mostly coastal states. The California Zero Emissions Mandate already is responsible for cars like the Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf, as well as Tesla’s relative success.

Trump wants to tear up NAFTA and place a tariff on Mexican-built autos: After the U.S. auto sales peaks of 2015 and 2016, there’s no shortage of auto manufacturing capacity. As I reported in late March, Trump’s plan to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement would not push automakers to build new, $1-billion+ factories in the United States (although Volvo, for one, already plans its first assembly plant here). The president specifically attacks Ford for moving Focus production from Michigan to Mexico in 2018, though it’s adding more profitable Ranger pickup and Bronco sport/utility production in its place in Michigan. Ford has since rescinded its plans for a new Mexican plant, and instead will move Focus production to China. President Trump has yet to act on rescinding U.S. participation in NAFTA.

Tesla’s market cap exceeds GM’s and Ford’s: Tesla’s market capitalization first passes Ford Motor Company’s, then in April, General Motors’. Tesla stock has since settled into the low $300s-per-share range, while GM stock has rallied to top the disruptive EV automaker’s cap, again. As of December 21, Tesla was worth about $55.1 billion to GM’s $60.1 billion. Wall Street bulls have defended Tesla’s stock value as a sign of an all-electric future. Tesla will be well positioned to lead that future, the bulls say, though as it continues to lose money and have problems getting Model 3 production up to speed, more and more bears are popping up in the analysts’ community.

Tesla loses $397 million in the first quarter: The losses are worse than analysts’ expectations, but by early June, stock values start to rise again.

Ford fires Fields: Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields, a corporate veteran credited for turning around Mazda (which Ford formerly controlled) in the late 1990s, is fired allegedly for lagging on electric car development. The real reason is Ford’s lagging stock value, a bigger concern for William Clay Ford and his relatives, who control the company with 40 percent of its stock. Fields’ replacement is Jim Hackett, hired away from the office furniture company, Steelcase.

GM shareholders reject a dual-class stock proposal: Greenlight Capital wants to split GM stock into two classes [not unlike Ford’s Class B stock] in order to cash in some value out of the automaker. To those of us far from Wall Street it seems the sort of action that would put GM in the same position it was in 12 years ago, when an economic downturn or a change in automotive tastes due to something like a spike in oil prices could lead to serious cash shortage. At GM’s annual meeting in June, shareholders roundly reject Greenlight’s proposal.

BMW 2 Series to lose manual option?: In June, a BMW executive in Germany was quoted indicating that the company would stop importing manual transmission 2 Series models to the U.S. The uproar that caused in the purist-enthusiasts’ community resulted in a clarification. If BMW stops selling stick shift 2 Series models here, it won’t be until the car’s next generation, expected to be the 2020 model year (now less than two years away). Automobile magazine’s Four Seasons ‘17 M2 came with just one option; the dual-clutch seven-speed automatic, because, BMW said, customer demand for the manual created a shortage. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next 2 Series came only with a DCT, which is handy for Level III or IV autonomous features. And the upcoming X2 “sport/activity vehicle” almost certainly will not be offered with a three-pedal layout.

Volvo goes all-electrified by 2019: The misleading headline at Volvo’s own website reads, “Volvo goes all-electric,” but the copy underneath says that by ’19, all Volvos will have an electric motor. While the hyperbole led The Cult of Elon to believe they had won their revolution, at Volvo, this entails everything from pure battery-EV to plug-in hybrid to 48-volt. For sure, the 48-volt revolution is coming, with that technology aiding stop/start systems and in some cases limited EV driving while accommodating the expansion of elaborate infotainment systems. In any event, Volvo’s announcement spurred similar claims later in the year from rival premium automakers.

Nissan launches ProPilot Assist in its all-new, 2018 Leaf: The automated cruise control will start and stop in rush hour traffic, but you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel, which gently helps you around curves. The new Nissan Leaf’s range is now 150 miles on a full charge, still 78 miles short of the Chevy Bolt’s stated range.

Cadillac launches Super Cruise: Is Cadillac in the autonomy lead? Yes, I think it is, even if Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have slightly more capable systems in the works. As part of Super Cruise’s safety redundancy, GM mapped 180,000 miles of U.S. roads. You must take the wheel of the Cadillac CT6 to change lanes, but otherwise it’s even easier than two-fingertip steering on long, boring Interstates.

Toyota and Mazda announce joint-venture U.S. assembly plant: Likely to be built somewhere in the UAW-bereft Southeast, the joint venture also will help struggling Mazda get into electrified powertrains. Let’s hope it leads to a future for the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Toyota 86, as their Fiat and Subaru deals are not likely to have sequels.

Mazda announces Skyactive X engine technology: Mazda will equip its next 3, coming in 2019, with a compression ignition gasoline powered engine said to nearly equal a similar-sized four-cylinder turbodiesel, and match it for CO2 emissions.

Fiat Chrysler ‘confirms’ it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors: The late-summer denial that a Chinese automaker was looking to buy Fiat Chrysler comes in the middle of a year in which CEO Sergio Marchionne is pretty transparent about his desire to find a dance partner. In my Motor City Blogman column, I note that Jeep and Ram are the two brands that would attract such a partner, and that if Marchionne expected value to be paid for the rest of the brands, the company might have to go it alone for a while longer.

IAA Frankfurt motor show highlights: The Honda Urban EV concept, Mercedes-AMG Project One, a roadgoing F1 car driven onto the stage by Lewis Hamilton (who would soon win his fourth World Driver’s Championship), Renault Symbioz concept, a modern rolling living room, Ferrari Portofino, Hyundai Kona, Kia Proceed concept, and according to Robert Cumberford, the new Borgward Isabella and something called the Aspark Owl.

Delphi splits in two: We don’t often cover Tier One suppliers, but it’s worth noting that this former GM parts division this year split into two companies. Delphi Technology continues to work on updating and improving powertrains, mostly the internal combustion engine, while Aptiv covers autonomy and connectivity. While I often write about automakers’ latest autonomous technology breakthroughs, much of the advances are coming from companies like Aptiv, Continental, Bosch, etc.

GM will launch ‘at least’ 20 new battery-electric or fuel cell vehicles by 2023: While no one has figured out how to make money on BEVs or fuel cells yet, this announcement spurs on GM’s already soaring share prices. The first two new EVs will arrive by mid-2019 and will be based on the current Chevy Bolt, while the new models after that will be off a new electric/fuel cell platform, including what looks to be the C8 Corvette E-ray.

Tokyo Motor Show highlights: The Honda EV Coupe concept, Mazda Vision Coupe concept, Mazda Kai concept (next Mazda3), Subaru Viviz Performance concept (next WRX/STI), Daihatsu DN Compagno concept, and the Toyota TJ Cruiser. In time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Toyota also displays a new Century limousine and a Tokyo cab, replacing models first designed for the 1964 Olympics that raised the city out of its postwar doldrums.

Tesla loses record $619 million in the third quarter: The cost of developing the much-awaited Tesla Model 3 and its production facility no doubt contributed to all this red ink. CEO Elon Musk says Tesla delivered just 233 of its mass-market EVs as of the end of the quarter, and says ramp-up of production to 5,000 per month now is delayed to the end of the first quarter of 2018—originally, this was the goal for the end of the year.

Peugeot-Citroen launches car-sharing service ahead of return to the U.S.: Free2Move is launched as an aggregation app for Car2Go and Zipcar in Seattle. The app will help PSA relearn the U.S. market ahead of its planned return selling cars here, says North American chief Larry Dominique. PSA will sell one of it from Performance Junk Blogger 6 http://ift.tt/2BXQdmE via IFTTT

[jonathanbelloblog]

Wheelspinning Our Way Through 2017

If 2017 was the year of President Trump everywhere else, in the automotive world, it seemed to be the year of Elon Musk. Again. Musk’s Tesla began 2017 with some 440,000 intenders each holding $1,000 deposit receipts for a new $35,000+ Model 3 with hopes they would start to get their cars by midyear.

Tesla ended 2017 with Musk now building anticipation for a new semi truck, apparently named “Semi,” which he says will have a 500-mile range and will begin deliveries in 2019, with a new Roadster model—actually a 2+2 targa grand touring car capable of 250 mph+ and 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds—arriving at dealers a year later.

Musk said Tesla delivered just 233 Model 3s by the end of the third quarter. When I asked Tesla public relations for an update on deliveries through, at least, mid-December, the response was to refer to Musk’s third-quarter analysts’ call held November 1. Tesla PR said the number of deliveries will be updated in the first quarter 2018 analysts’ call. So it goes.

In reality, 2017 was the year that traditional automakers ramped up their counter-assault on Tesla’s electric vehicles, with plans for everything from fuel cells and solid-state batteries to new ways to make the internal combustion engine cleaner and more efficient. Here’s how I saw the year in automobiles …

Fords with a future: CEO Mark Fields announces a $700-million investment in its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant to build a hybrid Mustang, a 300-plus mile EV SUV by 2020, and a hybrid-powered fully autonomous vehicle by 2021. Ford also will build hybrid versions of its F-150 pickup, and its Explorer-based Interceptor Police Utility vehicle and Taurus-based Police Interceptor sedan. At the same time, Fields attempts to assuage President-elect Trump’s anti-North American Free Trade Agreement position by cancelling plans for a new Mexican assembly plant.

Mary Barra adds “chairman” to her title: General Motors’ board elects its first female CEO to become its first female chairman, as well. Through much of its 109-year history, GM has assigned those titles to separate executives.

U.S. auto sales hits another record: Automakers report January 5 that they sold 17.54 million cars and light trucks in 2016, topping 2015, the previous record year, by 56,211 units. While car sales clearly have peaked, we’ll finish off calendar year ’17 at a still-healthy 17.1 million, according to AutoTrader’s mid-December estimate.

North American International Auto Show highlights: The 2017 Detroit Auto Show featured the new Kia Stinger, Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, Toyota Camry, Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept (the next Altima), Honda Odyssey, Infiniti QX50 concept, Chevrolet Traverse, Lexus LS, and Volkswagen I.D. Buzz concept (a modern EV Microbus). Sergio Marchionne reveals in his annual Detroit show press conference that the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will share the new longitudinal engine platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Ford shows nothing of significance.

EPA says Fiat Chrysler’s diesel Jeeps and Rams violate the Clean Air Act with defeat devices: Just prior to President Trump taking office, the Environmental Protection Agency announces it’s investigating Fiat Chrysler for alleged fuel economy/emissions test cheating devices on its Jeep and Ram EcoDiesel engines. Fiat Chrysler in May announces it has a software fix to solve the problem.

GM and Honda announce a fuel cell deal: In late January, General Motors and Honda announce a joint venture to design and develop a next-generation, compact fuel cell stack. They plan to build these fuel cell stacks together at a GM plant in Brownstown Township, Michigan, that assembles battery packs for the Chevrolet Bolt and Volt by 2021.

Geneva International Motor Show Highlights: The new McLaren 720S was the show’s runaway hit, though Robert Cumberford also singles out the Fittipaldi EF7 by Pininfarina. Automobile staff also like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Mercedes-AMG Concept GT, Volkswagen Arteon, Range Rover Velar, Alpine A110, Volvo XC60, and Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e.

GM sells Opel/Vauxhall to PSA Peugeot Citroen for $2.3 billion: The world’s third-largest automaker runs from one of the world’s largest markets¬—the European Union, collectively, is about as large as the U.S. market in millions of annual sales. It’s also a very tough market, with strict regulations, loose enforcement (see, German-brand diesels), and relatively strong unions that make it hard to move assembly plants to former Soviet satellite countries with lower labor costs. In the end, though, it may have been Brexit that pushed the sale over the line. GM’s Vauxhall was stronger in the United Kingdom than was Opel on the Continent.

Trump rescinds the Obama administration 2025 CAFE standard: Automakers selling cars and trucks in the U.S. were required to reach a 54.5-mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard under an agreement reached with the Obama administration in 2010, shortly after the GM and Chrysler loan guarantee bailouts. But the standard always was subject to a “mid-term review” that could pull back the standards. The new Trump administration jumps ahead of that review with an executive order. For automakers, it will offer relief from having to reach the 54.5-mpg CAFE number. However, automakers already were well on their way in engineering new powertrains and lighter, more aerodynamic (and CAFE standard “footprint” measurements) bodies. We’re not likely to see much pullback from those plans, so most automakers will probably be close to meeting the ’25 standard, if a few years late, anyway. What’s more, Trump’s executive order does nothing to the California Mandate requiring a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles sold there and in 16 other, mostly coastal states. The California Zero Emissions Mandate already is responsible for cars like the Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf, as well as Tesla’s relative success.

Trump wants to tear up NAFTA and place a tariff on Mexican-built autos: After the U.S. auto sales peaks of 2015 and 2016, there’s no shortage of auto manufacturing capacity. As I reported in late March, Trump’s plan to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement would not push automakers to build new, $1-billion+ factories in the United States (although Volvo, for one, already plans its first assembly plant here). The president specifically attacks Ford for moving Focus production from Michigan to Mexico in 2018, though it’s adding more profitable Ranger pickup and Bronco sport/utility production in its place in Michigan. Ford has since rescinded its plans for a new Mexican plant, and instead will move Focus production to China. President Trump has yet to act on rescinding U.S. participation in NAFTA.

Tesla’s market cap exceeds GM’s and Ford’s: Tesla’s market capitalization first passes Ford Motor Company’s, then in April, General Motors’. Tesla stock has since settled into the low $300s-per-share range, while GM stock has rallied to top the disruptive EV automaker’s cap, again. As of December 21, Tesla was worth about $55.1 billion to GM’s $60.1 billion. Wall Street bulls have defended Tesla’s stock value as a sign of an all-electric future. Tesla will be well positioned to lead that future, the bulls say, though as it continues to lose money and have problems getting Model 3 production up to speed, more and more bears are popping up in the analysts’ community.

Tesla loses $397 million in the first quarter: The losses are worse than analysts’ expectations, but by early June, stock values start to rise again.

Ford fires Fields: Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields, a corporate veteran credited for turning around Mazda (which Ford formerly controlled) in the late 1990s, is fired allegedly for lagging on electric car development. The real reason is Ford’s lagging stock value, a bigger concern for William Clay Ford and his relatives, who control the company with 40 percent of its stock. Fields’ replacement is Jim Hackett, hired away from the office furniture company, Steelcase.

GM shareholders reject a dual-class stock proposal: Greenlight Capital wants to split GM stock into two classes [not unlike Ford’s Class B stock] in order to cash in some value out of the automaker. To those of us far from Wall Street it seems the sort of action that would put GM in the same position it was in 12 years ago, when an economic downturn or a change in automotive tastes due to something like a spike in oil prices could lead to serious cash shortage. At GM’s annual meeting in June, shareholders roundly reject Greenlight’s proposal.

BMW 2 Series to lose manual option?: In June, a BMW executive in Germany was quoted indicating that the company would stop importing manual transmission 2 Series models to the U.S. The uproar that caused in the purist-enthusiasts’ community resulted in a clarification. If BMW stops selling stick shift 2 Series models here, it won’t be until the car’s next generation, expected to be the 2020 model year (now less than two years away). Automobile magazine’s Four Seasons ‘17 M2 came with just one option; the dual-clutch seven-speed automatic, because, BMW said, customer demand for the manual created a shortage. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next 2 Series came only with a DCT, which is handy for Level III or IV autonomous features. And the upcoming X2 “sport/activity vehicle” almost certainly will not be offered with a three-pedal layout.

Volvo goes all-electrified by 2019: The misleading headline at Volvo’s own website reads, “Volvo goes all-electric,” but the copy underneath says that by ’19, all Volvos will have an electric motor. While the hyperbole led The Cult of Elon to believe they had won their revolution, at Volvo, this entails everything from pure battery-EV to plug-in hybrid to 48-volt. For sure, the 48-volt revolution is coming, with that technology aiding stop/start systems and in some cases limited EV driving while accommodating the expansion of elaborate infotainment systems. In any event, Volvo’s announcement spurred similar claims later in the year from rival premium automakers.

Nissan launches ProPilot Assist in its all-new, 2018 Leaf: The automated cruise control will start and stop in rush hour traffic, but you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel, which gently helps you around curves. The new Nissan Leaf’s range is now 150 miles on a full charge, still 78 miles short of the Chevy Bolt’s stated range.

Cadillac launches Super Cruise: Is Cadillac in the autonomy lead? Yes, I think it is, even if Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have slightly more capable systems in the works. As part of Super Cruise’s safety redundancy, GM mapped 180,000 miles of U.S. roads. You must take the wheel of the Cadillac CT6 to change lanes, but otherwise it’s even easier than two-fingertip steering on long, boring Interstates.

Toyota and Mazda announce joint-venture U.S. assembly plant: Likely to be built somewhere in the UAW-bereft Southeast, the joint venture also will help struggling Mazda get into electrified powertrains. Let’s hope it leads to a future for the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Toyota 86, as their Fiat and Subaru deals are not likely to have sequels.

Mazda announces Skyactive X engine technology: Mazda will equip its next 3, coming in 2019, with a compression ignition gasoline powered engine said to nearly equal a similar-sized four-cylinder turbodiesel, and match it for CO2 emissions.

Fiat Chrysler ‘confirms’ it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors: The late-summer denial that a Chinese automaker was looking to buy Fiat Chrysler comes in the middle of a year in which CEO Sergio Marchionne is pretty transparent about his desire to find a dance partner. In my Motor City Blogman column, I note that Jeep and Ram are the two brands that would attract such a partner, and that if Marchionne expected value to be paid for the rest of the brands, the company might have to go it alone for a while longer.

IAA Frankfurt motor show highlights: The Honda Urban EV concept, Mercedes-AMG Project One, a roadgoing F1 car driven onto the stage by Lewis Hamilton (who would soon win his fourth World Driver’s Championship), Renault Symbioz concept, a modern rolling living room, Ferrari Portofino, Hyundai Kona, Kia Proceed concept, and according to Robert Cumberford, the new Borgward Isabella and something called the Aspark Owl.

Delphi splits in two: We don’t often cover Tier One suppliers, but it’s worth noting that this former GM parts division this year split into two companies. Delphi Technology continues to work on updating and improving powertrains, mostly the internal combustion engine, while Aptiv covers autonomy and connectivity. While I often write about automakers’ latest autonomous technology breakthroughs, much of the advances are coming from companies like Aptiv, Continental, Bosch, etc.

GM will launch ‘at least’ 20 new battery-electric or fuel cell vehicles by 2023: While no one has figured out how to make money on BEVs or fuel cells yet, this announcement spurs on GM’s already soaring share prices. The first two new EVs will arrive by mid-2019 and will be based on the current Chevy Bolt, while the new models after that will be off a new electric/fuel cell platform, including what looks to be the C8 Corvette E-ray.

Tokyo Motor Show highlights: The Honda EV Coupe concept, Mazda Vision Coupe concept, Mazda Kai concept (next Mazda3), Subaru Viviz Performance concept (next WRX/STI), Daihatsu DN Compagno concept, and the Toyota TJ Cruiser. In time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Toyota also displays a new Century limousine and a Tokyo cab, replacing models first designed for the 1964 Olympics that raised the city out of its postwar doldrums.

Tesla loses record $619 million in the third quarter: The cost of developing the much-awaited Tesla Model 3 and its production facility no doubt contributed to all this red ink. CEO Elon Musk says Tesla delivered just 233 of its mass-market EVs as of the end of the quarter, and says ramp-up of production to 5,000 per month now is delayed to the end of the first quarter of 2018—originally, this was the goal for the end of the year.

Peugeot-Citroen launches car-sharing service ahead of return to the U.S.: Free2Move is launched as an aggregation app for Car2Go and Zipcar in Seattle. The app will help PSA relearn the U.S. market ahead of its planned return selling cars here, says North American chief Larry Dominique. PSA will sell one of it from Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4 http://ift.tt/2BXQdmE via IFTTT

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BMW X2 2021 Towing Capacity, Configuration, Redesign

BMW X2 2021 Towing Capacity, Configuration, Redesign

BMW X2 2021 Towing Capacity, Configuration, Redesign – The particular 2021 BMW X2is really a athletic replacement for the actual BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same standard mechanized underpinnings like the very same 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-pace intelligent plus accessible all-tire push this X2 brings a fabulous athletic pizzazz on the combine. Utilizing distinctive design and also a focus on…

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When The 2021 BMW X2 35i USA Coming Out

When The 2021 BMW X2 35i USA Coming Out

When The 2021 BMW X2 35i USA Coming Out – Typically the 2021 BMW X2is actually a athletic substitute for any BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same standard technical underpinnings for example the identical 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-velocity intelligent in addition to offered all-tire travel all the X2 brings your athletic style for the combine. Utilizing exclusive design as well as a focus on…

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2021 BMW X2 M Sport X White Redesign

2021 BMW X2 M Sport X White Redesign

2021 BMW X2 M Sport X White Redesign – Any 2021 BMW X2can be a athletic replacement for all the BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same standard technical underpinnings for example the very same 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-velocity intelligent plus readily available all-tire generate your X2 provides a fabulous athletic good taste for the blend. Due to distinctive design and even a focus on traveling…

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2021 BMW X2 M35i Release Date, Specs, Changess

2021 BMW X2 M35i Release Date, Specs, Changess

2021 BMW X2 M35i Release Date, Specs, Changess – This 2021 BMW X2is really a athletic replacement for all the BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same standard mechanised underpinnings such as the exact same 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-velocity auto and also readily available all-tire push this X2 provides your athletic good taste towards the combine. Due to special style as well as a focus on driving…

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2021 BMW X2 M Sport X Price, Specs, Interior

2021 BMW X2 M Sport X Price, Specs, Interior

2021 BMW X2 M Sport X Price, Specs, Interior – The actual 2021 BMW X2is actually a athletic replacement for all the BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same standard technical underpinnings for example the very same 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-pace auto plus offered all-tire generate this X2 provides a good athletic good taste on the blend. With the help of distinctive style together with a focus on…

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2021 BMW X2 Dimensions Changes, Premier Option

2021 BMW X2 Dimensions Changes, Premier Option

2021 BMW X2 Dimensions Changes, Premier Option – That 2021 BMW X2is really a athletic substitute for typically the BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same standard mechanised underpinnings like the very same 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-velocity intelligent in addition to offered all-tire generate the particular X2 brings a real athletic style towards the combine. Utilizing exclusive style and…

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2021 BMW X2 M Sport Price, Engine, Release Date

2021 BMW X2 M Sport Price, Engine, Release Date

2021 BMW X2 M Sport Price, Engine, Release Date – The actual 2021 BMW X2can be a athletic option to typically the BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same simple mechanised underpinnings for example the identical 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-rate automated together with accessible all-tire push this X2 brings your athletic style on the combine. By using distinctive design and also a focus on traveling…

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2021 BMW X2 Msrp, Rumor, Configuration, Release Date

2021 BMW X2 Msrp, Rumor, Configuration, Release Date

2021 BMW X2 Msrp, Rumor, Configuration, Release Date – That 2021 BMW X2can be a athletic replacement for all the BMW X1 SUV. Utilizing the same standard technical underpinnings for example the identical 2.-liter turbocharged 4-tube, 8-pace intelligent together with accessible all-tire push the actual X2 brings some sort of athletic good taste for the combine. With the help of special style and…