+++ Automation is a noble ideal. Tens of thousands of people die and millions are injured every year in car crashes, many as a result of distraction, impairment and other uniquely human failings. It stands to reason that eliminating the human element from the equation would dramatically reduce unnecessary deaths and injuries on the roads, and surely anybody reading this knows at least one person who claims to have been “saved” by some trick feature of their tech-laden automobiles. Every automotive design innovation coming to market these days seems to be freeing up space for something else. New transmission gear selectors are freeing up center console space. Voice commands and touchscreens are freeing up wheel and dashboard space. Advanced driver-assistance systems ( ADAS ) ostensibly give us fewer things to actively monitor, effectively freeing up our attention. But for what? The self-driving car is a fantasy that will take a long time to fulfill. Even if we reach the point where self-driving tech is capable of largely navigating America’s failing infrastructure, there will be scenarios where it simply won’t work. Natural and man-made disasters will see to that. We’ve seen this week what happens when a major web hosting service has a hiccup. What happens if the servers in charge of monitoring your rolling nap pod take a massive dump? Human behavior is the weakest link in automotive safety. Yet automakers are training their semi-autonomous systems to behave more “organically”. Modern cars that could easily cruise well in excess of the posted limit on 90 % of U.S. interstates are slowing down for gentle highway bends automatically (and unnecessarily) for no other reason than the fact that some customers think it “feels right”. We’re told one line but sold another. It seems weird that effort is being put into making cars drive more like they’re being controlled by humans if humans are the weak link to begin with. Automation’s goal may be to save lives, but its ulterior motive is to sell cars. We’re being fed a fantasy of an interconnected world where cars are so good at doing car things that we have nothing to do but sit back in awe of their capabilities, and since we’ll have nothing else to do, we can spend our car rides tweeting about how amazing all our favorite brand’s features are. This is a marketer’s dream, not a driver’s utopia. In the meantime, we’re being force-fed stopgap tech that serves largely to further erode our already-waning situational awareness. If the smartphone has taught us anything, it’s the pace at which we become dependent on technology. Look how quickly we’ve learned to forget things that we once considered critical information to have in an emergency. Most men or women under 35 probably don’t know their own loved ones’ phone numbers. Do you really think they have any incentive to learn the rules of the road if they’re being told their cars can just do it for them? That knowledge (and the skills and reflexes honed over applying that knowledge day-to-day) is most critical when things go wrong. By systematically dismantling the human component of the driving process, I truly believe we’re at risk of literally boring ourselves to death. I travel frequently. There are many things that suck about flying, but no matter how crappy your seat, how intrusive your neighbor’s appendages, how uncomfortably cold (or hot) the stale air, or how loud the crying baby, there’s always one thing worse than being forced to stay awake for a miserable plane ride, and that’s being forced to stay awake through a miserable plane ride with nothing else to do. We are a culture begging for constant stimulation. Why then are we in such a hurry to numb ourselves to everything going on around us on the road? What is the actual benefit of delegating everything that could possibly require our attention to some half-baked electronic nanny that will only further isolates us from information that could be life-or-death critical? You may not find driving fun in the strictest sense, especially if you’re accustomed to driving long distances in the American Midwest, but at least it gives you a process with which to engage. It may not be exciting, but it engages our senses and keeps us occupied. Or at least it used to. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that we’re doomed to an ineffectual, device-dependent existence because we walked away from hand-crank starters and manual gearboxes (I’ve never owned a vehicle with an automatic transmission in my life and even I think that’s ridiculous) but there are obvious differences in performance between those who are engaged with a task and those who are merely performing it. This is why I can get behind a system like GM’s Super Cruise (and similar offerings from other manufacturers). Since it’s not busy pretending it can actually do the whole job better than a human being, its implementation can be better focused on augmenting the driving experience rather than attempting to fully automate it. You’ll experience less fatigue per mile traveled, but you still have to be attentive enough to keep the system from switching off. That’s net-positive. And following that same logic one technological tier down, I personally advocate for plain-old cruise control over the new adaptive setups just about any day of the week because it forces you to pay attention. You always know exactly how fast you’re going (provided your cruise control doesn’t suck) and you don’t have to waste mental bandwidth or muscle stamina on minute throttle adjustments, but you can’t just zone out completely or you’ll wake up with a jersey barrier between your teeth. People used to (and maybe still) joke that a spike bolted to the middle of the steering wheel would be a more effective safety device than any airbag. As preposterous as that is at face value, there’s a nugget of truth to it. Driving is a responsibility. No matter how much of it you try to delegate, the buck ultimately stops with you. If that’s too much pressure, even technology can’t save you. +++
+++ There’s a rumor that the BMW XM isn’t finished breaking the mold of what the ultimate crossover driving machine is supposed to be. Previewed by the Concept XM last month, the production version won’t go on sale until around the end of next year, eventually offering three trims. When that day comes, 2 of those XM variants might wear names never before seen in the Bavarian stable. The entry-level version would be known as the XM Red Label, the mid-tier known as the XM Black Label. Reigning over both would be some familiarity in a trim called the XM Competition. Again, this is rumor, so you can keep any cutlery in its sheath for now. But if the rumor turns into fact, we look forward to asking BMW where the nomenclature came from. The X obviously represents a crossover, and where iX is the brand’s premier electric hauler, XM is M’s ultimate take on an electrified version. I can’t find any BMW connection to Black Label. As far as I can figure out, BMW has 2 connections to “Red Label”. One is a Bosch Digital Motor Electronics (DME) unit for the 3 Series that was affixed with either a white, silver, or red label. It has led to numerous forum posts wherein owners ask if they can replace their white label DME with a red label version. The other connection is with Bentley. Near the end of the last millennium, when it was feared the 6.75-liter engine that served Rolls-Royce and Bentley for decades wouldn’t pass Euro emissions in 2001, engineers began designing Bentleys to accept BMW engines. The 1998 Arnage was powered by a twin-turbo version of Munich’s 4.4-liter V8 during the fracas that would divvy up the English brands for new German owners. When Volkswagen got Bentley, VW developed the 6.75-liter to pass emissions, then sold 2 versions of the Arnage: a Red Label signifying the sporty trim with the Bentley engine and a Green Label with the BMW engine. Bentley had been applying color labels since W.O. Bentley’s time, in fact. His first car, the 3 Litre, came in standard Blue Label form, short-wheelbase Red Label Speed, and Green Label Supersports. The company’s been mostly out of that business since the Arnage Green Label sold 7 cars in 2000. Anyway, back to BMW, the XM is already the first standalone M car since the M1, the first practical standalone M car ever, and the brand’s first V8 plug-in hybrid. In October, a veteran forum poster wrote that the XM would get the same S58 engine aided by 2 electric motors, for a total output of about 650 horses. Beyond that, the source believes there will be 2 gas engines besides. I also believe there will be 3 engines, 2 of them electrified, not mentioning any of them being the S58. In its telling, there’s an XM 45e or XM 50e with what’s probably the B58 single-turbo inline-six and an electric motor, same as in the 745e, making about 394 hp total; a potential Red Label. Above that would come the “pure M version”, if one can call a really big SUV such, with the V8-hearted powertrain from the M5 CS and about 635 horses; a potential Black Label. Then comes the XM Competition with a brand new electrified powertrain and 750 hp. With this scuttlebutt about naming, we can only wonder what other surprises the new X has in store. +++
+++ FORD plans to become the second-biggest manufacturer of electric vehicles within the next 2 years. To do that, it estimates that it will have to produce around 600.000 EVs per year. The Blue Oval thinks it can achieve that thanks in no small part to the huge interest in the F-150 Lightning. Retail reservations for the all-electric pickup are approaching 200.000, Lisa Drake, Ford North America’s North America COO, told. Speaking at an investor conference, Drake said that Ford is working to create more vertical integration at its plants. That will mean that existing factories that build parts for combustion vehicles will also be able to build parts for EVs. “We haven’t used ‘vertical integration in this industry in a long time”, Drake said, but “you’re going to hear it a lot more”. Previously, Ford has said that the reason it can offer the F-150 Lightning at its sub-$40,000 starting price is because of the economies of scale offered to it by its traditionally-powered F-150. Darren Palmer, Ford’s general manager of electric vehicles said, at the time, that removing the price barrier from electric vehicles is crucial to enticing buyers. In order to fulfill its battery requirements, meanwhile, the automaker says it is working with 5 battery suppliers globally. They will help Ford develop and produce up to 240 gigawatt-hours of production capacity globally by 2030. Ford is also looking at new cell chemistries and cell-to-pack structural batteries that will help reduce costs. Through that work, Ford expects to get battery prices down to $80 per kilowatt-hour at the battery pack level well before the end of the decade, said Drake. Ford and BMW have also invested in Colorado’s Solid Power to develop solid-state batteries. The technology is safer and more power-dense than current generation batteries, which will help extend ranges and shorten charging times. +++
+++ HYUNDAI said it plans to invest 40 billion rupees ($530 million) to launch 6 electric vehicles in India by 2028, making a clean driving push in a country with some of the world’s most polluted cities. Hyundai, India’s second largest carmaker, will launch affordable and premium electric models including SUVs and sedans, starting with its first electric vehicle (EV) in 2022, said Tarun Garg, director sales and marketing for Hyundai India. “We want to be a key contributor to the EV story in India”, Garg told. The investment will be sunk into research and development to launch the 6 vehicles, Hyundai’s Indian arm said in a release. Stricter emission regulations by governments are propelling automakers globally to invest in EVs, sales of which are expected to increase to about a quarter of total global vehicle sales by 2030 from about 2 percent today. In India, EVs account for less than 1 percent of total car sales, but the government is aiming for a share of 30 percent by 2030. Hyundai’s plans also come as the world’s biggest electric carmaker Tesla Inc is preparing to launch its cars in India and has been lobbying the government to lower import duties on EVs. Hyundai joins rivals Tata Motors and Mahindra in throwing its weight behind EVs at a time when India is pushing automakers to go electric as it looks to reduce pollution and fuel imports. The country’s top carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, however, is betting on alternate fuels and hybrid technology, and expects to launch EVs starting only in 2025. Hyundai’s EVs will either be built on its dedicated electric global modular platform (E-GMP), which it plans to bring to India, or on a modified platform on which it currently builds its gasoline cars, Garg said. +++
+++ These days, cars passing the moose test is pretty much a non-event. Vehicle types that were once notorious for flipping or going on 2 wheels during the test can now handle it with relative ease. Sure, there are times pick-ups, SUVs, and crossovers get up on 2 wheels, but it’s not as often as before. If anything, modern crossovers can pull off a surprisingly and shockingly good performance during the demanding manoeuvre. The most recent one to impress is KIA ’s latest electric crossover, the EV6. It was recently tested and it wasn’t too challenged. If anything, its entry speed can match some high-performance machinery. So how fast did it enter the cones at its best attempt? How does an entry speed of 78 km/h sound to you? If you’re not impressed by that, here are a couple of cars that it managed to outpace through the tight and tough manoeuvre. The EV6 managed to take on the cones faster than the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, with the latter’s best entry speed attempt at 77 km/h. It also beat its chief rival, the Volkswagen ID.4, at that managed 73 km/h. Perhaps more shockingly, the EV6 performed the manoeuvre faster than the Mercedes-AMG A45 S (75 km/h) and the BMW M235i (68 km/h). Yes, tires are a factor here, but it doesn’t take away the merits of the Kia’s emergency handling. Overall, the electric Kia impressed the testers. They noted that the handling was safe and predictable. The EV6’s steering was described as accurate, giving the driver more confidence in a sudden manoeuvre such as the moose test. So if you’re considering one of these in the future, you have the assurance that this crossover can pull you to safety without getting all crossed up. +++
+++ In SOUTH KOREA , no clear bestselling car that has been bought by over 100.000 motorists is emerging in the Korean car market this year for the first time in 5 years. The Hyundai Porter was the bestselling model but with only 84.585 of the pickup sold from January to November, it falls a long way short of the target. Next was the Hyundai Grandeur sedan with 81.344. Third-ranked Kia Carnival did not even sell 70.000 units at 67.884. Average monthly sales of the Porter and Grandeur this year were less than 8.000 units, so they are unlikely to reach 100.000 even if December sales are added. The Grandeur sold more than 100.000 units from 2017 until last year, but monthly sales nosedived to about 3.000 units in the parts shortage that has played havoc on the industry throughout the year. The shortage is likely to persist longer than expected due to the new Omicron variant of coronavirus throwing another spanner into the supply chain. +++
+++ TOYOTA said it is happy to use scratched or blemished parts from suppliers as the world’s biggest car producer tries to trim costs amid a production-curbing global chip shortage and rising material costs. Toyota’s acceptance of good enough by using parts it would have thrown away in the past marks a significant change both for a company renowned for stringent quality control and for Japanese manufacturing practices that often prioritized perfection over speed to market. “We are careful about the outside of our vehicles, the parts you can easily see. But there are plenty of places that people don’t notice unless they really take a good look”, Takefumi Shiga, Toyota’s chief project leader for vehicle development said during a press briefing. Toyota last month raised its operating profit outlook 12% for the year ending March 31, helped by favorable currency rates. It warned, however, that a shortage of semiconductors which was curbing production and increasing material costs were hurting its underlying profitability. Shiga and other Toyota engineers are expanding a program begun in 2019 to meet component suppliers, even third tier ones, to assure them that scratches or blemishes are acceptable as long as they do not affect vehicles safety and performance, and are unlikely to be noticed by car buyers. “It requires some courage on their part”, Shiga said. A visit to a company making plastic seat belt parts reduced the number of those component being rejected by three-quarters, he added. +++
+++ The VOLKSWAGEN GROUP has agreed a major deal for a supply of “CO2-free” lithium hydroxide for use in cells from 2026, as part of a series of partnerships it has reached to boost its EV battery technology. Wolfsburg has secured a 5-year agreement with the Vulcan Group for a supply of battery-quality lithium hydroxide, sourced from the Upper Rhine Rift in south-west Germany. The Vulcan Group claims that new technology enabled CO2-free lithium production in the region, with funding used clean geothermal energy to ensure a claimed “negative CO2 balance”. It adds that short supply chains also reduce the dependent on imports for the raw lithium material. The Volkswagen Group says it intends to use the “climate-neutral lithium” in its planned standardised EV battery cells, as part of wide plans to make its car production zero-emissions. The company has committed to opening 6 battery factories in Europe with a total annual production capacity of 240 GWh by the end of the decade. The deal with the Vulcan Group is one of a number of agreements that it has reached to strengthen its battery technology expertise. It has also agreed a joint venture with ‘clean mobility materials’ firm Umicore for a supply of cathode materials that will be used in its European battery factories. That joint venture will start in 2025 with an initial annual production of 20 GWh for Volkswagen’s Salzgitter factory, rising to 160 GWh by 2030; enough, the car maker claims, to power around 2.2 million EVs. The Volkswagen Group has also invested in American start-up 24M, a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is working on a semi-solid dry-coating process for automotive batteries. 24M believes the process will reduce material uses and eliminate several steps from the conventional production process. +++