G. David Felt

Taking a look at the mid year of 2018, here is the numbers and where they stand for recalls, usually this list is published by Alphabetical numbers, yet I choose to grab it and sort by lowest to highest which I think gives a much better view of who is improving in quality compared to last year. As we stand for this year, we have the bulk numbers as follows: Here are the recalls broken down by brand from lowest to highest. Manufacturer Number of Cars Recalled YTD Same Period Last Year Year over Year % Porsche Cars North America, Inc. 308 91,585 -100% Nissan North America, Inc. 102,925 680,012 -85% Maserati North America, Inc. 9,106 53,551 -83% BMW of North America, LLC 147,327 511,965 -71% Hyundai Motor America 722,015 2,199,504 -67% Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) 979,041 2,479,771 -61% Mazda Motor Corp. 347,485 720,543 -52% Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. 309,845 522,268 -41% General Motors LLC 1,189,660 1,520,789 -22% Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. 798,443 1,020,546 -22% Subaru of America, Inc. 229,538 244,471 -6% Toyota Motor Corporation 890,687 908,380 -2% Kia Motors America 642,754 618,343 4% Ford Motor Company 2,024,349 1,539,203 32% Tesla, Inc. 88,267 34,706 154% JAGUAR CARS LTD 38,880 13,100 197% LAND ROVER 28,471 8,916 219% Chrysler (FCA US LLC) 6,348,099 1,830,344 247% Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. 8,883 791 1023% Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. 543,819 37,638 1345% iseecars recall dashboard

Seems a 20% increase in Bolt production is happening due to increased demand. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1117615_gm-increases-chevy-bolt-ev-production-to-ease-supply-constraints

Seems Germany and China have come to a free trade agreement. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-china/with-raft-of-deals-china-and-germany-swear-to-keep-trade-free-idUSKBN1JZ0VM Now if only the US would work for this rather than tariffs.

@Drew Dowdell @balthazar I totally agree, I am just reporting what the computer told me for Daily city driving. I honestly was shocked that running awd locally on the auto was no better than what I get on my AWD SS in city driving. Very weird for sure.

That was the biggest surprise to me, I always reset everything so that I can have current my driving stats and not compiled of me and others. the local driving was a disappointment.

Glad you enjoyed my write up on the XT5, I have to totally agree with you that they need a V model of the XT5.

Makes sense to keep the Chinese at bay and not allow them to just rip off the US and other countries.

For those that like tech like me, check out these more detailed info on 48 volt mild-hybrids and who is using them. https://www.idtechex.com/research/reports/48v-mild-hybrid-vehicles-2018-2028-000600.asp For Diesel lovers, here is Delphi's 48 volt mild-hybrid answer to get Diesels clean and een higher mpg. https://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/05/48-volt-mild-hybrids-a-possible-cure-for-diesel-emissions-cheats/ Honda Civic Delphi 48v mild-hybrid diesel. To quote the 2nd listed story above: Mary Gustanski, Delphi's VP of engineering and project management, told Ars that mild hybrids can offer about 70 percent of the benefit of a more traditional hybrid (with regard to fuel efficiency and CO2 reduction) but at 30 percent of the cost. The company has been developing the system with a 1.6L turbodiesel Honda Civic, which also has an electric turbocharger for added efficiency. On average, the car is about 10 percent more efficient than a conventional Civic turbodiesel, although we're told that the gains can be as much as 35 percent at some parts of the rev range. FYI just in case some are wondering about the 12 volt versus 48 volt systems and why one would not just go all 48 volt. The answer lies in that currently cooling fans and pumps are available in 48 but AC is still belt driven and those that are electric are 12 volt only. Delphi does have a 48 volt AC electric compressor coming.

Gonna have to dig into why so many are going 48V mild-hybrid systems. I have to question why this particular voltage system compared to other options. So, I stopped writting and did a little research and Boom, here is some interesting info: With 48-volt stop-start: The starter is replaced with a beefier 48-volt device called a motor generator unit(MGU), belt alternator starter, or belt-driven starter generator. A 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack, typically in the trunk. A DC-to-DC converter. https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/247889-cars-moving-48-volt-electrical-systems Per the story, we are looking at a standard that was built to allow the key component companies to supply a superior system. Per the story listed above: Bosch, Continental, Delphi, and Valeo are among the key components makers working to provide 48-volt systems to automakers. As I have mentioned before in other threads, an electric turbo pretty much removes all lag. The Audi system uses a real turbo on the ICE for higher speeds and better performance and yet at lower speeds and from a stop uses an e-Turbo to have instant torque. The e-Charger as Audi calls it removes those noticeable tenths of a second for spin up to 100,000 to 200,000 RPM to be instant in the e-Charger much like all electric motors, instant torque and performance. HISTORY: mid 90's the auto industry attempted to do this with a 42 volt system. Yet due to technology and other issues, it was not ready for prime time. Quoting the story: Now, says Jason Schwanke, senior systems engineer at Bosch, “The main focus is improving the emissions and fuel economy of the vehicle. 48-volt is a system to augment the combustion engine, reduce fuel consumption, reduce [diesel] particulate emissions, and improve the driver experience by increasing the responsiveness of the vehicle.” Schwanke envisions a second iteration of cars that go beyond a smallish belt-drive motor generator. Rather than 2 kilowatts, it could be 10, 15, or 20 kilowatts. “Decouple the combustion system [from the motor generator],” he says, “you can do some advanced features you can’t do from a belt system … things like going through a parking lot [on electric power] or low-speed urban driving.” In other words, while 48 volts is a step up from 12 volts, it’s also a step down in cost from 300-volt-plus systems in traditional hybrids. End result is that the 48 volt system gets you close to everything you need in a full traditional hybrid system with out all the added cost of the 300 volt system.

Nope did not go over our heads, Beetle is not selling in huge volumes and is a perfect ev auto for inner city driving. Should do just fine as a sales volume ev.

Halo product does NOT have to be a coupe. Coupe style has been overkill by the auto industry. There are clearly airflow attributes to the front and back that would be done for a skateboard ev auto. Those could be specific air inlets for cooling / cabin fresh air.

Ready Player One is a great movie from this year. Yea, so tired of everyone getting tatted up.

Reviewing all the pictures, one thing is clear to me, this is an Ev\Hybrid concept at the worst, actual new auto at the best. I have to say that while it does go away from the arts n science, I do like it very much.

Totally agree, a blog from a Tesla owner stated the following which I believe to be true: This may come to the dismay of “gearheads”, but electric drive trains spell the end of tinkering in the garage the same way that transistors mostly did away with the TV repairman. https://www.quora.com/Does-a-Tesla-car-have-very-minimal-maintenance-costs

Plus bring back the original Frunk

This totally makes sense and would be the first actual rational approach from Dictator Potus45.

Like all shifts that have drastic affect on an industry, alternative fuel is now with computers showing much better ways to power an auto. Change is hard, but in the end I still call everyone here a friend and an enjoyable debating auto enthusiast. These debates is what drives us to view things in a new light. Wishing you all the best with learning new skills.

I would agree with you on the distinction if it was not for the fact like @balthazar makes a point of lumping them all together as the bulk of society really does not care or know the difference you point out now. Like splitting hairs of a medium brown versus dark brown.

They had to take 50+ years before Fins on roofs became the new norm as an Antenna.

Starting off the July thread, saw this Mini Mini Van from Subaru of Japan imported into Washington. Right hand drive So tiny compared to the GMC pickup.

WOW, Explain please your Kool Aid brand of almost 10% down. ?

I have come to love Papa Murphys pizza, take n bake, Love at 425! My favorite pizza from them is the Gourmet Delite Crispy thin crust. 16" Chicken Bacon Artichoke, I can eat the whole thing. 16" Backup Pie is their Herb Chicken Mediterranean.

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/07/02/mercedes-benz-electric-vans-fuel-cell/ Mercedes-Benz is planning to have a fuel-cell delivery van in 2019, yet the BIG NEWS is that starting in the fall, August to October time frame, they are going to start selling their pure electric delivery van globally. These vans will have a top speed of 75 mph with a 150 kilometer range or about 95 miles. 112 HP, 221 Lb-ft of torque and can carry 2,365 pounds of payload. There is also a Luxury Class A camper from Mercedes-Benz now. https://videos.vidible.tv/prod/2016-06/16/5761c5ace4b07a81b865387b_853x480_v3.mp4?rZ4uYOYDEQxcX2N8jJxdvxM1fQfWLPwqIaRF0tQ0aUYAvKcIlBn_rjo6a0CDk3i0 This is very cool camper bus with garage.

All good Drew, Happy to be a QA Tester for you as I appreciate what you do to pay the bills. Like @Cubical-aka-Moltar I get white spaces and weird formatting on Chrome / Opera and worse on Firefox. Here is Opera Seems the web site will not even come up on Edge. So much for the Pure HTML5 browser.

That is how I feel about NYC pizza and the stomach hell it gives me after eating it. Way too acidic for me. Like me some godfathers though!