Drew Dowdell

Or the Tesla semi. This in theory would refuel faster than a battery powered truck.

Hyundai Motor Group has announced they have developed the first Machine Learning based Smart Cruise Control (SCC-ML). This new technology can read the driver's behavior and incorporate the driving style into the cruise control's system. It incorporates artificial intelligence with advanced driver assistant system that is essential to self-driving technology. Previously, the driver had to manually adjust factors like distance to the next vehicle and acceleration. Now with machine learning, the SCC can fine-tune these settings by reading a driver's habits. Even the same driver may accelerate differently depending on the situation. SCC is now able to read those different situations and adjust acceleration to the driver's preferences automatically. The system is specifically programmed to avoid learning unsafe driving patterns. The system is planned for Hyundai group vehicles in the future with an upcoming Highway Driving Assist system that features land change assist. SCC-ML achieves level 2.5 self driving. View full article

Hyundai is set to debut a hydrogen powered fuel cell semi-truck at the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta next week. The truck, named the HDC-6 Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea, the largest source of hydrogen on earth. Not much is known yet about the truck, but in the teaser it is shown to be a very art deco design that Hyundai says is based on the streamline trains of the 1930s. Hyundai currently offers trucks from Class 2 to Class 8 and buses. Look for an update on October 29th. View full article

again... people should only be using superchargers when they have less range than it will take them to get home. It is an entirely wrong mindset to unplug your car from your house, go to Mejier or whatever, plug in there, and go shopping. Even a Leaf with 110 mile range can handle all of the shopping in a single day without having to recharge. It gets worse if they are paying to recharge (Like most of those Model-3s probably are), it costs more to charge up at a public station than it does to charge up at home. The only way I can see having to do this is if you live in an apartment complex and not have access to a charger at home. A friend of mine with a Volt does that, but he has a charger at work, so he charges up until its time for lunch and then goes out and moves his car. With the ~7 mile commute he has, he almost never uses gasoline in the Volt.

Off to Houston tomorrow. News will be light the rest of this week.

The X2 is BMW’s entry into the compact crossover vehicle segment. It’s based on the X1, but with a lower roofline and more car-like characteristics. While the base X2 28i comes with a 228 horsepower 2.0-liter engine with either front or all-wheel drive, I got my hands on one with the M badge at a meeting of the Mid-West Automotive Media Association at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet Illinois. The M badge brings a default of BMW xDrive and increases engine horsepower to 302 and the torque to 332 lb.-ft. BWM claims a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds and 29 mpg. With that much power coming from a 2-liter engine, there was bound to be a bit of turbo lag and while rolling the small BMW minimizes the lag well. However, from a dead stop, there is a disturbing amount of lag that would scare me if I needed to pull out into fast traffic. Sprints from zero require planning. When already at speed, the 8-speed automatic is quick to downshift and the engine is willing to rev. Putting the X2 M35i into sport mode does make the engine more lively. The suspension setup is stiff and you’ll feel all of the road imperfections except on the most glass-smooth of pavement. That is the tradeoff for having very nimble handling. It is rather fun to push this small front driver into the corners. My tester came with 20-inch wheels rather than the standard 19-inchers. This is not one of those cars that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. The interior is definitely snug and I wouldn’t recommend the driver’s seat to anyone much larger than my 5’10” frame. Because of the lower roof, headroom suffers, especially in the rear. Cargo room is small, but if you’re in the market for a car this size, it is to be expected. Still, in spite of its lack of size, the X2 is a comfortable place to sit with bold leather seats in Magma Red. The controls are well placed, though with a large number of buttons. BMW’s iDrive is here too, which always takes some getting used to. Android Auto is not an option and BMW offers Apple CarPlay as a subscription service. This is one thing I can’t get my head around as both are offered for free on much less expensive vehicles. Because of the smaller dimensions, rearward vision isn’t great and there are a few blind spots that can make things tricky. The BMW X2 competes with the likes of the Volvo XC40, Audi Q3, Range Rover Evoque, Cadillac XT4, and the Mercedes-Benz GLA. All of those, save the GLA, feel roomier inside, making the X2 a more ideal fit for someone of diminutive size. However, the M35i can out power all of them except the GLA AMG 45. The as-tested price of my X2 M35i is estimated at $50,400 MSRP. Whether you can stomach $50k for a compact crossover with 302 horsepower is up to you. View full article

That was a good engine in the Colorado and Canyon... but the H3 was too much for it.

Is anyone using the Social Stream? Left most tab at the top. If not, I'll remove the tab.

Fastest growing segment in number of models offered, but not necessarily in sales.

As part of General Motors' tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers, there is a planned $3 billion investment into the Detroit-Hamtramck plant to make electric trucks, SUVs, and vans. The program, called BT1 is part of a larger $7.7 billion investment in GM's plants over the next four years. The BT1 program includes an electric truck for GMC and an electric SUV for Cadillac for the 2023 model year. But before that happens, in 2021 a low volume BT1 pickup will start production under a different brand while a performance truck follows in 2022, and then an electric SUV in 2023. Rumor has it that these low volume BT1 vehicles could be sold under the Hummer brand, not used since 2010, but that decision has not been finalized. If GM did bring the Hummer brand back as an EV brand, it would have instant name brand recognition and a leg up on rival startup Rivian who has a truck due out in 2020. GM would not need to spend as much money to market the brand. The vehicles on the new BT1 platform would use a "skateboard" architecture that bundles the batteries and electric motor together. The architecture is highly flexible allowing GM to build vehicles in front, rear, or all-wheel drive configurations. View full article

In other news. I'm going to start getting test vehicles again. My first one is a Mazda CX-5 followed by a Hyundai Palisade. I have a huge stack of "Quick Drives" to write from the last few weeks of events.

yeah, I'm not buying a brand new bike for my first bike in 20 years. I'll let someone else eat the depreciation. That said.... this is pretty much right on the money.

I know, but I have other priorities in the meantime.

In the spring. ? No sense buying one now just to have to stuff it in the garage for 6 months.

Closed on the sale of my last rental property today. I'm officially no longer a landlord after 15 years of doing it. ? I'll get back in the business some day... but I need a rest and reset for now. The nice fat check in my bank account sure helps the cause.

Rumor has it that the next AMG C63 will be the first of a number of models to ditch their V8 in favor of 4-cylinder hybrid power. According to Autocar, the C63 could also lose a rear-wheel drive option, going instead with standard all-wheel drive. The engine would be an electrified version of the new M139 turbocharged 2.0-liter. In it's most powerful current form, it is the most powerful 4-cylinder in production anywhere putting out 416 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, and that's without any electric boosting. The engine was engineered to be mounted transversely or longitudinally and also with an eye on hybridization. For the C63, the M139 engine would adopt a 48 volt starter motor similar to the one used in the CLS 53 4Matic. On that car, the motor provides an additional 22 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, however in the C63, it would be tuned for even more power to reach up to a total system horsepower over 500. One main advantage to this setup would be a significant reduction in weight over the front axle. Additionally, the engine/motor combination has a lower center of gravity, that would be expected to improve handling and control. Moving the C63 to a hybrid powertrain is consistent with Mercedes' desire to reduce fleet CO2 emissions. View full article

Yes, I think that's the plan. The XC60 will be next, and then the XC90 is due for a big refresh.

You have no hope of fitting in it anyway. ?

They do make the claim themselves though. https://www.mercedes-benz.ca/en/vehicles/class/cls/coupe "When the first CLS debuted, its "four-door coupe" shape sparked a sleek new era in car design."

Updated.. we report, you decide. Looks like the CT6 might be saved!