JANUARY 4, 2017

Donald J. Trump. Editor-In-Chief's Note: Our President-elect was at it again Tuesday morning, attacking GM on twitter with the following missive: "General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border. Make in U.S.A. or pay big border tax!" To this GM responded: "General Motors manufacturers the Chevrolet Cruze sedan in Lordstown, Ohio. All Chevrolet Cruze sedans sold in the U.S. are built in GM's assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio. GM builds the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for global markets in Mexico, with a small number sold in the U.S." I followed this with my own tweet: Trump's stunning lack of knowledge about the auto industry knows no bounds. It's simply pathetic. -PMD

Adient. Editor-In-Chief's Note: The new Johnson Controls spinoff - Adient Ltd. - is moving its operational headquarters from Milwaukee to metro Detroit. That's all well and good, and the world's largest automotive seating supplier may have it goin' on, but the spinoff's name is simply idiotic. It reads as Aidient but it's pronounced as Addient. So what, they couldn't see fit to add another "d" to the name for clarity? WTF? As I said in the year-end issue, it’s no secret that auto industry executives can get sidetracked. They do dumb things, they commit to boneheaded product initiatives and then try to market their way out of their mistakes. Some of them don't mean to be that incompetent, while others just simply wake up in that blissful state. The stumblebum executives at Johnson Controls woke up from their blissful slumber and then promptly got lost in the melodious tones of their own thought balloons, apparently. I could ad more, but why bother? -PMD

(Toyota images)
"Imagine if the vehicles of the future were friendly, and focused on you." That’s what Toyota is saying about its Concept-i, announced at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Designed by Toyota’s CALTY Design Research in Newport Beach, Calif., along with user experience technology development from the Toyota Innovation Hub in San Francisco, the Concept-i was created around the philosophy of “kinetic warmth,” a belief that mobility technology should be warm, welcoming, and above all, fun. This thing has so much technology in it that it is almost beyond comprehension. And we're not going to list all of it. We're sure if you do want to find out more about it, you can. We couldn't care less.

(VW)
Volkswagen of America announced that it will offer the R-Line package on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The R-Line package includes 20-inch aluminum-alloy twin-spoke wheels; R-Line badging; R-Line steering wheel clip and stainless-steel sport pedal covers and other blah-blah-blah. The R-Line is not a performance package - it's available with the two standard engine options: a 4-cylinder 235HP TSI® turbo, or a 276HP 3.6-liter V6, both with standard eight-speed automatic transmissions. Volkswagen’s 4Motion® all-wheel-drive system is available on V6 engined models only. The Atlas R-Line will make an appearance at the Detroit Auto Show next week. The Atlas arrives at dealers in the Spring of 2017, with the R-Line package going on sale later in the year because, well, you know, it consumes a lot of time and energy to do a cosmetic job, apparently.

(FCA)
The Selling Air Circus gets going this week for real at the Consumer Electronics Show. FCA, completely devoid of anything of consequence to talk about in Detroit, will debut its Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid with the latest Google WAYMO self-driving technology at CES.

(FCA)
Chrysler introduced the electric-powered Portal Concept at the CES, a "forward-thinking interpretation of the 'fifth generation' of family transportation focused toward the millennial generation," according to the manufacturer. "Designed from the inside out," (duh) "the interior offers the driver and passengers a 'third space' – an open and serene atmosphere that bridges work and home." Swell. It allegedly has a 250-mile range, which is surprising, as a 300-mile range will be the minimum price of entry into the electric vehicle market in no time.

(FCA)

(VW)
Editor-In-Chief's Note: The VW Group is going to reveal the long-rumored, all-electric, modern-day successor to its iconic VW Bus at the Detroit Auto Show media days (January 9-10) next week. Officially, VW is saying that it will present "a new I.D. family model – a multi-functional vehicle for a new era. The concept vehicle forges links between the legendary origins of the Volkswagen brand and its electrifying future." Hinted at with its BUDD-E concept, this new concept will also be based on the VW Group's Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). It will have two electric motors, all-wheel drive and don't be surprised if the range is 350 miles per charge, or more. I said at the beginning of VW's Diesel crisis that the only way for the brand to rehabilitate its image in this country would be to wipe the slate clean and introduce ground-breaking, innovative, all-electric vehicles to the market not offered by any other manufacturer. This new I.D. concept is production intent for the 2019-2020 time frame. We'll see if VW can deliver the "wow." -PMD
(Infiniti)
Nissan's luxury brand - Infiniti - will unveil its QX50 Concept in Detroit next week, which is supposedly the brand's vision for a next-generation mid-size premium SUV. We're not quite sure why Infiniti is using ALL CAPS in its press release, but this is what they have to say about it: "INFINITI's latest concept confidently articulates the artistic influence of the designer through the brand's 'Powerful Elegance' design language." They also insist that the "cabin-forward" silhouette "combined with taut, muscular lines and flowing surfaces" telegraphs it as "a dynamic and practical SUV." Infiniti PR minions could have stopped there, but oh no, they go on to say that "the organic forms of the 'driver-centric, passenger-minded' cabin harmonize with the exterior." We're all pleased and proud. Actually, there's something quaint about boasting about a new SUV concept when the show is doubling down on the mobility hook, hard on the heels of CES.

(Ford)
The Future is just overflowing with excitement, if you're into the whole autonomous thing. We're not. Ford introduced its next-generation Fusion Hybrid autonomous development vehicle at CES this week and will have it at Cobo Hall next week. Using the current Ford autonomous vehicle platform as a starting point, this machine ups the processing power with new computer hardware, electrical controls are closer to production-ready, and adjustments to the sensor technology, including placement, allow the car to better see what’s around it, according to Ford. New LiDAR sensors also have a sleeker design and more targeted field of vision, which enables the car to now use just two sensors rather than four, while still getting just as much data. All of this anti-driving technology gives us chills, and not the good kind.

Editor's Note: If you somehow missed our blockbuster best of "On The Table" from last year, you can see it here. -WG