Luxury Brands Outperform Mass Market in Consumer Study
Overall customer satisfaction with automobiles backslides 1.3 percent in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Automobile Study 2021-2022. Wards reports the decline to a score of 77 out of 100 was determined from interviews with 4,708 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between July 2021 and June 2022. Satisfaction with luxury nameplates increases 2.6 percent to 80, while mass-market vehicles hold steady from 2021 to 2022 with a score of 77. Japanese and Korean makes improve 1 point to 79, moving into a first-place tie with European marques (unchanged). Legacy U.S. automakers average 77. Among legacy domestic manufacturers, General Motors climbs 1 percent to 78, Ford slips 1 percent to 76 and Stellantis (comprising the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram nameplates) falls 1 percent to 75. “For the auto industry this year, it’s all about luxury brands, with the driver experience improving nearly across the board,” says Forrest Morgeson, assistant professor of marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. Click here to learn more about the study.
Toyota Satellite Investment Points to Auto Future
Automakers want to tap space-based communications to obtain precise positioning data and more robust connectivity for vehicles that will increasingly drive themselves. As such, Toyota Ventures joined a 2021 funding round to invest in Xona Space Systems, a San Mateo, Calif., startup that plans to launch low-Earth orbit satellites reports Automotive News. Last month, Mercedes-Benz held a Car2space Challenge at the Innospace Masters innovation competition to scout ideas that can "create new business services for enhanced navigation of autonomous vehicles." Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group launched nine low-Earth orbit satellites in June, the first of 240, to provide navigation and communications for autonomous vehicles. Geely, which owns Volvo, said its satellite constellation will initially cover the Asia-Pacific region, growing to global coverage by 2027. Last year, Honda announced it's developing a partially reusable rocket to launch small satellites, with testing to be conducted by 2030. "Automakers are looking to the skies for help with car connectivity," said Roger Lanctot, director, automotive connected mobility, at Strategy Analytics, a research firm headquartered in Milton Keynes, England. Click here for the full story.
Genesis X Speedium Coupe Concept Shows Its Minimalist Interior
Genesis introduced the X Speedium Coupe concept in April and now the company has shown its elegant interior. Unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the interior was created over the course of the past five months and embraces the Korean design principle known as the “beauty of white space,” reports Carscoops. The company went on to say this idea is inspired by Korean architecture and features a “reductive design” as well as a “minimalist and pure form language punctuated by strong design elements.” Putting design philosophy aside, the concept features an asymmetric, driver-oriented layout which sees controls and displays surround the driver. This focus is amplified by a Pinegrove Green driver’s seat, which stands in contrasts to the Monterey Gold color found elsewhere. Genesis didn’t go into many specifics, but we can see a floating center console and a curved OLED display. The latter features a “center-mounted motor output indicator designed in a ‘newtro’ style, which is a stark contrast to the RPM gauges found in ICE models.” To the right, is a vertical infotainment system with an “optimized UI design.” Click here to view photos. Click here for the full story.
More Units Are Cut from OEM Factory Lines Due to Supply Shortages
According to AutoForecast Solutions, the number of reported vehicles cut from this year’s production forecast due to the microchip shortage may be underreported. So far this year, 3 million vehicles have been cut from automaker’s production schedules worldwide reports CBT News. This week an additional 66,800 vehicles were added to the total. This brings the year-to-date total of vehicles cut because of production issues related to the microchip shortage to nearly 3.1 million. In 2021, about 10.5 million vehicles were cut from production for the same reason. Sam Fiorani, AutoForecast’s Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting, stated in an email that the count may be significantly higher than the official reporting numbers. “Outside factors have allowed the lost weekly volumes attributed to semiconductors to be hidden,” Fiorani wrote. “There are now more reasons for shutting down plants, including more parts shortages affected by the global supply chain.” The thought is that shutdowns in production facilities are masking the actual number of manufacturers that have had to cut vehicles from production schedules because of microchip shortages. Click here for the full story.
Porsche Sets High Target for Electric Macan Sales
Porsche expects to build as many units of its full-electric Macan compact crossovers as the combustion engine version. "We produce more than 80,000 units per year of the current generation. In the long term, we also plan to produce the all-electric Macan on this scale," production boss Albrecht Reimold reports Automotive News. The full-electric Macan is scheduled to go into production before the end of next year as a 2024 model year vehicle at Porsche's factory in in Leipzig, Germany, where the current model is built. Sources have said that the electric Macan and its PPE platform sister model, the Audi Q6 e-tron, risk being delayed because parent Volkswagen Group is behind in developing advanced new software. The Macan will be the sports car maker's second full-electric model after the Taycan coupe. In the first half, the Macan was Porsche's second best-selling model with 38,039 deliveries. The Cayenne crossover was the top seller with a global sales tally of 41,947. Reimold said Porsche will build the electric Macan and the ICE version in parallel for about two years. Click here for the full story.
Around the Web
Future VWs Are Only Allowed to Use Synthetic Blinker Fluid [Carbuzz]
Polestar to Launch Battery-Electric Roadster in 2026 [Wards]
Tesla Owner Implants Key Card Chip Under His Skin [Carbuzz]
Australian Bank Won’t Offer Loans for Gas or Diesel Cars Beyond 2025 [The Drive]
