Automotive News reports that according to one source inside Ram, Fiat Chrysler’s decision to continue building the older generation had caused a problem for suppliers. The demand for parts is reportedly so high, those suppliers are having a hard time “keeping up.” The source also told Automotive News that construction hasn’t been completed on the facility and that some factory workers still need additional training. More than 2,500 completed Ram 1500s are allegedly being held, awaiting repair for an unnamed electrical issue.
As we previously reported, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne has already admitted that building the 2019 Ram 1500 at the retooled Sterling Heights plant has been more difficult than expected. On a recent call with investors, Marchionne said the plant is “running at 60 percent of cycle today which is not where we need to be,” and that FCA “allowed enough time in 2017 to get that installation up, but it’s proven to be challenging.”
After reminding investors that the $300 million these delays have added to the cost of Ram production “are temporary costs,” Marchionne promised that FCA would make up for these production losses by the end of the year. That’s because, at full capacity, the Sterling Heights facility will be capable of producing 100,000 more trucks per year than the Warren plant could.
Just don’t expect Marchionne to take a page out of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s book and move into the factory. “I’m not sleeping on the floor,” he said. “You have to be Elon’s age to do it. I’m too old for that crap.”
Based on the sales data, Marchionne needs to hurry. Ford’s U.S. F-Series sales were up 4.3 percent through March of this year, while Chevrolet Silverado sales were up 5.5 percent. Ram 1500 sales, however, were down 12.8 percent. FCA has even reportedly begun offering dealers incentives to add Rams to their service loaner fleet in an attempt to improve sales figures.
Tesla says its new vehicles are equipped with the hardware needed for fully driverless operation, but as it stands today with regulations, testing, and the availability of features, Autopilot remains a semi-autonomous system that requires a driver’s hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. But one man in Britain failed to make this distinction, or decided anyway to kick back in the passenger seat while his Tesla Model S cruised down the highway in Autopilot mode. The police eventually caught up to him, and now he’s paying a hefty penalty for the stunt.
According to a police statement, the man switched into Autopilot before transferring to the passenger seat and resting his hands behind his head. That left no one in the driver seat to operate the steering wheel and pedals, as seen in the cellphone footage below. The incident, which took place last May, was posted to social media and then reported to police. Witnesses said the car was traveling at around 40 mph and traffic was heavy at the time. The man plead guilty earlier this month to dangerous driving charges in the U.K.
The man admitted that what he had done was “silly.” However, he also said the car was capable of something “amazing” and he was just the “unlucky one who got caught.” Meanwhile, officers have a different attitude toward the situation. In the police statement, investigating officer PC Kirk Caldicutt said the man’s actions were “grossly irresponsible and could have easily ended in tragedy.” And, of course, Tesla makes it clear that drivers need to have their hands on the wheel at all times and be ready to take full control of the vehicle while it’s in Autopilot mode.
The local court sentenced the man to 100 hours of community service and ordered him to pay 1,800 pounds toward the cost of his prosecution. He was also banned from driving for 18 months and faces 10 days of rehabilitation.
There have been two deaths in Autopilot-engaged Tesla cars here in the U.S. In a 2016 incident in Florida, investigators concluded that the crash was not caused by a flaw in Tesla’s technology, saying that the owner of the car ignored the car’s warnings to stay in control of the vehicle. Just this March, a Tesla Model X on Autopilot was involved in a fatal crash in California. The driver’s hands were reportedly not detected on the wheel six seconds before he crashed into a concrete divider on the highway.
Source: Hertfordshire Constabulary, The New York Times (1, 2)
This may be the umpteenth time we’ve seen a Toyota Supra prototype, but each encounter reveals new information about the final model that will arrive next year. In this latest sighting, we can see the car’s production wheels.
In contrast to the generic wheels we’ve seen on previous mules, the wheels on this Supra feature a two-tone color design. We don’t know the exact size of the Michelin tires on this prototype, but our spy photographers saw what looks like 255 on the front tire.
Other than the new wheels, the Supra looks pretty much the same as the last time we spotted it. Some standout visual features include its wide front vents, double-bubble roofline, and a spoiler and diffuser in the back. We didn’t catch the interior this time around, but we’ve already seen a Supra prototype with a cabin that borrows from BMW in terms of design. The Supra will share a platform with the upcoming BMW Z4.
Toyota is keeping quiet on powertrain details for its revived Supra. But Supra chief engineer Tetsuya Tada hinted the model would receive a turbocharged inline-six to please fans of the nameplate who expect the car to have a straight-six. If Toyota decides to borrow from BMW, it could use the Bavarian automaker’s 3.0-liter turbo inline-six. The Supra goes on sale next year, although specific U.S. launch timing has not yet been announced.
The boring, spacious, and slow U.S.-market Toyota Corolla sedan has a vibrant European cousin that carries none of those traits. New for 2019, the Corolla hatchback reverses traditional Corolla sedan weaknesses in a package that could change consumers’ opinions about the decades-strong nameplate, for better and worse.
Known elsewhere as the Auris (and the replacement for the Corolla iM here), the 2019 Corolla hatchback is one of the most attractive cars in its segment. That pissed-off front styling you’ve seen all over the automotive universe is realized effectively on the sharp Corolla hatch—whether you get the SE or sportier XSE trim—with cool fangs on the lower front fascia and standard LED headlights. Around back the creased sheetmetal is interestingly shaped, except it’s not sheetmetal. The hatch is composed of a resin that allows for more complex surfacing, Toyota claims.
It’s been a very long time since the Corolla could truly be called sporty, but this hatchback takes steps in that direction. Built on Toyota’s TNGA platform and riding on a sport-tuned suspension, the 2019 Corolla hatch has moves that place it in another class of responsiveness and fun above the American-market sedan. It’s no Civic Type R, of course, nor is that the Corolla hatchback’s mission. But with 168 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque from a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, the car has just enough oomph to keep things interesting. Anyone put off by the Corolla sedan’s lethargic responses should drive the hatch.
Then again, anyone who appreciates the Corolla sedan’s interior spaciousness will be put off by the Corolla hatch’s disappointingly small interior. The hatch lacks the class-above spaciousness we’ve come to expect from the Civic and Elantra GT hatchbacks; passenger volume is well below that of hatchbacks from Honda, Hyundai, and Volkswagen. If you compare it to the outgoing iM, well, it’s smaller than that, too. There’s a respectable though not class-leading 18.0 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second-row seats, which is about even with the Volkswagen Golf but not as stuff-friendly as the Honda or Hyundai.
That’s OK, though, as there should be more to #HatchbackLife than the primary mission of being more versatile than a sedan. The Corolla hatch drives well, with a lowered center of gravity and 60 percent more torsional rigidity than its predecessor. The steering communicates more on the XSE model, which rolls on 18-inch wheels and 225/40R18 tires compared to the base SE’s 16s and 205/55R16 rubber. And although you do feel bumps, the XSE shouldn’t prove tiresome as a daily driver. Speaking of which, the updated CVT is still the better choice for commuting, but the also-available rev-matching six-speed manual can—at the push of a button—subtly smooth out gear changes. Cool. As for that CVT, it has a physical launch gear and simulated gears for those who worry about the rubber-band feel of a CVT. Those simulated gear changes mostly stay in the background, only occasionally messing with the key benefit of CVTs: everyday smoothness.
Inside, a decent amount of the 2019 Corolla hatch is covered in soft-touch surfaces, and drivers will have good front and side visibility; you can improve the view out back by folding down the rear-seat outboard headrests. (Thanks for that functionality, Toyota.) An 8.0-inch touchscreen sits atop the dash on every Corolla hatchback, with standard Apple CarPlay (but not Android Auto just yet). Corolla SE hatchbacks get a more basic but acceptable instrument cluster with a vertical 4.2-inch display on the right side, whereas XSEs get a more modern 7.0-inch central digital display flanked by analog gauges. The system’s welcome animation is fun, and the screen’s blue speedometer/info-display combination looks sharp, but the digital mode doesn’t use enough of the screen’s width, making it feel like it’s not much more than the SE’s vertical-screen graphics on a larger display. If we had an XSE, we’d just enjoy it in analog mode.
As much as we like the Corolla hatchback’s Blue Flame paint complementing the XSE’s bold rear spoiler and other exterior upgrades, many potential customers will stick with the SE. Even at that trim, Toyota throws in a bunch of standard equipment. Besides the standard LED headlights and 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, the SE hatch also includes a leather steering wheel and an electric parking brake with auto brake hold (at that one annoyingly long red light you encounter every day, the car will hold the brakes until you touch the accelerator, when it automatically and smoothly releases). Because this is a Toyota, a full package of active safety tech is also thrown in: automatic emergency braking, lane departure mitigation, full-speed adaptive cruise control (or down to 15 mph on manuals), and a system that can read certain road signs such as speed limits and stop or yield signs. Blind-spot monitoring is available on the automatic-transmission SE and standard on the two-pedal XSE.
Regardless of which Corolla hatch you get, it’s going to be a different driving experience compared to the aging sedan. Toyota’s latest compact hatchback class excels more at emotionally driven consideration points than practicality, an interesting choice in a surprisingly crowded segment that itself competes with subcompact crossovers. If you find yourself wanting a small hatch and a cozy interior isn’t a deal-breaker, give the Toyota a try before you drive away in a more spacious car like the strangely styled Civic hatch or the value-focused Elantra GT.
