Drew Dowdell

Model Sales Vehicle Sep-19 Sep-18 2019 YTD 2018 YTD Accent 1,702 2,536 20,015 21,820 Elantra 14,614 19,923 125,469 148,879 Ioniq 1,504 864 14,146 11,606 Kona 5,287 4,327 55,138 28,465 Nexo 23 0 197 36* Palisade 3,495 0 13,457 0 Santa Fe 8,276 10,162 96,319 88,969 Sonata 6,029 7,735 68,368 80,975 Tucson 10,293 10,646 102,861 103,478 Veloster 728 746 10,386 7,936 *Includes Tucson Fuel Cell sales Hyundai 51,951 56,940 506,356 492,792

Toyota has released an update to its funky little crossover/hatchback, the C-HR. The changes are slight and include a (slightly) revised front fascia, new wheels, two new colors, Android Auto and Apple Car play standard, and on the Limited trim, an adaptive front lighting system and 8-way power seats. The C-HR already comes with Toyota Safety Sense - P, a suite of safety technologies that include a multi-feature advanced active safety suite that bundles Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beams, and Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. The C-HR is powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder producing 144 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 139 pound-feet of torque at 3,900 rpm. A CVT puts the power to the wheels, though in sport mode it simulates a 7-speed automatic. The C-HR has a EPA-estimated MPG of 27 city / 31 highway / 29 combined. View full article

You're probably part of a bigger grid than just PSE, but I haven't looked at a map at work recently to remember.

Imagine the power grid is a series of really big buckets with pipes (power transmission lines) between them. Electricity gets dumped into the bucket and consumers and businesses sip out of the bucket. The electricity that gets dumped into the buckets comes from all sorts of source; wind, solar, coal, nat gas, nuclear, etc. Electricity can also be transferred from bucked to bucket. Is the electricity Honda is actually using coming from nat gas, coal, wind, or solar? Hard to tell which electrons are actually being used, but Honda is buying the same amount of energy from renewable sources to dump into those buckets, so that counts for them as buying sustainable energy. Due to where they are buying, then yes, the people who benefit most from GHG reduction are the people closest to these renewable plants.

Diesel sales are still a significant portion of overall sales over there these days. As long as the new diesels are actually cleaner as they say they are, then I see no problem with still offering them. In the US, I think the VW diesel days are over.

The EPA has released the fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Hyundai Venue and they look pretty darn good. Remember that the Hyundai Venue is offered with a choice of two transmissions, a 6-speed manual and a CVT. The CVT is the fuel miser with a rating of 30 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 32 mpg combined. The manual clocks in at 27 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined. The closest competitor, the Nissan Kicks does a little better at 31 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 33 mpg combined. Other non-hybrid crossovers in the segment are a little bit larger and a bit more powerful, so the Venue beats them there. The Venue is powered by a 1.6 liter 4-cylinder producing 121 horsepower and 113 lb.-ft of torque to the front wheels. All-wheel drive is not an option. You can read more about our first impressions of the 2020 Hyundai Venue here. View full article

Yeah, but I'm still unsure of if they mean Subscription as in a really fancy lease that you can opt out of at any time.... or car sharing like Car2Go. They're two different beasts.

Welcome to the site!

I wouldn't have called any of them successful. Ford dumped their Ford/Lincoln subscription subsidiary on a California company called Fair. Cadillac Book has had at least one reboot with a long shutdown. Volvo's program had substantial teething problems when first started up. Haven't heard anything good or bad or... at all... about Benz's unless you consider Car2go, but that is more like car sharing than car subscription. Car2Go just shut down in 4 major markets.

Rivian says it is interested in pursuing a subscription model as one of the ways you can get into a Rivian truck or SUV. Subscription programs include all maintenance and insurance requirements in a single payment. Rivian sees potential for customers who want to use one vehicle for daily commuting and another vehicle for weekend jaunts. Traditionally, the subscription model has been geared towards the affluent with brands such as Cadillac, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and Lincoln. The only mid-price brand to try subscriptions in the U.S. has been Ford. Aside from the subscription option, customers will also be able to purchase directly from the company. Like Tesla, Rivian is eschewing the traditional dealership model and doing direct sales only. How Rivian will run the same gauntlet that Tesla did with state dealership associations is something that is still a mystery. Rivian has received large investments from outside firms such as Amazon, Ford, Cox Automotive, and others. Amazon recently announced that they placed an order for 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian. View full article

I don't have as much an issue with that. Benz and Audi don't put their name on the car, just the logo.

As you correctly point out, most Buicks are built overseas. Encore - S. Korea Envision - China Enclave - US Regal - Germany When they were still around: Lacrosse - US Cascada - Poland

There's a culture clash waiting to happen....

Glad that you're liking it so much. I had the Encore in to get state inspection and I took an Envision Essence 2.0T out for a spin. Didn't care for it so much. I like the Terrain better.

It's going to be a sports car, probably like the GranTurismo. Put it up there with supercar status.

Nothing on the ticker so far

You can't have anti-trust when you have this many companies competing. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, (yes, they're separate), Daimler, BMW, JLR, VW, Mazda, FCA, Mitsubishi, Tesla, Volvo

They do.