Fiat Chrysler’s Chief Executive said Wednesday that the automaker plans to build an electric version of the Ram pickup. CEO Mike Manley revealed the plans in response to a question on the company’s third-quarter earnings call. “I do see that there will be an electrified Ram pickup in the marketplace, and I would ask you... READ FULL ARTICLE
Sadly, don't hold your breath. Will CyberTruck actually be first to be delivered? Rivian - are we up to a decade in the making? is it next year ? Hummer - have yet to see even a prototype. bed is 5'6" seriously Bollinger - in another year $125,000 perhaps - is there a prototype yet? All of the big 3 - Chevy, F-150, and now RAM - any prototypes yet? I'm thinking all the MBAs have in their business plans - Federal bail-out. So all are lobbying to get bail out money to introduce - or a "low cost loan" [read: don't bother to pay back] to build these factories or train new workers or ..??? Anyway, at least 7 to choose from in the near future perhaps? (make that 8, I forgot the Badger - maybe we should forget... and Fisker has yet to announce an electric truck -Oceans 9 ??) so 8.5 choices? Historically 5 years (included concept) for a new vehicle introduction - consider mid-engine C8 Corvette - to be fair there were unexpected delays. No big deal only about 4 decades late. I think the Volt & Bolt happened quicker if you don't count the EV1 crushing. After 25 years, GM should have these electrics all figured out, I heard they don't want to crush anymore.
LOL. Legacy automakers getting desperate and announcing all kinds of future plans. I will believe them when they have more than pictures, ramp production, and have sold more than a few prototypes.
It does sound like "uhhh, me too". I'm sure that Mike Manley is thinking 'our marketing department can do CGI just as well as GM'. And if the heat gets turned up, they can just buy a drive module from Borg-Warner, slap a battery pack under the bed, and see how many pre-orders they get at $120K.
It’s hardly just a "legacy automakers" thing. It's not unusual for Tesla to make product announcement years ahead of availability. The Tesla Roadster was announced three years ago and now isn't expected until 2022.
Legacy automakers will be advertising pictures of EVs they will someday produce while they fade to bankruptcy again and while Tesla continues to build new factories, innovate, and actually produce real EVs at a 50% growth rate per year.
I wouldn't be so quick to underestimate what the so-called "legacy automakers" are and will be doing. BEVs still only account for a tiny portion of new vehicle sales right now which means there is still plenty of time for domestic and import competitors to grab pieces of the pie. Tesla quality and customer service have gone down hill notably in the last three years or so and there are growing numbers of very frustrated current owners ready to jump ship if things don’t improve. On top of that, eliminating the return policy, reducing used warranty, etc. aren’t moving the brand in the right direction IMO, at least not by the approaches they are taking. More and more competition is coming and unless these things change, Tesla’s future may not be as rosy as some think or hope.
We will all find out within the next 5 years by comparing who is still in business, how many cars are being produced, and what the financials indicate. Tesla already has the top market cap, low debt, and billions in increasing cash flow and CapEx investments being plowed back into innovation and machines that build the machines across the globe. The juggernaut Tesla will continue to do the same while others watch, wish, and try to dazzle with smoke and mirrors.
Yes, sure wait for the "legacy" manufacturers. They are sure to catch up & dominate the market. What significant percent of the market does "legacy" manufacturers Kodak, IBM (PCs, workstation, servers) Nokia, Blackberry, Motorola, Sony (Walkman) have today? In a couple more years, Tesla will probably surpass Ford in units shipped. Maybe GM, Nissan, BMW too. About that 100 years of Ford and GM automotive expertise & quality. I blame the management of these companies not the workers. It is depressing how the management get billions of dollars even when they fail but they blame every problem on the workers. The examples below are just a few that involved vehicle fires. The reason I only included fire examples is because of all the news media hype about Teslas being so dangerous and panel gaps & paint.. The top Internet searches highlight a few Teslas that caught fire when nobody was near the car. Yes, there are millions of more ICE vehicles but there have been 10s of millions pf vehicles recalled but in reality the % of ICE that catch fire is much higher. ---------------------------------------------------------------- General Motors plans to recall 1.4 million cars, most of which had previously been recalled, because of a risk they might catch fire. The recall will be the third intended to fix the problem since 2007. 1,345 of the cars caught fire AFTER they were previously fixed by dealers. In all of the fires, oil leaked onto a hot manifold of the engine. About 85% of the fires took place when the car was shut off and there was no one around the car. GM sent to owners strongly recommended "you not park your vehicle in a garage, car port or other structure." by Chris Isidore @CNNMoney October 27, 2015 GM recalls 1.4 million cars for fire risk after previous fix failed GM Recalls 2019-2020 Pickup Trucks Due to Fire Risk Seat belt deployment can lead to burning carpet in half a 500,000 trucks By Jeff S. Bartlett November 21, 2019 GM Recalls 2019-2020 Pickup Trucks Due to Fire Risk 1984-1988, the GM Pontiac Fiero To help deal with the crowded engine bay, Pontiac reduced the size of the oil pan from four quarts to three, meaning the Fiero always ran out of oil sooner than its owner expected. Add to this the fact that people tried to drive it like a sports car (even though it wasn't really one), and the Fiero was a recipe for disaster. *** one out of every 400 Fieros on the road caught fire. *** 1970-1974 Chevy Vega Rust was a major issue. The engine was prone to overheating, a problem that was exasperated by its undersized radiator (which Chevy did to save money). It also had carburetor mounting bolts that would come loose, causing fuel to leak and catch fire. In 1972, Chevrolet recalled 500,000 Vegas in order to fix the problem, as well as the faulty axles and throttles. Ford Motor Co convicted of Fraud Court: Ford Knew Power Stroke V8 Was Defective and sold it anyway Ford Motor Company offered the 6.0L Power Stroke V8 in the 2003-2007 Ford Super Duty and 2003-2010 Ford E-Series. by Edward Snitkoff October 13, 2020 6.0L Power Stroke V8 Leads To Fraud Ruling Against Ford ..... Emails discovered showed Ford management grappling with massive warranty repair costs going back to 2006. John Koszewnik, who was the director of Ford’s North American diesel division revealed in emails that 6.0-liter diesel warranty repairs were costing Ford “as high as $5 million a month.” Ford Cruise Control Deactivation Switch Fires During a 10-year period that stretched from 1999 to 2009, Ford Motor Company issued eight different recalls for a total of more than 14 million vehicles (cars, pickups, SUVs, vans) equipped with a faulty cruise-control deactivation switch. Fires in these vehicles caused numerous house and garage fires, and resulted in deaths in several states. ** Owners were advised to park their vehicles outside and away from any structure ** until repairs made. On April 25, 1996, Ford Motor Company recalled 7.9 million vehicles for defective ignition switches that could short circuit and start fires in parked vehicles with the engine off because the switch circuit was a non-fused circuit & hot or powered at all times. The switches, which run continuously even when the vehicle is not in operation, are prone to fail over time and cause electrical fires. Ford Cruise Control Deactivation Switch Recalls and History Ford Cruise Control Deactivation Switch Recalls and History - The Center for Auto Safety Ford Recalls 874,000 F-150, Super Duty Pickup Trucks Over Fire Concerns With the Engine Block. Affected models include some 2015 to 2019 F-150 trucks and some 2017 to 2019 Super Duty pickup trucks. By Emily Gillespie December 21, 2018 Ford Recalls 874,000 F-150, Super Duty Pickup Trucks Over Fire Concerns With the Engine Block Ford is recalling 874,000 pickup trucks in North America for fire risks More than 500K Ford pickups recalled over post-crash interior fire risk Ford says they are aware of at least one report of a fire in the U.S. The front seat belt pretensioner -- a mechanism that is supposed to deploy during a crash to tighten up any slack in the belt -- could "generate excessive sparks," "ignite the carpet," or cause any potential fire to "spread within the vehicle" ByMina Kaji 13 December 2019, More than 500K Ford pickups recalled over post-crash interior fire risk 2020 Ford F-150: Recall Alert The Problem: There may be an improper attachment nut used to fasten the positive battery cable to the starter motor, which may not provide a secure connection to the starter or the required conductive properties. This could increase the potential for incremental heat generation during a vehicle start cycle and electrical arcing, increasing the risk of a fire. By Patrick Masterson August 12, 2020 https://www.cars.com/articles/2020-ford-f-150-recall-alert-425265/ BMW Upset With ABC News for Reporting Their Cars Randomly Explode Why is this happening? By Eric Brandt May 16, 2017 BMW Upset With ABC News for Reporting Their Cars Randomly Explode As mysterious BMW fires continue, calls for investigation into possible causes grow Critics say the government auto-safety watchdog is failing to protect consumers. 90 complaints have been filed by owners By Kyra Phillips,Cindy Galli,Cho Park,Halley Freger, Pete Madden 5 February 2019 As mysterious BMW fires continue, calls for investigation into possible causes grow 1971-1980 Ford Pinto was included in "Worst Cars of All Time" lists by both Forbes and Time magazines. There were many problems with the car's design, but the biggest (and most tragic) was the placement of the fuel tank in the back, which often caused it to explode if involved in a rear-collision. ** Ford knew of the defect; eight of 11 cars put through their own rear-collision test burst into flames. Ford Pinto is a case study in failure of management & business ethics - specifically NOT HAVING ANY. ** 2008 - 2017 BMW ( 15,879,491 units ) BMW - Wikipedia BMW aficionado Bill Macko's 2008 X5 caught fire while parked in his garage in 2015, it destroyed his house. Roughly a million vehicles of varying models dating back to 2007 have been recalled due to fire risk. The danger has been traced to fuel leaks, overheating wires, short-circuiting heaters, defective exhaust gas recirculation module (EGR coolers). In November 2016, BMW recalled 136,000 2007–2012 model year U.S. cars for fuel pump wiring problems possibly resulting in fuel leak, fires and engine stalling or restarting issues. In 2018, BMW recalled 106,000 diesel vehicles in South Korea with a defective exhaust gas recirculation module, which caused 39 engine fires. The recall was then expanded to 324,000 more cars in Europe. Following the recall in South Korea, the government banned cars which had not yet been inspected from driving on public roads. This affected up to 25% of the recalled cars, where the owners had been notified but the cars had not yet been inspected. ** It was reported that BMW KNEW since 2016 that more than 4% of the affected cars in South Korea had experienced failures in the EGR coolers, leading to approximately 20 owners suing the company (30 July 2019). ** BMW Sparks Airport Garage Fire That Destroys 8 Cars, Burns 10 Others Seattle, WA, USA By Patrick George 5/01/2013 BMW Sparks Airport Garage Fire That Destroys 8 Cars, Burns 10 Others 2001, BMW announced a recall to refit cars they said had been responsible for two static-related fires while refueling at gas station: BMW AG said it is recalling all of its new Mini cars sold in Britain to fix a design fault that already has caused two fires — days before the relaunched classic car goes on sale across Europe. The improved grounding is to prevent static electricity from producing a spark when the fuel nozzle is inserted into the gas tank, BMW spokesman Rudolf Probst said. The company blamed static electricity for igniting fuel vapor and causing two small fires, one in a car at a dealership and the other during testing. BMW Mini Cooper 2011, South Wales resident Karina Collins was driving her Mini Cooper on the M4 when it suddenly lost power. As she pulled over, it became clear that the Coop was on fire. She left all her belongings inside and escaped without harm. The incident was one of four known fire cases stemming from an electrical fault in the turbocharger cooling system. This prompted Mini to make a massive recall of turbocharged models produced between 2007 and 2011. However, in January 2017, a Mini Cooper caught fire in California, and then in August 2017, another burned in Missouri. January 2012 recall of nearly 89,000 Mini Coopers that might spontaneously catch fire. The culprit is an electronic circuit board on certain turbochargers. The circuit board has the potential to malfunction and ultimately overheat, and the result is a smoldering water pump that may lead to a fire in the vehicle’s engine.
It’s going to take a good while before BEV sales, Tesla or otherwise, account for a meaningful portion of total vehicle sales. For better or worse, legacy automakers and ICE vehicles are going to continue to dominate vehicle sales for quite some time.
Vehicle fires, EVs or ICE vehicles, don't really concern me much at all. For the longer term good of the company and its current and future customers, I can only hope Tesla does more to address quality and customer service issues. There are too many frustrated customers out there.
I appreciate the perspective, but governments all over the world are starting to plan for and legislate the demise of ICE. ICE is on the decline and EV is on the rise. That’s part of the reason why manufacturers dependent on ICE are scrambling to figure out how not to go the way of the horse and buggy.
Starting to plan for and actually doing it can be two different things. 50 years ago, a committee of the California State Senate approved a bill to ban the sale of ICE vehicles in the state by 1975. Didn’t happen and still hasn't happened yet. Also, many of today's proposals are not expected to go into effect for 10, 15 or more years even if they do get implemented. The shift to BEVs is not going to be as rapid as some may think. ICE vehicles (full or hybrid) will continue to dominate vehicle sales for quite some time.
Google the countries, states, etc. that have already banned new ICE sales starting in 9 years and 2 months. It is a wave that is spreading quickly and the bans will be here before we know it. Legacy automakers have been asleep at the switch and panic is setting in when they see large ICE markets going dry in just a few years from now. They simply have run out of runway and are so far behind they don’t know what to do. Not only are they years behind Tesla in product innovation, many don’t even have working prototypes of old technology. They have to design, prototype, source components, ramp production, get dealers on board, establish EV service and training, and scale. This takes a minimum of 5 years if they can do it at all. As we close in on 2030, Tesla will already be producing nearly 20M cars per year and will be continuing to innovate and continuously reducing prices while legacy manufacturers are still trying to get out of the gate. I would not want to be in the legacy automakers’ position - they are just now starting to see the writing on the wall and it does not end well for them. So, an “electrified” RAM? I look forward to checking it out when it hits the showroom, but I won’t be holding my breath.
2030 is a ways off but even if Tesla is able to reach their 20 million global goal, it still means that around 80% of vehicles sold at that time will be from other automakers and most of those will likely be from today's so-called legacy automakers. ICE vehicle (full or hybrid) sales will continue to dominate for quite some time.
The leadership of the legacy automakers have disregarded the accelerating shift to EVs for years. Their perspectives have been that they either don’t believe it or they think they have more time to address it. The change is happening at a faster pace than anticipated. Now it’s too late because they are losing money at an alarming rate and can’t catch up before going bankrupt. Increasing debt, poor ICE profits, and hemorrhaging OpEx has left many in a quandary. That’s why they are panicked and resorting to even more deception and FUD to confuse consumers, hoping to buy more time. If you look at the growing losses and debt, legacy automakers won’t make it to 2025, let alone 2030. Governments are mandating the shift, consumers are making the shift, and legacy automakers are just now realizing they have been asleep at the switch. Poor and arrogant leadership has led them to bankruptcy’s door once again, but they still think they are too large to fail or will get another bailout if they do. No foresight or accountability. In addition the Tesla juggernaut, other successful startup EV makers such as Nio will take up the slack in global demand for vehicles when the legacy automakers are gone. I think we have both presented our thoughts and positions. Now let’s watch it unfold and see where we are in 2025 and 2030. Time will tell and I am sure we will both be surprised at what the future will bring. Thanks for the debate and respectful exchange.
Interesting times ahead but they won't be nearly as dire for the legacy automakers as you seem to think. Even most bullish estimates only expect global BEV sales to be around 30% of total new vehicle sales by 2030. That's sales from all companies in the BEV space, not just Tesla. That means around 70% of sales at that time will still be some sort of full or hybrid ICE vehicle and mostly from today's legacy automakers. In the United States, the BEV percentage is expected to be much lower. Between EV and ICE offerings, legacy automakers will continue to dominate for quite a while and there is plenty of time for them to transition more and more to BEVs and I certainly wish them all well in doing so as competition (and choice) is good for the consumer.