ATWMotorFreight.com – Car Care and News in the Auto Industry

Leaves are falling, temperatures are dropping, and many drivers are starting to think about how to best prepare their vehicles for impending winter weather. The seasoned electric vehicle (EV) owner will know what to expect when charging and driving their EV in the winter — but if you’ve recently electrified your fleet, what do your drivers need to know?    

Once you’ve stocked your fleet’s trunks with scrapers and ice melt, here are some key tips for how to keep your EVs running smoothly once the mercury drops.  

Expect Reduced Mileage and Slower Charge Times 

Winter weather can change how we drive, but it also affects the vehicle itself. In EVs, you’ll most likely see this in the lithium-ion battery that powers your car or truck. Frigid temperatures affect the chemical and physical reactions that make batteries work, resulting in longer charging times. In fact, one study showed that at 32 F degrees, an EV battery took in 36% less energy than when the battery was charged for the same amount of time at 77 F degrees. Cold weather will also reduce an EV’s driving range, since the vehicle will have to expend energy on regulating battery and cabin temperatures.  

If your drivers are making long trips, they will need to be aware of their battery range and, if necessary, where they can find public charging stations on their route. They will also want to plan around longer charge times, whether they’re juicing up at home, at your fleet depot, or elsewhere.  

Use Your Preconditioning Features 

Most EVs today boast preconditioning features that can optimize battery life in extreme temperatures and keep drivers comfortable. Preconditioning can be done for the cabin and the battery. 

Cabin preconditioning allows drivers to pre-heat or pre-cool the vehicle’s interior to an optimum temperature before hitting the road. Instead of getting in the car and waiting for the cabin to heat up and the windows to defrost, drivers can start the preconditioning process ahead of time. If this process is started while the car is still plugged in, the driver can start their route on a full battery. And since the cabin will already be at a comfortable temperature, they’ll consume less energy on the journey, too. 

Many EVs also have a battery preconditioning feature that can regulate the battery’s temperature for optimum charging at the end of a trip. Proper battery preconditioning can extend the range of your EVs in colder months, as well as preserve their batteries for the long term, but not all vehicles will do it automatically. Some EVs will require drivers to start the preconditioning process through an app or other manual system, so it’s important to double-check how preconditioning works on your fleet’s EVs.   

Optimize Your Wearable Parts  

One of the beauties of EVs is that they have about 30% fewer parts than ICE vehicles — generally making for less winter prep work.

But while there are fewer moving parts and systems that need regular maintenance, drivers should still remember to check and replace the standard “wearable” pieces of their EVs before a cold snap arrives.  

Tires can make a huge difference in driving through winter weather, so make sure your fleet’s tires are properly inflated (which ensures less rolling resistance and can extend your range) and have enough tread. Depending on your location, you might even consider swapping all-purpose tires for an appropriate winter version. It’s also a good idea to check that all headlight bulbs and windshield wipers are working properly, which can be invaluable when your drivers are venturing through snow and sleet.  

Driving through winter weather is hardly a great time, but with a thorough understanding of EV performance and a bit of preparation, you can ensure your electrified fleet is well-equipped to handle frigid temperatures and snowy streets safely and efficiently.

Chris Knosp is the director of fleet electrification at Mike Albert Fleet Solutions

Originally posted on Charged Fleet

Toyota has launched its first followup to the all-electric bZ4X. Thankfully its name, the Toyota bZ3, is a little easier to remember. It helps if you think of “bZ” as a family of electric vehicles, as the company has stated, with the initials standing for “Beyond Zero” (as in zero emissions). Whereas the bZ4X is an all-wheel-drive crossover (hence the “4X”), the bZ3 is a sedan that seems poised — and named — to go after the Tesla Model 3. 

It’s underpinned by Toyota’s global e-TNGA platform for EVs. However, the bZ3’s battery pack is built by Chinese partner BYD. Toyota says that when combined with its many years of hybrid experience, presumably in technologies such as regenerative energy recapture, the total range is over 373 miles. That is no doubt helped by a drag coefficient of 0.218, which ranks with the best of the latest EV crop. 

Toyota didn’t disclose the bZ3’s power output, but according to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology the car will be offered with either 178 or 238 horsepower outputs. BYD’s lithium iron phosphate Blade batteries are said to have better energy density and safety than other designs. Toyota allays fears of battery decay by promising they will retain 90 percent of their capacity after 10 years.

Dimensionally, the bZ3’s footprint is very close to that of the Model 3, just a hair bigger in every metric. Styling takes after the bZ4X, with a front graphic that Toyota likens to a hammerhead shark. Inside, the dash aims for a minimalist cool aesthetic with just a screen for the instrumentation and a second, larger screen for auxiliary controls governed by a dial-like input. The steering wheel is both flat-bottomed and flat-topped, but is, thankfully, not a yoke.

Some reports say the car will cost the CNY equivalent of just $28,000, significantly cheaper than the Model 3. That latter starts at $36,000 in China, even after a sizable price drop announced just today. 

With the bZ3 announcement, Toyota says there will be more additions to the bZ family to come. In the past, it has committed to seven bZ models. However, if rumors about Toyota rebooting its EV strategy are true, then perhaps fewer of them will be on the e-TNGA platform. 

AUSTIN, Texas — Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz lapped fastest in first practice for the U.S. Grand Prix on Friday with Red Bull’s double world champion Max Verstappen close behind and Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes.

The Spaniard lapped the Circuit of the Americas with a quickest time of one minute 36.857 seconds and Dutch 25-year-old Verstappen, who won the Formula One world title in Japan this month, 0.224 slower.

Verstappen won last year in Texas and another victory with fastest lap on Sunday would secure Red Bull’s first constructors’ title since 2013. It would also equal the record for most wins by a driver in a single season, lifting Verstappen alongside Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel on 13.

The champion was not entirely happy in the session, however, complaining that “there must be something wrong with the car because there is no front end in low speed.”

Canadian Lance Stroll was fourth fastest for Aston Martin with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez fifth and Fernando Alonso sixth for Renault-owned Alpine.

Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi took the place of Kevin Magnussen at Haas, but the Italian lasted barely eight minutes before he crunched into the Tecpro barrier to end his session. Haas said the clutch was burned out and a gearbox change was likely before Magnussen returned for practice two.

“On your third lap to put it in the wall is not fantastic,” commented team boss Guenther Steiner, who has yet to name Magnussen’s team mate for 2023 with Mick Schumacher’s future uncertain.

Five drivers replaced race regulars for the session, with four of them making their grand prix weekend debuts.

They included 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou at McLaren in Daniel Ricciardo’s car. Israeli Robert Shwartzman, who previously raced as a Russian in lower categories, was the fastest of the bunch in 16th place as stand-in for Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. French teenager Theo Pourchaire was given track time by Alfa Romeo, ahead of a reserve role next season, while 21-year-old American Logan Sargeant drove for Williams while Canadian Nicholas Latifi sat out the session.

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Consumer behaviour is constantly evolving particularly in a volatile and fast-changing market so it has never been more vital to deliver a bespoke car buying experience, says iVendi’s chief commercial officer Darren Sinclair.

Sinclair is set to deliver iVendi’s seminar about ‘Better Buying Journeys’ at Automotive Management Live 2022 on November 10 at Birmingham NEC. as part of the event’s digital theatre stream.

Whilst an e-commerce solution is essential, around just 2% of car buyers undertake a genuine end-to-end online purchase with the vast majority conducting a blended approach, iVendi has found.

Sinclair said: “It is almost like we have come full cycle. Two years ago, when we were in the midst of the pandemic, the ability to deliver a complete online e-commerce buying experience was absolutely critical.

“Together with retailers battling to retain market share from online disruptors, it meant online retailing was dominating our discussions. 

“Now, we are seeing very individual buying journeys taking place, so retailers need to be agile and responsive in real time to successfully deliver tailor-made experiences.

“It means enabling the consumer and the business to glide flawlessly between online and in-store as well as combining digital processes in face-to-face scenarios. 

Sinclair (pictured) will also draw on latest iVendi data to provide insights into up-to-the-minute consumer behaviour in the AM Live session

“The ability to provide such a bespoke, smooth and unbroken buying journey has become an art form requiring exemplary customer service from sales staff who are confident deploying sophisticated technology whilst retailers must also provide the digital tools necessary to give consumers the control they demand.

“And all this needs to work together effortlessly.”

Already, the company is seeing an increase in finance applications as consumers react to the cost of living crisis by preferring to spread payments rather than making high capital outlays.

However, this is compounded by the increase in interest rates which in turn has led to more caution from lenders resulting in an uptick in finance application rejections.

Consumers are also reacting to current market forces and iVendi’s system is now handling more financial soft searches as car buyers gauge the likelihood of lender approval before speaking to retailers.

Sinclair added: “Consumers are now asking more questions and expect an immediate response. They also bring with them expectations from other buying experiences that their used car purchase will be turned around in just a few days.

“Our data is telling us that retailers have to keep their fingers on the pulse of the constantly shifting market and the behaviours from consumers, which are changing all the time according to those market forces.

“The buying process has become almost organic in the way it is evolving in line with the market which in turn is heightening the already embedded trend for tailormade retailing.”

AM Live is free for retailer and manufacturer delegates who register in advance at www.automotivemanagementlive.co.uk and, outside of its digital theatre session, iVendi can also be found at stand B2.

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In German, Alpenglow translates to Alpenglühen, which translates to an optical illusion that’s defined by a rosy, reddish light that appears around the mountains on the horizon during sunrise or sunset. An Alpine vision, certainly. It’s also the name of a conceptual sports car from Renault’s Alpine division that makes the Batmobile look like a Chevy Nova.

The idea to equip this machine with a hydrogen-powered engine may be futuristic in the “green” sense, but the shape of the single-seater — stunning, sexy, svelte and over over-the-top — is supposed to evoke, according to the press statement, “natural elements and states – such as fire, water, ice, wind and steam.” Or Batmobiles.

There’s no official suggestion about the kind of power that the hybrid hydrogen internal-combustion engine planned for Alpenglow could generate. But one needn’t read between the lines of Alpine’s presentation to sense where the car is going: “This concept car is cast for competition: The extremely long and slender wings are a nod to the endurance A220 from then late 1960s. …” Size-wise, it is more than five meters long, over two meters wide and less than one meter high, a “dream car’s proportions” that point to Alpine’s future design language.

Inside, the Alpenglow is just as outer-spacey. The steering wheel — only a “wheel” in the cosmic sense — mimics the devices in Formula 1 and LMP1 racers. Overall, the cabin is “transparent, has a blueish hint and is helmet-shaped.”  And let’s not forget the “snowflake-shaped” rims that “transport us to the mountains.” Most of the time virtually, we presume.

As far as the “real” future is concerned, Alpine (not to be confused with Alpina, which is part of BMW) says its Dream Garage will be made up of three all-electric models: a compact sports car (B segment), a GT crossover (C segment) and an A110 replacement.

For the moment, says Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, “Alpenglow’s mighty and lavish design hints at what Alpine cars will be like tomorrow, and at our vision for motor sports moving forward.”

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October 10, 2022

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Wholesale used-vehicle prices (on a mix, mileage, and seasonally adjusted basis) decreased 3% in September from August, bringing the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index to 204.5, down 0.1% from a year ago, Cox Automotive reported Oct. 7.

The non-adjusted price change declined 2.1% in September, bringing it to a decrease of 2.3% year over year. September 2022 was the first month since May 2020 that wholesale values declined year over year.

“2022 has been the year of giving back some of the big 2021 increases when it comes to wholesale used-vehicle values,” said Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke in a news release. “Vehicles are once again depreciating assets. As we look at the cumulative declines this year, we are down significantly and now expect to finish the year down nearly 14% in December. We haven’t seen declines like this since the onset of the pandemic and the beginning of the Great Recession.”

In September, Manheim Market Report (MMR) values saw larger-than-normal declines that were consistent over the month, culminating in a 2.5% total decline in the Three-Year-Old Index over the last four weeks. MMR is a valuation tool used by tens of thousands of vehicle consignors and dealers to assess millions of trade-ins each month. It is designed to be highly stable and avoid overreacting to short-term market ups and downs to provide an accurate measure of vehicle valuations regardless of market conditions.

During September, daily MMR Retention, which is the average difference in price relative to current MMR, averaged 98.4%, meaning market prices were below MMR values. The average daily sales conversion rate decreased slightly to 49.2%, below normal for the time of year. For example, the sales conversion rate averaged 52.1% in September 2019. The lower conversion rate indicated that the month saw buyers with more bargaining power than what is typically seen for the time of year.

Only three of eight major market segments saw seasonally adjusted prices that were higher year over year in September. Compact cars had the largest increase, at 5.9%, followed by vans and pickups, both of which increased by 0.8%. The remaining five segments’ prices were well below the industry average, with midsize cars only priced minimally lower. Compared to August, all eight major segments’ performances were down. Full-size cars lost more than 14%. Pickups and compact cars declined the least, at 1.4% and 2.6%, respectively. The remaining five segments (vans, SUVs, midsize, luxury, and sports cars) lost between 3.1% and 5.2%.

“Given that we are back to depreciation, it is more likely that the next few months will also see negative figures; however, we are not anticipating any major declines,” said Chris Frey, senior manager of economic and industry insights of Cox Automotive. “Our expectation is that depreciation over the next three months will be slower and lower than what we’ve just seen this past quarter.”

Retail Used Sales Pace Decreases in September, Used Supply Remains Healthy

Leveraging a same-store set of dealerships selected to represent the country from Dealertrack, Cox estimates that used retail sales declined 8% in September from August and that used retail sales were down 10% year over year. Compared to September 2019, sales were down 18%, a slight improvement from August, when sales were down 19%, based on the same-store results.

The used market has seen much more normal supply conditions this year. In fact, the used market has been oversupplied for most of the year. Dealers built inventory in January and February; but because of sales failing to live up to normal levels in the spring and summer, supply compared to normal, or for example 2019, has been elevated until September.

Using estimates of used retail days’ supply based on vAuto data, September ended at 48 days of supply, down from 51 days at the end of August but higher than how September 2021 ended at 41 days. Leveraging Manheim sales and inventory data, wholesale supply is estimated to have ended September at 27 days, higher than how September 2021 ended at 19 days but down one day from the end of August.

September’s total new-light-vehicle sales were up 9.5% year over year, with the same number of selling days as September 2021. By volume, September new-vehicle sales were down 1% from August. The September SAAR came in at 13.5 million, a 9.6% increase from last year’s 12.3 million and up 2.9% from August’s 13.1 million pace.

Combined sales into large rental, commercial, and government fleets were up nearly 25% year over year in September. Sales into rental were up 18% year over year, while sales into commercial fleets were up 38% and sales into government fleets were down 2%. Including an estimate for fleet deliveries into dealer and manufacturer channels, the remaining retail sales were estimated to be up 8.2%, leading to an estimated retail SAAR of 11.8 million, up 0.3 million from last month’s pace, or 2.6%, and up 0.9 million from last year’s 10.9 million, or 8.5%. The fleet share of 12.3% was down 0.2% from August but up 1.1% from last September’s 11.2%.

Rental Risk Mileage Declines, Maintains Stability

The average price for rental risk units sold at auction in September was up 0.6% year over year. Rental risk prices were down 2.9% compared to August. Average mileage for rental risk units in September (at 54,200 miles) was down 4.3% compared to a year ago and down 4.1% from August.

Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index Full-Year Forecast Lowered

The full-year Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index forecast is now expected to finish the year down nearly 14% year over year. This change from the second quarter’s revised forecast of a 6% decline was made in recognition of the third quarter’s seeing the largest declines of 2022 and further decreases being forecast for November and December.

Measures of Consumer Confidence Mixed in September

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased 4.2% in September. Both underlying measures of present situation and expectations saw gains, but expectations improved the most. Plans to purchase a vehicle in the next six months increased and were up year over year.

The sentiment index from the University of Michigan also saw a slight gain in September. The Michigan index rose 0.7%, with only views of current conditions improving. Both the Conference Board and Michigan data sets do not include survey data representing the entire month, and sentiment weakened in the final days of the month.

Morning Consult’s timelier daily Index of Consumer Sentiment declined in September with moves down in most of the last 14 days of the month. That index ended down 0.7% for the month, though it had been improving earlier in the month. Stock market declines and gas price increases likely influenced the more recent decline.

Originally posted on Vehicle Remarketing

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Day’s Motor Group chairman Graham Day has praised the businesses “dedicated staff” after it recorded a 210% increase in pre-tax profits during a COVID-impacted 2021 financial year.

Profit before tax rose from £7.66m in 2020 to £23.72m last year as the Swansea-based AM100 car retail group’s turnover grew by 32% from £200.2m to £263.4m.

Day’s Motor Group chairman Graham Day, an inductee to the AM Hall of Fame in 2020, said: “On behalf of our directors, we would like to recognise our loyal and dedicated staff for their commitment during 2021 that culminated in a record performance for the group.

“Even though during the first quarter of 2021 most of our showrooms were still in lockdown, the business adapted to a new way of dealing with customers with innovations such as home deliveries, contactless services and electronic documents.

“This contributed toward a very buoyant period for the group which continued when our showrooms were allowed to re-open.

“Whilst there were many challenges during 2021, the limits on new vehicle supply had an impact on all our departments and companies. However, there is no doubt all of our divisions benefited from the rise in the used vehicle market due to the restriction on supply.

“Through the hard work of our colleagues, coupled with the organic growth resulting from long term strategies employed in the group, particularly in our Day’s Rental and Day’s Fleet companies, where between them they now have over 16,000 vehicles on their fleet, the group has delivered a strong set of results for 2021.”

In a 2016 AM dealer profile feature the Day’s leadership team asserted thatthe business “thrives in periods of change”. 

The group currently 17 showrooms and used car supermarkets across Wales and south-west England as well as in Shrewsbury and Watford.

It represents Ford, Peugeot, Fiat and has recently added a franchise with the Ineos 4×4 brand.

The group also operates a Nissan approved aftersales operation and Motorpark-branded used car supermarkets.

During its 2021 trading period the group’s leasing and rental divisions generated a 12% increase in revenues from fleet (to £3.8m) and a 41% rise in short-term rentals (to £11.5m).

The net assets of the group’s Days Property Holding business grew from £74.5m to £83m, meanwhile, and it said it was capable of funding further acquisition opportunities in future.

Day said: “We are proud that we have increased our national presence across the UK with the opening of a number of new trading locations and are looking forward to further investing in commercial expansion and environmental projects.”

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