Having gotten into foul trouble early, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson got a long rest in the third quarter of Monday’s Finals game. Without Brunson in the game, it was like the rest of the team ceased to exist. As a bandwagon Knicks fan it was hard to watch. A star player doesn’t do much for you on the sidelines, and it’s long felt like superstar designer Ralph Gilles hasn’t gotten the opportunity to do his best work at Chrysler in years. That’s maybe changing.
Some of the problems are structural, as in literally the platforms that Gilles and team have had to play with were not ideal for making new cars. The Morning Dump is nothing if not a venue to discuss the structures that dictate the cars we love or hate. BYD thinks it may have the bones in place to become the largest automaker by scale in five years. Maybe, but will that include selling cars people want? It’s long been BYD vs. Tesla, but lately it feels like BYD and Tesla vs. Reality, which might be what’s happening with that company’s robotaxis.
Have you ever gotten gas from Costco? If you hadn’t before, you’re statistically more likely to have done that in the last month thanks to the war in Iran.
The New Stellantis Platform Will Be A ‘Star’
If you look at the video above, on the left, is probably the affordable Chrysler Airflow or Airflow Cross (not to be confused with the Citroën C3 Aircross, which is another Stellantis product). That doesn’t look too bad. This is an early render, so I assume a more detailed and revised vehicle is coming, but it seems like it’s a step in the right direction.
Chrysler has been trying to offer a crossover for approximately 30 years, and the big holdup has been that Chrysler gets new guardians like Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (#justiceforauntviv). Brands, like children, need stability to thrive. It seems like the new STLA One platform has been developed to give various smaller brands a chance to make something a little more unique.
That’s good. Designer Ralph Giles, in addition to being almost universally liked and wearing the hell out of that turtleneck, has put his pen to a lot of great cars, including the Chrysler 300 and last gen-Viper. Lately, though, Stellantis has been sticking the various ex-DaimlerChryslerCerburusGameStopFiat brands with mediocre platforms that couldn’t take much more than a light redesign (ahem, Hornet). It’s kinda sucked, and it’s a sad debate as to whether this has been worse for brands like Chrysler, which has been starved of platforms, or Dodge, which has had to use them.
According to this Automotive News article, it sounds like STLA One is going to enable Chrysler to let Gilles be Gilles again:
STLA One will be a “star” in the global lineup as the automaker phases out its STLA Small and STLA Medium platforms, Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles said.
The platform will support gasoline and electrified powertrains in segments ranging from subcompacts to family-hauling midsize utility vehicles. It’s designed to reduce complexity, cut costs, shorten time to market and strengthen supplier stability.
“We are getting rid of our own boundaries that we were constraining ourselves in terms of segmentation, in terms of dimension,” Davide Mele, Stellantis’ chief product planning officer, said during the company’s May 21 investor day.
It’s definitely possible to rebadge or tweak cars and make them interesting, but after years of bad EV bets it sounds like we’re in for a long period of visual refreshes as an industry. Stellantis, at least, is getting a do-over. Also, I agree with this guy:
“I‘m a strong believer in Ralph Gilles,” said Stellantis National Dealer Council Chairman Sean Hogan. “I think he’s got a vision for this product, he’s got a vision for Chrysler, definitely, and what he touches seems to turn out really well for the brands, so I’m pretty optimistic with all these new vehicles coming. We need it.”
Chrysler dealers are probably desperate for anything, and it’s good fortune for them that Gilles usually produces cars that are sometimes the thing.
BYD Will Be The Biggest, Says Chairman, But Who Cares?
Current BYD CEO and my former chauffeur Wang Chaunfu was up on stage at the annual BYD meeting yesterday and he had a lot of things to say about the company, including that it’ll be bigger than everyone else (read: Toyota and Volkswagen) in five years.
Wang highlighted the robust growth of Chinese automakers in international markets, noting that BYD’s products – characterised by competitive pricing, advanced technology, and superior user experience – are currently outperforming many local competitors.
While the company initially set an overseas sales target of 1.6 million vehicles for this year, Wang revealed that current trends suggest this figure will be surpassed. Emphasising a strategy of “long-termism,” Wang stressed the importance of localisation to ensure stable and sustainable growth, aiming for win-win outcomes in international markets.
Sure, but at what cost? While BYD has a large percentage of the domestic market, that market is still oversaturated with brands and older automakers like Geely are catching up in terms of offerings. As CNEVPost points out, shares of BYD have fallen 33% over the last year.
The era of China shoveling money and incentives into car companies is likely in the past, which means that BYD has to succeed as an exporter and a builder of cars in other countries in order to achieve the kind of margins it needs to continue to exist. If BYD becomes the biggest carmaker and can’t sell cars profitably, that’s not going to be sustainable over the long term.
Elon Musk’s Robotaxi Claims Haven’t Exactly Panned Out Yet
While people have spotted the eventual Tesla CyberCab out testing, the current robotaxi fleet is reportedly still just a bunch of Model Ys. And a “bunch” in that sentence is an overstatement as Bloomberg reports:
“We’ve already expanded our service area in Austin,” the chief executive officer said. Tesla was planning to grow further in the city and quickly spread to California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. “We’ll probably have autonomous ride-hailing in about half the population of the US by the end of the year.”
Almost a year later, Tesla has just 59 vehicles in its entire robotaxi fleet as of Tuesday, limited to three Texas cities.
Here’s another fun piece from the article:
Musk has blamed state and federal regulators for the slow rollout. But Tesla has faced few rules in Texas and it has moved slowly even in places where it has the green light. The company secured test permits in Arizona and Nevada last year but has yet to launch in those states.
State regulators in Texas are, in my long experience living there, like snow days in Corpus Christi. They exist, but if your argument relies on everyone believing they’re a threat you’re in trouble.
E’rbody At The Costco Getting Gassy
Take it from Adrian, Costco is kinda the best place to get gas. That’s hard for me to write because I want a sweet Shell deal or something in the future, but let’s be honest, if you’ve got a Costco near you that’s probably where you’re getting gas.
Here’s some data from Costco, via the Seattle Times, that shows how many of you are getting gas at Costco:
In the third fiscal quarter, which runs from mid-February to mid-May, Costco said its gas sales set successive records, with the final five weeks of the quarter being the highest in the company’s 50-year history.
Costco stations saw so much demand over that period that trucks had to deliver gas to the same locations multiple times a day, CEO Ron Vachris said during an earnings call last month. The lower prices drove many members to use Costco gas for the first time that quarter.
The Issaquah, Washington-based warehouse club typically offers gas prices up to 30 cents cheaper per gallon than other gas stations. Costco makes little profit on gas as a result — but, like its $4.99 rotisserie chicken or $1.50 hot dog combo, the low prices attract customers willing to purchase a Costco membership to access such discounts.
Damn, now I want a hot dog.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
Would you believe that “Your Love” by English band The Outfield has been viewed over 1 billion times on YouTube? It’s a bop, and also birthed one of my low-key favorite SNL sketches. You know I like my cars a little bit older.
The Big Question
Who is your favorite car designer?
Top photo: Chrysler
Issaquah? That’s my Costco! (Also, the lines are insane there… go early weekday mornings.)
The Big Question
Who is your favorite car designer?
REALLY HARDIGREE? REALLY?
Your Love was the walk up music for long time Colorado Rockies outfielder and noted beard enthusiast, Charlie Blackmon.
TBQ:
* old: Geiger from Mercedes Benz. Perfect track record including the gullwing, R107, W116, and others. Both extravagant pre-war coupes and postwar cars.
Seriously, check out the guy’s portfolio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Geiger
* new: Donkerwolcke from Hyundai and formerly from Audi, Lambo, and Bentley. That dude has style.
Giovanni Michelotti had his hands on a lot for cool stuff in the 60s and 70s.
I never understood the problem that Stellantis had with the Chrysler Airflow Concept (white crossover pictured above).
They showed that off a few years ago and almost immediately said “nope, that’s not actually what our future cars will look like”. Didn’t make sense. Why not? I think it looks thoroughly modern without looking too cray-cray. Even if the platform the production version would have been based on was different, the styling of that concept looked good enough to be a contender.