AD #2668 – Lambo Unveils Most Powerful Model Ever, UAW Targets GM for Contract Talks, Nissan Juke Revived and Redesigned

September 4th, 2019 at 11:46am

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Runtime: 7:03

0:08 Ford Explorer Hybrid Popular with Police
0:43 Lexus RX Refresh Offers Android Auto
1:12 Daimler’s Martin Daum Launches Truck Podcast
1:36 Banksy’s Box Truck Heads to Auction
2:29 Lambo Unveils Most Powerful Model Ever
3:19 Nissan Juke Revived and Redesigned
4:21 Mercedes Hints at Future Interior Design
5:24 UAW Targets GM for Contract Talks

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57 Comments to “AD #2668 – Lambo Unveils Most Powerful Model Ever, UAW Targets GM for Contract Talks, Nissan Juke Revived and Redesigned”

  1. Clem Zahrobsky Says:

    GM ace in the hole over the UAW is we can reopen a closed plant if you give us what we want.

  2. MJB Says:

    I like Mercedes’ minimalist execution in their “future luxury sedan interior” concept. Tesla’s approach (most notably in the Model 3) feels a bit stark. But the expressiveness of this interior concept almost makes me not mind the lack of buttons, knobs and switches. Because stark minimalism is just plain boring.

  3. Bob Wilson Says:

    “The Sian . . . can move from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2.8 seconds”

    The Tesla Model S P100D w/Ludicrous+, 0-60 mph, 2.28 sec and sold in much larger numbers than “63 Sians”

  4. Larry D. Says:

    3 How many S X and 3s were sold in August 19?

  5. Larry D. Says:

    What is the most ridiculous aspect of the Porsche Taycan model?

    That both its versions, the “Taycan Turbo” (SIC!) and the “Taycan Turbo S” contain the utterly irrevevant word “Turbo”, while, of course, neither model has ANY “Turbos”.

    This beats alphanumerics with the wrong numbers as BMW and Merc have misused and abused for decades now.

  6. Lambo2015 Says:

    Lots of good stuff today!
    Hybrids make sense for police cars. sounds like the gas savings would justify the price difference.

    Not sure why Lexus/Toyota would think any system would be better than just mirroring ones phone. The Android Auto works pretty good other than having to disconnect from the car to enter destinations into maps. That’s annoying when its typically the passenger doing it for me.

    The Banksy truck, 1.3 to 2 million? Not exactly a piece of work you can hang on the wall. Didn’t look like anything special but ok rich people have at it.

    Lamborghini Sian, Sounds too close to Scion but a very cool looking car all the same.

    Nissan Juke; Still an ugly front end but other than that I like the interior and rest of the car.

    Merc interior is of course very cool concept and looks very spacious. Not real sure about the rolled back seat design as that just looked like a great place for stuff to fall into. But beyond that I like it.

    GM, Good luck avoiding a strike. They are in a particularly bad situation with workers that are already being compensated at the highest level within the industry yet feel slighted by their union and company. That will be a tough battle for GM.


    3. Bob get real. When you drive a sports car is the only thing you do is run it 0 to 60? Great sports cars are light and nimble, they have great handling and can conner at 1.25G, brakes that don’t overheat no mater how hard you use them, and can run lap after lap at consistently fast speeds.

    The Tesla Model S P100D can’t even complete one lap without going into reduce power mode. But that is ok since it saves the brakes from overheating.

  8. Larry D. Says:

    It is utterly outrageous that, even after the bankruptcy and the bailout, GM still has the highest labor costs in the USA,

    And it is doubly outrageous given the multi-million $ scandals of the UAW mafia bosses.

  9. Carl Says:

    Get real – you know those Mercedes seats are not going into any future vehicle. The design leaves zero room for any motors for seat articulation.

  10. Larry D. Says:

    I posted it late on Friday’s show discussion and re-post it here for the benefit of those who did not have a chance to see it.

  11. Lambo2015 Says:

    Sean/John; Does anyone like the IIHS publish numbers on totaled vehicles from storms like Dorian? Last year we saw a spike in sales after Florence and Michael that some speculated was due to replacing all the damaged vehicles. It will be interesting to see if another increase in car sales is coming. The pictures of the Bahamas are total devastation. I’m sure housing and utilities will be of first order though.

  12. Kit Gerhart Says:

    10 Dorian will almost surely increase prices of used cars in the US, because many of the cars in the Bahamas are, in fact, used cars from the US. They drive on the left in the Bahamas, but apparently allow almost anything to be registered and driven on public roads. I suspect a majority of vehicles there are LHD

  13. Kit Gerhart Says:

    5 Porsche really seems to like the word “turbo,” and has been using it rather loosely for years, but, to my knowledge, the Taycan will be the first to not have a turbocharger. For years, they have called some versions of 911, and the SUVs “turbo,” even though most of the ones not called turbo have turbocharged engines.

    I guess it’s not much worse than calling a car with a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine “330i.”

  14. Kit Gerhart Says:

    9 I wonder which car would have won, if they’d had a price cap, like Car and Driver does with their “10 best” list.

    Larry, you know that a couple of your other favorite cars, like Genesis G70 and Chevy Bolt have won Motor Trend Car of the Year awards.

  15. cwolf Says:

    John, the UAW doesn’t share vote counts with non-union members but are available to each plants workforce. About 70-80% of the workers voted at the plant I retired from. It should only be reasonable to accept all new entry’s into the UAW may not vote. And of coarse, those on probation period and temps have no vote.
    So that “little secret” of yours may only be gossip. One thing for sure; NO ONE can predict what the UAW will bargain for until negotiations begin.

  16. cwolf Says:

    I believe in union’s, like the UAW. I am also one of the majority who believe the only cure to the UAW corruption is to fire all the higher levels and to start anew.
    On the other hand, the union members are deserving of their wage packages. GM may have the highest labor costs, as was stated, but they also had the highest profits compared to FCAW and Ford. Unlike years ago, it takes years for a worker to reach top wage. Another cause of high labor costs lies solely upon the automakers choice to adopt “forced overtime” instead of hiring the people really needed.
    If you think a trades person grossing $115K/yr under “forced O/T” is rich, think again. Not a one of those white collar” higher up’s” are worth 100 times that much, plus stock options. Why isn’t their any program dealing with this unjustifiable imbalance?

  17. Albemarle Says:

    I really like the dash of the concept Mercedes. Very refreshing.

    Seats… not so much. Is the slot under your bottom for your wallet or purse? Perhaps your pet rat dog.

  18. Kit Gerhart Says:

    10,14 I looked over the list of Motor Trend cars of the year. and they picked some real losers, like Vega, Mustang II, and Volare/Aspen. Given hindsight, most of their decade-by-decade picks are reasonable, but some vehicles didn’t make the list at all, because two very significant vehicles arrived the same year. 1984 is a prime example, with the C4 Corvette, and the Chrysler minivans, Corvette named COTY. Still, some of their COTY picks seem odd, like Mustang clone Cougar winning over Camaro in 1967, and Mustang itself never winning, except the Pinto-derived Mustang II, until 1994.

    As far as the Tesla as “ultimate car of the year,” the choice makes complete sense, since “significance” is probably their top criteria. The car is significant, taking performance and range to to a new level for electric cars, and the company is really significant, being probably the first startup American car company since Chrysler, to survive to make even ten thousand cars.

  19. merv Says:

    great show

  20. Kit Gerhart Says:

    It’s nice that police departments are buying hybrid Explorers, instead of non-hybrid trucks, but what they should be buying is hybrid CARS like Accord and Camry. Yeah, they like American name plates, but Ford abandoned the market by dropping the Fusion, which happened to be made in Mexico, while Camry and Accord are made in the US.

  21. Bishop Says:

    What has the Fusion got to do with cop cars? Ford makes the Taurus Police Interceptor (PI) for those departments that do not want the utility (Explorer). And then there is the CHarger that is popular with departments. But the thing is that most departments like the equipment carrying ability of a utility (SUV).

    BTW, you will probably see that Ford will continue to make the Fusion for another couple of years, and don’t be surprised if it continues after that – maybe with some changes. We’ll see how long Toyota sticks by its commitment to sedan-type cars. You could buy a new Camry for under $20k in CenFla around the 4th of July. What does that say?

  22. Ctech Says:

    Why do the numbers for how much a hybrid Explorer will save don’t seem to pass the sniff test? $3500 means saving at least a full tank of gas per week per vehicle.

    The Juke is still ugly.

    Given MotorTrend’s Dubious past choices, I’ll wait another 25 years to see how these pan out.

    Given the nature of many in the plant still living perilously pay check to paycheck, a long strike at GM is probably not likely.

  23. Kit Gerhart Says:

    21 The Taurus was dropped, even before the Fusion. As far as what the Fusion has to do with cop cars, most cop cars are used in towns and cities, to investigate domestic disturbances, investigate crashes, etc., where Priuses would do the job just fine. Yeah, for high speed chases, already discontinued twin turbo Tauruses and soon-to-be-discontinued Chargers would be better. Unless things have changed very recently, the Fusion will be gone after the 2020 model year.

    As far as carrying equipment, can’t they carry enough guns, bombs, and whatever they need in the trunk of a car? What do they carry in the cargo hold of an Explorer that wouldn’t fit in the trunk of a Charger or Fusion?

  24. Ctech Says:

    @ #23 The Taurus made for an expensive to maintain police vehicle compared to the Charger or previous Impala. If the top management at FCA have a brain they will spend a few dollars to extend the life of their Mercedes platforms rather than try to force fit the Giulia platform. So far it has been a very trouble-prone platform with poor reliability, although great handling.

    The advantage (at least from the what the officers have told me) of the Explorer and Tahoe over car based police vehicles is the extra room up front, and the higher stance gives them a better view in traffic. There are certain space and power requirements all police vehicles must meet.

  25. Bob Wilson Says:

    #7 – “… is the only thing you do is run it 0 to 60?”

    No, I just want to get to the speed limit first when the traffic light changes. I do that daily in my Tesla Model 3 … quietly scooting across the intersection and into the lane of choice.

  26. dave Says:

    my department’s vendor bought up a bunch of 2019 police explorers that are gas only because most PDs dont want the 2020 hybrid. Heck we just ordered a new one and are getting a 2019 off the lot that we have to paint the right color, instead of a 2020 hybrid.

  27. Kit Gerhart Says:

    26 Why would departments not want the hybrids, concerns about reliability?

  28. joe Says:


    We all know you are one of those fan that can never see any wrong with Tesla, but why do you show us a link from 2013 showing how great Tesla is. We’ve seen it a million times!

    Here is an up to date list that you should look at.

  29. Kit Gerhart Says:

    24 As long as people, and police departments will buy the current Charger and Challenger, they should keep building them. They dropped the 300, which I kind of liked, but it didn’t sell as well as the other two.

    As far as the Giulia, is there something wrong with the platform, or just the build quality? I don’t know, but so far, the reliabity has been even worse than Land Rover.

  30. Larry D. Says:

    13 “I guess it’s (calling the BEV Taycan “Turbo” not much worse than calling a car with a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine “330i.”

    Really??!! Did you actually think before you decided the above?

    Because I believe you could not be more wrong.

    And here is a detailed explantion why:

    Calling the 2.0 lt Turbo “330i” is far less of a crime than calling the BEV “”Turbo”.

    In distant antiquity, German makers had numerics where the number was the engine cc. They have abandoned that for decades, as engines have become more powerful, and they have every reason to do so.

    When my foolish colleaque bought a brand new S class in 1990 (that’s why he is fooolish) for over $60k (like $120k in today’s worthless dollars), it was the 300 SEL and had a 3.0 lt I6 with a puny 177 HP.

    IF today’s S class used a 2.0 lt turbo that makes 300 HP, should it call it the S 200? Really? If it is to be compared to the old 300 SEL, it should be called AT LEAST the S 450!!!

    ( comparing the HP or performance in general).

    BMW and MERC had announced long ago that the numerics do not correspond to CC any more, but to a far more accurate measure of the cars PERFORMANCE. Should they issue a disclaimer with the above every day? Haven’t people learned what the numbers mean?

    Lambo’s numbers used to be HP (just hp).

    Now to Porsche’s far worse crime.,

    Calling a pure Battery EV a “Turbo” is not only a gaffe of major proportions, a 1984 kind of “Newspeak”, it insults many of its prospective buyers.

    I know inevitably some of the buyers of the Taycan will be airhead bimbos with green aspirations or not, the likes of Paris Hilton and other anti-role models, but there will also be many serious car fans that will buy them.

    And if these buyers have a clue, I bet they will never dare to tell their friends they bought a “Taycan Turbo”. ,or a “Taycan Turbo S”.

    They will just say they bought a Taycan and will never mention the ridiculous and misleading “Turbo”.

  31. Larry D. Says:

    14 “errare humanum est”, to err is human, if Motor Trend named the Bolt and the Genesis (who heavily advertise in it!) “Car of the Year”.

    But you really do not seem to appreciate that the 2013 Model S was named by same Motor Trend the KING of their 70 different cars of the year over the last 70 years,

    AND that Tesla never advertised in them.

    Makes a HUGE difference, whether people admit it or not.

  32. Larry D. Says:

    14, 31 And despite all these UNdeserved “Employee of the Month” awards, August sales came in yesterday, Hyundai was the first to announce them because their crossovers did well, BUT Genesis still sold a DISMAL, HORRIBLE 1,757units.

    Those of you following the numbers know that all other luxury makers, BMW, LEXUS, MERC sell 30,000 or so a month. Compare to the 1,757. ALL Genesis models together, and WEEP.

  33. Kit Gerhart Says:

    30. Whatever. The current BMW and Benz numbers correspond to neither displacement nor horsepower nor kW. If they corresponded to any of those, they would make complete sense. As it is, they make only a little more sense than calling a BEV, or a computer mode “turbo.”

  34. Kit Gerhart Says:

    31 “Larry,” did you read post 18, where I said the choice of the Model S made complete sense, because of its significance?

  35. Larry D. Says:

    28 I know it is real hard for you to look at a link, but try this one

    as for the alleged Tesla unreliability, before you jump up and down in ecstasy (I have no clue why you hate Tesla so much), you need to learn that the alleged gremlins are ALL tiny and unimportant and NOT the kind of $2,000 repairs your beloved GM Ford and FCA crappy cars have all the time.

  36. Larry D. Says:

    33 NO, NOT “Whatever”.

    Any honest and thoughtful person would realize that “Taycan Turbo” is a blunder of the first order, I spent a lot of time to fully explain why to this forum, if you prefer to stick your head in the sand, it is your loss.

    WHILE “330 i” has NO Obligation to refer to engine capacity, just because you like it, especially since you are not even a customer (at least I had a “Magnificent 7″ (the Mini does not count).

  37. Larry D. Says:

    34. Sorry, I did not, too many posts here to reply to, and as you must know I am at work again and quite busy.

  38. Kit Gerhart Says:

    32 “All” Genesis models is 3 sedans, while Merc, BMW, and Lexus have about 20 models each, a bunch of them SUV/CUVs. Yeah, Genesis did poorly, but comparing their numbers to those others makes no sense at all.

  39. Larry D. Says:

    August Sales:

    FCA, GM, Ford and Tesla do not report monthly sales, but all others did, and they did (with the glaring exception of Genesis) well or very well.

    Honda was up 18%, very strong

    Subaru was up a ton, and exceeded 70,000 units, which must be about a 4.5% share, TRIPLE what it had a decade ago.

    VW group was up too, even poor little VOlvo sold more than 9,000 (all models)

    Hyundai did OK due to crossovers (new 3 row moderately priced), but Genesis is still on intensive care and IMHO to be discontinued after their SUV fails too, as they did with all their previous failed attempts at luxury vehicles.

    I am curious what Ford, GM FCA and Tesla think by withholding sales info from the public. I bet they did not do well in August, and if they disagree, they can PROVE it by showing us the numbers.

    Because I noticed that Hyundai, which did well in August, was the first one to report their good numbers (but NOT the dismal genesis numbers), very early yesterday.

  40. Larry D. Says:

    Today I took the 2007 E320 Bluetec for its oil change and rear brakepad replacement. I left it at Firestone and will pick it up at 2 PM.

    The pure synthetic oil change (9 quarts!) was $240 at the dealer in 2017 but $128 here. That’s what MB recommends so that is what I do. I only do 2,000 miles a year, with this car, if I have no long trips. Maybe the next change will be after three, not two years.

    The pads are $100 (both).

    Is any of the above a “reliability” issue, Joe? I don’t think so. 100% maintenance and predictable wear and tear.

    When I bought the car in Oct 2016 they told me the brake pads should be at least 70% life left or the dealer replaces them before they sell the car.

  41. Kit Gerhart Says:

    37 Thanks

  42. Kit Gerhart Says:

    40 What intervals do they say for oil changes? Do they give a time/miles recommendation, or just miles/km?

  43. Lambo2015 Says:

    33 I agree that BMW has confusing names as if they wanted to switch to some arbitrary alphanumeric naming system then they should have started anew and just dropped the previous naming convention that was tied to engine size. (which frankly was a dumb naming convention anyway, Like they never expected to get more HP from a smaller engine).

    As for the COTY award it means very little as Kit pointed out it has been awarded to some real losers in the past so how political or funded is the award? Not saying that Tesla doesn’t deserve it as they have made changed the auto industry forever and done some amazing things they should be recognized for.
    Plus I like that they are an American company and maybe its an inherited point of view from my grandparents or just that I have spent my whole career in the auto industry. Either way I am like 80% of Americans according to a 2015 CR study that showed Americans prefer to buy American products and 60% would even pay 10% more than the competition. I fall into that later category and would very unlikely ever buy an import. As an American I believe that we need to take care of ourselves and support our economy and neighbors. I would rather drive a lesser car for the same money or pay more for the same car to do that. Many people let the oh mighty dollar rule their decisions and compromise their integrity. So BMW can name their cars whatever they want I will never buy one. I would find it as difficult as as a holocaust survivor buying a German luxury car. Yep that was years ago.

  44. Kit Gerhart Says:

    Regarding the loose use of “turbo,” I remember high speed dial-up internet, probably 56 kb/sec, being called “turbo” by an ISP I used in the ’90s. Maybe that is where Porsche got the idea for their BEV.

  45. Larry D. Says:

    38 Are you saying this with a straight face???

    EVEN if Genesis made that ONE model, the mass-market alleged 3-series fighter G 70, that model alone should sell 5,000-10,000 units a month MIMIMUM to succeed.

    Are you purposely forgetting that the G 70 rivals like the 3 series but also the Model 3 routinely sell 10,000, 15,000 and even 20,000 units a MONTH?

    You think Hyundai is satisfied with 1,757 sales a month for the G70 and the two other models?


    Watch to see the decapitations of more US Hyundai execs. This is what Hyundai did many times when they failed to meet its modest sales goals here.

  46. Larry D. Says:

    42 The dashboard has reminders which I see daily and ignore, given the very few miles I put. Today it was… 300 days late, but the car did only 4,000 miles since the last oil change.

  47. Larry D. Says:

    46 it seems that no matter what, they recommend the expensive synthetic oil and after just one year they recommend to change it, whether you did 15,000 miles or 2,000 like I did. So I ignore them. I did the same with the BMW, changed it every 5,000 miles, but then it took a year for me to do the miles due to the several long trips to Wash DC on business (2-5 a year, 1070 miles round trip)

  48. Larry D. Says:

    47 the diff between the Merc and the 7 was that in the 7, once the oil was changed and the comp reset, the display showed 5 green squares, and when all 5 were gone a yellow, and then a red square (I never waited that long), while in the Merc it is just a text (not even in bold) and looks less alarming.

  49. cwolf Says:

    Larry, waiting to change oil every 2-3 years may not be a good idea. Oils, when subject to heat and air become acidic regardless of miles driven. The few miles you put on your cars just have fewer contaminates.
    Out of curiosity, why not try taking a litmus test of your oil every 6 months or so until the oil is changed. This may give you a better clue as when it is the best time for an oil change.

  50. Kit Gerhart Says:


    I’ve always figured that, if you do short trips, especially in cold weather, the oil should be changed once a year, regardless of miles. With my van, though, I only drive a few hundred miles a year, only in the summer, and the engine is warmed up completely every time I drive it. I change it every 3 or 4 years. I’d thought about having my 3-4 year old oil analyzed by a company that analyzes oil from airplane engines, but never did it.

  51. Larry D. Says:

    49 thanks for the advice, but I have been doing this for more than 30 years with different cars, and even with cheap non-synthetic oil before 2005, and never had any problem. Even though in the US I always do short trips and cold starts, winter or not.

  52. Larry D. Says:

    As I mentioned before, the 2007 320 diesel I got here was unintentional, I bought it for the summer home but later thought that the black interior would be too warm, so I kept it in the US and bought a white with beige interior for the summer home.

    While it has been exemplary the 3 years I have owned it, no problems, I am looking forward to getting something much fancier for here (a flagship model like the 7 I had, or a serious sports car like a used 911, or, whenever their prices drop, a used Model S. As it is, you can buy 3 used S class masterpieces for the same $ you buy one used Model S.

  53. Kit Gerhart Says:

    51 The large oil capacity of your diesel would help, as far as the concentration of acid, water, etc. in your oil. Probably your “7″ held more oil than most gas cars.

    Driving in Michigan, in the land of megatons of road salt, even if the 3 year oil changes shorten the life of your engine somewhat, the engine should easily outlast the rest of the car.

  54. Larry D. Says:

    53 Michigan also has the dubious distinction to have the worst roads of any of the 50 states, and even many much poorer overseas nations. The potholes take years to fix, and always the fix is lousy and lasts less than a year. No other state I have driven in has such lousy roads, and it is a disgrace, being the center of the US Auto industry (or having been).

    So it will be a matter of time before a spring breaks, it did happen once with the 7, and was an expensive repair, which also is no fault of the car design and materials, really, so I would not put it as a ‘reliability’ problem.

  55. Larry D. Says:

    53 As I did not remember, I found this on the web re my old 7:

    “Engine lubricant oil capacity:

    7.5 liter / 7.9 U.S. qt / 6.6 imp. qt

    with filter change

    Engine coolant capacity:

    12 liter / 12.7 U.S. qt / 10.6 imp. qt

    Fuel tank capacity:

    95 liter / 25.1 U.S. gal / 20.9 imp. gal

    Transmission oil capacity:

    3.3 liter / 3.5 U.S. qt / 2.9 imp. qt

    Final drive oil capacity:

    1.6 liter / 1.7 U.S. qt / 1.4 imp. qt”

    If the number is just the first, it had even less than the E 320 Diesel (7.5 vs 8.5 lts or 9 quarts). OR should I add the final drive capacity?

  56. Larry D. Says:

    55 PS I don’t think my 7 had a 25 gal tank, this was probably that of the thirstier V12 750iL 5.4 lt. Mine was probably 22.5 gals.

  57. joe Says:

    Larry 40

    What do brake pads have to do with this issue?