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Ford Mustang Bullitt, Cadillac ATS-V and profitable car companies | Autoblog Podcast #559

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale and Contributing Editor James Riswick. They talk about being behind the wheel of the 2018 Cadillac ATS-V, 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt and 2018 Nissan Kicks. They also discuss the week's news such as Tesla and Ford both having profitable quarters, better than people were expecting. Not only that, but they talk about how the Camaro may be changing in the near future, plus the potential of Jaguar electric cars. The podcast then finishes with a Spend My Money segment in which we Autoblog editors help a reader choose a car to buy.Autoblog Podcast #559 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt 2018 Cadillac ATS-V 2018 Nissan Kicks Tesla makes a profit Ford makes a profit Chevy has changes in store for the Camaro Electric Jaguars Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Cadillac Chevrolet Ford Jaguar Tesla Coupe Performance cadillac ats-v ford mustang bullitt

Cost to drop 691 horsepower in your Tesla Model S P85D? $14,600

Not mentioned during the much-hyped announcement event last night for the Tesla Model S Dual Motor "D" and Autopilot "A" options were how much those advancements will cost. Today, Tesla updated the Model S order page and those pesky little numbers are now available. As it turns out, opting for all of the features mentioned last night will add over $18,000 to the price of your $93,400 Model S P85. To get all of the benefits mentioned last night will add over $18,000 to the price of your Model S. Let's start by revealing the D's price. To add the second-motor to either the 60- or the 85-kWh Model S costs $4,000. That drops the 0-60 time by 0.2 seconds and ups the top speed by five miles per hour in the 60 (to 125 mph) and 30 mph in the 85 (to 155 mph). Interestingly, the overall horsepower output (according to Tesla) is 4 hp lower (376 compared to 380), but the car apparently gets the speed benefits by putting 188 hp on each axle. On the P85D, everything's different. Here, Tesla isn't just dividing the motor into two smaller versions. Instead, the old 470-hp motor is replaced by a "High Performance Dual Motor" setup that has a total output of 691 hp, 221 hp in the front and 470 hp in back. That's how you get the headline 3.2-second 0-60 time alongside the same 155 mph top speed, but the price tag jumps to $14,600 for the setup. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last night that the tremendous drop in 0-60 time gets you 10 miles of extra range from the dual-motor setup. But if you don't need the quickness, you can go even further. Without the dual motors, an 85-kWh battery Model S can go 265 miles (EPA numbers). The standard 85D gets its range increased to 295 miles at 65 mph (according to Tesla's numbers) while the quicker P85D can "only" go 275 miles. Dual-motor Model S versions will begin deliveries in February 2015. The A option, officially called the "Tech Package with Autopilot," costs $4,250. This is the way that you can get your Model S to drive itself (on private property) and act as an active safety net to your own driving on public roads. Since all Model S EVs now come standard with a new forward-looking camera, radar and 360-degree ultrasonic sensors, the "Autopilot" part of the package would appear to be mostly a software switch. The rest of the package is rounded out by things like seven years of free navigation map updates, LED running lights, memory seats and more.

EV buyers not exactly happy with dealership experience

If Tesla Motors chief Elon Musk was an I-told-you-so type of guy, here's his chance to do so. It turns out that plug-in vehicle buyers are generally less satisfied with their dealership experience than conventional-vehicle buyers. And the dealers themselves don't like the process much, either. So says a study from the University of California, Davis. The report cited 43 interviews with automakers and dealers that sell in California as well as the JD Power 2013 Sales Satisfaction Index. The study found customer-satisfaction scores to be "much lower" for plug-in vehicle buyers than others. Maybe that's because the dealers themselves are less patient and find that selling plug-ins are more time-consuming, labor-intensive and stressful. And that's just getting the car out the door. More complications arise when dealing with the federal tax incentives issue. Of course, Tesla scored well, relative to the other dealerships. And all that gives more credence to the company's insistence on selling its vehicles directly to customers and without a third-party dealership network. Representatives of some of these dealership groups have been lobbying against the prospect of Tesla getting direct-sales rights. Michigan is the latest battleground between Tesla and pro-dealership entities. See below for an abstract on the UC Davis report and then read more here. New Car Dealers and Retail Innovation in California's Plug-In Electric Vehicle Market Abstract: Innovative new products like plug-in electric vehicles may need new approaches to market and sell them. We conducted 43 interviews with automakers and dealers selling plug-in vehicles in California's major metro markets and analyzed data on customer satisfaction with new car dealers and Tesla stores. Initial findings revealed: • Plug-in vehicle buyers rated the dealer purchase experience much lower than conventional vehicle buyers while Tesla earned industry-high scores; • Plug-in vehicles returned higher gross profits but place greater demands on dealers, including the provision of support services beyond traditional offerings; • New retail approaches undertaken by 'dealer innovators', including new methods for building and scaling dealer competence, could improve the PEV buying experience; an • Public incentives could better align with established dealer practices and business drivers to improve program effectiveness.