NHTSA wants to know about how Tesla driver monitoring systems work, Acura brings back the ZDX nameplate, Hino suspends shipments as emissions scandal deepens. All this and more in today’s issue of The Morning Dump.
Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday.
NHTSA Seeks Information On Tesla Driver Monitoring Systems
While advanced driver assistance systems do hold promise for making long journeys easier, humans are bad at monitoring things. Thus, almost paradoxically, it’s a good idea to have an electronic system monitoring how the driver’s monitoring an electronic system.
While automakers have experimented with various driver monitoring systems before, the most promising method primarily relies on a camera to monitor where a driver is looking. For example, GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise both feature face-tracking cameras that ensure drivers are paying attention to what the advanced driver assistance system is doing. Should the driver fail to pay attention, the system will disengage. While some automakers rely on steering wheel torque sensors to confirm that a driver has their hands on the wheel, steering wheel input isn’t necessarily indicative of eyes on the road.
In the wake of several high-profile crashes involving Tesla’s Autopilot advanced driver assistance system, Reuters reports that NHTSA regulators want to know exactly how Tesla driver monitoring systems use in-cabin camera images.
NHTSA’s nine-page letter demands Tesla answer questions by Oct. 12 about “the role that the Cabin Camera plays in the enforcement of driver engagement/attentiveness.”
According to Tesla, the cabin camera — a camera located above the rear view mirror — can determine driver inattentiveness and provide audible alerts to remind the driver to keep their eyes on the road when Autopilot is engaged.
Some independent testing raises questions on what Tesla driver monitoring system components are active when the Autopilot advanced driver assistance system is activated.
Consumer Reports said when it evaluated Tesla’s driver attention monitoring camera in late 2021 “we found that it wasn’t adequate to ensure that the driver was fully paying attention when the driver was using Autopilot and Full Self Driving (FSD) features.”
The magazine said it “could block the in-cabin camera, and the car wouldn’t issue a warning, slow down the car, or shut off the systems.”
In June, Consumer Reports said the company had installed an over-the-air update that issued a warning when the camera is covered while FSD is engaged, but not with Autopilot.
It’s not particularly encouraging to hear that Tesla drivers may not have anything to effectively monitor their use of the Autopilot advanced driver assistance system. An effective driver monitoring system is part of what separates good Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems from bad ones, so it’ll be interesting to see what NHTSA investigators find when looking into Tesla driver monitoring systems. In any case, advanced driver assistance systems have a long and bumpy road ahead. In the meantime, you can read all of NHTSA’s latest requests from Tesla here in this handy nine-page PDF.
The Car Shortage Is Worse Than Expected
It’s been a rough year for the automotive industry, from the semiconductor shortage to greater supply chain issues. Automotive News reports that the number of cars lost this year due to the semiconductor shortage is greater than forecast, and that’s even before counting cars lost to other supply chain shortages.
About 66,800 vehicles were added by AutoForecast Solutions to its running tally of chip-related production cuts this week, bringing the year-to-date total to nearly 3.1 million vehicles. That’s on top of about 10.5 million vehicles lost to the shortage in 2021.
But this year’s actual total might be higher than any official count indicates, said Sam Fiorani, AutoForecast’s vice president of global vehicle forecasting.
“Outside factors have allowed the lost weekly volumes attributed to semiconductors to be hidden,” Fiorani wrote in an email. “There are now more reasons for shutting down plants, including more parts shortages affected by the global supply chain.”
It isn’t breaking news that fewer cars produced spells bad news for consumers like you and I, but it bears repeating. Insufficient supply for consumer demand drives up prices of both new and used cars, from the bottom of the market to the top. Hopefully automakers will be able to increase production over the coming year to catch up with demand and make cars more affordable for everyone.
Acura Is Bringing Back The ZDX Nameplate
Acura has a name for its upcoming electric crossover, and it’s certainly a familiar one. The future electric crossover promises to be a bit of a throwback for Acura enthusiasts while still having one foot firmly planted in the electric future. Let me explain.
First, there’s the matter of the name. Acura has made the decision to revive the ZDX nameplate last seen on an ill-fated MDX-based coupe crossover roughly a decade ago. Hey, if the branding works and has largely faded from the public eye, why not use it? Interestingly enough, there will be a high-performance Type-S variant of the new ZDX, a sentence I never expected to write in my life. Of all the news from Monterey Car Week, this feels the most like a fever dream.
Then there’s the matter of the new crossover’s origin. Honda’s doesn’t plan on launching its e:Architecture EV platform until 2026, so the new ZDX will be based on GM’s Ultium battery architecture. Not only does this likely mean North American production, it also means that this is Acura’s first SUV based on another automaker’s architecture since the SLX. Granted, the SLX was really just a rebadging of the Isuzu Trooper, but that adds another weird link. The Isuzu Trooper was also sold as the Holden Jackaroo and Opel Monterey, so the SLX wasn’t far off from products sold under GM nameplates abroad.
In any case, expect the new Acura ZDX to enter the market in 2024. If this all feels like a fever dream to you, you’re not the only one. Still, GM’s Ultium battery architecture holds promise, and I’m really curious to see what this new ZDX will look like.
Hino Suspends Shipments As Emissions Scandal Deepens
Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer Hino is having to reap what it’s allegedly sown, and this reaping could last a rather long time. Reuters reports that Hino is suspending shipments of its Dutro commercial vehicle, sold in North America as the M Series, due to the deepening emissions scandal embroiling the company.
“We are extremely disappointed that Hino again betrayed the expectations and trust of its stakeholders,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda said in a statement.
Hino said in a statement that some 76,694 vehicles of its Dutro small truck model were impacted, bringing the total number of vehicles involved in the scandal to more than 640,000.
The automaker said even though the engine for the small trucks was supposed to be tested at least two times at each measurement point, it only tested once at each site.
The latest shipment stoppage means that Hino will be pausing shipment of 60% of its vehicles for the year, a spokesperson said. It will continue to ship Dutro’s 1.5 T truck model since Toyota makes its engines, the spokesperson added. Hino sold just 187 units of the model in the 2021 financial year.
While none of this looks good for Hino, I’m really not sure if it’s particularly surprising. In an honor system, there’s not much incentive to be honorable when profits are on the line. If it was really easy to cheat on emissions reporting and the likelihood of being caught was fairly low, the reward would definitely outweigh the risk. Needless to say, we’ll keep you updated as the Hino emissions scandal continues to develop.
The Flush
Whelp, time to drop the lid on today’s edition of The Morning Dump. It’s a rainy Monday here in Toronto, and days indoors often have me fantasizing about car parts. Today, I have an important question for you. What car parts do you reckon are worth ordering from the dealer parts counter? I’m not talking about specialized stuff like electronic modules and interior panels, I’m talking about stuff that’s otherwise available aftermarket. For me, my local BMW dealers typically offer really, really good deals on batteries that often undercut what generic auto parts stores price economy-line replacement batteries at. As a bonus, OEM batteries generally tend to last longer than cheapo generic batteries, so going to the dealership for a battery will save me money both now and down the road.
Lead photo credit: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Makes $440 to $500 per day Οnline work which I received 14,300 dollars in one month online performing from home. I’m a daily student and work just one to a strive of hours in my spare time. Everybody will do that and online raise extra cash by simply using this weblink.. https://googlecash99s.blogspot.com/
Wiper blade inserts. I had no idea that the trend today is to replace the entire arm. Screw that! $30 bucks with tip and all three blade inserts were installed on my Honda.
P.S., despite clearly saying I’m logged in, the comment wouldn’t take until I logged in…
I have no clue what is better at the dealer, cause I have never tried. Hmmm…. Now your causing me to think about that instead of just going to Autozone. I don’t like this thought experiment one bit!
I buy all sensors, critical things like coil packs & fuel injectors, and chemistry from the dealer network. 17 years of ‘80s EA-motored Subarus and 20 years of 123 & 126 diesel Mercedes taught me the value of just stepping up wallet-wise when it comes to certain things.
It’s not blind loyalty, but I value my free time more now. I’ll check the forums to see if an aftermarket brand is worth the time putting it on. If not, I’ve literally eaten PB&J for lunch for a couple weeks to cover the correct part: I’d rather be out exploring backroads than wanting to throw a wrench thru the windshield replacing something the 2nd time.
It’s very strange that when dealing with car wipers they want to deal with our personal data and I think I can guess why! But still, I wouldn’t send them something of my own, there have already been a lot of scandals, including with the processing of secondary raw materials https://nearestlandfill.com/ , too often they want to confuse us
Re: Commercial Trucks
You’re talking about a pretty specific market niche of class 3 to 5. Most of the players in the big commercial truck space only go as low as Class 6, and even then, they tend to be hilariously overbuilt because they’re intended to span from 6 up to Class 7 or even Baby 8’s. With respect to Ford’s offerings, they go up to Class 7 with the F-750. All of the SuperDuty variants are offered as chassis cabs comparable, similar to the Hino. Hino does offer class 6 – 8 vehicles in the US (L6, L7, XL7, XL8). My overall point is that Ford spans more market segments than you listed, there are other players in and adjacent to the space, and Hino has held a relatively low market share in overall commercial truck sales. Your point about it being a cost-competitive new vehicle in a commercial vehicle space not requiring a CDL most likely still stands.
Also, I agree that this will have knock-on effects. The regulators got a lot of testing resources and lost a lot of patience due to dieselgate. This is only going to add fuel to that fire.
It’s an interesting niche for sure. One could argue that Hino has been so cheap for so long because they haven’t been meeting the emissions regulations…. 😉
In my area, I don’t see a lot of reefers, contractors, landscape crews, or construction using trucks in that class. They either bump up to a class 6, or they’re using class 3’s to haul trailers. There is one landscaping crew using an Isuzu box truck with a giant perforated steel ramp to run their mowers up into it, but I can’t recall the last class 4-5 stake truck I’ve seen. The way I see the trailers get used, the low load height and the ability to leave the trailer in place while doing other tasks with the truck are maximized. I wonder if that’s a true efficiency gain, or just making the most of a sub-optimal solution. In a more urban environment, or one with tighter streets in general, I could see trailers becoming less attractive.
I had to replace a coolant valve last winter and I went with the OEM one because by all accounts the aftermarket versions only last for a year or two, and the worst part is they aren’t even that much cheaper than the OEM part that will go 10+ years. I also went OEM on the ATF and coolant since they get replaced so rarely that the minimal extra cost really doesn’t hurt that much.
I don’t drive a VW, but I am told that their oil filters are cheapest at the dealer, and the oil is, too. There is a guy in my hometown who gets oil at wholesale and says he can’t even get oil as cheap as VW, so he takes his into the dealership 45 minutes away.
It’s likely a loss-leader for those VW dealers. Get people in for the cheap oil change, then charge them 4x more for the blinker-fluid flush that they desperately need. 🙂
Hey if you don’t flush the blinker fluid, those tiny little passages in the bulb get clogged, and the turn signal stops working. I get it done 2 times each oil change. And replace the muffler bearing too. My mechanic says it can’t be greased. He says he gets it done on his Ferrari regularly. And he is a good mechanic. He treats his customers so well we want to pay him good. He deserves the vacation home he just bought.
Not only can they get you on the “necessary” repairs, but I’m sure you end up waiting near new VWs and a salescritter will happily walk you through all the things they have improved since you purchased yours.
Yep, makes sense why NAPA blower motors for my old Jeep Liberty last 6 months at best.
Fortunately, they warranty them for 12 months and I can change one out in less than 10 minutes after much practice.
Next time I’ll grab one from the dealership. Won’t be long.
Bill Gates still has a stock position that is shorting Tesla, right?
Kinda starting to see why.
I never liked the stories that Musk was suspending or outright eliminating engineering QC tests that the industry regards as standard, and there were many other things happening that raised flags in my tiny little engineering brain, but this feels like its gonna be the start of a slide.
I make $0.88 an eon to work part time on a rusty Jeep. I never thought it was possible but my closest friend easily made $27.000 in 3 days with this taillight offer and Mercedes scooter she delighted me to join. .Visit the following article for new information on how to access Holy Grail……._____ httd5://stopthebots.botstop.ru/
From the BMW dealership, small fasteners and rubber pieces, and the coolant.
Hino what he did…
I once had to get some of that expensive magical sacred coolant that VW specifies. I happened to be near a Canadian Tire, so I went to the service desk and asked them if they have an equivalent. They said no, but they had the OEM stuff available. They quoted me exactly half the cost of what the dealer quoted. I asked where they got it from, they said they get all of their manufacturer proprietary parts from the manufacturer for their service bays, but are allowed to sell them via their parts desk and corporate obviously thought they were making a reasonable enough mark up.
It”s always worth the trouble to ask.
An OEM only part are wiper blade refills. They work better and last longer than any aftermarket ones I’ve tried. Also some suspension bits, like the Tokico made rear shocks for my Toyota. Every other aftermarket option is a rebranded Chinese unit.
But wiper blades are typically sourced to one of the common blade suppliers, and therefore, can typically be purchased for less somewhere other than a dealer’s parts counter. My Volvo came from the factory with Bosch blades, but I buy refills from Amazon. Amazon even sells a set with one 20″ and one 26″ like my car uses.
Yeah, they’re typically sourced to one of a few major suppliers. However, every OEM is going to have a certain set of spec’s that the product will need to meet. These specs will determine the performance, longevity and quality of the product. These same specs will need to be met for parts sold at dealer service as well. The parts you buy at your local NAPA, however, do not need to meet any spec other than the ones decided on by the wiper manufacturer. So yeah, you could have two Trico blades that are seemingly indistinguishable to the naked eye but they could perform very different in the real world.
Because of site issues, I didn’t see this before my post or I would have added it as a reply. Totally agree.
My reply failedd. I agree. Wouldn’t have posted separately, but the site is having issues.
Oh for God’s sake.
Surprisingly, quality tires are less expensive at my local Honda dealer than I can get anywhere else, including Tire Rack (identical tires).
1st Dump.
Understand that Mercedes will pay for mishap caused by their self driving nonsense.
Way to go Herr Allemagnes.
Thomas, you don’t buy Optima batteries???
I know I do now (wink, wink)
I’d be all over “Let me do a long term battery comparison test for the site” and score some freebies.
Seriously!! Could they lose the sponsorship for that gaf???
I think we can solve the chip shortage with vacuum tubes, shouldn’t be a shortage of them
Ironically, many of those come from Russia so no. We’re going to have to go back to carburettors and paper maps.
(OT)
Had to thumb andyindividual up there for spelling ‘carb’ with 2 ‘t’s. It’s been a decade or more since I looked after a certain Morris Minor, but I typed carburettor SO many times while the people on an Aussie MM forum helped me sort it that’s it’s kinda hard-wired now. (I mean, you ‘tuned’ the response by changing the grade of oil[!] in it: Cain’t do ‘at with only 1 T, kin ya?)
On Tesla’s driver monitoring:
When Using FSD Beta, the cabin camera is mandatory and the system won’t function without it.
When using Autopilot (aka fancy lane keeping) blocking the camera causes the system to default to the steering wheel torque sensor with an interval of 10-15 seconds.
Note that Tesla’s torque sensing has become more sophisticated, and attempts to detect weighted objects (static weight) vs. human hands (dynamic load). If a weighted object is suspected, it will temporarily increase the torque-on-the-wheel requirement.
There are only good outcomes from these NHTSA investigations. Everyone has their opinions and theories off what is going on but until the investigations are complete, we will not know. I think it’s important for all companies going forward as the technology grows.