Good Wednesday morning and welcome back to Speed Lines, The Drive's morning roundup of what matters most in the world of cars and transportation. Today we're talking about the importance of the Ford F-150, Mercedes-Benz's big new deal with Nvidia, and what a total mess U.S. air travel is right now. Let's get started.
It's Kind Of A Big Deal
Forget the new Bronco, forget the BMW M4 (I bet you want to, with that face) and forget even the Volkswagen Arteon. In fact, forget almost every other consumer product that's set to debut this year. The new Ford F-150, set to be revealed tomorrow if it doesn't leak sooner, is by revenue perhaps the most important thing you can buy coming out in 2020.
Let's get past the obvious importance. We know it's America's best-selling vehicle, Ford's best-selling vehicle, and so crucial that the automaker literally can't afford to screw up its launch like the Explorer last year. But Bloomberg is here to examine what a big deal it—and by extension, the entire F-Series family—is in terms of sales numbers and total revenue. The results may surprise you, as they did for me. From the story:
As that story notes, it's not just Ford—entire networks of dealers, suppliers, mechanics and white-collar employees depend on the F-150's success. Tune in tomorrow evening for more details on Ford's forthcoming cash grab.
Mercedes And Nvidia Team Up For The Future Of Car Computers
No, this news is not especially mind-blowing. But it is important. Mercedes and American tech giant Nvidia announced yesterday they'll be partnering on a “revolutionary in-vehicle computing system” set to debut on the former's next-generation cars beginning in 2024. Among the standout features: this system will supposedly enable Level 2 and 3 driving autonomy that's better than Tesla's Autopilot, as well as more advanced Level 4 automatic parking. It will also allow for over-the-air software updates.
According to Automotive News, this helps explain that recent BMW-Mercedes breakup on the autonomy front:
Expect your next S-Class to do some really impressive things on the autonomy front.
Lacking Federal Guidelines, Airlines Figure It Out For Themselves
Did you think you could get through Speed Lines without a mention of the coronavirus pandemic? Hah. Hah. Let's talk about the beleaguered airline industry for a moment, struggling to get back on its feet amid this apocalypse-level event for the business. In America, neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor the Transportation Security Administration has implemented mandatory virus safety protocols for airlines or airports. (Remember, our federal government's strategy at this point is just "hope for the best.")
As The Detroit News points out, this means a wide disparity for what you'll face when you fly in America, depending on the airport or the airline you're using:
Have you flown lately? I have not in some months, but will need to soon for unavoidable family reasons. Feel free to share your experience or any tips in the comments.
On Our Radar
Tesla Pitches 5,000 'Middle-Skill' Factory Jobs to Texas County (Bloomberg)
U.S. judge orders heads of GM, FCA to try to resolve GM racketeering lawsuit (Reuters)
Italy approves guarantees for $7.1B loan to FCA, report says (Automotive News)
Read These To Seem Smart And Interesting
Seeing isn’t always believing: Google starts fact-checking images (Washington Post)
The Black Female Battalion That Stood Up to a White Male Army (NY Times)
Porco Rosso Is Hayao Miyazaki's Most Underrated Masterpiece (io9)
Your Turn
Will the new Ford F-150 make all of your wildest dreams come true? Will you be disappointed if it doesn't?
