Another annual US light vehicle market over 17m units has been posted, the fourth in a row. 2018’s tally was pretty impressive in the end, but there are obviously a few question marks surrounding how things will pan out in 2019. The Chinese market data for December and full-year is awaited with considerable interest.

For all the talk of a rapid transition to electrification and the death of diesel, it’s interesting to note that the latest third generation Volkswagen Touareg comes with quite a range of diesel engine offerings. Whisper it, but diesels still make sense in large SUVs and won’t disappear anytime soon.

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Volkswagen does want to stress its e-mobility credentials though, of course. This week we got a glimpse of what a future mobile charging station might look like.

Still on electrification, I am looking forward to seeing the Polestar 2 at Geneva.

And it’s also interesting to note that hydrogen fuel cells haven’t gone away. And, hold on to your hats, Daimler is to start trials of electric trucks in the US in Q1. If the technical issues associated with electrifying heavy-duty commercial vehicles can really be overcome, that would be quite something.

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In Asia, Hyundai is eyeing a robo taxi AV pilot in a couple of years (yes, that’s how close 2021 is now). The increasing influence of the Chung heir apparent will be something to watch in 2019. The main priority for Hyundai though, will be to stabilise the business in China and the US. That will provide a good platform for the ambitious plans thereafter.

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On the people front, it was a very good week for Mark Reuss at GM, who becomes GM company president. I recall interviewing him at the top of the Ren-Cen a few years back. He knows the industry and the product inside-out. Good luck to him in the new role.

It wasn’t a good week for Carlos Ghosn though – he remains in detention. And there’s an odd looking detention of a BorgWarner employee in Moscow.

We have also published analysis of Dongfeng’s current and upcoming product portfolio. It is well worth a look (there’s even a recycled Gen 1 Qashqai). And a model that goes by the name ‘Joyear’ brought a smile to my face.

Have a good weekend.

Dave Leggett, 

Editor, just-auto