October 5, 2016 at 7:00PM •
59 minutes
Cycle times loom larger in the clash of the automotive and smartphone eco-systems. We reflect on BMW's i brand again, while the company appears to retrench and focus on their legacy facilities and cars.
We divert a bit into a discussion of new vs better and the business strategy supporting such choices.
Finally, financialization looms, perhaps an opening during the next downturn.
the last 5 minutes disappeared into the ether.. sorry.
August 16, 2016 at 9:00AM •
1 hour 4 minutes
Can utility companies be recruited to help sell Electric Vehicles when they reward their customers for using less electricity?
This plus the paradoxes of innovations in distribution, sales, regulation and the 1959/1960 Henney Kilowatt.
June 8, 2016 at 9:00PM •
1 hour 1 minute
Joe Rosmann shares his experience and perspective on our changing transportation system - "the most regulated industry we have".
Joe begins with three points:
Car costs continue to grow
Smartphones. Consumers can make dynamic real time choices about the best way to go from a to b 24 hours per day, 7 days per week (see the City Mapper app).
Autonomous vehicles can make lives safer and faster.
We close and reflect on Joe's assertion that "Algorithms are going to become regulatory mandated standards".
May 6, 2016 at 4:00PM •
1 hour 9 minutes
Sam Abuelsamid reflects on the origins of BMW's i program, today's economics and the application of lessons learned.
We veer into supply chain details and consider the path that the legacy automakers have chosen.
The show closes with a discussion of Apple's entry assets, supply chain power and business model evolution.
May 6, 2016 at 1:00PM •
54 minutes
Anton Wahlman joins us as we dive into numbers, production curves and the clash between reality, vision and hubris over autonomous cars
Tesla's "financial equation" merits much discussion interspersed with reflections on an EV landscape littered with government subsidies.
We close with accounting, including a dissertation on variable costs and the burden of "dealerless" car sales.
April 18, 2016 at 7:00PM •
53 minutes
We dive into the new thing. Can a well known brand do something new? Must the new thing stand alone? Must it have a new name, a new distribution model?
We evaluate BMW's "i" initiative from both a strategic and tactical perspective. BMW, Ford and the other automakers have not a small number of new products and services, apart from traditional cars.
Jobs to be done appears again, as Horace expresses his single pedal "serenity" in traffic.
We close with a few quotes from Ford CEO Mark Fields.
March 29, 2016 at 8:00PM •
1 hour 4 minutes
We talk finance and other curiosities with Sviatoslav Rosov PhD, CFA, Analyst.
Beginning with Henry Ford’s “Old Fashioned Layaway Plan” followed by the launch of General Motors Acceptance Corporation, the Certified Pre-Owned sleight of hand and today’s auto sales finance and reporting controversies all shaped the industry. Finance is one of many vectors which tie the system together into what its is.
We once again explore the other vectors that might open disruptive opportunities for an entrant. Wide ranging discussion touching all the big points ultimately asking whether Big Bang change is coming. Or will it the big whimper?
We once again explore vectors that might open disruptive opportunities for an entrant.
March 18, 2016 at 4:00PM •
58 minutes
Horace and Jim begin with the industry's rhetorical bubble. We consider the auto eco-system's atmospherics on auto companions and quickly revert back to the reality of today's manufacturing practices and industry lead times.
Horace notes the early development of steam, electric and internal combustion engine cars. We discuss the external assets that sustained the engines we use today and what might change in the near term to support significant electric vehicle (EV) growth.
We close in contemplation of Uber's purported 100,000 unit S-Class purchase.
January 19, 2016 at 7:00PM •
59 minutes
Announcements arrive with regularity.
Ford and Google reveal plans to cooperate on autonomous cars. Toyota's aims to begin "precision mapping" roads. Ford zigs in another direction and eyes CityMapper's terrain with its proposed "Dynamic Shuttle" service.
So much slideware.
Horace dives into the data. EV and hybrid cars currently represent a tiny fraction of the market. OPEC recently forecast that by 2040, 94 percent of the vehicles on the world's roads will still be powered by fossil fuels. Bullish, Horace sees greater EV penetration, with modularity powering double digit market share.
Current auto business models trade a few points of marginal cost in return for double digit marginal revenue, resulting in brand explosion.
We await the Lamborghini SUV.
December 8, 2015 at 10:00AM •
55 minutes
We consider the landscape that Apple's purported Titan project will address in a few years time.
Horace discusses the pattern of disruption powered by Moore's law. We turn to the transportation sector and consider the "reimagining" of the car. We further consider scenarios, from sustaining where the current players grow, to new entrant opportunities.
The conversation diverts a bit into the regulatory and taxation regime, specifically US road funding is largely tied to fuel taxes. We note the odd situation where an entry level car driver pays fuel taxes while a luxury Tesla driver does not.
We speculate on Apple's possible "meaningful contribution" to transportation and the required product, customer experience, sales channel, price and financing options.
