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Ford Expedition, F-150 Limited and Cadillac V Series | Autoblog Podcast #583

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. First, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the Ford Expedition, Ford F-150 Limited and the Mini Cooper JCW Knights Edition. Then they discuss the news, including Ian Callum stepping down from Jaguar, Cadillac's V cars and the latest in the saga between FCA and Renault. Autoblog Podcast #583 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 Cars we're driving: Ford Expedition Ford F-150 Limited Mini Cooper JCW Knights Edition Ian Callum resigns from Jaguar Cadillac V FCA backs down from Renault merger talks Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Another blow for Canadian autoworkers: FCA to lay off 1,500 at Windsor

Fiat Chrysler says it will cut a third shift at its Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, meaning layoffs for 1,500 workers in response to softening sales of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan. Separately, FCA announced it was moving up the scheduled two-week shutdown at the plant by one week, to the weeks of April 1 and 8. It's the latest blow for blue-collar autoworkers in Canada, who have been rocked by the potential closure of GM's assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario, after production of the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS ends later this year. It will be the first time since 1993 that FCA's Windsor plant has operated on just two shifts, but the shutdown that began this week marks the third time the plant has been shut down this year. The Detroit News reports that action at the Windsor plant would be effective Sept. 30. It quoted Dave Cassidy, president of Unifor Local 444, at a news conference late last week: "People's lives — 1,500 direct families — depend on us," he said. "We're going to do everything possible to make sure we maintain three shifts. Everyone knows our product in Windsor is No. 1, and if you want to build it right, you want to build it in Windsor." FCA says it's making the cutback to better align production with demand. Through the first two months of 2019, U.S. sales of the Pacifica were down 24 percent to 14,817, with sales of the Grand Caravan, which is also built in Windsor, down 27 percent to 19,634. For the full-year 2018, Pacifica sales were flat at 118,322, while Grand Caravan sales rose 21 percent to 151,927. In Canada, the Pacifica saw a 3 percent drop in 2018 to just 5,999. FCA says it plans to offer retirement packages to eligible employees and will try to place laid-off hourly workers in open positions elsewhere as they become available. The company in February announced plans to invest $4.5 billion across the river to build a new assembly plant in Detroit and expand production at five other local plants in a move that will see it create 6,500 new jobs, pending certain assistance from the city of Detroit. The new Detroit plant will transform the existing Mack Avenue Engine facility into a production site for the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and a new three-row Jeep SUV. That plan alone is said to involve 3,850 new jobs.

Google-Chrysler autonomous project will include ride-sharing

Google's new Waymo automobile-technology division might have just gotten "way mo" interesting, if you'll excuse the pun. Google, which this spring said it would work with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on the development of a self-driving Chrysler minivan prototype, is adding a ride-sharing component to the project, Bloomberg News says, citing people familiar with the process. Representatives with both Fiat Chrysler and Google parent Alphabet Inc. declined to comment to Bloomberg. The ride-sharing service, which would compete with fellow San Francisco Bay Area-based companies such as Uber and Lyft, may debut as soon as the end of next year. Uber continues to move forward with its own self-driving efforts, launching self-driving tests (with engineers behind the wheel) in Pittsburgh in September and announcing this week that it would start tests in San Francisco. Those efforts may be delayed, however, as the state of California requires special permitting for testing out self-driving technology, and while the state has granted those permits to automakers such as General Motors, Tesla and Ford, it hasn't for Uber. Google and Chrysler said earlier this year that it would develop about 100 autonomous-driving Pacifica prototypes, but the ride-sharing service would require more of those vehicles to be built. Google's auto-technology operations, now called Waymo, have been headed by former Hyundai executive John Krafcik since September 2015. The division has reportedly brought in more executive-level personnel to speed things along. Meanwhile, Chrysler is slated to unveil an all-electric prototype version of the Pacifica at Las Vegas's annual CES show next month. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.