Auto Industry News: Bronco Raptor Reveal, GM Payday, Vroom Hot Seat, and NTP-STAG Expo Recap

This week seemed to revolve around shiny new products and good old green money. Ford unveiled its heavy-duty 2022 Bronco Raptor, and made headlines for pausing orders on yet another new truck. Meanwhile, tipsters hinted at a Toyota Raptor-Rival based on the TRD Pro. Over at GM, a massive tax incentive floated in from the state of Michigan. And on the dealer side of the industry, online sellers Carvana and Vroom face legal scrutiny and customer uproar for failing to issue vehicle titles or, in some instances, losing titles altogether. (Yikes!)

But first… the 2022 NTP-STAG Expo wrapped up last week in Vegas. As the RV industry’s largest wholesale show, the event caters to a trade-level audience. However, all those flashy new products debuting on the show floor inevitably end up in your hands. So, we thought you might enjoy a little sneak-peek at what’s trending in the towing and camping market, and what you should expect to see trickling onto shelves at dealers near you.

2022 NTP-STAG Expo Recap

The NTP-STAG Expo took center stage in Las Vegas, NV last week. Dealers were presented with attractive discounts, promotions, new product releases, educational training, and exciting crossover business opportunities like overlanding.

Overlanding Makes Its Mark

In years’ past, Rhino Rack outside sales representative Jeremy Sexton said dealers seemed hesitant to embrace overlanding’s potential within the RV industry. This year, however, he noted increased booth traffic and interest in the product selection.

At Expo, Rhino Rack debuted its new Reconn-Deck Bars, Reconn-Deck with NS Bars, and Reconn-Deck with Pioneer Platform — featuring lightweight aluminum construction, quick and easy installation or dismantling, and no-drilling required. With a fixed height of 11″ and up to 330 lbs. in cargo allowance, users will enjoy easy access to a range of gear. Plus, added security is available via secure core locks on Vortex and Reconn-Deck bars and accessories.

Rhino Rack showed off its all-new Universal Backbone as well. The patented mounting mechanism allows for a modular, angular adjustment across a variety of Toppers, and includes a five-year warranty as well. More STOW iT mounting system offerings are on the way, and Pioneer Side Rails are coming soon, too. Stay tuned for more details from The Engine Block in coming weeks.

Reliable Towing Remains Focus

The RV Industry Association (RVIA) forecasts manufacturers will produce approximately 613,000 RVs this year. With towables expected to lead the charge by a very wide margin, it’s no surprise towing was largely represented at Expo. Products dedicated to improving safety, comfort, and confidence were in good supply.

“Fifth wheel hitches are flying off the shelves. No one can keep them in stock right now,” stated Gahre Scudder, Product Manager at Husky Towing. He pointed to the company’s new Replacement OEM Upright Legs for 2020+ GM 2500/3500, as well as Husky’s new frame bracket kit for the 2020-2021 GM 2500/3500 ISR (Industry Standard Rail).

Scudder said Husky’s focus in 2022 is continuously improving legacy products, expanding its towing line to fill in any gaps, and educating customers about new offerings.

For example, Husky also recently debuted a new 5th wheel wedge. This simple product allows a Husky 5th Wheel hitch to be used – safely and reliably – with a 5th wheel pin box. “A pin box mounts on top of the 5th wheel head and provides a new pivot point for the kingpin and wider turn radius for the 5th wheel trailer,” according to the company. “To keep the pin box from swiveling in its 5th wheel mounting location, a 5th wheel wedge inserts into the hitch head, locking the pin box into place. This 5th wheel wedge is designed to fit the Husky 5th wheel and accommodates the Reese Sidewinder pin box.”

What’s certain, the NTP-STAG Expo shined a bright light on the innovation occurring at the tail-end of our trucks. Follow along in coming weeks, as The Engine Block explores new product debuts in the towing arena. This Wednesday, CURT Manufacturing shows us what it’s been cooking up.

Raptor? Meet Rival.

Shortly after Ford unveiled the 2022 Bronco Raptor last week, the internet was abuzz with rumors that Toyota was reportedly working on its own rugged rival performer. The 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor is an SUV with plenty of off-road muscle, including 37-inch all-terrain tires, massive matching fender flares, a 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 engine, and upwards of 400 horsepower. (Though, right now that’s an estimate. Ford said it will have a more precise number once production kicks off). The new Raptor is also nearly 10 inches wider than a standard Bronco.

Matched with beefed-up towing and trail assist off-road features, this SUV is undoubtedly an exciting vehicle for the hardcore off-roader. And if the rumors are true, Toyota could be looking to catch some of that wave of excitement.

A recent report by The Drive said Toyota was testing a production version of the TRD Pro, similar to the Desert Chase Toyota Tundra. The Desert Chase originally debuted at SEMA 2021, and at that time, the automaker said it was only a concept vehicle. Now, it looks like Toyota could be moving ahead on finalizing an off-road rival to match the Raptor.

Toyota Gaining Speed

At the moment, specs are scarce on what this production model features. Still, speculation indicates a truck with 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque, like the current Tundra TRD Pro. The Drive also said it suspects ground clearance on the “Raptor fighter” would be more of a direct rival against Ford than the existing TRD Pro. That’s because even with the estimated power, it’s probably built more for “low-speed off-roading.”

Rumors aside, Toyota continues to weather some heavy-duty challenges and ramp up innovation heading into 2022. Despite announcing a production suspension in Japan, due to COVID outbreaks, the automaker continues to succeed on U.S. soil.

Toyota outsold GM in 2021, selling 2.3 million vehicles and breaking the domestic automaker’s 90-year stride. Toyota maintained its popularity with vehicles like the RAV4 and the Tacoma pickup, which contributed largely to those sales numbers. The automaker also secured more U.S. patents than any other automaker in 2021 – a whopping 2,753! They range from EV battery research and autonomous driving technology to hardware and software developments.

GM’s Big Plans Land Big Incentives

Putting its auto sales loss to Toyota aside, GM proved last week it has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. On Jan. 25, the Detroit automaker received some great financial news. The Michigan economic development board approved $824 million in incentives and assistance.

The package includes a $600 million grant to GM and Ultium Cells (the name of the partnership between the GM and LG Energy Solution) and a $158 million tax cut for Ultium. The board also approved just over $66 million to assist the local electric utility and township upgrade its infrastructure at the battery factory site.

The state’s grants and tax breaks for GM aren’t just good-hearted charity either. The automaker’s current plans and updated goals stand to benefit the Michigan economy on multiple fronts. GM outlined plans last week to spend around $6.5 billion on EV projects at two sites in Michigan. That investment is expected to create about 4,000 jobs in the suburban area of Lansing and Orion Township.

#Goals

Previously GM had committed to a $35 billion investment in EV and AV technology, and it said it wanted to launch more than 30 EVs worldwide by 2025. The automaker now plans to build an EV battery plant in the Lansing area, bringing additional jobs to the region, eliminating defect headaches from imported batteries, and alleviating international supply chain strain.

Alongside battery production, GM’s stepping up its vehicle production as well. GM said it projects to hit a 600,000 annual capacity for its Sierra and Silverado EVs once its Detroit and Orion plants have ramped up production. Production on the Silverado EV is expected to kick off in 2023 at the Detroit plant, and GM said it’ll add production at Orion further into 2024.

Ambitious EV goals are becoming the norm for industry titans, but the jury’s still out on whether or not the national power grid and consumer market can support such a paradigm shift. The hotly debated Infrastructure Bill signed into law in November 2021 includes $7.5 billion earmarked for building a cross-country network of plug-in vehicle chargers. But it’s not as simple as hooking up powered posts across the U.S. and calling it a done deal, as the country is also grappling with repairing a sorely outdated power grid. Hefty refinements are crucial to meet the power demands of a nationwide fleet of electric vehicles.

Ford Presses Pause … Again

Ford announced last Monday it was suspending retail orders for the Maverick pickup. The automaker said it currently can’t meet the overwhelming demand for the budget-friendly truck. It stopped taking orders as of Jan. 27.

This isn’t the first time Ford has halted reservations on its forthcoming trucks. In Dec. 2021, the automaker capped reservations on the F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup. Ford said it was “oversubscribed,” racking up around 200,000 reservations. At that point, the automaker estimated it would churn out an initial batch of 70,000-80,000 pickups.

Ford went all-in with the new Maverick during the summer of 2021, with a media blitz and a targeted campaign aimed at younger drivers. Thanks to a compact design and factory hybrid engine, the Maverick emerged as an accessible, versatile vehicle for drivers who might usually go with a crossover or SUV for their camping adventures, hardware store trips, or just a short trip across town.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Ford said it would resume taking orders for the 2023 Maverick this summer. Depending on supply, some buyers may be able to track down the pickup at a local dealer. Like countless other vehicles released in the past year and a half, Ford’s trying to keep up with demand while struggling with the global shortage of microchips.

Along with global supply chain issues, some analysts suggest the Maverick’s appeal may be higher than Ford anticipated, leading the automaker to play a bit of catch-up. The base price on the compact pickup comes in at just over $20,000. That’s an attractive price tag in a market where plenty of other trucks start at $40,000 and can climb further up depending on dealer markup.

Online Car Dealers Getting Heat

If you’re one of those “I only watch for the commericals” SuperBowl viewers, you might’ve caught online car dealer Vroom’s somewhat-extreme advertisement last year. The grim 30-second bit intended to capture the stress and anxiety around car shopping. However, many viewers felt watching a dealership salesman threaten a tied-up customer with a set of live jumper cables was a bit much.

Interestingly, it now looks like Vroom – and another online dealer, Carvana – are in the proverbial hot seat.

Earlier this month, the state of Florida filed an administrative complaint against Vroom, citing 47 instances where the dealer allegedly failed to transfer vehicle titles to customers within 30 days. Vroom reportedly has 21 days to respond to the complaint, potentially facing fines or a revocation/suspension of its dealer license. The complaint against Carvana is similar, alleging that the dealer isn’t meeting title transfer deadlines for some buyers.

The Florida state filings aren’t an isolated incident.

After mounting complaints from buyers across the U.S. who were waiting on titles and license plates, Carvana issued a statement in Dec. 2021. The dealer said the “explosive growth” in online car buying over the past two sales quarters created significant “operational constraints” in the company’s system. The dealer promised to “enhance” this system and its processes, but has yet to release details on what those enhancements look like.

Indeed, there are some extreme stories detailing how difficult it has been for buyers to get their cars on the road. One buyer in Houston, Texas, waited a whopping 455 days after purchasing a vehicle from Carvana to get their title. There’s also this stress-inducing video from Jalopnik, where a buyer watches their recently-purchased Hyundai Genesis from Carvana literally roll off the back of a ramp upon delivery. Obviously, it’s unfair to fault the online dealer for a tow driver’s negligence. Still, one could argue it speaks volumes to how the company is vetting workers and how it is operating overall.

Now with Super Bowl LVI on the horizon, Vroom’s apparently taking a new ad angle. Instead of Michael Bay-esque torture scenes, the auto dealer literally hired choreographers from La La Land for its latest ad. The 30-second musical number tells sellers to “never deal with flakey buyers” again by selling their car to Vroom.

New Competition

While online dealers like Vroom and Carvana sort out title issues, at least one automaker is trying its hand in the digital secondhand vehicle market.

GM said it plans to launch CarBravo, an online marketplace that will give the automaker and GM dealers a way to compete with players like Vroom, Carvana, and Carmax. The CarBravo site will aggregate vehicles owned by Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC dealers. It also includes used vehicles from GM Financial, the automaker’s consumer finance arm featuring rental cars and leased vehicles the automaker has taken back. GM said its dealers have around 400,000 used vehicles in stock. That massive inventory could put the automaker ahead of current online car dealers, providing they ship out titles and license plates on time. CarBravo is scheduled to go live this spring.

The Engine Block is your one-stop source for any and all auto industry news. Keep an eye on our weekly round-up of enthusiast coverage, product reviews, vehicle spotlights, auto show/expo features, and more. Tune in Wednesday for a rundown of exciting new products from CURT Manufacturing. The supplier also unpacks some upcoming trends in the towing space, and offers insight on when the current supply chain kinks might smooth out.