Volkswagen is accelerating its EV development in China by launching a new R&D company to cut product development time by 30%. Tesla continues aggressive price cuts across multiple markets despite rising sales. Chinese automaker BYD edges out Toyota with a new plug-in hybrid offering up to 200 km electric range. Lexus introduces its ultra-luxury LM minivan to Europe and Japan, featuring hybrid powertrains and premium interiors. Nissan teases a fresh Pathfinder concept with modern design cues. Mitsubishi debuts a real-time video configurator for the Outlander PHEV. European BEV sales surged 58% in March, now holding 14% market share, while ICE sales also rose. Hyundai and Kia address theft vulnerabilities with insurance programs and software updates.
Topics:vw ev developmenttesla price cutsbyd plug-in hybridlexus lm minivannissan pathfinder conceptmitsubishi vehicle configuratoreuropean ev saleshyundai kia theft issueautomotive market trends
- VW Wants to Slash EV Development Time 30% - Tesla Cuts Prices Again - BYD Beats Toyota with 200-Km PHEV - Lexus Expanding Wild Van Outside of China - Nissan Reveals Pathfinder "Concept" - Mitsu Launches Real-Time Configurator Video - BEVs Hold 14% Market Share in Europe - Hyundai Partners with AAA on Often Stolen Cars
"...game technology to play a video of the Mitsubishi Outlander plug in hybrid driving down the road, and it make..."
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This is Autolinned Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
Sorry if you're getting a little extra background noise today. We've got a
ground's crew working around us. But we're going to soldier On and we start
with Volkswagen, who wants to really speed up development of its electric vehicles in China. So it's establishing a new company called one hundred percent Tech COO and
it's investing a billion euros in the country for fully connected evs. It will
build a new facility that combines vehicle and component R and D with purchasing.
It plans to work more closely with local Chinese suppliers at the beginning of development so it can integrate new technologies into vehicles faster, and it will also more closely integrate development with VW's Chinese joint venture partners. The new unit launches next
year, and VW says it will help it reduce development times new products and technologies by thirty percent. Tesla is once again cutting the price of its vehicles
in the US. It lowered prices of the Model Y long Range and Performance
models by three thousand dollars each and it dropped the price of the Model three rear wheel drive by two grand. This is the sixth time this year Tesla
has cut prices in the US. Last week, it slash prices in Europe,
Israel, and Singapore, and that's on top of cuts it already made in Australia, Japan, South Korea and China earlier in the year. Tesla's
sales were up four percent in the first quarter, which makes us wonder if they actually would have gone down if it didn't cut the prices. But we'll
find out later today what impact the cuts have had on its earnings when Tesla releases its first quarter results. Chinese automaker BYD is beating Toyota to the punch
as part of its company direction under new CEO Kojisato. Toyota revealed that it
wanted to come out with plug in hybrids at some point in the future that can go much further on a charge than PHEVs today. Specifically, it said
it's targeting two hundred kilometers or one hundred and twenty four miles of range, while BYD is launching a new model aptly called the Destroyer O seven that has two range options, either one hundred and twenty one or two hundred kilometers.
While that's based on the outdated DC test, meaning rear world range will be less, it's still going to be close enough to the targets that Toyota is aiming for in the future. Battery sizes weren't revealed, but the car is
based on the byd Han and it will come with either a one and a half or one and a half leader turbo engine. Deliveries are expected to kick
off later this year at Schiffler we Pioneer Motion electrifying mobility, manufacturing smarta, reducing CO two emissions, making energy production clean. Schiffler Pioneer's Motion to advance
how the world moves. Here's Alexis Grilth that is even more in your face.
This is the second generation of the LM van that Lexus offers in China.
These ultra luxury minivans are quite popular in the country and often have quite bold styling, but for the first time, Lexus is also going to offer the LM in Europe and Japan. It comes in either four, six or
seven seat configurations. The four seat version comes with reclining captain's chairs in the
back with a massive forty eight inch display screen. You can even separate the
front and the rear with the middle partition, although the cockpit of the car looks pretty welcoming as well and almost has a boat like appearance. The LM
is only available as a hybrid. It comes with either a naturally aspirated two
and a half lead or a two point four leader turbo engine that drives the front wheels an electric motor that drives the rear wheels. Nissan revealed what it
calls a Pathfinder concept, but it looks like it's pretty far in the development cycle. To us, it's a completely new vehicle with a new face,
side and rear. A horizontal lighting element that stretches the width of the car
is picked up on both the front and the rear. The interior is also
much more fresh and modern. We particularly like the gold accents that are even
picked up in the air vents. It also features two large digital display screens
that are kind of brought together into one unit, but no word on when the new Pathfinder might launch. Mitsubishi is making it easier for customers to visualize
the purchase before ever paying a cent. It's launching a new vehicle configurator that
uses video game technology to play a video of the Mitsubishi Outlander plug in hybrid driving down the road, and it makes updates to the video in real time as you're making changes to possible trim and caller choices. I tried it out
a little bit, and I wouldn't call it groundbreaking, but it does give you something more than the static picture that you usually get. We want to
know what drives you're testing. OTA Connected Car Diagnostics, remote Testing. Intrepid
Control Systems is here to help you work from anywhere. Intrepid Control Systems driven
by your data. Sales of pure electric vehicles surged in Europe last month.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. B EV sales were up fifty eight
percent in March for a total of one hundred and fifty one thousand, five hundred units, and they now hold nearly fourteen percent market share. But while
b EV sales were up strong, so were combustion cars. ICE vehicle sales
were up thirty percent and diesels were up eleven percent in March compared to a year ago. Overall, automakers sold more than a million vehicles last month,
a gain of nearly thirty percent, and In the first quarter, two point seven million vehicles have been sold in Europe, and that's up eighteen percent from twenty twenty two. Hundai and Kia owners were hit with a wave of theft
last year after videos on TikTok and other social media channels showed how to start cars with a fairly simple hack. That's because some models built before twenty twenty
weren't equipped with engine immobilizers, which prevents the cars from starting if the key isn't near the vehicle, and as a result, some insurance companies refuse to ensure those models in some states. So now Hyundai has partnered with Triple A
to create an insurance program for affected owners. It's available in all but three
states in the US, with the exceptions being Alaska, Massachusetts, and Washington, and that's because Triple A doesn't offer insurance in those states. Honday also
just rolled out a free software update to fix the issue that can be installed at the dealership, but some models can't be fixed with the software update, so Honday will reimburse owners who purchase a steering wheel lock or a different kind of anti theft device. All Honday and Kia models built since November of twenty
one are now equipped with engine immobilizers and that brings us to the end of today's show. Thanks for making autoline a part of your day. Autoline Daily
is brought to you by Bridgestone Solutions for your journey, Intrepid control systems over the year engineering boost your game, and by Scheffler we Pioneer Motion
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