Chinese EV makers BYD and Aion have overtaken Tesla in China’s EV sales, with Tesla focusing on market share over profits. Toyota launches its BEV Factory to accelerate EV development, aiming for 10 electric models by 2026. The global electric grid is getting cleaner, though emissions vary by country. Hyundai and Kia face rising thefts due to security flaws, with slow software fix rollouts. Rivian shows production progress despite losses. Mini introduces a unique steering wheel design, and RAM teases a limited Lunar edition pickup. Ford unveils a redesigned Ranger targeting Tacoma with more power, wider stance, and advanced tech.
- BYD, Aion Outsell Tesla in China - “BEV Factory” Leads Toyota’s EV Pivot - Global Electric Grids Get Cleaner - Car Thefts Worse for Hyundai and Kia - Is Rivian Turning the Corner? - Mini’s Intriguing Steering Wheel Design - Ram Unveils Lunar Trim Line - Ford Ranger Sets Sights on Toyota Tacoma
"...red pound feet of torque. And then you get to the Raptor version with a turbo three liter V six with four ..."
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Tesla slipped into third place in EV sales in China last month. BYD
in Aion, which is a subsidiary of GIC, outsold Tesla, and BYD sold more than twice as many b evs as Tesla did, despite Tesla slashing prices to boost sales. Tesla actually produced almost seventy six thousand made in China
vehicles last month, but the other nearly forty thousand, were exported. Elon
Must told analysts last month the Tesla would prioritize sales and market share over profits.
But Chinese automakers are dominating the EV segment in China right now, holding eight of the top ten sales slots. The only other foreign automaker in the
top ten is Volkswagen, which is down in eighth place. These numbers were
released by the China Passenger Car Association and reported by Car News China. And
by the way, these are sales of pure b evs and do not include plug in hybrids. We now have a name for Toyota's new dedicated EV division.
It's called BEV Factory. It will be headed by a guy named Takiro
Kato, who will oversee roughly one thousand employees. He previously ran Toyota's vehicle
development center. BEV Factory will be in charge of all development, production,
and business related to electric vehicles and hopes to bring them out faster by bringing everything under one roof. This fiscal year alone, Toyota including Lexus, expects
to increase BEV sales to two hundred and two thousand units, up from just thirty eight thousand. And in case you didn't know, the Japanese fiscal year
runs from April first and whole March thirty first of the next year. BEV
Factory will also show off concepts this fall that preview future models which will ride on an all new architecture. Those models start arriving in twenty twenty six,
by which time Toyota will have ten all electric models on the market and estimated sales of one and a half million units. And we find it interesting that
it's been showing off of Sedan and its presentations and think that Toyota could make efficiency a big focus of its next evs. Toyota used to have a division
within the company called Toyota ZEV factory that was in charge of all things EV, but with the establishment of BEV Factory, it's being abolished and transferred to a mid sized and commercial vehicle company. Toyota has been accused of dragging its
heels in the EV transition, but this goes to show that once it makes up its mind, can pivot really quickly. The global electric grid is getting
cleaner, which makes EV's even more environmentally friendly. According to Amber, an
independent energy think tank, CO two emissions from power generation worldwide has fallen eleven percent since two thousand and seven, and wind and solar now account for twelve percent of power generation globally. But while countries as a whole are making progress,
CO two emissions still very widely Nation and Nation. China, which relies
heavily on coal for electricity, omitted five hundred and thirty grams of CO two per kilowatt hour from producing electricity last year. In the US it was three
hundred and sixty eight grams of CO two per kilowatt hour, which means that driving an EV in the US generates less emissions than driving one in China.
The US even produces you were CO two emissions from power generation then Germany and Japan, but it's still way more than Norway, which only produced twenty seven grams of CO two per kilowatt hour last year thanks to hydro electricity accounting for ninety percent of its power generation, and Amber says global energy production is nearing a tipping point where the growth in electricity demand is being met from renewable sources.
At Schiffler we Pioneer Emotion Electrifying mobility, manufacturing smart, reducing CO two emissions, making energy production clean Scheffler Pioneer's Motion to advance How the World Moves.
Hyundai and Kia rolled out a software fix earlier this year to fix an issue that allows their vehicles to be easily stolen, but the Associated Press reports that thefts continue to rise. It looked at data from seven US cities that
shows thefts have soared year over year through April, and some cities say Hyundai and Kia thefts now account for sixty percent of stolen vehicles. Millions of models
built before twenty twenty weren't equipped with engine immobilizers, which prevents the vehicle from starting at the key asn't near it, and the brands were hit with a wave of thefts after videos on social media showed how to hack those vehicles, but the rollout of the software fix has been slow so far. Hounday has
installed it in only two hundred and twenty five thousand of the three point eight million Hondays affected, and Kia has installed it in two hundred and ten thousand of its four and a half million vehicles that need the update. Both companies
say they expect to notify all owners of the fix by the end of the month. Like most EV startups, Ryvian has struggled ramping up production, but
could the company be turning a corner. It produced nearly nine thousand, four
hundred vehicles in the first quarter, which brought in six hundred and sixty one million dollars in revenue. That was ahead of analysts estimates of six hundred and
fifty two million, and while the company posted a net loss of one point three to five billion dollars, that was an improvement from the one point five nine billion it lost a year ago. Ryvian is also sticking with its annual
production target of fifty thousand vehicles this year. Mini is going to incorporate a
design element on two of its upcoming evs that we find pretty interesting. All
of the models feature a two spoke steering wheel, but it will offer an upgrade that adds a little strip of fabric that makes it look like a three spoke design. It saves some weight, and light colored dots in the dark
fabric make it look perforated, which will also convey lightness to the owner.
It's simple, it's effective, and that's why I like it. RAM is
trying to drum up some excitement for its pickups with a new Lunar edition that it will offer on the fifteen hundred Rebel and t Rex. It brags about
greater levels of personalization with more blacked out accessories and special graphics, as well as unique paint colors, and RAM makes it seem like a better rush out and buy one because they'll be available and quote extremely limited quantities later this spring.
While they are cool trucks, it seems more like it didn't want the vehicle in our next story stealing all of the headlines. And that's because Ford
unveiled the US version of its all new Ranger pickup, and it seems to have its sites set on outselling the Tacoma globally. The Ranger is built in
five assembly plants around the world, including the US, Argentina, South Africa, and two plants in Thailand. Sales jumped one hundred and twelve percent over
the last decade, growing nine times faster than the Tacoma, according to Ford, and this is a bigger truck with two more inches of track and width.
The front axle was moved forward for a better approach angle for hardcore off roading. The rear dampers were moved outboard for a better unloaded ride. The
front structure is hydroformed to make more room in the engine bay. And they
did that because the number one request from customers was for more power, and they especially wanted a V six. The base engine is a turbo two point
three liter four with two hundred and seventy horse power and three hundred and ten pound feet of torque. The next step up is a turbo two point seven
liter V six with three hundred and fifteen horse power and four hundred pound feet of torque. And then you get to the Raptor version with a turbo three
liter V six with four hundred horses and four hundred and thirty pound feet of torque. All three engines are mated to a ten speed automatic transmission. Electronic
part time all wheel drive is option along the Ranger, while the Raptor gets full time all wheel drive With the two point three liter four cylinder engine.
The Ranger gets a toe rating of seventy five hundred pounds and a payload of eighteen hundred our rear lacking differential is also available. Inside, the Ranger gets
a standard eight inch instrument cluster with an optional twelve point four inch display.
It comes with a standard ten point one inch center screen and an optional twelve inch one. The layout of the instrument panel features long horizontal lines that accentuate
the width of the truck. Ford says customers wanted a more muscular looking truck,
and so the Ranger was designed with an American styling theme rather than the international design that it's been using lately, and the Raptor takes it all up a step further. The track is three and a half inches wider on top
of the two extra inches that come standard, which requires unique fenders and facias.
It gets a unique frame, different suspension, and its own steering.
The rear suspension gets a watts link in coil springs, and the front and rear shocks provide an inch more of travel. The Ranger starts at just over
thirty four thousand dollars including destination charges, while the Raptor starts at just under sixty grand. And that's a rap for today. Thank you for tuning in.
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