This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
The IAA Auto Show is kicked off in Munich, Germany, so I'm sure we'll have a lot of coverage throughout the week. John is even in
person at the show, so hopefully we're able to bring you some exclusive content as well, whether here or on our social media channels. Also, if
that has you wondering about autoline after hours this week, there will be a show. Co host Gary Vasslash has a panel all lined up and we'll provide
some more details tomorrow. Now let's get to the news. Volkswagen is sure
making a lot of noise and Munich, and not just with product either.
While many European executives have voiced concern about Chinese automakers coming in and taking over the lower price segments, VW Group CEO Oliver Bluma says he's not worried at all. Even though Chinese automakers can make cars twenty percent cheaper, they still
have to adapt their vehicles for European regulations and build out their sales and service networks, and because of that, bloom Is says, the same car might be twice as expensive in Europe as it is in China. We'll say Blooma
might be right for now, but we hope he's not banking on that being the case over the long haul. Besides, VW still has a lot of
work to do itself in China. Sales of its ID family of evs have
underperformed, and it just cut the price on another one of its EV's in the country to help try and turn that around. VW has plans for new
electric vehicles that ride on new platforms with improved performance software and batteries. It's
developing a new standardized or what it calls unified battery cell with Chinese company Goshen that will use new processes like dry coding and will come in chemistries that reduce cobalt nickel like LFP or iron phosphate batteries. VW says these batteries will cost
half as much to make as the batteries and its current evs, and it sounds like those benefits were enough to convince Ford that it needed to push back production of the new Explorer. Ford is buying VWSMB platform to use on that
model, and it's going to build it at its planting Cologne, Germany, but it's pushing back production by about six months until the summer of next year while it waits for those new batteries. Reuters reports Ford will also start production
of a second MB based vehicle at its German plant just a few weeks after the Explorer. And it's not just Ford using VWSMTB platform. Volkswagen says it's
quote in well advanced talks with Mahindra as another important cooperation partner. Mahindra wants
to use parts like VW's electric motor and new unified battery cells, which could be a good revenue stream for the company, but it needs to keep coming out with new products and CEO Oliver Bluma says that each brand in the group needs to have their own design DNA, which means they need to be even more different from one another than they are now. It says the new IDGTI
and Coopra Dark Rebel concepts are an indication of that electric future and wow, these two models couldn't look much different from each other, even though they're both based on the updated MB plus platform. The IDGTI looks like a Golf GTI,
while the Coupra looks well like a spaceship. It's a very angular,
little two seater that even looks like the BMW concept Touring Coup, which is a new age interpretation of the old M coup often called the Clownshoe. VW
says the new MB plus platform features a ten send improvement and range and efficiency, fast charging of less than twenty minutes and acceleration of zero to one hundred kilometers an hour and under five seconds. Models off of this platform will start
coming out in twenty twenty five and some will even have starting prices under twenty five thousand euros, and next year we'll start seeing models that ride on its new PPE platform, which was jointly developed by Audi and Portia. It boasts
an eight hundred vold electronic architecture in over six hundred kilometers or three hundred and seventy two miles of range. The Audi Q six Etron will be one of
the first models to sit on the new platform, which will also launch its new software system. As we all know, VW software division, called Carread
has run into problems which has caused vehicle delays. That's why it's opening the
Software Defined Vehicle Hub, where employees from not just carread also OUTI in Volkswagen will jointly develop its software. We want to know what drives you're testing.
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you work from anywhere. Intrepid Control Systems driven by your data. Mercedes showed
off an electric concept that's a preview of a new family of vehicles that it will introduce, called the Concept CLA class. It's built on mercedes upcoming modular
architecture, and the range will consist of four models, a FOURD or coop, a wagon, and two SUV's. The company didn't reveal the battery pack
details, but says the concept has a range of seven hundred and fifty kilometers or four hundred and sixty six miles. Based on the WLTP cycle, the
eight hundred volt platform can provide four hundred kilometers or two hundred and forty eight miles of range in just fifteen minutes of charging. Other features include a new
operating system that uses supercomputing and artificial intelligence. The concept also features many sustainable
materials, including COO to reduce steel and aluminum and sustainably produced and processed leather, as well as trim made from paper. BMW also revealed the concept that
showcases the design and technology of its future electric vehicles, called the Vision New Class. The company didn't reveal specifics about the electric drivetrain, but says it
offers thirty percent more range, thirty percent faster charging, and twenty five percent more efficiency over its current evs. The interior features of minimalistic design and controls
for most of the functions are located on the steering wheel or through the center display, and like Mercedes New Concept, the BMW features a number of sustainable materials and a more efficient production process. Nissan is dropping the Ultima from its
lineup. Automotive News reports that the company will stop producing the model in twenty
twenty five in order to focus on EVS, but the sedan is still fairly popular in the US, and it was Nissan's third best selling model in the second quarter, behind the Rogue and Center, respectively. And while Nissan is
also axing the Maxima from its lineup this year, the company isn't leaving the sedan market altogether, so perhaps these nameplates will live on as electric models.
And in other Nissan news, the company is delaying production of the new Kicks SUV and Mexico for six months because some mold components were stolen from its supplier.
The model was supposed to go into production in December, but now won't start running down the line until June twenty twenty four. GM's autonomous unit Cruise,
is planning to expand into Seattle in Washington DC. The company announced that
it has started manual data collection in both cities, which includes gathering info on the local driving environment and climate. This is the first step towards launching robotaxis
in the cities. The next step is to map them, including Seattle and
Washington DC. Cruise is now mapping, testing, or operating its vehicles in
fifteen cities, mostly in the United States. But that's it for today's show.
Thank you for tuning in. Altoline Daily is brought to you by Bridgetone
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About this episode
The discussion covers major developments in the EV sector, including Volkswagen's new unified battery tech developed with a Chinese partner, which promises to halve production costs and improve performance. Ford delays its MEB-based Explorer launch to wait for these batteries. Mahindra is also in talks to use VW's EV components. Mercedes and BMW unveil futuristic electric concepts emphasizing range, fast charging, and sustainable materials. Nissan plans to discontinue the Altima and Maxima sedans to focus on EVs, while GM's Cruise expands autonomous testing to Seattle and Washington DC. The episode highlights shifting strategies and innovations shaping the electric vehicle landscape.
- VW CEO Not Worried About Chinese Taking Over EU - Ford Delays MEB-Based Explorer - Mahindra Getting EV Tech From VW - VW Wants Each Brand to Have Own Design DNA - Audi Q6 e-tron is 1st PPE-Based EV - Concept CLA Shows Mercedes' Electric Future - BMW Reveals Neue Klasse EV - Altima Sedan Getting the Axe - Nissan Delays Kicks Production Due to Theft - GM's Cruise Keeps Expanding
