This is Out of Line Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. And I've got a little surprise for you. We're finally back
in our home office. Sometime between the Christmas and New Year's break, a
pipe burst in our office and it sent us out of here. Now I
went back and looked that was on January ninth that we did our first show out of here. But now we're back again. So let's get to the
news. The UAW strike shows no signs of slowing down, but now GM
and Ford are sort of turning the tables on the union. The UAW went
on strike at part of Ford's Wayne assembly plant, so Ford laid off the rest of the six hundred workers at the plant who were not on strike, and GM laid off two thousand workers at its Fairfax plant that makes the Cadillac XT four and Chevrolet Malibu. That's because the union shut down the Wentsviille plant
that makes the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups, but it also makes stampings for the Fairfax plant. We're likely going to see more of this if the
union expands it strike to other plants. It makes no sense for the car
companies to keep plants open if they can't get the parts that they need, and it also puts pressure on the union because if it strikes more plants, more of its members are going to get laid off. Fitch Ratings says that
the Detroit Three have plenty of liquid cash assets to withstand along strike, but it warned that a strike that lasts for several months could erode their liquidity and potentially affect their credit ratings. At the end of June, GM reported that
it had forty six billion dollars in cash, securities and accounts receivable. Ford
had forty billion dollars and Stillant has had over fifty two billion. The UAW
started with eight hundred and twenty five million dollars in its strike fund, so both sides have quite a war trust. However, none of them want to
spend all that money or even a chunk of it, so hopefully they'll find a resolution to this before the month is over. But most people are unfamiliar
with the kind of compensation that UAW workers get, so let's lay it out for you. At General Motors, workers who are in progress or in transition
have a total compensation package worth one hundred and sixteen thousand dollars a year.
In progress or in transition, refers to workers who were hired after two thousand and seven. It takes them eight years to transition to full wages, and
at that point their total compensation package rises to one hundred and forty one thousand dollars a year. One of the union's demands in a new contract is to
slash that eight year transition to only ninety days. The automakers are offering to
cut it to four years. Meanwhile, skilled tradespeople earn one hundred and seventy
one thousand dollars a year. Now, that's not what all these workers see
in their paychecks. It includes wages and all of their benefits such as bonuses,
overtime, profit sharing, healthcare, and retirement payouts. GM says that
if you blend the in progress, the traditional and the skilled trades packages together, each UAW worker costs the company an average of one hundred and thirty four thousand dollars a year. The UAW wants to increase that significantly, while the
automakers want to try and keep a lid on any increase. Also, it
is important to note that this does not include temporary workers who earn far less than those who are full time. Chinese ev maker Neo is really the only
company that has had any sort of success with battery swapping, and it just hit another milestone. Gas grew reports that it opened it's eighteen hundred swapping station
in China. In twenty twenty three, Neo was built five hundred new locations
which will help service the refresh version of the EC six that's launching in a unique fashion. It first revealed the new model sometime after we recorded our show
on Friday, but it immediately put the suv up for sale to customers.
It's the last vehicle and Neo's lineup to transfer to its NT two point zero platform, which offers a number of upgrades. Either a seventy five or one
hundred kilowatt hour battery package is available, which power two electric motors that combine for three hundred and sixty kilowatts or four hundred and eighty two horsepower and acceleration of four point four seconds from zero to one hundred kilometers an hour. The
new platform also features an Nvidia operating system that controls the Advanced Driver Assistance system, which includes lidar as standard, as well as the new digital experience for passengers. Pricing for the EC six starts at roughly forty nine thousand and fifty
seven thousand dollars depending on the battery size, or customers can buy the vehicle for just over thirty nine thousand, five hundred dollars and lease the battery for one hundred and thirty five dollars or two hundred and thirty dollars a month, again depending on the battery size. Speaking of milestones, Tesla hit a few
of its own. It recently installed its fifty thousand SUPERCHARGERBLI, which is located
in California. It's a unique unit, painted in the same ultra red color
as some models and with a numbered plaque at its base. The other milestone
is that Cybertruck reservations now reportedly top a whopping two million. This is according
to a Google spreadsheet that's updated with crowdsourced information. Elon Musk once bragged that
the cybertruck got two hundred and fifty thousand reservations within the first week of its unveiling, but a lot has changed since then, maybe most notably the pricing, So how many reservations it can convert into buying customers will be a question, but if Tesla can build the cybertruck in good volume, there's clearly a lot of initial buyer interest. China's Ministry of Industry and Information posted images of
the Chevy Equinox EV just ahead of the model's debut in the country. This
is the RS version, which looks pretty much the same as the one shown in the US. The Equinox EV is slightly longer and taller than a Tesla
Model Y, but it's not as wide. The Chinese version will be manufactured
by GM's joint venture with SAIC, while the US version will be made in Mexico. GM said the entry level Equinox will start around thirty thousand dollars in
the US and it will arrive at dealerships this fall. Gm struggles to produce
batteries continues, and it's forcing the automaker to halt production of its bright Drop electric van in October. The line at its plant in Ontario, Canada will
be down until next spring due to a battery module delay. That's when the
plant will launch its own battery module line to support production. GM blames the
battery module delays on a supplier and didn't reveal what the issue is, but it has sent an engineer team to the supplier to help resolve the problem.
Lamborghinian Ducati demonstrated vehicle to vehicle technology, or more specifically, vehicle to motorcycle technology. The two companies are working with the Connected Motorcycle Consortium to help standardize
the safety system for cars and bikes. The test focused on the most dangerous
accident cases for motorcycles, which involves a hard to see rider in relation to oncoming traffic and those that put motorcyclists where they can't see what's happening in front of them. The prototype bike has an additional screen on it to help warn
the rider about any danger. In this phase of development, the goal is
to help reduce the reaction time of the system to help limit the risk of an accident. And here's something kind of cool. Mercedes is helping color blind
people see the exhibits at its museum in Germany in more accurate color and contrast.
It's offering special color blind glasses for adults and children that have a filter, which makes it possible to see an expanded spectrum. They're free with admission,
and it sounds like a cool experience. But that brings us to the
end of today's show. Thanks for tuning in. Autoline Daily is brought to
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About this episode
The episode covers the ongoing UAW strike impacting Ford and GM, including layoffs and financial implications for both sides. It breaks down UAW worker compensation and contract demands. Neo's progress with battery swapping stations and its new EC6 EV model are highlighted. Tesla's milestones include 50,000 Superchargers and over 2 million Cybertruck reservations. GM's Equinox EV launch in China and battery production delays affecting BrightDrop vans are discussed. Lamborghini and Ducati showcase vehicle-to-vehicle safety tech for motorcycles. Mercedes offers colorblind-friendly glasses at its museum, enhancing visitor experience.
- Ford, GM Lay Off UAW Workers - Fitch Says D3 Have Liquidity to Ride Out Long Strike - GM Compensation for UAW Workers - NIO Opens 1,800th Swap Station and Launches New EC6 - Tesla Installed 50,000th Supercharger - Tesla Cybertruck Hits 2 Million Reservations - Chevy Equinox EV To Launch Soon in China - GM Halts Electric Van Production Until Next Spring - Lambo and Ducati Demonstrate V2V Technology - Mercedes Museum Helps Color Blind People View Exhibits
