This is underlying daily the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
UAW president Sean Fain says that he's going to target non union automakers in the US, like Toyota and Tesla. But Tesla is also getting targeted by unions
in Europe. The Wall Street Journal reports that ig Mattal in Germany wants to
unionize Tesla's assembly plant in Berlin. Elon Musk claims that Tesla pays higher wages
in Germany than any other automaker, but ig Mattal says it pays lower wages and does not pay any summer vacation or Christmas bonuses. The union claims there's
a big gap in total annual wages for Tesla workers compared to others. Tesla
clearly wants to keep the union out. It's giving workers an immediate four percent
raise and a fifteen hundred euro bonus to offset inflation, and in February they'll get a twenty five hundred euro rays. Meanwhile, in Sweden, workers at
a Tesla service center went on strike to pressure the company to sign a collective bargaining agreement with a union called if Mattal and another union, the Sweetest Transportation Workers Union, is threatening to block Teslas from being imported to Sweden in support of the workers who are on strike. Reuter's reports that Tesla will build a
twenty five thousand euro car at its plant in Berlin, though Tesla has said nothing official about it and we don't know when it could go into production.
But this may also be related to reports that Tesla will cast the entire underbody of a car in one piece to slash manufacturing costs. As a new union
contract drives up worker wages, automakers will be looking to offset that by trimming costs in other areas, and, according to manufacturing expert Lawry Harbor, tool and die makers are an easy target. The president and CEO of Harbor Results
says that tools and dies made by companies in North America are typically fifty to sixty percent more expensive than parts manufactured in China, so even though they're hit with a twenty five percent import tariff, they're still cheaper. The good news
for North American tool and die makers is that there's a lot of work coming down the pipeline. Harbor says the number of new vehicle projects slated for twenty
twenty six is two hundred and fifty and automakers will start taking quotes on those projects from tool and die makers soon. Interestingly, she says one hundred and
fifty four of those are IC projects, while the other ninety six are electrified.
Ford's dealers in the US aren't happy with the automaker's EVY strategy, and as a result, it's the least trusted brand among dealers. According to a
survey by care Arrogant Advisors, forty eight percent of the six hundred and fifty dealers surveyed said they don't trust Ford, while Toyota is the most trusted brand at seventy two percent approval. Four dealers aren't happy that the company wants to
implement a direct sales model for its evs, and they believe it will lead to a decline in their dealer profitability. Nissan followed Ford with forty three percent
of dealers not trusting the brand. Then comes Lincoln, the Stilantis brands,
and Infinity. Not surprisingly, Lexus is second to Toyota among the most trusted
brands, followed by Subaru, Honda, and Portia. God Schiffler, we
Pioneer Motion electrifying mobility, manufacturing smarter, reducing CO two emissions, making energy production clean. Scheffler Pioneer's motion to advance how the World moves. The Canadian
Union Uniform revealed some of the investments Stilantis will make into its Canadian operations.
The company's plant in Brampton, Ontario, will build the next generation Jeep compass, and its Windsor assembly plant is the first in line to produce its next gen Dodge muscle cars. All told, Stilantis will invest about two point four
billion dollars into its Canadian operations, and its workers vote today on whether they'll ratify a new three year deal that includes those investments plus wage increases. Chinese
evy maker Neil plans to enter the US market in twenty twenty five. The
company's US CEO says it will import its vehicles made in China to the US, which means they won't qualify for ev tax credits. Neo CEO says it
considered building a plant in the US, but decided not to because it would be too expensive. Several of its exclusive suppliers in China don't have operations in
the US, and it would be too costly to bring them there. Neo
is facing more and more competition in the EV market in China, so it's looking to expand overseas to the US and twenty five other markets by twenty twenty five. In the complete opposite move, GM is going to start importing vehicles
made in the US to China next year. Its new high end Chinese import
division, called the Durant Guild, announced that it will start selling the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukondanali in China in twenty twenty four, as well as expand its direct to customer showrooms and delivery centers beyond Big SUV. The Durant Guild
will also likely import and sell the Chevy Corvette and Silverado EV and the GMC Hummer EV. But instead of importing its popular models, Ford is just going
to build them in China. It's going to make the Bronco with one of
its joint venture partners, Ganling Motors. Its other partner is chang Gan.
The Bronco has already gotten the ok from the Chinese government to enter production, and Camo test vehicles have been spotted out on the road. Like the base
version in North America, it will be powered by a two point three liter engine, which is made it to a seven speed manual or ten speed automatic.
The Bronco was scheduled to go on sale in China next spring with an expected starting price around forty one thousand dollars. GM Cruise is running into a
buzzsaw of regulatory problems with its autonomous cars. It suspended all driverless rides and
hired a law form to review its internal policies, But Toyota seems to be going all out in its push to develop avs. NTT or nip On Telephone
and Telegraph is going to work with Toyota to develop avs in Japan, and it will also invest about seventy million dollars into May Mobility and AV startup based in Michigan that Toyota also invested in. Then in China, Toyota is working
with the AV startup pony Ai to develop robotaxis based on the BZ four X electric car. It uses pony AI's seventh generation Level four AV tech, including
light, our cameras and radar. That makes Toyota the only automaker so far
that's developing robotaxis for the US, Japanese and Chinese markets. Volvo is going
to build its baby EV, the Ex thirty, at its plant in Belgium, in addition to its plant in China. No doubt that's part of a
strategy to reduce its dependence on China, but Volvo says it's because the demand for the EV is far stronger than expected and no wonder. With a base
price in the US of thirty six two forty five dollars including destination charges, it's the only compact crossover offered by a premium brand at that price. A
fully loaded twin motor version comes in at just under forty eight thousand dollars.
The Ex thirty is a handsome, simple looking car. Like Tesla's, it
has a minimalist interior. Val Volvo says that's actually a reflection of its Scandinavian
design. Except for the turn signals, windshield wipers, and headlamps, all
the controls are handled through the center screen. It's a dream to drive,
with a clear wide view outside the windshield. Precise steering, excellent acceleration,
and easily modulated breaks make it good to drive. It handles superbly and rides
comfortably, achieving a good balance between firm cornering and road isolation. The front
seats are supportive and comfortable, though the rear seats are short on knee room and thigh support. The base model comes with a two hundred and sixty five
horse power motor, a battery with sixty four usable kilowatt hours, and a two hundred and seventy five mile driving range. The twin motor version delivers four
hundred and twenty two horse power. That's a quick overview, but we'll be
posting interviews with Volvo designers and engineers to give you a lot more detail and will let you know when they go up. But that brings us to the
end of today's show. Thanks for tuning in. Auto Line Daily is brought
to you by Bridge Stone Solutions for your journey, Intrepid Control Systems, over the air engineering boost your game, Borg Warner Propulsion solutions that support a clean, energy efficient world, Scheffler we pioneer Motion, and by Tajin Automotive Technologies the Formula for Better Mobility. The Tajent Automotive Technologies We combine world class composite
materials expertise with cutting edge designs because frankly, there are better ways to lightweight vehicles, So lighten up with taging automotive technologies the formula for better mobility.
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About this episode
Union efforts to organize Tesla intensify both in the US and Europe, with strikes and wage disputes highlighting tensions. Tesla plans a low-cost car with innovative manufacturing to offset rising labor costs. Ford faces dealer distrust over its EV sales strategy and will build the Bronco in China, while GM imports US-made vehicles to China. Chinese EV maker NIO targets US market entry by 2025 with imports. Toyota aggressively pursues autonomous vehicle tech globally, and Volvo expands production of its competitively priced EX30 EV to Belgium amid strong demand. Industry cost pressures and new vehicle projects also shape the landscape.
- EU Unions Target Tesla - Reports: Tesla to Make €25,000 In Berlin - OEM’s Could Target Tool and Die Suppliers to Cut Costs - Dealers Don’t Trust Ford, Love Toyota - Jeeps Go to Brampton, Dodge Muscle Cars to Windsor - NIO Targets 2025 For U.S. Market - GM to Export Lux SUVs To China - Ford to Build Bronco in China - Toyota Pushes AVs In U.S., Japan… - …And in China - Volvo EX-30 Is A Dream to Drive
