The episode covers major automotive industry updates including Cruise's recall of 950 autonomous vehicles due to software safety issues and the suspension of its driverless permits in California. Renault and Nissan finalized a new alliance structure balancing power and investment in EV software. The US debate over mandating AM radios in new vehicles highlights costly challenges for automakers, who prefer digital alternatives. Innovations include GM and Stellantis investing in rare-earth-free magnets, Audi ramping up electric motor production, and Hyundai's plans to build e-VTOL flying taxis in the US. Honda introduces an electronic clutch for motorcycles, and Toyota teases a new Crown SUV for North America.
Topics:cruise vehicle recallrenault nissan allianceam radio mandaterare earth free magnetsaudi electric motorshyundai e-vtolhonda e clutch motorcyclestoyota crown suv
- GM’s Cruise Recalls 950 Driverless Vehicles - Renault and Nissan Complete New Alliance Deal - Renault Gives Free Shares to Workers - Study: AM Radio Mandate Will Cost Automakers $3.8 Billion - GM and Stellantis Invest in Rare Earth Free Magnets - Audi Begins EV Motor Production for New Platform - Hyundai Plans to Build e-VTOLs In U.S. - Honda Reveals More Motorcycle E-Clutch Details - Toyota To Reveal Crown SUV Next Week
"...ions. Toyota teased that it's going to reveal the Crown Suv for North America on November fourteenth. I o..."
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This is Ouderline Daily. The show's dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
Bad news continues for GM's autonomous unit Cruise. The company, along with
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, announced its recalling nine hundred and fifty of its driverless vehicles across the US, and it could recall more. That's because
the collision detection subsystem of its automated software may not respond properly after a crash.
Cruz says it has deployed an over the air update to fix the issue for its supervised test vehicles, and it says all of its driverless vehicles will be repaired before they go back into service. This is just the latest in
a string of bad news for Cruise. Last month, the California DMV suspended
its driverless permits in the state after one of its vehicles was involved in an accident with a pedestrian, and that accident is also being investigated by NISA.
Renault and Nissan have officially completed their new alliance deal, which will make them more equal partners. Renault cut its stake in Nissan from forty three percent to
fifteen percent by transferring twenty eight percent of Nissan shares into a French trust.
Nissan was previously unhappy with their partnership because Renault had more power even though Nissan is the bigger company, so earlier this year, the two companies agreed to a deal to change that structure. Renault agreed to cut it shares in Nissan
and also give Nissan full voting rights for the first time, while Nissan agreed to invest six hundred and sixty million dollars into Renault's eve and software division called Ampere. And in other Renault news, it's giving its employees some skin in
the game. For the second year in a row, it handed out free
shares in the company. Later this month, over ninety five thousand workers will
get eight free Renault shares. It also offered additional shares to purchase at a
thirty percent discount, which attracted over thirty eight thousand employees. In total,
they invested over thirty three million euros in the share purchase program, and when everything is all added up, they'll control five and a quarter percent of Renault shares and by the end of the decade, Renault would like to increase that to ten percent. Renault says that shows the commitment of its employees and their
confidence in the company's strategic direction. I say it also gets you some fresh
investors and employees who are less likely to complain about moves that the company makes that benefit shareholders, which is something we heard a lot about during the recent UAW strikes. But Renault also runs the risk of ticking off a lot of
workers if its strategic direction doesn't pan out. As we've reported, there's a
big battle in the US US over keeping AM radio in new vehicles. At
least seven automakers don't offer AM and their evs because they say electromagnetic interference from EV motors distorts AM signals. However, lawmakers say that AM radio needs to
remain in vehicles because of its reliability during emergency situations, so they've introduced bipartisan bills in Congress to mandate AM radios in all new vehicles. Automakers oppose the
legislation, and a new study from the Center for Automotive Research says it will be costly if AM is mandated. The report, which was done in partnership
with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, says it could cost up the three point eight billion dollars through twenty thirty to prevent AM signals from being disrupted in evs.
One automaker estimated shielding costs of thirty five to fifty dollars and filtering costs of fifteen to twenty dollars per vehicle. That's why automakers want to ditch AM
and offer digital or satellite services instead. The tagin 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
EVE Better Mobility, GM and Stlantis invested in a company that's developing magnets without any rare earth minerals like the recent electric motor revealed by Renault and the supplier Valao for future EVS, which is also rare earth free. They're trying to
reduce their dependence on foreign sources, mainly China for critical EV materials. It
also helps that they can cut costs and reduce their carbon footprints by going to rare earth free magnets. But unlike the electric motor from Renault and Valeo,
which ditch permanent magnets in favor of a wound hairpin design. Neuron Magnets,
the company that GM and Stilant is invested in, is developing permanent magnets with quote automotive grade power and no rare earth instead. Its clean earth magnet technology
is based on iron nitride, which is more affordable and abundant than rare earth materials. The investment in Neuron Magnets will help it scale up its production and
commercial operations. And speaking of EV component production, Audi announced that it started
making electric motors for its new PPE architecture, which is a big deal because the models that come from that platform are the ones that have been delayed several times due to its software issues. Models like the all electric Porscha ma Con
and Audi Q six Etron. We're supposed to have launched at the end of
twenty twenty one, but now they won't enter production until the end of the year, and there's still no word on what software system they'll be running.
Audi says once its emotor site in Hungary reaches series production, it will build up to two thousand units a day with three shifts. The Hondai Group is
serious about launching an EV tall or electric vertical and takeoff landing aircraft service in the United States. In an interview with Bloomberg, the CEO of Supernal,
Hondai's air Mobility division, set its planning to build a manufacturing facility in the US to produce flying taxis. Supernal will unveil a prototype at CES in January,
and the company says it will be capable of flying one hundred and twenty miles an hour, holding up the four passengers in a pilot Test flights are planned for December of twenty twenty four, and it's aiming to launch its service in the US in twenty twenty eight, followed by Europe. Shortly after that,
Honda provided a few more details about its new E clutch for manual transmission motorcycles, which makes it so riders don't have to use the clutch lever on the handlebars. When a gear is selected, two motors inside an actuator unit
operate the clutch, and the system will also control ignition, timing and fuel injection to make the gear shift as smooth as possible. Riders can even adjust
how hard they have to hit the pedal to shift gears, and they can still use the standard clutch lever if they want to, which disengages the E clutch for a few seconds, or they can shut off the system completely.
Honda is already launching models available with the new E clutch, and it says the system only weighs two kilograms or four point four pounds, and the clutch and transmission hardware are not any different from other motorcycles, so there's a lot of potential applications. Toyota teased that it's going to reveal the Crown Suv for
North America on November fourteenth. I originally thought this was going to be a
US version of the Crown Sport, which Toyota is taking orders for right now in Japan, but the Crown Suv clearly has different tail lights, so this could end up being the true SUV of the Crown lineup what Toyota has previously called the Crown Estate. But obviously we'll know more soon and we'll be right
here to report on it. That brings us to the end of today's show.
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