Global automotive trends highlight China's surge as the top car exporter and Volkswagen's mixed EV sales performance, including price cuts and delayed affordable EV production. BMW sets record sales, nearing VW in EV numbers. The EPA funds electric school buses, while Clear Motion's active suspension tech debuts on a Chinese EV. CES showcases BMW's AR glasses and automated valet parking. VW integrates ChatGPT into its voice assistant, enhancing vehicle control. Stellantis accelerates infotainment development with BlackBerry and Amazon, cutting development time drastically. Honda and Sony reveal smart vehicle tech partnerships focused on AI and entertainment integration.
Topics:china car exportsvolkswagen ev salesbmw record saleselectric school busesactive suspension technologyces automotive techchatgpt in carsstellantis infotainment developmenthonda sony smart vehicleautomated valet parking
- China is Top Exporter for 1st Time - 1 Out of 12 VW Sold is Electric - BMW and Rolls-Royce Have Record Year - EPA Pours More Money Into Electric School Buses - Radical Suspension Makes It on Production Car - BWM Wants You to Wear Glasses While Driving - VW Bringing ChatGPT Into Cars - Stellantis Cuts Development from Months to Hours - Sony Honda Mobility All About the Technology
"...ve, and seven, as well as the new tig One Pisotan Golf. The feature will start to roll out to customers ..."
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry as regular viewers of the show no Chinese automakers have started to branch out around the world as their home market has become more crowded and competitive. Last year,
Chinese automakers sold nearly twenty two million vehicles in China, which was an increase of over five percent, but its exports surged even more. In the
first eleven months of twenty twenty three, China exported four point four million vehicles, which was an increase of nearly sixty percent, and for the full year, it's estimated to have exported five point two six million vehicles. According to
the China Passenger Car Association, That would make China the world's number one car export for the first time ever and put it nearly a million units ahead of the second highest exporter, which is Japan. The Volkswegen brand reported its global
sales numbers. It sold nearly four point nine million vehicles last year, which
was an increase of six point seven percent. Right now, about one out
of every twelve VW vehicles sold is electric. In total, three hundred and
ninety four thousand bvs were handed over to customers in twenty twenty three, an increase of twenty one percent. But with demand for its evs not as high
as expected, VW has started slashing prices in China and Europe, and along with the softening of EU emission regulations, it's pushing back volume production of its entry level affordable EV by a year to twenty twenty six. BMW set an
all time sales record in twenty twenty three. Between BMW Mini and Rolls Royce.
The group sold over two and a half million vehicles last year, an increase of six and a half percent. And it wasn't just the group.
Rolls Royce had its own individual record year with over six thousand luxury models sold.
And it's surprising to see BMW so close to VW and EV sales.
Remember, VW sold three hundred and ninety four thousand, while the BMW group sold over three hundred and thirty thousand, a jump of ninety two percent.
And with more models coming, BMW could pass VW in EV sales this year.
More electric school buses could be coming to a district near you. The
EPA announced that it's providing nearly a billion dollars in funding for electric and low emission school buses to thirty seven states. It will be enough to buy more
than twenty seven hundred clean buses to serve two hundred and eighty districts and over seven million students. This is the second round of funding which now brings the
total to nearly two billion dollars, which is paid for roughly five thousand buses.
Automotive suppliers always say that their technology is coming right around the corner, but here's one case where they were telling the truth. In November of twenty
twenty two, we had then CTO of a company called clear Motion on Auto Line after Hours who said that its active suspension technology would be hitting the market late this year, and clear Motion and Chinese automaker Neo announced that the tech will be featured on Neo's upcoming ET nine Sidan that launches at the end of this year. You may remember that clear Motion bought the patents for the system
from Bows, which kind of acts like noise canceling headphones and creates an exact opposite output from the inputs that it gets from the road. It does this
at extremely fast speed with a hydraulic pump that's attached directly to the damper and electronically controlled. The result is a suspendon system that can practically eliminate any bump
or body roll. We were also told in twenty twenty two that you could
use a system like this to take the in car experience to the next level.
Imagine watching Jurassic Park with VR goggles on and the car actually starts shaking when the t Rex is chasing the jeep. CES is kicking off in Las
Vegas, and here's some of what's caught our eye. BMW demonstrated augmented reality
glasses for drivers or passengers to wear that display info like navigation or hazard warnings, points of interest, and entertainment content. We've seen similar technology with augmented
reality on the windshield, so it's interesting to see BMW do it with glasses instead. The automaker says the images remain stable even when the car is turning,
when it goes over bumps or accelerates, but it didn't say when the technology will be available. BMW also showed off automated valet parking technology it's developing
with the supplier Valayo. The driver leaves the vehicle at a drop off point.
Then the vehicle automatically looks for a parking spot and then drives into it.
The vehicle can go right back to the pickup point as well on its own, and the technology also allows the vehicle to be remotely controlled. BMW
says possible applications include parking for events at airports or in its logistics. Volkswagen
announced its integrating chat GPT into its Ida voice assistant that's used in its current MEB and MQB EVO models. That inc includes the ID three, four,
five, and seven, as well as the new tig One Pisotan Golf.
The feature will start to roll out to customers as standard in the second quarter of the year. The automaker partnered with a US company called Serens to integrate
the chat pot into its vehicles. In addition to answering questions, the voice
assistant will be able to control the infotainment, navigation, and air conditioning, and more functions will be added in the future. Stillanti has announced it as
created a virtual cockpit with BlackBerry and Amazon to help accelerate development of infotainment technology.
BlackBerry is providing software for the system, while Amazon is contributing cloud services.
Stillanta says the technology will speed up customer feedback, be able to replicate the cockpit experience of all of its brands and models, and allow engineers to make changes in real time. The automaker says the system will shorten development time
from several months to just twenty four hours in some cases. Honda and Sony's
joint venture called Sony Honda Mobility revealed more details about the smart vehicle they're developing, called a FeelA. The looks of the car haven't changed since the debut
a year ago, but now we know more about its technology. It will
feature autonomous driving, which will be achieved through sensing devices and artificial intelligence.
The company is collaborating with Epic Games for entertainment features in gaming, and other partnerships include one with Microsoft Create a Voice Assistant and another with Polyphony Digital for vehicle development to merge virtual and real experiences in the vehicle. You know,
there's obviously a ton going on at CS and if you think that we're missing something here, chances are John will have an interview coming out about it in the next day or two. He's interviewing experts and executives about the latest automotive
tech the industry has to offer, and you'll be able to find all of that on our website, Autoline dot TV, or on our YouTube channel.
But that brings us to the end of today's show. Thanks for making autoline
a part of your day. Auto Line Daily is brought to you by Bridgestone
Solutions for your Journey, Intrepid Control Systems, Over the Air Engineering Boost your game, 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 Tajing Automotive Technologies The Formula for Better Mobility. At CS January ninth through twelve,
twenty twenty four, Intrepid's looking forward to seeing you at our booth three six sixty six Las Vegas Convention Center in the West Hall. We'll be demonstrating the
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