AD #3797 - Tesla’s Stock Up Despite Q1 Earnings Drop; Mercedes Reveals All-Electric G-Class; Subaru Axes Legacy from Lineup
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This is Autoligned Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
Feels like Tesla dropped a bomb of information on the auto industry last night.
At the core of it was the evmaker's Q one results, which were down, yet its stock was up over ten percent today in pre market trading.
So let's dive in. Tesla delivered nearly three hundred and eighty seven thousand
vehicles, which was down nine percent. Worse, it's building a lot more
vehicles than its selling. It made over four hundred and thirty three thousand evs
in Q one, which means it had over forty six thousand, five hundred vehicles of excess capacity. The vehicles that did sell, plus its energy storage,
supercharging and other services, brought in twenty one point three billion dollars in revenue, also down nine percent. So why was Tesla's stock up Because it
provided a details about its upcoming plans that investors seem to really like. One
of the big pieces of news is that Tesla says it's accelerating the launch of new models that were originally supposed to start production in the second half of next year. Those evs will include quote more affordable models, but they will not
use its complete unboxed assembly process. Instead, they will use both aspects of
the next gen platform as well as parts from the current platform. This means
it won't reduce vehicle costs as much as it thought it would, but it will allow it to grow volumes more efficiently and utilize more of its current production capacity, which is around three million vehicles. Tesla says its Robotaxi is the
model that will continue to pursue the unboxed assembly process, but it sounds like even before the Robotaxi will launch, Tesla will integrate a ride hailing function into the Tesla app that's benefiting from more owners using FSD, which was offered as a thirty day free trial earlier this year, and then Tesla just lowered the price significantly. On top of that, Tesla again said that it's in talks
with a major automaker to license FSD tech, which we previously speculated might be Ford because of Elon Musk and Jim Farley's somewhat close relationship, and must says Tesla may also start selling its Optimist robot next year, which it plans to start using in its own facilities this year, so you can probably see why some investors are excited. And if that weren't enough, the new Model three
Performance was revealed. At its heart is a dual motor all wheel drive system
that produces five hundred and ten horse power and provides a zero to sixty time of two point nine seconds. But it's also much more than that. It
features performance springs, dampers, bushing, stabilizer bar sport brakes and seats, and owners can even customize handling, balance, stability control and regenitive breaking right from the center screen. Pricing starts at just under fifty three thousand dollars before
any incentives. Solid state batteries are getting a boost. LG Kem is lending
its battery building knowhow to solid state battery startup Factorial. The two announced that
they signed an understanding to accelerate the development of solid state battery materials. LG
already supplies batteries to most of the global automakers, and Factorial counts Mercedes, Stalantes and Hundai as investors. Intrepid's Neovipie allowing automotive engineers to interface, capture
and monitor vehicle data using Raspberry Pie. As a matter of fact, it's
the automotive industry's first robust platform for Raspberry Pie featuring Intrepid canefting technology and Raspberry Pie compute module. The NEOVIPI is designed for automotive environments, allowing use with
relative power ranges and applications. In addition, the NEOVIPI enables you to use
the Raspberry Pi four compute while avoiding additional development to adapt to network environments.
That makes the NEOVIPI powerful enough to solve your vehicle network problems, yet small enough to fit in your backpack. One of many Intrepid tools used for developing
zonal architecture and software divine vehicles. Mercedes revealed the all electric version of the
new G class, and it's powered by four individually controlled electric motors located near the wheels that combine for four hundred and thirty two kilowatts or nearly five hundred and eighty horse power. They provide acceleration from zero to one hundred kilometers an
hour in four point z seven seconds, as well as what Mercedes calls G turn, which we think is like a tank turn. The battery pack has
a usable capacity of one hundred and sixteen kilowad hours and provides up to four hundred and seventy three kilometers or two hundred and ninety three miles of range.
So this is not going to be a very efficient vehicle at roughly thirty to twenty eight kilowat hours per one hundred kilometers or two to two point two miles per kilowat hour. The best evs today are twice as efficient. Off roadability
has always been a trademark of the G class, and the new EV version still uses independent front suspension with double wishbones and a newly developed rigid rear axle.
As of right now, we don't see any word when the new electric G class will launch, but it will be offered as a global vehicle.
Heavy duty trucks account for three percent of all vehicles on European roads, but they're involved in fifteen percent of all traffic deaths. That's why the euro end
CAP, which crash tests and hands out safety ratings for passenger vehicles in Europe, is soon going to add heavy duty trucks to its tests, and here's how it will evaluate them. The new test will mimic real world conditions for
both city and highway driving and will encourage OEMs to equip their trucks with crash avoidance technologies and improved driver vision. In the future, the test will also
include crash protection as well. The euro ENCAP says it consulted with a number
of companies and government officials to craft the rules, which were designed to be both cost effective and deliver on safety. Euro Encap will release the final rules
next month, and in November it will release the first ratings. Subaru announced
that it's dropping the Legacy from its lineup in the US. The automaker said
production will end in spring of twenty twenty five for the longest running model in its lineup. The Sedan is built at the company's plant in Indiana and one
point three million have been sold in the US since its debut in nineteen eighty nine. Subrou says it's discontinuing the Legacy because of car buyers shifting away from
Sedan's to SUVs and crossovers, as well as the company's transition to electric vehicles.
Subaru is planning to have eight evs in its lineup by twenty twenty eight, including the Solterra, which went on sale in twenty twenty two. As
we've reported, Europe is unhappy with the wave of Chinese built evs entering its market, but it's not just concerned about Chinese brands. It doesn't want European
brands doing the same thing. So Europe's investigation into Chinese made evs could also
lead to terras for any brand that imports EV's from China to Europe. So
to avoid those possible tariffs, Polestar CEO says it's considering shipping vehicles built in the US to Europe instead of from China. Pollstar, which is owned by
j Lely, builds the majority of its vehicles at two plants in China, but it also started production of its Polestar three model at Volvos plant in South Carolina this year. Volkswagen used to be the number one brand in China,
but it was overtaken by byd in late twenty twenty two. VW's market share
is fallen from nineteen percent in twenty twenty to fourteen and a half percent last year, so the automaker says it's working to make sure its share remains in the fifteen percent range. It believes it can do that thanks to a new
R and D hub in China and partnerships with ev makers to create more affordable evs. That fifteen percent market share translates to selling four million vehicles a year
in China by twenty thirty. Last year, VW sold just over three million
vehicles. While it likely won't be able to regain its title of the best
selling branded China, EW says it's aiming to remain the number one foreign brand that brings us to the end of today's show. Thanks for making autoline a
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