AD #3916 - U.S.-Based Battery Production Growing; Stellantis Suspends More Vehicle Production; Murano Gets Bold New Looks

Speaker 1: This is utderlined daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. GM is killing off the Ultum

brand name and its modular approach to batteries. Now it's

making moves to improve battery performance and reduce costs. The

automaker is investing ten million dollars in a material science company called Forge Nano that specializes in a process called atomic layer deposition. Basically, it's a super thin coating that

can be applied to the anode, the cathode, or both and will improve energy density, increase charging rates, decrease the chance a thermal runaway, and extend battery lifetimes. Forge Nano

will build prototype cells for GM at its headquarters in Colorado, and will also use its investment to expand manufacturing and into new areas like semiconductors, so GM may get a new source of chips for its cars as well. Of GM,

the Chevrolet Corvette ZR one is now the fastest car ever built by an American automaker. The one thousand and

sixty four horsepower ZR one hit two hundred and thirty three miles an hour on a test track in Germany and somewhat surprisingly, it was driven by GM president Mark Royce, although if you didn't know, Royce is actually a very accomplished racer. But maybe even more surprising is that we

learned from a source that Royce and the Corvette team made the record breaking runs on September thirteenth and fourteenth, which means it was able to keep the new secret for a month. Now, going back to battery materials for

a moment, US based Aspen Aerogels could get over six hundred and seventy million dollars in loans from the Department of Energy to help build a nearly billion dollar plant in Georgia. The company specializes in thermal barriers that can

prevent battery fires, and it already has con tracks with GM and Toyota. As we reported yesterday, Stalantis's global sales

plunged twenty percent in the third quarter. Over in Europe.

It already suspended production of the Fiat five hundred E at its Mere Fiori plant in Italy until the end of the month due to poor sales, and now the automaker is going to halt production of another model. Stillantis

announced that it will suspend production at several assembly and engine plants in Italy next month, which will impact the Fiat Panda. The company says it's making the move due

to tough market conditions. According to Data Force, Fiat sold

nearly thirty nine hundred pandas in Europe in August, down from sixty five hundred units a year ago, and because of moves like this, Stalantis's shipments around the world were also down by twenty percent in the third quarter. The

UK is planning to ban sales of new IC vehicles in twenty thirty, but a majority of drivers have no interest in an EV. According to a survey by Sustain,

a synthetic fuel specialist, fifty nine percent of drivers who own a gas or diesel powered vehicle plan on keeping their car indefinitely, and fifty two percent said they don't believe the mandate can be met without including new IC sales.

Forty percent don't believe beevs can meet their driving needs, and more than a quarter say they'll buy an ice vehicle close to the deadline.

Speaker 2: There's nothing wrong with heavy metal, hey light enough, but with world class composite material taging automotive technologies makes vehicles lighter, safer, and more eco friendly.

Speaker 1: More and more automakers are getting into humanoid robots, and now Toyota is the latest. It's partnering with Boston Dynamics

to integrate Toyota Research Institute's AI Tech and Boston Dynamics humanoid robot called Atlas. The two plan to perform a

range of tasks and use that data to improve the robot's dexterity. And this is in Toyota's first foray into robotics.

It's been developing robots for many years, but mainly for in home applications to aid the elderly. And we also

find this partnership interesting since Boston Dynamics is now owned by Hyundai. Nissan is coming out with a new Morano.

Despite riding on the same platform, with a body that's a little more than two and a half inches wider, the styling is significantly different. It looks like just about

every panel was touched on the suv, and the same can be said of the interior. It's a fairly uncluttered

design with dual twelve point three inch digital screens that come standard. Nissan is ditching the miranos old three and

a half liter V six in favor of a four cylinder engine. It's a two leader turbocharged unit that makes

two hundred and forty one horse power and two hundred and sixty pound feet of torque. The old V six

made the opposite two hundred and sixty horse power and two hundred and forty pound feet of torque. The new

Morano will be sold exclusively in the US and Canada, and it'll start reaching dealer lots early next year. Nissan

has steadily been losing market share in the US over the last five years. In the first half of the year,

it was just under six percent, but fresh products like the new Morano and Kicks could provide a boost. Ferrari

unveiled an all new supercar, the F eighty, which is the most powerful production vehicle in its history. Surprisingly, there's

no V twelve under the hood, or even a V eight for that matter. The two seat hybrid is powered

by a three leader turbocharge V six made it to an eight speed DCT along with an electric front axle and rear electric motor. The system produces twelve hundred horsepower,

has a maximum speed of three hundred and fifty kilometers an hour or two hundred and seventeen miles an hour, and can move from zero to one hundred kilometers an hour and just two point one five seconds. Ferrari is

only planning to build seven hundred and ninety nine F eighties with a starting price of three point six million euros or nearly four million bucks. Chinese autonomous company we

Ride is teaming up with a Gli brand to introduce a new robotaxi. The we Ride GXR is based on

the Forizon supervan, but then decked out and alight our based av system. There's no pillar between the passenger and

side sliding doors and no front passenger seat, so you get a massive opening to enter the van. We Ride

operates in several markets outside of China as well, including the US and the United Era Emirates, where it recently signed a deal to operate an av fleet with Uber.

So maybe we'll see Uber gxrs in the UAE and In other autonomous news, self driving startup pony Ai is planning to file an initial public offering in the US this week. Bloomberg reports the company is looking to raise

three hundred million dollars. The Silicon Valley startup was founded

in twenty sixteen, and its investors include Toyota and China's GAC, which is also reportedly interested in investing in the IPO.

Pony Ai operates autonomous fleets in the US and China, and last December it received a permit to charge riders for fully driverless robotaxi services in the city of Guangzhou.

But that brings us to the end of today's show.

Don't forget to check out Autuline after hours This afternoon.

We'll be talking about getting students interested in the automotive industry, and I'm sure we'll also into Tesla's we Robot event and maybe some of the stuff that's going on in Mexico.

I hope to see you there at three pm Eastern time. Today.

Speaker 3: Auto Line Daily is brought to you by Bridgetone Solutions for your journey, Intrepid Control Systems over the Air Engineering boost your game, Tajent Automotive Technologies the Formula for Better Mobility, and by ZF.

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AD #3916 - U.S.-Based Battery Production Growing; Stellantis Suspends More Vehicle Production; Murano Gets Bold New Looks

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