Volkswagen has agreed to cut 35,000 jobs in Germany by 2030, closing plants and reducing production to save costs. Meanwhile, a Stanford study suggests EV batteries may last longer than expected, easing replacement concerns. BYD faces scrutiny in Brazil over labor abuses, delaying its plant opening. California's EVs with bi-directional charging help stabilize the grid. The Dodge Charger Daytona will be sold overseas, including electric versions. China is pushing autonomous vehicle trials and dominates global car sales, but its auto industry faces sustainability challenges amid price wars and trade restrictions. Upcoming discussions will cover last year's key developments and CES tech previews.
Topics:vw job cuts germanyev battery longevitybyd labor issues brazilcalifornia ev grid supportdodge charger daytona overseaschina autonomous vehicleschina global car saleschinese auto industry challengesautomotive trade restrictionsces automotive technology
- VW Cutting 35,000 Jobs in Germany - EV Batteries May Last Longer Than Thought - Brazil Stops Work Visas for BYD - Batteries Help Relieve Demand on California's Grid - Dodge Charger Daytona Going Overseas - China Continues Push for AV Lead - China Accounts for Almost Half of World Sales - BYD Sells 4.25 Million in 2024 - Chinese EV Sales Still Rely on Subsidies
"... to twelve percent of nighttime demand. The Dodge Charger Daytona is heading for overseas markets. A Stilan..."
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Speaker 1: This is Autoligne Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Happy New Year, everyone, I truly
hope that you had a good holiday.
Speaker 2: But it is good to be back, so let's get to it.
Speaker 1: Volkswagen finally came to an agreement with union ig Mattal and its works council. For months, the automaker was negotiating
to close plants and reduce its workforce in Germany, but its unions pushed back, saying they didn't want any plant closings or layoffs and were willing to give up future bonuses for that to happen. But it looks like Volkswagen
pretty much got what it wanted. It's gonna chop its
workforce in Germany by thirty five thousand people by twenty thirty, saving it one point five billion euros a year when completed.
On top of that, production at its German plants will be slashed by seven hundred and thirty four thousand units.
One of the six plants will be discontinued by the end of this year, and another is only making a single model that's going away in twenty twenty seven. VW
says it's exploring other options for those sites, but it tried the same thing with an AUDI plant in Belgium and nobody wanted it.
Speaker 2: When you add up all of the changes that.
Speaker 1: VW is making in Germany, it says it expects to save fifteen billion euros a year.
Speaker 2: But this is only one region.
Speaker 1: We wouldn't be surprised to see Volkswagen have to make cuts in other parts of the world as well. One
of the biggest concerns people have about buying an EV is how long the battery will last well. A new
study from the SLAC Stanford Battery Center says EV batteries.
Speaker 2: May last longer than initially thought.
Speaker 1: The researchers perform two different types of tests to study the battery health of ninety two commercial lithium ion batteries.
One test is most commonly used in labs, when batteries are charged and discharged at a constant current. The other test,
called dynamic cycling, mimics real world conditions by charging and discharging batteries with bursts of activity and then rest and the researchers found that batteries tested using dynamic cycling had better battery health metrics. More research needs to be done,
but this could help ease some concern about having to replace costly batteries. As we reported last month, BYD is
being investigated in Brazil for the mistreatment of workers at the assembly plant it's building there, and now the country has stopped issuing temporary work visas for BYD because it says some of those workers are the victims of human trafficking.
Brazilian authorities say they found one hundred and sixty three Chinese workers who had been brought into Brazil.
Speaker 2: In slavery like conditions.
Speaker 1: BYD hasn't yet responded to request for comment, but the contractor that hired the workers has denied any wrongdoing. BYD
is aiming to start production at the six hundred and twenty million dollar plant this year, but it looks like those plans will be put on hold until this issue is resolved. California has come under a lot of criticism
for pushing EV so heavily while its electrical grid suffers from rolling brownouts at times, but now evs with bi directional charging capabilities are helping to ease the stress on the grid. When demand is high, renewable sources were able
to provide all the electricity the state needed for ninety eight out of one hundred and sixteen days from late winter until early summer last year, with no blackouts during that time. Those sources include wind, water, solar, and batteries.
Batteries cover stationary storage as well, not just evs, but even so, battery capacity in the state is up whee hundred and five percent compared to the same time in twenty twenty three, and batteries were able to supply up to twelve percent of nighttime demand. The Dodge Charger Daytona
is heading for overseas markets. A Stilantis spokesperson confirmed with
Car Scoops that the American muscle car will be sold in the Middle East and through importers in Europe in the second half of this year. They didn't say which
version will go on sale first, but both too and four door and IC and pure electric models will be offered.
Speaker 3: There's nothing wrong with heavy metal, hey light enough, but with world class composit material taging automotive technologies makes vehicles lighter, safer, and more eco friendly.
Speaker 1: China wants to be the world leader in self driving cars, so the city of Beijing just passed regulations to encourage using them starting on April first, autonomous vehicles that passed road and safety tests will be allowed to apply for public trials. The city is also encouraging the development of
the road infrastructure to support a network of self driving vehicles.
The city of Wuhan recently passed similar measures as well, and that makes.
Speaker 2: At least nineteen cities in China.
Speaker 1: That are conducting autonomous vehicle tests. Meanwhile, China's autowindustry is
right on schedule to achieve the country's goal of dominating the global auto industry. Through November of last year, China
accounted for forty one percent of all the light vehicles sold around the world.
Speaker 2: In Norway, for.
Speaker 1: Example, Chinese evs now account for almost ten percent of the market. Five years ago, they had zero percent market share,
and there's no signs of slowing down, at least not yet.
Chinese automakers are starting to report their sales for December, and so far the numbers are coming in strong.
Speaker 2: Just look at BYD.
Speaker 1: It posted record sales last month, selling over half a million cars. For the year, BYD sold four point two
five million vehicles, which probably puts it ahead of Honda and Ford, though we'll have to wait for them to post their final year end numbers. If BYD holds December
sales pace for the rest of this year, it will sell over six million vehicles, which could pull Vault it ahead of General Motors. And it's entirely possible that BYD
surpassed Tesla in terms of selling pure battery electric cars.
Through the third quarter of last year, BYD was only one hundred and twenty four thousand units behind Tesla, and while BYD sales numbers are surging ahead, Tesla will probably show only a slight increase at best. But one reason
why car sales are so strong in China is that automakers are forced to cut prices as the price war there enters its third year. But even with all those
price cuts, subsidies from the Chinese national government and others by large municipalities are needed to prop up sales. Moreover,
the industry is burdened by massive overcapacity, and while exports have been a pressure relief out for that over capacity, China now faces increasing trade restrictions and tariffs from countries like India, Brazil, and even Mexico who now worry about those Chinese cars coming in and flooding their markets. So
what's going on in the Chinese auto industry is simply unsustainable.
And if you think all those plant closings and layoffs that Volkswagen is talking about and Germany sounds bad, just wait until the day of reckoning hits the Chinese auto industry.
And by the way, those are some of the things that we'll be talking about on Autuline after Hours this afternoon.
We'll look back at the most important developments that happened last year, look forward to what could happen this year, and also get preview of the new automotive tech that we'll see at CES in Las Vegas next week. Jeff
Stout from Yngfung will be on the show, and so will Sam Abu well Submit from guide House Insights. So
we invite you to join John and Gary when the show goes live at three pm Eastern Time today.
Speaker 2: That's a wrap for this show. I hope to see
you later.
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