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AD #4013 - Former Waymo CEO Trashes Tesla’s Robotaxi; Foxconn To Sign Deal with Two Japanese OEMs; Ford Stockpiling Parts Ahead of Tariffs

Autoline Daily Mar 17, 2025 9 min

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About this episode

Foxconn is poised to partner with two Japanese automakers, possibly Nissan and Honda, to design and build electric vehicles, aiming to start production in North America by year-end. CATL is expanding globally and developing second-generation sodium-ion batteries with cost and performance advantages. Ford is stockpiling parts ahead of upcoming tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. Former Waymo CEO criticized Tesla's Robotaxi design for sensor placement and accessibility issues. London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone shows significant pollution reductions. BMW will integrate Huawei’s Harmony OS in China, enhancing vehicle connectivity. A poll reveals most drivers prefer a mix of touchscreens and physical controls.

Topics: foxconn electric vehicle partnerships catl battery technology ford tariff preparations tesla robotaxi criticism london low emission zone bmw huawei collaboration vehicle user interface preferences electric vehicle incentives automotive supply chain poll results on controls

- Foxconn To Sign EV Deal with Two Japanese Automakers - CATL Developing 2nd-Gen Sodium-Ion Batteries - Ford Stockpiling Car Parts Ahead of Tariffs - California HOV Lanes for EVs End in September - Former Waymo CEO Trashes Tesla’s Robotaxi - London Congestion Fee Reduces Pollution - BMW Integrates Huawei Tech into Vehicles in China - Autoline Poll Results

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Speaker 1: This is Autolye daily show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Happy Saint Patrick's Day to everyone out there,

and it looks like the folks that fox Con might be doing a little bit of extra celebrating. The chairman

of the Taiwan based manufacturers said it could sign deals with two Japanese automakers within the next two months to design and build electric vehicles. While the automakers weren't revealed,

fox Con showed interest in buying a stake in Nissan, as well as working jointly with Honda and Mitsubishi. It

seemed like talks with Nissan had stalled out with the failed Honda Nissan merger. However, with a brand new CEO

and charge of Nissan, there's a lot of speculation it's one of the two Japanese automakers that fox Con will work with now. In terms of the vehicles it wants

to launch, Fox KHN previously proposed a full lineup including a hatchback SUVs, pickup truck, and van. It's unknown if

these are the models it wants to build with the Japanese automakers, but they could be on sale before the end of the year. Fox con says it wants to

start production of one of the SUVs in North America in the fourth quarter. While it didn't say where, it

does have that big factory in Ohio where it used to make the Lord's Town Electric pickup. COTL saw its

profits grow at their slowest rate in six years, but the world's largest evy battery maker could combat that with continued expansion. It's working on four new plants in China,

as well as manufacturing in Germany, Hungary, Spain, and Indonesia.

It also revealed that it's developing a second generation sodium ion battery, which don't have a ton of energy density, but do offer fast charging, good extreme weather performance, long life, and they use fewer critical minerals. And because of that

last point, CTL says once large scale adoption is a chief, sodium ion batteries will have a cost advantage even over LFP. However,

it still expects LFP and NMC batteries to make up sixty to seventy percent of its shipments this year. President

Trump is promising to impose twenty five percent tariffs on imported vehicles and components from Mexico and Canada on April second, so Ford is stockpiling as many parts as it can.

Automotive News reports that Ford sent a memo to suppliers telling them it's strategically stockpiling components except for any parts that are scheduled for engineering changes, and no doubt more automakers are doing the same thing. We think building up

inventory ahead of the terraffs is a wise move, but it will only put off the pain for a short time, maybe a number of weeks at best. Automakers and suppliers

in the US are trying to figure out how to absorb the cost of the tariffs, but many suppliers are not in a financial position to do so, so that means the burden will largely fall on the car companies, who typically pass most of those costs onto their customers in the form of higher prices.

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: One of the ways that California incentivized sales of hybrids and evs was providing them access to high occupancy vehicle lanes on highways, even if there was only one person in the car. Those HOV lanes are generally limited to

vehicles with at least two occupants, and access to them is highly coveted on California's famously congested freeways because with less cars, those lanes typically move faster. Even the used

car market can give you an idea of just how highly valued the HOV stickers are. Used cars with the

sticker have sold for as much as five thousand dollars more than those without it. But like the saying goes,

all good things must come to an end. The HOV

sticker for hybrids was phased out years ago, and it expires for EV's in September. This is actually a federal

program and not a California program, so the state could ask for an extension, but the political climate in the Trump administration has been raining on EV's and California could lose what has been an effective incentive to get people to buy electric vehicles. Former WEAIMO CEO John Kraftcheck had

some harsh word for Tesla's Robotaxi in an interview with Germany's Manager magazine. He said, a quote unquote serious Robotaxi

would place sensors in optimal locats like on the roof as well as the sides and corners of the vehicle.

He also said the sensors should have cleaning and drying functions.

Craft Check criticized the design of Tesla's Robotaxi as well, saying it's quote low slung coop body design will make it hard for people to get in and out and not everyone will be able to use them comfortably. There

seems to be a growing number of people willing to criticize elon Musk and Tesla, so we think the company needs to be careful because the same people unwilling to purchase a Tesla probably don't want to use its robotaxi service either. London says its fee on vehicles that pollute

too much is paying off. In twenty nineteen, the city

established the London Ultra Low Emission Zone, which charges vehicles that don't meet emission standards about sixteen bucks to drive.

Speaker 2: In the area.

Speaker 1: The zone has since expanded twice and now covers about nine million people, and the city just released to report that nitrogen oxides, which form smog, and PM two point five, which are tiny particles that can irritate the lungs, are down by almost a third compared to before the low emission zones were put in place. BMW announced that it

signed a deal with Chinese tech giant Huawei to integrate its Harmony operating system into its vehicles in China starting next year. This will allow owners to connect their vehicle

to devices in their home as well, and the two companies will also develop apps and functions based on Huawei's technology.

This is somewhat of a big deal for Huawei because several countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Germany have banned or restricted Huawei from their five G networks, so it's become something of a point of pride for consumers in China to buy and support Huawei products. We've got

the results of last Friday's poll. We wanted to know

what kind of feedback you'd give to automakers who are trying to figure out whether they should use touch screens or buttons and knobs or combination. Of the two twenty

percent of you or one out of five said you really don't like screens at all. Only thirteen percent said

you prefer to use screens. Sixty three percent said you

wanted a combination of the two and four percent of you chose none of the above and posted your feedback in the comments section. Grant Laws in fifty two thirty

seven said, as an Uber eats driver, I absolutely prefer physical interactions. You can place your finger on a button

without pressing it. It's a very different story when using

a screen on a bumpy road. Crimson Blue had a

really good suggestion they should blindfold people to test functions of cars. They should be able to engage in functions

of the car and provide feedback. Brad sb one DK

is for screens, but not just by themselves, he said, quote screen with voice control, autonomous vehicles are the future.

Operation controls will largely be reduced to climate and entertainment.

Over nineteen hundred of you participated in the poll and posted over two hundred comments on our website and YouTube channel.

And I'd suggest to any product planning people who are in the audience take a look at what got posted because there's some pretty good feedback there. But that's a

wrap for today's show. Thanks for tuning in.

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