AD #4018 - No Plans for Next-Gen Cadillac CT4 and CT5; EV Chargers Outnumber Gas Pumps in California; BYD Tops Tesla in Revenue In 2024

Speaker 1: This is out Aligned Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. While the US government has

halted funding and tended to build new EV charging stations nationwide, California has hit a major EV charger milestone. The California

Energy Commission estimates there were about one hundred and seventy eight thousand public and shared private EV chargers in the state at the end of last year, compared to roughly one hundred and twenty thousand gas pumps, or in other words, there's forty eight percent more EV chargers than gas pumps in the state. And it's possible that the inflection point

came before twenty twenty four, because the Commission only started ramping up its efforts to more accurately track the number of places to charge last year. That's one reason why

you see such a big jump from twenty twenty three to twenty twenty four, which includes over seventy three thousand, five hundred new and recently identified EV chargers, and these numbers don't even factor in the more than seven hundred thousand Level two chargers at single family homes in California.

China implemented a new set of rules that requires automakers to submit detailed technical information on any Ota software updates, especially related to eight as functions that they send out to their vehicles. The move is supposed to allow officials

to more closely regulate those updates, but it also forced Tesla to pause its FSD program in China. A spokesperson

for the company said quote, the team is completing the approval of the three point zero and four point zero hardware corresponding to the intelligent assisted driving software, and once it's ready, it will be pushed out to everyone as soon as possible. While it's unknown how long that process

will take, it is nice to see that Tesla is also working on hardware three vehicles because the newest FSD update in China was limited to hardware four vehicles, which only started rolling down the line in China last year.

Speaking of Tesla, sales of the cyber truck are down sharply in the US in the first two months of the year. According to data from Cox Automotive, two thousand,

six hundred and nineteen units were delivered between January and February, a drop of thirty two and a half percent compared to last year. While the cyber Truck was the best

selling electric pickup in the US in twenty twenty four, with just under forty thousand units delivered. At this year's pace,

Tesla won't even sell sixteen thousand. The company is supposed

to launch a new rear drive model and, as we reported last week, its new dry cathode battery cell, which will both help bring down costs on the cyber truck, so that could boose sales. However, Tesla's overall sales in

the US in the first two months were also down ten percent, and the Model three itself dropped seventeen in aca half percent. The Cadillac CT four and CT five

as we know them might be dead. According to GM authority,

there's no next gen version of either sedan planned after the current life cycle. However, as Auto Fourcast Solutions told

us a year ago, there will be at least one all electric sedan and Cadillac's future. It's said to ride

on a new platform called BEV Prime and go into production at GM's Lansing Grand River plant in August to twenty twenty eight. But instead of just one EV sedan,

GM authority says Cadillac will likely produce two and they'll be closer in size to the CT five and the previous CT six. As for the here and now, the

company expects evs to make up thirty to thirty five percent of its sales this year, up from eighteen percent last year.

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Speaker 1: Automaker BYD had a really good year last year, especially compared to its rival Tesla. The automaker reported that its

revenue came to one hundred and seven billion dollars in twenty twenty four, the first time it's ever topped one hundred billion, which was better than Tesla's ninety seven point seven billion dollar revenue last year. BYD also sold nearly

as many Beeves one point seven six million compared to one point seven nine million at Tesla, and it really jumps ahead when you include plug in hybrids, with BYD selling a total of four point two seven million vehicles in twenty twenty four, and that gap will likely grow even bigger this year because BYD expects to sell between five and six million vehicles, but it didn't beat Tesla everywhere.

Tesla's net profit hit seven point six billion dollars in twenty twenty four compared to BYD's five point six billion, and it has a much larger market cap seven one hundred and eighty billion to BYD's one hundred and fifty seven billion. After a rough twenty twenty four Stillantis is

offering voluntary buyouts to hourly workers in order to cut costs.

UAW employees at more than twenty manufacturing sites in Detroit, Toledo, Ohio, and Illinois have until May eighth to make a decision.

Workers that have been on the job for at least a year but less than fifteen years can get fifty grand, while workers with twenty five years or more experience are being offered up to seventy two thousand dollars. Six months

of medical benefits are also included. The UAW blamed the

buyouts on former CEO Carlos Tavares and said that Stillantis is quote still dealing with the mess left behind. And

speaking of Stalantis, it just lost a lawsuit over a pricing dispute it filed against one of its suppliers. The

automaker filed the suit last year, accusing McLean Fog of withholding parts to get price increases, which led to plant shutdowns.

That Stillantis claims cost it three point seven million dollars in damages, but a judge ruled that sense the automaker didn't commit to buying a certain amount of parts, McLean Fog was not contractually bound to sell them. Stalantis ended

up paying the price increase to keep production running, and if the ruling stands, then Stalantis won't be able to recoup any of that money. But Stalantis has thirty days

to file an amended complaint. The company actually sued several

suppliers over similar pricing disputes last year. The suppliers were

asking the automaker for price increases to cover inflation going up, but Stillantis refused, so the suppliers withheld the parts, which led to the lawsuits. And now let's go over the

results to last week's poll question. With Amazon announcing plans

to sell used vehicles online, we wanted to know how you prefer buying a US car. We got nine hundred

and twenty five votes and fifty three percent of you said you want to buy online. Twenty seven percent preferred

going with a dealer, while just twenty percent like buying from a private owner. And we got some good feedback too.

Luke Rinderneck twenty nine eighty two wrote, I'd rather deal with a private seller directly. I don't need Jeff Bezos

taking more of my money. FCV nineteen sixty seven disagreed,

saying quote, I want zero human interaction, and Isaac Garrison thirty six was more in the middle quote maybe a new car online, but a used car heck no. But

if the general public feels the same as our autoline audience, then Amazon is making the right move. And we'd like

to thank everyone that participated. But that's a wrap for

today's show. Thanks for watching, and have a great day.

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AD #4018 - No Plans for Next-Gen Cadillac CT4 and CT5; EV Chargers Outnumber Gas Pumps in California; BYD Tops Tesla in Revenue In 2024

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