AD #4049 - Tariffs Force Audi to Consider U.S. Production; Alfa Reports Best Sales Since 2019; Waymo Partners to Build AVs in Arizona

Speaker 1: This is out Aline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. As a result of Trump's terrace,

AUDI is looking at building cars in the US at three different assembly plants.

Speaker 2: According to a report from the German.

Speaker 1: Publication Automobile Voca, it's considering making the Q four Etron at VW's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, because it's pretty much the AUDI version of the ID four, which is already made at that plant. The Q eight etron could end

up getting made at the new Scout plant in Columbia, South Carolina, and AUDI is reportedly looking for yet another facility, but there isn't much else out there. It could try

to get into Rivian's new plant that's being built near Atlanta, Georgia, but that's not scheduled to open until.

Speaker 2: Twenty twenty eight.

Speaker 1: Or maybe it could even turn to Fox CON's plant in Lordstown, Ohio. Ford reported its quarter earnings and the

numbers were weak all across the board. It sold nine

hundred and seventy one thousand vehicles, down seven percent. That

brought in forty point seven billion dollars in revenue, down five percent. Operating income was three hundred and nineteen million dollars,

almost a billion dollars less than last year, and its net income was four hundred and seventy one million dollars.

Speaker 2: Ford barely made any.

Speaker 1: Money on its ice vehicles, only one hundred million dollars, and it lost eight hundred million on its evs, which was one of the few areas of improvement, considering that a year ago, Ford lost one point six billion dollars on its eves. Virtually all the profit came from the

company's commercial vehicle unit, Ford Pro and from Ford Credit, which is its finance arm. Ford says that President Trump's

tariffs will add two and a half billion dollars to its cost this year and will shave one and a half billion dollar off its EBIT. Investors didn't like the news,

and the company's stock was two percent lower in early market trading. Meanwhile, Ferrari had a strong quarter. It sold

three thousand, five hundred and ninety three cars, up only one percent, but revenue was up thirteen percent to almost one point.

Speaker 2: Eight billion euros.

Speaker 1: Its operating profit shot up twenty three percent to five hundred and forty two million, and its net profit grew seventeen percent to four hundred and twelve million euros. In

other words, Ferrari posted a higher operating profit than Ford and almost caught it in net profits, even though it sold nine hundred and sixty seven thousand, four hundred and seven fewer vehicles.

Speaker 2: Stillantis and Renault are warning that.

Speaker 1: They'll have to close plants if the European Union doesn't change regulations for small cars. In a joint interview with

a French newspaper, stilantis chechairman John Elcan and Renault CEO Luca DeMeo said they can't produce smaller, more affordable vehicles profitably because regulations are designed for bigger, more expensive cars, and if the rules don't change, el Can and DeMeo say they'll be forced to close plants. However, they didn't

provide details about what regulations for small cars need to be updated.

Speaker 2: There's nothing wrong with heavy metal.

Speaker 1: Hy light enough, but with world class composite material taging automotive technologies makes vehicles lighter, safer and more eco friendly.

Hey there, enjoy what you're watching, then consider becoming an Autoline member. Just click the join button on the Autoline

Network YouTube homepage or We've also set up a Patreon account under Autoline Now, absolutely nothing will change with the content that we already provide you, but we're giving exclusive access to even more like early viewing of Autoline exclusives, behind the scenes videos, and even live Q and a's with John and I. GM announced a big promotion for

Duncan Aldred. He's now the head of GM's North American operations.

He joins GM senior management ranks and reports to Rory Harvey, who's the president of GM's global markets. Before this promotion,

Aldred Rand Buick and GMC, and more recently, was in charge of GM's commercial operations, including on Star and GM Energy, the company's home charging in energy storage business. Waimo currently

gives more than a quarter of a million paid robotaxi rides a week in the four cities that it operates in, and it plans to add three more by next year.

So in order to service those markets, it's going to need to expand its fleet, and that's why Weimo partnered with a supplier, Magna, to build a multi million dollar plant in Arizona to upfit vehicles with its autonomous hardware and software system.

Speaker 2: Or what it calls WEIMO Driver.

Speaker 1: As these pictures show the first vehicles coming out of the facility will be Jaguar eyepaces. Weimo says it took

its final Eepace deliveries from Jaguar earlier this year and will be able to add two thousand more to its fleet, which currently stands at about fifteen hundred vehicles. But it

also says it will start upfitting the zeker RT at the plant this year, and at full capacity, it can make tens of thousands of robotaxis a year. Weimo previously

announced a partnership with Hyundai to convert ionic fives into robotaxis as well, but no word yet if they'll be made at this new Arizona facility. And one thing we

find especially interesting about the news facility is the end of line validation process, which allows eye paces assigned to its Arizona fleet to drive right out of the plant and directly into service. But we also wonder if tariffs

could impact Waymo's plans. It likely didn't pay any import

tariffs on the eyepaces because it took its final delivery earlier this year, but the zeker RT is made in China, so bringing them to the US will cost more money.

Rivian is investing one hundred and twenty million dollars to open a supplier park near its plant in Illinois to help support production of its upcoming R iiO model that starts rolling down the line next year. Rivian says several

key suppliers will locate to the park, which will create several hundred additional supplier jobs and nearly one hundred new positions at Rivian. It will also help reduce shipping, logistics

and warehousing costs. Construction of the park has already started

and it's expected to be completed next year, and some of those supplier parts and components are likely featured in this picture that r. J Scarin shared of the Art

two new EV drive unit that Rivian calls Maximus. Stillantis

needs to cut costs, and their speculation it could act some of its fourteen brands, and one of those brands that's on the hot seat is Alfa Romeo since it doesn't have much of a presence outside of Europe.

Speaker 2: But maybe this will help save it from the chopping block.

Speaker 1: Alpha says its global deliveries in the first quarter were up twenty nine percent compared to a year ago, and that it sold eighty seven hundred vehicles in March, which was its best month since June of twenty nineteen. That

growth is being fueled by its new junior model. Since

its launch, Alpha has received thirty five thousand orders, with the fully electric version accounting for eighteen percent of those sales.

And speaking of Stilantis, JEEP revealed the all new Compass.

It now rides on the Stellar Medium platform and that has bumped its size up over the previous model, but it also allows for mild hybrid, plugin hybrid, and pure electric power trains. The forty eight volt mild hybrid setup

produces one hundred and forty five horse power, while the plugin makes one hundred and ninety five, and there's three be EV versions that range from two hundred and thirteen up to three hundred and seventy five horse power. No

battery size was given, but evs will have up to six hundred and fifty kilometers or just over four hundred miles of range and can charge from twenty to eighty percent and thirty minutes at a peak rate of one hundred and sixty kilowatts. Base versions of the new Compass

are front wheel drive, but there will be the option for all wheel drive as well. Other highlights include a

sixteen inch center floating display screen, OTA updates and level two hands free driving capability. Jeep says orders are open

now in Europe and deliveries start in the fourth quarter of this year, but nowhord when it will launch in other markets yet, and that brings us.

Speaker 2: To the end of today's show.

Speaker 1: Thanks for making autoline a part of your day.

Speaker 2: Autoline Daily is brought to you by Intrepid Control Systems over the air Engineering Boost your game, Tajent Automotive Technologies the formula for better mobility, and by

AD #4049 - Tariffs Force Audi to Consider U.S. Production; Alfa Reports Best Sales Since 2019; Waymo Partners to Build AVs in Arizona

Audi Etron

Buick Rand Buick

Jeep Compass

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