Advanced driver assistance systems face skepticism as many drivers question their value despite automakers' enthusiasm. Tesla's Cybertruck sales slowed in Q1, with Ford's F-150 Lightning outselling it, while GMC upgraded the Hummer EV with new driving modes and faster acceleration. BYD expands in Europe with a new hub in Hungary, and Toyota improves supplier relations by extending production forecasts to a year. Renault teases a rugged electric 4x4 concept, Bosch advances hydrogen vehicle tech, and LA plans air taxis for the 2028 Olympics. Toyota also introduces a vibrant new paint color for its TRD Pro models.
Topics:advanced driver assistance systemshands free drivingtesla cybertruck salesford f-150 lightninggmc hummer ev upgradesbyd european expansiontoyota supplier forecastsrenault electric 4x4 concepthydrogen vehicle technologyla 2028 olympics air taxis
- Drivers Not Sold on Hands-Free Driving - F-150 Lightning Outsells Cybertruck In Q1 - BYD To Open New Hub in Hungary - Toyota Provides Longer Forecasts to Suppliers - Renault Reveals Off-Road EV Concept - GMC Upgrades Hummer EV - Bosch Testing Hydrogen Race Cars - Archer Aviation to Provide Air Taxi Rides During LA Olympics - Toyota Introduces Bold New Paint Color - What’s Your Thoughts on Stop/Start Tech?
"...rew's hands free driving system. Look for the new Hummer EV to start hitting showrooms later this year. You k..."
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Speaker 1: This is Autoling Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Eight ASS or advanced driver assistance systems,
are one of the fastest growing technologies in the auto industry.
That includes things like Level two automated driving, which helps steer a car even though drivers still have to be ready to put their hands back on the wheel. Automakers
say that car buyers love this feature, but a JD Power survey finds that drivers really don't, and they're not exactly sold on hands free driving either. The vast majority
don't see the value for what those systems cost. For
charges about twenty five hundred bucks or fifty dollars a month for Blue Cruise, but it also requires.
Speaker 2: A connectivity package.
Speaker 1: GM charges about twenty five hundred dollars up front for Supercrews, but it also requires an on Star subscription at twenty five dollars a month. Mercedes charges twenty five hundred dollars
a year for its Drive Pilot, while Tesla charges eight thousand dollars upfront or about one hundred dollars a month for FSD. Yet JD Power found that drivers do like
blind spot detection, rear cross traffic warning and automatic emergency braking because they see the real value in.
Speaker 2: What those systems deliver.
Speaker 1: Tesla cybertruck hit the market with some of the greatest fanfare we've ever seen.
Speaker 2: For a new model.
Speaker 1: Sales grew at a steady rate all last year, but then that growth hit a plateau. In the fourth quarter
of twenty twenty four, Tesla sold almost thirteen thousand cyber trucks in the US, according to registration data collected by Cox Automotive. In the first quarter of this year, it
only sold a little over seven thousand, and in fact, the Ford F one to fifty Lightning outsold the cyber truck, and sales of the Lightning were down more than seven percent.
Tesla's global deliveries were down thirteen percent in the first quarter, and much of the media is ready to write off the company, especially in Europe. We're going to wait until
we see second quarter sales to get a clearer picture of what's going on at the company, and we won't get those numbers until early July.
Speaker 2: It looks like Hungary.
Speaker 1: Where it already has a pretty decent presence, will become the home of BYD's European operations. It opened its first
plant in the country in twenty sixteen to build electric buses.
It's currently building another plant there to produce passenger evs, and now BYD CEO says it plans to establish a center in Hungary that will be a hub for sales, services, testing, and to modify its vehicles for the European market. While
the EU has pushed back against imported Chinese evs for fear of them hurting the overall European auto industry, some countries in the region are more open to Chinese automakers establishing operations within their borders because of new employment opportunities, and BYD's new center is expected to create two thousand new jobs. Automotive suppliers love to keep their production lines
running smoothly. They don't like rush orders from automakers. They
don't like slowdowns, they don't like stops, and they want to know as far out in advance what they have to make, the quantities they have to make, and when it has to be delivered.
Speaker 2: And Toyota is one of the best at this.
Speaker 1: It gives suppliers a three month forecast and it sticks to that schedule.
Speaker 2: Or at least that's how Toyota used to do it.
Speaker 1: Now it's going to give it suppliers for North American production a one year forecast, something that's unprecedented in this industry.
Toyota is completely revamping and modernizing how it does production forecasts and will start the one year forecast with its top one hundred suppliers, then roll it out to the next seven hundred later this year. Toyota already had the
best relationship with its suppliers compared to the other full line manufacturers in North America, according to Plant Moran, and with a one year forecast, suppliers are gonna love Toyota even more.
Speaker 3: There's nothing wrong with heavy metal high light enough, but with world class composite material taging automotive technologies makes vehicles lighter, safer, and more eco friendly.
Speaker 1: Renault could be hinting at a future variant of the new Renault four with a concept it calls the SAVAN four by four. Notable upgrades over the cards based on
include an additional fifteen millimeters or aboutzo point six inches of ground clearance, eighteen inch all terrain tires, a wider track, and a second electric motor on the rear axle. Designers
top that off with a special paint color called Jade Green, and black accents around the lower faces, fenders, roof and rocker.
Speaker 2: Panels that give it a more rugged look.
Speaker 1: They even threw in a few three D printed components for a little something extra. The pixelated pattern on the
roof is actually a printed fabric, and the bump stops on the bumpers are made from three D printed parts that have some shock absorbing qualities to them. The Renault
four Savon four x four concept will make its public debut at the French Open tennis tournament, which starts this weekend.
In speaking of evs, GMC made a number of upgrades to the Hummer EV. One of those is a new
driving mode it calls King Crab, which allows owners to tap into even more of the steerby wire system's capability.
When activated, the rear wheels turn significantly faster than the front ones, so the back end of the vehicle rotates faster, making it easier to drive in tight spaces. Better Still,
the feature will be launched to all Hummer EV owners through an over the air update later this year. A
new limited production model is also coming to the lineup, called the Carbon fiber A edition. It gets its name
from carbon fiber inserts and the mirror caps and skid plates, but the real highlight to us is the improved zero to sixty time of two point eight seconds. GMC didn't
provide a lot of detail on how it did that, but said it was quote made possible through optimization of software and propulsion calibration, as well as developments and hardware and analysis work. Other highlights include improved suspension tuning for
a better overall ride, the ability to charge other evs or send power to your home, and the latest generation of GM's Supercrew's hands free driving system. Look for the
new Hummer EV to start hitting showrooms later this year.
You know, racing is one of the best ways to test and develop new technology, and to help make hydrogen powered cars more viable, BOSH created a liquid hydrogen storage control unit that's being used in a LAMA prototype. The
unit can monitor and can ConTroll the entire system, from storage to refueling to transferring the hydrogen to the fuel cell or ic engine. Bosch says the system can be
used with liquid hydrogen in low temperature tanks as well as pressurized hydrogen storage.
Speaker 2: Bosh's prototype called.
Speaker 1: The H two to four EVO, will be on display at the H two Village at La MA and the race car will also participate in a demo for hydrogen powered cars at the event. Los Angeles has notoriously bad traffic,
so to help ease that congestion when the city hosts the twenty twenty eight Olympic and Paralympic Games, organizers have partnered with Archer Aviation to provide air taxi rides. Archer's
Midnight ev Tall, which can hold up the four passengers, will transport VIPs, fans and stakeholders to venues around the city, which will only take about ten to twenty minutes. Archer
will install what it calls vertiports near venues where the aircraft can take off land, and they'll also be installed in key areas like lax Hollywood, Orange County in Santa Monica and estimated fifteen million visitors are expected to travel to LA over the course of the Games, so having this option could relieve a lot of headaches trying to get around town.
Speaker 2: Toyota is trying to add a splash.
Speaker 1: Of color to an otherwise mostly drab world of automotive paint finishes. Making its debut on the automaker's TRD Pro
models this year is a color developed by its Celty Design studio called Wave Blue. It says the bright light
blue color quote tells a unique story of artistic vision and the relentless pursuit of innovation. I don't know about
all of that, but it sure does grab your eye.
Speaker 2: We've got a.
Speaker 1: New Auto Line poll and this week it's open to everyone.
The head of the EPA says that quote, everyone hates the stop start feature in their car and promises to quote fix it.
Speaker 2: So we're wondering.
Speaker 1: What feedback would you give to automakers about stop start.
One I don't mind it at all, it's pretty seamless and efficient. Two I hate it and don't want it
and turn it off. Or three none of the above
see my comments below. So here's your chance to tell
the industry what you think, and we'll post the results on Monday's show. But that brings us to the end
of today's show and this week. Thanks for tuning in.
I hope that you have a great weekend.
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