Speaker 1: This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. No doubt you've heard that President
Trump's quote, one big, beautiful tax bill cleared the House of Representatives this morning, but it only made it through by one vote. Now it has to go to the Senate,
where it faces an equally hard fight. And here's what
the auto industry is watching carefully. The legislation as it
stands now phases out the seventy five hundred dollars tax rebate for new evs, the four thousand dollars rebate for used evs, and the forty thousand dollars rebate for clean commercial vehicles at the end of this year. That seven
years earlier than they were originally set to expire. Saying
goes for the thousand dollars tax credit for installing a level to charger in your home. It gets the heave
ho on December thirty first. The bill also tax on
a two hundred and fifty dollars annual federal f D to all evs. Now, maybe some of this will get
changed under reconciliation between the House and Senate bills, but one thing's for sure. If things stay as they are,
this will really hurt sales of electric vehicles. Tesla once
dominated EV sales in Europe, but not anymore. Even BYD
is out selling it. Jado Dynamics reports that registrations of
BYD's fully electric vehicles surged one hundred and sixty nine percent in April to seven thousand, two hundred and thirty one units, which was sixty six more than Tesla, which saw its sales plummet forty nine percent. Even more alarming
for Tesla, in April, it dropped out of the top ten EV brands, and it's way behind the Volkswagen brand, which was number one with more than twenty three thoy five hundred registrations. Tesla sales at the beginning of the
quarter are usually lower, but this is a pretty alarming drop. Yet,
Tesla doesn't seem to be concerned about sales slumping in Europe and must think they'll recover. According to one of
Tesla's European managers, it's moving ahead with plans to double production and expand battery output at its plant in Germany.
The factory is back to producing five thousand vehicles a week after it was retooled to produce the new Model Y.
According to Data Force, Tesla sold more than sixty two thousand vehicles in Europe in the first four months of the year, down from more than one hundred and one thousand a year ago. But Tesla better figure out quick
how to boost its sales in Europe byd is launching its low cost SEAgel EV in the European market, but it's renaming it the Dolphin Surf. It starts at just
over twenty six thousand dollars for the three hundred and twenty two kilometer or two hundred mile range version, up to just over twenty eight grand for the five hundred and seven kilometer or three hundred and fifteen mile range model.
While that's in the low cost range for Europe, it's a significant markup from its seven eight hundred dollars base price in China. However, that price for the Dolphin Surf
also includes the twenty seven percent tariffs that the EU is imposing on imported Chinese evs, and thanks to its low price in China, the Seagull was the second best selling model in the region last year, behind the Tesla Model Y, with four hundred and forty two thousand registrations, but it's also becoming more popular in other markets, with sales outside of China increasing forty five percent to one hundred and seventy thousand units so far this year. Even
though North America is the one bright spot for Nissan, it's planning significant cuts, especially in Mexico. Last week, the
company set it plans to cut twenty thousand jobs and close seven plans globally in an effort to save three point four billion dollars, and the chainchairmen of Nissan America's Christian Muniere, said that one point eight billion dollars of those cost reductions will come from North America, with plant consolidations in Mexico and job cuts in the US.
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: The all electric version of the Dodge Charger was supposed to launch in the fourth quarter of last year, but now the coop and Sedan won't hit dealerships until sometime in the second half of this year, and there will no longer be an entry level RT model that was supposed to start at around sixty two thousand dollars. Instead,
Dodge will launch with scat pack models that start at roughly seventy five thousand dollars including destination charges. We present Zoom.
The IC versions of the new charger with Stilantis's Hurricane engine will cover the quote unquote more affordable portion of the lineup, and they hit the market at the same time as the evs. This dual powertrain strategy was made
possible by switching to the Stella Large architecture, which also offers significantly more room than the previous model. In fact,
there's one hundred and thirty three percent more rear cargo space than the old charger powering the EV version, called the Charger Daytona, is a dual motor setup that combines to produce six hundred and seventy horse power, and it will launch the car from zero to sixty in three point three seconds. Customers can also pay extra for a
track package that includes sixteen inch Brembo rotors and corresponding red calipers, as well as an upgraded tire setup. But
all that performance in standard all wheel drive means the Charger Daytona is an as efficient. It comes with a
one hundred kilowatt hour battery pack and will have a maximum range of two hundred and forty one miles, so trips to the charging station will be more frequent, especially since owners are going to want to tap into that hellcat like performance. Hyundai is going to test automatic charging
robots at the Incheon International Airport in Korea. The robots
feature an AI based vision system which allows them to automatically recognize the charging port of an EV, insert the charger, and then disconnect it when it's finished. The chargers are
four hundred kilowatts and able to function in the rain or dust and in temperatures between negative fifteen to sixty degrees c or five to one hundred and forty degrees fahrenheit.
Hyundai is aiming to commercialize the robots and expand the service to other areas around the globe. Chinese EV maker
Japung is launching a new low cost model that features an autonomous driving system with no lightar. It uses seven
cameras and two Nvidia chips to provide hands free driving on the highway in city streets, as well as automated parking.
The vehicle, called the Monam three Max, comes with a sixty two kilowad hour LFP battery pack, a one hundred and sixty kilowad electric motor, and it has a range of five hundred and eighty kilometers or three hundred and sixty miles based on the Chinese test cycle. And while
its tech and range are impressive, so is the price, which starts at twenty one thousand, five hundred dollars. Chevy
is giving the Silverado ev the Trail Boss treatment. It
gets unique styling both inside and out, with a new front facia that improves its approach angle that's made even better by a two inch lift kit, improving ground clearance by twenty four percent. Chevy also added unique eighteen inch
wheels and thirty five inches hires, as well as made special tuning adjustments to the suspension and gave it an exclusive terrain mode. The Silverado Evy Trail Boss is available
with what Chevy calls an Extended and Max Range battery pack.
The Extended version starts at seventy two thousand dollars including destination charges, while the Max version starts at over eighty eight thousand, five hundred bucks OMG. Stop the presses, hold
your horses. This just in the Wienermobile is going to
race at Indy. No strike that six wienermobiles are going
to raise at Indy. They're calling it the Weeny five hundred.
The race will be streamed live on social media this Friday, and highlights will be included in the pre race coverage of the real Indy five hundred on Sunday. The Wienermobile
is one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable vehicles in the United States, right up there with the Batmobile and time Machine Dolory, and it's been around for a long time. The Oscar Meyer hot Dog brand has been
using Wienermobiles since nineteen thirty six. And by the way,
they're not just going to race, they're also making deliveries because Indy five hundred fans are expected to eat thirty thousand hot dogs over the race weekend. Paul Thomas is
the president of BOSH North America, and he's one of the most important executives in the automotive supplier community, and he's also our special guest on Auto Line after Hours later this afternoon, we're going to get his insights on how they're dealing with the tariffs, the future of evs in the US, and a host of other topics. Adam
Bernard from Auto Perspectives will also be on the show. Previously,
Adam collected intelligence on future products for General motors and he has great insights into what's coming down the line.
So joined John and Gary when the show goes live at three pm Eastern Time. But that's a wrap for
this show and I hope to see you later today.
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About this episode
The discussion covers a U.S. bill proposing to eliminate EV tax credits early, potentially impacting electric vehicle sales. BYD has surpassed Tesla in European EV sales, with Tesla facing a significant decline but planning to boost production in Germany. Dodge is launching its electric Charger alongside an ICE version, both benefiting from a new platform. Hyundai is testing AI-powered automatic charging robots, while Chinese EV maker Japung introduces a low-cost autonomous model. Chevy unveils a rugged Silverado EV Trail Boss, and the iconic Wienermobile will race at Indy. The episode also previews a guest interview with BOSH North America's president on tariffs and EV futures.
- U.S. Bill Eliminates EV Subsidies This Year - Other Brands Pass Tesla in EU EV Sales - Tesla Moving Ahead with German Plant Expansion - BYD Brings Lower Cost EVs to Europe - Nissan to Cut $1.8 Billion in U.S. - Dodge Charger EV and ICE Hit Market Around Same Time - Hyundai Tests Auto Charging Robots at Airport - XPeng Mona Goes Hands-Free with No Lidar - Siverado EV Get Trail Boss Treatment - Wienermobiles to Race at Indy
