Chevy unveils the Corvette ZR1X, a hyper-powerful hybrid Corvette with 1,250 horsepower and sub-2-second 0-60 times, pushing performance boundaries. Volkswagen introduces a production-ready autonomous ID Buzz robotaxi for deployment in Europe and the US, featuring advanced sensor arrays and AI fleet management. China faces a shortage of EV subsidies amid a used car subsidy scandal, potentially slowing sales. Ram responds to declining pickup sales with a 10-year powertrain warranty and the return of the HEMI V8. Meanwhile, oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron invest in lithium mining to support EV battery supply chains, and Honda launches an electric quadricycle for last-mile delivery.
Topics:corvette zr1xelectric and hybrid powertrainsautonomous vehiclesev subsidies in chinapickup truck sales and warrantieslithium mining and supplysolid state battery researchlast mile delivery vehiclesunion leadership issuesrare earth material supply
- ZR1X Is Sub 2-Second Corvette - Chinese Cities Run Out of Car Subsidies - Shawn Fain Is Foul-Mouthed, Angry, Threatening UAW Leader - Ram Adopts 10-Year Warranty to Boost Sales - Big Oil Investing in EV Battery Materials - VW To Launch L4 ID. Buzz Robotaxis - Scout Re-Engineers to Reduce Rare Earths - Huawei Building Solid-Date EV Battery Plant - Honda Jumps into Last Mile Delivery
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Speaker 1: This is out Aligned Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industreamed in August of last year.
We told you that we had it on pretty good authority that Chevy was going to come out with a version of the Corvette even more extreme than the ZR one that has all wheel drive, and pretty much everything we reported at the time is now being confirmed with the introduction of the Corvette ZR one X. The mid
mounted twin turbo V eight from the ZR one, which makes one thousand and sixty four horse power, is paired with a front mounted electric motor similar to the one in the Corvette Era, but the unit in the ZR one X features stronger internal components and better energy output, which means it's capable of making one hundred and eighty six horse power. That brings total output to one thousand,
two hundred and fifty horse power and gives the ZR one X the ability to do zero to sixty and under two seconds. No word on when the model goes
on sale yet or what the price will be, but for reference, a completely tricked out ZR one is just a shade under two hundred grand, so the ZR one X will easily top that figure. Sales of new energy
vehicles in China have been surging ahead thanks to leading edge cars, but also because of government subsidies, and now several cities in China say they're running out of that money.
They expect to get more subsidy money from the central government later this year, but this could sload on car sales until they do. The subsidies are for trade ins
of used cars, and that itself triggered something of a scandal.
Some automakers are claiming that new or almost new cars are actually used cars, and they're selling them that way to collect the used car subsidy. That's one reason why
the subsidy money is running out. But the central government
is also looking to crack down on companies selling cars with no miles on them that are classified as used.
The uaw's president, Sean Fein, is a foul mouthed, angry union leader who uses threats against people who don't agree with him. That's according to a court appointed watchdog who
is monitoring the union as part of the aftermath of its corruption scandal that saw two previous UAW presidents go to prison. The watchdog says Faine stripped another union official
of her oversight over several union departments and that he needs to reinstate her duties. This should be very embarrassing
to the UAW. While Fame likes to talk about solidarity
within the union, the latest watchdog report shows that it's dealing with infighting and mistrust amongst its leadership. Last year's
sales of the Ram pickup in the US fell sixteen percent.
They fell another twelve percent in the first quarter, so Ram is taking action to put its pickups back on shopping lists. A couple of weeks ago, it announced it's
bringing back the HEMIV eight, and today it announced it's offering a ten year, one hundred thousand mile limited powertrain warranty.
It applies to light and heavy duty pickups as well as the Pro Master van, and this is similar to what Hyundai did back in nineteen ninety nine when it offered a ten year, one hundred thousand mile warranty. Sales
immediately shot up, and the program is so successful at bringing new buyers in that Hyundai is sticking with it, even though extended warranties can turn out to be quite expensive.
Another big oil company is getting into lithium production. Two
years ago, Exxon Mobil acquired land in Arkansas to mine for lithium. That's part of the Smackover formation, which has
a massive deposit of the metal. And now Chevron has
also acquired land in Arkansas and Texas that's part of the same formation. Chevron says this is the first step
in establishing a commercial scale lithium business, but it didn't say how much or when it will start producing lithium.
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Speaker 1: Volkswagen's mobility services and right hailing company called Moya just introduced a production ready version of an autonomous ID buzz.
Starting next year, the automaker will offer the vehicle for deployment to cities, municipalities and to fleet operators in Europe and the US. These autonomous ID buzzes are SAE level
four autonomous vehicles that feature mobilized self driving system which includes thirteen cameras, nine light oars and five radars. Moil
will also provide operators with AI software to manage the fleets in real time. Automatically assist passengers, and it can
integrate into existing booking apps. Moyle will further support operators
with simulation and training, as well as deployment and live monitoring of day to day operations. China cutting off supplies
of rare earth materials in retaliation to US tariffs could eventually impact all automakers and suppliers. Ford CEO Jim Farley
even said the company had to shut down some plants due to a lack of rare earth. Since the market
for such critical materials can change so easily, Scout Motors is trying to reduce its reliance on them. CEO Scott
Keo told Bloomberg that it's exploring ways to engineer motors and brake units with fewer rare earth materials. We wonder
if Rivian is involved with these efforts, since the Traveler suv and Tarra pickup truck will be based on Rivian's electronic architecture. Either way, the move should reduce costs for
Scout and make the companies stronger in the long run.
But let's be honest here, Scout has a major advantage over other automakers like Ford. Its vehicles aren't scheduled to
come out until twenty twenty seven, so it's much easier to make these adjustments now. And speaking of reducing reliances,
Chinese tech companies look like they're trying to reduce their reliance on traditional EVY battery makers like COTL and BYD.
Hiahwei filed a patent for a new sulfide base solid state battery which uses a new nitrogen doping process on the electrolyte that improves safety and life. For these kinds
of batteries, it claims they'll have an energy density between four hundred and five hundred watt hours per kilogram, about double today's lithium ion batteries, offer a range of up to three thousand kilometers or about one thousand, eight hundred and sixty miles, and the bit to recharge in as little as five minutes. While research shows these figures are possible,
there's currently no charging solution available that's capable of providing that kind of power. Plus Carnws China estimates that it
cost between one thy one hundred and fourteen hundred dollars per kilowad hour to produce solid state battery sales right now.
An expert say for evs to reach cost parity with ice vehicles, Battery costs need to be around one hundred dollars per kilo wad hour on a global basis. Battery
costs reached one hundred and fifteen dollars per kilowad hour last year, but China was a major reason that figure is as low as it is. Honda is jumping into
the last mile delivery vehicle business. The automaker established a
new company called FastPort, which will debut its first product at the end of the month in Germany. It's an
electric quadricycle called the Equad, which features swappable battery packs and will be available in two sizes. The larger version
will have a range of up to twenty three miles depending on the payload, and both models have a top speed of twelve miles an hour or twenty kilometers an hour.
Other features include regenerative braking and automatic parking brakes. Fast
Port will start delivering the Equad in Europe and the US by the end of the year, and it will go into mass production starting next summer. US versions will
be built at Honda's performance manufacturing center in Ohio that make specialty vehicles like the Acura NSX fuel sell CRV and Honda's race cars. But that's a wrap for this show.
Thanks for tuning.
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