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AD #4102 - U.S. Hits EU Cars With 15% Tariffs; U.S. DC Fast Chargers Installed at Record Pace; BYD Execs Can’t Travel to India

AD #4102 - U.S. Hits EU Cars With 15% Tariffs; U.S. DC Fast Chargers Installed at Record Pace; BYD Execs Can’t Travel to India

Autoline Daily Jul 28, 2025 9 min
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About this episode

The U.S. has imposed a 15% tariff on European cars, significantly impacting automakers like Audi, which reported a sharp profit decline partly due to these tariffs. Meanwhile, the U.S. is rapidly expanding its DC fast charging network, mostly driven by private investment. Tesla's robotaxi plans in San Francisco remain limited to human-driven services, and the company secured a major chip deal with Samsung for future vehicle hardware. Political tensions hinder BYD’s operations in India, while Chinese consumers express frustration over questionable sales practices. Stellantis undergoes a design leadership shakeup, and the hosts announce an upcoming live Q&A session.

Topics: us-eu car tariffs audi financial impact dc fast charging network tesla robotaxi service tesla chip deal byd india challenges china auto sales tactics stellantis design leadership electric vehicle infrastructure automotive industry politics
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Speaker 1: This is Outerliged Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. The Trump administration and the EU
agreed to a trade deal that's going to hit imported European cars with a fifteen percent tariff. Last week, the
stock prices of European automakers started climbing as a deal looked likely, but they're down today as the reality of that is starting to sync in. The US used to
charge a two and a half percent tariff on imported cars from Europe.
Speaker 2: So the new level is six times higher.
Speaker 1: On a fifty thousand dollars car, that fifteen percent comes to seven five hundred dollars, which is next to when possible for an automaker to absorb on its own, and that means prices are going to go up. As if
to put an exclamation point on the impact of the tariffs, AUDI is blaming them and restructuring expenses for a big drop in profits and free cash flow. AUDI sold over
four hundred thousand, three hundred vehicles in the second quarter, which was down more than eight percent. That includes the
Bentley in Lamborghini brands it brought in Joe Stover seventeen billion euros in revenue, which was down fractionally, but its operating profit dropped nearly sixty four percent and its profit margin saying to three percent. Net cash flow fell fifty percent,
and that's just for one quarter. But AUDI seems to
think that the second half will be better. It's guidance
for investors predicts that things will be a little bit worse than last year, but not by much. Well, here's
a pleasant surprise. The DC fast charging network in the
US is growing at a record breaking pace. A company
called paren which tracks the charging network, says sixteen seven hundred DC fast charging ports will open this year. At
the current rate of growth, the US will surpass one hundred thousand DC charging ports by twenty twenty seven, or double then number from last year. Better still, charge point
operators or CPOs are standardizing around three hundred and fifty to four hundred kilowat chargers. The reliability of chargers is
also improving, standing at eighty five point five percent uptime and the prices that the station's charge for electricity is coming down to. The CPOs are opening new charging stations
as well, but most of them are going into existing locations to reduce wait times. However, here's the most astonishing
fact about the record installation of new DC chargers. Only
two to three percent of the cost was covered with federal subsidies from the NEV program or the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure. All that growth is really coming from private industry.
Contrary to reports last week, Tesla is not going to expand its robotaxi service to San Francisco. Instead, according to
the California Public Utilities Commission, Tesla will offer a chauffeur like service operated by a human driver in a non autonomous vehicle, and it won't be open to the public.
Only friends and families of employees and a limited number of selected riders can use the service. Tesla can't use
its robotaxis in California because it hasn't applied for the required permits yet. And in other Tesla news, Elon Musk
revealed that the company has secured a sixteen point five billion dollar chip deal with Samsung. Samsung will produce the
next gen chips at a new factory in Texas, which is expected to start production in twenty twenty seven or twenty twenty eight. Samsung shares shot up nearly seven percent
after the deal was reported earlier today, pushing its stock to.
Speaker 2: Its highest level since last September.
Speaker 1: Samsung currently makes chips for Tesla the power its full self driving system. Taiwan e semiconductor maker TSMC will make
chips for Tesla's hardware five system, and then these new chips from Samsung will be used in hardware six.
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Speaker 1: Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla's new cheaper EV is quote just a model. Why and someone in China just spotted
what looks like several of these models in a parking lot.
They appear to lack the new wise front led light bar and panoramic glass roof. They switch to a body
colored trim in the rear, a shorter center console in fabric seats, and the screens in the rear have been removed.
Since most of the interior is covered, there could be more changes and their speculation that Tesla could even mess with the battery size. Political tensions between China and India
are preventing BYD executives from obtaining visas to travel to India.
Ever since a clash between Chinese and Indian soldiers in twenty twenty, India hasn't allowed executives from Chinese companies to enter the country. So in order to run its Indian operations,
BYD is holding meetings in nearby countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal. But that's not the only obstacle that BYD
faces in India. The government also rejected a billion dollar
plan to build a plant in the country, so it has to import most of the cars that it sells, which gets slapped with high tariffs that double the car's cost.
Speaker 2: Despite all that, BYD.
Speaker 1: Is steadily growing in India, but its sales are still relatively small. Last year, it sold thirty five hundred cars
in India and nearly reached that total in the first half of this year. Consumers in China are not happy
with the sales tactics of automakers and dealers. Reuters previously
reported that brands Netta and Zeker were ensuring vehicles before they were sold, because once a vehicle is insured in China, it can be counted as sold in Automate and dealers were doing this to keep up with sales targets. It
wasn't some secret either, Some customers were told this outright by dealers after realizing in some cases that.
Speaker 2: Their insurance was in someone else's name.
Speaker 1: That has led directly to complaints on several different Chinese websites, and Reuter's uncovered it was far more than Justinetta and Zeker.
Pretty Much every automaker in China, including major foreign brands, had a complaint logged against them. There's been a shakeup
in Stilantis's design ranks. Back when SCA and PSA merged
to become Stalantis, the role of chief design.
Speaker 2: Officer was split in two.
Speaker 1: Ralph Giels was given the Americas and Maserati, and Jean Pierre Pluet was in charge of Europe, but when new CEO Antonio Felosa took over, he chopped that back down to one, with the role of chief design Officer going to Ralph Giel's. And now Stilantis announced that Pluet will
leave the company altogether. No word what the next chapter
of his life might have in store, or even a thank you for your services. As a replacement, Stilantis poach
Renault Designer yields Vidal to be in charge of its European brands, including like commercial vehicles. Vidal will work closely
with Ralph Giels and report directly to the company's COO of Europe. And don't forget that John and I will
be doing a live Q and A tomorrow at two thirty pm Eastern Time. We've got a number of hot
topics we'd like to dive into, even a few that might stir up some controversy. We'd love to get your
questions as well, but you'll need to be a YouTube or Patreon member, so if you're interested, please consider signing up.
Plus you'll get access to a lot more content. But
that brings us to the end of today's show. Thanks
for making Autoline a part of your day. Auto Line
daily is brought to you by intrepid control systems over the air engineering boost your game, and by

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