AD #4178 - GM to Suppliers: Get Out of China; U.S. SAAR Drops To 15.3 Million; Peugeot Reimagines Compact Cars

Speaker 1: This is out Aligned Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. We've got more data on

US new car sales for October, and they don't look good.

Last week we reported sales for the automakers that provide monthly numbers, but Cox Automotive just provided us with a more complete picture. The SAR, or seasonally adjusted annual rate,

dropped to only fifteen point three million vehicles compared to sixteen point one million a year ago. We knew there'd

be a drop off after people rushed into showrooms to buy evs before the subsidies evaporated, but we didn't think they dropped by that much. So this suggests to us

that the downturn is not just about eves. Volkswagen is

the world's second largest automaker, but it's controlled by a holding company called Porsche SE, which is controlled by the Porsche and PX families, and Porsche SSE just SAUF. It's

plummet by thirty six percent. That's got the company thinking

about diversifying its portfolio, and it's exploring getting into military procurement as Germany and most of Europe ramps up their defense spending. Pollstar is in danger of being delisted from

the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. As of the close of trading yesterday,

the company shares we're only at twenty four cents. The

NASDAK requires a minimum price of a dollar per share, and so it warned Polestar it could be delisted. To

help boost that price, Polestar is going to do a reverse stock split, which will reduce the number of its shares, thus increasing their value. Pollstar is really struggling right now,

posting a net loss of three hundred and sixty five million dollars in the third quarter. It's going to be

easier for Evy owners to find an open charger at one of Tesla supercharger stations. Google Maps is now listing

the total number of stalls at supercharger locations and how many are available. Previously, that info was only available to

Tesla owners with the Tesla app, but now anyone can get it using Google Maps.

Speaker 2: At CSP, we work with OEM engineers across the country on their journeys to lighter, safer, and more eco friendly vehicles.

Learn more at VCSP dot com.

Speaker 1: General Motors is making some important management moves. Steve Hill,

who was running GM China will now get a new job focusing on exports and retail innovation. John Roth, who

was running Cadillac, will now become president of GM China, and Christian Achilina, who was running GM Canada, will now run Cadillac. And keep these names in mind because we

think they're all being groomed for potentially higher positions later in their careers. And speaking of remoters, it's dropping something

of a bombshell on its North American suppliers. It doesn't

want them sourcing anything from China. No parts, no components,

not even materials, and it applies to all the vehicles that GM makes in North America. GM says it wants

to make sure its supply chain will not get disrupted by geopolitical problems. China recently clamped down on exports of

rare earth materials and computer chips, which disrupted global automotive production.

And while China has sinse eased up on those restrictions, GM isn't taking any chances. It's giving its North American

suppliers until twenty twenty seven to unwind from China. We

think it's important to note that two of GM's board members have deep ties to the US military and probably have a lot of influence on GM's strategic thinking. Wesley

Bush is the former chairman of Northrop Grumman and Jan Tie is a retired add roll from the US Navy.

While Elon Musk doesn't believe lightar is necessary for autonomous vehicles, Chinese light our maker Hassei is growing by leaps and bounds.

As of August, it controlled forty six percent of the light our market in China. In the third quarter, Hassai

delivered more than four hundred and forty one thousand light our units, up a whopping two hundred and thirty percent from a year ago, and through the first nine months of the year it delivered more than a million units, making it the first light our company in the world to hit that mark. Thanks to that success, Hassai will

achieve full year gap profitability one quarter out of schedule, and the growth should continue. The company has secured contracts

to supply its top two customers for their entire twenty twenty six lineups and in China. It also has several

partnerships with companies for robotaxis, which can use up to eight light oar each. Pougeot revealed its vision for a

future compact car, a concept called the Polygon. The styling

is pretty wild, especially for a vehicle under four meters or thirteen feet long, so I tried to focus on the type of stuff that I think Pougeot actually wants in its future compact cars. That includes things like more

recycled materials, using fewer parts and interchangeable components, as well as making the manufacturing process more efficient. One piece of

tech from the Polygon that will for sure make its way to a production vehicle is a full steer by wire system where there's no mechanical link between the steering wheel and tires, the steering ratio changes with the vehicle speed, and it even sounds like that square steering wheel will be part of the package. Pougeot says it will launch

steer by Wire in twenty twenty seven. There's no mention

of what powers the Polygon, but any future compact car from the company would likely ride on the Stella small platform, which can accommodate any powertrain types. And speaking of new models,

Mercedes is currently cold weather testing the all new GLB, but it also revealed the SUV's interior for the first time.

I know, I said the same thing when Mercedes revealed the all new GLC in September. But I'm surprised to

see the huge digital screens on the dash. That's because

Gordon Wagner, Mercedes Chief design Officer, said earlier this year quote, screens are not luxury and we have to create luxury beyond the screen. Well, based on all the new models

that it's coming out with, it seems like the other people in charge at Mercedes don't feel the same way.

That brings us to the end of today's show. Thanks

for tuning in.

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AD #4178 - GM to Suppliers: Get Out of China; U.S. SAAR Drops To 15.3 Million; Peugeot Reimagines Compact Cars

Mercedes-Benz GLB

Mercedes-Benz GLC

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