AD #4189 - Audi Updates V6 Diesel; VinFast May Add EREVs and Hybrids; BYD Hits 3-Month Sales Slump

Speaker 1: This is Autoligne Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Hey, everybody, welcome back. I hope

you were able to enjoy some time off. I know

I was, but now it's time to get back to things and we start where. There's a battle brewing in

Europe between environmentalists and the automotive industry, and it's mainly about the EU's planned to ban new ice vehicles in twenty thirty five. Last week, Germany's chancellor urged the EU

to allow exemptions for plug in hybrids, extended range electrics and quote highly efficient combustion powered cars and now stillant to CEO, Antonio Filosa is essentially saying the same thing.

He says it's necessary to quote return the European auto industry to growth. The EU will unveil a set of

proposals later this month to support the auto industry, including a review of its emission targets, and it looks like Audi is already expecting some sort of regularatory relief. It's

making updates to its three liter V six diesel that goes into models like the A six and Q five.

It now comes combined with a belt driven starter generator, electric compressor and LFP battery pack. The forty eight volte

system for the starter generator also powers the electric compressor, which is located behind the turbocharger and the intercooler in the intake path. If the system detects that the accelerator

pedal has been mashed down but the turbo hasn't had time to spool up, the intake air will be directed to the electric compressor, where it will be compressed again before entering the engine. AUDI claims this quote overcomes turbo

leg and also significantly lowers fuel consumption compared to the previous engine generation. When combined with all its new tech,

the updated three liter V six diesel makes two hundred and twenty kilowatts or about two hundred and ninety five horse power and nearly four hundred and thirty pounds feet of torque. The Volkswagen Group is making an interesting change

to its European manufacturing footprint that will really have to keep an eye on. All of the company's plants in

Spain and Portugal will report to one manufacturing executive who will oversee all planning, production logistics and launches. VWAG says

the move is to give the region greater autonomy and flexibility to boost efficiency and competitiveness. The goal is to

have leaner operations, faster launches, and long term gains in manufacturing competitiveness. The company makes Volkswagen, Sayat and Cooper models

in Spain and Portugal, and is building a gigafactory for EV batteries in Spain. Here's our autoline insight. If VW

thinks this works well in the Iberian Peninsula, then it will probably want a change to a regional management structure across the world. Tesla cybercab received a lot of criticism

for being impractical because it only seats two people, but it turns out Tesla could have the right approach. According

to data that Weimo provided to the California Public Utilities Commission, ninety percent of its trips have two or less people and seventy five percent have one or less. Just six

percent of rides have three passengers and only three percent have four passengers. So if the cyber cab is able

to launch without a steering wheel and pedals, it looks like Tesla will be able to cover most trips, but its bigger hurdle will likely be getting approval to roll out the service, making the.

Speaker 2: Life full of memories one road trip at a time.

Speaker 1: That's what really matters.

Speaker 2: Rich don't weather peak tires with.

Speaker 3: The seventy thousand mile womened warranty.

Speaker 1: China's auto industry is in a strange position. From one angle,

it looks unstoppable, but another it looks increasingly fragile.

Speaker 3: Here's what I mean.

Speaker 1: According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, exports hit seven million vehicles. That's a million more than last year

and double the number from three years ago. Chinese automakers

are taking the global market by storm, and yet BYD, the largest automaker in China, is now into a three month sales slump despite strong exports. Sales fell more than

five percent in November and profits plummeted thirty three percent in the last quarter. BYD enjoyed explosive growth over the

last few years as it launched a slew of new models into the Chinese market, but that market is looking increasingly oversaturated and BYD may have over extended its product line.

All this has investors worried about what's going to happen next year. If the Chinese market softens. Chinese EV stocks

started trending down two months ago and really started to fall a couple of weeks ago. Though ANYV sales are

still growing, they're now growing at half the rate they were at the beginning of the year. Only a handful

of Chinese automakers are profitable, but at the rate they're going they may be headed for a situation where none of them are making money. General motors in Tesla have

recently told their North American suppliers they don't want them sourcing anything for their USA made vehicles from China so their supply chains aren't disrupted by geopolitical problems, and now companies in Europe are doing the same. According to the

EU Chamber of Commerce, a third of member companies are looking to move supply chains away from China because of China tightening control on exports, and another forty percent of companies say China is processing export licenses more slowly than promised.

Eve's startup, Vinfest has been able to increase sales to a little over one hundred and ten thousand vehicles through the first nine months of the year, but it's spending a lot of money to expand. So here's one way

it might try to increase its appeal. Reports say VinFast

is considering shifting away from only electric vehicles and adding range extenders or maybe even hybrids to its lineup. Sources

say one plan under consideration is to use a small internal combustion engine that would help charge the battery to help provide more range, but won't provide any power to the wheels. While nothing is final yet, we think this

would be the perfect application for horsepower train and with that we wrap up today's report. Thanks for tuning in.

Speaker 3: Auto Line Daily is brought to you by Bridgestone Solutions for your Journey CSP, the Composites Solution partner Intrepid Control Systems over the year engineering boost your game and thanks to the following YouTube and Patreon members.

Speaker 2: Developing today's vehicles. Issues can happen in an instant. When's

the best time to solve a problem? The minute you

know you have one? Meet Wireless neof Cloud You're secure

off the shelf solution empowering real time collaboration for quick resolution.

With wireless neov Cloud, your team can prevent issues before they can escalate. Driver communication data and remote diagnostics to

analyze and resolve your problems using Ota, allowing your executives oversight throughout the process. Wireless NEOVI Cloud your vehicle update

solution in production and on the road. Intrepid control systems

driven by your data.

Speaker 3: 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.

AD #4189 - Audi Updates V6 Diesel; VinFast May Add EREVs and Hybrids; BYD Hits 3-Month Sales Slump

Tesla Cybercab

About this episode

Original notes