AD #4206 - U.S. House to Discuss Speeding Up Robotaxi Rollout; SUV Sales Surge in Europe; Xiaomi Updates SU7 Sedan
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AD #4206 - U.S. House to Discuss Speeding Up Robotaxi Rollout; SUV Sales Surge in Europe; Xiaomi Updates SU7 Sedan
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Speaker 1: This is ut Aligned daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. A subcommittee in the US
House of Representatives will hold a hearing next week to discuss easing rules to speed up the development of robotaxis. Currently,
the law allows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to exempt up to twenty five hundred autonomous vehicles per automaker that can be deployed each year as long as they're deemed safe. But one of the proposals would boost the
cap to ninety thousand vehicles a year, and it would allow some safety features like rear view mirrors or steering wheels to be removed, which companies say aren't necessary for robotaxis.
Another bill under consideration would ban states from setting their own rules on autonomous driving, while another would require NITZE to set standards for advanced driver assistance systems to help reduce costs and speed up development. A group of companies
across the auto industry have agreed to collaborate on open source software for next gen vehicles, led by the German auto lobbying group VDA. Last year, it got eleven companies
to join the pact, including BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen and now.
It says there are a total of thirty two companies that will participate, including Stilantis, truckmaker Tratton, the supplier Scheffler, and chip makers Infineon and Qualcomm. The VDA says the
collaboration is aimed to reduce development efforts by up to forty percent and speed up time to market by thirty percent.
CATL is the biggest evy battery maker in the world, and here's part of the reason automakers choose it over the competition. Morgan Stanley looked at real world applications of
twelve electric vehicles and won hundred sample batteries and found that Catl's batteries degrade at a significantly lower rate. After
a combined two million kilometers or one point two five million miles, its batteries retained roughly four hundred kilometers or two hundred and fifty miles of range, compared to the competition, which retained about three hundred and fifty kilometers or just over two hundred and fifteen miles of range. While CTL
has lost market share over the last several years, it still supplies nearly forty percent of the world's Evy batteries.
The Shaomi Su seven Sedana has only been on sale in China for less than two years, but the model is already getting a major refresh. However, like Tesla, more
of the changes are under the skin. While still very
popular with Chinese buyers, Shaomi took a big hit to its safety reputation after a couple of high profile incidents.
So the new sou seven features a dedicated backup power system for the door locks and embedded anti rollcagelider and more computing power across all models. It also comes with
an upgraded suspension system, new motors, more range, and faster charging compared to the previous model. All those extra features
bump the starting price range from about thirty three thousand to forty four thousand dollars, which is an increase of fourteen hundred to two thousand dollars.
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Speaker 1: Twenty twenty five was a bad year for Tesla in Europe.
The company sold a little more than two hundred and thirty five thousand vehicles last year, which was about ninety thousand units less than twenty twenty four, representing a drop of nearly twenty eight percent. In fact, Tesla was down
in every country except for Norway, but Norway changed its EVY tax credits in the new year, which will make some Tesla's ineligible, and that pulled sales ahead at the end of twenty twenty five, so its sales will likely start dropping in Norway this year. But Tesla wasn't the
only automaker that had a tough time in Europe last year.
Volvos sales dropped ten percent in the region to just over three hundred and thirty thousand units. However, the company
is showing some minor signs of life in other major markets, posting one percent increases in both China and the US at the end of twenty twenty five, but that still wasn't enough to turn around its overall global sales, which came in at seven hundred and ten thousand vehicles, a drop of seven percent. SUVs are becoming more and more
popular in Europe. According to Data Force. In twenty twenty,
SUVs accounted for forty one percent in new car sales in Europe. Today that's jumped to fifty nine percent. At
the same time, the popularity of hatchbacks is falling. In
twenty twenty, they accounted for thirty five percent of sales.
Now hatchbacks are down to about twenty four percent. SUVs
are more popular because of a higher ride height while still fitting into the same parking spaces as small vehicles and hatchbags, but these aren't the same type of big SUVs you see in the US. The top selling SUVs
in Europe last year where the Volkswagen t Rock and Tiguan, the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Pugo two thousand and eight and the Dashia Duster, respectively. Sticking with Europe, Stalantis's production
in Italy dropped significantly last year. According to a labor union.
Stalanta is built under three hundred and eighty thousand vehicles including vans, down twenty percent from the year before, and it's a steep drop from the more than seven hundred and fifty thousand vehicles it produced in Italy and twenty twenty three. The Italian government has raised concerns about Stalantis'
decline in production since it's the country's only major automaker.
The company is addressing those concerns by boosting production of the Fiat five hundred hybrid and the Jeep Compass at two of its Italian plants, and Stillantis has pledged to invest two billion euros at its manufacturing sites in the country.
But I wonder if the Italians could end up turning to the Chinese if Stillantas's changes aren't enough. Vehicle terrain
modes lights switching the settings from sand to snow and off road are really good at adapting vehicle dynamics to those conditions, But what if you never had to make the decision to switch those settings in the first place.
The supplier ZETF is showing off how smart hardware, AI and software can be combined to make changes to the chassis in real time, no matter the road type or condition.
The top version of its AI road Sense technology features both cameras and lighter that scan the road ahead so the vehicle can make more precise adjustments to the conditions.
In the future, ZETAF will also integrate steer and break by wire functions into the system. With the ability to
counteract road vibrations, zetof says it can also reduce a cabin tire noise by three decibels. And if you haven't
done so, be sure to check out our coverage of CES.
We have several videos posted on our website and YouTube channel about the new technology on display at the show, and we have more coming. But that brings us to
the end of today's show. Thanks for making autoline a
part of your day.
Speaker 3: Auto Line Daily is brought to you by alex Partners.
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Speaker 4: At CSP, we work with OEM engineers across the country on their journeys to lighter, safer, and more eco friendly vehicles.
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About this episode
Discussions focus on U.S. legislative efforts to accelerate robotaxi deployment by easing vehicle caps and standardizing autonomous driving rules. The German VDA leads a growing coalition of 32 companies collaborating on open-source software to cut development time. CATL's EV batteries show superior longevity in real-world tests. Xiaomi refreshes its SU7 sedan with enhanced safety and performance features amid a price increase. European SUV sales surge to 59%, while Tesla and Volvo face declining sales. Stellantis confronts production drops in Italy but plans investments. Advanced AI-driven chassis tech from ZETF promises real-time terrain adaptation and noise reduction.
Original notes
- U.S. House to Discuss Speeding Up Robotaxi Rollout - Auto Industry Expands Open-Source Software Collab - CATL Batteries Degrade Slower Than Competitors - Xiaomi Updates SU7 Sedan - Tesla’s 2025 Sales Plummet in Europe - Volvo Sales Down 7% Globally In 2025 - SUV Sales Surge in Europe - Stellantis’ Production in Italy Down 20% In 2025 - New ZF Tech Switches Vehicle Modes in Real-Time
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