Certified pre-owned vehicles are used cars that have been checked and approved by the manufacturer, so they are in good condition and often come with a warranty.
The Ford Five Hundred is a large car that Ford made from 2005 to 2007. It was designed to be roomy and comfortable, making it a good choice for families. Even though it's not made anymore, some people still talk about it because of its size and comfort.
Great Wall Motors is a car company from China that makes different types of vehicles, including electric ones. They are known for their SUVs and trucks.
A range extender is a small engine in some electric cars that helps charge the battery while you drive. It makes the car go further without needing to plug it in all the time.
Solid state batteries are a new kind of battery that uses solid materials instead of liquids. They could be safer and store more energy, making them better for electric cars.
Dacia is a car brand from Romania that makes budget-friendly cars that are practical and useful.
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Speaker 1: This is Outline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. President Trump threatened to hit imports
from Europe with even more tariffs because at least eight European countries opposes planned to take over Greenland. Investors didn't
waste any time once they heard the news, they started selling off shares in European automakers. Stock prices for virtually
every European automaker dropped, with BMW, Mercedes, and Portsia all down three percent. No one knows yet if the President
will follow through on that threat or if it will involve higher tariffs on European cars, but many investors weren't waiting around to see what happened. They just started selling.
Portia had a tough twenty twenty five, but not in the US. The automaker sold just under two hundred and
eighty thousand vehicles globally last year, down ten percent from twenty twenty four. But in the U S Yes, the
company sold a record seventy six thou two hundred and nineteen vehicles, which is fifty two more than the previous year.
While that's obviously not a big increase, it's not bad considering the company was down in every other major market, plus it had to deal with the new US tariffs.
Portia also sold a record amount of certified pre owned vehicles in the US last year, just over forty eight thousand, which is an eleven percent increase from twenty twenty four.
Chinese car exports continue to soar. In twenty twenty, Chinese
automakers exported a million vehicles, but last year that jumped to seven point one million, up twenty one percent from twenty twenty four. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers,
two point six million of the exports were electrified vehicles, with fully electric vehicles accounting for one point six five million units. But the growth of car exports out of
China is expected to slow. This year, automakers are estimated
to ship seven point four million units, a four percent increase from twenty twenty five. Ford recently moved into its
new headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, but Lincoln won't be joining it.
The brand's leadership team and other employees will instead work out of the Michigan Central Station in Detroit. Ford bought
that old train station in twenty eighteen and spent nearly a billion dollars, turning it into a tech hub. Lincoln's
president says that being separate will help differentiate it from Ford.
In addition to Lincoln, Ford's Evy business unit, its philanthropy arm, and its integrated services team also work out of the old train station. Ford plans to have twenty five hundred
employees working there by the end of twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 2: At CSP, we work with OEM engineers across the country on their journeys to lighter, safer, and more e go friendly vehicles. Learn more at VCSP dot com.
Speaker 1: Last week, we reported that automotive assembly plans building cars entirely with humanoid robots could be a reality by twenty thirty and one Tier one CEO told Auto Line that even if humanoids cost two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a piece, they would pay for themselves in less than two years because each robot could work two shifts, replacing two workers, and that's at a supplier company that pays lower wages than the automakers do. The total annual labor
costs for the average UAW worker at the Detroit three is about one hundred and forty thousand dollars a year, so the payback for a humanoid could be less than a year. The UAW contract expires in twenty twenty eight,
and it will be fascinating to see if the thread of humanoids plays a role in labor negotiations. Great Wall
Motors just introduced a new platform that will support more than fifty production models and offer IC, hybrid, plug and hybrid, fuel cell, and pure electric power trains, but interestingly, it won't include extended range electrics. While the setup is popular
with Chinese buyers, great Wall calls them quote corner cutting and says there's inherent disadvantages with the system. Range extenders
use an engine to generate electricity, which is then sent to the battery and or motors to power the vehicle, but that electricity has to pass through several systems, so there's energy losses, especially at medium to high speeds. Great
Wall estimates that range extenders are up to thirteen percent less efficient than direct drive power trains, so that's why it says a quote will not do them. While solid
state is being heralded as the next big breakthrough in battery technology, there's some forecasts that say it will only represent ten percent of total battery output by twenty thirty, but even that size market could still generate over thirty four billion dollars and we should start to see progress pick up this year and next. Exceed, which is a
brand of Chinese automaker Cherry, will have a model out sometime in twenty twenty six with a fully solid state battery that could have as much as fifteen hundred kilometers or over nine hundred and thirty miles of range and still perform reliably up to negative thirty degrees celsius or minus twenty two fahrenheit. Most of the models this year
are expected to be used in pilot projects for ride hailing and rentals, and larger scale production will ramp up in twenty twenty seven. CTL and BYD should also have
fully solid state batteries start coming out around the same time.
CEO Jim Farley says he wants four to become quote the Porsche of off road racing, so he sent four factory supported Raptor T one pluses to Saudi Arabia to compete in the Dakar Rally, which lasts for two weeks and covers nearly five thousand miles. Long story short Ford
didn't win it. That honor went to the Dashia sand Riders,
but Ford did take second and third place overall. Farley
pointed out that it took Ford two years to take the overall win at Lehman nineteen sixty six, so he clearly sees the Dakar Rally as the same level for off road vehicles. And it's interesting to see that Ford's
entries were branded as Raptors, not Rangers or Broncos. That
tells us that Ford is building the Raptor name to be a brand unto itself, to become a premium brand for off road vehicles, just like Portia is with sports cars, and that brings us to the end of today's show.
Thanks for tuning in.
Speaker 2: Auto Line Daily is brought to you by alex Parkartners.
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across the full value chain in automotive and in industrials, helping clients navigate disruption, drive innovation, and unlock sustainable growth ALEX Partners. When it really matters.
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About this episode
Tariffs on European imports loom as President Trump threatens action, causing a sell-off in European automaker stocks. Despite global challenges, Porsche achieves record U.S. sales in 2025, while Great Wall Motors dismisses extended range electric vehicles for inefficiency. The potential of humanoid robots in automotive assembly is discussed, with a payback period of under a year. Meanwhile, solid-state battery technology is on the horizon, with several Chinese automakers preparing for production. Ford aims to elevate its Raptor brand in off-road racing, competing in the Dakar Rally.
- EU Auto Stocks Drop on Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threats - Tariffs? Porsche Hit Record U.S. Sales In 2025 - China Auto Exports Soared In 2025 - Lincoln Moves HQ To Downtown Detroit - Humanoid Payback Is Less Than a Year - Great Wall Motors Disses EREVs - Chery Promises Solid State Battery This Year - Farley: Ford to Be “Porsche Of Off-Road”
