Autoline Daily Feb 2, 2026

AD #4224 - Is Ford Eyeing Chinese Partners to Save Blue Oval City?; Scout Pivots to EREVs as 85% Of Customers Reject BEV; Canada Demands GM

Annotations will appear as you listen

0:00

9:08

Brand

Ford

Ford is a well-known car company in the United States that makes many types of vehicles, including cars and trucks.

Term

EVs

EVs stands for electric vehicles, which are cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline.

Concept

joint venture

A joint venture is when two companies work together on a project but still stay separate companies.

Company

Shaomi

Shaomi is a tech company from China that makes smartphones and has started to explore making cars too.

Company

BYD

BYD is a big car company from China that makes electric cars and batteries.

Term

manufacturing facility

A manufacturing facility is a place where things are made, like cars or trucks.

Concept

electric pickups

Electric pickups are trucks that run on electricity instead of gasoline, which can be better for the environment.

Concept

financial disaster

A financial disaster happens when a business loses a lot of money and can't pay its bills.

Brand

Stellantis

Stellantis is a big car company that makes many different brands of cars, like Jeep and Dodge. They were formed when two car companies merged.

Car

Jeep Compass

The Jeep Compass is a small SUV that can handle rough roads and is good for everyday driving. It's designed to be practical and tough.

Company

General Motors

General Motors, or GM, is a large car company in the United States that makes many different types of cars and trucks. They are one of the biggest car makers in the world.

Term

electric vans

Electric vans are delivery vehicles that run on electricity instead of gas. They are better for the environment and can save money on fuel.

Company

Slate

Slate is a new company making electric trucks. They want to create different types of vehicles in the future, and their trucks can be changed into SUVs with special kits.

Concept

modular platform

A modular platform is a way to build cars where the same basic parts can be used to make different types of vehicles, like trucks and SUVs. This helps companies save money and make more vehicles.

Brand

Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group is a big car company that makes many different brands of cars. They are working on electric vehicles and brought back a brand called Scout.

Term

EREV

An EREV is a special kind of electric car that can also use a gas engine to help it drive farther when the battery runs out.

Car

The Land Rover Range Rover is a fancy, high-end SUV that can handle rough terrains while providing a lot of comfort inside. Recently, they've started making electric versions that use less energy, which is a big deal for both the environment and car enthusiasts.

Term

thermal management system

This system helps keep the car's battery and parts at the right temperature, which is important for making sure everything works well, especially when it's really cold or hot outside.

Term

tri motor all wheel drive system

This system uses three motors to drive all four wheels of the car, which helps it grip the road better and go faster, especially in tricky conditions.

Term

air suspension system

This system uses air instead of metal springs to make the ride smoother and can change how high or low the car sits, depending on the road and driving situation.

Car

Jaguar Range Rover EV

The Range Rover EV is an electric version of the popular luxury SUV, which means it runs on electricity instead of gasoline, making it better for the environment.

Car

Ford GT

The Ford GT is a super-fast sports car that looks cool and is built to be really fast and fun to drive, both on the road and on race tracks.

Term

battery modules

Battery modules are parts of an electric car's battery that hold energy. Making them in-house helps companies ensure they are high quality and work well.

Term

double sided cooling

Double sided cooling is a way to keep a battery cool from both the top and bottom. This helps the battery work better and last longer.

Car

Porsche Cayenne

The Porsche Cayenne is a stylish and powerful SUV that drives like a sports car but has more space for passengers and cargo. It's getting a lot of buzz because they are now making electric versions, which is exciting for those looking for eco-friendly options.

Term

IC models

IC models are cars that run on gasoline or diesel. It's a way to talk about regular cars compared to electric ones.

LIVE

Speaker 1: This is Autolne Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Last month, President Trump told the

Detroit Economic Club that he would welcome Chinese car plants in the US, and now comes reports that Ford has been talking to at least two Chinese automakers to form a joint venture to make evs.

Speaker 2: In the US.

Speaker 1: The Financial Times reports that Ford was in talks with Shaomi and BYD. We think the Financial Times is a

pretty reputable source, but Ford and Shaomi deny they're in talks, while BYD declined to comment. Here's our auto line insight.

While nothing may come of this, it would be sensible for Ford to explore possible options with Chinese automakers. We

keep looking at that five billion dollar, five million square foot manufacturing facility that Ford is building called Blue Oval City, located in Tennessee. That plan is supposed to make five

hundred and electric pickups a year, but right now it looks like it could be a financial disaster. However, with

a Chinese partner on board, that plant could come closer to its targets. And here's a good reason why BYD

would want to cut a deal with Ford. Its sales

in China took a nosedive last month, falling and alarming thirty percent. While analysts were expecting a drop in car

sales as consumers rushed into the market at the end of the year to take advantage of subsidies that were about to expire, a thirty percent drop at BYD caught everyone by surprise, and that's the fifth straight month sales have fallen and its stock went down by almost seven percent.

BYD wants to boot sales outside of China by twenty five percent, and if it could cut a deal with Ford to get into the US market, that would be a mega achievement. Canada wants its money back. In December,

Canada's Industry Minister serves Stilantis with a notice of default on its taxpayer back financial aid after the automaker canceled plans to build the Jeep Compass in Ontario, and now Canada is seeking to retrieve taxpayerback funds that it provided to General Motors. In twenty twenty two, the federal and

Ontario governments agreed to provide two hundred and fifty nine million Canadian dollars for investments to upgrade GM's two plants in Ontario. But last year GM idled one of those factories,

the Cami plant, which was building the bright Drop electric fans, and it also just reduced its Oshawa plant from three shifts down to two, resulting in five hundred workers being laid off. And because of that, Canada says it's seeking

to recover quote millions from GM.

Speaker 2: Developing today's vehicles, issues can happen in an instant. What

good is knowing your problems without the data to solve them.

Meet Wireless neo Via Cloud your secure off the shelf solution, empowering real time collaboration for quick resolution. With Wireless Neova 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 executive to oversight throughout the process.

Wireless Neovi Cloud your vehicle update solution in production and on the road intrapid control systems driven by your data.

Speaker 1: Ev startup Slate, which is developing a low cost electric pickup truck, plans to expand its lineup at some point in the future. The pickup, which will have a starting

price in the mid twenty thousand dollars. Range is aiming

to go into production by the end of the year.

The pickup can also be converted into an suv with a bolt on kit that will cost around five thousand bucks.

While Slaatee is focused on bringing those models to the market, CEO Chris Barman tells Inside Evs that it aspires to launch different vehicles in the future. Slate's platform is modular

and can allow for different versions, including a cargo carrier, and we think that's a smart move because it will be hard for Slate to hit its production goals with its current pickup and suv. When the Volkswagen Group revived

the Scout brand, it was originally going to be all electric, but with EV sales not growing as much as the automaker expected, Scout decided to offer extended range evs as well, and that decision is really paying off. Scout has more

than one hundred and fifty thousand refundable resus and, according to CEO Scott Keio, eighty five percent for the EREV.

The company originally expected erevs to account for sixty percent of sales, but because of their popularity, Scout will launch the EREV versions first, which are scheduled to go into production late next year. Rumors swirled recently that Jaguar was

considering adding combustion engines to its new electric platform. However,

the automaker came out to say that its EV only plans haven't changed. It revealed the first of those new evs,

a four door GT, has now begun its winter testing program.

Jaguar says the model will be able to optimize its range even in the coldest temperatures thanks to a new thermal management system it calls Thermacist, which reduces heating energy consumption by up to forty percent. The new Range Rover

EV shares the same tech, and they both also have an air suspension system with active twis valve dampers, but the JAG will feature all wheel steering and a tri motor all wheel drive system that makes about a thousand horse power instead of a dual motor system. The automaker

says the production version of the Ford or GT will make its debut later this year. However, no official on

sale data has been revealed yet. The new Kyene Electric

is an important model for Porsche. We talked about how

it could help turn around the brand sales in China. Well,

Porsche revealed that it's officially kicked off production of the Kyan Electric at its plant and brought a slava one way.

It says it's gaining more control over the quality, precision, and scalability of the model is by developing and building the battery modules in house. While it doesn't make the

pouch cells, Porsha does all the cell preparation, stacking, laser welding, foaming, coldplate integration, and end of line testing that allowed it to do things like double sided cooling, which can cool or heat the battery from above and below, and Portia claims it's a world's first. The Cayenne Electric is also

built alongside hybrid and IC models, so the automaker says it can more quickly react to changes in demand. Europeans

and Americans are holding on to the cars and trucks longer than ever, but there's a difference. Europeans keep their trucks,

including SUVs, longer, while Americans keep their cars longer. According

to the ACEA, the average car in Europe is twelve point seven years old, while in the US it's fourteen and a half years. Meanwhile, the average age of trucks

in Europe is fourteen years, while in the US it's eleven point nine. And in Europe the average age varies

a lot by country. In Greece, the average car is

seventeen point eight years old, while in Lithuania it's only one point eight. But one thing's for sure. In both

Europe as the US, the age of the total fleet gets a little bit older every year, and 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 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 4: 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 2: Making the life full of memories one road trip at a time, That's what it really matters.

Speaker 1: Richdoon weather Peak Tires with a seventy thousand mile women at Warranty

0:00

9:08

AD #4224 - Is Ford Eyeing Chinese Partners to Save Blue Oval City?; Scout Pivots to EREVs as 85% Of Customers Reject BEV; Canada Demands GM

Ford

EVs

joint venture

Shaomi

BYD

manufacturing facility

electric pickups

financial disaster

Stellantis

Jeep Compass

General Motors

electric vans

Slate

modular platform

Volkswagen Group

EREV

Land Rover Range Rover

thermal management system

tri motor all wheel drive system

air suspension system

Jaguar Range Rover EV

Ford GT

battery modules

double sided cooling

Porsche Cayenne

IC models

About this episode

Original notes