Autoline Daily Feb 24, 2026

AD #4240 - BMW Abandons L3 Autonomy for More Affordable L2; EU Dealers Demand Help to Fight Chinese Invasion; Hyundai Warns of Escalating Ta

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Term

plug-in hybrids

Plug-in hybrids are cars that use both gas and electricity. You can charge them like a phone, and they can drive some distance just on electricity before using gas.

Term

battery electric vehicles

Battery electric vehicles are cars that run only on electricity, like a big rechargeable battery. They don't use gas and don't pollute when driving.

Term

diesel cars

Diesel cars run on a type of fuel called diesel, which can help them use less gas and have more power. But they are less popular now because of pollution rules.

Term

emission standards

Emission standards are rules that make sure cars don't pollute too much. They help keep the air cleaner and healthier to breathe.

Concept

emission credits

Emission credits are like points car companies get for making cars that pollute less. They can use these points to follow rules or trade them with others.

Concept

cash for clunkers program

Cash for clunkers is a program where the government gives you money to trade your old, polluting car for a new, cleaner one.

Concept

local content requirement

Local content rules mean that a car has to be made mostly with parts from nearby places, not far away countries.

Brand

Hyundai

Hyundai is a car company from South Korea that makes many types of cars, including electric ones.

Brand

BYD

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

Concept

tariffs

Tariffs are extra taxes put on things brought from other countries, making them more expensive.

Brand

Kia

Kia is a car company from South Korea that makes many kinds of cars.

Car

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The Mercedes G-Class is a fancy SUV that can go off-road. They wanted to make a smaller electric one but now will also have a gas version.

Car

The G-Class is a big, tough SUV that looks cool and can go off-road. Mercedes is planning a smaller, electric version of this car that will run on batteries instead of gas. This shows how even big, strong cars are becoming electric.

Car

Mercedes-Benz GLC

The Mercedes-Benz GLC is a fancy small SUV that is comfortable and has lots of features. Mercedes is making electric versions of it, which means it can run on batteries instead of gas. This helps the company make new electric cars faster and better.

Car

Mercedes-Benz CLA

The Mercedes-Benz CLA is a small luxury car that can run on gas or electricity. It shares parts with other Mercedes cars.

Car

Mercedes-Benz GLB

The GLB is a small, fancy SUV that can fit more people and has lots of new technology. It shares parts with other Mercedes cars and can use both gas and electric power to save fuel. It's made to be useful and comfortable.

Car

BMW 1 Bmw

The BMW 1 Series is a small, nice car that is fun to drive and has good features. BMW is making it safer and easier to drive by improving the tires and changing the automatic driving systems. It's a good choice if you want a fancy but smaller car.

Concept

automated driving systems

Automated driving systems are features in cars that help drive the car or even drive it by themselves in some cases.

Term

Level three automated driving

Level three automated driving means the car can drive itself in some situations, but you still need to pay attention and be ready to take over.

Car

BMW 7 Series

The BMW 7 Series is a big, fancy car that is very comfortable and has lots of technology to help with driving.

Car

BMW iX3

The BMW iX3 is a fully electric SUV that drives without gas and is made by BMW.

Brand

Stellantis

Stellantis is a big company that owns many car brands like Jeep and Dodge.

Concept

autonomous vehicles

Autonomous vehicles are cars that can drive themselves without a person controlling them by using special technology like cameras and computers.

Term

robotaxi

A robotaxi is a self-driving car that works like a taxi, picking up and dropping off people without a driver.

Term

human error in traffic accidents

Most car crashes happen because people make mistakes while driving, so self-driving cars could help make roads safer.

Concept

EV home charging

People who own electric cars often plug them in at home to recharge the battery, usually with special chargers.

Car

Toyota BZ EV

The Toyota BZ EV is a fully electric car made by Toyota, which means it runs only on electricity and doesn't use gas.

Car

Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger is a big car that looks sporty and is known for being fast. People like it because it has strong engines and a cool design. It might be talked about when discussing new electric car chargers because the car world is changing to electric.

Company

Treehouse

Treehouse helps people get electric car chargers installed at home faster by letting them send pictures instead of waiting for someone to come visit.

Term

hardwire level two charger

A hardwire level two charger is a charger for electric cars that is installed directly into your home's electricity and charges your car faster than a regular plug.

Car

Chery Rely P3X

The Rely P3 Xtra is a pickup truck that uses both a diesel engine and electric power. It will be sold in Australia.

Term

diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain

This type of engine uses both diesel fuel and electricity. You can plug it in to charge the battery, and it can drive using just electricity or diesel.

Car

Jeep Gladiator

The Jeep Gladiator is a type of pickup truck that is good for off-road driving and has a tough look.

Car

Rivian R1T

The Rivian R1T is an electric pickup truck that can drive off-road and uses electricity instead of gas.

Term

mid-size pickup

Mid-size pickups are medium-sized trucks that are not too big or too small, good for carrying stuff and easier to drive than big trucks.

LIVE

Speaker 1: This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. The European auto windustry got off

to a rocky start this year, as new car sales fell more than three percent in January. All the major

automakers except for Stalantis, saw a drop in sales, and some of them, like Renault, Toyota, and the Hundai Group, saw double digit drops. But there are a couple of

bright spots for automakers who are selling p haves and b eves. Sales of pa has hit nearly one hundred

thousand units for the month, up a whopping thirty two percent, while pure battery electrics were up fourteen percent with one hundred and eighty nine thousand units sold. In fact, b

EV market share hit nineteen point six percent, up three full percentage points compared to a year ago. One reason

why bvs and p has are gaining share is that gas and diesel cars are in a steep decline. Petrol

or gasoline power cars were down almost twenty six percent, while diesels fell twenty two percent. In fact, only sixty

eight thousand diesel cars were sold last month, which is astonishing considering that only a decade ago, diesels accounted for nearly fifty percent of all new cars sold in Europe, and with the European car market so weak, new car dealers are practically begging the EU for help. They wanted

to immediately back off of emission standards for commercial vans.

They want more emission credits for small low emission cars, not just electric ones. They want a cash for clunkers

program to encourage consumers to buy new cars, and they want at least seventy percent local content for evs to slow down the Chinese, we say the EU better move fast.

Last month, BYD sales in Europe were up one hundred and seventy five percent and SEIC sales were down a fraction, but it ended up gaining market share because the rest the market was down more than three percent. Hyundai is

warning that US tariffs could escalate despite the Supreme Court striking down the Trump administration's universal tariffs. The automaker's president

is urging South Korea to approve a trade deal the US and Korea reached last year, which would lower the tariffs from twenty five to fifteen percent. President Trump has

even threatened to raise import fees on South Korea. If

the agreement isn't approved soon, Hyundai says if the tariffs do go up, it will be less competitive. Last year,

the new US tariffs costs Honey and Kia a combined five billion dollars. It seems like every day we're reporting

on automakers scaling back EV plans, and today is no different.

Mercedes is dropping plans to launch a smaller version of its G class that was supposed to be electric only, and will now also offer it with a combustion engine.

The Baby g Wagon EV was set to come out in twenty twenty seven and be based on the same platform as the electric GLC. While the model is still

expected to launch next year, it will now be built on a modified version of the platform that the new CLA and GLB use, and both of those models come with hybrid and fully electric powertrains.

Speaker 2: Performance that shines even in the rain. That's what really matters.

Rich don't pretends to tires. Improved grip in wet conditions.

Speaker 1: BMW is dropping Level three automated driving in the seven series and will replace it with a newly developed Level two system. It's not too surprising of a move. The

technology was only available in Germany, It only operated in certain conditions and it was expensive about seven thousand bucks.

By comparison, the new Level two system costs seven teen hundred bucks. That new system will also be offered in

the IX three and then roll out to other models as well. Similar tech will be offered in the US,

and a version developed with Momento will be available in China.

Besides BMW, Stilantis and Mercedes have also reversed course on Level three systems because of high costs and technical challenges.

McKenzie says that autonomous vehicles are at a turning point, not just because the technology is getting better, but because the business case is starting to look really attractive. The

cost per mile for a robotaxi today is about eight dollars, but McKenzie says it's headed to a dollar to a dollar and fifty cents a mile, and while telet operators today can monitor five to ten cars at a time, with AI, that's going to jump to one hundred at a time. Even More, AI is writing code for autonomous vehicles,

which is slashing the cost of AV development. McKenzie says

avs are not just about convenience. It points out that

ninety five percent of all traffic accidents are caused by human error, and even with today's level of autonomous technology, we could see a sixty to eighty percent reduction in traffic fatalities and injuries. Yesterday, we covered a survey from

Escalant that showed a large portion of EV owners still charge at home. That's likely part of the motivation for

Toyota and Lexus wanting to make EV home charger installation easier for its BEEV and p have customers. They've partnered

with a company called Treehouse that says it can cut weeks from the process. Instead of an in home visit,

a customer uploads a picture of their electrical panel and a video of where they want the charger to go.

Then Treehouse says it will follow up with a quote for the entire installation in forty eight hours or less.

After that, it connects them with a local electrician that has experience with EV chargers and who also handles all the permits and inspections. Treehouse says a typical installation costs

between fifteen hundred and two thousand and seven hundred and fifty dollars, but that includes the charger and Toyota and Lexis offer a dual voltage home charger for free with all twenty twenty six and newer BEV and p HAVE models, or customers can upgrade to a more powerful hardwire level two charger that comes from charge Point. We've got more

details on Chinese automaker Cherries push into the mid size pickup market. It launched a new brand called Rely that

is supposed to come out with a whole lineup of trucks.

It recently kicked off sales of its first model in China, and all electric mid size pickup called the Ro eight, But we also know it wants to launch evs and hybrids in Europe and diesels for Australia, New Zealand, South America and Africa, and at least some of those diesels will be paired with electric technology. Car News China reports

a Cherry branded version of the Relied P three Xtra truck will be sold in Australia at the end of this year with a diesel plug in hybrid power train.

The model is slightly bigger than the Ro eight, about the size of a Jeep Gladiator or Rivian R one t and while there aren't any details about the EV part of the system. The diesel is a two and

a half liter engine. Mid size pickups are a very

profitable segment globally for automakers like Toyota, Ford, Suzu, Nissan, and Volkswagen, so it's no surprise why Cherry is trying to fight its way in. That's a wrap for today's show.

Thanks for making autoline a part of your day.

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