Autoline Daily Apr 17, 2026

AD #4278 - VW To Pay Owners for EV Grid Charging; BYD Aims to Join European Automaker Lobby; Xiaomi Rules Out Building Cheap EVs

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Brand

BYD

BYD is a Chinese automaker expanding rapidly in Europe, and the segment highlights its effort to join ACEA for more influence. It also mentions BYD plans to mass-produce vehicles at a plant in Hungary, signaling a major manufacturing push.

Company

ACEA

ACEA is a group that speaks for car companies in Europe. If a new automaker joins, it gets more of a voice in how rules and policies get shaped.

Company

Microsoft

Microsoft is working with a carmaker to help build and improve the software and data systems behind modern vehicles. The goal is to make development and updates faster and smarter.

Concept

predictive maintenance and testing

Predictive maintenance means using data to guess when something might break before it actually does. That helps the car company test and fix issues earlier.

Concept

vehicle-to-grid (V2G)

V2G means your EV can act like a small power source for the electric grid. Instead of only charging, the car can also send energy back when the grid wants it.

Concept

home bidirectional charging package

This is a set of equipment you install at home so your EV can both charge and (in some cases) share energy. It includes the charger plus the tools needed to measure and manage that energy.

Car

Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger is a car that’s usually known for strong performance and a sporty look. The mention of a “bidirectional charging” setup means the car can work with your home charger so it can send electricity back out, not just take it in. An app and smart meter are used to manage and monitor that charging behavior.

Company

Intrepid

Intrepid makes tools that help car companies test and connect vehicle systems. It also supports collecting data and pushing updates remotely so cars can be validated for production.

Company

Fox Con

Fox Con is described as helping build the underlying platform for this new EV startup. The episode doesn’t go deep into what that platform includes.

Brand

Hyundai Group

The Hyundai Group is involved as a supplier for the EV’s powertrain. That means they’re providing the main drivetrain components that make the car move.

Brand

BMW

BMW is providing some parts under a licensing arrangement. That helps the new EV startup use existing, already-developed technology.

Company

Saudi Private Investment Fund

The Saudi Private Investment Fund is funding this EV startup. Big EV projects usually need major money up front, and this is the source mentioned in the segment.

Car

Chevrolet Corvette

They’re talking about a high-performance Corvette that went really fast around the Nürburgring. The discussion uses it as a benchmark for other cars’ lap times.

Car

Ford Mustang GTD

They mention a Mustang GTD as another high-performance Ford being compared on track speed. It’s part of the lap-time “who’s fastest” discussion.

Car

Golf Gtd

The Golf is a compact car model that comes in different versions. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because a particular version is being compared on a race track, focusing on how fast it can go. The key point is the performance difference measured by track time.

Car

Ford GTD

They’re talking about Ford’s GTD and how it improved its Nürburgring lap time. It’s basically an example of a race-track development process.

Term

magnesium wheels

Magnesium wheels are lighter than many other wheel materials. Being lighter helps the car handle better because the suspension has an easier time controlling the wheels.

Term

carbon bucket seats

These are lightweight, race-style seats made to hold you securely. They can reduce weight and help you stay in place when driving aggressively.

Term

lighter damper system

The damper system controls how the car moves over bumps. Making it lighter can help the car react faster and feel more controlled.

Company

Linamar

Linamar is a company that makes parts for other automakers. The hosts talk about its stock because news and tariffs can change how investors view its future.

Term

forging, casting, hydroforming and machining

They’re describing different ways to make metal parts. Some methods shape the metal, and machining is used to make the final part precise.

Concept

tariffs on components made from steel, aluminum, and copper

Tariffs are extra taxes on certain materials. If cars or parts use steel, aluminum, or copper, tariffs can make them more expensive and change business outlooks.

Concept

warranty and recall costs

Warranty and recall costs refer to the money automakers spend to fix defects after sale and to address safety issues. The segment says a future video will cover how these costs have added up across the industry, including EV startups.

LIVE

Speaker 1: This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. BYD is in talks to join

the European Automobile Manufacturers Association or ACEA, which is the lobbying group that represents automakers in the region. If the

organization accepts its application, it would make BYD the first Chinese automaker to join the group, which currently has seventeen members, and by joining the ACEA, it will give BYD more influence in Europe, where it's growing quickly. Last year, at

sales shot up nearly two hundred and seventy percent to more than one hundred and eighty seven thousand units, and it plans to start mass producing vehicles at its plant in Hungary this quarter. Stillantis is partnering with Microsoft to

help accelerate the automaker's digital transformation. As part of the

five year collaboration, the two companies will co develop more than one hundred initiatives, including AIP Howard product development and validation, predictive maintenance and testing, and faster deployment of new digital features and services. They will also improve Stilant as a

cybersecurity Volkswagen is going to start paying its European customers to charge their evs. Ellie, the energy and mobility division

of the VW Group, and the Volkswagen brand are teaming up to offer an entire home bi directional charging package, including the charger, a smart meter installation, and an app which unlocks vehicle to grid or V to G capabilities.

In other words, not only will VWEV owners be able to charge at home, but also integrate their vehicle with the local energy system, so it's basically like a storage device that the grid can tap into. Through the app,

owners can turn the feature on or off whenever they want, but the more they make their vehicle available, the more they can earn. In these early stages, VW says it

will actually compensate owners itself for this access, and while that will eventually go away, owners will still be able to make money. Elie will pull all these vehicles together

and has a team that will trade the electricity on an energy exchange twenty four to seven and estimates say in a best case scenario that owners will earn seven hundred to nine hundred euros a year by allowing access to their EV battery. Customers in Germany can start signing

up in June and the service will kick off in the fourth quarter of this year. Then other European countries

will follow.

Speaker 2: Ad Intrepid we produce network hardware and software solutions, enabling vehicle manufacturers to innovate and design the next generation of modern mobility. Delivering scalable next generation solutions requires thorough testing

and validation of vehicle platforms. Intrepid specializes in network interfacing,

data logging, simulation, and gateway capabilities. Intrepid's Doovi cloud platform

provides real time data collection, instant cloud upload, intelligent detection, advanced issue analysis, root cause identification, and remote update deployment.

All of these steps ensure vehicles are cleared for production and ready for the road. Taking your fleet testing into

the future of mobility, Intrepid control systems driven by your data.

Speaker 1: There's a new ev startup that's from Saudi Arabia, of all places. It's called Seer, which is spelled Ceer. It's

staff by executives with global automotive experience, including Europeans, Asians and several Americans who used to work at General Motors.

Fox Con is developing the platform. Trans which is part

of the Hyundai Group, is providing the powertrain. BMW is

licensing some of its components, and the Saudi Private Investment Fund is paying for it all. We don't know much

about the car except that it will use cylindrical battery cells.

Seir already has a factory and fifteen hundred employees and is scheduled to start production in the fourth quarter. Chinese

automaker Shaomi says it has no plans to make cheap entry level evs. It says it will not offer models

priced below about fourteen thousand dollars because the cost to develop advanced technology makes it difficult to price vehicles below that level and still make a profit. For example, Shaomi

recently launched the upgraded version of its SUS seven sedan, which features more than one hundred upgrades which increase material cost by two thousand, seven hundred dollars, so the model now starts just over thirty thousand bucks, but the higher price isn't ski airing off customers. Shaumi says it received

fifteen thousand orders for the NEUSOU seven within thirty four minutes of its launch. Ford engineers must not have been

happy when Chevrolet took the title of fastest American manufacture at the nurberg Ring with the Corvette ZR one X, lapping the famous racetrack about nine seconds faster than the Mustang GTD. The Ford Racing team just went back to

the nurburg Ring with the GTD and slashed nearly seventeen seconds off its previous lap, hitting a time of six minutes and forty seconds, which also happens to be about nine seconds faster than the Corvette. However, engineers added hardware

and an aggressive tuning that pushed output quote beyond the original engine's eight hundred and fifteen horse power. They also

made a number of arrow updates, threw on magnesium wheels, carbon bucket seats, a lighter damper system, and quote additional actions helped reduce weight. Our autoline stock of the day

is Linamar, the Canadian supplier that specializes in forging, casting, hydroforming and machining. Its stock was up four point seven

percent yesterday, closing at fifty eight dollars and eighty seven cents a share. Part of that increase was a technical

correction from the day before, when the stock dropped twenty five percent, but it was still up on the news that management reaffirmed its twenty twenty six guidance. Despite the

Trump administration announcing new tariffs on components made from steel, aluminum, and copper, Linimar's stock is up sixty nine percent over the last year, so investors like what the company is doing.

And before we go, be on the lookout for a video we're posting tomorrow morning about the explosion and warranty and recall costs over the last five years. It's affecting

every automaker in the world, including the Evy startups, and you'll be shocked by the numbers.

Speaker 3: That video will.

Speaker 1: Go live at ten am Eastern Standard Time on April eighteenth, and we welcome your feedback when it does. Also on Monday,

at two pm Eastern time, John and I will host another live Q and A for our YouTube in Patreon members.

There's been a lot going on in the industry the last few weeks, so be sure to get ready with your questions. And that's a rap for this week's reporting.

Thanks for watching Autoline Daily.

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 Air 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 5: Performance that shines even in the rain. That's what really matters,

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That's why companies across the globe subscribe to our premium service.

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About this episode

BYD is seeking to join Europe’s ACEA automaker lobby, aiming to boost its influence as sales surge and mass production ramps up in Hungary. Stellantis and Microsoft are teaming for a five-year digital transformation covering product development, predictive maintenance, and faster software feature rollouts. Volkswagen plans to pay European EV owners for bidirectional home charging (V2G), turning batteries into grid-access storage with potential annual earnings. Other highlights include a Saudi-backed EV startup (Ceer) with Hyundai powertrain tech, Xiaomi ruling out sub-$14k EVs, and Nürburgring lap times—plus Linamar stock guidance and a teaser on explosion/warranty/recall costs.

ACEA BMW BYD carbon bucket seats forging, casting, hydroforming and machining home bidirectional charging package Hyundai Group Intrepid lighter damper system Linamar

Chevrolet Corvette Dodge Charger Ford Mustang GTD Volkswagen Golf

Original notes

- BYD Aims to Join European Automaker Lobby - Stellantis and Microsoft Partner for Digital AI Transformation - Volkswagen To Pay Owners for EV Grid Charging - Saudi EV Startup CEER To Begin Production Soon - Xiaomi Rules Out Building Cheap Entry Level EVs - Mustang GTD Reclaims Nürburgring Record from Corvette - Linamar Shares Rise After Reaffirming 2026 Financial Guidance

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