FSD is Tesla’s software that tries to automate more parts of driving than typical cruise control or lane-keeping. Regulators care about whether it’s safe and whether the driver still has to supervise.
RDW is the government agency in the Netherlands that oversees vehicle rules. Here, it approved Tesla’s supervised FSD and is talking with other European regulators about it.
EU approval means the system has to be cleared by regulators across Europe, not just in one country. Even after one country approves it, the EU-level process can take months.
Audi is the car brand singled out as being particularly worried about tariffs. The host says tariffs could make an upcoming Audi SUV more expensive.
Company
Gile
The transcript mentions a company (name sounds garbled) and talks about its quarterly results—deliveries, revenue, and profit. The point is that even with strong vehicle deliveries, profit can still drop due to factors like currency changes.
Foreign exchange fluctuations are changes in results caused by currency rates moving up or down. If a company earns money in one currency and reports in another, exchange-rate changes can swing profits.
Harley-Davidson makes motorcycles. The episode explains that tariffs hurt its costs and revenue, and the company is trying a new plan to sell more bikes and related products through dealers.
Non-destructive testing means you can check something without breaking or ruining it. In this case, they measure paint thickness without cutting the part apart.
Term
macrometer level
The hosts describe measurement down to the “macrometer” level, meaning extremely fine thickness resolution. In manufacturing, that kind of precision helps ensure coatings are applied correctly and consistently on plastic components.
Term
AI
AI here means computer software that can look at lots of measurement data and spot patterns. BMW wants to use it to improve how they run the paint process.
“China Speed” is a term used for how quickly Chinese automakers and suppliers can complete new vehicle programs. The segment contrasts typical timelines—about 18–24 months in China versus 36–42 months outside China—and argues that faster development is becoming the new norm.
They’re talking about how car companies design and build new vehicles. The point is that China is speeding up the process by iterating faster instead of following a slow, step-by-step checklist.
ALEX Partners is mentioned as the show sponsor. They’re presented as a business/consulting partner helping companies adapt to big changes in the auto industry.
They mention Intrepid Control Systems as a sponsor. “Control systems” generally means the electronics/software that manage how parts of a vehicle operate.
They mention CSP as a partner related to composite materials. Composites are materials used in products to help with things like weight and design flexibility.
The sponsor lists big changes happening across the auto industry. It’s basically about electric powertrains, more software/tech, changing how parts are sourced, and new rules.
LIVE
Speaker 1: This is Uderligne Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts up the global automotive industry. We thought Tesla had the potential
to get permission to use supervised FSD throughout Europe, but maybe that's not the case. Last month, Tesla got a
big boost when the Netherlands Vehicle Authority, known as the RDW, approved supervised FSD for use in the country. The RDW
is seeking EU approval for the technology and today it will meet with regulators from other European countries about why it approved FSD and why other members should do so.
And while Elon Musk has expressed confidence Tesla will get widespread approval in Europe, Reuters reported that regulators in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway are skeptical about the safety of the technology.
They've raised concerns about a tendency to speed, whether it's safe in icy conditions, and the driver's ability to bypass features designed to prevent phone use. They also criticized Tesla
for publicly encouraging owners to pressure regulators to approve the technology.
Speaker 2: For FSD to be.
Speaker 1: Approved, Committee members representing fifty five percent of EU member states and sixty five percent of the region's population must vote yes, but there is no vote scheduled today, and the next committee meetings are in July and October, so FSD's approval won't happen until the second half of the year at the earliest. President Trump's threat to raise tariffs
on European cars to twenty five percent sure lit a fire under the EU. The US and the EU agreed
to a trade deal nine months ago, but the EU still hasn't reduced any.
Speaker 2: Tariffs on US goods.
Speaker 1: It was going to, but after Trump threatened to invade Greenland, it hit the pause button. Now there's a big push
to get the deal done this month, even though some European politicians say they shouldn't cave to Trump's threats and should take more time. But European automakers are deeply worried.
President Trump says the tariffs will go from fifteen to twenty five percent next week, and as we reported yesterday, Bernstein calculates that would cut six billion dollars in profits a year for European automakers.
Speaker 2: Audi is especially worried.
Speaker 1: It's about to launch its Q nine suv and the new tariff could add twenty thousand bucks to its price tag, so look for the auto industry to put enormous pressure.
Speaker 2: On the EU to get a deal done asap.
Speaker 1: Speaking of the President and his automotive policies, analysts Warren Brown provided US with his forecast of how the impact the US auto industry this year, and it doesn't look good.
Brown says, US sales fell six point two percent and production fell one point three percent in Q one, and he.
Speaker 2: Thinks it will get worse as the year goes on.
Speaker 1: He's forecasting a three point seven percent drop in sales to fifteen point seven million vehicles, a three point four percent increase in prices in delivery charges, and a loss of two thousand automotive manufacturing jobs. To quote Warren Brown,
the moderate benefits promised on Liberation Day remain elusive. Despite
delivering a record high number of vehicles in the first quarter that boosted revenue fifteen percent, Gile's profit fell and missed analysts expectations. The automaker's net profit tumbled twenty seven
percent to six hundred and fourteen million dollars, which GIL blamed on foreign exchange fluctuations, and while it raised its international sales target to seven hundred and fifty thousand vehicles this year, up from six hundred and forty thousand. The
slowdown in China's car market is having a bigger impact.
Speaker 2: On GILI, but it's not just Gli.
Speaker 1: BYD's profits also slump fifthy ffty five percent in the first quarter, which is a sign that China's car market is still weak.
Speaker 3: 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 1: With approximately three quarters of its components source from suppliers, Harley Davidson was hit especially hard by tarifs in the first quarter, paying out forty five million dollars. While its
global sales increased eight percent thanks to strong growth in North America, overall motorcycle shipments fell three percent and its revenue dropped twelve percent in Q one. To help turn
things around, Harley announced a new strategic plan it calls back to the bricks, leveraging its motorcycles, both new and used, as well as parts and accessories and even its apparel.
The company says it will have a renewed commitment to its dealers. They'll be getting a refreshed Sportster line, more customization,
and a new entry level sprint bike priced around six thousand bucks that's aimed.
Speaker 2: At younger buyers.
Speaker 1: So the affordability problem is not just limited to the auto industry. With Back to the Bricks, Harley is targeting
cost cuts of one hundred and fifty million dollars and profits from motorcycle sales to top three hundred and fifty million by twenty twenty seven. Two years ago, BMW started
testing out a new piece of technology at one of its paint departments that it's now expanding into series production.
Speaker 2: It's called terror Hertz based.
Speaker 1: Measurement, and it consists of sensors mounted on two robots that measure the paint thickness on plastic parts. Before paint
thickness was measured manually, requiring sections to be cut off and inspected under a microscope, which took time and pretty much rendered the part unusable. The new process is non destructive.
It measures down to the macrometer level and seconds and can detect any issues faster. BMW says there's potential for
the technology to spread to other plants, and in the future it will also use AI to analyze this data to optimize the process even more.
Speaker 2: They call it China Speed.
Speaker 1: And it's the breath taking pace at which Chinese automakers and suppliers can get projects done. A new car program
is typically accomplished.
Speaker 2: In eighteen to twenty four months.
Speaker 1: Versus the thirty six to forty two months it usually takes outside of China. Now, gas Goog reports that eighteen
month programs are no longer the target. They're the norm,
and China's auto industry is moving to twelve month programs, with suppliers even doing product iterations on a monthly basis.
China has turned the product development process on its head. Traditionally,
automakers use highly specified steps and procedures. Suppliers were given
thousands of specifications they had to meet, and a program was not allowed to move forward until each step of the way achieved a define quality target that worked well as long as everyone in the industry played by those rules.
But China moves much faster, demands top quality, and has relegated the old way of doing business.
Speaker 2: To the trash heap of history.
Speaker 1: Every week, Auto fourcast Solutions publishes the latest data.
Speaker 2: On new models from all over the world.
Speaker 1: This week's newsletter lists twenty one new model updates just from China. That's more than we typically see from the
rest of the world put together. And if you'd like
to learn more of what Auto Fourcast Solutions sees coming for the auto industry, check out the first of the quarterly updates we're doing with them. CEO Joe McCabe and
top analysts Sam Furani dissect the data from the first quarter and talk about what lies ahead for the industry this year. But that's a wrap for the today's show.
Thanks for making autoline a part.
Speaker 2: Of your day.
Speaker 4: Auto Line Daily is brought to you by alex Partners.
When it really matters, Bridge Stone Solutions for your journey, CSP, the Composites Solution partner, Intrepid Control Systems over the YEIR Engineering boost your game and thanks to the following YouTube and Patreon members.
Speaker 5: Performance that shines even in the rain. That's what really matters.
Bridge don't pretends to tires, improved grip and wet conditions.
Speaker 4: The automotive and industrial sectors are undergoing a historic transformation electrification, digitalization, supply chain reinvention, regulatory shifts.
Speaker 3: The pace is accelerating and the pressure to adapt is real This is not a time for hesitation.
Speaker 4: It's a time for bold decisions backed by fast, effective execution.
Speaker 3: You need a partner who understands complexity from factory floors to boardrooms and delivers measurable results.
Speaker 4: That partner is ALEX Partners when it really matters,
About this episode
Tesla’s supervised FSD is running into skepticism from Nordic regulators, even as the Netherlands has already approved it and a decision for the wider region remains months away. The episode also weighs the impact of a possible tariff jump on European automakers, a forecast for softer U.S. sales, and BMW’s move to put new process tech into series production. It closes with a striking look at how China’s auto industry is compressing development cycles to an almost monthly pace.
- Tesla FSD Faces European Skepticism - Tariff Threat Lights Fire Under EU - 2026 U.S. Sales Could Fall 4% - Geely Misses Q1 Expectations - Harley-Davidson Targets Younger Buyers - BMW Improves Paint Thickness Measuring - 'China Speed' Gets Even Faster - Volatility Is the New Norm
