Autoline Daily May 7, 2026

AD #4292 - Automakers Won't Make Profit at Current Sales Rate; Lexus Gets 1st 3-Row EV; GM Works to Fill Skilled Trades Shortage

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Term

SAR (seasonally adjusted annual rate)

SAR is a standardized way to estimate how many cars are being sold in a year. It adjusts for seasonal trends so the numbers are easier to compare.

Term

residual values

Residual value is what the car is expected to be worth later—often at the end of a lease. If new cars get cheaper, earlier buyers can see their cars worth less too.

Company

Ford

Ford is the company whose Spain plant is being discussed in a potential partnership. It’s part of a bigger story about where cars get built and how that affects costs.

Brand

Jili

Jili is a Chinese car company mentioned here as possibly partnering with Ford to build cars in Spain. The idea is to use factories more efficiently and reduce trade friction.

Company

General Motors is trying to solve a shortage of skilled factory workers by funding training programs. They’re placing apprentices into a multi-year program that mixes classroom learning with real work.

Term

Nordschleife

Nordschleife is a specific track section at the Nürburgring in Germany. It’s known for being very challenging, which is why people talk about lap times from it.

Car

Chevrolet Corvette

The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car made by Chevrolet. It’s designed to be fast and is popular with people who take their cars to racetracks. The podcast mentions it because modified Corvettes are being brought to the track to try to outperform others.

Car

Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is a sports car made by Ford. People often modify them with performance parts and take them to racetracks to try to go faster. That’s why it’s mentioned in a story about cars showing up for track runs.

Car

Volkswagen Golf GTI 50th Anniversary Edition

This is a special 50th-anniversary version of the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The hosts are saying it impressed on the Nürburgring, especially for a front-wheel-drive car.

Car

Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car. The Golf GTI is a faster, sportier version, and the podcast is talking about a production GTI that set a front-wheel-drive lap time. “Production version” means it was based on a car you could buy, not a custom-built race car.

Term

front wheel drive

Front-wheel drive means the front wheels do the work of moving the car. It can affect how the car feels and grips compared with cars where the rear wheels drive.

Term

semi slick tires

Semi-slick tires are performance tires with less tread than normal. They usually grip better for fast laps, but they can be worse in the rain and may wear quicker.

Term

skateboard chassis

A skateboard chassis is an EV “platform” where the battery and key electric parts sit low in the floor. That makes it easier to build different EVs using the same basic underbody design.

Term

battery and electric drive train

In an EV, the battery stores the energy, and the electric drive train turns that energy into movement. Their design and placement matter for how the car drives and how much space it has.

Term

Chinese test cycle

A test cycle is a set of driving conditions used to estimate how far an EV can go. If it’s based on China’s test rules, the range number may not match what you’d see under other countries’ testing.

Car

Lexus TX

Car

Toyota Highlander

The Toyota Highlander is a family SUV that can seat multiple people. It’s built for everyday driving with room for passengers and luggage. The podcast mentions it as the standard version that something else is based on, with additional upgrades.

Term

all wheel drive

All-wheel drive powers all four wheels. It can help with grip, but it may use more energy than a simpler drive setup, which can reduce range.

Term

four wheel steering

Four-wheel steering means the rear wheels can steer too, not just the front wheels. That can make the car easier to turn in tight spaces and feel more stable at speed.

Car

BMW iX3

The BMW iX3 is BMW’s electric SUV. The hosts are talking about its US price and estimated range so shoppers can compare it to other EVs.

Term

EPA range

EPA range is an official estimate of how far an electric car can go on one full charge. It’s used in the US so buyers can compare different EVs more consistently.

Term

hands free driving system

A hands-free driving system is technology that helps the car drive with less manual steering. Even when it’s “hands-free,” the driver typically still has to stay alert and be ready to take over.

Car

BMW iX

The BMW iX is BMW’s fully electric SUV. Here they’re talking about when it goes on sale in the US and how it fits into the EV range/pricing discussion.

Car

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a popular luxury car model. They’re mentioning its new availability in Germany and quoting range numbers and pricing for different versions.

Concept

EV pricing news

They’re talking about how electric cars are being priced and marketed, and how far they’re claimed to go. The goal is to see whether other automakers can compete with China’s EV momentum.

Term

WLTP rated

WLTP is a European testing standard that estimates how far a car can go on a charge. It’s different from the US EPA test, so the numbers aren’t always directly comparable.

Concept

compete with China speed

They’re basically saying Chinese automakers are moving very fast on EVs—new models, lower costs, and big production. The question is what older automakers would need to do to keep up.

Car

Jeep Wrangler

The Jeep Wrangler is a popular off-road SUV. They mention it because the guest previously worked as a chief engineer on it.

Company

JD Power

J.D. Power is a well-known automotive research and consumer insights company. In the segment, the guest’s background at J.D. Power is used to establish expertise in electric-vehicle-related analysis.

Car

Jeep Gladiator

The Jeep Gladiator is a pickup truck that’s related to the Wrangler. They mention it because the guest previously worked as an engineer on it.

LIVE

Speaker 1: This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. A little over a year ago,

car buyers in the US rushed to the showrooms to get a new car before President Trump's tariffs kicked in, and now we're seeing the hangover from these sales being pulled forward. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the SAR,

or seasonally adjusted annual rate, came in at only fifteen point five million units for the year. That's considerably weaker

than analysts expected, and a general rule of thumb is that most automakers can be profitable at a sixteen million unit SAR. While the market is fairly resilient, it doesn't

look like sales are going to improve anytime soon. Car

buyers are wary of high car prices, high gasoline prices, and high interest rates. The University of Michigan Survey of

consumer Sentiment dropped six point six percent last month, and that survey is usually a pretty good indication of future car sales. Kia does a decent job of selling evs,

but it's trying to fix sales of the EV six.

Sales in the US bounced up a bit in February in March, but dip down in April, and year to date they're off more than thirty seven percent.

Speaker 2: So Kia is slashing the price.

Speaker 1: The base car gets a thirty four hundred dollars price cut, while the GT price drops by more than fifty eight hundred dollars. It hopes that will bring some more people

into the showroom, but remember the people who already bought the car are going to see their residual values drop by at least the equivalent of these price cuts. Sure

looks like Chinese automaker Jili is buying a part of a Ford plant in Spain. According to a report from

a Spanish trade publication. The two automakers are also discussing

having Gili build a model for Ford. Gili did not

immediately respond to requests for comment, and a Ford representative called the new speculation. However, since neither company denied the report,

we think it's likely true. Building vehicles in Spain will

allow Gili to avoid EU terrace on Chinese made evs and allow.

Speaker 2: For it to fill up some unused plant capacity.

Speaker 1: Even though European automakers are very worried about losing more market share by saving plants and jobs. Chinese companies are

a lot less likely to face pushback from governments and unions.

Even though UAW skilled trades workers are amongst the highest paid factory workers in the world, those positions are hard to fill. That's why General Motors is making a big

commitment to train future skilled trade workers, investing nearly two hundred million dollars in the past year. Last month, that

placed ninety skilled trades apprentices across its US manufacturing network.

They'll begin a four year program where they'll receive hands on instruction, classroom training, and on the job experience. At

the same time, with vehicles become more advanced, GM is also investing to train technicians. It has several programs that

blend classroom instruction with real world training to build up skills and diagnostics, electronics and EV systems.

Speaker 2: Car companies keep.

Speaker 1: Duking it out to see who can turn in the fastest lap at the Nurberg Ring.

Speaker 2: Nordschleife.

Speaker 1: Ford and Chevrolet, for example, keep bringing tricked out Mustangs and Corvettes to the famous German racetrack, trying to outdo each other. But Volkswagen just impressed us by turning in

the fastest time for a front wheel drive car with the Golf GTI, and it was a production version of the GTI. Well mostly it's a fiftieth anniversary edition of

the GTI that has three hundred and ten horse power, is twenty millimeters lower, has a lightweight exhaust system, comes with nineteen inch wheels, and ran on Bridgestone potends a race semi slick tires. That combination produced a lap time

of seven minutes, forty four seconds and five tenths, which puts it right in the ballpark with the Bugatti EV one ten SS, the Pagani Zonda S and the Mercedes SLSAMG.

Speaker 3: We act, we grow, we transform, we protect, we rescue in moments that define the future. We are the partner

you can trust Alex Partners when it really matters.

Speaker 1: EV startup TOG, which is Turkey's first domestic EV brand, is partnering with CTL to develop EVS on the Chinese Battery Makers skateboard chassis. Under the agreement, TOG and CIT,

a subsidiary of CTL, will co develop three models based on tog's new B segment platform, which will all utilize c atl's Bedrock skateboard chassis. The chassis is integrated with

the battery and electric drive train, as well as the suspension in braking systems. It has up to one thousand

kilometers or six hundred and twenty one miles of range based on the Chinese test cycle, and it's capable of adding three hundred kilometers or one hundred and eighty six miles of range and just five minutes of charging. The

first model will go into mass production next year. Lexis

revealed its first all electric three.

Speaker 2: Row SUV, the TZ.

Speaker 1: While this is basically the brand's version of the new Toyota Highlander, it does offer a number of upgrades. It's

only available in all wheel drive instead of both front and all wheel drive, and it makes significantly more power about four hundred horse power versus nearly three hundred and forty horse power for the all wheel drive Highlander, but that does impact range, with the larger roughly ninety six kilowade hour battery pack providing an estimated three hundred miles of range, twenty miles less than the Highlander. There's also

a seventy seven and kill a wad hour pack, but no range estimates were provided. Other upgrades for the TZ

include four wheel steering, better materials and, in our opinion, more expressive interior styling. No pricing was provided either, but

Lexis expects the model to go on sale before the end of the year. Speaking of all electric SUVs, BMW

revealed US pricing and range figures for the all new IX three. It will start at nearly sixty three thousand

dollars including destination charges. Models come standard with an over

four hundred and sixty horse power all wheel drive system, a one hundred and twelve kilowade hour battery pack, and twenty inch wheels which provides up to four hundred and thirty four miles of EPA range. Of course, there's other comfort,

sport technology, and wheel entire packages that can add thousands more to the price, but the one we wanted to highlight is BMW's new hands free driving system, which looks like it's a one time fee of twenty five hundred bucks.

The new IX thie goes on sale in the US in September, and in one last bit of EV pricing news, the new C class is now on sale in Germany with a starting price of just under sixty eight thousand euros or about eighty thousand dollars including taxes. That's for

an all wheel drive model with about four hundred and eighty horse power and a WLTP rated seven hundred and sixty two kilometers or roughly four hundred and seventy miles of range, but the company says more versions will follow, including rear drive setups with about eight hundred kilometers or nearly five hundred miles of range. What's it going to

take for legacy auto makers to be able to compete with China speed. That'll be on the list of topics

for today's Auto Line After Hours, we'll have Elizabeth Kreer, the CEO of the Center for Automotive Research, on the show.

Speaker 2: She's the former chief engineer on the Jeep Wrangler.

Speaker 1: And Gladiator and was the vice president covering electric vehicles at JD Power, so she brings a wealth of knowledge with her. Our colleague Greg Niglere will also be on

the show, So join John and Gary when it all goes live at three pm Eastern time today.

Speaker 2: That's a rap for this show. Thanks for making autoline

a part 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 year engineering boost your game and thanks to the following YouTube and Patreon members.

Speaker 5: 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 3: Making a life full of memories, one road trip at a time, that's what really matters. Rigdon Weatherpeak Tires with

a seventy thousand mile Women at Warranty

0:00

9:45

AD #4292 - Automakers Won't Make Profit at Current Sales Rate; Lexus Gets 1st 3-Row EV; GM Works to Fill Skilled Trades Shortage

SAR (seasonally adjusted annual rate)

residual values

Ford

Jili

General Motors

Nordschleife

Chevrolet Corvette

Ford Mustang

Volkswagen Golf GTI 50th Anniversary Edition

Volkswagen Golf

front wheel drive

semi slick tires

skateboard chassis

battery and electric drive train

Chinese test cycle

Lexus TX

Toyota Highlander

all wheel drive

four wheel steering

BMW iX3

EPA range

hands free driving system

BMW iX

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

EV pricing news

WLTP rated

compete with China speed

Jeep Wrangler

JD Power

Jeep Gladiator

About this episode

Original notes