Autoline Daily May 18, 2026

AD #4299 - Ford Not Giving Up on Europe; Honda and Nissan Merger Back On?; Military Production New Revenue Source for OEMs

Annotations will appear as you listen

0:00

10:18

Company

Honda

Honda is a major car company from Japan. The hosts are saying Honda and Nissan discussed merging, and Honda’s recent financial results could make those talks more likely again.

Company

Nissan

Nissan is another big Japanese car company. The episode says Nissan’s recent profits improved after changes in leadership, which could make a Honda-Nissan deal more realistic.

Concept

wholly owned subsidiary

A wholly owned subsidiary means one company would fully control the other. The segment says Nissan resisted Honda’s push for that kind of full-control arrangement.

Company

Ivan Espinosa

Ivan Espinosa is the person the segment says is leading Nissan as CEO. They credit his restructuring efforts with helping Nissan’s financial results.

Concept

operating profit

Operating profit is basically how much money a company makes from its main business after paying day-to-day costs. The hosts use it as a sign of whether Nissan is doing better financially.

Concept

restructuring

Restructuring means a company makes big changes to cut costs or reorganize to get back on track. The hosts say Nissan did this and it helped its profits.

Company

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a major car brand/company. The hosts mention it as one of the players moving into defense-related production to make money as car sales slow.

Company

Continental

Continental is a company that makes parts for cars. The episode says it’s also looking at defense production to offset pressure in the regular auto market.

Company

Scheffler

Scheffler is a company involved in automotive supply. The hosts say it’s getting into defense-related work to find new revenue as the car market gets tougher.

Company

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is the car company. The hosts say it’s exploring defense production and mentions a joint venture connected to a defense contractor.

Company

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is a defense contractor. The episode says European companies are teaming up with it to make military-related products.

Company

Stellantis

Stellantis is a big group that makes multiple car brands. The hosts say France is pushing it to buy more components from European suppliers instead of relying as much on Chinese ones.

Company

Renault

Renault is a major car company. The episode says the French government wants it to rely more on European suppliers, especially those operating in France.

Company

Leap Motor

Leap Motor is a Chinese car brand/company mentioned as part of Stellantis partnerships. The hosts bring it up to show how global supply relationships are affecting European policy pressure.

Company

Ford Energy

Ford Energy is Ford’s new business focused on battery storage. The segment says it landed a big contract to provide battery storage systems for energy use.

Company

EDF Power Solutions

EDF Power Solutions is the energy company Ford Energy made a deal with. The episode says EDF will buy battery storage systems from Ford under a five-year contract.

Term

battery energy storage systems

Battery energy storage systems are big battery setups that store electricity and send it back out later. The segment says Ford will supply these systems to EDF under a multi-year deal.

Term

gigawatt hours

Gigawatt-hours are a unit for how much energy is stored or delivered. The hosts use it to describe the size of the battery storage deal in big, grid-scale terms.

Term

Network interfacing is the process of connecting vehicle electronics to the communication networks they use to share data. In the context of modern cars, it’s part of how different systems (infotainment, sensors, control units) communicate reliably.

Company

Intrepid

Intrepid is a company that builds software to watch what a vehicle is doing. It can send data to the cloud, figure out what might be wrong, and even help update the car remotely.

Term

remote update deployment

Remote update deployment means you can update the car’s software over the internet. Instead of taking it in, the update can be pushed to the vehicle from afar.

Term

real time data collection

Real time data collection means the car is constantly checking what’s happening and reporting it right away. That helps people catch problems sooner instead of waiting for symptoms to show up.

Car

Ford Ranger

Ford Ranger is a pickup truck. The segment describes a tougher, heavier-duty version meant for demanding work and possibly military use, with stronger parts underneath.

Car

Transit City

The Transit City is a Ford vehicle in the Transit family, aimed at commercial use. The podcast says it was newly revealed and is based on a modified version of an existing platform. It’s being discussed because it suggests a new direction for smaller, city-friendly work vehicles.

Car

Ford Transit City

Ford Transit City is a commercial van concept. The segment says it’s based on a vehicle from Ford’s Chinese partner, aiming it at European business customers.

Term

reinforced drive shafts

A drive shaft is a rotating part that sends power to the wheels. Reinforced drive shafts are built stronger so they can survive tougher work and higher stress.

Term

reinforced suspension

Suspension is what helps the car absorb bumps and keep the tires on the ground. Reinforced suspension means it’s built tougher for heavy use and rough conditions.

Term

eight stud wheel hubs

Wheel hubs are where the wheel bolts on. Eight studs can help spread the forces better, which is helpful for heavy-duty trucks.

Term

connected data

Connected data means the car can send information to the outside world through a network. That lets dealers or fleet managers spot problems early and plan repairs.

Car

Ford Bronco

Ford Bronco is an off-road SUV. The segment says Ford plans a new “multi energy” version of it that will be built in Spain, meaning it won’t be the standard gasoline-only setup.

Car

Ford Puma

The Ford Puma is a small SUV made for everyday driving, like commuting and errands. It’s meant to be easier to park and drive than bigger SUVs. The podcast brings it up to explain how another Ford crossover compares in size.

Car

Ford Escape

The Ford Escape is a small SUV that people use for daily driving. It offers more room than a typical sedan, but it’s still not as large as a full-size SUV. The podcast mentions it to help listeners understand where another new Ford model fits in size and purpose.

Car

Ford Kuga

The Ford Kuga is a compact SUV that’s sold in Europe. The podcast says it’s similar in role to the Escape, which helps explain how big the vehicles are compared to each other. It’s mentioned mainly as a reference for size and category.

Term

k-car

A k-car is a small-car class in Japan. It has strict limits on size and power, so companies design the car to meet those rules.

Term

battery management system

The battery management system is the car’s battery “monitor.” It helps keep the battery safe by watching its condition and controlling how it charges and uses power.

Term

CAN bus networks

CAN bus networks are how different computers inside the car communicate. If owners reverse-engineer or modify it, they’re trying to restore how those systems talk to each other.

Concept

reverse-engineered software

Reverse-engineered software means figuring out how the car’s software works by studying what it does. Owners may do this to restore features when the original company can’t support the system anymore.

Car

Fisker Oceans

The Fisker Ocean is an electric SUV, meaning it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. The podcast says production stopped, but some vehicles were still sold afterward. That’s relevant because it changes how many are out there and how ownership support might be handled.

LIVE

Speaker 1: This is Autoligne Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Could Honda and Nissan revisit a

potential merger. Some analysts believe that could happen. The two

automakers kicked off talks in late twenty twenty four about a tie up, but the negotiations fell apart when Honda insisted that Nissan gained some financial stability before an alliance could happen. Nissan was also dead set against Honda's demand

that it become a wholly owned subsidiary. But now the

two automakers' fortunes have reversed. Nissan posted an annual operating

profit thanks to restructuring under new CEO Ivan Espinosa. Meanwhile,

Honda reported its first annual operating law since the company was founded due to a huge ev write off. Because

of that, some analysts believe the two companies will resume partnership talks. If they do merge, it would create one

of the low just automakers in the world, and it would allow them to combine their engineering and financial resources, which would make them more competitive globally. As we've been

reporting for some time now, the European auto industry is under a lot of pressure. Sales are more than a

million vehicles lower than they were a decade ago, Most assembly plans are operating well under capacity, and Chinese automakers are gaining market share. So Volkswagen, Continental and Scheffler are

getting into military production as a new source of revenue, and Mercedes ben says it's looking into a two BW is forming a joint venture with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

Kanti and Scheffler are making components for the German defense company Ryan Mattal. Mercedes hasn't said what it might do,

but we'll probably know before the year is out. The

French government is worried that Chinese automotive suppliers are making too many inroads into its market, so it's putting pressure on Stilantis and Renault to source more parts from European suppliers, especially those with operations in France, and the French government does have some say in the matter. It owns ten

percent of the voting shares in Stillants and fifteen percent of Renault. Stillantes has deals with Leap Motor and dong

Fun to make cars at its plants in Europe, while Renault is allowing Jili to make cars at its plant in Brazil, and they're both sourcing more components from Chinese suppliers, which is why the French government is pressuring them to source more from European suppliers. Last week, Ford officially launched

its battery storage business, called Ford Energy, and it just.

Speaker 2: Scored its first big contract.

Speaker 1: It's signed a five year deal with renewable energy company EDF Power Solutions, which will allow it to buy up to four gigawatt hours of battery energy storage systems a year.

Deliveries are expected to begin in twenty twenty eight. Ford

stock rally for two days after it launched Forward Energy, jumping twenty one percent bought. It dipped on Friday, with

its worst daily drop since February of twenty twenty five.

Speaker 3: At 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 NEOVI Cloud platform

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

Speaker 4: All of these steps sin sure 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: Last year, Ford sold about four hundred and twenty five thousand vehicles in Europe, but that's less than half of ten years ago, when it was the number four automaker, selling around a million units. It's now number eight. So

Ford launched a new plan to quote, compete and win in Europe that includes seven new models for the region.

Its commercial division, called Ford Pro, will get two of those seven models, a new super Duty version of the Ranger and the new Transit City, which it revealed in March and is based on a model from its Chinese joint venture partner jan Ling.

Speaker 2: The Ranger super Duty features things.

Speaker 1: Like a thicker frame, reinforced drive shafts and suspension, eight stud wheel hubs with larger bolts, and a stronger rear end axel.

Speaker 2: And toe system.

Speaker 1: It could even be used for military purposes in North America and Europe. The company says uptime is essential for

its commercial customers, so it's now allowing dealers to also get real time access to connected data from Ford vehicles in their area so they can recommend in schedule service before problems happen. The other five new models for Ford

of Europe will be passenger vehicles. Two will be small

pure evs, including a hatchback in suv. Europe will also

get a new multi energy version of the Bronco that goes into production in Spain in twenty twenty eight. Per

a previous Automotive News report, It will be smaller than the Kuga, which is Europe's version of the Escape, but bigger than the Puma.

Speaker 2: The other new.

Speaker 1: Models will be multi energy crossovers that will come out in twenty twenty nine. As we've reported, byd is introducing

its own electric kcar into the Japanese market, called the It features a twenty kilo white hour battery and is expected to deliver one hundred and eighty kilometers or one hundred and twelve miles of range. It goes on sale

this summer with a starting price around sixteen thousand bucks.

The model was also developed specifically for Japan and is not based on an existing platform, so to help with that development, BYD hired a former Nissan K Car engineer.

K cars, which account for about forty percent of sales in Japan, faced strict limits on dimensions and output, so BYD needed an expert to help.

Speaker 2: It compete in such an important segment.

Speaker 1: Since Fisker went bankrupt the most recent time in twenty twenty four, its Ocean SUVs started losing critical functions things like the brakes, airbags, shifter, battery management system, and door locks needed to connect to Fisker's cloud services to undergo checks and make sure they were operating correctly.

Speaker 2: But that stop with the bank ups.

Speaker 1: So owners have formed the Fisker Owners Association now with about four thousand members, and they've reversed, engineered software, hack canned bus networks, and built open source tools to keep their vehicles running. There's an estimated eleven thousand or so

Fisker Oceans that were sold after production stopped. Suppliers are

happier with the relationships with automakers, at least in the US market. The consulting firm Plant Moran publishes its Working

Relationship Index every year that measures what suppliers think of automakers across different parts of the business, involving twenty different commodities.

Its surveys seven hundred and fifty executives from the top seventy eight suppliers, and the big surprise this year is that every automaker improved the way it works with suppliers.

Even so, Toyota and Honda are the leaders of the pack, gm IS in the middle, while Nissan, Ford and Stilantis trail far behind. We've got an interview with doctor Angela

Johnson from Plant Moran that will be coming out soon with a lot more insights into the survey and for all of you watching, who work and purchasing, we highly recommend you listen to what she has to say.

Speaker 2: But that's a wrap for today's show. Thanks for tuning in.

Speaker 5: 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 6: 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 7: Performance that shines even in the rain, that's what really matters.

Rich don't pretends to tires, improved grip and wet conditions.

Speaker 5: The automotive and industrial sectors are undergoing a historic transformation electrification, digitalization, supply chain reinvention, regulatory shifts. The pace is accelerating and

the pressure to adapt is real. This is not a

time for hesitation.

Speaker 6: It's a time for bold decisions backed by fast, effe effective execution.

Speaker 5: You need a partner who understands complexity from factory floors to boardrooms and delivers measurable results. That partner is Alex

Partners when it really matters.

0:00

10:18

AD #4299 - Ford Not Giving Up on Europe; Honda and Nissan Merger Back On?; Military Production New Revenue Source for OEMs

About this episode

Original notes