Autoline Daily Jun 2, 2026

AD #4309 - Kia Sets Sales Record Thanks to Hybrids; Tesla Faces FSD Lawsuit in China; Foxconn Takes Orders for 2nd EV

Annotations will appear as you listen

0:00

8:04

Company

Stellantis

Stellantis is a big car company that makes lots of different brands. Here, they’re talking about building new car technology and spending money to launch new models.

Term

Stella one

“Stella one” is the shared design and engineering base for a set of new cars. It helps the company build different models without starting from scratch each time.

Term

hybrid power trains

A hybrid powertrain uses both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. It can save fuel by using electricity part of the time and recharging when you slow down.

Term

C segment

“C segment” is a way car makers and reviewers sort cars by size. It generally means compact cars in the European market.

Term

smart cockpit

A “smart cockpit” is the car’s digital dashboard and controls—basically the software and screens you interact with while driving. It can include navigation, apps, and vehicle settings.

Term

B segment

“B segment” is a size category for smaller cars. It’s a common way car makers talk about how big a vehicle is compared with others.

Company

Fox Cohn

Fox Cohn is the company behind an EV-focused business unit. They’re talking about taking orders for a new electric vehicle in Taiwan.

Car

Kavira

The Foxtron Kavira is an electric SUV that’s about the same size as a Tesla Model Y. It comes in two versions—one with power sent to the rear wheels and another with power to all four wheels.

Brand

Foxtron

Foxtron is the electric-vehicle brand being discussed. They’re selling one EV already and taking pre-orders for another new one.

Car

Tesla Model Y

Tesla Model Y is the comparison car used to describe how big the Kavira is. If you know the Model Y, you can picture the Kavira’s general size.

Term

kilowatt hour battery pack

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack is how much energy the battery can store. More kWh usually means you can drive farther, but it also depends on how efficiently the car uses that energy.

Term

all wheel drive

All-wheel drive means power goes to all four wheels. That can help the car grip the road better, especially when conditions are wet or slippery.

Term

rear drive

“Rear drive” means the car powers the rear wheels. It’s one of the two drivetrain options being offered for the Kavira.

Car

Bria

The Foxtron Bria is a smaller electric car that’s already being sold in Taiwan. It’s described as cheaper than the Kavira.

Term

rebadged

A rebadged car is basically the same vehicle sold under a different brand name. The main changes are usually badges and styling, not the core engineering.

Car

Bentley Continental

Bentley Continental is mentioned as the car that got Bentley’s new V8 hybrid system first. Then the same improvements are said to be coming to the Flying Spur.

Car

Bentley Flying Spur

The Bentley Flying Spur is Bentley’s luxury sedan. In this update, it’s getting a V8 hybrid system that powers all four wheels and is described as very quick.

Term

V eight hybrid platform

A V8 hybrid platform means the car uses a V8 engine plus an electric motor and battery. “Platform” here implies the hybrid system is built into the car’s core design, not just added on.

Term

zero to sixty miles an hour

“Zero to sixty” is how fast a car can accelerate from a stop to 60 mph. It’s a quick way to compare acceleration between cars.

Brand

MG

MG is the car brand in this story. They’re planning a new factory in Europe and say production should start in 2028.

Company

SEIC

SEIC is mentioned as the company that took over MG’s ownership. It’s basically the corporate parent behind MG’s current plans.

Place

Spain

Spain is where MG plans to build its new European factory. The plan includes both production and a research and development center.

Term

R and D center

An R&D center is where a company does research and development—basically working on new ideas and improving products. Here, MG says its new European plant will include one.

Term

tariff

A tariff is a tax on imported products. If an EV has a big tariff when it’s shipped to Europe, it can make the car more expensive and hurt profits.

Term

Supervised FSD

This is Tesla’s driver-assist system that helps with driving, but you still have to pay attention and be ready to take over. It’s not truly “self-driving” without a person involved.

Term

Tesla Assisted

Tesla renamed its help-with-driving feature in China to make it clearer that it’s assistance, not full self-driving. The point is to reduce confusion about whether the car can drive by itself.

Term

assisted driving

Assisted driving means the car helps you drive, but it doesn’t fully replace you. You’re still responsible for watching the road and taking over if needed.

Car

Tesla Model 3

The Tesla Model 3 is Tesla’s popular electric car. This segment is talking about how many Model 3s Tesla built in China and how that affects sales and exports.

Place

Shanghai plant

This is Tesla’s factory in Shanghai, China. Cars built there can be sold in China and shipped to other countries, so it matters for Tesla’s sales numbers.

Term

hybrid sales

Hybrid sales means how many hybrid cars were sold. Hybrids use both a gas engine and an electric motor, and the episode is saying those models are selling much better recently.

Term

A federal tax credit is money off your taxes from the government if you buy certain vehicles. The episode says that incentive for EVs is no longer available, which can change how many people buy them.

Company

Cox Automotive

This is a company that tracks the auto industry and publishes forecasts. The episode is using its forecast to estimate how car deliveries might change.

Company

Jdpower Global Data

This is a company that studies car sales and makes forecasts. The episode uses its predictions to estimate whether US deliveries will rise or fall.

LIVE

Speaker 1: This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to.

Speaker 2: Enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Stillanta says Pougeo will

be the first brand to use its all new platform called Stella one. Pougeot's going to get three C segment

models that will come with hybrid power trains or as pure battery electrics, and all three will be built at the Mohouse plant in France. So the company is committing

over a billion euros to make changes for the new models.

Speaker 1: We know one will be.

Speaker 2: An suv, but it only refers to the other two as low drive models. Thanks to Stella one, they'll feature

Stillantis's new smart cockpit in software technology. The brand will

also get two more B segment models based on the same platform, which is designed to eventually support over thirty models throughout the entire Stilantis lineup and grow to more than two million units by twenty thirty five. Production of

the first Pougeot models in France starts in nine. Foxtron,

the EV subsidiary of Fox Cohn, is now taking pre orders in Taiwan for its second EV called the Kavira, with a starting price of about forty thousand dollars. The

vehicle is roughly the same size as a Tesla Model Y and features a nearly eighty three kilowatt hour battery pack.

There's two drive variants, a rear drive that makes almost two hundred and fifty horse power and an all wheel drive setup that makes about four hundred and seventy horse power.

Foxtron's other model, the Bria, is smaller and already on sale in Taiwan with a starting price of about thirty thousand bucks.

Speaker 1: Mitsubishi will get a rebadged.

Speaker 2: Version of this model, which it plans to sell in Australia and New Zealand. Last year, Bentley introduced its new

V eight hybrid platform with the Continental. Now the same upgrades,

including the styling, are making their way over to what is basically the sedan version of that car, Lying Spur.

The hybrid setup makes roughly six hundred and seventy five horse power, sending power to all four wheels and moving the sedan from zero to sixty miles an hour in three point six seconds. Bentley says the new Flying Spur

will reach most markets by the fourth quarter of this year.

While MG can trace its roots back to the UK to nineteen twenty four. China's SEIC took over ownership in

two thousand and seven, and under that new leadership, MG just announced it will build its first European manufacturing facility.

It's investing about two hundred million euros for a new plant in Spain, which will also house.

Speaker 1: An R and D center.

Speaker 2: Cars are expected to start rolling down the line in twenty twenty eight with an annual capacity of one hundred and twenty thousand units. Thanks to its long heritage, MG's

sales in Europe have outperformed other Chinese automakers, but it still faces a forty five point three percent tariff on the evs that it ships to the region, which is the highest of any automaker, so the new plant could have a big impact on profits.

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 2: Last week, Tesla changed the name of Supervised FSD or full self driving in China.

Speaker 1: It's now called Tesla Assisted.

Speaker 2: Driving, which was done to satisfy regulators who thought the old name implied it's a fully autonomous system, which it's not, but Tesla could still be penalized over the feature. It

faces a consumer lawsuit in China from ten owners who claim its advertising of the feature and names misleading. The

plaintiffs argue that the assisted driving feeture hasn't been approved by Chinese regulators and can't deliver its advertised functions, so they're seeking five hundred and eighty three thousand dollars in damages.

Tesla disputes those claims, saying some FSD features are partially or fully functional, while others are still under development.

Speaker 1: And speaking of Tesla and China.

Speaker 2: It delivered nearly eighty six thousand model wis and threes built at its Shanghai plant in May, up eight percent from April and up almost forty percent compared to a year ago. That number includes sales in China and vehicles

exported to other markets. It's the six straight month Tesla

has increased China made EVY sales. We're still waiting for

the retail numbers, but Tesla's in China sales decreased the previous two months. However, it is showing signs of recovery

in Europe, posting several big gains in key markets Tesla registrations in France skyrocketed six hundred and fifty five.

Speaker 1: Percent last month.

Speaker 2: They soared three hundred and forty nine percent in Portugal, one hundred and thirty six percent in Denmark, and one hundred and thirteen percent in Spain, but not all countries in Europe have released sales figures for May yet, and speaking of sales, Hyundai and Kia had a strong month in the US and May after both brands posted declines in March. In April, Hyundai boosted sales three and a

half percent to more than eighty seven thousand vehicles, while Kia sold eighty thousand, five hundred vehicles, up about two percent and setting a monthly record. Both brands saw a

surge in hybrid sales last month. Hyundai's were up ninety

percent while Kias soared one hundred and seventy nine percent.

And despite no more federal tax credit for Electricshunday posted a ten percent increase in EV sales last month.

Speaker 1: In the US, more companies will.

Speaker 2: Release sales figures to so will get a clear picture of the US market, but May sales are expected to increase for the first time this year, with deliveries up zero point one to one point nine percent based on forecasts from Jdpower Global Data and Cox Automotive. That brings

us to the end of today's show. Thanks for making

autoline a part of your day.

Speaker 4: Auto Line Daily is brought to you by Bridgestone 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: Knowing that a little rain won't slow down your day, That's what really matters. Breestone Toronto quiattract tires, confident control

in wet conditions.

Speaker 6: 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's Neovi Cloud platform helps

manufacturers quickly identify diagnostic trouble codes and defects by pinpointing which vehicles have specific software versions. This allows them to

isolate non compliant vehicles in real time using analytics, part numbers, DTCs, and organized secure cloud based data. All of these steps

ensure vehicles are cleared for production and ready for the road, taking your fleet testing into the future of mobility in trapid control systems driven by your data.

0:00

8:04

AD #4309 - Kia Sets Sales Record Thanks to Hybrids; Tesla Faces FSD Lawsuit in China; Foxconn Takes Orders for 2nd EV

Stellantis

Stella one

hybrid power trains

C segment

smart cockpit

B segment

Fox Cohn

Kavira

Foxtron

Tesla Model Y

kilowatt hour battery pack

all wheel drive

rear drive

Bria

rebadged

Bentley Continental

Bentley Flying Spur

V eight hybrid platform

zero to sixty miles an hour

MG

SEIC

Spain

R and D center

tariff

Supervised FSD

Tesla Assisted

assisted driving

Tesla Model 3

Shanghai plant

hybrid sales

federal tax credit

Cox Automotive

Jdpower Global Data

About this episode

Original notes