This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

VW ID.4 CHINA SALES BELOW EXPECTATIONS
Volkswagen is spending more on electric cars than any other automaker: $86 billion. But if it wants to see a decent return on that investment it better pick up the pace in China. Sales of the ID.4 are coming in far below expectations. It only sold about 1,200 of them in May and that was 200 fewer than in April. With a base price of only $31,000 it was expecting to sell 4,000 to 5,000 a month. Reuters reports that the problem is a lack of smart tech like Tesla’s Autopilot or self parking. It also faces intense competition from Chinese EV companies. Meanwhile, in Europe and the U.S. it’s a different story. The ID.4 is the best selling EV model in Europe and in the U.S., VW sold 2,300 of them last month, easily outselling the Ford Mach-E.

AMAZON INTERESTED IN AUTONOMOUS TRUCKING
Amazon is interested in autonomous trucks. Bloomberg reports it could purchase up to a 20% stake in a startup called Plus, which is going to do a SPAC with Hennessy Capital that will value it at $3.3 billion. Amazon is also purchasing 1,000 autonomous driving systems from Plus. The startup has partnerships with Chinese delivery company SF Holding, European truck maker Iveco and its working with Cummins to develop autonomous trucks powered by natural gas.

TOYOTA TEACHES ROBOTS TO RECOGNIZE TRANSPARENT OBJECTS
Yesterday, Hyundai completed its acquisition of Boston Dynamics but it’s not the only automaker involved in robotics. Toyota unveiled new robots designed to perform complex tasks inside your home. Since houses are set up differently it can make it more difficult to train robots. And robots are typically fooled by things like a glass table, shiny toaster or transparent cup. However, Toyota was able to train its robots to recognize and respond to transparent and reflective surfaces. The goal is to create robots that enhance, not replace, tasks that humans perform.

MERCEDES IMPROVES SPRINTER BUSES
The versatility of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is quite impressive. There’s nearly two dozen variants of the van and it’s making improvements to its minibus range. These are the kinds of buses you might see shuttling people to the airport or on a bachelor/bachelorette party. As these are passenger focused, the seats were made more comfortable with a high backrest, side bolsters and comfortable upholstery. They’re also easily adjustable to make room for more standing passengers or a wheelchair. New standard equipment, includes a heated drivers seat, Mercedes’ new user experience system and school bus outside mirrors for better visibility. To help prevent the spread of viruses there’s additional partitions to separate the driver and passengers and an improved HVAC system with active air filters.

FORD TORTURE TEST NEW ELECTRIC TRANSIT
And one of the big competitors to the Sprinter is Ford’s Transit van. Right now it’s putting the all-new electric version through torture tests, which means simulating 10 years worth of ownership in just 12 weeks. That includes driving through water, over bumpy roads and proving that it can still function in an environment that’s colder than the typical Siberian winter. This is all done to make sure the e-Transit will be ready for customers when it goes on sale early next year.

AUDI LAUNCHING NEW TORQUE SPLITTER
Audi is improving the performance of its vehicles with a new rear axle torque splitter. Previously, its rear axle differential featured a multiple disc clutch package to vary torque between the rear wheels. But the new torque splitter utilizes multiple disc clutches on each rear drive shaft, which are controlled electronically. It takes in wheel speed, steering angle, pedal position, gear, yaw angle and other factors to determine how to send power to the wheels. This results in less understeer, earlier and faster acceleration out of corners, and more precise handling. The new torque splitter will first be featured in the upcoming RS 3.

NEW PORSCHE DIVISION TO SELL RACE CARS IN CHINA
Porsche wants to make it easier for customers in Asia, particularly China, to buy its race cars. The new Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific division was established to better support customer racing in the region. Customers can buy Porsche race cars and services in Chinese currency as well as store their race cars in China, rather than shipping them overseas. Porsche says it’s seeing growing demand for its race cars in China.

NEXTEER DEVELOPS STEER-BY-WIRE SYSTEM
The supplier Nexteer is getting ready for autonomous cars. It developed a drive-by-wire steering system with no mechanical linkage. That allows drivers to select whatever steering effort they want it to feel like, from limousines to race cars. It also allows for several drive modes that would be difficult to do with a mechanical linkage. In autonomous mode the driver can select what Nexteer calls Quiet Wheel, where the steering wheel doesn’t move at all even when the car is cornering. Or the wheel can also retract against the instrument panel when its operating autonomously, giving the driver more room. All you students of the industry may remember that Nexteer used to be known as Saginaw Steering when it was part of General Motors.

PEUGEOT INTRODUCES NEW 308 WAGON
Peugeot introduced the 308 SW, the wagon version of the 308. The interior features a 10-inch digital driver display, along with a 10-inch touchscreen in the dash. It has more storage areas and the second row can be split into three sections. It’s available with adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and semi-automatic lane change. A number of engine choices include gasoline, diesel and plug-in hybrids.

HYUNDAI VENUE FITS CHEAP CAR MOLD
In the auto industry, entry level cars are often called cheap and cheerful. And the Hyundai Venue sure fits that bill. It’s cheap, starting at under $20,000 in the US market. And it’s styling is cheerful. We got to test drive the Denim Edition with its roof and rear view mirror housings painted white that seem to pop out from the rest of the car. While it’s called the Denim Edition, you don’t really get an interior upholstered in blue jeans. But you do get a fabric that reminds you of denim, and it’s made to look even more cheerful with contrasting stitching and piping on the seats. Under the hood is a 1.6 liter four-cylinder with 121 horsepower mated to a CVT. It cruises comfortably, but under throttle it’s a bit noisy. The EPA rates it at 31 mpg. The Denim Edition we drove was a bit above the base price. It came in at $23,400. But Hyundai packs a lot of value into its cars, and it included features like pedestrian detection and braking, lane keeping, blind spot and cross traffic warnings, an 8-inch navigation touch screen, heated front seats and cruise control. Anyone looking for an affordable crossover with a roomy cabin and decent luggage room will want to put the Venue on their shopping list. And it’s cheerful enough to put a smile on your face.

But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for watching.