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Runtime: 9:00
0:00 Tesla Price Cuts Boost U.S. Sales
1:13 Stellantis Slams on the Brakes in Canada
1:48 VW’s Scout EVs Not Ready Until 2026
2:23 Stellantis, Faurecia, Michelin Join Forces for Fuel Cells
3:31 Ford E-Tourneo Debuts in Europe
4:46 Ford Starting Direct Sales in EU
5:48 Tesla to Make Pouch Cells
6:18 Zeekr 001 Gets 1,000 KM Range
6:51 GM Develops New IC Engine
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TESLA PRICE CUTS REALLY BOOSTED SALES
Tesla’s price cuts really worked their magic in the U.S. Or, at least with the Model Y they did. Based on registration data from Experian, Tesla’s U.S. sales shot up 37% in the first quarter. But the Model Y was up 79%. Tesla delivered 155,360 cars to customers and 93,292 of them were Model Ys. The Model 3 was up 11% to 52,885 units. The Model S fell 71% while the X was up 34%. Tesla says Model S sales in the U.S. were down so much because it was exporting it to other markets. When you zoom out and look at the entire EV segment, Experian says over 257,000 EVs were sold in the U.S. in the first three months, which suggests over a million EVs will be sold in the U.S. this year.
| Tesla Q1 U.S. Registrations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Model Y | 93,294 | +79% |
| Model 3 | 52,885 | +11% |
| Model S | 2,636 | -71% |
| Model X | 6,545 | +34% |
| Total | 155,360 | +37% |
STELLANTIS SLAMS ON THE BRAKES IN CANADA
Stellantis halted all construction on its battery plant in Canada. It says the Canadian government “has not delivered on what was agreed to” in terms of the subsidies it promised to provide. The two sides are talking and Canada believes the dispute will be resolved. Stellantis and LG Energy Solution are investing nearly $4 billion to build the plant near Windsor, Ontario and it will have an annual capacity of 45 GWh.
VW SCOUT NOT READY UNTIL 2026
Volkswagen has a lot riding on reviving the Scout brand in the American market. But we’re going to have to wait another three and a half years before we see the results of those efforts. Autoforecast Solutions reports that the Scout SUV will not go into production until November of 2026. The pickup version starts production in May of 2027. They’re going to get built at a new $2 billion assembly plant in Blythewood, South Carolina with a capacity to build 200,000 trucks a year.
STELLANTIS, FAURECIA, MICHELIN, SYMBIO JOIN FORCES FOR FUEL CELLS
There’s been a flurry of fuel cell announcements in the U.S. ever since California announced it would start banning heavy-duty ICE trucks in 2036. And now the European joint venture of Faurecia and Michelin, called Symbio, which makes hydrogen solutions for light- and heavy-duty vehicles, has its eyes set on the U.S. It’s now bringing in Stellantis as an equal partner and says the addition will boost its development across Europe as well as the U.S. Symbio says it will start fuel cell production in the second half of this year and plans to make 50,000 a year by 2025. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says the company will use them to complement its growing electric fleet.
FORD E-TORNEO DEBUTS IN EU
Ford revealed the all-new Transit Courier in April, which is a small European commercial van, and now it’s showing off the passenger version, which is called the Tourneo Courier. Like the Transit, it will be available as an all-electric model for the first time. Ford’s still not giving the battery size, but says customers can charge from 10-80% in 35 minutes and add up to 87 kilometers of range in 10 minutes when charging at 100 kW. Power will come from a single 100 kW or roughly 134 horsepower electric motor. And even though it’s a modified ICE platform, there’s still a small frunk. But if it wasn’t an EV model, in the frunk’s place would be a turbocharged 1.0L gas engine. Another first for the Tourneo Courier is the addition of an Active model, which is meant to give off a more outdoorsy vibe. It has a two-tone paint job, roof bars, more black molding and unique seat fabrics. The gas version of the new Tourneo Courier will go into production later this year and the EV version will follow in the second half of next year. Both are built in Romania.
FORD TRIALS DIRECT SALES IN EU
And to go along with the Tourneo Courier reveal, Ford also announced a massive shakeup of its European sales operations. The big news here is that customers will be able to make entire purchases online. But if that’s not their cup of tea, they can visit the dealer in person or do a combination of both. Ford will launch new online showrooms as well as an associated smartphone app where users can take virtual test rides or book a real one, access charging, schedule service appointments and more. This is the so-called “agency model” where the dealer plays no role in the sale price of the vehicle. That’s set by the automaker itself, including any markup or commission. So, the customer orders the car they want and picks the dealer they want it to show up to. Ford would like to do something similar in the American market, but the agency model is not legal in the U.S.
TESLA TO MAKE POUCH CELLS
After years of touting the superiority of cylindrical battery cells, Tesla will start making its own pouch cells. It applied for regulatory approval in China to produce pouch cells as well as expand production at its Shanghai plant. It will begin making them on a very small trial basis, having an initial annual capacity of 20,000-amp hours, which is the same amount of power in a single Model Y battery pack.
ZEEKR 001 GETS 1000 KM RANGE
Goodbye range anxiety…or at least if you’re able to get a Zeekr 001 in China with CATL’s Qilin battery. But they’re only going to make 1,000 of them. The single motor version, 4-door hatchback, with a 140 kilowatt hour battery pack delivers over 1,000 kilometers of range, based on China’s CLTC test procedure. That’s 641 miles. And the car is priced just under $58,000.
GM DEVELOPS NEW IC ENGINE
Despite GM’s big bet on EVs, it’s still investing in piston power. GM Authority reports that the automaker is developing a new 2.5L turbocharged inline four-cylinder dual overhead cam engine. It’s based on GM’s 2.7L turbo and is in the final stages of development. We don’t have specs or what vehicles it will go into. But for comparison, the 2.7L produces 310 horsepower and 348 lb-ft of torque in the Chevy Silverado, and in the Colorado it delivers between 237 and 310 horses. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the industry whether consumers will buy enough EVs, and so legacy automakers are hedging their bets by keeping their IC powertrains up to date.
And that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in.
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Seamus and Sean McElroy cover the latest news in the automotive industry for Autoline Daily.
