AD #3964 – Panasonic Eliminating Its Chinese Content; Afeela Launching with $103K Price Tag; ZF Develops New Hybrid Braking System

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

PANASONIC ELIMINATING CHINESE CONTENT
Battery maker Panasonic says its number 1 objective is to eliminate Chinese materials from the batteries it makes in the U.S. While the company claims it doesn’t have a lot of Chinese suppliers, it has accelerated efforts to get rid of them and is working with its other suppliers from Japan, South Korea and Canada to set up operations in North America. Panasonic already operates one battery plant in Nevada and plans to open another in Kansas this year. Sourcing requirements for EVs to be eligible for the U.S. federal tax credit continue to tighten and President-elect Trump has pledged to raise tariffs on Chinese goods, so Panasonic’s moves could potentially open itself up to new partners.

U.S. SAYS CATL WORKS WITH CHINESE MILITARY
Meanwhile, the largest battery maker in the world, might have a harder time finding new partners in the U.S. The U.S. Defense Department just added CATL to a list of companies it says works with the Chinese military, which could lead to an investment ban. CATL denies the claim and will likely appeal, but even so it’s stock price was down on the news.

LUCID SETTLES DISPUTE WITH UAW
The UAW just got a win from the National Labor Relations Board. In 2023, the union filed unfair labor practices against EV start-up Lucid Motors over the company firing three workers at its plant in Arizona for organizing with the UAW. And now the workers have reached a settlement with the automaker to have their jobs reinstated, pay them nearly $258,000 in back-pay as well as a cease-and-desist order that stops Lucid from “committing a long list of unfair labor practices.”

EMISSION POOLING COULD BE NICE PAYDAY FOR TESLA
Tesla is in line for a nice little payday in Europe. Automotive News reports that Ford, Mazda, Stellantis, Subaru and Toyota are going to pool their emissions with Tesla in Europe in order to avoid emission fines. The EU’s emission rules ramp up this year and automakers have to pay out 95 euros for every gram of CO2 over the limit times every vehicle sold. The ACEA, a lobbying group that represents European automakers, says the fines could potentially top 15 billion euros. So, by paying to pool with Tesla the automakers can lower their fleet emissions and avoid the fines. And it could be a lot of money. Between 2019 and 2021, Stellantis paid $2.4 billion to pool its emissions with Tesla in Europe.

NHTSA INVESTIGATING TESLA’S ASS FEATURE
Speaking of Tesla, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the company’s “Actually Smart Summon” feature, which allows owners to remotely move their vehicle using a smartphone app. The investigation was sparked by reports of crashes, like not not detecting posts or parked vehicles, while the technology was being used. It involves 2.6 million Tesla vehicles.

 

UK TOPS GERMANY AS EU’S TOP EV MARKET
The UK passed Germany to become the number one EV market in Europe last year, but only barely. UK EV sales were just under 382,000 vehicles, an increase of 21%, while Germany sold 380,000 EVs, a drop of more than 25%. As we reported yesterday, EV sales in the UK surged last month because automakers cut prices in order to meet EV sales mandates. EV sales slowed in Germany because purchase incentives were eliminated at the end of 2023, which put a dent in demand. But EV sales in Germany could pick back up toward the end of the year, when EV owners with three-year leases come back to the market.

AFEELA SEDAN LAUNCHING WITH $103K PRICE TAG
Afeela, the joint venture between Honda and Sony, will launch its all-electric Afeela 1 sedan in the middle of 2026 with a trim-line called Signature and a starting price of $103,000. Afeela is billing this as a smart car that you’ll be able to more easily interact with as well as offer unparalleled entertainment and relaxation through audio and visuals. The vehicle will also have an ADAS system that sounds similar in capability to Tesla’s FSD system and will rely on 40 sensors, including 18 cameras, 1 lidar, 9 radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors. The car will come standard with Tesla’s NACS charging port and claims a range of up to 300 miles. There will also be a trim-line called Origin that launches in 2027, which has fewer color options, screens and smaller tires and will start at $90,000.

ZF LAUNCHING NEW HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM
The supplier ZF is working with a global automaker to introduce a new hybrid braking system. The front brakes are a standard hydraulic setup, but the rear uses no brake fluid at all. It’s a brake-by-wire system where the rear calipers are controlled by electric motors. This is a solution that ZF has developed to address automaker’s Software Defined Vehicle needs and it also allows for expanded use of the braking system, like the ability to use the brakes to steer the car. And on top of ditching part of the hydraulic braking system, the same vehicle is ditching hydraulic steering. ZF is also supplying a 48-volt electrically powered ball gear to the global automaker, which was not revealed in the press release. But it does say these types of brakes are used on passenger cars and light commercial vehicles and it will equip the system on nearly 5 million vehicles over the life of the contract.

PEOPLE READY TO MOVE INTO TOYOTA’S WOVEN CITY
Toyota is building its own little city at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan and it’s just about ready for people to start moving in. Called Woven City it’s meant to be a place where people can live, work, innovate, play and will focus on the mobility of its residents, goods, information and energy. It says about 360 people will start moving in this fall and it already has several businesses confirmed to offer services. In the future, Toyota expects about 2,000 people to live in the city and expand to include autonomous rides, not just on the ground, but also in the sky, and robots that not only help people with tasks but also pets to provide comfort. The city will be open to Toyota employees and their families as well as students, retailers and retirees.

RAM UPDATES ITS HEAVY-DUTY PICKUPS
Ram unveiled new versions of its 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty pickups. Two engine options are offered. A standard 6.4L HEMI V8 that produces 405 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. The second engine is an all-new 6.7L inline 6-cylinder Cummins diesel, which cranks out 430 horsepower, 1,075 lb-ft of torque and has a towing capacity of 36,610 pounds. Both engines are mated to a new 8-speed automatic transmission. The interior comes standard with an improved 12-inch display screen or a new 14-inch touchscreen is also available. And for the first time, a 10.25-inch passenger display is offered, which has an HDMI plug for phones or tablets. The new Ram Heavy-Duty pickups go on sale this quarter, the 2500 starts at $47,560 including destination charges. And the 3500 costs $1,000 more.

But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Don’t forget to look for our CES content. And we’ll see you back here again tomorrow.