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Runtime: 9:39
0:00 Automakers Prepare for Trump Tariffs
1:23 China Delays Approval for BYD Mexico Plant
1:56 Humanoid Robots Could Be in Mercedes Plants By 2030
2:32 BAIC Testing Humanoid Robots
3:14 Volvo Using AI to Improve Hands-Free Driving
3:55 California Grants Tesla Ride-Hailing Permit
4:54 Zeekr, Xpeng & GAC To Launch L3 Cars This Year
5:48 GM to Use NVIDIA Tech to Improve Production & ADAS
6:28 Bosch Wants to Use Metal 3D Printing in Volume Production
7:24 Longer Lasting EV Batteries Delay Recycling Plans
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
AUTOMAKERS PREPARE FOR TRUMP TARIFFS
Automakers are preparing for the 25% tariffs President Trump has promised to go into effect on April 2. As we reported last week, Ford is stockpiling parts ahead of the tariffs and now Stellantis is doing the same by moving some parts from Canada and Mexico to the U.S. sooner than usual. The automaker is also working with dealers to expedite orders of vehicles that could be impacted by tariffs. In Europe, the German luxury brands, Audi, BMW and Mercedes, are considering strategies that include passing the cost of the tariffs onto customers and lowering or shifting production. Audi will especially be impacted by the tariffs because it doesn’t have a plant in the U.S. and its best-selling model, the Q5, is built in Mexico. And over in Japan, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association is warning that U.S. tariffs could lead to “significant” production cutbacks in Japan because of the disruption to the supply chain. Nissan is already getting ahead of the tariffs and says it has boosted production at its plant in Mexico and is aiming to get that extra output to the U.S. before they go into effect.
CHINA DELAYS APPROVAL FOR BYD MEXICO PLANT
BYD has big expansion plans, but its new plant in Mexico could be in jeopardy. The Financial Times reports that Chinese officials have delayed approval for construction to start because they’re concerned about BYD’s intellectual property and technology leaking to the U.S. That’s all we know and we’ll be sure to update the story with any new information. But since BYD is private and not state-owned like some Chinese automakers, we wonder how long officials can really delay construction?
HUMANOID ROBOTS COULD BE IN MERCEDES PLANTS BY 2030
More automakers keep getting involved in humanoid robots. Mercedes announced it’s making a low double-digit-million-euro investment into Apptronik, a U.S.-based robotics company. And the automaker has already started testing Apptronik’s Apollo robot at its Berlin factory. It’s using Apollo for repetitive tasks, like transporting vehicle parts to the production line and believes robots could have real factory jobs before 2030. Mercedes is also making AI and digital enhancements at its production sites to improve their efficiency.
BAIC TESTING HUMANOID ROBOTS
And now we shift over to China, where BAIC announced a partnership with robot maker UBTECH. BAIC deployed the Walker S1 to do parts inspections at a plant where it makes NEVs. Repetitive tasks seem like the best applications for humanoid robots right now with UBITECH claiming accuracy rates of 99%. So, it feels like it’s going to be awhile before human line workers start losing their jobs to robots. But most major automakers are testing humanoids, including Tesla, BMW, the Hyundai Group, NIO, XPeng, Toyota and Honda.
VOLVO USING AI TO IMPROVE HANDS-FREE DRIVING
Volvo says it’s using a technique called Gaussian splatting to improve its hands-free and driver assistance technology. It allows users to create realistic 3D environments from real pictures and video and then manipulate that environment anyway they want. It sounds like this is particularly useful for edge cases, or unlikely driving scenarios, like a dog running into the road. But maybe instead of just one dog, you want a whole pack of dogs running from both sides of the street or a million other cases. Volvo can then train its system to handle all those situations, which will help make it better.
CALIFORNIA GRANTS TESLA RIDE-HAILING PERMIT
And in somewhat related news, we reported late last month that Tesla applied for a ride-hailing permit in California in November of last year. Now the California Public Utilities Commission has officially approved that application, which allows Tesla to own and operate a fleet of vehicles that transport employees around. However, note that I did not use the words Cybercab, robotaxi, FSD, Autopilot or self-driving. This permit is only for a taxi-like service with human drivers. While Waymo also has the same permit, Tesla has not applied for an autonomous driving permit yet.
ZEEKR, XPENG & GAC TO LAUNCH L3 CARS THIS YEAR
Hands-free driving is taking a step forward in China. Three automakers, Xpeng, GAC, and Zeekr, Geely’s premium brand, revealed plans to introduce Level 3 capable vehicles this year, which means eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, but still being in a position to take over if needed. Zeekr announced that its upcoming 9X SUV, which launches in the second half of the year, will have that capability. Xpeng says it will also have vehicles with L3 in the second half and that it will start producing vehicles with Level 4 capabilities next year. And GAC says it will have L3 models for sale this year and that it’s also working on L4 vehicles. But while the vehicles will have Level 3 capabilities, the three automakers still need regulatory approval before owners can use the features.
GM TO USE NVIDIA TECH TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION & ADAS
General Motors and chipmaker NVIDIA announced plans to use AI, software and simulation to develop vehicle technology and to improve the efficiency of the automaker’s plants. GM will use the NVIDIA Omniverse platform to create digital twins of its assembly lines, allowing for virtual testing and production simulations. The technology will also be used to train robotics platforms that are already in use, which it expects to increase safety and efficiency at plants. GM will also use an NVIDIA operating system in its next-gen vehicles for advanced driver assistance systems.
BOSCH WANTS TO USE METAL 3D PRINTING IN VOLUME PRODUCTION
Bosch is expanding the metal 3D printing capabilities at one of its plants in Germany with the goal of producing car parts in volume. The supplier has invested 6 million euros in the center and it just installed a new printer that is five times faster than previous metal 3D printers. That will help speed up the development of parts, especially metal parts, which can take a long time to make with older methods. One example is engine blocks. Using conventional methods, it can take up to three years to develop an engine block from the first draft to volume production. The casting mold for the block can take 18 months alone just to make. A 3D printer on the other hand can create a prototype engine block in just a few days. And Bosch claims it’s the only tier-1 supplier in Europe with this type of 3D printing capability.
LONGER LASTING EV BATTERIES DELAYS RECYCLING PLANS
In addition to mining, recycling old EV batteries is seen as a way to help supply materials to make new batteries. But there’s just one problem, batteries are lasting longer than expected. Hydrovolt, a battery recycler in Norway, opened its first production line last year with the goal of processing 12,000 metric tons of batteries from 25,000 EVs a year. But because batteries are lasting longer, Hydrovolt only expects to process about a third of that this year. While the number of EVs scrapped last year in Norway was up 50%, EVs only accounted for 4.4% of passenger vehicles sent to the scrap yard. So while battery recycling is promising, it could take longer to fully ramp up.
And that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day.
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A question, which auto manufacturers will have Tesla Optimus robots in their factories when hell freezes over?
Sean, a couple of questions. Sorry if you have covered this before. Tariff related reporting implies that there is no car plant in the world that doesn’t use some US parts. That can’t be correct, can it? I have to believe that most Chinese, Japanese or European factories get by without US parts. Even in Canada and Mexico, many of the models are the same as models produced in Japan or Europe. Wouldn’t the Honda Civic factory in Canada be able to replace US made Civic parts from suppliers in Japan? Honda could therefore still supply Civics in Canada and Mexico and all countries outside the US, from Canada In practice, wouldn’t that mean the the tariffs mainly hurt US owned companies and US consumers? Honda already produces Civics in the US but don’t the tariffs doom that plan to supplying the US only? There is no way Honda is ever going to shut down the Canadian plant unless they don’t want to sell in Canada anymore. The logic of it all escapes me.
It’s sad that a U.S. president is so intent on destroying many decades, no, more than a century of synergy in the North American auto industry. Chrysler has produced minivans continuously in Windsor, Ontario since 1983. Ford produced Model Ts in Canada beginning in 1908, first using mostly parts from the U.S., and later with engines and other major parts made in Canada. Time will tell how the current situation sorts out, but it’s not looking pretty.
Somehow, humanoid robots don’t make as much sense as job-specific robots for car factories. I guess it depends on if “precision” is needed, as with installing small parts.
It is kind of funny that China is worried someone in North America will steal their IP based on a plant being in Mexico. China has been stealing designs for decades with impunity by forcing OEMs into partnerships with local Chinese companies. China has vehemently refused to stop the theft for decades. Now they are worried that others will do exactly what China has done for decades. That is hilarious.
@MERKUR DRIVER: China has not forced OEMs in partnerships. OEMs wanted to invest in China to reap the enormous benefits and China allowed that provided they would do so in JVs. Nobody has been forced to do anything; they could have refrained from entering the Chinese market. GM, Mercedes and so on have made 50% of their global profits in China for almost two decades.
I hope that “humanoid” does NOT mean a robot with the same average size, height etc as a human.
There is NO REASON other than cheap sensationalism in bad sci-fi B-movies to make INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS looking like humans. Robots in the auto industry should be optimal to work on the CARS they are assembling, and not to appear in birthday parties as AI clowns.
THat is very different than a VALET Robot for a 95 year old at home, where it makes a lot of sense for the robot to be humanoid.
3D printed engine block,that’s amazing
Win van Acker. That’s a hilarious view point. I guess then the US isn’t forcing a tariff on anyone. They have a choice to just not sell products in the US just like we had a choice to not make products in China. Not being given a choice is the same as forcing in my book. Automakers were given the choice to enter a JV with a Chinese company or piss off. They have stolen intellectual property and even made knock offs of products and designs for years with very little done about it. I mean don’t get me wrong it was a boss move. China knew the potential market and automakers would foolishly sell their soul to get in on the Chinese market even tho it would be short lived. Long enough for them to learn and make vehicles on their own. Which is exactly what happened. So now we have a president that knows the US is in the drivers seat and can use it to our advantage. Yep they have a choice too. Past the tariff or don’t sell in the US. Guess what they’ll do? Move to the US or pay the tariff. Either way Americans win. Yet some think we should support the world with our tax dollars. One is born every minute.
Lambo, we have a president who is a blithering fool, and will send the US, and probably the world into recession, with his idiotic trade war against our now-former allies.
Kit you’re the blithering fool. You been watching too much CNN and been brainwashed into all their hate. Watch what happens in just 6 months about how wrong you are. It’ll be hilarious to watch you eat your words.
Lambo, I don’t watch any cable news. I get information from actual informed sources, like blogs from Nobel laureate economists.