Follow us on social media:
Runtime: 10:27
0:00 Foxconn Will Make EVs for Mitsubishi
1:29 Magna to Build Chinese EVs in Austria
2:57 Amazon Adding Used Cars to Shopping Platform
3:28 Hino Hit with Huge Fine for Cheating
4:04 EU Investigating BYD Plant for Unfair Aid
5:39 Clock Ticking on UAW/VW Contract Deal
6:52 Tesla’s Sales Plunge in Europe
7:47 Hyundai Developing Robot Security Systems
8:32 U.S. Vehicles Thefts Down Thanks to Hyundai/Kia
Visit our sponsor to thank them for their support of Autoline Daily: Intrepid Control Systems and Teijin Automotive.
This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
FOXCONN WILL MAKE EVs FOR MITSUBISHI
Last week the chairman of Foxconn said it could sign deals with two Japanese automakers within the next two months to design and build electric vehicles. Well, according to reports out of Japan, one of those automakers is going to be Mitsubishi. It says Mitsubishi is going to outsource production of electric vehicles to Foxconn in an effort to cut manufacturing costs and speed up development of new models. It’s possible the vehicles could be based on Foxconn’s EV platform, which it hopes to start producing models on before the end of the year. But we don’t know that for sure yet or where the EVs will be built. However, Foxconn does have a large manufacturing plant in the U.S. where the all-electric Lordstown Endurance pickup was made. While getting a contract to build EVs for Mitsubishi will be nice, the automaker sold just under 110,000 vehicles globally last year, so its EV volume is not going to be that big. But the Kyoto News also reports that Foxconn is essentially using Mitsubishi as bait to catch some bigger fish. It hopes the Mitsu deal leads to EV partnerships with Honda and Nissan as well. Mitsubishi and Nissan are partners already and the report also says Mitsubishi will soon announce a collaboration to develop EV software with Nissan and Honda, so that could help Foxconn secure the bigger deals that it really wants.
MAGNA TO BUILD CHINESE EVs IN AUSTRIA
And in related news, it looks like Magna is getting a couple of Chinese automakers to help make up for all the production that it’s lost at its plant in Austria. According to a report, XPeng and GAC will start importing semi-knocked down kits to be assembled at the site as soon as June as a way to help the automakers avoid European fines on EVs made in China. However, volume will be low at first as the automakers want to see how European customers respond to their models. But Magna’s got to be hoping that goes well because that plant is going to start costing it a lot of profit without more models running down the line. While it has the capacity to build 150,000 vehicles a year, in 2023, the most recent data we have, Magna made just under 72,000 units. And we bet last year was even worse. Fisker went bankrupt, so it lost Ocean production, then BMW stopped making the 5 Series there and the Jaguar E-Pace and I-Pace are no longer being built. On top of that, Magna is also losing production of the BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra in 2026. That just leaves the ICE versions of the Mercedes G-Class, which will be joined soon by its EV variant. So, these Chinese vehicles must be a real lifeline for Magna right now.
AMAZON ADDING USED CARS TO SHOPPING PLATFORM
Are you ready to buy your next used car on Amazon? The director of Amazon Autos told Automotive News that’s the online retailer’s next big move, which should be coming to its online shopping platform soon. Those will initially be Hyundai vehicles, Amazon’s launch partner, but Amazon is also trying to sign up other brands. Its next move beyond used vehicles is looking into selling add-ons, like extended warranties and maintenance packages.
HINO HIT WITH $1.6 BILLION FINE FOR CHEATING
Hino Motors, Toyota’s commercial truck subsidiary, just got hammered by the U.S. Department of Justice. It fined the truck maker $1.6 billion for exceeding emissions in 105,000 vehicles from 2010 to 2022. Hino admitted that it falsified emission data and conducted the tests improperly. The company is also prohibited from importing diesel engines into the U.S. for the next five years and part of that $1.6 billion penalty will go towards some of those old polluting engines.
EU INVESTIGATES BYD PLANT FOR UNFAIR AID
But Hino isn’t the only automaker in trouble with authorities. The European Union is investigating whether BYD’s plant in Hungary received unfair subsidies from China. The probe is in the beginning stages but if the EU determines China did provide BYD with unfair aid, then it could force the automaker to sell some assets, cut production, repay the subsidy and pay a fine.
CLOCK TICKING ON UAW/VW CONTRACT DEAL
The clock is ticking for the UAW to secure a labor contract with Volkswagen. The union has been negotiating with the automaker for the past six months to get a deal done for workers at VW’s plant in Tennessee, which voted to unionize nearly a year ago. But if a deal isn’t reached by April 30, workers can vote to decertify the union. VW’s latest offer includes a 20% pay raise over four years, which would bring wages close to the $42 per hour Detroit 3 UAW members will earn in 2028. VW is also offering cost of living adjustments, annual profit sharing and improved health care benefits. But the two sides are still clashing over retirement bonuses, shift premiums and increased paid time off, which VW objects to. Adding to the tension, the UAW filed unfair labor practice charges against VW with the NLRB earlier this month, accusing the automaker of trying to cut jobs. While labor experts say it’s unlikely workers will vote for decertification, the deadline does put pressure on the UAW to get the deal done.
TESLA’S SALES PLUNGE IN EUROPE
Tesla’s sales continue to slide in Europe. According to market researcher Dataforce, the automaker’s registrations plunged 44% in February to 15,255 units. Sales were down in most major markets, except for the UK where it posted a 20% increase. The Volkswagen brand outsold Tesla with more than 19,500 registrations, a whopping 182% increase from a year ago. VW had three of the five top selling EV models in February, the ID.4, ID.7 and ID.3 respectively. Meanwhile, the BEV market in Europe was up 26% in February to nearly 161,000 units, but overall sales were down 3% to about 950,000 vehicles.
HYUNDAI DEVELOPING ROBOT SECURITY SYSTEMS
Hyundai hopes to replace existing security systems you might see at office buildings or hotels with robots. It signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Suprema, a supplier of biometric access control systems, to develop a total security solution based around robotics and AI. They plan to integrate Suprema’s facial recognition tech into both robots and access systems. While the first thing that popped into my head was robot security guards trained to take out any criminal, and when you see the capabilities of the humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics, which is owned by the Hyundai Group, you might think that’s possible, but these will initially be more like pods that will deliver food and packages.
U.S. VEHICLE THEFTS DOWN THANKS TO HYUNDAI/KIA
Vehicle thefts in the U.S. declined significantly last year. According to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, thefts fell 16% to about 851,000 vehicles. That’s down from a record high of 1.02 million in 2023. The main reason for the drop was Hyundai and Kia fixing the vehicles it didn’t equip with engine immobilizers, which made them easy targets after videos on social media showed how to steal the vehicles. But despite the measures they implemented, Hyundai and Kia vehicles were still among the top five stolen models last year. Car thefts also declined last year thanks to improving supplies of car parts, which means you couldn’t make as much stealing a car and parting it out.
And if you want to know how car sales are going to be impacted by uncertainty in the market and tariffs as well as how automakers and suppliers will react if they go down, you won’t want to miss today’s Autoline After Hours, which goes live at 3PM EST. We’ll also dive into that GM and NVIDIA deal, Tesla crashing through a fake wall and seeing if the U.S. can compete like China.
But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
Amazon move to used cars really long overdue, if and when it happens, it will VASTLY improve the buying experience, AND save buyers BILLIONS, WHILE at the SAME TIME making Amazon even more billions.
This is exactly how Amazon became the BEHEMOTH it is today.
There may be minor differences between selling everything else Amazon sells on the web and selling cars, but I have no doubt at all that, if it follows the PRINCIPLES that made all its other sales a MONUMENTAL SUCcESS and a M OST SATISFYING And $ SAVING experience for the buyers, So IT WILL BE with cars.
Who will suffer if it does? Used car dealers, AND other online used car dealers as the despicable CARVANA, which is rightly plagued with all kinds of problems already.
Why despicable, curious cats will ask? Go to the CARVANA website and ask it for a quote on your car, if it buys it from you. It will be a laughably low bid.
Are Z4 and Supra being discontinued for 2026, or is production just moving from Magna Graz to another location?
Hopefully, when selling cars, Amazon will better distinguish between items you buy FROM Amazon, where you can complain and return if not satisfied and items you buy THROUGH Amazon from a third party, who tells you to ‘take a hike’ if you don’t like the product.
Looks like anti-Tesla sentiment is spreading, at least in Canada. Hamilton is a city n Ontario, an hour or so west of Buffalo. Canadian Press reported today:
Hamilton police say they are investigating a “series of mischiefs” after dozens of Tesla vehicles were damaged at a local dealership this week.
According to police, officers were called to a Tesla dealership, located at 999 Upper Wentworth Street, on Wednesday for a report of damage to some of the store’s inventory.
Police arrived to discover that “upwards of 80” Tesla vehicles parked outside had sustained damage, including deep scratches and punctured tires.
“Police are currently reviewing CCTV camera footage and are asking the public for their assistance in solving this crime,” investigators said in a news release issued Thursday.
Destroying other peoples property isn’t the way to show your dislike for Musk. It hurts the insurance companies that insured those cars setting on the dealer lots. Which may raise premiums on businesses in the future, I’m surprised dealers haven’t started using security officers after dark, the people that are doing the vandalism hide under darkness.
Mitsubishi was surprised by the Foxconn news.
Cra,y that the Foxxcon vehicles in today’s video, look better then a lot of what Mitsubishi currently has on sell, to my eye. I know that the Foxxcon vehicles were probably just for demonstration purposes and if Mitsubishi signs up with them, they will no doubt have the stylist go to work on them.
So, Toyota was hit with a similar fine as the VW Group?! It was dieselgate and regulators that guided VW into their EV push, so im a little surprised that they aren’t strongly encouraging Toyota to do something similar.
Tesla sales down in EU from model Y production ramp speeds or ?
Yes Canada has criminals too, even on the West [Left][Wet] coast who prefer gas guzzling GMC vans to take their plastic [hydrocarbon based] kayaks to protest against whatever has slighted them today including burning a Tesla supercharger less than a mile from my house [just over a km.] Should I feel lucky they, he, or she [haven’t been caught yet] did not burn my house down?
Vancouver Auto show has removed all teslas over safety concerns
Ordered item from Amazon @ 6:10pm yesterday. Showed up @4:50am today. If they can deliver cars that quick,they may be onto something.
Yep, vandalism is bad, regardless of the target or reason. It only adds to all of our insurance costs. I feel sorry for people who bought Teslas two or more years ago when the “old” Elon was the face of Tesla. Now, many of these earlier buyers are not only embarrassed to be driving a “Swastikar,” but they have to be concerned about their cars being vandalized. Also, it would not be a good time to sell a Tesla, as residuals have cratered, given all of what’s going on.
Regarding used car sellers, I’ve found Carmax to be an excellent place to sell late model “specialty” cars. I don’t know how they are to buy from, but they are great to sell to. With Amazon, there will be a 3rd party involved, and that 3rd party will determine the buying experience. From my experience, Amazon is great at quick delivery, but they don’t warrant anything. I bought a stereo amplifier from them, and had to go though the Chinese manufacturer for warranty.
Yet, Musk doesn’t even seemed concerned about the car side of his many businesses. If he would simply distance himself farther from the company, it’s possible Tesla may recover somewhat. Especially, since it seems that he’s mostly interested in his work with Doge and his other businesses that currently have big government contracts! Speaking of contracts, he as a number of businesses that have contracts with the US government, right? Yet, Doge is firing federal employees, many of which are jobs that have union contracts! If Doge has the power to break union contracts by firing the employees with the union contract, who is to say that, should Musk fall out of favor with the new administration, which many quickly had under Trumps previous admin, those contracts couldn’t be quickly thrown out with little notice or reason?! Just a thought.
Vandalism hurts the insurance companies, not the dealers, and later everybody will have to pay higher premiums.
What I find absolutely DISGUSTING is the attacks of my despicable party, the Dems, against ELON MUSK.
The dems made total fools of themselves in Trump’s State of the Union Address.
Some females were dressed in pink and carrying ‘lollipops’ which wrote “MUSK STEALS” (SIC!!!!!) and on the back “FALSE”. THey should not have bothered with them at all, since the text on their back side negated their claims on the front side.
Does anybody with a brain larger than a PEA really believe that Musk does Doge to… steal or even m ake money?????
Imagine the Dems treating THOMAS EDISON, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, or even rabid ANTISEMITE HENRY FORD like that.
Musk is the MOST QUALIFIED OF ANYBODY I KNOW to pursue Govt WASTE FRAUD AND ABUSE,
because he has a STELLAR RECORD of cutting costs, not so much at Tesla but especially at SPACEX, if you compare NASA’s horribly costly procedures and devices to do the exact same job. Musk did the same thing at ONE TENTH of the cost.
Again, the DEMS made total fools of themselves and they are really DeSPICABLE to attack MUSK in this way I Hope Elon has a much thicker skin than I do so he can do his VERY important mission successfully.
Regulus,
You say that “Musk is the MOST QUALIFIED OF ANYBODY I KNOW…”, which is a pretty strong statement. I comes as a surprise to me that you know Elon Musk and knew him so intimately! I would imagine that most/many here only know what we see of him in public, via various media outlets. Yet, to have someone as yourself who knows him so well is an honor! Thank you.
Some of what you say in your last post here, raise questions about what Musk and Doge is doing. Let us be clear, this is NOT a political party thing, for Doge’s actions are hurting both Democrats AND Republicans! Also, keep this in mind as well, NO federal employees go to work believing that their job is wasteful, thinking to themselves: ‘Let me hurry to work, to wastefully and fraudulently spend tax payer money!!” These are just regular folks who applied for a job that would support their families. If Doge really wanted to go after wasteful spending and fraud, shouldn’t they start in the offices of lawmakers? LOL
Speaking of wasteful spending, you mention SpaceX as an example of Musk at his best (I guess since you know him, right?), because he has done with NASA has done at a fraction of the cost. Yet, SpaceX can do that because there is no expectation. NASA has to (had to?) account for how it spent federal dollars AND the safety of the human lives they were sitting in harms way! If SpaceX want to not include several failsafes and redundancies to save cost and unmanned craft explodes, who cares?! That billion dollar experiment used SpaceX’s money, not tax dollars! On top of that, why is the government spending tax payer dollars, for a contract to SpaceX, to send people to space or the moon anyway? Anything humans need is on earth! Would that money be better spent here! Talk about WASTEFUL spending!! But Doge conveniently says: ‘ Nothing to see here!’
To be clear, if the administration or congress wants a three party to review the country’s many departments, to identify waste (be ot spending or redundancies), I’m sure most would agree with that. Such an investigation would require a deep dive into what the department does, how they go about it and why they do it in that fashion, what departments do they work with and over lap, what contracts they have and then, after they have taken such a detailed look in the workings of that department, submit their findings to leaders with their recommendations. This process, done correctly, could take months or years, depending on the size of the department or organization. To sign an email over the weekend, demanding employees to show their worth, then go in Monday and just start arbitrarily firing people, just because Musk/Doge says so, is not the best why to down size and organization. Whoever you, know Elon better then we do, so i will deffer to you!
Personal opinion – Way too much politics on what is supposed to be an Automotive forum. In addition, not sure why some people feel the need to scream (all caps) at others.
There is no doubt that Elon Musk has done amazing things to turn SpaceX and Tesla into what they have become. The trouble is, he and Trump are now on a crusade to destroy the United States, with a high likelihood that the “free world” will die along with the US. Yes, this is automotive related, as Trump is going all out to destroy the US-based auto industry, with the highly inter-related operations in Canada, Mexico, and the US, including supplies of aluminum and steel from other countries.