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Runtime: 11:09
0:00 U.S. Assembly Plant Up for Sale
0:57 Honda Waits for U.S. Midterms
1:52 Musk Claims Tesla Has Turned the Corner
5:06 Toyota’s Top Selling RAV4 Gets a Complete Make-Over
6:54 Fiat Launching 3-Wheeler
7:38 Nissan To Use Batteries from Ford Plant
8:21 New Nissan Micra Launches in EU
9:11 Chery Reveals Small, Rugged SUV
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
U.S. ASSEMBLY PLANT UP FOR SALE
President Trump’s tariffs have sent automakers scrambling to figure out how to increase their manufacturing in the United States, and here’s a development that’s sure to grab their attention. Mullen is probably going to put its assembly plant in Indiana up for sale. Mullen, as you may remember, is the name of the company that tried to bring back CODA, tried to launch its own EV brand, bought up ELMS and took over Bollinger Motors. And the assembly plant it may sell is the old AM General plant in Mishawaka, Indiana where it was building the Bollinger trucks. That plant was where General Motors contracted to build its first version of the Hummer, but has traded hands several times since then. So, it could be picked up for a fraction of the cost of building a new facility.
HONDA WAITS FOR U.S. MIDTERMS
Meanwhile, Honda says it’s going to take a wait-and-see approach before making any major decisions on moving more production to the U.S. Honda’s CEO Toshihiro Mibe says he never thought the USMCA trade deal could disappear and that if Trump’s tariffs become medium to long-term, “we will need to make some drastic revisions.” But before Honda makes any changes, Mibe says it’s going to see how negotiations between the U.S., Mexico and Canada play out. And here’s the real kicker. Mibe says they could even wait to see how the 2026 midterm elections turn out before making a decision. Honda only exported about 5,400 vehicles from Japan to the U.S. last year. But around 40% of the vehicles it sells in the U.S. come from Canada and Mexico.
MUSK CLAIMS TESLA HAS TURNED THE CORNER
Tesla fans will probably be happy to hear that Elon Musk is going to cut back on his political spending. Musk, his PAC or Political Action Committee, and a non-profit he funds, spent about $20 million on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in March, backing a conservative candidate who ended up losing by a lot. Here’s the automotive connection. Musk’s political spending along with his work with the Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump White House have likely played a role in consumer backlash that has seen Tesla’s sales and profits plummet. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum yesterday via a video link, Musk insisted that Tesla has already turned the corner, saying the company’s only weak spot is in Europe. But we have to point out that sales are also down sharply in the U.S. and China. We think that the faster Musk leaves his political forays behind and spends more time with Tesla, the faster the automaker will recover. And Elon also said he’s committed to leading Tesla for at least the next 5 years.
Yesterday we showed you a video clip of a parking lot in suburban Detroit jam packed with Teslas, including the company’s full line up of vehicles. And we asked if any of you out there knew anything about it. Moses Fridman reported in to point out that a new Tesla service and distribution center opened about a half mile north of that location. We love it when our viewers become the eyes and ears for Autoline, so if you have any tips or suggestions, we’d love to hear them.
LIVE Q&A WITH JOHN & SEAN TODAY
Also, don’t forget that John and I will do a live Q&A session later today at 3 pm eastern time. And we’d love to get your questions. We’re doing this once a month or so, but it’s only open to viewers who have Autoline memberships via Patreon or YouTube. So if you haven’t become a member yet, here’s a good reason to consider it, and it only costs a few dollars a month. Go to Patreon.com and do a search for Autoline, or look for the “Join” button on the Autoline home page on YouTube.
TOYOTA’S TOP SELLING RAV4 GETS A COMPLETE MAKE-OVER
Check out the all-new Toyota RAV4 in 3, 2, 1. The model will be available in 3 grades, called Core, Rugged and Sport, and each have slightly different styling from the other. The interior is highlighted by digital display screens up to 12.9 inches as well as digital HVAC controls and an available toggle switch-style gear shifter. A lot of the new functionality in the center screen is controlled by Arene, an all-new software development platform created by Toyota. Think of it like a bridge to a fully software defined vehicle that allows for more advanced levels of automation and connectivity. The new RAV4 is moving to a hybrid-only powertrain lineup. The standard setup is Toyota’s 5th-gen dual-motor hybrid system paired to a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, but it gets improvements to the transaxle, power control unit and battery. Front-wheel drive models, a first for RAV4 Hybrid, produce 226 horsepower, while all-wheel drive gets a slight bump up to 236 horsepower. There’s also a new plug-in hybrid system available that uses the same engine, but more powerful motors and a larger battery pack. This setup produces up to 320 horsepower and provides an estimated range of up to 50 miles or about 80 kilometers, which is up from 42 miles of range. Interestingly, XSE and Woodland grades will have a CCS charger, while SE and GR SPORT models will have a NACS charging port. Look for the new RAV4 to start hitting U.S. dealerships sometime later this year.
FIAT LAUNCHING 3-WHEELER
Fiat’s commercial division, called Fiat Professional, is coming out with its first 3-wheeled EV. Called TRIS, the model will be sold in Africa and the Middle East. It’s offered as a flat-bed, pickup or chassis-cab and can carry a load of up to 540 kilograms or about 1,200 pounds. Power comes from a 48-volt electric motor that produces 9 kW or about 12 horsepower and it has a top speed of 45 km/h. That more is fed by a nearly 7 kWh lithium battery, which provides up to 90 kilometers or about 56 miles of range on the World Motorcycle Test Cycle.
NISSAN TO USE BATTERIES FROM FORD PLANT
Earlier this year, General Motors backed out of a joint-venture with LG Energy Solution to produce EV batteries in Michigan. Toyota then stepped in and agreed to shift a battery order from another LG plant to the Michigan one. And now the Wall Street journal reports that Ford is going to build batteries for Nissan at its plant in Kentucky. In 2021, Ford revealed plans to build two battery plants in Kentucky with battery maker SK On. But Ford is now scaling back its EV plans because demand wasn’t what it thought it would be. And as a result, one of the battery plants is sitting unused, so the other will now make batteries for Ford and Nissan.
NEW NISSAN MICRA LAUNCHES IN EU
And speaking of Nissan and EVs, the automaker just took the wraps off the all-new Micra, which is now fully electric. The small hatchback, which is based on the same platform as the Renault 5, is offered with two battery packs. The base model comes with a 40-kWh pack that provides 308 kilometers or 191 miles of range and a 52-kWh pack is available that achieves 408 kilometers or 253 miles of range. Other features include two 10.1-inch display screens in the interior, one for the driver and one for the center console. It’s also available with Nissan’s ProPilot assist driver assistance technology. The Micra goes on sale in Europe later this year.
CHERY REVEALS SMALL, RUGGED SUV
Watch out Suzuki Jimny! More automakers have their eyes set on the small, rugged SUV segment. Chinese automaker Baojun makes a similar model, called the Yep. Renault just showed off an off-road concept of the Renault 4. And Fiat did the same thing with the Grande Panda. Now iCar, a brand under Chinese automaker Chery, is coming out with what it calls the “Retro Emotion Package” for its V23 model. Available modifications include a matte green body wrap, unique grille and 19-inch steel wheels with all-terrain tires, which sells for about $550 to $1,450. Chery plans to introduce the iCar brand to the UK, Australia, and Malaysia next year, which may have inspired the motivation for this Retro Package. However, Chery will change the name to “iCaur” because Apple holds the trademark for “iCar” outside of China.
But that’s a wrap for today’s show. Thanks for tuning in.
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Sean, Interesting that the Toyota Rav4 is going all-hybrid at such large production volume. Does that mean that vehicles on the same platform, like the Corolla Cross are likely to do the same? If Toyota made the next logical step, switching from their current hybrid setup to an EREV style setup, wouldn’t that reduce number of transmissions and generators they need enough to free up a couple of factories? Just asking
The RAV4 hybrid uses a similar powertrain to Camry and Sienna, with a 2.5 liter engine. Corolla Cross hybrid uses a 2.0 liter hybrid system from the current Prius, or similar to that. The Corolla hybrid uses a 1.8 liter system from the previous generation Prius. There are, basically, three main efficiency-biased hybrid systems, with the option of an extra motor on the rear wheels for AWD versions. There are other Toyota “performance” hybrid systems with turbos, but they are lower volume.
The current RAV4, except the plug-in, is from Canada, and the plug-in from Japan. I haven’t heard of plans to move production, so prices will probably go up substantially because of the tariffs.
If Toyota went to an EREV system, meaning series hybrid, they would get horrible mpg, especially highway, compared to the current hybrid systems.
“The interior is highlighted by digital display screens up to 12.9 inches as well as digital HVAC controls…”
Good Lord, what a mess.
Mike Nassour, I totally agree it’s going to be a mess with everything going touch screen and a toggle gear shift, makes me all the happier I bought a 2024 Hybrid .
Just wondering could an OEM use an off the shelf generator package to make an EREV? Many generators are retailed at very reasonable prices
The only EREV that has been sold in the US is the i3 REx, and it is a gas hog when running on gas after the battery is depleted. It is a good EV for driving within range of home charging, and is capable of road trips, with frequent stops, as Bob Wilson who posts here can attest, but it is not a good car for regular use on gas. A Prius Prime, with a similar series/parallel hybrid system to a regular Prius is much more efficient on gas, but the i3, with a bigger battery and full power on battery is a much better EV, if you do most of your driving on plug-in power. The Chevy Volt was a good compromise, operating in series mode at lower speed, but gearing the engine to the wheels at higher speeds, greatly improving mpg compared to a pure series, or EREV powertrain. It’s too bad the Volt didn’t sell better. I suppose it should have been a CUV instead of a car.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=42572&id=41489&id=40924
As I suspected, the 3-wheel Fiat EV is not for local consumption in Italy or the rest of Europe or the US, but Africa and some destitute Middle East sorry excuse of nations. As I also suspected, it will not be exported to India, the place that needs it the most.
Blame the Accursed “Socialist” Protectionist Bureaucrats of India, the fools who, just because 100 years ago they were governed by the Free Trade, Free Markets British, when they became independent, they do exactly the opposite, condemning their long suffering people to starvation AND the most horrible pollution on earth.
They cannot even clean up their Capital of New Delhi! Instead, whenever the air becomes really lethal, they ask people to… stay home!
That 3 wheeler, which, if India had a decent business environment for foreign investment, could very profitably be made there, is IDEAL to cure India’s traffic and pollution ills. Its modest speed is 100% sufficient THERE, where people, cows and vehicles fill the roads. Its range is more than adequate in huge urban areas like Bombay and Calcutta. (I could care less what the clowns call them now, Mumbai or Colkatta).
Of course, it is a really crappy vehicle for any place else, it is unsafe, (does not have to be safe, being a 3 wheeler) but hell, if you fall from it at only 20 MPH, it won’t be that bad.
The Volt was an ugly, nerdy vehicle the size of a Chevy Cruze, but at TWICE the price. Very few owners would ever recoup the extra $20k they would pay for the Volt. ANd remember this $20k is NOT in worthless 2025 dollars, but in 2015 or earlier ones!!! make it a $25k premium in today’s $!. That dog would NOT hunt if you made it a CUV, or a pretend-Hummer, or anything else. Yet Kit wonders why it failed, and GM lost billions and billions on it because the EGO of its champs did not allow GM to CANCEL the Turkey.
The i3 was even WORSE. An outrageous vehicle by today’s standards AND prices (do NOT forget the PRICE, Kit!). with or without the dirty extender, it had LOUSY Range even for an EV. Sort of like the Fiat 500e crap. Only Bob Wilson would extol it… and imagine he traded in the Prius Prime instead.. what a tragedy. And remember the i3 cost $50k again, NOT today’s money. Make it $70k in today’s money, if you paid $50k in 2015 or 18, Before Bidinflation!
As I said, the i3 is a better EV, and the Prius Prime is a better hybrid, when running on gas. The i3 is a BMW, which you pay extra for, like with a Mercedes-Benz. Also, the i3 was an exercise in materials, using carbon fiber in the structure. Most people didn’t even understand how the Volt worked, and it was politicized, which didn’t help any. Yes, both the i3 and Volt were kind of pricey, like a lot of vehicles now sold.
The i3 has plenty of range for most commutes, even without the range extender. They sold 250K i3s over its run, not bad for what was clearly a niche vehicle.