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Runtime: 11:56
0:00 Canada Could Open the Door to Chinese EVs
1:12 Magna to Build Chinese EVs At Steyr
2:05 SEC Drops Case Against Trevor Milton
2:40 GM to Resume Brightdrop Production
4:32 Stella Switches Citroen With Maserati In Formula E
5:30 GM Tech Center Building Closes Over Legionnaire’s Disease
6:17 Joby Aviation Correction
6:34 3D-Printed Molds Boost Gigacasting
7:44 Small Thermistor Leads to More Efficient EVs
8:39 iMotion Cracks the Code on Cost-Effective Parking Automation
9:23 Toyota Gives GR Yaris An Aero Make-Over
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CANADA COULD OPEN THE DOOR TO CHINESE EVs
Earlier this summer Canadian government officials said they didn’t want to play the China card when it came to President Trump’s tariffs. But it sure looks like they’re ready to do that. Canada didn’t like it when Trump slapped 35% tariffs on Canadian goods. Things got worse when Trump taunted Canada about becoming the 51st state, which made Canadians even angrier. So now Canada is looking at opening the door to Chinese EVs by dropping the 100% tariff it imposed on them a year ago. Officially, Canada says it’s considering dropping those tariffs as a bargaining chip to get China to drop tariffs on Canadian agriculture. But there’s more to it than that. This summer, a Canadian diplomat told Autoline that it didn’t want to play the China card over U.S. tariffs on cars and components, but that it would if it had to. If Canada does drop the tariffs on Chinese EVs, the U.S. will suddenly find Chinese electrics on its southern and northern borders.
MAGNA TO BUILD CHINESE EVs AT STEYR
And here’s a major victory for a Chinese automaker in Europe that also involves Canada. Magna, the giant Canadian supplier, is going to start building two EV models for GAC at its Steyr assembly plant in Austria. The models are the Aion V, which is a midsize SUV, and the Aion UT, which is a compact hatchback. The Aion V will be priced at €37,000, which is very similar to a VW ID4 but significantly cheaper than a Peugeot e-3008. Most of the parts to make the cars will be imported from China, but with local assembly, there will be enough local content to avoid the EUs tariffs on imported Chinese EVs. Automotive News first reported the story, and it’s expected to be made official next week.
SEC DROPS CASE AGAINST TREVOR MILTON
Earlier this year President Trump pardoned Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola, who was convicted of securities fraud by a jury. And now the SEC, the Securities and Exchange Commission, dropped its lawsuit against Milton. You may remember that an investment firm called Hindenburg Research accused Milton of fraud, including rolling one of his fuel cell semis down a hill, recording it, and claiming it was a running prototype. Nikola’s stock plummeted on the news and it ended up filing for bankruptcy earlier this year.
GM TO RESUME BRIGHTDROP PRODUCTION
Have you seen any of GM Brightdrop electric vans on the road? You can buy them, you know. They’re on sale at some Chevrolet dealerships. But so far, sales are tiny. In the first half of the year, GM only sold 1,592 of them, so it temporarily shut down the CAMI plant in Canada that makes them. But GM is going to resume production in November, albeit at much lower volume. The plant will only operate on one shift and at lower line speed. And it’s no longer going to assemble battery packs in the plant. We wonder what the future holds for Brightdrop. GM is joining forces with Hyundai to develop an electric commercial van.
STELLA SWITCHES CITROEN WITH MASERATI IN FORMULA E
Could this be a sign that Stellantis is getting rid of Maserati? It’s replacing Maserati with Citroen as one of its factory teams for the next Formula E racing season. Maserati has competed in Formula E for three seasons, winning the constructors championship in its debut, but finishing 9th most recently. It’s unclear if that performance played a role in the switch, but Maserati isn’t performing well in other areas either. Through the first six months of the year, it sold about 4,200 vehicles around the world, a decline of 35% compared to a year ago. However, Maserati still has plans to be a part of the racing series. It says it’s committed to being a manufacturer when Formula E moves to its new GEN 4 cars after the upcoming season. In case you didn’t know, Stellantis’ other factory team in Formula E is DS Automobiles.
GM TECH CENTER BUILDING CLOSES OVER LEGIONNAIRE’S DISEASE
Uh-oh, this could really slow down General Motors’ vehicle development. It had to close one of the main engineering buildings at its Warren Tech Center near Detroit because two employees tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease. It’s not clear yet if the building is the source but GM decided to shut it down “out of an abundance of caution.” The building will remain closed until at least September 22, pending further test results. Around 10,000-11,000 employees work in the building. For now, they’ll work from home or another GM location. Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by a bacteria that spreads through water systems. Symptoms include fever, cough, muscle aches and headaches and it can be fatal if left untreated.
JOBY AVIATION CORRECTION
A correction here. Yesterday we reported that Joby Aviation gave 50,000 passenger rides last year. Actually, Joby bought a company called Blade, which uses helicopters, not VTOLS, and it’s the one that gave those rides.
3D-PRINTED MOLDS BOOST GIGACASTING
Automakers are under pressure to cut costs and speed up EV development, and that’s pushing the industry toward gigacastings — using fewer, larger aluminum parts. But those massive castings require tougher, more complex molds. So, the Fraunhofer Institute, MacLean-Fogg, and Toyota developed a breakthrough in mold-making. Using a new laser 3D printer and a specially engineered steel called L-40, they were able to produce very large die-casting molds with integrated cooling channels — something conventional machining can’t achieve. Toyota tested the process on a mold for the Yaris Hybrid transmission housing. The new tool lasted up to four times longer than traditional molds, cut down on maintenance, and reduced production downtime. For automakers, this means faster development cycles, lower tooling costs, and the ability to build multiple parts from one mold — a major advantage as the industry ramps up mega and gigacasting for EV platforms.
SMALL THERMISTOR LEADS TO MORE EFFICIENT EVs
The push for more efficient EVs just got a boost from a tiny new component. Murata Manufacturing has unveiled a world-first thermistor designed to improve the reliability of electric vehicles. A thermistor is a kind of resistor whose resistance changes with temperature. The new thermistor can be placed directly on high-voltage circuit boards—something conventional components couldn’t do. Its resin-coated design allows it to safely sense temperatures up to 175 degrees Celsius, preventing heat-related failures in power semiconductors. By allowing for more accurate temperature monitoring, the new thermistors enable engineers to design more compact and efficient power modules, which could free up valuable space inside vehicles for more batteries or passenger comfort.
IMOTION CRACKS THE CODE ON COST-EFFECTIVE PARKING AUTOMATION
iMotion says it’s bringing automated parking to the mass market by solving two big challenges: technical complexity and cost. Its APA system not only parks vehicles but can guide them up to three kilometers along learned routes, using cameras and ultrasonic sensors. The system uses Bird’s Eye View cameras and AI-based 3D mapping, but instead of requiring costly processors, it runs on Renesas’ 34-TOPS chipset which are far cheaper and offer the same performance. That efficiency could let automakers bring advanced parking and driver-assist features to more budget-friendly vehicles.
TOYOTA GIVES GR YARIS AN AERO MAKE-OVER
Toyota took the already very capable GR Yaris and developed a new aero package with input from the racers that drive the full-blown competition versions of these cars. There’s a total of 6 modifications. That includes a new aluminum hood with a duct on top to help the roughly 300 horsepower turbocharged 3-cylinder engine dissipate heat and stay cool. Additional ducting was applied to the fenders and bumper as well, while a front lip spoiler helps improve high-speed stability. Lastly, covers over the bottom of the fuel tank improves air flow and a large, adjustable rear wing sits on top of the hatchback. The aero package version of the GR Yaris goes on sale in Japan at the start of October and pricing ranges from about $27,500 to $39,500.
And that wraps up this weeks’ worth of news, have a great weekend and we’ll see you on Monday.
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Sean, Although Americans don’t typically do this, you might try considering news events in other countries from THAT countries point of view. Although Trump does not recognize this, most Canada and Mexico are sovereign nations. They COULD have each manufactured their own cars and trucks, but were talked into a free trade agreement by the US in order to get more choice and lower costs. That worked for many years,, based on the NAFTA treaties, but no longer does. The US decided to punish their closest allies with tariffs, instead, hoping to convince US owned companies to close Canadian and Mexican plant and move them to the US. Since actual free trade is no longer possible (ie the US does not want it), both Canada and Mexico are left with the option of building their own cars. Obviously, US manufacturers would not be interested in doing a 100% Canadian or Mexican vehicle, but other countries might be. Honda and Toyota already have plants in Canada and could use Japanese parts to make a 100% Canadian/Japanese vehicle. To get more choice and to have a supply of inexpensive electric vehicles, China could also produce a 100% Canadian/Chinese vehicle. Doing that benefits China, Canada and Canadian consumers, especially if it also removes Chinese tariffs on Canadian agriculture. If the US does not like that, who cares? It was the US’s own action that triggered this option, so perhaps they will learn to treat their friends better in the future. The US does not own Canada or the Canadian market. They can’t demand it, they have to earn it. It is not likely that Trump is open to that idea either, so I for one welcome the Chinese manufacturers. More advanced, cleaner cars at better prices! What is not to like?
A great overview, Kevin! I think most Americans lack a good understanding of the benefits our North American integrated economy provided to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its popular with many Americans to say America First, and damage long-standing relationships with trading partners and allies to bring industries back to the US. This is not the first time this has been tried, but the unfolding economic disaster will far surpass those that occurred in the past. Many America First proponents and fans will wake up one day and realize that the gambit did not work (again) and wonder how we got into such a bad situation. There is nothing wrong with taking actions that benefit Americans, but as the world’s economic leader we also need to consider the needs and desires of our partners. After all, that is how we got to be the world’s leading economic power. Sadly, the current policies our country is pursuing will hand economic and technological leadership to China, with tremendous growth opportunities for their trading partner countries. China’s rapid advance as an economy will now be supercharged by the actions of the US government and will be documented as one of the miracles of the modern world. Similarly, historians will write volumes about how the actions undertaken by the US resulted in the collapse of its own world economic leadership, and many will shake their heads and wonder how they could have let that happen.
With all of that in mind, I predict additional closures or sales of Canadian assembly plants operated by GM, Ford and Stellantis. And American automotive brands market share shrinking rapidly as Canada welcomes brands from other countries. The same thing is likely to happen in Mexico, though more slowly because of their lower labor rates. The Big 3 will hang onto that advantage as long as they can, but it too will eventually disappear.
None of the above comments are politically motivated. They are based in economics. I am a student of history and business. The ideas and actions of our federal government are not new. They have been tried in the past with disastrous results. The stakes are higher now and the fall will be that much worse.
As interesting as the change of coarse Stellantis has had on their e-racing series, it really makes no since that they would have taken all the money made from their North American operations, to prop up their European operations and use very little on the nameplates/brands in NA, outside of Jeep. Despite that investment, their luxury arm is still struggling and brands here have few products to support the company over all! The crazy thing is, they have so many brands over there, it makes no since why Chrysler or Dodge can’t get versions of those products, restyled to fit this market?! With the platforms that they have in Europe, there is no reason that both Chrysler and Dodge couldn’t have compact and midsized vehicles in their lineups today. More sells here helps Stellantis bottom line everywhere!