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Runtime: 7:48
0:00 Chinese Double Car Sales in Europe
0:55 Stellantis Closes Assembly Plant for 2 Weeks
1:08 EU ICE Ban Will Create Sales Rush, Followed by Slump
1:35 Cali. Gov. Blames GM CEO for Overturning ICE Ban
2:47 Jeep Cancels Gladiator PHEV
3:25 Opel Uses Lighting to Communicate with Pedestrians
4:11 Mercedes F1 Tests Sustainable Carbon Fiber
4:51 Bentley Offers Dog Accessories
5:11 Original Mazda Miata Designer Dies
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
CHINESE OEMs DOUBLE SALES IN EU
When the EU put tariffs on imported Chinese EVs, Chinese automakers shifted more of their sales to PHEVs and hybrids. And that strategy has been a big success. Chinese automakers doubled their sales in Europe last month, according to a report from Dataforce. From January to August they boosted sales 74% and sold over 430,000 vehicles. At this rate you’ve got to believe that China is on track to sell a million cars in Europe in another year or two. And this is in a market that is not growing, meaning European automakers are quickly losing market share. And if this leads to more layoffs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Europe decide it needs tariffs on all Chinese imports, not just electric ones.
STELLANTIS CLOSES ASSEMBLY PLANT FOR TWO WEEKS
And just to drive that point home, Stellantis is closing its assembly plant in Poissy, France for a couple of weeks due to weak demand. The plant employs about 2,000 people and makes the DS3 and Opel Mokka.
EU ICE BAN WILL CREATE SALES RUSH, FOLLOWED BY SLUMP
Meanwhile the CEO of ZF, Holger Klein, warns that if the EU keeps its ban on IC engines in 2035, people will rush out to buy the last of the petrol cars and then the industry will go into a slump that will last for several years. European automakers are practically begging the EU to drop the ICE ban and they’re likely to get at least some sort of delay that will be announced before the year is over.
GOV. NEWSOM BLAMES GM’S BARRA FOR OVERTURNING 2035 ICE BAN
Now let’s jump over to the ‘States, where California Governor Gavin Newsom says General Motor’s CEO Mary Barra sold out the state over its ban of ICE vehicles in 2035. Newsom accuses Barra of leading the effort in the U.S. Congress to stop California’s ICE ban. GM declined to comment but that blocked ban is likely going to become a political hot potato.
JEEP CANCELS GLADIATOR PHEV
Stellantis continues to scale back its EV plans in the U.S. Last week, the automaker announced it canceled development of the all-electric Ram 1500 pickup truck. And now Stellantis is canceling the plug-in hybrid version of the Jeep Gladiator, which was supposed to debut this year. The company says it’s reinvesting funding into the pickup to offer more features and powertrain options. With the Trump Administration eliminating fines for missing CO2 targets, Stellantis no longer needed the plug-in Gladiator to meet emission goals. Also, the automaker is losing money and needs to cut costs anywhere it can.
OPEL USES LIGHTING TO COMMUNICATE WITH PEDESTRIANS
As autonomous robotaxis start showing up in cities around the world, Opel developed a way for an AV to communicate with pedestrians. It uses a light bar in the front grille to display simple messages. When the car is operating in Level 3 hands-free driving mode, the lightbar changes to a bright blue. A green colored icon of a pedestrian with a check mark next to it means it’s safe to walk in front of the vehicle. A purple colored palm means it’s not safe. Opel says it wanted to use colors that aren’t used for other vehicle functions, like red or orange. Lighting companies have been showing off all kinds of concepts to display messages, but this is one of the first concepts we’ve seen from a car company.
MERCEDES F1 TESTS SUSTAINABLE CARBON FIBER
The Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team is making sustainability a greater priority. Not long ago we reported how it used fully electric semi trucks to haul its race cars to the track. And now it’s integrating sustainable carbon fiber components into its cars for the first time. These parts replace 30% of the traditional resin material with renewable sources and, interestingly, they’re being used in an extreme environment, for the rear brake duct wheel shields. The sustainable composite material debuted at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Mercedes drivers finished 2nd and 4th, respectively.
BENTLEY OFFERS DOG ACCESSORIES
People love their pets, which is why Bentley is coming out with dog accessories that are tailor-made for the Bentayga SUV. There’s specially fitted mats and a dog and luggage divider, but the most interesting to us is a camera system that can be used to record your pets. However, no word on pricing.
ORIGINAL MIATA DESIGNER DIES
Tom Matano, the man who designed the original MX-5 Miata, has died at 77 years old. Matano joined Mazda in 1983 and was responsible for many vehicles throughout his 28-year career. But he’s best-known for designing the Miata, which would go on to become the best-selling two-seat roadster in history. The model debuted in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show and since then, Mazda has sold 1.2 million worldwide.
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Actually glad to see the cancellation of the Jeep PHEV. It was a horrible performer and again only made to suffice another gov regulation, not because there was any demand for it.
On the contrary, the Jeep PHEV Wrangler sold much more strongly than Stellantis anticipated and they had to increase production of that model several times to meet demand. It was the best selling PHEV model in the US for many months. It is a little surprising that Jeep decided not to come out with this powertrain in the Gladiator, since that model is basically a Wrangler variant. Seems like there would not be a lot of work to do to put it into production.
I assume the Gladiator PHEV would have used the thirsty, but quick powertrain used in the Wrangler 4xe. What Gladiator needs is a lower price. It’s now ~$6500 more expensive than a Tacoma, and $4800 more than a Ranger. For a start, they could sell an RWD version, and maybe offer a manual transmission. They could do both cheaply, and while the market for the manual would be small, it wouldn’t take any development, since they sell manual Wranglers.
I hope the people who buy the PHEV Wrangler are plugging them in, since they paid an extra $14K to get worse mpg on gas than the regular Wrangler with the 2.0 turbo.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=48918&id=48532&id=48664
In 2024, 24% of vehicles sold in California were zero emissions vehicles. California’s Zero Emissions Mandate requires by 2026, 35% be zero emission vehicles and increase every year thereafter. With 100% required by 2035. There was NO way that any of those targets could be meet. None of the 11 states that following California emissions rules can meet it either.
What is the penalty for not meeting percentage is enforced per auto company brand. The brands that can meet the requirement are Tesla, Riven, and Lucid. All the other brands will have to pay $20,000 fine per noncompliant vehicle. Which will force them to cut shipments to California or stop sending cars here altogether. With fewer cars on the market, prices will rise, choices will shrink, and consumers will either buy out of state or hold onto their older, less efficient vehicles.
Newsom should stop blaming Barra and start blaming himself for forcing an unrealistic requirement which would damage the auto industry.
Ending a ban does not drive hordes of customers into dealers. The free market will decide and the ban didn’t spring from a vacuum.
I like the idea Opel has for communicating with pedestrians. Colours and actions need to be standardized so everyone understands the car. Does purple mean it’s thinking?
In New York you could replace lights with a loud obnoxious voice telling the pedestrian to get a move on or to not even think about stepping off the curb.
Albemarle —
New York has more then enough average New Yorker drivers, who would be more then happy to blow the horn, as they lean out of their vehicles window and yell and shake their fist at any pedestrians who gets in their way, no lights needed! LOL!
Regarding the Wrangler PHEV and record sells, I know of a few people at work that have them. When asked why they picked the PHEV over the standard, they told me that either it was all they had at they dealership, was the only thing that was being sent to the dealership, or would had to wait months to get a standard version. I just seemed to me that the dealership only wanted to sell the more expensive version for higher profit margins, or Stellantis was pushing the model?! With the Bronco not having a PHEV or hybrid, it would definitely set the Wrangler apart from its competitors, as well as offer a product that has a lot of attention of buyers right now!
It seems that, one way or the other, Chinese vehicles are moving into Europe! One the one hand, I think the legacy luxury brands will do okay in Europe, be it against Chinese BEVs or ICE, since, for many there a brands history carries a lot of weight for customers. Where I think they will have issues, will be that the Chinese vehicles will offer some of the same options and luxury appointments, at mass market prices or better! This will require lower tier mass market brands to do the same for lower margins, and really squeeze premium or near luxury brands! I wouldn’t be surprised that the days of brands like Audi, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes making big dollars in China are over, which will really hurt their bottom lines. And as longer as there is some much uncertainty regarding tariffs, especially in the US, those same automakers may experience some very uncomfortable days ahead!
Can’t you order a Wrangler as you want, and get it in a few weeks? You can with other Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram products sold in the US. I guess those people buying the Wrangler 4xe because “that’s what they had” were in a bigger hurry than I am when buying vehicles.
The European car companies are going to be in trouble, for multiple reasons. The mainstream brands will be greatly affected by the competition from China. Then, “premium” brands will be hurt by Trump’s trade war, especially Audi and Porsche, whose vehicles sold in the US are all imported.