AD #4174 – Honda Reveals New Modular Hybrid Platform; Bentley Adding Another SUV; Schaeffler Training Humanoids for Production

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

PORSCHE OPENS 1ST R&D CENTER OUTSIDE OF GERMANY
Porsche has had a disastrous year. Its profits were down 99% and it actually reported an operating loss. While its shift from EVs, which it had already sunk a bunch of money into, played a role in that decline, sales were also down 6%. And China continues to lead the way with deliveries dropping 26% in Q3. But one way Porsche hopes to turn that around is by adopting the same “In China, for China” philosophy as parent company Volkswagen. And it just opened a new R&D center in China. That might not sound like a big deal, but this 10,000-square-meter facility is the first R&D center Porsche has ever built outside of Germany. And it will use it to develop vehicles and tech that are more suited to Chinese consumers. The first will be a new China-exclusive infotainment system that launches across several models in the middle of next year.

FORD DEALERS GETTING A FACELIFT
Ford is giving its dealerships a facelift in the hope of making them more welcoming, while also making the buying experience less stressful. With the help of its global dealers, the center of the stores feature an oval shaped desk that has Ford branded food and drinks, and its surrounded by lounge seating and display areas for vehicles. There are traditional desks to talk with staff but the stores will now also feature hospitality spaces to go through the buying process. Customers can also build, price and continue their purchase online as well. There’s no deadline for dealers to adopt the new look but anyone opening a new store or going through a renovation will be asked to make the switch. Ford says it plans to have 110 facelifted dealerships by the end of next year across its global network.

POLESTAR CONSIDERS ADDING USED-CAR CENTERS
And in other retail news, Polestar is considering opening dealer-operated used-car centers as a way to expand service coverage. Instead of selling directly to customers like most EV startups, Polestar went with a hybrid approach. It partnered with parent company Volvo to open showroom-only stores and have vehicles serviced at Volvo repair shops. But Polestar only has 32 stores in 19 states, which means some customers have to drive long distances for service or repair. So to get around the problem, Polestar is considering allowing dealers to open their own standalone used-car centers with repair shops. A final decision hasn’t been made, but one should be made “soon” according to the head of the brand in North America.

  

NISSAN STRUGGLING, BUT EXPECTS IMPROVEMENT
Nissan has been struggling recently and it just posted a net loss for the fifth straight quarter. The automaker sold 773,000 vehicles, down 4.5% compared to last year. That dropped its revenue by nearly 4% to $19.5 billion. The company did manage to post a modest operating profit of $350 million, a 61% gain. However, it posted a net loss of $722 million. Nissan has slashed thousands of jobs and shut down plants in order to cut costs. And it even just sold its headquarters in Japan for more than $600 million to raise cash. And while Nissan struggled in the first half of its fiscal year, it expects to see improvement in the second half. Sales should improve thanks to the introduction of new models and excluding U.S. tariffs, it expects its operating profit to break even.

Nissan Q2 FY 2025 Earnings
Sales	773,000	-4.5%
Revenue	$19.5 Billion	-3.8%
Operating Profit	$350 Million	+61.3%
Net Income	-$722 Million	-1041%/-$659 M

FERRARI POSTS STRONG THIRD QUARTER
Ferrari also posted its earnings and had a strong third quarter. The sports car maker sold 3,400 vehicles, up 1% from a year ago. Ferrari says ICE models accounted for 57% of its sales, while hybrids made up the remainder. The company brought in €1.8 billion in revenue, a 7% gain. Its operating profit of €503 million, is an 8% increase and its net profit was up 2% to €382 million. And despite all the volatility in the global auto market, Ferrari should remain stable. The company says its orders are booked through 2027.

Ferrari Q3 2025 Earnings
Sales	3,401	+1%
Revenue	€1.8 Billion	+7%
Operating Profit	€503 Million	+8%
Net Profit	€382 Million	+2%

HONDA REVEALS NEW MODULAR HYBRID PLATFORM
If I’m reading this right, Honda is going to allow body flex in its next-gen hybrids as a way to improve handling. The company revealed plans for a new mid-size hybrid platform and a new hybrid system for larger vehicles that will start coming out around 2027. Here’s the line in the release that’s tripping me up, “by generating vehicle behavior as if the body flexes during cornering, the load put on each tire will be controlled to improve roadholding performance.” Plus, this picture of the vehicle structure sure looks like the front end is flexing. Let me know what you think. Am I crazy? Because this sure sounds crazy. Or do I have it right? Anyway, this is all part of an effort to improve the overall rigidity of its hybrid vehicles. The company lessened the structure in some places and bulked it up in others, but by optimizing that over the entire vehicle, it cut 90 kilograms or nearly 200 pounds compared to its current hybrid platform. The new platform is also much more modular because Honda wants all models built off the platform to share more than 60% of their components, which will improve its production efficiency and drive down costs. Here’s that new hybrid system for large vehicles I mentioned. It’s specifically targeting a high towing capacity and that’s one of the reasons this setup will mainly be deployed in the U.S. Since its primary source of power is a newly developed V6 engine, you can probably expect it to be an option in models that already offer a V6. In combination with new drive units and battery pack, Honda is aiming for over 30% better fuel efficiency and a 10% bump in acceleration compared to the same gas-only version.

BENTLEY TEASES NEW SUV
And speaking of new models, Bentley is coming out with another SUV. While it doesn’t have a name yet, it’s referred to as an Urban SUV, so it will be smaller than the Bentayga. The only real details we have are that it will be built at the company’s updated home plant in England and will be able to go from 0-100 miles of range in 7 minutes of charging. That obviously means the new model is electrified, but I’m not convinced it will offer a pure electric option at first. Bentley announced it’s extending the availability of its ICE vehicles and talked about how its seen positive customer demand for plug-in hybrids. But we’ll know more about the new SUV when it’s fully revealed next year.

BENTLEY BRINGS BACK SUPERSPORTS
Bentley also revealed it’s bringing back the Supersports name. It says the new Supersports will be the lightest, most driver-focused and first rear-wheel drive Continental GT ever. Look for the model to debut a week from today.

SCHAEFFLER TO USE HUMANOIDS IN PRODUCTION
Another company is getting involved in humanoid robots. German supplier Schaeffler is forming a partnership with startup Neura Robotics. Schaeffler plans to integrate the humanoid robots into its global production by 2035 and while it didn’t say exactly how many, it will be a mid-four-digit number. So, presumably around 5,000. The two companies will collect production data from Schaeffler’s global network, which will be used in AI models to train the robots. Schaeffler will also supply the planetary gear actuators for the humanoids, which are used in joints for rotational movement, such as the shoulders, elbows, knees or wrists.

NEW FORMULA E CARS GET BIGGER BATTERY
Formula E revealed its next-gen race car. Called the Gen4, the car is made from 100% recyclable materials and it contains 20% recycled content, which is double the current car. It’s also the first open-wheel race car with active all-wheel drive at all times to help with traction. The new car produces 450-kW or 603-horsepower of peak power but it can be boosted to 600-kW or 804-horses for overtaking. The race car also features 700-kW for regenerative braking and a battery with an energy capacity of 55-kWh, a 43% increase over the previous car. The new car will make its debut in the 2026/2027 Formula E season.

Before we wrap up this show, don’t forget about Autoline After Hours at 3PM EST today. We’ll dive deeper into Porsche’s problems, take a look at Uber’s massive robotaxi plans and try to work out if Toyota’s new concepts could actually make their way to production?

Thanks for tuning in and I hope to see you later.