Follow us on social media:
Runtime: 9:51
0:00 Volvo Throws Luminar Under the Bus
0:50 Elkann Proposes CO2 Emission Easing
1:31 Xiaomi’s EVs Now Profitable, Stock Takes a Beating
2:20 Nissan Adds a Mitsubishi to Its Lineup
3:56 The Thinking Behind Ford’s Dealership Design
5:05 Ford to Sell CPO Cars on Amazon
5:39 Next-Gen Ford Bronco & Ranger
6:02 Trafic Van is Renault’s 1st SDV
7:44 Ram Offers ‘Free-Agent’ Rides in NASCAR Truck
Visit our sponsors to thank them for their support of Autoline Daily: AlixPartners, CSP and Intrepid Control Systems.
This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
VOLVO THROWS LUMINAR UNDER THE BUS
It’s very rare to see an automaker publicly criticize one of its suppliers, but Volvo just threw Luminar under the bus. Volvo originally announced that Luminar’s lidar would be standard equipment on its ES90 and EX90 models last year, but last week it said the technology would become an option because supplies were limited. And now Volvo is cutting off Luminar altogether. It says Luminar failed to meet its contractual obligations, which is a big blow to Luminar because Volvo is its biggest customer. Luminar was already struggling financially before this all blew up. And now it’s warning investors that it could become insolvent.
ELKANN PROPOSES CO2 EMISSION EASING
Automakers in Europe have been getting the EU to ease off its CO2 emission targets. And Stellantis Chairman John Elkann has a suggestion on how to do it. He’s urging the EU to allow automakers to meet 2030 emission goals over a five-year period between 2028 and 2032. The proposal is similar to a deal automakers and the EU reached earlier this year that allows companies to average 2025 CO2 targets over the next three years. Elkann’s idea is to extend that and to come up with a different standard for light commercial vehicles. The EU is planning to review its automotive CO2 regulations later this year.
XIAOMI EVS NOW PROFITABLE, STOCK TAKES A BEATING
Chinese EV startup Xiaomi is seeing really impressive growth. This week the company will have delivered 350,000 vehicles, which is more than a month ahead of schedule. And its EV business posted a profit for the first-time last quarter. While it was a modest $98 million profit, it’s impressive for a company that just started selling vehicles in March of last year. Even so, Xiaomi has become one of the worst performing Chinese tech stocks over the past few months. That’s because rising chip prices are expected to cut into the company’s margins on smartphones, which is its main business. And some investors are concerned about its long-term EV growth due to intense competition in China and production delays that are holding back deliveries.
NISSAN ADDS A MITSUBISHI TO ITS LINEUP
Nissan is adding a plug-in hybrid to its U.S. lineup, but don’t get too excited. While Nissan calls it the Rogue PHEV, it’s actually a rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander. It will be interesting to see how sales go. Through the third quarter of this year, Mitsubishi sold fewer than 5,500 Outlander PHEVs. Nissan has more than three times as many dealers as Mitsubishi does, so maybe it can do better.
THE THINKING BEHIND FORD’S DEALERSHIP DESIGIN
Last week we showed you Ford’s new design for its dealerships, and thanks to a personal tour we’ve got some info on the thinking that went into it. The entranceway is open and welcoming. There are no receptionists at the front door. You can just walk in, help yourself to a cup of coffee or snack bar and wait for the sales person. There are no cubicles or offices. You’ll sit in comfortable chairs in partitioned areas. The only time you’ll sit in an office with the door closed is with the F&I person, since you’ll be talking about your personal finances. There’s what they call a tech table, where you can learn from an expert how to use the technology in your car, like Bluecruise. There is a display area that shows all the accessories available for specific vehicles. Ford also carefully chose the construction materials and lighting to lower the stress levels of shoppers and make the showrooms more inviting. It wants all of its global dealers to adopt these features and says that one U.S. dealership already saw a 30% increase in sales thanks to the new design.
FORD TO SELL CPO CARS ON AMAZON AUTOS
Let’s stick with Ford and retail sales for a moment because the automaker just signed a deal with Amazon to sell Certified Pre-Owned cars on Amazon Autos. The program involves Ford dealers who want to display their used car inventory and shoppers can complete the entire buying process online via Amazon Autos. Ford dealers can even sell models from other automakers that they took as trade-ins. Best of all, you get a money back guarantee, which allows you to bring the car back for a full refund within 14 days and 1,000 miles.
NEXT GEN FORD BRONCO & RANGER
And as long as we’re talking about Ford, we’ve got some future product intel from Autoforecast Solutions. The next generation of the Bronco and Ranger will go into production at the Michigan Assembly plant in mid-2029. Those models will ride on the T6 platform, under the code name U825 for the Bronco and P825 for the Ranger.
TRAFIC VAN IS RENAULT’S FIRST SDV
A commercial van will be the first vehicle to ride on Renault’s new Software Defined Vehicle architecture developed by its smart EV division, Ampere. The skateboard chassis will debut under the new all-electric Trafic Van and here’s what the production version looks like. There will be two battery packs available; one features an NMC chemistry for longer range and the other is an LFP pack that provides shorter range, but it will also be cheaper. The NMC battery provides an estimated WLTP range of 450 kilometers or about 280 miles, while the LFP pack returns 350 kilometers or roughly 215 miles of range. While Renault says all the battery cells will be produced in Europe, only the NMC pack will be available at launch. Thanks to 800-volt fast-charging technology, the battery will be able to go from 15-80% in 20 minutes of charging. A new generation electric motor produces 150 kW or about 200 horsepower and is part of the reason the new Trafic Van can tow up to 2 tonnes or 4,400 pounds. Another new feature for Renault’s new Software Defined Vehicles is a brand-new operating system that runs on Android Automotive OS. Along with this comes better connectivity and things like OTA updates, but it’s even able to offer tailored navigation that takes into account the vehicle’s dimensions and how much weight is in the back. The new electric Trafic Van will be made alongside the ICE version in France. It will likely hit the market in early 2027, since production doesn’t start until late next year.
RAM OFFERS FREE-AGENT RIDES IN NASCAR TRUCK
Ram is taking a unique approach in its return to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. It looks like it will have 5 trucks that race. Three of those driver seats have already been filled, one is yet to be determined, but the last will be for what it calls a Free Agent. These Free Agents will come from all across motorsports as a way to keep things fresh and allow drivers to feel what it’s like to get behind the wheel. However, it sounds like these drivers will change each race and they won’t be racing for team points. Instead, Ram is creating a prize program based on the best performers. Interested drivers can contact [email protected] and the first Free Agent will be announced in February.
But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
CO2 is plant food, the EU needs to find another metric to reduce real pollution, not carbon dioxide.
CO2 is a greenhouse gas, and the atmospheric concentration is about 50% higher than before the industrial revolution. The EU has reduced other pollution over the years, notably, urban acid rain from high sulphur diesel fuel that was damaging buildings and monuments. Phasing in low sulphur diesel, ending with current “ultra low sulphur” fuel took care of that.
I would expect sales of the Outlander PHEV to more than double with Nissan dealers selling it. From CR’s report, it is a decent vehicle, and may be among the best sold at Nissan stores.
Kit that is a myopic observation; citing CO2 levels within such a short time span is not science, just a snapshot. There has been climate moderations indivisible from CO2 levels over a much lengthier Earth history. Independent of CO2 levels, the Earth has been much warmer and much cooler. I am not a climate denier but I’m saying it’s not the CO2. The Earth is just ending a solar maximum, and I give much greater credence to the rise in temperature from the sun rather than CO2, which is actually a minor heat retainer when compared to many other gases (methane for one), and even water vapor. I’m not here to argue so I hope you don’t take it that way, but I’ll maintain my original statement, the metric for pollution needs to be measure differently.
I thought climate change and the effects of increased C02 were pretty much settled science.
On the other hand, I thought the world was round and it turns out I am also wrong about that.
The short term change in CO2 concentration is what matters in the near term. Yeah, it has been much higher at times a few million, or hundred million years ago, but has been about the same for the last 800,000 years, until it started rising in the mid-1700s. CO2 is one of many greenhouse gases, and and yeah, methane and other gases are much more powerful greenhouse gases, but there is a lot more CO2.
Anyway, the way things are going, not much will be done about it, and humans will just need to adjust, moving farther from the equator, and moving farther inland, as places like Miami are inundated. I won’t be around to see it, though.
From google AI, for what it’s worth: “The current CO2 concentration has likely not been seen on Earth for at least 14 million years. In the deeper geological past, hundreds of millions of years ago, concentrations were much higher (sometimes over 2,000-4,000 ppm), but the Earth’s climate system was very different at those times. The current rapid change is pushing the planet into a condition never before experienced by modern humans.”
No arguing here that greenhouse gas emissions and other, such as toxic emissions, are totally different issues.
@Albemarle: I see, you are a flat-earther who thinks the world is round. Earth is a sphere, actually 🙂
A kind of bumpy sphere.
In terms of climate change, whike the earth may have been hotter before, made has done more to eliminate and remove the things in nature that combat that rising heat, i.e.: deforestation and the like. While at the same time, this is the most industrialized the plant has been, also contributing to the warming effect! Whether it is man made or not, whether one agrees with the causes or not, it would only make since to work together to reverse that trend, which will never have by man’s efforts. Because if it is this hard to agthat there is a problem, it will be even harder to agree on what to do about it, let alone fix it! For any fix will be contrary to someone’s agenda and they will rally their forces against it! ‘Cutting off their own nose, to spite their face’, as the saying goes.
A really big Amazon delivery van was just at my condo. It said “Amazon” on the front, and “Powered by Rivian” on the sides. Does Rivian make the truck, or just the powertrain?
Trying to reduce greenhouse gas emission appears to be a lost cause. The government of the 2nd largest emitter is actively trying to increase emissions. Then, the 1st and 3rd biggest emitters, while pursuing renewable energy in a big way, are increasing emissions as their emerging middle class buys cars, installs air conditioning, etc., as they “catch up” with North America and western Europe.
Kit,
Rivian makes the entire Amazon van. Their sales contract with Amazon has ended though. I have not seen any official word on why Amazon has decided to not continue the contract but the original contract was always just a “spot buy” and that has been fulfilled. The drivers love them which is expected as it was 100% tailored just for them versus say a Sprinter which balances out multiple customer usages from delivery to luxury transport. We have had these vans for 2 years here and they are all pretty much visibly falling apart at this point. As Amazon has not renewed their spot buy, I suspect I will be seeing Sprinters next year as these Rivians are pretty much dead. That contract gave Rivian enough funds to bridge the gap until they can release their cheaper and hopefully higher volume R2/R3 vehicle. Without the R2/R3 Rivian will no longer be a company.
Yesterday was the first I’d seen an Amazon/Rivian van, here in the Florida “space coast” area. I hadn’t seen one at all in Kokomo, IN. Most Amazon delivery vans I see are Sprinter, Transit, and and a few Promaster. Promaster has a much lower floor height than Sprinter and Transit, which should be a good thing for a delivery van, but it’s weight carrying capacity is probably lower than the Ford and Benz.
The Rivian was really crude looking, with probably an inch or two of waviness in the body sides of the cargo area.