Follow us on social media:
Runtime: 9:49
0:00 Ford 2025 Earnings: $8B Net Loss as BYD Overtakes Detroit Giant
1:37 From F-Series to Big Macs: Jim Farley Joins McDonald’s Board
2:20 Hyundai Eyes Mass Production as Boston Dynamics CEO Departs
3:21 Toyota Reveals All-Electric 2027 Highlander With 320-Mile Range
4:50 Mazda Attacks Steering Wheel Stitching to Cut Costs
5:48 China to Set Global Solid-State Battery Standards by July
6:39 $90,000 Discount: The Used Audi E-Tron GT Is an EV Performance Steal
7:15 Blinded by The Light? Gentex Tackles The #1 Driver Complaint
Visit our sponsors to thank them for their support of Autoline Daily: Bridgestone, CSP and Intrepid Control Systems.
This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
FORD 2025 EARNINGS: $8B NET LOSS AS BYD OVERTAKES DETROIT GIANT
Ford reported its 2025 earnings and it’s a book of numbers the company will want to hide back on the shelf. It sold 4.3 million vehicles worldwide which was down 2%, and that was enough to drop it behind BYD in the global ranking of automakers. It sold just over 4.5 million cars and trucks in 2025. In last year’s Industry Report Card that we put out every year, Ford was the 6th largest automaker by sales, while BYD was 7th. So, they will switch positions in this year’s Report Card. Despite the drop in sales Ford was able to raise its revenue by 1%, coming in at $187.3 billion. But here’s where the numbers turn ugly. Due to EV write-offs, the impact of tariffs, a fire at an aluminum supplier’s plant, which hurt production of the F-Series pickups, and dropping production of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair, Ford ended up posting an operating loss over $9 billion and a net loss over $8 billion. Of course, investors want to know what lies ahead, and the company forecasts that it will make an EBIT profit this year of $8 to $10 billion and generate $5-6 billion in adjusted free cash flow. That must have sounded reasonable enough to investors and they sent Ford’s stock up a little bit over 1% in pre-market trading.
FROM F-SERIES TO BIG MACS: JIM FARLEY JOINS MCDONALD’S BOARD
And it turns out that McDonald’s is pretty impressed with Ford CEO, Jim Farley. It just named him to the McDonald’s board of directors. The fast-food chain said it chose Farley because he “brings invaluable experience balancing innovation with operational excellence, modernizing customer experience, engaging independent operators, and harnessing technology to improve systems at scale.” By the way, Farley isn’t the only car guy on the McDonald’s board. So is Paul Walsh, the vice-chairman of the McLaren Group, who has responsibility for McLaren’s cars and its Formula One and IndyCar teams.
HYUNDAI EYES MASS PRODUCTION AS BOSTON DYNAMICS CEO DEPARTS
As we reported yesterday, humanoid robots are really giving Hyundai’s stock a big boost. Today, it’s up once again after Boston Dynamics CEO, Robert Playter, announced he’s stepping down. According to analysts, the leadership change could be a signal that Hyundai, which owns Boston Dynamics, is planning to accelerate the roll out of humanoids. Playter joined Boston Dynamics shortly after it was founded in 1992 and held various roles at the company, including CEO for the past six years. We think that with Hyundai getting closer to deploying humanoids, it wants a sales and marketing person in charge, instead of a tech guy.
TOYOTA REVEALS ALL-ELECTRIC 2027 HIGHLANDER WITH 320-MILE RANGE
The Toyota Highlander is going all-electric. The 3-row, 7-seater SUV now rides on a modified version of the TNGA-K platform, resulting in a nearly 1-inch reduction in height, an increase of width by 2.3 inches and the wheelbase going up by 8.1 inches. Not only does that provide more legroom for passengers, but it was done to add more space for batteries. While the biggest pack in the Toyota bZ is nearly 75-kWh, the Highlander has 77- and roughly 96-kWh battery options. In FWD setup with a 221-horsepower electric motor, the 77-kWh pack provides up to 287 miles of range. There’s also an AWD option, which has a combined 338 horsepower, and when paired with the 96-kWh battery it provides up to 320 miles of range. The new Highlander features Toyota’s latest technology, including its newest ADAS suite, a NACS charging port and vehicle-to-load, so it can charge other electronic devices. The electric SUV will be built in the U.S. in Kentucky and sales are scheduled to kick off at the end of the year. No word on pricing yet, but by going all-electric we think the price will be higher than the current generation Highlander, which starts around $45,000.
MAZDA ATTACKS STEERING WHEEL STITCHING TO CUT COSTS
To help offset the cost of U.S. tariffs, Mazda is cutting costs on the new CX-5. For example, the leather on Mazda’s current steering wheels needs to be precisely cut and sewn on a curve so the stitching lines match up. But the steering wheel on the new CX-5 won’t feature that level of detail because Mazda says it’s not something customers see real value in. Other cost cutting measures won’t be so noticeable to the customer. Mazda also worked with its steel supplier earlier in the development process, allowing engineers to cut costs and weight while making the body larger. The company used those savings to add value in areas that owners will see, like a bigger center screen and Google connectivity. Mazda says the new CX-5 will have margins that are as good or better than the outgoing model, despite the 15% U.S. tariffs.
CHINA TO SET GLOBAL SOLID-STATE BATTERY STANDARDS BY JULY
Solid-state is said to be the next big breakthrough in battery technology and China wants to lead the way in setting the standards for those batteries. Several Chinese companies are expected to start launching solid-state batteries in low volume this year and next, so the country will introduce its first set of standards in July. It will initially focus on things like clarifying terms for solid-state batteries, but China also wants to set guidelines and requirements for the electrolyte and other elements of the batteries. We think these standards could be key for China maintaining its cost advantage over the rest of the world. Now companies will need to start building to these standards, which will lead to more common parts, which will provide greater economies of scale and that will help keep costs down.
$90,000 DISCOUNT: THE USED AUDI E-TRON GT IS AN EV PERFORMANCE STEAL
If you’re in the market for an electric sportscar but don’t want to break the bank, you might want to check out a used Audi E-Tron GT. InsideEVs reports that you can find dozens of three-year old E-Tron GTs with 20,000 to 50,000 miles on websites like AutoTrader and CarGurus priced well under $40,000. While that’s not exactly cheap, it’s a pretty nice bargain considering a new E-Tron GT starts at $128,000, or about a $90,000 discount.
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT? GENTEX TACKLES THE #1 DRIVER COMPLAINT
Do you know what’s the number one driver complaint in the world? Headlight glare. It doesn’t matter where you drive, more drivers complain about being blinded by oncoming headlamps than anything else related to driving. Well, that will be one of the topics on Autoline After Hours tomorrow, because Gentex believes it has a solution, and a lot more information on what’s causing the problem. So put that show on your radar screen.
But that’s a wrap for today. Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
That seems crazy that Toyota would replace the Highlander with an EV. Maybe the hybrid and gas Grand Highlander will continue. Sean, if you see this, do you know?
I am happy that Mazda discovered what customers truly want as it should result in increased sales. I am saddened that the results are what they are. The days of people wanting high quality and fine craftsmanship is over. Just more cheap screens tacked onto anything that stays stationary. I remember the commercial of the Lexus LS400 with the ball bearing rolling around the panel gaps and the glasses on the hood. None of those commercial would have any impact today.
Ford announced profit sharing yesterday for its assembly workers, my question is, how can you have profit sharing when there are no profits, as the loss statements in today’s show illustrate?
Great job Jimbo! Maybe Billy can get you a job flipping burgers at McDonalds.
Where have we gone wrong, China is setting global standards for solid state batteries. While the US is building more IC vehicles and the government is pushing manufacturers to deemphasize EVs.
Why would we want to be at the forefront of new technology when we can build more vehicles with 19th and 20th century technology? We should have an emphasis on new technology while maintaining existing technology.
We are being left in the dust on new technology and progress in general.
Ziggy, I believe the profit sharing bonuses are based on gross profit, before taxes and special charges like the one-time EV write-off. Ford actually made very good money last year. But, when you tack on a $17Billion dollar charge, it changed that profit into a loss. Something that was not the worker’s fault.
I will watch the Gentex interview with a very skeptical eye. Their expensive self-adjusting, glare reduction mirrors don’t work as well as the flip style do. The rearview mirror in my 1975 Pontiac works much better at eliminating the glare of the headlights behind me than the Gentex mirrors in my modern cars. If the automakers want to save some money, get rid of those mirrors. Or, spend that money on some other niceties for their customers on the vehicle interiors.
Toyota is moving the Hylander to straight EV, keeping the Grand Highlander as is. Supposed to be out early next year.
Both of my bottom trim Toyotas have flip day/night mirrors and cloth seats, the way I like cars.
I read that the stretch Grand Highlander far outsold the short one, so the EV makes more sense.
While it might be bigger (it’s hard to tell from the picture), but the Highlander EV reminds me of the Wagoneer EV with a Prius frontend.
Wine geek- I don’t believe we are being left behind anywhere. The US market doesn’t support a whole lot of new EV launches. However I believe there is still plenty of development being done behind the scenes. Just because you don’t see new products being launched doesn’t mean development work isn’t going on. Also as I said three or four years ago I believe the OE manufactures would be better to save their money and focus on car building and cutting costs there. Let the companies that are deeply ingrained in battery and electric motor development figure it out and then partner or buy the tech when it’s developed. I always thought it was crazy for car manufacturers to all of a sudden think they were part of Silicon Valley and could develop an EV powertrain. It’s not their forte nor should they waste the money. Which is why they are now writing off millions upon billions of dollars. Even if a Chinese company develops the next best EV powertrain. It will be for sale duplicated and reverse engineered. Maybe even improved. But this idea that anyone is being left I in the dust is a myth. Just look how quickly EV manufacturers popped up when this started and most have gone under now. Takes alot to compete with huge automotive companies. Tesla and BYD are outliers.
If you believe half of what you read about China, you will be closer to reality. Still an optimistic tale, but closer to reality. Solid state battery for cars has already been invented and tested in cars in the USA. The only achievement is to make them at scale for a cost effective price. Developing solid state is not the issue nor has it ever been the issue. When the USA figures out how to make Solid State at a cost effective price point, any standards china has will be tossed out the window as it will be obsolete. The reason you do not hear about USA developments is because China loves to steal everything and then claim it as something they invented. Just companies are keeping it quiet for now.
The U.S. is likely to be left in the dust in technology in general, not just in autodom. Research is being defunded. The best and brightest from around the world are being run off, and will be going to universities in Europe and Asia instead of the U.S. Many of these doctoral graduates from around the world, now unwelcome, have stayed in the U.S., and contributed a lot. I’ve worked with some of them. It will take years, or decades to repair the damage, if it is ever repaired.