AD #4281 – GM Delays Next-Gen Full-Size Electric Trucks; Ferrari Prices New Luce EV at $645,000; Volkswagen Launches Massive EV Offensive in China

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

GM DELAYS NEXT-GEN FULL-SIZE ELECTRIC TRUCKS
Ford and Ram recently axed their full-size electric trucks and now General Motors is indefinitely delaying its next-gen full-size electric trucks. The automaker was developing more affordable versions of the electric GMC Sierra, Chevy Silverado, Hummer SUV and pickup and Cadillac Escalade, but Crain’s Detroit Business reports suppliers were told the program was halted with no new timetable. The refreshed models were supposed to go into production in 2028. But Crain’s reports that GM is expected to launch plug-in hybrid versions of the Sierra and Silverado and it’s also in talks with suppliers about developing an extended-range EV. Sales of GM’s full-size electrics have been slow and it recently had to lay off workers for a month at its Factory Zero plant in Detroit where the models are built.

GM REACHES 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY IN U.S.
Speaking of General Motors, it claims it’s the first U.S. automaker to secure enough renewable energy to cover 100% of its electricity use across all its U.S. facilities. And globally, it has matched 70% of its electricity use with renewables. GM says using renewables for electricity gives it price stability, makes the grid more resilient, and provides energy independence.

FERRARI PRICES ULTRA-LUXURY LUCE EV AT $645,000
Everyone is complaining about how expensive electric cars are, and automakers are doing everything they can do to bring prices down. Except Ferrari, that is. Bloomberg reports that it’s pricing its Luce EV at a cool €550,000, or $645,000. That’s €200,000 more than the Purosangue SUV, its other 4-door car. This may be a rare example where a sky-high price on an EV actually makes sense. After all, Ferrari’s brand image is all about exclusivity, prestige and maybe even a little jealousy. And pricing the Luce so much higher may actually improve its appeal to the Tifosi or the Ferrari faithful.

           

TESLA PROFITS RISE DESPITE BATTERY BUSINESS STALL
There’s a lot of Tesla news today. First up, the company will report its first-quarter earnings later today and Wall Street analysts expect a blowout. Tesla’s Q1 revenue is forecast to increase 15% from a year ago and its adjusted profits are expected to increase 30%. While that’s good news, one of the bright spots for the company has unexpectedly slowed. Tesla’s battery business saw rapid growth, with revenue rising from $2.8 billion in 2021 to $12.8 billion last year. Tesla’s annual deployments of energy storage doubled in 2024 and grew another 49% in 2025, reaching 46.7-GWh last year. But in the first quarter of this year, energy storage deployment unexpectedly dropped to 8.8-GWh, a 15% drop from a year ago. That’s not the only big drop the company suffered. Its Q1 registrations in California dropped 24% from a year ago, however the Model Y was still the top-selling vehicle in the state. And lastly, Tesla has registered its AI generative voice assistance with China’s cyberspace administrator. The feature has become popular, especially with tech-savvy customers, and that should help Tesla better compete in China.

VW LAUNCHES MASSIVE EV OFFENSIVE CHINA
Earlier this month we talked about 4 of the new models that the Volkswagen Group would have on display at the Beijing auto show, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. In all it says it will introduce 20 electrified vehicles into the Chinese market this year, including BEVs, PHEVs and EREVs. By the end of the decade it plans to expand to 50 models, 30 of which will be pure electric. Some of those vehicles include the first pure electric from its entry-level JETTA brand, which is previewed with an SUV concept, called the JETTA X. Volkswagen revealed its second ID. UNYX model that it developed with Xpeng, a large sedan, called the 09. And the ID. AURA T6 is the first of a new series from FAW-Volkswagen. It’s a mid-size SUV that’s built on a new locally developed China Electronic Architecture. In the second half of this year all models on this platform will get an on-board AI agent that uses a large language model to make talking to the car seem more natural. Then next year the VW Group will come out with the next-gen version of its China Architecture, which will have a more powerful central computing platform and a Multi-Agent AI system, including agents for driving, cockpit experience, and ecosystem services. I believe the Group is the top seller of ICE vehicles in China, but with that segment shrinking, it’s no longer the top automaker in China. So that’s why it’s trying to step up its EV game. 

UPGRADED CUPRA BORN EV DEBUTS
And speaking of the VW Group, Cupra showed off the new Born, which will go on sale in Europe this summer. This is basically Cupra’s version of the ID.3 and since the ID.3 just moved to VW’s new MEB+ platform and got a bunch of upgrades, so did the Born. But since Cupra is a sportier brand than Volkswagen, the Born gets the two biggest battery and motor options as well as a new VZ model that offers a 240 kW or roughly 320 horsepower electric motor and will do 0-100 km/h in 5.6 seconds. Cupra’s sales were down about 10% in the first quarter, but with high fuel prices more affordable EVs like the Born are gaining traction in Europe, so we’ll have to see if Cupra can start turning its sales around. 

KIA VISION META TURISMO PUSHES DESIGN LIMITS
Kia keeps knocking it out of the park with its styling. And its concept car, called the Vision Meta Turismo, shows that Kia will continue pushing the design envelope. It also demonstrates how Kia wants to keep passenger cars relevant and aspirational. The design is a blend of sharp lines and chiseled features that give it a chunky, yet smooth flowing look. Interestingly, while the rest of the automotive world is flocking to Beijing for the auto that starts on Thursday, Kia presented the Vision Meta Turismo at the Milano Design Week, which is what the design community really watches. Kia actually unveiled the car in Korea last December, but it clearly wants more people to see it. And it probably realized that if it displayed it at the Beijing show, it would have simply got lost in the clutter.

GEELY UNVEILS FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT ROBOTAXI
Speaking of the Beijing show, Geely is going to show off its purpose-built robotaxi that was designed from the ground up as a robotaxi and is not adapted from another platform. But we think it will probably be the same vehicle as Waymo’s robotaxi called the Ojai. Geely’s brand Zeekr is building it for Waymo, which is already testing it in at least 4 U.S. cities. But there’s a big difference between the two. The Ojai is fitted with Waymo’s autonomous tech stack, while Geely has a completely different stack that it developed on its own. So how does Waymo get away with bringing Chinese-made vehicles into the U.S.? Well, we think it’s because it’s not selling them, and it’s not using any Chinese technology related to connectivity or capturing data.

CATL REVEALS ULTRA-FAST CHARGING LFP BATTERY TECH
LFP batteries keep making impressive progress. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are cheaper than most other chemistries. They don’t burn easily. You can fully charge them repeatedly without much degradation. And now you can charge them pretty quickly. CATL unveiled its latest LFP, that can charge from 10% to 98% in six and a half minutes. And yet, even with quick charging capability, CATL is getting into battery swapping for EVs that operate in extremely cold temperatures, -33° C which is -22° F. Cold weather slows down battery charging, though CATL uses what it calls pulse heating to warm up the battery, which can get to that 98% charge in 9 minutes. But for EV owners who don’t want to wait 9 minutes, battery swapping can get the job done in about 2 minutes.

And that’s a wrap for today’s show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day.