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Runtime: 9:07
0:00 Volkswagen Doubling Job Cuts To 100,000 In Germany
0:46 Renault Cutting 800 Engineering Jobs in France
1:13 Tesla Boosting Production and Jobs in Berlin
1:57 Zoox Redesigns Robotaxi For Mass Production
2:17 NHTSA Proposes Dropping Brake Pedal in Robotaxis
2:59 U.S. Denies Polestar Permission to Sell Connected Vehicles
3:57 UAW Monitor Accuses Shawn Fain Of Wrongdoing
4:47 GMC Debuts Redesigned 2027 Sierra
5:43 Citroen Unveils Off-Road C3 Aircross Concept
6:14 BMW Upgrades to Figure 03 Humanoid Robots
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VOLKSWAGEN DOUBLING JOB CUTS TO 100,000 IN GERMANY
The situation in Europe is going from bad to worse. Earlier this year the Volkswagen Group said it was going to get rid of 50,000 jobs in Germany by the end of the decade. Now, it’s reportedly upping that to 100,000, and plans to close assembly plants in Hanover, Zwickau, Emden and Neckarsulm. Or, at least, that’s the plan. IG Metall, the powerful German union, says it will do everything in its power to prevent the layoffs. So, we think this is going to get ugly. And investors don’t like what they’re seeing. Volkswagen AG’s stock is down 28% so far this year.
RENAULT CUTTING 800 ENGINEERING JOBS IN FRANCE
Meanwhile, Renault says it’s going to get rid of 800 engineers in France by the end of next year. It’s all about lean engineering to better compete with Chinese automakers. Here’s why we think it’s getting rid of so many engineers. Renault spun off its powertrain operations to the company called Horse. The new Twingo was developed at the company’s R&D center in China. And that’s where it’s going to do all its development for software defined vehicles.
TESLA BOOSTING PRODUCTION AND JOBS IN BERLIN
But the problems in Europe are with legacy automakers. Chinese automakers are having a grand old time on the continent. And Tesla says it’s going to boost production at its plant in Berlin by 20%. It’s going to add another 1,000 workers to the line, which comes on top of the 2,500 jobs it announced last month in Germany to make batteries. Tesla sure has turned things around in Europe. After Elon Musk interjected himself into European politics two years ago, Tesla’s sales plummeted. But now, with high gas prices triggered by the Iran war, Europeans are shrugging off their Musk phobia. Last month Tesla sales in Europe shot up 107%.
ZOOX REDESIGNS ROBOTAXI FOR MASS PRODUCTION
The robotaxi business keeps getting more and more interesting. Zoox, which is owned by Amazon and makes its own robotaxi in California, says it’s going to redesign the vehicle for mass production. While the styling and size won’t change, it expects to be able to ramp up production to 100 units a week with the redesign.
NHTSA PROPOSES DROPPING BRAKE PEDAL IN ROBOTAXIS
And hot on the heels of that, NHTSA is proposing to drop the brake pedal requirement for robotaxis. We think it’s a good first step, but NHTSA should also give the old heave-ho to the gas pedal, steering wheel, turn signal stalks and the mirrors. In fact, we think people in the future are going to wonder what the heck those things were used for.
U.S. DENIES POLESTAR PERMISSION TO SELL CONNECTED VEHICLES
Polestar just got bad news, it can no longer sell new vehicles in the U.S. The government is now restricting the import and sales of cars with connected vehicle technology linked to China, starting with the 2027 model year. Polestar, which is owned by Chinese automaker Geely, sought an exemption to continue selling its vehicles but was denied by the U.S. Commerce Department. Polestar says it will continue selling its existing models and provide access to its service network but it won’t appeal the decision. The denial is a bit surprising. Volvo, which is also owned by Geely, received authorization to continue selling new vehicles. And the Polestar 3 is built in the U.S. at Volvo’s plant in South Carolina. However, this may not be that big of a setback for Polestar, it has increasingly pivoted to Europe and the U.S. only accounted for 6% of its sales in the first quarter of the year.
UAW MONITOR ACCUSES SHAWN FAIN OF WRONGDOING
UAW President Shawn Fain is being accused of wrongdoing again by the union’s court appointed monitor. Neil Barofsky, who was assigned to watch the UAW’s governance, alleges Fain stripped UAW Vice President Rich Boyer of his duties as chief negotiator with Stellantis after he refused to approve a bonus for Fain’s fiancée as well as workers comp benefits for her sister. Fain is also alleged to have retaliated against a senior official at the UAW who refused to approve payments for organizing efforts that didn’t meet certain rules. Fain claims the allegations are “false” and that they’re politically motivated. The UAW also released a statement questioning the timing of the report, since it votes for a new president later this year.
GMC DEBUTS REDESIGNED 2027 SIERRA
Last week Chevy showed off the new Silverado, so now GMC is showing off the new Sierra. It will share the same powertrain lineup, including a 2.7L 4-cylinder, 3.0L Duramax diesel and a new 5.7L and 6.6L V8. While GM still isn’t sharing output numbers for the V8s, it does say they feature a new injection system as well as tweaks in the combustion, cooling, and control systems. The interior is highlighted by multiple display screens, including an available one for the front passenger, as well as a multi-functional center console and huge speakers built into the headrests. Look for the new 2027 Sierra to hit dealers before the end of the year and as we said before, full-size trucks are very important to GM. Last year the Silverado and Sierra accounted for nearly a third of the automaker’s sales.
CITROEN UNVEILS OFF-ROAD C3 AIRCROSS CONCEPT
Does every automaker think that its customers want to go on an off-road adventure? Brands that you would never expect are exploring the segment. Now including Citroen, which debuted a new concept version of its C3 Aircross. The model features new bumpers, wider wheel arches and bigger tires, fog lamps, tow hooks, a roof rack and a number of unique touches inside and out. We think it’s a cool look, but there’s no mention of making a production version.
BMW UPGRADES TO FIGURE 03 HUMANOID ROBOTS
Last year, BMW began testing humanoid robots at its plant in South Carolina and now the automaker is expanding to the next-gen version. BMW is using humanoids from a company called Figure and the initial test had them supporting production of 30,000 X3s over ten months. The robot, called the Figure 02, worked in the body shop, placing sheet-metal panels for welding. Now, the next-gen version, called the Figure 03, will be used in logistics to help sort components that are then transported to the line for installation.
But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day and I hope that you have a great weekend.
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OMG so much good news today:
Polestar should go ahead and close up shop. Maybe they can sell their assets to Slate.
Mr. Fain takes another step to his inevitable indictment as he moves toward the final stop in the career trajectory of most UAW leaders, federal prison.
And VW choreographs just how deeply screwed they truly are. But given their dieselgate cheating, followed by their complete buy in on the Net Zero madness and de-industrialization of Germany through the self immolation of their energy sector, I think it’s well deserved. Enjoy the fruits of your stupidity VW, EU, and Germany. China certainly is.
Seems as though VW is trying to send a message to the politicians in Germany with their dramatic job cut numbers. IG Metal should consider an all-out political lobbying effort if they really want to save their worker’s jobs rather than going to war with VW management.
Since software is never perfect, it seems reasonable to put some kind of braking device in these autonomous vehicles so that passengers can act as a fail-safe if the need arises. It feels too soon to be eliminating human controls in these vehicles.
The extremely small amount of differentiation in the front end styling of the Silverado and Sierra is very disappointing. I know the similarities equate to cost savings, but they are so close that they may just as well combine the two lines and call them GM Trucks. Think of the marketing savings!
Refering to the previous story about the Honda Element, there is a huge following not only with the outdoorsy camping demographic, but it is huge among triathletes and sports groups. The Element had a flat floor, and an available bike mount, so you could flip the rear seats up to the side (ala Land Rover), roll the bike right in, and secure it. A little creative modifying, and you could just roll several bikes in. The rumors of the Element coming back have been circling ever since it left, but it may be real this time around. Honda filed a US Patent for a modern Element with attaching camping section a few years ago, and the attached link shows a viable AI version based on those patent drawings. As long as it still has a flat floor and utility in mind, I would get an EV or hybrid version.
https://www.autoblog.com/features/honda-element-hybrid-return-bronco-sport-render
Love the Citroen Aircross concept
The Citroen Aircross reminds me of the old Nissan Xterra. Some of the Berlin Teslas are coming to Canada since the Prime Minister put a huge tariff on cars and associated products with a 45% duty much less on cars from the EU.
We like the small hot hatch character of our 2021 Polestar 2 with all packages. It looks the part of exotic and offers sub-4 second times to 60 mph. Though our C40 Ultimate offers better ergonomic and space they both are hoot to drive.
Thursday’s report show that Ford had moved up to number three in quality reports. Yet, did anyone happen to note which OEMs fell below the industry average? Several big names, Lexus being one of them, that one would associate with leaders of quality! And if Sean/ALD’s assessment is try, and there is no reason to believe it not to be (that there is no all new models), that would mean that those falling below the industry average are having trouble building what they have built for several years!
As disappointing as the UAW new is regarding there leadership, the fact that BMW is adding more advanced humanoid robots to their North American vehicle assembly work force, should give their actual human workforce pause. While VW Group maybe looking at reducing their assembly workforce, at least they have representation to push back and/or work with the automaker to get to the best workforce number that works best for the automaker and its employees. Maybe they can get to the right members through attrition and buyouts.! BMW on the other hand, as the humanoid robot technologies comes onboard and becomes more sophisticated, at any point in time, they can just start letting people go and they don’t have a choice in the matter.
I just read a review in Motor Trend of the new Slate. While they had only a one block ride along and in an early pre-production model, they were about to get some facts about Slate’s approach to sells and repairs:
“Slate’s plan is to sell directly to consumers, with no dealerships. So, what do you do when you need repairs? Slate encourages you to do it yourself with instructions from “Slate U,” in the form of videos that will appear on its website and YouTube. Slate will also partner with RepairPal, a network of over 3,000 shops, 100 of which can work on the high-voltage electrical system.”
While that approach may work for many, especially if your a small business and trying to save costs at every chances, or if your a do-it-yourself type individual, it’s still a big purchase at between $25K to $33K! I, personally, would be concerned that, with new product having a history of glitches, reworks and other hiccups that may arise due to it being new and experiencing growing pains, yet if the expectation from the word go is: ‘Guess what, your going to fix it!’, I would would have reservations about joining that club?! This is a startup and to save them costs, if there is a problem either I have to fix it, or a take it to RepairPal? Will there be some type of warranty? Will I have to buy that separately like many of the customizable options that come with this vehicle? While the original idea of the Slate was cool, I don’t if this is a world that I would want walk into, especially if, for a few grand more, I could finance a vehicle from a more established automaker or a legacy OEM and let them deal with any issues that this new tech brings, under warranty, at a deal ship that’s not far away!
That said, I’m sure, from the bare bones nature of the vehicle, there might not be much that could go wrong, yet if I’m the safety net on the new product/purchase/lease I just made, I’m already a little uncomfortable.