AD #4359 – Bronco Line Gets a Pickup; Re-Man EV Motors Are 30% Cheaper; Nio Takes Swap Stations Off Its Books

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

BRONCO LINE GETS A PICKUP
Ford must really see an opportunity to expand its lineup. On top of a new Maverick-based mid-size hybrid SUV, a 4-door Mustang and the models coming off its UEV platform, Automotive News reports that Ford is also developing a pickup version of the Bronco and a smaller version of the Transit van. The truck is expected to hit the market around the end of the decade, but no word how it will slot into the automaker’s lineup, which will include the Maverick, the Fathom, the Ranger, this new truck, the F-150 and all its heavy-duty pickups. One former auto executive told Autoline they think the Maverick should have originally been developed to fit into the Bronco family, instead of becoming what it is now. Obviously, Ford made a good choice, but it may still see an opportunity to expand the Bronco name even further. The company is expanding its powertrain lineup as well, with an extended range electric expected to join the F-150 and hybrid going into the Bronco. 

GEELY TO DOUBLE EXPORTS
China’s domestic car market has stalled out for years. This year, sales are down 20%. Thanks to overcapacity and a vicious price war, most automakers can’t make money in the Chinese market. And so they’ve set their sights on exports. Geely’s new chairman wants to double exports this year to 1 million cars. Longer term, he wants two-thirds of Geely’s sales to come from outside China.  

CHINA PORT CITY SEES 73% MORE CAR EXPORTS
In related news, the port city of Ningbo says overall car exports are up 73% this year, while exports of NEVs are up 98%. Most of those cars go to Brazil, Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and the ASEAN countries. 

    

MEXICO CONSIDERS MORE CHINA RESTRICTIONS
But there’s a growing backlash in some countries that are getting flooded with Chinese cars. In January Mexico raised tariffs on them from 20% to 50%, which cut imports of Chinese cars and components by 40%. Even so the country is looking at putting even more restrictions on Chinese imports. And we think more countries will put up barriers, but only countries that have their own domestic auto industry to defend. In countries that don’t make cars, the door will likely be wide open.

NIO TAKES SWAP STATIONS OFF ITS BOOKS
Battery swapping allows EV owners to get a fully charged pack in about the time it takes to fill up a tank of gas. That convenience helped drive EV demand in China and NIO now has a network of over 4,000 battery swapping stations across the country. However, those stations used to cost $400,000 and while the price has gone down to about $200,000, NIO also has to stock them with battery packs and have the ability to recharge those packs. That takes huge capital investment and the automaker has put over $3 billion into its battery swapping technology. But NIO just signed an agreement with the city of Wuhan where it will take full ownership of all the existing swap stations within the city. So, NIO will only be in charge of making sure the stations are operational. It also has similar deals it’s working on with 25 other provinces and regions in China.

LAMBO REVUELTO GETS SEMI-SLICK POTENZAS
With today’s supercars, like the Lamborghini Revuelto, offering race-car-like performance, tires become the limiting factor. So Bridgestone, which is an Autoline sponsor, created a bespoke tire for the Revuelto that is half performance tire and half racing slick. They call it the Potenza Race R and it’s specifically developed to be used for track days, warming up fast for more consistent lap times. They come standard on the Revuelto, which has a top speed of 215 miles an hour, and hits 60 miles an hour in 2.4 seconds. We think this really cements that we’re living in the Golden Age of Performance, when cars from the factory come with tires that are practically racing slicks.

RE-MAN EV MOTORS ARE 30% CHEAPER
If you own a first-gen Hyundai Kona or Kia Niro EV and you need to replace the electric motor but it’s too expensive, then you’re in luck. SEG Automotive, which is based in Germany, and is known for making starters and alternators, is now remanufacturing drive units for EVs. It refurbishes everything, including the electric motor, transmission and inverter and it’s 30% less expensive than having it replaced at the dealership, which can cost up to $5,000. In addition to the Kona and Niro EVs, SEG also refurbishes units for the first-gen Tesla Model S and the Renault Zoe.

LG ENERGY OPENS U.S. BATTERY PLANT 
LG Energy Solution announced it kicked off battery production at its new plant in Lansing, Michigan. You may remember the facility was originally a joint-venture between LG and General Motors but GM backed out as part of its EV write-down. The plant, which will have up to 35-GWh of annual-capacity, will now produce LFP battery cells for energy storage systems as well as NMC cells for Toyota.

LG PIVOTS EV BATTERIES TO DRONES
We’ve seen battery companies pivot from EVs to storage systems but this might be the first we’ve seen a battery maker look into the defense sector. LG is considering supplying the U.S. government and defense contractors with batteries for drones and other unmanned weapons. LG Energy’s president of North America says the company has received inquiries from multiple potential American partners but the talks are still in their early stages. LG has historically avoided supplying the defense industry but it’s now considering it because “we definitely see growth and opportunities.”

 

LG ENERGY ON AAH
Speaking of LG Energy, we’re going to have Anthony O’Donovan, the operations director for LG battery plants as our guest on Autoline After Hours tomorrow. If you want to learn what it takes to run a battery plant in the US, here’s your chance to hear all about it from an industry insider. That’s tomorrow, at the Autoline website and on our YouTube channel.

But that’s a wrap for this show. Thanks for tuning in.