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Runtime: 9:29
0:00 China is Top Exporter for 1st Time
0:59 1 Out of 12 VW Sold is Electric
1:46 BMW & Rolls-Royce Have Record Year
2:32 EPA Pours More Money Into Electric School Buses
3:03 Radical Suspension Makes It on Production Car
4:39 BWM Wants You to Wear Glasses While Driving
5:48 VW Bringing ChatGPT Into Cars
6:29 Stellantis Cuts Development from Months to Hours
7:06 Sony Honda Mobility All About the Technology
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
CHINA IS TOP EXPORTER FOR 1ST TIME
As regular viewers of this show know, Chinese automakers have started to branch out around the world as their home market has become more crowded and competitive. Last year Chinese automakers sold nearly 22 million vehicles, which was an increase of over 5%, but its exports surged even more. In the first 11 months of 2023 China exported 4.4 million vehicles, which was an increase of nearly 60%. And for the full year, it’s estimated to have exported 5.26 million vehicles, according to the China Passenger Car Association. That would make China the world’s number one car exporter for the first time ever and put it nearly a million units ahead of the second highest exporter, which is Japan.
1 OUT OF EVERY 12 VW IS ELECTRIC
The Volkswagen brand reported its global sales numbers. It sold nearly 4.9 million vehicles last year, which was an increase of 6.7%. Right now about 1 out of every 12 VW vehicles sold is electric. In total, 394,000 BEVs were handed over to customers in 2023, an increase of 21%. But with demand for its EVs not as high as expected, VW has started slashing prices in China and Europe. And, along with a softening of EU emission regulations, it’s pushing back volume production of entry-level affordable EV by a year to 2026.
BMW & ROLLS-ROYCE HAVE RECORD YEAR
BMW set an all-time sales record in 2023. Between BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the Group sold over 2.5 million vehicles last year, an increase of 6.5%. And it wasn’t just the Group. Rolls-Royce had its own individual record year, with over 6,000 luxury models sold. And it’s surprising to see BMW so close to VW in EV sales. Remember VW sold 394,000. Well, the BMW Group sold over 330,000, a jump of 92%. And with more models coming, BMW could pass VW in EV sales this year.
EPA POURS MORE MONEY INTO ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES
More electric school buses could be coming to a district near you. The EPA announced that it’s providing nearly a billion dollars in funding for electric and low-emission school buses to 37 states. It will be enough to buy more than 2,700 clean buses to serve 280 districts and over 7 million students. This is the second funding round, which now brings the total to nearly $2 billion, which has paid for roughly 5,000 buses.
RADICAL SUSPENSION MAKES IT ON PRODUCTION CAR
Automotive suppliers always say their technology is coming right around the corner, but here’s one case where they were telling the truth. In November of 2022, we had then-CTO of a company called ClearMotion on Autoline After Hours, who said that its active suspension technology would be hitting the market late this year. And ClearMotion and Chinese automaker NIO announced that the tech will be featured on NIO’s upcoming ET9 sedan that launches at the end of this year. You may remember that ClearMotion bought the patents for the system from Bose, which kind of acts like noise canceling headphones and creates an exact opposite output from the inputs it gets from the road. It does this at extremely fast speed with a hydraulic pump that’s attached directly to the damper and electronically controlled. The result is a suspension system that can practically eliminate any bump or body roll. We were also told in 2022 that you could also use a system like this to take the in-car experience to the next level. Imagine watching Jurassic Park with VR goggles on and the car actually starts shaking when the T-Rex is chasing the Jeep.
BMW WANTS YOU TO WEAR AR GLASSES WHILE DRIVING
CES is kicking off in Las Vegas and here’s some of what has caught our eye. BMW demonstrated augmented reality glasses driver’s or passengers can wear that display info like navigation or hazard warnings, points of interest and entertainment content. We’ve seen similar technology with augmented reality on the windshield so it’s interesting to see BMW do it with glasses instead. The automaker says the images remain stable even when the car turns, goes over bumps or accelerates. But it did not say when the technology will be available. BMW also showed off automated valet parking technology it’s developing with the supplier Valeo. The driver leaves the vehicle at a drop-off point, then the vehicle automatically looks for a parking spot and drives into it. The vehicle can go right back to the pick-up point on its own as well. And the technology also allows the vehicle to be remotely controlled. BMW says possible applications include, parking for events, at airports or in logistics.
VW INTEGRATING CHATGPT INTO ITS CARS
Volkswagen announced it’s integrating ChatGPT into its IDA voice assistant that’s used in its current MEB and MQB Evo models. That includes the ID.3,4.5 and 7 as well as the new Tiguan, Passat and Golf. The feature will start to roll out to customers as standard in the second quarter of the year. The automaker partnered with a U.S. company called Cerence to integrate the chatbot into its vehicles. In addition to answering questions, the voice assistant will be able to control the infotainment, navigation and air conditioning. And more functions will be added in the future.
STELLANTIS SLASHES DEVELOPMENT TIME FROM MONTHS TO HOURS
Stellantis announced it has created a “virtual cockpit” with Blackberry and Amazon to help accelerate development of infotainment technology. Blackberry is providing software for the system while Amazon is contributing cloud services. Stellantis says the technology will speed up customer feedback, be able to replicate the cockpit experience of all of its brands and models and allow engineers to make changes in real-time. The automaker says the system will shorten development time from several months to just 24 hours in some cases.
DO YOU AFEELA THIS WILL WORK OUT?
Honda and Sony’s joint venture, called Sony Honda Mobility, revealed more details about the smart vehicle they’re developing. Called Afeela, the looks of the car haven’t changed since it debuted last year but now we know more about its technology. It will feature autonomous driving which will be achieved through sensing devices and artificial intelligence. And the company is collaborating with Epic Games for entertainment features and gaming. Other partnerships include one with Microsoft to create a voice assistant and another with Polyphony Digital for vehicle development to merge virtual and real experiences in the vehicle.
There’s obviously a ton going on at CES and if you think that we’re missing something here, chances are John will have an interview coming out about it in the next day or two. He’s interviewing experts and executives about the latest automotive tech the industry has to offer. You’ll be able to find all of that on our website, Autoline.tv or our YouTube channel.
But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day.
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Autoline TV Team: question on “CHINA IS TOP EXPORTER FOR 1ST TIME”. Do you know what the break-down of those 5 million exported vehicles is in terms of the percentage of New Energy Vehicles?
Great show, as always.
I think BMWs approach to building EVs is a good one, by not necessarily competing directly with OEMs like Tesla and Lucid. While I do feel that they are behind on the range front, it seems like they are attempting to grow their EV business as their customers are warming to it. While I applaud and feel that had VW, as a legacy OEM, had not decided to go all in on BEVs, none of the other legacy OEMs would be where they are today! Which is a big thing, especially with Chinese automakers now having the expertise, quality product and courage to export their EVs into the world outside of China. Think about this, had VW not made their move to replace their ICE vehicles with BEVs, now that Chinese automakers are starting exhorting their EVs around the world, just how caught of guard and far behind the rest of the world auto industry would be and would have been?! Individuals may argue about whether or not EVs are ready for prime time, but for many of the up and coming Chinese companies, their all in! Before Tesla, there was only Toyota and Ford doing hybrids, with Nissan doing the Leaf, after GM did their science project with the EV1 and Volvo downsizing engines under new owner Geely, with a look toward electrification. Now, even though there is a softening and push back on hard electrification and ICE bans, as strong as the rush of new EVs from China, to stay competitive, legacy OEMs may want to think twice and not move back EV development too far!
Unlike Tesla and Lucid, IMHO, Sony working with Honda on their EV was also a very go move for both companies. If there is one complaint with Tesla, view as a tech company, it has some to the best tech, but not necessarily the best builder of automobiles. Conversely, legacy OEMs, may build the automobiles, but are still wrestling with technological side of making EVs! By Sony, the tech, and Honda, the automaker, they are both outfitted the best of both worlds! While the vehicles styling may not be the most attention grabbing, I’m sure the product itself will be incredibly and they have the potential to establish the next bench mark of the EV industry. We’ll just have to wait and see
CHATGPT in my auto??. Yes cause it’s soooo difficult hitting the climate control button, let’s add another layer of complexity that also requires data. But wait, it could answer a question. Maybe it could tell me what idiot thought this would be worth the time and expense.
Wim, from recent memory a little more than one million EVs were exported from China in 2023.
wmb- You may be right, as no BEV has yet had the tech backing of a company like Sony and the car building experience of Honda. BEVs require a good dose of both and so far, we have seen lots of products that are heavy on one side or the other. Its proving to be difficult to be great at both. Stealing Managers and workers isn’t enough to make a start-up a great car builder or a legacy automaker great with technology. Not sure if the venture will allow Honda/Sony to build the best BEV but seems like a great start.
I can’t help but still feel like BEV’s are still in their toddler stage and one day someone is going to release a product that goes from first steps to running. Maybe that will be Honda/Sony. Whoever does it will change the industry. Right now I’d still say that BEV’s really only work for about 30% of Americans and it will require a big leap to get the majority on board. But you gotta walk before you can run.
BEVs can work well as commuter cars for most of the 70-80% of Americans who have access to home charging at utility rates. They don’t work so well as an only car for those who want to make good time on long highway trips, and they wouldn’t work well at all for most of us without access to home charging.
Powertrain electronics for BEVs is already mature technology. Except for cost, it was almost mature technology 25 years ago with the GM EV1. The rest of EV powertrains will keep getting smaller, cheaper, and a little more efficient, but electric motors are mature technology too.
Except for progress with autonomy, the main technology that is being developed, both for BEVs and ICERs is gimmicky “infotainment” systems that make it less safe to drive, because of the distraction of overly complex, inconvenient to use controls.
The bottom line, is that the only part of BEVs that has actual room for major progress, that doesn’t also apply to ICERs, is batteries.
Kit- Yeah I dont see a huge opportunity to improve powertrain of EV’s much, maybe some efficiency gains in the motors or management systems. So yeah, the batteries are the best place to invest.
The tech being used in the infotainment system could help with lowering distractions. It’s pretty obvious that people are going to continue to call and text while driving and at least hand free options help. So I think developing systems that are interactive like using Chat GP may help with that. Lots of the early hands free systems use voice commands to operate but require very specific commands. So with a more interactive system that can decipher what the driver wants will require less eyes on the screen.
I know my car requires a push a button then say something like voice command, then make call then to whom and if I have a work and cell number it will ask which number. Point is it can take 4 or 5 steps and its just easier to pick up the phone and push the call button on their name. Especially if the vehicle struggles at all to understand what your asking. So being able to ask questions or program it like Alexa and tell it to just call this number when I say call mom. That could make the interface very simple. I’m thinking you could tell it things like ask whos driving at start-up and then set the radio to this setting when its me. Read me texts and respond. My truck already can do that but making it more seamless will require less screen time. A voice controlled car will be the future. You just say set heat to 72 degrees and turn fan up or down or turn on wipers.
Rather than programming a map destination you could say give directions to closest Target or home. Thats better than carplay and I suspect its where GM is headed since they are opting out of carplay.
I may be an outlier, but I don’t make phone calls while driving, but I sometimes answer them.
All of my current cars have simple to use HVAC controls, with knobs or tabs to change the temperature. Also, they have volume knobs for the radio, and except for the Cayman, have volume buttons on the steering wheel. None of them, though, make it easy to tune the radio, except for presets. Just changing the band from SXM to FM to AM to Bluetooth play is fairly inconvenient. At least my cars have AM, which I sometimes use for local stations with actual local content.
The GT Sport steering wheel on my Cayman has no controls, except for the horn button, so I have 4 stalks. For the most part, I like the way they work.