AD #3878 – Next Corvette Will Top The ZR1; Used EV Sales Up 70%; Avatr’s Impressive EREV Engine Specs

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

CHINA’S PUSHES BIG INTO HUMANOID ROBOTS
China has a massive workforce who are paid wages that are far lower than workers earn in the U.S. or Europe. And yet China is putting a massive effort into dominating the global market for humanoid robots that could replace humans in factories. Reuters reports that at the World Robot Conference in Beijing this week, over two dozen robot companies showed off their humanoid robots. Goldman Sachs estimates that the materials needed to make a humanoid robot cost about $150,000 right now, not including the R&D investment that went into it. That’s about what a UAW worker will be earning at the end of the current labor contract. But one Chinese robot company says it expects to get the cost down to about $30,000. Tesla claims it will have 1,000 of its Optimus robots working in its factories next year. And we’ve reported on several other automakers testing humanoid robots. Goldman estimates that the market for these types of robots will hit $38 billion a year by 2035, with 1.4 million being made every year.

USED EV SALES UP 70%
Sales of electric cars have slowed dramatically in the U.S.  But that’s only for new ones. Cox Automotive reports that sales of used EVs shot up 70% in the first half of the year and are now running at nearly 80,000 units a quarter. A key reason for the surge in sales is that the average price of used EVs dropped below $30,000. While used EVs that cost more than that can sit on a dealer’s lot for months, used EVs priced between $20,000 and $30,000 only take 30 to 36 days to turn. And that compares to 39 days for most ICE cars. And remember, used EVs that are at least two years old and are priced below $25,000 are eligible for a $4,000 rebate from the federal government, which makes them even more affordable.

VW SLASHED BATTERY PLANS
The EV slump in Europe is forcing Volkswagen to scale back battery production. It planned to open six battery plants globally by 2030 that would produce a combined 240-GWh a year. But VW is cutting that back to three plants, in Germany, Spain and Canada, with a combined capacity of 170-GWh. If needed, VW says it can ramp that up to 200-GWh, but it’s another sign of how automakers believe the EV segment will take longer to grow than they originally expected.

ITALY WARNS STELLA TO BUILD BATTERY PLANT, OR ELSE
Along those lines, Italy’s industry minister is threatening to pull funding for a Stellantis battery plant if the automaker doesn’t commit to opening it. Stellantis partnered with battery maker ACC to open three plants in Europe. But earlier this year, Stellantis delayed two of them, ones in Italy and Germany, due to the slowdown in EV sales. The plant in Italy was supposed to start making batteries in 2026 and now it’s unclear when it will start. Italy wants an answer now or it’s threatening to pull all government subsidies for the plant.

WULING SALES UP 30% ON CASH FOR CLUNKERS
China has a cash-for-clunkers-like program that looks like it’s really working. Customers can get $2,800 for turning in a clunker and buying a NEV. New car sales are expected to be up 7% compared to the month before, and NEVs could hit nearly 1 million units, with over 53% market share. Brands like Wuling that sell cheaper cars are doing particularly well. Its sales are up 30% so far this month. And we expect other cheap cars, like the BYD Seagull, to also do well. But those increases are likely short lived as the cash-for-clunkers program will eventually dry up. 

GM CRUISE PARTNERS WITH UBER
After running into a buzzsaw of problems this year, GM Cruise finally got some good news. Starting next year, Uber riders will be able to choose to take a trip in an autonomous Cruise vehicle. Cruise and Uber entered into a multi-year deal but they didn’t reveal where the Chevy Bolt-based AVs will be deployed. Uber has a similar partnership with Waymo and started offering autonomous rides in Phoenix in October of last year.

UK CAR OWNERS OBLIVIOUS TO ADAS
Apparently, drivers in the UK have no clue about some of the tech in their cars. JLR commissioned a survey of 2,000 UK car owners to ask them about their driver assistance systems. And it found that 41% have no idea how their ADAS works and can’t even locate the sensors on their cars. That last part is even more important because nearly 20% of people didn’t know that dirty sensors can reduce how well the systems work. But some just don’t care. Even after finding that out, 20% said they still don’t plan to clean their car more often.  

HYUNDAI WINDOW FILM EXTENDS EV RANGE
What’s the first thing you do when you get in a really hot or really cold car? You blast the AC or the heat, right? Well, what if that wasn’t completely necessary? The Hyundai Group is showcasing a number of technologies that will help keep car interiors and passengers more comfortable, while also improving efficiency. One is a film that gets applied to the windows. It has three layers that help block out infra-red radiation, while still allowing heat to escape. But it’s not a window tint, it’s clear. And it can keep an interior up to 12.5-degrees Celsius or over 54-degrees Fahrenheit cooler compared to vehicles with regular glass. Next, expect to see more radiant heating in Hyundai and Kia vehicles, especially their EVs. Picture heating elements baked into the steering column, doors, center console and glove box that radiate heat onto the passengers. This is already an option on the Kia EV9 and because it gets a person up to a comfortable temperature faster you can conserve up to 17% more energy than just using the HVAC system. The Group says we can expect to see radiant heating on more models in the future. And lastly, it filed patents for metal-coated heated glass technology that would replace regular tungsten wire heating elements. But it says it’s invisible and can still block out up to 60% of solar energy. It’s designed to work with a 48-volt system and can defrost glass 4-times fasters and use 10% less energy. The Group says it also plans to launch this tech in future vehicles as well. 

GEELY REPORTS $1.5B H1 PROFIT
Chinese automaker Geely had an impressive first half of the year. It sold about 956,000 vehicles, up 41% from a year ago. New energy vehicles and hybrids accounted for 320,000 of those sales, up 117%. And exports were a big contributor to that growth as well. That big boost in sales pushed revenue up 47% to $15 billion and net profits surged 575% to an impressive $1.5 billion. And Geely expects to have a strong second half as well. It’s targeting 2 million sales for the year, with a 70% increase in new energy vehicles, and exports up 45%.

AVATR’S IMPRESSIVE EREV ENGINE SPECS
While New Energy Vehicles are the fastest growing segment in China, extended range EVs, or EREVs are the fastest growing part of that segment. Many Chinese consumers like the idea of having a range extender to eliminate range anxiety. That’s why we were interested to learn about the EREV technology that Avatr just unveiled for its 07 SUV. Avatr calls it Kunlun. The range extender is a supercharged, 4-cylinder, 1.5-liter IC engine with 115 kilowatts of power. That’s 154 horsepower. It has an amazing 15:1 compression ratio, and an equally impressive 44.39% thermal efficiency, making it one of the most efficient engines in the world. Power comes from a 231 kw or 309 horsepower electric motor. Avatr, whose largest shareholder is Changan, claims the engine runs at only 75 decibels. Using electronic controls, the engine starts using the piston lowest in a cylinder because it will have the lowest cylinder pressure, which can reduce vibration. Avatr claims it has reduced vibration by 90%. Avatr worked with CATL, one of its other joint venture partners, to develop a 39-kWh battery specifically for EREVs, so it still performs well with a low battery. The 07 can do repeated 0 to 60 kmh runs in about 5.9 seconds with a low charge, or about 1 second slower than the regular time, while most other EREVs lose about 4 seconds when the battery is low. Avatr also uses the car’s connectivity to anticipate when it will be stuck in stop and go traffic, and it runs the IC engine before that to charge the battery, so that the car will be in quiet electric mode for a more comfortable experience.

NEXT CORVETTE WILL TOP THE ZR1
While Chevy just recently revealed the fastest, most powerful Corvette ever, the ZR1, there’s an even more extreme version coming. A source tells Autoline that a version of the ZR1 with an electric motor on the front axle and a much more aggressive aero package has already completed some testing. We don’t know if it will use the same front motor as the E-Ray, but it puts out 120 kW or 160 horsepower. If you combine that with the twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 from the ZR1, total power output could be over 1,200 horsepower. This same source told us about the ZR1 well before the ZR1 was officially revealed, so hopefully they’re right about this possible AWD monster Corvette. And with Ford having a Mustang that tops the Corvette in price and track readiness, with the $325,000 GTD, we think there’s a really good chance we see this ‘Vette. 

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.