BMW built the same car for gas and electric. The EV is $4,400 cheaper

I suspect this is not much more than a marketing gimmick!

However, should batteries become cheaper ...

BMW built the same car for gas and electric. The EV is $4,400 cheaper. | TechCrunch

Ford’s Latest Employee of the Month Is a Hawk Named ‘El Charro’

Amazing stuff! Necessity is the mother of invention!

Ford’s Latest Employee of the Month Is a Hawk Named ‘El Charro’ - WSJ "To protect 300,000 trucks a year from a persistent pigeon invasion, the automaker turned to an ancient practice: falconry"

El Charro works shifts at the Hermosillo plant where he flies around trying to scare pigeons.

Autoindustrie: Der einstige Exportweltmeister Deutschland wird zum Absatzmarkt für China

Wahrscheinlich ist die Schlagzeile übertrieben, aber nicht völlig! Wie ernst ist die Situation?

Wie behauptet sich die deutsche Autoindustrie in anderen Ländern ausserhalb Europas?

"Jahrzehntelang war die Rollenverteilung klar: Deutschland baut Autos, China kauft sie. Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz und Porsche verdienten Milliarden im größten Automarkt der Welt. Deutsche Werke produzierten in erster Linie für den Export. Diese Ordnung zerfällt gerade. So schnell wie nie.

China ist inzwischen das wichtigste Herkunftsland für nach Deutschland importierte Neuwagen. Gleichzeitig brechen die deutschen Ausfuhren ein. Während chinesische Hersteller ihre gewaltigen Produktionskapazitäten mit immer mehr Exporten in den Rest der Welt drücken, bauen deutsche Autofirmen Jobs und Fabriken ab. Deutschland verliert China als Absatzmarkt und bekommt China dafür als Konkurrenten im Heimatmarkt. ...

Ein aus China importiertes Auto kann auch ein Modell eines deutschen oder europäischen Konzerns sein.

BMW lässt den elektrischen Mini in China fertigen. Der Cupra aus dem Volkswagen-Konzern kommt ebenfalls von dort. Smart produziert seine Fahrzeuge gemeinsam mit dem chinesischen Großaktionär Geely vollständig in China. ...

Noch deutlicher wird die Verschiebung auf europäischer Ebene. Im Jahr 2025 sanken die Ausfuhren von Autos und Fahrzeugteilen aus der EU nach China um 34 Prozent auf nur noch 16 Milliarden Euro. Gleichzeitig stiegen die entsprechenden Importe aus China um acht Prozent auf den Rekordwert von 22 Milliarden Euro. ..."

Autoindustrie: Der einstige Exportweltmeister Deutschland wird zum Absatzmarkt für China | NIUS

Toyota to deploy 400,000 robots (incl. humanoid robots) in global factory automation from 2028

Wow!

"Toyota Group will invest ¥1 trillion ($6.4 billion) a year from 2028 to update factories for the digital age and deploy 400,000 robots worldwide, including artificial intelligence-powered humanoid workers that will learn the skills of veteran workers. ..."

Toyota to deploy 400,000 robots in global factories from 2028 - Automotive News

Toyota estimates factory automation could cost $6.4 billion per year from 2028

Credits: 400.000 neue Roboter: Toyota baut sich seine Belegschaft selbst

VW CEO confirms Iron Dome production talks

Is the embattled German automaker becoming a arms manufacturer?

"... According to the report, the federal government [of Germany] will also take part in establishing a new partnership that will manufacture Iron Dome parts at the plant [in Osnabrück], and a memorandum of understanding has already been signed with Rafael to produce parts for Iron Dome and other missile interception systems. "Talks are at an advanced stage," it was reported. ..."

VW CEO confirms Iron Dome production talks - Globes "Involvement of the state and federal governments in the partnership with Rafael is supposed to solve problems for Volkswagen and overcome opposition from Qatar."

CO₂-Emissionen: Volkswagen drohen Milliardenstrafen der EU. Wirklich!

Der Klimawahn tobt nicht nur in der Bananenrepublik D! Ist VW auch exemplarisch für die Misere der Bananenrepublik D? Jede Wette!

Geht es noch absurder?

CO₂-Emissionen: Volkswagen drohen Milliardenstrafen der EU | FAZ (Abo erforderlich) "Weil Volkswagen zu wenig Elektroautos verkauft [???], werden die europäischen Grenzwerte für CO₂-Emissionen nicht eingehalten [???]. Das kann teuer werden. Für die Tochtergesellschaft Porsche deutet sich eine Lösung unter chinesischer Beteiligung an."

Germany’s Auto Giant VW and the US Ford are Losing the Race to please government climate dictates

Recommendable!

Big government and many of the elites promote and exploit the global warming hoax and climate change religion as a pretext for more socialism!

Why the US never repealed the socialist Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards (enacted in 1975) is beyond belief! President Trump are you listening!

"... In late 2025, EU leadership announced sweeping directives for reaching all-time emissions lows. One of those requirements in the passenger vehicle market requires EU-based automakers “to comply with a 90 percent tailpipe emissions reduction target, while the remaining 10 percent emissions will need to be compensated through the use of low-carbon steel Made in the Union, or from e-fuels and biofuels.”  ...

This is a classic case of government-induced malinvestment into certain lines of production. Based on the EU regulators’ decrees for a 2035 ban on the manufacturing and sale of internal combustion engines ...

Ford is now in a better position than VW in this respect, as the Trump administration has scaled back the Biden team’s more stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements. But there’s still plenty to be undone. The current administration’s estimates indicate that there would be $109 billion in savings to American carmakers by loosening emissions rules. Nevertheless, the rules still require that all US-made passenger vehicles make 34.1 mpg by 2031. That’s a significant reduction from the previous administration’s demands for mpg to reach over 50 mpg. Yet, consumers’ tastes for maximizing fuel efficiency have hit a wall. ..."

Germany’s Auto Giant Is Losing the Race | The Daily Economy

This chart does not even show the big Chinese competitors

How Olinia Turns Mexico’s EV Ambition Into Reality at a price of $8,500

Recommendable!

Government run businesses is rarely a good idea and many fail.

"The EV market in Mexico has exploded in the last three years, with the vast majority of cars sold there being manufactured in China—90 percent in 2025. However, Mexico is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of cars and car parts, and policymakers want to capture a piece of the action.

That’s why the Mexican government launched Olinia, a federally backed effort to develop a homegrown EV brand with engineers and researchers from the country’s public universities and research institutions. Its first vehicle, the Olinia 1, is designed around the needs of the average Mexican driver. Mass production of the Olinia 1 is expected to begin in early 2027 at an assembly plant slated for construction in the state of Puebla later this year. ...

[Chinese] Carmakers like BYD and Geely thus dropped their prices and started marketing aggressively in emerging markets like Mexico. ...

The government plans to replace many taxis [???] in urban areas with the EV. ...

Olinia is one of the signature projects of Plan México, the Sheinbaum administration’s strategy to strengthen domestic manufacturing and technological capabilities. The initiative aims to cultivate domestic expertise in batteries, power electronics, vehicle integration, and advanced manufacturing—areas that policymakers view as critical to Mexico’s long-term industrial competitiveness. The administration hopes the plan attracts $100 billion in annual foreign direct investment by 2030. ..."

How Olinia Turns Mexico’s EV Ambition Into Reality - IEEE Spectrum "Olinia 1 is designed to fit the needs of the country’s drivers"

Source

Deutsche Automarken brauchen Technologie aus China

Neues aus der Bananenrepublik D! Schlagzeile des Tages!

Auch BMW schaltet in den Krisenmodus | FAZ (behind paywall) "Auch BMW hat nun als letzter deutscher Hersteller einen Stellenabbau eingeleitet. Deutschlands Paradebranche muss technisch Schritt halten. An noch stärkerer Kooperation mit China führt wohl kein Weg vorbei."

Chinese EV makers awaken Western rivals' zombie production lines

Clever move!

"Chinese electric vehicle makers are scooping up idle production lines across the world, intensifying their overseas push as Western competitors pare back output of gasoline cars and need to shed excess capacity. ..."

Chinese EV makers awaken Western rivals' zombie production lines - Nikkei Asia "Tactic for dodging tariffs and easing trade tensions could raise costs, compliance risks"

Chart of the day

Source

Vom Lehrmeister zum Schüler: VW übernimmt Chinas Erfolgsrezepte

Neues aus der Bananenrepublik D!

"Jahrzehntelang haben chinesische Autohersteller von den Deutschen gelernt. Inzwischen ist es umgekehrt: Bei Design, Ausstattung und Vertrieb ahmt VW in China die heimischen Pkw-Anbieter nach."

Vom Lehrmeister zum Schüler: VW übernimmt Chinas Erfolgsrezepte "Jahrzehntelang haben chinesische Autohersteller von den Deutschen gelernt. Inzwischen ist es umgekehrt: Bei Design, Ausstattung und Vertrieb ahmt VW in China die heimischen Pkw-Anbieter nach."

Volkswagen and Porsche recall over 500,000 US vehicles for models between 2019-2026

Bad news!

Why Carmakers Are Bringing Back Buttons, Ditching Touchscreens due to government regulation with Palki Sharma. Really!

This does not make much sense to bring back buttons for more driving safety! Why not e.g. audio commands? Why not separate touch screens etc.?

Bosch: Das Ende der Auto-DNA? Radikaler Kurswechsel weg von Automotive

Empfehlenswert!

Tesla toppled by Chinese carmaker BYD as world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles

Can the West keep up with China? BYD has over a 1,000 dealerships in Europe alone.

VW in der Krise: Erstes Quartalsminus seit Dieselgate – wie schlimm wird es 2025

Sehr empfehlenswert, aber schlechte Nachrichten! Geschäft in den China und in den USA deutlich eingebrochen!

Lada, Kaluga, Moskau: Warum Russlands Autoboom eine Illusion war

Sehr empfehlenswert! Wie Russland zur einer Kolonie von China wird!

Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing for Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, judge rules. Really!

Bad news! What is going on in California again? Politically motivated lawfare? Technophobia?

Caveat:  I am not familiar with the details of this case.

"An administrative law judge has ruled that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing that gave customers a false impression of the capabilities of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving driver assistance software, a pivotal development in a years-long case initiated by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

The judge agreed with the state DMV’s request to suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses in the state for 30 days as a penalty for its actions, but the DMV stayed the order and is giving Tesla 60 days to comply. ...

The company has signaled it won’t comply, though. Tesla said in a post on X that: “Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”

“This was a ‘consumer protection’ order about the use of the term ‘Autopilot’ in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” the company wrote. ..."

Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing for Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, judge rules | TechCrunch

Gelenkiger Chinese: Dieses Auto kann seitwärts fahren

Warum wurde dieses Auto nicht in Deutschland entwickelt?

Gelenkiger Chinese: Dieses Auto kann seitwärts fahren "Geely zeigt im EX5 eine neue Antriebstechnik: Alle Räder lassen sich um 90 Grad drehen. Das ermöglicht Seitwärtsfahren und Wenden auf der Stelle."