Author: Chacha
01
NIO responded to "the accelerator pedal was broken": the car involved is a total loss second-hand car, and the user is being contacted
On June 24, a NIO owner posted a short video holding a severed accelerator pedal in his hand, complaining that the accelerator pedal had been stepped on during normal driving, suspecting that NIO was using inferior materials in such an important component.
On June 26, which happened to be NIO Quality Day, Ma Lin, assistant vice president of brand and communication of NIO, made a preliminary response to the matter at the event: the owner of the car had been contacted, and the vehicle he was driving had been seriously collided, and the insurance company had made a total loss.
and said that the car involved was a wholly damaged second-hand car and had had a serious collision; For safety reasons, the pedal may break under certain force conditions.
Interpretation: This is not the first time that NIO has had a broken accelerator pedal.
As early as 2021, a NIO ES6 owner posted in the NIO APP community, also holding a truncated accelerator pedal and indignantly questioning the quality of NIO cars. Afterwards, the general manager of Weilai's Beijing region replied in the post that the after-sales service had confirmed that the car owner had hung his shoes on the accelerator pedal during the process of getting out of the car, and then ripped off the accelerator pedal.
A similar incident happened to Tesla. Since 2018, some foreign Tesla owners have said that the accelerator pedal has broken without pressing it vigorously, questioning whether the plastic material used in the part has cut corners, but Tesla gave a similar explanation to NIO: This is a design with safety in mind.
The safety considerations behind the design, namely that the pedals are separated by a predetermined breaking point in the event of a specific high, non-positive force, is designed to protect the driver from deeper injuries while ensuring that no acceleration commands are given before they occur. While this safety feature may sound surprising at first, it is in fact the embodiment of an advanced vehicle safety design philosophy.
Judging from the annual report, NIO is not having a good time.
In 2022, NIO's net loss will be 14.437 billion yuan, and it will further expand by 43.5% to 20.72 billion yuan in 2023, far surpassing new forces such as Xpeng and Leap.
In the first quarter of this year, the revenue was 9.908 billion yuan, down 7.2% year-on-year and 42.1% month-on-month. Among them, the revenue of automobile business was 8.38 billion yuan, down 9.1% year-on-year and 45.7% month-on-month.
At present, under the influence of the dual factors of performance and sales, NIO has begun to accelerate the pace of products, and the third brand has gradually become clear when the second brand has not yet started to deliver.
According to the data, NIO delivered 30,000 vehicles in the first quarter. Looking forward to the second quarter of this year, NIO has given a more optimistic forecast. According to the delivery guidance, NIO's second-quarter deliveries are expected to reach 54,000 to 56,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 129.6% to 138.1%.
In addition, NIO will also officially launch a multi-brand strategy to enter a broader mainstream mass market. After Ledao, NIO's third brand, Firefly, has also made new progress. Its chairman Li Bin revealed that the research and development of Firefly is progressing very smoothly, "The positioning in China is a boutique car, the price is more than 100,000 yuan, but it itself is set up in accordance with very high safety and quality standards." For the time being, the company plans to share a sales network with NIO, similar to BMW and MINI, and aim to start deliveries in the first half of next year, but the release date has not yet been determined. ”
Now, NIO's prospects seem to be becoming clearer.
02
100-year-old Volkswagen, 36 billion invested in Tesla's old enemy
On June 26, German automaker Volkswagen Group announced that it would invest up to US$5 billion (about 36.355 billion yuan) in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian as part of the joint creation of a new, equally controlled joint venture. Through this investment plan, the two companies aim to share EV architecture and software technology to jointly advance the EV industry.
According to the plan, Volkswagen will immediately invest 1 billion US dollars (about 7.271 billion yuan) in Rivian, and then add another 4 billion US dollars (about 29.084 billion yuan). In return, Volkswagen will acquire the technology of Tesla's nemesis for its own EV research and development, and jointly develop the "next generation" of EVs and software.
On this news, Rivian's stock price soared by more than 50% in after-hours trading. Since the beginning of this year, its stock price has fallen by 43.32%. If this increase is maintained in the official transaction on June 26, it will increase Rivian's market value by nearly 6 billion US dollars (about 43.611 billion yuan).
Translation: Rivian needs money, Volkswagen needs technology.
At a time when the EV market is slowing, automakers large and small are rethinking their strategies. At this time, Rivian, who was once known as the "Tesla Killer", was no exception.
In March, Rivian paused plans to build a new plant in Georgia to conserve cash while dealing with the headwinds of heavy losses. Since its inception in 2009, Rivian has never achieved a quarterly net profit, with a loss of US$1.5 billion (about 10.902 billion yuan) in the first quarter of this year.
"Their product design isn't bad, but what really struggles to make an automotive company profitable is achieving mass production and positive cash flow." Earlier, Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on Rivian. For Rivian, what is lacking is money.
Now, finally waiting for Volkswagen. So, why did Volkswagen take a fancy to Rivian?
Some industry insiders believe that this investment is to solve Volkswagen's software dilemma. Previously, Cariad, the software division created by former CEO Diess, exceeded its operating budget and failed to meet its targets, resulting in a delay in the launch of several new vehicles.
Once the joint venture is successful, Volkswagen will gain access to Rivian's current electrical and electronic architecture. Rivian will license its existing intellectual property to the new joint venture, and Volkswagen's Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and other brands will also be equipped with the new joint venture's software.
"The new joint venture is an important addition to the Volkswagen Group's software strategy and is parallel to the company's existing plans and partnerships. For example, the cooperation with Xpeng Motors, as well as the promotion of Cariad. ”
In fact, Volkswagen is speeding up the layout of cooperation.
In December last year, Xpeng Motors announced the completion of a share purchase agreement with Volkswagen, and it has issued 94,079,255 Class A ordinary shares to the company, accounting for 4.99% of Xpeng's total share capital. This means that Volkswagen has become the third largest shareholder of Xpeng.
In the initial phase of the partnership, the two companies plan to jointly develop two electric models under the Volkswagen brand for the mid-size car market in China. The two new vehicles, which are exclusive to the Chinese market, will complement the portfolio based on the MEB platform and will be available in 2026.
Clearly, Volkswagen has entered a critical period of transformation.
03
Toyota is considering allowing employees to work four days a week
On June 28, it was reported that Toyota is considering allowing employees to work four days a week to attract more talent. If an agreement is reached with the unions, the policy could be implemented as early as this year.
04
Tesla China rehired a small number of employees
According to industry sources, it was learned from a number of former Tesla employees that a small number of Tesla departments in China are rehiring some of the laid off employees, and most of them are concentrated in the sales and service fields. It is rumored that Tesla's re-employment is due to the fact that some supermarket stores with large layoffs only retain teams of 5 to 6 people, which is not conducive to the normal operation of stores.
05
Porsche has announced a worldwide recall of all Taycan electric vehicles due to brake problems
Porsche has announced a worldwide recall of all Taycan models due to the discovery of a potential problem with the braking system. The cause of this recall is a possible rupture of the brake hose that could lead to a leak of brake fluid, which can reduce the brake pressure and affect the braking effect. It's unclear exactly how many Taycans are affected by the issue, but Porsche has sold more than 150,000 of the Taycan worldwide since its launch in 2020.
06
Evergrande Automobile: A potential share transfer is still being discussed
On June 26, Evergrande Auto announced that discussions about a potential share transfer are still ongoing, but the sale and purchase agreement and credit agreement have not yet been signed. The Company stresses that the potential transaction is subject to further due diligence and may or may not proceed. Shareholders and potential investors should be cautious.
07
SAIC Motor and Volkswagen signed a series of agreements to jointly develop a variety of plug-in hybrid and pure electric models
On the afternoon of June 27, Volkswagen Group, SAIC Motor, Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd., Volkswagen (China) Technology Co., Ltd. and SAIC Volkswagen signed a number of technical cooperation agreements on SAIC Volkswagen's new product projects in Shanghai. The content includes a technical cooperation agreement for the development of three plug-in hybrid models and two pure electric models in China, and the two sides will jointly "empower technology" for the joint venture, opening a new chapter in the joint venture cooperation. It is expected that from 2026 and beyond 2030, a number of plug-in hybrid and pure electric models will be jointly developed to the market.
08
It is rumored that Tesla is considering abandoning the production of 4680 batteries
According to autoevolution, there are rumors that Tesla is considering stopping production of 4680 batteries at its Giga Texas plant in Texas due to unsatisfactory energy density and charging performance, as well as higher costs. If the cost reduction cannot achieve the desired effect by the end of the year, Tesla will abandon the production of 4680 batteries and purchase from external suppliers instead. Reports from South Korea suggest that local battery makers LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are preparing for mass production of cylindrical batteries with a diameter of 46 mm, which seems to confirm this rumor.
09
Li Liyun, head of Xpeng autonomous driving: It is difficult for Tesla's FSD to handle the 300 million small electric donkeys in China
Li Liyun, head of Xpeng's autonomous driving, posted on Weibo on June 27 that it is difficult for FSD to handle the 300 million small electric donkeys in China, which is a particularly interesting topic, and China's road conditions are much more complicated than the United States. There is a serious shortage of non-motorized lanes, with about 30% of the roads in the central urban area of Guangzhou without non-motorized lanes. Motorcycles occupy motorized lanes in China. Therefore, the competition with non-motorized vehicles such as motorcycles is indeed one of the headaches and difficulties that Tesla FSD will face when entering China.
10
Germany's economy minister has called for a political solution to China's electric vehicle tariff dispute
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck recently said that the European Commission should seek a political solution to the dispute with China over the increase in tariffs on electric vehicles. "We must now make it clear that the European Commission is ready not to deal with this conflict bureaucracy, not to find a solution by footnoting the numbers, but to really solve the problem politically," he told the German parliament. ”
11
The domestic oil price adjustment, filling up a tank of oil will cost 8 yuan more
A new round of refined oil price adjustment window opened at 0:00 on June 28. The specific situation of this oil price adjustment is as follows: the retail price limit of gasoline and diesel is raised by 210 yuan and 200 yuan per ton respectively. On average, No. 92 gasoline was raised by 0.16 yuan per liter, No. 95 gasoline was raised by 0.17 yuan per liter, and No. 0 diesel was raised by 0.17 yuan per liter. According to the example of a family car with a fuel tank capacity of 50L, it will cost 8 yuan more to fill up a tank of 92 gasoline.