Hey!

Welcome to the new year. Quite a drift into 2024, huh?

Three exciting topics this time – and I hope we'll be reading each other more often this year.

Enjoy!

CES Kicks Off

Today, the CES will start in Las Vegas – traditionally a tech show, but since modern cars are essentially smartphones with four wheels and electric drives, major manufacturers have been playing increasingly important roles there in recent years. This year is somewhat quieter on the automotive front, likely due to an anticipated challenging year ahead.
Among German manufacturers, only BMW is present.

The Munich-based company, along with Hyundai, is showcasing their new digital infotainment system for their upcoming model generation.
Honda is presenting two electric vehicles in Las Vegas – featuring extensive tech integration from Sony.
Suzuki, making their CES debut, is bringing a new electric model, though their primary focus will be on autonomous driving capabilities.
The same goes for Zeekr.
Tesla is also present, though they're unlikely to offer much new, probably hoping to create buzz by displaying their touchable robo-taxi at the show.
Additionally, expect some exciting developments from Qualcomm, NVIDIA, and Bosch.

Worth checking tech media tonight!

Robo-Drivers: Dead End?

Tesla has been grandly announcing their robo-taxi for years – yet they've failed to provide any evidence of even developing such a vehicle. Their August show for press and fans under controlled conditions was exactly that – just a show. (Tesla)

Now, General Motors is completely abandoning its Cruise robotaxi project. Too expensive, too time-consuming.
GM had invested substantial time and money into the project since 2013.
The silver lining: They're not completely giving up on the technology.
GM CEO Mary Barra emphasized plans to continue developing the technology "in a disciplined and capital-efficient way." For now, though, Cruise's 2,300 employees will likely need new employers.

Industry-wide, the technology's development is taking longer than many fans and optimists had hoped.
The challenges are complex. Volkswagen and Ford already discontinued their joint self-driving project Argo AI two years ago.

Tesla Falls Short of Expectations – Barely Ahead of BYD

Elon Musk has been heavily involved in the US election campaign lately – and now apparently wants to weigh in on UK and German politics. (Forbes and Deutsche Welle (EN))
Perhaps the tech messiah should focus more on Tesla again.
While the company still outperforms most manufacturers on the stock market due to massive overvaluation – sales are clearly trending downward.

The Cybertruck isn't moving from Tesla's shelves.
Overall outlook isn't great either. 2024 sales fell behind 2023 figures – a first in Tesla's history. (Quartz and SCMP)
While they still delivered 1.77 million vehicles, market pressure is intensifying.

Particularly from Chinese manufacturers.
BYD now reigns supreme there.
They sold 1.76 million pure electric vehicles – just slightly behind Tesla. Add their 4.27 million hybrids, and BYD's lead becomes clear.

2025 will be intense for all manufacturers.
"2025 marks the final showdown in the Chinese auto market. We're witnessing a Darwinian phase – only the strongest manufacturers will survive," writes expert Philipp Raasch in his newsletter. (LinkedIn (DE))
He might be right. Global auto market trends are declining.
Whether US, Europe, or China – uncertainties lurk everywhere. How will Donald Trump approach electric vehicles and Chinese imports? How will the auto import dispute between EU and China develop? How will aggressive price competition in China affect Western automakers – particularly VW, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW, who can hardly match these prices? And US EV sales could drop by 320,000 vehicles if incentives are cut as Trump plans. (heise (DE))

Links

• Wikipedia offers an excellent list of Chinese auto manufacturers (Wikipedia)

• The electric Mustang Mach-E SUV outsold the original pony car last year (InsideEV)

• Last year wasn't great for MINI (Motoring File)

• Cars petrolheads are looking forward to in 2025 (Motor1)

• Embarrassing: Mercedes EQE electric vehicle recorded exactly 0 sales in October (Bimmertoday (DE))

Action

The 47th edition of the Dakar Rally has been underway since last Friday. There is extensive coverage on the official YouTube channel - including highlights of the two co-favorites Carlos Sainz and Sebastien Loeb, who were basically eliminated from the potential winner's circle on stage 2 due to crashes and technical problems.

That's all, folks!
– Thomas