VW Opts Out of Increases, Big Autonomous Trucks, 1 Sentence Warning

The Automotive Troublemaker w/ Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

We’re closing out a beautiful 31 day month as we talk about VW’s plans to NOT enter the EV pricing war. We also cover an impressive EV trucking network, as well as a one sentence warning from people who typically talk a lot.

• Amidst growing pressure from emerging Chinese manufacturers, Volkswagen's COO, Ralf Brandstaetter, has announced the company's refusal to partake in China's discount battles, emphasizing sustainable profitability over market share.
  • "Our market position is strong enough. For us, the focus is on profitability, not sales volume or market share," said Brandstaetter
  • VW has been the sales leader in China for years until Chinese manufacturer BYD outsold them this year
  • “Volkswagen aspires to be the biggest international carmaker in China, he said, adding that it's irrelevant if another national manufacturer sells more than it does.
  • "If we achieve sales of more than 4 million vehicles in this environment in 2030, with corresponding profitability, that is a position we could very well live with," he said.
    
• Autonomous EV freight company Einride is set to revolutionize the United Arab Emirates' freight landscape, partnering with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure to deploy a comprehensive electric, autonomous freight network. Covering over 550 km, the initiative includes 2,000 electric trucks, 200 autonomous trucks, and eight charging stations across the country's "Falcon Rise" grid.
  • The ambitious project is expected to be rolled out over the next five years, aiming to significantly reduce emissions in the UAE and optimize industry operations.
  • The plan includes deploying 2,000 electric trucks and 200 autonomous trucks, with charging infrastructure to support these vehicles including eight charging stations with over 500 charging points.
  • Einride is a Swedish company and is only 7 years old and already has several impressive innovations like the “Remote Pod Operator”

• In a one sentence warning we would have raised a collective eyebrow at 24 months ago, tech leaders and experts have asserted that the existential risk posed by artificial intelligence (AI) should be on par with avoiding nuclear war.
  • This statement was published by the U.S.-based nonprofit the Center for AI Safety, a significant advocate for AI safety standards. The warning includes high-profile signatories by industry giants such as Sam Altman of OpenAI, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, and Dario Amodei of Anthropic, among others.
  • Despite its wide support, some significant players like Meta have not signed the statement.

Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier
Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/

JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

ASOTU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/automotivestateoftheunion