1. Aiways suffered from "collective bargaining"
Recently, a letter titled "Call for Justice! Nearly 2,000 families collectively bargained for wages from Aiways" circulated on social platforms. The article pointed out that nearly 2,000 employees have been owed wages for more than three months, and the relevant demands of employees have been ignored, cannot be read, refused to answer the phone or even blocked, cut off salaries, cut off social security, and endlessly work from home. The long article makes the following demands: 1. Immediately state the time plan for the payment of back wages, eager to hear specific solutions and timetables, not empty promises; 2. Provide transparent and direct communication channels, understand progress and put forward questions and suggestions; 3. Ensure the full delivery of wages, pay the due wages in full in accordance with the laws and regulations of the contract, and compensate for the losses and troubles caused by arrears of wages.
It was previously reported that Aiways has defaulted on wages for March and April, and the wages for May have not yet been settled, and employees have paid for social security by themselves. Due to financial problems, the entire operation of AIWAYS is also in a state of paralysis, and even the content of many sections of the AIWAYS APP has been emptied; Many services such as maintenance service packages, vehicle lifetime warranty rights, and discharge guns can no longer be used normally. In addition, the headquarters office of Aiways has been leased and the headquarters building is empty.
As one of the first batch of new automakers to achieve mass production and delivery, AIWAYS has built a vehicle plant with an annual output of 150,000 units in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, R&D center and design center in Shanghai, and battery pack factories in Changshu, Jiangsu Province and Europe. Although the entire car manufacturing industry chain is complete, the operation status of AIWAYS has always been difficult to improve. According to the data, Aiways sold 2,600 vehicles in 2020, 3,011 units in 2021, and 2,824 units in the first eight months of 2022, while the cumulative sales from January to March this year were only 92 units.
2. Volkswagen SSP platform to be launched in 2026
At the Volkswagen investor conference, Volkswagen CEO Obermu revealed that its latest pure electric platform SSP will be launched in 2026, restoring the original schedule. As early as 2021, the Volkswagen Group announced the existence of the platform and planned to use it for a compact model codenamed "Trinity" in 2026, but due to research and development problems, it was announced that it was delayed in November last year.
It is understood that the model based on the SSP platform will be compatible with the power range of 119kW-1,297kW and support L4 autonomous driving. The platform models will be uniformly equipped with batteries from Volkswagen's subsidiary PowerCO, which can charge from 10% to 80% in 12 minutes. Volkswagen officially said that the development cost of the new platform model will be 30% lower than the current mainstream MEB platform. Specific to the application of each sub-brand, the main VW brand will be responsible for the development of micro and small cars, the Audi brand will be responsible for the development of compact and mid-size cars, and Porsche will develop large or electric sports cars. It is also reported that Porsche's new three-row SUV based on this platform will come out in 2027.
3. Tesla's new Model 3 will go into production next month?
With the successive exposure of Tesla's new Model 3 exterior, interior and related configuration information, it is also reported that the new Model 3 is expected to be put into small-scale production in Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory in July. According to reports, these pre-production vehicles will be mainly used for testing and commissioning, with formal mass production scheduled to start in September and deliveries begin in 2024.
However, some media outlets cast doubt on the veracity of this news. According to Tesla's past practice, once it enters the mass production stage, the delivery time is usually not delayed for such a long time. At present, Tesla has not responded to this rumor.
4. Xiaomi refutes the price of the first car
Recently, Xiaomi's intelligent voice assistant "Xiaoai classmate" leaked the news of Xiaomi car pricing. According to the information disclosed by "Xiaoai classmates", the new car will be launched in two versions, the standard version and the Pro version, the former is a rear-drive single motor, and the cruising range under WLTC conditions is 800 kilometers; The latter is a four-wheel drive dual motor with a WLTC cruising range of about 700 km. The starting prices of the two versions are 149,900 yuan and 179,900 yuan respectively.
If according to such a price, Xiaomi's first sedan will most likely become a hit. However, Xiaomi's head of public relations, Wang Hua, refuted the rumor that the news that "Xiaomi cars start at 149,900 yuan and last 800 kilometers" on the Internet is untrue. He added that the earliest source of news about Xiaomi car pricing was speculative information reported by self-media in May 2022, which was captured by "Xiaoai". And when someone asked a question, "Xiao Ai" directly retrieved this information from the database.
5. Former CEO of Audi received 21 months of probation
On the 27th local time, the Munich District Court in Germany sentenced former Audi CEO Rupert Städel to a 21-month suspended sentence and a fine of 1.1 million euros (about 8.7 million yuan) for the "dieselgate" case. Under the plea agreement, Städel admitted last month that he allowed the continued sale of vehicles with deceptive software installed after learning the circumstances. Städel thus became the first Volkswagen Group executive to stand trial. Martin Winterkorn, former CEO of the Volkswagen Group, was also previously indicted in connection with the "dieselgate" scandal, but the trial was postponed indefinitely due to poor health.
The "dieselgate" scandal dates back to 2015. At the time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency discovered that the Volkswagen Group had installed so-called "efficiency reduction devices" in diesel vehicles sold between 2014 and 2015 to mask the actual emissions of the cars during testing. In 2015, the Volkswagen Group admitted to knowingly circumventing vehicle emissions regulations by installing illegal software in 11 million vehicles. The incident caused Volkswagen to lose more than 32 billion euros (about 250 billion yuan) in fines and legal fees. Now that the former CEO of Audi has been given a suspended sentence, it may also put an end to the matter.
6. Changan Kaiyuan A07 official chart released
Changan Automobile released a preview of the A07, the first model of its new Kaiyuan series, which is positioned as a mid-to-large sedan and is expected to be released in July. Judging from the picture, the car's appearance is rounded, with through-beam light strips at the front and rear, and zigzag daytime running lights on both sides of the front face. The side lines of the body are relatively rich, and the design of short front overhang and long rear overhang and the sliding roof greatly enhance the sense of sportiness.
In terms of dimensions, the model is 4905mm long and has a wheelbase of 2900mm. The car will be equipped with a large-sized floating center control screen, but it does not use an LCD dashboard, which should be similar to the design style of the navy S7. The power parameters of the former will be the same as those of the navy SL03 extended range, and the cruising range of the pure electric version under CLTC conditions is 515 kilometers and 710 kilometers.
7. Volkswagen: The Beetle is outdated, and nostalgia is a dead end
Volkswagen announced a partnership with the upcoming animated film "Miracle Ladybug Girl" and will show the ID. family's electric car in the film. Among them, the red Beetle car has attracted widespread attention, and many fans expect the Volkswagen Group to resurrect this classic model in the era of electrification. In this regard, Thomas Schaefer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, said, "The Beetle is no longer beautiful, there is no point in bringing it (and Changku) back, nostalgia is a dead end, it will not work." ”
However, Thomas Schaefer also added that one day, perhaps the Beetle may return, but from his personal standpoint, he will not consider resurrecting the Beetle, and Changku is the same, because the company needs to invest its money in "better places". While we may not be able to see the Electric Beetle or Electric Scourco, Thomas Schaefer reiterated that the company will not erase the names of these classic models, which carry many of the glory days of the past, just like the Tiguan and Golf.