Episode #65 - BYD's Changsha troubles, Tesla's production hiccup, VW's Scout Revival

Tu starts off episode 65 with an update on his status in Beijing and the latest news about auto manufacturing in Beijing and Shanghai including the shutdown of ShanghaiGiga due to a shortage of wiring harnesses. 

Tu and Lei them move onto BYD’s Changsha problem that has nothing to do with Covid. Due to protests from local neighbors of the factory, BYD was forced to close it factory while an investigation is underway to determine whether or not they’re permitted to be there building cars. 

Lei shifts the discussion over to LI Auto’s earning that were just released and highlights the announcement about making an even more affordable EV similar to NIO who also had more information leaked recently about their mass market brand targeting the 200 - 300K RMB market segment. 

The podcast moves onto what Cadillac is doing to prep the market for the Lyriq launch and some of the new vechicles launched by Denza, Arcfox, and LeapMotor that all make bold claims about redefining their market segments. 

Tu moves the focus to Volkswagen’s announcement about reviving the Scout brand and Lei weaves in his takeaways from the FT’s Future of Mobility conference that featured fireside chats with Elon, Ola, and Herbert and they go into a deeper dive about Elon’s interview and some of the contradictory statements he seemed to make about ShanghaiGiga.