At The Wheel: Episode #11 - Tesla’s (Multi-Year) Fall, Global EV Shakeout, China’s Export Wave & EU To Backpedal?
In Episode #11 of At The Wheel, Joe (Reuters / High-Speed Rodeo) and Tu (Sino Auto Insights) tackle the three tectonic shifts reshaping the global auto industry right now — Tesla’s global collapse, China’s unstoppable EV export offensive, and Europe’s political retreat from its once-sacred 2035 combustion ban.
This isn’t just an EV story. It’s a story about industrial strategy, global competition, and massive miscalculations by some of the world’s largest carmakers and governments.
We go deep into:
🚨 Tesla’s Global Slowdown
• Sales down 40%+ in Europe, double digits in China and the U.S.
• Shanghai and Berlin Gigafactory utilization falling below profitable levels
• Tesla’s shift from “EV company” to “AI + robotics company”
• What Elon’s strategy pivot really means for Tesla’s future
• Whether political blowback is still impacting Tesla demand 
🇨🇳 China’s EV Momentum & Export Wave
• BYD, Geely, Chery, Wuling and others squeezing Tesla in every global market
• China’s price war and overcapacity pushing EV and ICE exports into SE Asia, Latin America, and beyond
• XPeng’s AI Day: humanoids, AV tech, custom silicon, and software–hardware integration
• Why China’s domestic demands + export ambitions create a structural threat for all Western OEMs 
🇪🇺 Europe’s Big Backtrack?
• EU debating delays to the 2035 combustion-engine phaseout
• German and Italian pressure, union pushback, and shrinking affordability
• Volvo + Polestar warning Europe against “letting the fox into the henhouse”
• Stellantis × CATL’s €4B EU battery plant and the politics around Chinese partnerships 
🇺🇸 U.S. Reality Check
• California’s EV adoption split: luxury surges, mainstream stagnates
• Whether U.S. consumers want EVs—or simply can’t afford them
• The coming wave of mid-priced EVs: Rivian R2, Lucid Gravity, GM Equinox EV, Slate Auto
• Why 2026–2027 could mark the next big EV demand upswing 
🤖 Autonomous Vehicles & The Coming Service Era
• Waymo’s multi-city rollout: Detroit, NYC, London
• AV safety data and whether AV adoption should be mandated
• The future role of OEMs: contract manufacturing vs. consumer sales vs. fleet operators
• Could AVs reshape car ownership, urban mobility, and automaker revenue models? 
🔥 Plus:
• Why European automakers fear becoming “bystanders in the 21st century”
• Price inflation & affordability pressures worldwide
• Why GM, Ford, Stellantis and Toyota are bracing for a brutal competitive cycle
• What this all means for 2025–2030 global auto and mobility trends
👉 Don’t forget: Our year-end show is coming on December 15. Send us the topics you want included!