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BlueCruise is now available across the entire Lincoln portfolio! ​For the first time on Lincoln Aviator, clients will be able to experience hands-free highway driving with BlueCruise. #lincoln #lincolnaviator

Seeing Machines

This is one of the great unknown success stories to come out of the Australian National University. Its progress toward profitability offers fascinating insights into the consequences of years of R&D investment in a technology that was once ahead of its time.

The company’s driver monitoring systems, which are used to combat fatigue and reduce car accidents, have been sold to a range of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) which sell products to global carmakers including BMW and General Motors.

CEO Paul McGlone says the company is at an inflection point because the amount spent on R&D as a percentage of revenue will fall from about 60 per cent to 20 to 30 per cent as revenue surges. In other words, a plunging R&D ratio will be a positive sign.

Seeing Machines, which is listed on the AIM market in London, has forecast a doubling in revenue to $US125 million by 2026.

The critical aspect of that forecast is that revenue from royalties will rise about nine-fold to as much as $US68.75 million.

McGlone says the royalties, which come from long-term contracts with OEMs, have a profit margin of about 95 per cent.

It would not be surprising if the valuation of Seeing Machines cracks $1 billion in the next two years as the market re-rates the stock on the back of higher revenue and the arrival of cashflow break even.

https://www.afr.com/technology/what-investors-can-learn-from-analysing-r-and-d-spending-20240204-p5f2a9

Munich. Additions to the line-up of drive systems and the range of optional extras are set to further increase the appeal and diversity of the BMW product range from spring 2024. The BMW i5 Sedan and BMW iX2 fully electric models will each be available from March 2024 with an additional drive system variant. The drive system offerings for the BMW X2 and BMW XM have also been expanded. The innovative Highway Assistant will bring increased comfort levels over longer journeys to more of the brand’s model series. And additional exterior paint finishes will be offered for the BMW 5 Series Sedan, BMW X2 and BMW iX2. Customers will also be able to order the business sedan with new variants of the BMW Individual Merino leather trim.

Attractive new features will also be introduced in spring 2024 in the area of digital services. These include easier use of the voice assistant Siri (as part of the integration of the Apple iPhone into cars specified with BMW Operating System 9), and the optimised display of ratings for charging stations for fully electric and plug-in hybrid BMW models. The steady expansion of the range of functions for the My BMW App also continues.

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0439303EN/bmw-model-update-measures-for-spring-2024?language=en

200,000 annual sales but how many will be bluecruise?

New 2025 Ford Explorer. Active, ST-Line, ST, and Platinum trims. 2.3L and 3.0L Ecoboost engines. 13.2" Touchscreen with SYNC 4, Alexa, and Google Maps. Blue Cruise standard on ST-Line, ST, and Platinum, requires subscription.

The 2025 Explorer version features new interiors, available BlueCruise—Ford’s autonomous driving solution that allows for hands-free highway driving—and an enhanced digital experience. Google Assistant is the default voice assistant and while parked, customers can watch YouTube videos and stream movies.

“We’re very proud of Explorer,” says Jim Baumbick, Ford’s vice president of product development operations and quality. The new vehicle should appeal to buyers in the millenial generation—people born between 1981 and 1996.)

https://www.barrons.com/amp/articles/2025-ford-explorer-cd5d3a89

GM Vehicles Coming In 2024

New vehicle launches this year, on the internal combustion side, include the redesigned Chevy Equinox, Traverse, Tahoe, and Suburban as well as the GMC Acadia and next-generation Buick Enclave. On the EV side: Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, Equinox EV, Cadillac Escalade IQ and Celestiq all continue production or launch.

Barra said there are more than 100,000 reservations for electric pickups that the automaker expects to fill this year and next. Overall, GM is hoping to deliver 200,000-300,000 EVs this year, depending on demand. The pace of EV demand has slowed, creating some uncertainty, but Barra said she still thinks EV share in the U.S. will increase from 7 percent in 2023 to 10 percent in 2024 in the U.S. If GM EV sales surpass 200,000 EV sales, GM will record variable profit on them, says Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/gm-ceo-mary-barra-chevy-blazer-ev-software-cruise-self-driving-issues/

Seize

As you know we are the mushrooms kept in the dark. BMW should start really ramping up soon but numbers wise?

Spring 2024: The Enhanced Highway Assistant Coming to More BMWs

BMW has updated its Highway Assistant feature, which is part of the optional Driving Assistance Professional Package on various models like the iX, 5 Series, 7 Series, X5, X6 (except M Competition models), X7, and standard on the XM. This feature allows hands-free driving up to 85 mph where it’s safe and legal. The previous version of the Highway Assistant, which is offered in most 2022 models, had a speed limit of 40 mph and required the driver to keep their eyes on the road at all times. The new version, however, will increase the speed limit to 85 mph and use an advanced eye-tracking system to monitor the driver’s attention level. This means that the driver can relax more and enjoy the ride, as long as they are ready to take over when needed.

https://www.bmwblog.com/2024/01/30/spring-2024-the-enhanced-highway-assistant-coming-to-more-bmws/#:~:text=BMW%20has%20updated%20its%20Highway,where%20it's%20safe%20and%20legal.

So great yeh right ;)

4.40 SEK −0.51 (10.31%)today

Then

4.40 SEK -13.87 (-75.91%)past 6 month

Https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2024/02/01/2025-ford-explorer-more-grille-tech-and-soft-surfaces-no-hybrid/?sh=214964f16260

New model

Redesigned interior. Available BlueCruise hands-free highway driving. And thrilling performance. Meet the new 2025 Ford Explorer®.

Available spring 2024. 

General Motors expects to build 200,000-300,000 electric vehicles in 2024 but is “prepared to meet customer demand as market conditions evolve” for both EVs and internal combustion engine vehicles this year.

While neither CEO Mary Barra nor Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson repeated during the company’s 2023 earnings call with Wall Street analysts Tuesday the longstanding goal to reach a 1-million EV annual rate by next year, a spokesman via email confirmed the automaker still expects to reach that milestone by the end of 2025.

Chevrolet Blazer EV production launched in the fourth quarter is currently ramping up and the Chevy Silverado EV RST, GMC Sierra EV, Cadillac Escalade IQ, and Cadillac Celestiq are scheduled to launch in 2024. The Chevy Equinox EV (photo at top) begins production, too, with a starting sticker price of $34,995 (plus delivery), though the launch edition is priced at $48,995.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/a46596709/gm-to-build-300000-evs-2024/

Let’s hope with super cruise!

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/colleen-morrissey-33b14314_gm-plans-to-build-200000-to-300000-ultium-based-activity-7158589855013195776-kuZB?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

GM became more profitable in 2023 despite headwinds from the six-week UAW strike and its Cruise autonomous vehicle business. Executives forecast similar or greater earnings this year even if vehicle pricing softens.

CEO Mary Barra said GM also will postpone its March investor day for a second time to “later in the year” as software teams continue to work on upcoming vehicle launches and Cruise resets after one of its robotaxis struck a pedestrian in San Francisco.

rose 8 percent to $38.23 in afternoon trading in New York.

"As we begin 2024, I believe GM is well positioned for a year of strong financial performance that will build on everything we accomplished — and learned — in 2023," Barra said in a letter to shareholders Tuesday.

For 2024, the automaker projected net income of $9.8 billion to $11.2 billion and adjusted EBIT of $12 billion to $14 billion.

GM said its 2023 earnings were reduced by a nearly $800 million charge related to agreements with LG Electronics over a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt recall and a $1.7 billion accounting adjustment related to EV battery cell inventory that won't repeat in 2024.

GM CFO Paul Jacobson told analysts Tuesday on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call that GM anticipates sales of roughly 16 million vehicles in 2024 and is planning for vehicle prices to fall by 2 to 2.5 percent this year, though he said such a decline is more of a planning assumption than a market expectation.

Ast month, Tesla recalled more than two million cars to implement stricter driver monitoring following an NHTSA investigation. It determined Tesla was too lax about keeping drivers engaged, and that this had caused several collisions with stationary emergency vehicles. But Tesla drivers can continue to misuse Autopilot, as cheap aftermarket gadgets can still fool the car into thinking drivers are engaged. Worse still, the way they work suggests Tesla ships software with lower safety standards in its North American cars.

Driver monitoring is a crucial safety measure in cars with automated driving tech. It ensures that the responsible party—the driver—doesn't check out, and leave the car to handle scenarios it's not capable of. In Teslas, it's particularly important due to the company's advertising, which has fostered an overconfidence in Tesla's autonomous driving tech that has allegedly led to multiple deaths. Tesla has even warned that its flagship driving software, Full Self-Driving Beta, "may do the wrong thing at the worst time."

Yet Tesla owners have been led to believe that driver monitoring is superfluous, in large part by its 2016 self-driving demo. In a video that employees say was staged, Tesla claimed that "the person in the driver's seat is only there for legal reasons" as the car navigated to a destination. Many owners took the ad at face value however, describing Autopilot's reminders to keep their hands on the wheel as "nagging" and trying to circumvent them. In the past, that has been done with everything from water bottles wedged in the steering wheel to weighted rings hung from it. Now, Tesla owners have resorted to fooling the software with aftermarket gadgets.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-autopilot-cheat-devices-reveal-us-cars-have-less-safe-software-than-exports

Baxter

Life has funny twists & turns...

I could spend a Week telling tales & funny stories of being close to biggish money. Next door won the Euro Millions lol

But seriously life throws things at you. I was one of 1st to buy in Dubai and everyone said iam mad at the time. I bought a villa & half share of an Apartment on the Palm early 2000s & the Apartment went up 4x and the agent said can sell it in 2 days for over £1m. I got the other owner to agree and put it to the agent as i felt in 2008 something was brewing for a crash. My Natwest bank manager said all was ok, i didnt believe her & wanted cash in b4 a crash i felt was coming. I think that was June 2008. I was asked for a copy of the deeds & my friend couldnt find them so i applied for replacements.

That took 3 months and i rang the agent to say got copies please sell.

the Dubai agent said property has crashed and the £1m has dropped to £250k. gutted!!!!

To rub salt in the wounds years later my partner sold it years later without the deeds that i had in my office in Uk, so it was possible at the time but we didnt know

Grrrr.........

So Iam all on black now almost with SEE. Lets see how it unfolds.

Baxter

Keep you chin up. Lots to look forward to in Feb to hopefully move the SP North?

1. TPIs

2. 1st half results

3. Magna Results

Aug 2013 I bought a load. One person told me Tesla and one said SEE.

As of today Tesla investment would be $12.5 million and at its peak in 2021 would of been $25 million. Instead iam £30k up for 10 1/2 yrs being in SEE with the initial purchases.

I take it on the chin and dont moan too much. Although as frustrated as everyone.

Iam sure not too long SEE will pop though

the best bit...

bmw group looks to be far in the lead already and is completely redefining the customer experience in the ****pit, by changing the human-vehicle interface to use a combination of hashtag#eyegaze, hashtag#gesture, hashtag#voice, and hashtag#touch. we will see more in the 2025 hashtag#neueklasse platform featuring idrive 10 when it is released next year. h/t critical techworks for some excellent design work.

in comparison it is bmw’s siblings that look to be at the bottom of the rankings, with the volkswagen group / cerence inc. demo winning this year’s ces booby prize, while mercedes-benz ag continues to take the translation of a "smartphone-on-wheels" far too literally and thinks integrating tiktok is the way ahead.

in the u.s., ford motor company and general motors have introduced strikingly similar ****pit designs to each other, with both adopting pillar-to-pillar screens. both companies are now far behind bmw in advanced ****pit development, which is the inevitable outcome of significant management focus and resource sunk into efforts to develop full autonomy.

so it seems like it is bmw that is doing something really special, with everyone else floundering with tech. details for idrive 10 are unconfirmed, but it could look something like a combination of qualcomm hashtag#socs, with valeo as the tier-1 (integrating the driving stack with the ****pit and ar-hud) and eye-gaze tracking provided by seeing machines.

bmw has developed its own hashtag#perception stack, which it is understood will be licensed to qualcomm on launch of the neue klasse, and is then set to become part of the qualcomm digital chassis. what a great outcome for bmw and qualcomm. 2025 will be an exciting year for sure.

as for apple, perhaps its best route now into the car business is to buy bmw.

see the below article for more thoughts from me on ces, in my latest piece in the ojo-yoshida report.

for institutional investors and financial analysts seeking an expert third-party source to discuss these developments in more detail, i can be booked for telephone-based consultancy via glg and guidepoint. just ask for me by name.

Today, Mobileye released its financial results for the three months ending December 31, 2023 and the full year 2023.

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dDYXvm6K

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mobileye_mobileye-releases-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-activity-7156272784778637313-2AXb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday that Chinese automakers will "demolish" global rivals without trade barriers, underscoring the heat the U.S. electric vehicle market leader faces from the likes of BYD (SZ:002594), who are racing to expand worldwide.

Musk's comments come after Warren Buffett-backed BYD - with its cheaper models and a more varied lineup -overtook Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) as the world's top-selling EV company last quarter, despite the U.S. automaker's deep price cuts through 2023.

Chinese car companies were the "most competitive" and "will have significant success outside of China, depending on what kind of tariffs or trade barriers are established," Musk said on a post-earnings call with analysts on Wednesday.

"If there are no trade barriers established, they will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world," he said. "They're extremely good."

Asked about Musk's comments, the Chinese foreign ministry said at a regular briefing on Thursday that it was unaware of the reports but advocated "maintaining a fair, just and open business environment".

Musk has reason to be concerned.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/tesla-ceo-musk-chinese-ev-firms-will-demolish-rivals-without-trade-barriers-3282389?utm_source=responsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily_Digest&utm_term=Editorial_DailyDigest_Auto_WWW_LIVE_1375948&utm_content=subnews_headline

Magna uses a camera to detect drunken drivers, too, but it also has a breathalyzer integrated behind the steering wheel. The breathalyzer is fast, cheap ($50-$100 price target), unobtrusive and the driver does not need to blow into a tube. They just have to breathe normally and it measures the alcohol content on their breath automatically. And it won’t be fooled by innocent items that contain alcohol such as mouthwash or beard oil. You read that right, beard oil!

But there’s a problem: If these systems detect that a driver is drunk, no one is sure what to do. Do you disable the car, not let the engine start, or what? What if there’s a raging forest fire and someone who’s been drinking has to flee for their life? Or what if they’re being followed by a stalker in the parking lot outside of a bar and need to get away now? The suppliers who are developing these systems want no part of deciding what to do if the system detects that a driver is drunk. They’re dumping that decision in the laps of the automakers. I’m guessing that automakers are going to want some kind of legal immunity for edge cases like this.

At least a half-dozen suppliers are working on driver monitoring systems (DMS) that can detect if a driver is drunk. That’s because the U.S. Congress enacted legislation mandating that intoxication detection technology be in all vehicles starting in 2027. Bosch, for example, has a camera that monitors a driver’s eye movement. Longer fixation (staring) correlates with high levels of alcohol. It also measures what’s called saccade, which is the time lapse between your eyes moving from one point to another. Slower saccade is an indication of drunkenness. (There’s a new word for your automotive vocabulary.) The system checks to see if each eye is open and looks at your mouth to see if you’re yawning, which are other indications of intoxication or drowsiness. The only problem is, at this stage of development it takes about 60 seconds to assess if a driver has had one drink too many. I don’t think the public will tolerate waiting 60 seconds for their car to start while they wait for it to determine whether they’re sober. Clearly, more development work is needed.

https://www.wardsauto.com/industry-news/tech-trends-and-insights-ces-2024

On January 25th, Ford China announced via its WeChat account that the all-new Ford Mustang Dark Horse model will go on sale on February 19, with deliveries to be commenced in the second quarter.

https://news.metal.com/newscontent/102597828/Gasgoo-Daily:-Ford-Mustang-Dark-Horse-to-go-on-sale-in-China-on-February-19