Today's Automotive Pulse
Waymo suspends driverless rides in Atlanta and Texas amid severe storms
Waymo announced a temporary suspension of its driverless‑car services in Atlanta, Georgia, and multiple Texas cities after a vehicle became stranded in flood‑water. The company said the pause is an "abundance of caution" as flash‑flood warnings, severe thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds threaten safety.
Also developing:
By the numbers: LTM Ltd acquires Randstad’s Europe and Australia units for $186M
Trump Says He Will Raise Tariff on EU Vehicles to 25%
Former President Donald Trump announced he would raise the tariff on European‑made vehicles to 25% if he returns to the White House. The proposal would double the current 10% duty applied to cars from the EU, targeting major manufacturers such as Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes‑Benz. Trump framed the move as a response to perceived unfair trade practices and a way to protect American jobs. The announcement comes amid ongoing debates over U.S. trade policy and upcoming election cycles.
Roadzen to Attend Nordics’ Leading Automotive Event VECS 2026 in Gothenburg on May 5–6
Roadzen Inc. (Nasdaq: RDZN) will attend VECS 2026, the Nordic automotive conference in Gothenburg on May 5–6, after a private Business Sweden reception on May 4. The company is leveraging recent embedded insurance mandates with two Tier‑1 global OEMs and regulatory validation of...
Sedans Are Back as Honda Accord Sales Soar 42% and the Camry Isn’t Far Behind
Honda announced a 42% year‑over‑year increase in Accord deliveries for April 2026, while the Accord Hybrid rose 27% year‑to‑date. Toyota’s Camry also posted an 18% jump in the same month, signaling a broader sedan resurgence. In contrast, most of Honda’s...
Good Conversation, Smart Music … Oh, and Directions. (GM)
Google is rolling out its Gemini audio chat interface to replace Google Assistant in GM vehicles built from 2022 onward. The AI‑powered system enables natural, two‑way conversation for navigation, music, podcasts, translation and casual chat, aiming to keep drivers’ hands...
'No Way to Treat Close Partners': Trump Hikes Tariffs on EU Cars to 25%
President Donald Trump announced that the United States will raise tariffs on European Union cars and trucks from the current 15 % to 25 % starting next week, citing alleged non‑compliance with the 2025 US‑EU trade deal. The move is intended to...
How Cadillac's F1 Tech Will Help Shape Future Performance Cars
Cadillac will race under its own livery at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, marking GM’s first U.S. Formula 1 entry. CEO Mary Barra explained that performance data from the track is funneled into road models such as the CT5‑V Blackwing, then...
Lexus Is About to Reveal Its Three-Row Electric SUV
Lexus will unveil its first three‑row electric SUV, the TZ, on May 6 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time. The model is expected to sit on the same platform as the 2027 Toyota Highlander EV, but with Lexus‑specific styling and a premium interior....
Trump Is Breaking the Turnberry Deal over Cars. Semiconductors Are Next in Line.
President Trump announced a 25% tariff on EU cars and trucks, up from the 10% rate applied after a February Supreme Court ruling, accusing the bloc of vague non‑compliance with the Turnbird Agreement. The 2025 agreement capped U.S. tariffs on...
Nissan Kills Its EV Plans In America, Pivots To Trucks
Nissan has cancelled its plan to produce electric vehicles at the Canton, Mississippi plant, redirecting the facility toward new trucks such as the Xterra SUV, a redesigned Frontier and a three‑row SUV. The $500 million investment aimed at an EV hub...
Rivian Cuts DOE Loan to $4.5 B, Boosts Georgia Plant Capacity to 300,000 Vehicles
Rivian announced on Thursday that its Department of Energy loan will be reduced to $4.5 billion and the Georgia factory will be built as a single‑phase plant capable of 300,000 vehicles per year. The loan draw is slated for early 2027,...
Trump Says US to Raise Tariff Rate on EU Cars, Trucks to 25%
President Donald Trump announced that the United States will raise tariffs on imported European Union cars and trucks to 25% after accusing the bloc of breaching a recently negotiated trade agreement. The new levy excludes vehicles assembled in U.S. facilities,...
Diehl Automotive Group Adds Toyota, VW Dealerships Amid Buying Spree
Diehl Automotive Group announced the acquisition of Firelands Toyota and Volkswagen dealerships in Wooster, Ohio, along with an off‑site collision center, marking its second and third purchases in four months. The deals bring Diehl’s portfolio to 24 rooftops representing 13...
Hyundai Rolls Out AI‑Powered Pleos Connect on Software‑Defined Vehicle Platform
Hyundai Motor Group started mass production of its software‑defined vehicle (SDV) platform, debuting the AI‑enabled infotainment system Pleos Connect in the upcoming Grandeur facelift. The system combines a large‑language‑model voice assistant, OTA updates and an open in‑car app marketplace, positioning...
Robotaxis Are Rolling Out Across America
After a decade of hype, setbacks, and renewed interest, driverless taxis are now appearing on streets across the United States. Waymo, Tesla and five other firms are operating fleets in California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Florida and Illinois, with plans to...
Rivian Boosts Georgia Plant Capacity by 50% and Details R2 Cost Cuts in Q1 2026 Call
Rivian used its Q1 2026 earnings call to announce a 50% increase in first‑phase capacity at its Georgia factory, targeting 300,000 midsized vehicles annually, and to detail cost‑reduction strategies for the upcoming R2 model. The company also highlighted collaborations with...
Tesla Launches Basecharger for Semi, Reveals $188,000 Megacharger
Tesla unveiled a "Semi Charging for Business" program offering two chargers: the ultra‑fast Megacharger, priced from $188,000 for a pair of 1.2 MW posts, and the lower‑power Basecharger, starting at $40,000 and delivering 125 kW for depot or overnight use. The Megacharger...
Electric Car Interest Surges Following Spike in Fuel Prices
Fuel price spikes caused by the Iran‑U.S. conflict have sparked a sharp rise in electric‑vehicle interest across Europe, with Renault reporting a 42% jump in UK website enquiries and EVs making up just under 50% of its April registrations. Similar...
Autonomous VW Buses to Begin Microtransit Service in Florida Community
Beep and Volkswagen’s Moia America are launching an autonomous microtransit service in Lake Nona, Florida, using purpose‑built ID.Buzz electric shuttles. Six four‑passenger vehicles equipped with safety drivers are currently being tested, with public rides slated for later this year. The...
ITECH Launches IT8100A/E DC Electronic Loads with 1.8 MW Parallel Capacity and 150 A/Μs Slew Rate
ITECH has introduced the IT8100A/E series of DC electronic loads, capable of scaling to a combined 1.8 MW when paralleled. Each 3U rack delivers 7.2 kW, and the system can expand to 86.4 kW in a 37U cabinet. The loads feature a 150 A/µs...
Morrow Begins Battery Cell Deliveries to Proventia as Norwegian Production Scales Up
Norwegian battery maker Morrow Batteries has begun delivering lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) cells to Finnish industrial‑technology firm Proventia, marking the first shipments under a master supply agreement that runs through 2031. The prismatic LFP cells will be used in Proventia’s off‑highway and...
Advancements in Thermal Adhesives: Enhancing Battery Cell-to-Pack and Cell-to-Ribbon Performance for EVs
Parker Lord introduced CoolTherm TC-850, a thermally conductive acrylic adhesive that builds on its earlier TC-2002 product. The new formulation delivers four‑times higher elongation, stronger adhesion to plastics, and optimized 100 µm bondlines for lower thermal resistance. These advances target cell‑to‑pack...
EV Maker Ola Electric Sees 20% M-O-M Growth in April
Ola Electric reported a 20% month‑on‑month increase in April 2026, registering 12,166 two‑wheelers versus 10,133 in March. The growth came as the broader Indian electric two‑wheeler market contracted over 22% in the same period, making Ola the only brand to...
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 Is Back with Sales Now up 11% in 2026
Hyundai’s 2026 IONIQ 5 electric SUV posted an 11% sales increase through April, selling 13,393 units in the first four months. After the $7,500 federal tax credit lapsed, the model rebounded from a 58% Q4‑2025 dip, rising 6% year‑to‑date and outpacing...
EU-Funded HiPower 5.0 Project Developing GaN-Based EV On-Board Chargers
The EU‑funded HiPower 5.0 project, led by Fraunhofer IZM, is creating a 22 kW gallium‑nitride (GaN) on‑board charger (OBC) that occupies only 4 L—about one‑third the size of today’s average 12 L units. By using monolithic bi‑directional GaN switches supplied by Infineon, the charger...
Walmart Rolls Out ABB A400 EV Fast Chargers at Seven Sites in Metro Phoenix
Walmart is installing ABB e‑mobility A400 All‑in‑One DC fast chargers at seven Phoenix‑area stores, part of a broader rollout that will bring 38 chargers to nine locations. Each unit can deliver up to 400 kW, either 200 kW to two cars simultaneously...
WeRide and Lenovo, Pronto Does a Deal, Bot Auto Goes Driver Out
WeRide and Lenovo announced a five‑year, non‑binding partnership to accelerate autonomous vehicle deployments, targeting 200,000 AVs—200 times its current fleet of 1,023—using Lenovo’s HPC 3.0 compute platform. The OMEGA algorithm estimates the fleet’s ownership cost between $10 billion and $20 billion, though no...
Software-Defined Vehicles Test Auto Supply Chains: Moody’s
Moody’s warns that software‑defined vehicles (SDVs) turn cars into updatable software platforms, exposing automakers to new cyber‑security and code‑integrity risks. The shift also drives higher demand for memory chips, as AI workloads compete for the same semiconductor capacity, pushing automotive...
‘Temu Range Rover’: What the Bestselling Jaecoo 7 Says About China’s Electric Car Ascendancy
China’s Chery saw its Jaecoo 7 crossover become the UK’s top‑selling car in March, moving 10,064 units and displacing established models from Ford, Nissan and Kia. The plug‑in hybrid version is built for roughly $25,000, about $8,000 cheaper than a comparable...
With Driverless Cars a Reality, What Can Cities Do to Prepare for Them?
Waymo has logged over 200 million autonomous miles and now delivers more than 400,000 paid rides each week across major U.S. cities, achieving a ten‑fold reduction in serious‑injury crashes versus human drivers. The rapid expansion highlights the need for cities to...
Hyundai Unveils Pleos Connect for Software-Defined Vehicle Architecture
Hyundai Motor unveiled Pleos Connect, a software‑defined infotainment platform debuting on the Grandeur sedan in South Korea. The system features Gleo AI, a large‑language‑model voice assistant that handles multi‑command, context‑aware, zone‑specific requests and integrates an open App Market for third‑party...
FSD Repeatedly Misroutes at 101 Ramp Despite Correct Map
FSD (Supervised) v14.2.2.5 Navigation error and curious decision making two out of five days this week. This is a repeat occurrence of FSD turning right at a light, just before the junction for the ramp to the 101. The map on...
China's Auto Subsidies Outpace US Tariffs on EU Cars
Neither the wolf nor the shepherd are friends to the sheep. PRC subsidies and vertical integrated auto companies are conquering the world (outside the US and Canada). US just hiked tariffs on EU light vehicles to 25%, up from...
BYD Exports Jump as Soaring Fuel Prices Spur Global EV Demand
BYD’s overseas sales jumped 71% year‑on‑year in April, reaching 134,542 units, while total deliveries fell 16% to 321,123 amid a domestic slowdown. The surge was driven by soaring fuel prices after the Iran war, reviving global interest in electric vehicles....
Manufacturing, Not Chemistry, Drives Solid‑State Battery Disruption
“Solid-state batteries may disrupt lithium-ion more than markets price in. They use lithium-metal anodes and solid electrolytes, boosting energy density, safety, range, and charging speed. But success depends less on chemistry than new manufacturing...” @GraphCall Geoffrey's portfolio can be found...
Nissan Abandons Plans for US EV Plant
Nissan announced it will abandon a $500 million plan to convert its Canton, Mississippi plant to produce all‑electric vehicles. Instead, the 4.7‑million‑square‑foot facility will focus on gasoline and hybrid models, beginning with a new body‑on‑frame Xterra slated for 2028. The decision...
1,000th Electric Bus Set For Part Of Belgium
Belgium’s Flanders region transport agency De Lijn celebrated the arrival of its 1,000th electric bus, marking a major milestone in the region’s electrification push. The Flemish government has allocated €400 million (about $436 million) to fund the purchase of electric buses, aiming for...
JETOUR Teams with Paula Scher to Redefine Premium G700 Design
JETOUR announced a collaboration with world‑renowned designer Paula Scher to create the visual identity of its G700 SUV. The partnership, unveiled at Auto China 2026, introduces a new logo, typeface and branding language, positioning the G700 as a culturally resonant...
China's EV Shift to Premium Tests Battery Capacity
China's EV market is going premium - can batteries keep up? . Read more and sign up to my newsletter here: https://t.co/Fo25ebCCBE https://t.co/VuzpjXJ2ZQ
Aurora Innovation and Hirschbach Motor Lines Plan 500 Autonomous Freight Trucks
Aurora Innovation and Hirschbach Motor Lines announced a non‑binding plan to field 500 Aurora Driver‑powered trucks, with deliveries slated for 2027 and a revenue opportunity in the hundreds of millions. The news sent Aurora shares up 15.5% to $5.88 and...
GM Bets on Trucks and Keeps Writing Down EVs, Amid War and Trade Unease
General Motors reported Q1 2026 results, leading U.S. sales with 626,000 deliveries and a 42 percent share of the full‑size pickup market. Despite a $1.1 billion EV charge this quarter, adding to $7.6 billion from late 2025, the company is shifting production toward...
Cold Weather Slashes EV Range Up to 39%
"AAA has been testing exactly how big an effect temperatures have on modern EV batteries. In its latest research... it found that hot temperatures reduced range by an average of 8.5%. Cold weather cut vehicles' range by a whopping 39%."...
Xiaomi Hits 30k April Deliveries, 550k Target Remains Doable
Xiaomi reported delivering more than 30,000 electric vehicles in April 2026, a notable jump from 21,440 units in March and a modest beat over its April 2025 figure of 28,585. The company disclosed the number via Weibo, awaiting official China...
XPeng Deliveries in April Rise 13% to 31,011
Chinese EV maker XPeng reported April deliveries of 31,011 vehicles, up 13% from March but down 11.5% year‑over‑year. The month’s rebound follows a 27.4% YoY decline in the first four months of 2026. XPeng credits the lift to its VLA...
BYD April Sales Rebound Sequentially as Overseas Shipments Hit Record High
BYD reported April NEV sales of 321,123 units, a 6.96% month‑on‑month increase but marking an eighth straight year‑on‑year decline of 15.51%. Overseas shipments surged to a record 134,542 units, up 70.9% YoY, highlighting the automaker’s pivot to export markets. The...
VW's 65 kWh EREV Crosses Continents From China to Wolfsburg
They (VW) actually drove one from China to Wolfsburg (!) #ERA This is not a BEV #EREV yet it has a 65kWh battery.... (yes that's bigger than many Euro BEVs, or Chinese for that matter) #alwaysbecharging https://t.co/XUFXO2NNYZ
ADI Rolls Out A²B 2.0 for Automotive Audio with Higher Bandwidth
Analog Devices announced that its A²B 2.0 automotive audio bus has entered full production. The new version boosts bandwidth to 98.3 Mbps in full‑duplex mode while keeping latency around 62 µs. It adds Ethernet tunneling via an OASPI interface and remains compatible with...
There's a Lot of Hype About Chinese EVs—Is Any of It True?
The Beijing Auto Show showcases Chinese electric vehicles that boast low prices, heavy infotainment, and AI‑driven features, prompting headlines that claim five Chinese EVs could be bought for the price of one U.S. car. U.S. policymakers have responded with 100%...
How Well Can EVs Handle the Heat — and the Cold? AAA Put Them to the Test
AAA’s latest testing shows extreme temperatures dramatically affect electric‑vehicle range. In a heated chamber (95 °F) EVs lost about 8.5 % of their range, while a cold chamber (20 °F) slashed range by roughly 39 %. Compared with AAA’s 2019 study, heat‑related loss improved...
Do High Gas Prices Change How Americans Buy Cars?
In this episode of The Flipside, Brad Rogoff and U.S. Autos and Mobility Analyst Dan Levy examine whether today’s elevated gas prices are reshaping American car‑buying habits. They note that fuel costs represent only about 3% of average household spending,...
Citroen E-C3
The Citroën ë‑C3 Max is positioned as a low‑cost electric supermini, priced around $23,500 after the UK grant. It offers two battery packs—a 30 kWh unit with about 130 mi range and a 43.7 kWh unit delivering roughly 199 mi on paper, though real‑world...