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
Rivian Posts 11% Q1 Revenue Rise as COO Javier Varela Drives Production Scale
Rivian Automotive reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $1.4 billion, an 11% year‑over‑year increase, and highlighted Chief Operations Officer Javier Varela’s role in scaling vehicle output and expanding software services. The earnings call also revealed a narrowed net loss, a $4.8 billion cash pile, and a $4.5 billion DOE loan to boost Georgia plant capacity.
Bosch Begins Delivering Hardware to Kodiak as Autonomous Trucking Moves Toward Production Scale
Bosch has started shipping critical sensors and actuation components to Kodiak AI, accelerating the company’s move toward a production‑grade autonomous trucking platform. Kodiak is already testing Bosch camera samples and integrating them into its proprietary SensorPod hardware modules. The partnership,...
Nissan Scraps EV Plans at Mississippi Plant in Favour of Hybrids
Nissan announced on May 1 that it will cancel production of two electric SUV models at its Canton, Mississippi plant, shifting the facility to conventional and hybrid powertrains. The move follows the September 2025 expiration of the U.S. $7,500 EV tax credit...
Waymos, Robotaxis Can Now Be Ticketed by California Police. But How Exactly?
California’s Assembly Bill 1777 takes effect on July 1, giving police the authority to issue a “notice of AV non‑compliance” and hold autonomous‑vehicle manufacturers liable for traffic violations. Waymo and other robotaxi operators must file a First Responder Interaction Plan, maintain 30‑second...
Smart Returns to Its Roots — and Scales up in Europe: Interview with CEO Smart Europe Wolfgang Ufer
Smart is reviving its iconic two‑seater with the upcoming #2 while scaling its fully electric lineup (#1, #3, #5) across Europe. Wolfgang Ufer, who took over as European lead on March 1, now oversees 17 markets and is driving a growth‑focused...
Xiaomi EV April Deliveries Top 30,000 as Growth Momentum Returns
Xiaomi’s electric‑vehicle unit reported April deliveries exceeding 30,000 units, up sharply from 21,440 in March, signaling a rebound after a volatile first quarter. The YU7 midsize SUV continued to dominate sales, reaching 231,000 cumulative deliveries within ten months and anchoring...
Schaeffler and CiDi Join Hands for Truck Autonomy
German automotive supplier Schaeffler has signed a strategic agreement with Chinese autonomous‑driving firm CiDi to fuse Schaeffler's electric drive hardware with CiDi's autonomy software for mining trucks. The partnership designates each company as a strategic supplier and preferred customer, leveraging...
Used Car Values Hold Steady Despite Economic Uncertainty
Used‑car residual values proved resilient in April, with the three‑year, 60,000‑mile benchmark slipping only 1.2% – about £220 (≈ $280) – in line with long‑term seasonal patterns. One‑year‑old cars fell 1.3% (≈ $490) while five‑year‑old models were down 0.8%, and ten‑year‑old values...
France April 2026: Stable Market (-0.3%), BEV Sales up 41.8% to 26.2% Share
France’s new‑car market slipped 0.3% year‑on‑year in April, delivering 138,339 units, while the year‑to‑date total is down 1.6% at 539,895. Battery‑electric vehicle (BEV) registrations surged 41.8% to 36,216 units, lifting the April BEV share to 26.2% from 18.4% a year...
Engine Trouble Ahead? How the Strait of Hormuz Standoff Threatens Luxury Auto Giants
A prolonged standoff in the Strait of Hormuz is choking the flow of Group III and Group IV base oils, the key feedstocks for high‑performance lubricants. Prices for these base oils have surged nearly 100% in northern Europe since the Iran‑U.S. conflict...
Humanetics Launches Testing Platform to Improve Efficiency and Support NCAP 2026 Requirements
Humanetics introduced UFOnext, a next‑generation ADAS testing platform designed to meet the upcoming NCAP 2026 requirements while boosting proving‑ground efficiency. The system can accelerate to over 140 km/h quickly, shortening track length needed for high‑speed scenarios. Features such as hot‑swappable batteries, onboard...
Rotterdam The Hague Airport Trials Hydrogen-Electric Pickup Truck
Rotterdam The Hague Airport completed a week‑long trial of Toyota’s hydrogen‑electric pickup truck, pairing it with Bird Control operations from dawn to dusk. The airport, which has already electrified most of its light‑vehicle fleet, is targeting fully emission‑free ground operations...
Panama March 2026: Market Surges 42.5%, Jetour, Changan, Isuzu Shine
Panama’s March 2026 auto market surged 42.5% year‑on‑year, delivering 6,473 units and lifting the Q1 total 17.6% to 16,405. Toyota retained the top‑spot with a 29.2% brand gain, while Hyundai (+39.1%) and Kia (+32.3%) followed. Chinese marques made notable strides:...
Posco Signs US$765m Deal for 30% Stake in Australian Lithium Mines
Posco Holdings has agreed to pay $765 million for a 30 percent stake in Mineral Resources’ Mount Marion and Wodgina lithium mines in Western Australia. The joint venture will give Posco rights to produce about 37,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide annually, enough for...
Industry Group Lobbies for EV Battery Checks to Be Added to MOT Regime
The 4R Battery Alliance, representing the UK battery supply chain, is lobbying to add mandatory EV drivetrain‑battery health checks to the MOT regime. While this year’s MOT updates introduced visual inspections of high‑voltage components, they still omit functional battery testing....
Hyundai Launches Battery Subscription Service in South Korea
Hyundai Motor Group, together with its finance arm Hyundai Capital, has launched a pilot battery‑subscription service in South Korea aimed at corporate taxi operators using Ioniq 5 electric SUVs. The program follows new Korean regulations that allow EV batteries to be...
Tata Motors Secures No.2 Position in April Passenger Vehicle Sales
Tata Motors' passenger‑vehicle division posted 59,000 domestic wholesales in April, a 30.5% year‑on‑year increase, securing the second‑largest monthly sales position. Mahindra & Mahindra ranked second for the FY26 domestic wholesale total with 56,331 units, while Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, JSW and...
Passenger Vehicle Sales Fall 10% as EVs Show Resilience, Tata Leads: Vahan Data
April 2026 saw Indian passenger‑vehicle registrations drop 10.2% month‑on‑month to 398,146 units, while electric‑vehicle (EV) registrations slipped only 1.8% to 22,677 units. The modest EV decline lifted its market share to a new high of 5.7%, up from 5.2% in...
EV Purchase Intent Reaches Record Levels, Reports Motors & Cazoo
Motors and Cazoo’s Consumer Insight Panel of 2,000 car buyers shows 55% now expect their next vehicle to be a hybrid or electric, pushing overall EV intent to a record 24%. Demand for brand‑new EVs outpaces used models, with 53%...
CATL Launches Battery Lookup Tool for Chinese EV Buyers to Reinforce Premium Positioning
CATL unveiled an online lookup tool that lets Chinese consumers confirm whether a specific EV model uses its batteries, reinforcing the brand’s premium image. The platform lists models by brand and highlights those equipped with CATL’s high‑energy ternary lithium packs...
Allego Launches New Roaming App
Allego has launched a revamped app that aggregates its own charging stations with those of rival operators, giving users access to roughly one million points across Europe. The platform charges no extra fees and displays third‑party rates transparently – for example...
WeRide and Lenovo Target 200,000 Robotaxis in Major Expansion
WeRide and Lenovo announced an expanded partnership at Auto China 2026, aiming to deploy up to 200,000 Level‑4 autonomous vehicles worldwide within five years. The collaboration merges WeRide’s driver‑less platform with Lenovo’s AI‑focused computing and manufacturing expertise, highlighted by the...
Used EVs Are on the Upswing in America
U.S. new electric‑vehicle sales have stalled, while the used EV market is booming. Cox Automotive reports a 34% jump in used EV sales in 2025 as lease returns swell, with 300,000 EVs expected to hit the secondary market in 2026....
Hyundai Registrations to Drop in 2026 Ahead of EV Roll-Out
Hyundai Motor Group forecasts a modest 0.7% decline in global registrations for 2026, dropping to 6.33 million units. Asian markets are the only region showing growth, up 3.7%, while North America and Europe are projected to fall 2.9% and nearly 6%...
New Zealand March 2026: Toyota Hilux Leads the Way, Dongfeng Box Lands at #12
New Zealand light‑vehicle sales surged 25.1 percent YoY in March 2026, reaching 14,910 units and lifting Q1 volume 12.5 percent to 36,910. Toyota retained the lead with an 18.7 percent market share, while the Toyota Hilux jumped 76.7 percent to become the top‑selling model. BYD...
Voyah April Deliveries Jump 51%; New Taishan X8 SUV Pre-Sales Orders Top 30,000
Voyah delivered 15,146 vehicles in April, a 51% year‑on‑year increase and a modest 0.85% rise from March. The premium EV arm of Dongfeng Motor posted 49,038 deliveries in the first four months, up 36% YoY. Pre‑sales for the newly launched...
California Hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi Driverless Cars with New Law
California’s DMV adopted new regulations that let police ticket autonomous‑vehicle companies for moving violations, effective July 1, 2026. The rules treat the operating firm as the driver, require incident reporting within 72 hours (24 hours for collisions), and impose penalties ranging from fleet‑size caps...
UK EV Registrations Hit 2 Million, up 15%
2 million EVs are now registered across the UK, up 15% from last year. “With March 2026 seeing the highest demand ever recorded,” according to the Department for Transport. That’s around 5% of all cars in Britain, but I definitely...
Free Driverless Upgrade Makes $15k Tesla a Bargain
If Tesla actually upgrades every HW3 car that purchased FSD to driverless capability at no additional cost… even $15k suddenly looks like a pretty damn good deal.
Xpeng Reports April Sales Drop as It Bets on New Flagship SUV
Xpeng delivered 31,011 vehicles in April, an 11.5% year‑on‑year decline but a 13.1% month‑on‑month rise, suggesting a stabilization of its sales momentum. The Chinese EV maker launched pre‑sales of its premium GX SUV at ¥399,800 (≈$58,550) and introduced its second‑generation...
Athos Silicon Shifts Strategy for Autonomous Driving Chip
Enjoyed my visit to Athos Silicon a short while back - thanks Charnjiv and François for explaining the change in strategy for your autonomous driving chip: https://t.co/RvcUKRnGF7
Rivian Hikes Georgia Plant Capacity by 50% to 300k
EVwire brief: Rivian is increasing planned production capacity at its Georgia plant to 300,000 vehicles annually, a 50% increase from its original 200,000-unit target. https://t.co/Tx7w8u8ohk
Li Auto Deliveries Hold Steady in April as L9 Livis Launch
Li Auto delivered 34,085 vehicles in April 2026, a modest 0.43% year‑over‑year increase but a 16.97% drop from March, reflecting pre‑launch softness. The automaker’s cumulative deliveries reached 1.67 million, marking a 1.91% YoY rise for the first four months of the...
Tesla Hikes Denmark Charging Fees Amid Rising Competition
Sunniest week of the year so far.. What does Tesla do..? Raise charging prices in Denmark.. luckily there's competition :) #alwaysbecharging https://t.co/HxvH4lIqkf
XPENG Hits Denmark's Top‑10 Brand List
XPENG is a Top 10 brand in Denmark No, this is not the BEV Top 10 ⚡️⚡️⚡️ ALL personal registrations April 2026 (96%🤯) #alwaysbecharging 🇩🇰 https://t.co/kt8Jw37FB5
Wrap-Up: April 2026 Deliveries for Major Chinese Automakers
April 2026 Chinese NEV deliveries kept BYD on top with 321,123 sales, while its overseas shipments surged past 134,000 units – a 71% year‑on‑year record. Geely’s modest domestic growth was offset by a 245% jump in exports, delivering 83,186 units abroad....
Tesla Autopilot Turns Long Drives Into Cruise‑Mode Relaxation
You know that feeling when you’re on a flight across the country, and you hit cruising altitude and just kick back and relax? That’s what taking long distance trips on Tesla Self-Driving feels like now. https://t.co/6zta5arnaA
Slovenia March 2026: First Win for the Tesla Model 3
In March 2026 Slovenia recorded 6,535 new‑car registrations, a 23.6% year‑on‑year rise. Tesla’s Model 3 surged 363% YoY to 352 units, capturing a 5.4% share and becoming the country’s top‑selling model for the first time. The Tesla brand jumped to fourth...
Lear Margins Expand in Seating and E-Systems Q1
Lear Corporation posted first‑quarter sales of $5.8 bn, a 5% increase year‑over‑year, and core operating earnings of $297 m, up 10%. Adjusted earnings per share rose 24% to $3.87, the highest Q1 level since 2019. Both Seating and E‑Systems divisions improved margins...
Global Dealers and Media Visit LUXEED Gigafactory, Witness Its Intelligent Manufacturing Excellence
LUXEED International hosted a global dealer and media tour of its Wuhu Gigafactory, showcasing a 90,000 m² body shop and a 106,000 m² assembly workshop built to Industry 4.0 and Lighthouse standards. The plant employs over 600 intelligent robots, can produce more than...
NIO Inc. Provides April 2026 Delivery Update
NIO Inc. reported April 2026 deliveries of 29,356 vehicles, a 22.8% year‑over‑year increase, bringing year‑to‑date deliveries to 112,821—a 71% rise. The deliveries were split among its premium NIO brand (19,024), family‑oriented ONVO (5,352) and small‑car FIREFLY (4,980). The All‑New ES8...
Xiaomi EV April Deliveries Top 30,000 as New YU7 GT Launch Nears
Xiaomi EV reported April deliveries of over 30,000 units, a sharp rise from 21,440 in March, signaling a rebound after early‑year volatility. The surge was driven by the YU7 SUV and the newly launched SU7, which has already secured 60,000...
Energy Insiders Podcast: Electric Trucks Are Profitable, but Diesel Struggles
The Energy Insiders podcast highlighted that electric trucks, especially those using Janus Electric’s battery‑swap system, are now more profitable than traditional diesel rigs. CEO Ben Hutt explained how rapid cost declines and reduced downtime make the electric model financially attractive....
Suzuki Confirms Pricing of E-Vitara, with Pre-Order Special at $46,990
Suzuki unveiled pricing for its first Australian electric SUV, the e‑Vitara. The entry‑level Motion starts at AUD 46,990 (≈USD 31,000) and the higher‑spec Ultra at AUD 56,990 (≈USD 37,600) for the first 100 pre‑orders, rising to AUD 49,990 and 58,990 thereafter. Both models use lithium‑iron‑phosphate batteries—49 kWh...
China’s Self-Driving Truck Leaders Say AI Breakthroughs Won’t Accelerate Rollout — Here’s Why
Chinese autonomous‑truck firms say recent breakthroughs in large‑language models will not speed up driverless truck deployment. Pony.ai CEO James Peng emphasized that linguistic AI skills do not translate to vehicle control, while Inceptio remains on track for a mid‑2028 commercialization...
Rivian Q&A Pivoted to Robotaxi, L4 Plans
Today's Rivian earnings call Q&A really shifted the narrative -- far fewer Qs re manuf / product. Today 8 of 12 analysts in Q&A asked about their robotaxi / L4 plans.
How Road-Toll Exemptions Can Accelerate the Rollout of Electric Trucks
The EU’s revised Eurovignette Directive lets member states exempt zero‑emission trucks from distance‑based road tolls and charge diesel trucks based on CO₂ emissions. ICCT analysis of six markets shows that full toll exemptions would already bring 2026 regional‑truck total‑cost‑of‑ownership to...
The $320Bn Li-Ion Battery Market for EVs in 2036 (Video)
IDTechEx released a video projecting the global lithium‑ion battery market for electric vehicles to reach roughly $320 billion by 2036. The forecast assumes a compound annual growth rate of about 15 % as EV sales expand across passenger cars, commercial trucks, buses...
MarketWatch: “Google’s Waymo Is Raking in Cash”
Alphabet’s Waymo secured a $16 billion funding round in February, accounting for roughly 75 % of all autonomous‑vehicle capital deployed in the first quarter, according to DataTrek analyst Jessica Rabe. The infusion makes Waymo the largest fundraiser among AI‑focused firms and cements...
ANSI Identifies Safety, Infrastructure Priorities For EV Investments
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) released its April 2026 Gaps Progress Report, elevating fire protection in older buildings, power export, and cable management to high‑priority safety and infrastructure issues for electric vehicles. The report updates progress on 17 of the...