Today's Automotive Pulse
Volkswagen expands Rivian stake amid $1.75B fine risk
Volkswagen is increasing its investment in Rivian while facing potential fines of $1.75 billion over regulatory concerns. The move underscores the automaker's push into electric vehicles despite mounting compliance challenges.
Also developing:
By the numbers: LTM Ltd acquires Randstad’s Europe and Australia units for $186M
Cars for Cargo with DB Cargo UK
DB Cargo UK has secured a seven‑year rail freight agreement with CAT UK to transport finished Jaguar Land Rover vehicles from the Halewood plant to the Port of Southampton. The service will run up to three trains per week, linking JLR’s expanding electric‑vehicle output with the UK’s largest automotive export hub. This contract builds on a two‑decade partnership between DB Cargo and CAT UK and follows earlier cross‑Channel services that moved Toyota cars between the UK and France. The rail corridor reinforces rail’s role as a low‑carbon alternative to road haulage for high‑value automotive cargo.
WeRide and Lenovo Announce Ambition to Deploy 200,000 Autonomous Vehicles by 2031
WeRide and Lenovo have expanded their partnership to target the deployment of 200,000 Level‑4 autonomous vehicles worldwide by 2031, beginning in 2026. The plan includes robotaxis, autonomous minibuses and sanitation vehicles, leveraging Lenovo’s AD1 domain controller and Nvidia’s Drive AGX...
WeRide Expands WRD 3.0 Across Multiple Chip Platforms
WeRide announced that its WRD 3.0 advanced driver assistance system is now compatible with multiple chip platforms, including NVIDIA DRIVE, Qualcomm Snapdragon and SiEngine’s StarLight AD1000. The expansion enables automakers to deploy L2++ ADAS across a range of computing power—from...
Chinese Auto Brands Report 210 per Cent Global Growth During March
Chinese EV makers OMODA and JAECOO announced a 210% surge in global sales for March, propelling both brands past the one‑million‑vehicle milestone in under three years. The rapid growth makes them the fastest automotive brands worldwide to hit that volume....
Coca-Cola Canada Expands Volvo VNR Electric Fleet Across Quebec and Vancouver
Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited is expanding its zero‑emission fleet with three new Volvo VNR Electric trucks in Quebec City and four additional units slated for Vancouver this spring. The rollout brings the company’s nationwide electric fleet close to 40 vehicles,...
US Lowers Automotive Steel Tariffs—Strings Attached
The United States announced it will halve the tariff on steel used in heavy‑duty vehicles imported from Mexico, dropping the rate from 50% to 25%. The move reverses a key element of the Trump‑era trade war and is intended to...
Vietnam: Transerco Deploys 120 Electric Buses in Hanoi
Hanoi Transport Corporation (Transerco) deployed 120 electric buses across seven routes in April, expanding its low‑floor fleet. The buses, identified as VinFast’s EB 8 and Green Bus 8, are 8‑metre models with a 290‑km range per charge. Priced at roughly $146,000 each,...
Oxford PV Says Tandem Solar Could Add up to 5 Km to Daily EV Range
Oxford PV has joined Nissan’s SUITE consortium to advance perovskite‑silicon tandem solar cells for vehicle‑integrated photovoltaics. The tandem technology promises 20‑30% more power per unit area, adding roughly 3‑5 km of daily range and pushing total solar‑derived range to 15‑20...
Urban Autonomy in America: What’s Real & What’s Next (Curbivore 2026)
The Curbivore 2026 panel, hosted by Forbes senior editor Alan Oensman, examined the current state and future hurdles of autonomous vehicle (AV) deployment in the U.S., covering robotaxis, delivery bots, and data infrastructure. Participants included Aaron from Korean robot‑delivery startup...
Toyota Hits Record Global Sales for FY 2025, Lifted by Hybrid Models
Toyota Motor Corp. reported a record 10.48 million vehicles sold globally in fiscal 2025, a 2.0% increase over the prior year. The surge was driven primarily by strong demand for hybrid models in North America, where U.S. sales rose 7.7% to...
Apollo Funds to Acquire Forvia's Interiors Business in Carve‑Out Deal
Apollo Global Management’s private‑equity funds announced a deal to acquire the Interiors Business Group of Forvia SE. The carve‑out, which includes instrument panels, door panels and center consoles, is expected to close in the second half of 2026 and adds...
Denso Mulls $9 B Withdrawal of Rohm Takeover, Threatening Japan’s Chip Supply Chain
Denso Corp. is considering pulling its $9 billion acquisition proposal for semiconductor maker Rohm Co., after failing to secure the target’s support. The possible retreat could fragment Japan’s power‑chip consolidation and reverberate through automotive and data‑center supply chains.
The World’s Largest EV Battery Maker Is Raising $5 Billion in Hong Kong
China's CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, is launching a Hong Kong follow‑on to raise up to $5 billion, the biggest share sale in the market in about four years. The company’s Hong Kong shares have surged 160% since the May 2025 secondary...
Luxshare-ICT Shares Jump 9% on FY25 Profit Surge and Long‑Term Growth Outlook
Luxshare-ICT's shares climbed about 9% after the Chinese contract manufacturer posted a 24.2% year‑over‑year profit increase to RMB 16.6 bn ($2.3 bn) for fiscal 2025 and unveiled a strategy focused on AI, electrification and regionalized supply chains. The outlook signals a push to...
Waymo Says Avoiding Bike Lanes Is Unrealistic as Customers Demand Drop‑offs There
Waymo told cycling advocates that expecting its robo‑taxis to stay out of bike lanes is "too high a bar" because riders want to be dropped off there. The comment follows a 2024 lawsuit alleging a Waymo vehicle blocked a bike...
Focal Point Positioning to Showcase Precise+ High-Precision GNSS Technology at ENC 2026
UK‑based GNSS software firm Focal Point Positioning will unveil its Precise+ high‑precision technology at the European Navigation Conference in Vienna, April 28‑30, 2026. Precise+ applies the company’s patented Supercorrelation method to carrier‑phase measurements, delivering centimeter‑level positioning even in signal‑obstructed environments. Principal engineer...
Tesla Admits HW3 Can't Deliver Unsupervised FSD, Sparking Bull‑bear Clash
On April 23, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told investors that the Hardware 3 computer installed in millions of vehicles lacks the memory bandwidth needed for unsupervised Full Self‑Driving. The admission triggered a split among analysts and investors as the company...
Kia Trims EU Prices as Chinese EV Registrations Surge
Kia announced a price cut in Europe, narrowing its premium over Chinese rivals to 15‑20% after a period of 20‑25%. The move follows a surge in BYD registrations, which rose 150% in March, while Kia’s own European sales grew only...
Onsemi Expands Partnership with NIO to Power 900V EV Platforms
Onsemi announced an expanded strategic collaboration with NIO to support the Chinese automaker’s shift from 400V to 900V electric‑vehicle architectures using onsemi’s EliteSiC enhanced M3e technology. The partnership, unveiled ahead of the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, aims to improve range,...
AUDI (Not to Be Confused with Audi) Shows E7X Model in Beijing
Audi unveiled the world‑premiere AUDI E7X electric SUV at the Auto China show in Beijing, marking the second production model from the China‑only AUDI brand. The debut coincides with a new strategic agreement between Audi and SAIC to co‑develop a next‑generation...
Reforma Announced as the Winner of the Inaugural Stripe Business Bootcamp
Reforma’s reusable crumple‑zone project won Best Group at the inaugural Stripe Business Bootcamp, a week‑long accelerator run with NovaUCD. The team—Eve Kennedy, Brian McCabe, Paddy Corcoran, Deepta Suresh and Rachel Coghlan—leveraged shape‑memory alloys to create vehicle crumple zones that absorb...
Smart Brand Shows Electric City Car Concept #2 at Beijing Auto Show
Smart, the Mercedes‑Geely joint venture, unveiled its Concept #2 electric city car at the Beijing Auto China 2026 show. Built on the brand’s new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), the ultra‑compact two‑seater measures just 2,792 mm in length and boasts a 6.95‑meter turning...
Stellantis Finally Addresses Its Multi-Brand Problem
Stellantis announced it will trim its portfolio to four core brands, acknowledging that 14 marques dilute focus and profitability. In 2025, six brands produced over 92% of the company’s 5.5 million vehicles, many of which are essentially rebadged models sharing platforms...
Kia Sacrifices Profit to Retain Share in Europe
Kia Motors reported a 26.7% year‑on‑year decline in operating profit for Q1 2026, even as revenue and global wholesale volumes edged higher. The loss was driven primarily by U.S. tariff pressures and heightened sales incentives aimed at preserving market share in...
Denso Withdraws Rohm Bid as Three-Way Merger Takes Hold
Denso Corp is likely to withdraw its February bid to acquire Japanese chipmaker Rohm after Rohm’s board rejected the offer. Rohm instead favours a three‑way merger with Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric to combine their power‑semiconductor businesses. The proposed tie‑up would...
How the Iran War Is Driving Europe Toward Chinese EVs
Europe’s electrification push is bearing fruit, with BEVs projected to represent about a quarter of new car sales by the end of 2026 and Germany recording its first BEV‑only month. The surge is being fueled by higher fuel prices linked...
Proton eMas Hits 10k Registrations in 2026, More than Entire 2025; eMas 7 PHEV Gets over 6.5k Bookings
Proton’s eMas electric‑vehicle sub‑brand has logged more than 10,000 registrations in 2026, surpassing its entire 2025 EV sales of 8,890 units. The newly launched eMas 7 plug‑in hybrid has already attracted over 6,500 bookings, with three trim levels priced between RM109,800...
Altilium EV Battery Recycling Expands with New Investment Round
Altilium, a UK‑based clean‑tech firm, has opened a new investment round on Republic Europe, bolstered by a £18.5 million UK government grant (about $23.5 million). The capital will expand the ACT3 recycling plant in Plymouth and fund a commercial‑scale facility in Teesside,...
GWM Ora 03 Axed in the UK as Brand Resets EV Strategy
Great Wall Motor has discontinued the Ora 03 electric hatchback in the UK after a four‑year stint that failed to gain traction. The model, originally launched as the Funky Cat in 2022, was rebranded to Ora 03 in early 2024...
Geely’s Caocao Plans 100,000 Purpose-Built Robotaxis by 2030
Geely’s ride‑hailing unit Caocao unveiled a plan to field 100,000 purpose‑built robotaxis by 2030, with the first Eva Cab units rolling out in 2027. The Eva Cab is designed from scratch for driverless service, stripping non‑essential features to lower purchase...
EVs Actually Make Excellent Drift Cars – if only Briefly
Electric vehicles, especially dual‑motor models, can deliver impressive drift performance thanks to instant torque and finely tuned throttle response. However, many EVs restrict rear‑axle torque—often capping it at around 321 lb‑ft—and impose traction‑control or limp‑mode limits that curtail sustained slides. Brands...
Next Alfa Romeo Stelvio: Right Car, Wrong Platform?
Alfa Romeo plans a new Stelvio SUV that will be offered with both internal‑combustion and fully electric powertrains, signaling the brand’s push into the premium EV segment. The model will be built on Stellantis’s STLA Large platform, which will be...
Tesla Offers Free Supercharging for a Year on Its Electric Sedan
Tesla announced a new promotion that grants up to one year of free Supercharging to buyers of the Model 3 Premium or Performance in the United States. The offer follows recent incentives such as a $2,000 (≈$1,300 USD) trade‑in bonus and extended...
Right-to-Repair Laws Gain Political Momentum Across America
A wave of right-to-repair legislation is sweeping the United States, with California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Oregon and Washington already enacting comprehensive statutes. Advocates are tracking 57 bills across 22 states, and Texas will implement its own law on...
Atul Auto to Produce 15k Rapid‑Charge EV Three‑Wheelers
Atul Auto Limited has formally entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Exponent Energy Private Limited for manufacturing and supplying 15,000 electric three-wheelers worth Rs 490.50 crore. The three-year partnership, disclosed under SEBI Regulation 30, involves vehicles with 15-minute rapid...
Europe Saw Record Negative EV Charging Prices This Weekend
Great times to charge your EV up in Europe over the past weekend, record negative prices (up to -0.48€/kWh) https://t.co/TDNVn5LQjN
HERE Technologies Unveils Level 2++ Navigation Suite for Global Autonomous Driving
HERE Technologies introduced a Level 2++ Navigation on Autopilot suite at Auto China 2026, featuring live map intelligence, lane‑level guidance and a Predictive Signal Timing service. The launch targets automakers seeking consistent assisted‑driving performance across disparate road networks, and it is...
FT Credits Trump’s Iran Stance for EV Tipping Point
Interesting irony. @FT indirectly credits Donald Trump for the EV ownership “tipping point” via the Iran situation. https://t.co/XTO8NrS1Vd
Norway Registers 98% Electric Cars, only 12 Petrol Sold
Norway sold 12 petrol cars in February 2026. Out of 7,272 new passenger car registrations, 98% were fully electric. Just 67 diesel & 12 petrol cars were registered. More in my new Substack newsletter coming out every 7 days. Sign up here:...
Waymo's Fleet Swells Past 800 Vehicles, Expanding Autonomous Presence in U.S. Cities
Waymo has grown its robotaxi fleet to more than 800 autonomous vehicles in the San Francisco Bay Area, while deploying hundreds of additional units in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta and Austin. The expansion reinforces Waymo’s position as the dominant U.S. commercial...
Tesla Still Learning Robotaxi Pickup/Dropoff, Thanks Josh
Tesla seems to have quite a lot to still learn on the robotaxi pudo (pickup/dropoff) side of things Thanks Josh for reporting both sides of the stories. 100% builds trust in your reporting
Hyundai’s Ioniq V Looks Like a Cyber‑Prius
is it me or did Hyundai cook up the CyberPrius with the new Ioniq V? https://t.co/nf8yd5orIh
Ford’s Domestic Production Edge Gives B2B Fleet Buyers Cost Advantage Over GM
Ford’s higher share of U.S.-assembled vehicles translates into lower tariff exposure, giving fleet operators and dealer networks a pricing edge over General Motors. Analysts highlight the domestic‑production gap as a decisive factor in B2B buying decisions as the auto sector...
Apollo Spins Off Forvia's Interiors Into Independent Automotive Powerhouse
Apollo carves out Forvia's interiors division to build a standalone automotive powerhouse Get the full story here: https://t.co/ClxFXkMKGi https://t.co/joSxZzeNvD
BYD's Patent Surge Powers China to Lead Car Exports
BYD, the company Elon Musk laughed at in 2011, is filing 52 patents per day, on average. Thanks to BYD, China now exports more cars than U.S. and Japan combined. https://t.co/v5sRfTeDFH
Tesla Showcases Optimus, Cybertruck, FSD at Danish Festival
Tesla is expanding its presence beyond just auto shows... because it has more technology to offer & introduce to all. In Denmark, Tesla was present with Optimus, Cybertruck and FSD ride-alongs at the Gamebox Festival in Herning Messecenter all weekend https://t.co/oNC0XVGd3O
Europe's Top Tesla FSD Users Log Thousands of Miles
Top 5 Tesla Self-Driving users in Europe on @fsd_database 1. @TSLA_inside_ — 1,477 miles 2. @ronald_termaat — 731 miles 3. @Sleijser — 622 miles 4. @EpicHaddock310 — 440 miles 5. @tvanschadewijk — 250 miles 6. Willy — 27 miles https://t.co/eMRsQOSjZQ
Dreaming of Nationwide Driverless Tesla Robotaxis
I have a dream that one day there will be driverless Tesla Robotaxis anywhere you could go in the United States
Tesla's Self-Driving Goes App-Only, No Car Needed
Up until now, if you wanted to use Tesla Self-Driving you had to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a Tesla first, have a place to charge, etc. Now with Robotaxi, you just download an app from the App...
Chinese Automakers Have Long Outpaced Tesla in Robotaxi Race
Chinese carmakers take on Tesla in race for robotaxi supremacy No kidding, they have been doing it for years.... https://t.co/doyHIKfYPz