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
Electric Vehicle Owners Could Earn Thousands by Supporting Power Grid
A pilot program in Delaware demonstrates that electric‑vehicle owners can earn several thousand dollars a year by letting their parked cars act as a collective battery for the grid. As renewable generation now accounts for roughly 90% of new capacity, supply fluctuations are intensifying, creating a need for flexible storage. Vehicle‑to‑grid (V2G) technology captures excess solar and wind power during low‑demand periods and discharges it when demand peaks. The model offers both grid stability and a new revenue stream for EV owners.
Volvo’s Parent Geely Is Selling a $15,000 Electric SUV with Massaging Seats and 600 Km of Range
Geely, Volvo's parent, has launched the EX5 electric SUV at a base price of 109,800 yuan (about $15,300). The compact crossover offers up to 610 km of range, a 1,000‑watt sound system and optional massaging seats, positioning it as a premium‑feature vehicle...
ADG 4/17: No Island Unto Itself
South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) announced it will drop the long‑standing 15% ceiling on foreign‑currency hedging for its overseas assets, using that figure as a baseline and allowing higher hedges when needed. The NPS oversees roughly $1 trillion in assets,...
New Porsche Patent Reveals Racing Stripes When You Switch Into Sport Mode
Porsche has filed a patent for an optically variable coating that lets racing stripes change color on demand, linked to the vehicle’s Sport mode. The system uses an electrically activated film or lacquer that shifts hue with a simple switch,...
Tesla FSD Spots Road Debris Before Driver, Intervenes
I wasn't sure what this was (it was rather large) but Tesla's FSD saw the debris in the road sooner than I did and took aggressive action to ensure I didn't run it over.
Delhi CM Flags Scrappage; Fitness at Core of ₹4,000-Cr EV Policy Push
Delhi’s ₹4,000‑crore (≈$480 M) electric‑vehicle policy pivots from pure purchase subsidies to a compliance‑driven framework that couples scrappage incentives with mandatory vehicle fitness checks. The draft EV Policy 2026‑2030 offers up to ₹1 lakh per electric car and ₹10,000 per two‑wheeler, but only...
KEPT AI Cuts Prediction Errors, Boosts Safety for Self‑Driving Cars
Researchers at Tongji University unveiled KEPT, a memory‑enhanced AI that reduces trajectory prediction errors on the nuScenes benchmark. By retrieving similar past driving clips, the system improves decision‑making in complex traffic, promising higher safety for autonomous vehicles.
Chinese Auto Investment Stumbles Over U.S. Data Security
This is an honest statement from Lutnick that belies a lot of the nonsense around about "pumping up Chinese investment" in the U.S. automotive sector. So much of the trajectory in automotive involves autonomous and connected driving, with a heavy...
Kenyan E‑motorbike Sales Double Amid Gasoline Price Surge
Roam Electric, a Kenyan e-motorcycle manufacturer, has seen demand double as consumers shift away from gasoline amid price surges driven by the Iran war. https://t.co/wDchcXtqf2
Hyundai and Kia Extend Warranty for ICCU
Hyundai and Kia have announced a dramatic extension of the warranty for the integrated charging control unit (ICCU) on their E‑GMP‑based electric models in Germany. The new coverage lasts 15 years or up to 300,000 kilometres, protecting Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, EV6...
Audi Reportedly Mulling a Plan to Turn the RS3 Hybrid to Keep the 5-Cylinder Alive
Audi is exploring a hybrid version of the RS3 to meet Europe’s stringent Euro 7 emissions rules, which could keep the model’s iconic 2.5‑liter five‑cylinder alive on the continent. The company had previously announced a sales halt for the RS3 in...
Ford’s Never-Seen, Canceled Moonshot EV Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight Online for a Year
Ford confirmed that its ambitious three‑row electric SUV, teased in 2022 with 350‑mile range claims, was cancelled in August 2024. The concept reappeared when former EV boss Doug Field posted the rendering as his LinkedIn banner, prompting Ford to label it a...
Honda Withdraws E:Ny1 From Multiple Markets
Honda has quietly removed its e:Ny1 electric SUV from the websites of the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, signaling an imminent market exit. The compact B‑segment model, launched in 2023, struggled with modest WLTP range, outdated motor technology and...
3 Foreign Auto Stocks Poised to Benefit From Strength in Key Markets
The Zacks Automotive‑Foreign industry is gaining traction as China’s new‑energy vehicle (NEV) market surges, Japan’s auto demand steadies, and Europe shows signs of weakness. Analysts highlight Nissan, NIO and Toyota as the three stocks best positioned to capture growth across...
WEX’s New Payment Solution Manages At-Home Charging for EV Fleet Drivers
WEX has launched EV At‑Home with Vehicle Fraud Protection, an upgrade to its EV At‑Home payment platform. The new feature automatically validates home‑charging sessions by cross‑checking vehicle, charger, and utility data, ensuring fleets reimburse only legitimate usage. By removing manual claim processes...
Germany: New Electric Car Incentive Clears Key Hurdle
Germany's Bundestag approved the Act on Promoting Climate‑Neutral Mobility, creating a legal framework for a new electric‑vehicle grant that will apply retroactively to cars first registered after 1 January 2026. The scheme offers up to €6,000 (about $6,540) for battery‑electric models and...
Zeekr Expands Hybrid Lineup with 8X Launch Starting at $48,370
Zeekr, Geely’s premium EV brand, launched the 8X plug‑in hybrid SUV at a limited‑time price of ¥329,800 (≈$48,370), a 12.5% cut from its pre‑sale level. The midsize SUV offers a pure‑electric range of up to 410 km and a combined range...
RATP and Karsan Wrap up Autonomous Bus Trial in Paris
RATP and Turkish vehicle maker Karsan completed a six‑month autonomous electric bus pilot on Paris’s busy line 393, covering roughly 3,000 km of mixed‑traffic operation. The Karsan e‑ATAK, equipped with Adastec’s lidar, radar and infrared suite, ran five hours daily with a...
How Audi’s Electromechanical Progressive Steering Works
Audi’s ninth‑generation A6 arrives with a 6‑cylinder, 362‑hp engine, a 14.5‑inch OLED screen and a standard 4K dashcam. The highlight is its electromechanical progressive steering, which changes the steering ratio through variable tooth spacing in the rack. Coupled with standard...
Honda Launches Electric Cargo Vehicle for Urban Delivery
Honda’s Fastport division has launched the eQuad, a four‑wheel electric cargo vehicle aimed at dense urban last‑mile delivery. The rollout begins with micromobility operators Bird and Spin, which will use the eQuad for battery swapping, scooter maintenance and repositioning on...
Hyundai Mobis Launches Data‑Driven Validation Platform to Cut SDV Testing to One Week
Hyundai Mobis announced a new data‑integration validation platform that can simulate 10,000 hours of autonomous‑driving tests in just one week. The system links real‑world sensor data with parallel simulators, promising faster certification and stronger competitiveness for software‑defined vehicles.
Vietnam: Lavi Taxi to Add 2,000 VinFast EVs to Its Fleet
Vietnamese taxi operator Lavi Taxi announced it will replace its entire internal‑combustion fleet with 2,000 electric vehicles from domestic maker VinFast. The rollout, backed by a memorandum with VinFast and mobility platform GSM, will feature four Green series models and...
Wayve HQ Launches Groundbreaking Sovereign AI Initiative
We welcomed hundreds of people to @wayve_ai HQ last night, surrounded by our AVs, to celebrate the launch of Sovereign AI! Excited about this first-of-its-kind initiative and to see the companies it propels 🚀 @Jameswise @leicesterliz @KanishkaNarayan
Ford Recalls as Many as 1.39 Million F-150 Trucks
Ford announced a recall of up to 1.39 million F‑150 pickups from model years 2015‑2017 after identifying a transmission range sensor fault that can trigger an unexpected downshift into second gear. The defect may cause a loss of vehicle control, prompting...
EnBW Reports
EnBW just shared the news 1% of their chargers are unlocked by adhoc/credit card I wonder if they would dare to ask JET's numbers of card unlocks #alwaysbefaircharging photo by Heiko Wolgast (Hamburg) https://t.co/DML5ROm16T
Tesla Is Preparing to Launch Six-Seater Model Y Variant in India
Tesla is set to launch a six‑seat Model Y L in India as early as next week, marking its first new product since the brand entered the market last July. The long‑wheelbase SUV, already available in China, will be shipped from the...
Simple Fixed Routes Prime Self-Driving Adoption
It's happening. These fixed routes, with clear and simple routes, are a shoe-in for self-driving....
Canada Trade Minister Meets BYD, Xpeng During China Visit to Pitch EV Investments
Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu met with BYD, Xpeng and GAC in Guangzhou to discuss how Chinese electric‑vehicle makers can enter the Canadian market under a newly‑implemented quota that allows up to 49,000 EVs per year to be imported...
US Transportation Unions Oppose Autonomous Vehicle Bill over Safety Concerns
Illinois labor groups, including the Teamsters and the Labor Alliance for Public Transportation, have publicly opposed the state's Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Project Act (SB3392/HB5103). The bill would broaden testing and allow commercial deployment of driverless cars and trucks within three...
ASEAN Light Vehicle Market Forecast for 2026 Revised Down
ASEAN light‑vehicle sales jumped 13% YoY to 543,000 units in the first two months of 2026, surpassing pre‑pandemic levels. However, GlobalData trimmed its 2026 regional forecast by 2% to 3.16 million units, mainly due to downward revisions for Malaysia and the...
Sector Snapshot: Autonomous Vehicle Funding More Than Triples In 2026 To Hit Record Amount
Funding for autonomous‑vehicle startups exploded in 2026, topping $21.4 billion across 34 deals—more than triple the total raised in 2025. The surge was driven by three megadeals: Waymo’s $16 billion Series D, Shield AI’s $2 billion Series G, and Wayve’s $1.3 billion Series D. Investors are concentrating...
EVs Cheaper than Petrol on Average for the First Time
For the first time, new electric cars are cheaper than comparable petrol models in the UK. After discounts, the average EV price is about $54,000, versus $55,000 for a petrol vehicle – a $1,000 advantage. Manufacturer discounts stayed above 11%...
Federal Govt Needs to Review Conditions for EV Plants in Malaysia; BYD CKD Must Remain in Perak – Exco
Perak’s industry and investment committee chair Loh Sze Yee urged the Malaysian federal government to reassess the conditions it imposed on electric‑vehicle manufacturers, specifically the Chinese automaker BYD’s proposed CKD assembly plant in Tanjong Malim. The Ministry of Investment, Trade and...
Why Human-in-the-Loop Quality and Simulation-Ready Data Assets Are Non-Negotiable for Safety-Critical AI
Safety‑critical AI systems—autonomous vehicles and robotics—depend on flawless data annotation, yet robotics lags behind due to heterogeneous sensors and no universal benchmarks. TELUS Digital, with a global community of over 1 million annotators, delivers more than 2 billion labels annually and offers...
EV Volumes up 78% at Dealer Auction as Margins Grow
EV sales on Dealer Auction surged 78% in March, driven by higher fuel costs and geopolitical tension. Retail margins for alternative‑fuel vehicles climbed to £3,320 (≈ $4,200), up from £2,829 (≈ $3,600) a month earlier, and Q1 margins were 26% higher year‑on‑year....
Chinese Ministry Focuses on Car Standards to Put Industry in Global Driving Seat
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced a five‑year push to accelerate automotive technical standards, aiming to position the country as a global rule‑setter. The initiative will focus on improving product quality, such as electric‑vehicle battery cycle life, and...
DHL Strike Could Disrupt JLR Vehicle and Parts Supply
Around 300 DHL logistics workers at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull hub will commence an indefinite strike on May 7 over a disputed 3% pay offer. The walkout, backed by an additional 300 HGV drivers across the Midlands and Northwest, threatens to...
Waymo Launches Autonomous Ride‑hailing Trials in London with Safety Drivers
Waymo has begun autonomous ride‑hailing trials on public roads in London, deploying a fleet of about 100 Jaguar I‑PACE vehicles with human safety drivers. The tests cover a 100‑square‑mile zone and are intended to validate the Waymo Driver’s performance before...
Thailand Approves US$468m Investment From Isuzu
The Thai Board of Investment has approved a THB 15 billion (~US$468 million) investment by Isuzu Motors (Thailand) to upgrade its manufacturing footprint. The plan focuses on expanding automation across chassis welding, body assembly and painting, while introducing Euro 6‑compliant pickup models and solar‑powered...
The System Behind Self-Driving: Waymo’s Dmitri Dolgov
In this episode, Waymo co‑CEO Dmitri Dolgov walks through the architecture that powers Waymo’s fully autonomous fleet, explaining how a multi‑sensor stack (LiDAR, radar, cameras) feeds a large foundation model that is refined into three specialized off‑board teachers—the driver, the...
Physical Buttons Poised to Become Key Brand Differentiator
Automakers are re‑embracing tactile buttons and knobs as a way to create distinctive brand experiences, according to design firm NewTerritory. Founder Luke Miles argues that physical controls deliver "human moments" that digital screens can’t replicate, especially as voice and gesture...
Vietnam Considers Extending Reduced BEV Tax Rates Until 2031
Vietnam's government is weighing an extension of its reduced special consumption tax on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) through the end of 2030, postponing a scheduled increase slated for 2027. The draft resolution keeps BEV rates at 1‑3% depending on vehicle...
Chinese OEMs Target UK Van Market with CV Show Launches
Chinese automakers Chery and BYD are using the 2026 Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham to debut new van offerings for the UK light‑commercial‑vehicle market. Chery introduced its Delivan brand, showcasing concept models that emphasize intelligent, electrified mobility, while BYD revealed...
Volkswagen Faces up to $600m US Write-Down as ID.4 Production Halts
Volkswagen will record a $600 million impairment in Q1 after halting production of the ID.4 at its Chattanooga plant, wiping out 60‑75% of the $800 million retooling cost. U.S. sales of the electric SUV plunged 96% following the removal of federal subsidies,...
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV to Relaunch in UK with Eight-Year Warranty
Mitsubishi is re‑entering the UK market this summer with a refreshed Outlander PHEV, offering an eight‑year or 100,000‑mile warranty that covers both the vehicle and its battery. The plug‑in hybrid will be available in five‑ or seven‑seat configurations, delivering over...
Bosch Sees Strong Order Visibility as It Bets on Safety with Chassis Acquisition
Bosch Limited reports a "very full" order book in India as it finalizes the acquisition of Bosch Chassis Systems India, a market leader in safety and braking with three plants and roughly 2,000 employees. The deal expands Bosch's mobility portfolio,...
Audi Could Hybridise RS3's Five-Pot to Keep It on Sale in Europe
Audi’s 2.5‑litre EA855 five‑cylinder engine, delivering 394 bhp to the RS3 and Cupra Formentor VZ5, now breaches the upcoming Euro 7 emissions rules slated for November 2024. Audi Sport chief Rolf Michl said the company is exploring hybridisation as a way to...
BMW Starts Series Production on Second E-Drive Motor Line at Steyr Plant
BMW has launched a second e‑drive motor production line at its Steyr plant in Austria, just nine months after the first Gen6 line began series output. The expansion raises annual motor capacity to more than 100,000 units, enabling the company...
Volkswagen Updated ID3 with New Name and 391-Mile Range
Volkswagen has refreshed its compact electric hatchback, renaming it the ID.3 Neo and extending its WLTP range to a claimed 391 miles. The model ships with three power outputs (170 PS, 190 PS, 231 PS) and three battery packs ranging from 50 kWh to 79 kWh,...
India: Tata Motors to Supply 250 Electric Trucks to BillionE Mobility
Tata Motors has secured a purchase of 250 Prima E.55S electric trucks from e‑MaaS provider BillionE Mobility. The 55‑tonne trucks are equipped with a 450 kWh LFP battery delivering up to 350 km of range and can be fast‑charged in roughly 1.5 hours. BillionE,...