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
Why Foreign Automakers Dominate the Sedan Market
Foreign automakers continue to dominate the U.S. sedan market as American manufacturers shift focus to trucks and SUVs. Brands like Kia, Toyota and Volkswagen collectively sell hundreds of thousands of compact and midsize sedans each year, with Kia’s K4/Forte line alone moving over 140,000 units. Sedans remain attractive due to lower price points—around $22,000 versus the $50,000 average vehicle price—and better fuel efficiency, drawing cost‑sensitive and younger buyers. The trend has prompted U.S. makers such as GM, Ford and Tesla to reassess their sedan strategies despite a market share that has fallen to roughly 15%.
Rolls‑Royce Launches Project Nightingale, 100‑Unit Electric Coach‑Built Convertible
Rolls‑Royce Motor Cars has unveiled Project Nightingale, its first electric coach‑built two‑seater, limited to 100 hand‑crafted examples. The ultra‑luxury roadster will be built at Goodwood and delivered to invited clients beginning in 2028, marking a new chapter for the marque’s...
China Passenger Vehicle Export Trends (Jan. - Feb. 2026): BYD Leads in Latin America丨Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute
China’s independent automakers BYD, Geely and Chery posted robust passenger‑vehicle exports in the Jan‑Feb 2026 window, each pursuing distinct global strategies. BYD led with 60,082 units to Central and South America and 40,919 to Europe, while Geely’s strongest market was...
Cape Town’s First MyCiTi E-Bus to Arrive in August
Cape Town will receive its first MyCiTi electric bus in August, followed by 13 more before year‑end, as part of a rollout of 30 Volvo BZRLE low‑floor e‑buses slated for delivery through June 2027. The buses feature bodies manufactured locally in...
Stellantis Posts 12% Q1 Shipment Rise Under New CEO Antonio Filosa
Stellantis announced a 12% rise in first‑quarter global shipments to 1.4 million vehicles, led by a 17% jump in North America, as new CEO Antonio Filosa’s restructuring plan begins to bear fruit. The automaker also unveiled a $388 million “Megahub” near Detroit...
Ford Launches New Product Creation & Industrialization Unit to Chase 8% EBIT Margin by 2029
Ford CEO Jim Farley unveiled a sweeping re‑organization on April 15, creating a new Product Creation and Industrialization team led by COO Kumar Galhotra and exiting electrification chief Doug Field. The move is aimed at delivering an 8% adjusted EBIT margin –...
RAW Charging Powers up One of the Largest EV Charging Hubs in the Midlands at Leamington Spa Shopping Park
RAW Charging has activated a 17‑bay electric‑vehicle charging hub at Leamington Spa Shopping Park, featuring six AC fast bays and eleven 150 kW ultra‑rapid DC bays. The site, the largest EV hub in the Midlands, serves a high‑footfall retail and leisure...
Caterpillar Acquires Monarch Tractor, Adding $251M VC‑Backed AI Platform to Its Portfolio
Caterpillar Inc. announced the acquisition of Monarch Tractor, a California startup that raised roughly $251 million to develop electric and autonomous off‑road vehicles. The deal, disclosed in mid‑April, gives the heavy‑equipment maker access to Monarch’s MK‑V “data platform on wheels” without...
Inside MOIA: Autonomous Turnkey Solution for Europe
In this episode of Autonomy Insiders, Rainer Becker, Director of Business Development at Moja—Volkswagen’s autonomous mobility arm—explains Moja’s "Turnkey" solution for deploying driverless ride‑pooling services in Europe. The offering combines a purpose‑built autonomous ID. Bus vehicle, a cloud‑based platform to manage...
US Automakers Fear EU Safety, Emissions Rules Endanger Tariff Deal
The American Automotive Policy Council warned that draft changes to the EU’s Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) rules could block U.S. pickup trucks such as the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F‑150 and Ram 1500 from entering Europe, threatening the 2025 U.S.–EU tariff...
Renault Korea to Produce BEVs From 2028
Renault Korea announced that its Busan plant will begin local production of battery electric vehicles in 2028, following the launch of its first software-defined vehicle in 2027 equipped with AI‑based OpenR Panorama Level 2++ autonomy. The subsidiary plans to introduce a...
Toyota, Isuzu Agree to Co-Develop Hydrogen Fuel Cell Light Truck
Toyota Motor Corp. and Isuzu Motors have signed an agreement to co‑develop and mass‑produce a hydrogen fuel‑cell light‑truck based on Isuzu’s N‑series electric platform. The vehicle will use Toyota’s third‑generation fuel‑cell system and is targeted for commercial delivery use, where...
Indonesian Vehicle Sales Fall 14% in March
Indonesian vehicle sales fell 14% in March 2026, slipping to 61,271 units versus 71,099 a year earlier, largely due to the extended Eid holidays. Despite the dip, the first‑quarter market grew 2% to 209,021 units, driven by a surge in...
Improving Magnetic Performance in EV Motors
Researchers at South Korea’s DGIST have merged spark plasma sintering with grain‑boundary diffusion to produce Nd‑Fe‑B permanent magnets that achieve uniform diffusion throughout the bulk. The new process creates a core‑shell microstructure, enabling near‑theoretical density and a post‑sinter heat treatment...
Ford's Skunkworks EV Tech Will Make It Into Hybrids Too
Ford’s secretive skunkworks EV team is channeling its latest electric‑powertrain breakthroughs into the automaker’s upcoming hybrid lineup. By leveraging the low‑cost drive units developed for a forthcoming $30,000 mid‑size electric pickup, Ford aims to make its hybrids more efficient and...
Collect&Go Pilots Autonomous EV for Urban Grocery Deliveries
Collect&Go, in partnership with Telenet Business, has launched Belgium’s first pilot of an unmanned electric vehicle delivering groceries on public roads in Leuven. The vehicle, remotely operated over a dedicated 5G link and equipped with radar and cameras, will run...
Nissan Wants To Make 'Cool Cars' Again
Nissan announced a strategic push to rebuild a dedicated sports‑car lineup, extending beyond its current GT‑R and Z models. The move follows the recent unveiling of the Rogue E‑Power hybrid and a teaser for the Xterra nameplate. Executives, including global product...
Ford Creates New Product Organization to Speed EV Rollout and Software-Defined Vehicles
Ford announced a new Product Creation and Industrialization organization that unites its electric‑vehicle, software, and design teams with the global industrial system. Led by Kumar Galhotra, the unit aims to accelerate development, cut complexity and scale software‑defined vehicles across the lineup....
The R36 Nissan GT-R Won't Be Electric: 'No EV GT-R'
Nissan confirmed that the upcoming R36 GT‑R will not be a pure electric model but will instead adopt a hybrid twin‑turbo V6 powertrain. Executives cited the current limitations of lithium‑ion batteries and a weak market appetite for fully electric sports...
Honda Pulls E:Ny1 From UK Market in Great EV Reset
Honda has withdrawn its e:Ny1 electric SUV from the UK after just three years, having sold only 7,122 units. The move leaves the Japanese automaker without any EVs on its UK website, exposing it to the UK’s 33% zero‑emission vehicle...
Ford CEO Plans to Deepen Ties with Chinese Automakers
Ford's $F CEO said the company is looking to expand business ties to Chinese 🇨🇳 automakers - Bloomberg
Volkswagen Group Still Heavily Highlights EVs in Global Quarterly Report
Volkswagen Group’s Q1 2026 global report placed electric vehicles at the forefront, dedicating roughly half of its narrative to BEV performance. The automaker delivered 200,000 battery‑electric vehicles, an 8% year‑over‑year decline, yet recorded a 12% growth in Europe, pushing BEV share...
Elli Mobility Provides Charging Services for the Vatican’s Electric Fleet
Vatican City has partnered with Elli Mobility, Volkswagen Group’s energy brand, to equip its expanding electric vehicle fleet with a charging card and a digital fleet‑management platform. The arrangement gives Vatican drivers access to more than one million public chargers...
Australians Want Electric Cars to Save Cash, Not the Planet, Survey Finds
A Pureprofile survey of over 2,000 Australians shows rising interest in electric and plug‑in hybrid vehicles as fuel prices climb. Sixty‑eight percent say they would consider an EV, with 32 percent of near‑term car buyers favoring electric models over petrol....
Use Existing Outlets, Skip Expensive Home Charger
Get a quote from a few different electricians. Prices can sometimes vary widely. Some electricians will charge more than they need to because they know EV owners tend to have higher incomes and will pay it. A dedicated wall charger...
French Media Skips Tesla in Dutch Autonomy Approval
a French news channel covering that autonomous cars were approved in Netherlands but not mentioning once that it was about Tesla. Imagine the siloes people live in, even today.
Toyota Knows Few Japanese Buyers Want A LHD Made-In-America Tundra Pickup, But It's Selling It There Anyway
Toyota announced it will sell its U.S.-built full‑size Tundra in Japan, alongside the Highlander and eventually the Camry, despite minimal local demand for left‑hand‑drive pickups. The automaker projects sales of about 80 Tundras a month—under 1,500 units annually—compared with nearly...
Pay €1k Extra for 30 kWh More Energy
Two of these cost 1000 euros more than Luc’s iX3 and together offer 30kWh more for you to enjoy 😅 #alwaysbecharging ⚡️⚡️⚡️ https://t.co/VukQVQFH3Q
Boston Should Lead Autonomous Shift to End Auto Deaths
If Boston is going to stay the most family-friendly city in US we should be the first to go fully autonomous and end automobile deaths. We could get there by 2030 with the right incentives/regs. It's the new...
“Yes We Can:” Andrew Forrest Mocks Murdoch Tabloid Stories Dismissing Electric Trucks
Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest publicly challenged the Daily Telegraph’s claim that electric semi‑trailers are a distant “green dream.” He posted the tabloid’s front page alongside a photo of Fortescue’s upcoming Liebherr T‑264 battery‑electric haul truck, asserting that multiple trailers...
Early Terafab Supplier Talks Reveal Near‑Term Pilot Plans
New and detailed report on early Terafab talks with key suppliers and some of details of near term ambitions for pilot line. With colleagues in Asia 👇
Silicon Box Joins Imec Automotive Chiplet Program to Advance Automotive-Grade Chiplet Devices
Silicon Box has entered imec’s Automotive Chiplet Program (ACP), a joint effort to speed the adoption of chiplet architectures in next‑generation vehicles. The company will contribute end‑to‑end expertise in chiplet interconnection, advanced packaging, and testing, working with more than 22...
BYD Announces Extra 30,000 EVs and Hybrids for Australia to Support Essential Workers
Chinese automaker BYD announced an additional 30,000 new‑energy vehicles—both battery‑electric and plug‑in hybrids—to be delivered to Australia by June. The rollout is aimed at essential workers such as healthcare staff, teachers and emergency responders amid rising fuel prices and supply...
Kia PV5 Pricing Confirmed: Cheapest EV Van yet Achieves Price Parity with Toyota HiAce and Other Dirty Diesels
Kia confirmed the PV5 Cargo S will launch in Australia in late May with a base price of AU$55,990 (about US$36,900) plus on‑road costs, making it the nation’s cheapest electric van. The price sits just above the cheapest diesel Toyota...
Robotaxis Now Deliver Takeout Without Human Drivers
Futuristic Robotaxis Couriers Deliver Takeout Fully Unmanned by @Fabriziobustama #EmergingTech #SmartCity #Tech #Technology #Innovation #TechForGood https://t.co/7G85SoJXSX
Tesla's First Unsupervised Cars Limited to Robotaxi Zones
Based on Tesla’s stated forecasts, unsupervised on customer vehicles will come first. (but you will have to be in an existing Robotaxi geofence)
Freshness Is King: BYD Reigns with 200 Vehicle Software Updates a Year
Chinese EV leader BYD announced it rolled out 200 over‑the‑air software updates across its Ocean and Dynasty lines in 2025, the highest volume among global automakers. The latest update adds a new AI‑driven driver‑assistance system to the Han L sedan, delivered...
DENSO Expands Supply Chain with Oracle Fusion SaaS Suite
DENSO Corporation has broadened its strategic partnership with Oracle by adding Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing modules to its existing finance and HR suite. The move consolidates multiple legacy systems into a single AI‑enabled SaaS platform, aiming to improve...
Former Apple Exec Leaves Ford in Tech Reorganization
Ford announced that Doug Field, the automaker’s chief executive for electric vehicles, digital and design, will leave the company after nearly five years. Field, a former Apple senior vice president who oversaw hardware design, was hired in 2021 to accelerate...
Which Car Brands Dominate Quu’s In-Vehicle Visuals Report?
Quu’s newly released In‑Vehicle Visuals Report examines how radio metadata appears in the United States’ top 100 new‑car models. Toyota tops the list, representing 12% of those models, followed by Ford at 10% and Chevrolet, Honda and Nissan each holding...
Rivian, Redwood Materials Deploy 10 MWh Second‑Life Battery Storage at Illinois Plant
Rivian announced a partnership with Redwood Materials to install a 10 MWh second‑life battery energy storage system at its Normal, Illinois EV plant, using more than 100 retired Rivian packs. The deal gives Rivian a cheaper, dispatchable power source while giving...
Wayve Lands Backing From AMD, Qualcomm and Arm to Boost Autonomous Driving Tech
Wayve announced it has secured new financing from semiconductor leaders AMD, Qualcomm and Arm, though the size of the round was not disclosed. The backing signals deepening ties between chip makers and autonomous‑vehicle innovators as the race to commercialize self‑driving...
Ford’s EV and Software Chief Doug Field Is Leaving the Company
Ford announced that Doug Field, the former Apple and Tesla executive who has led its electric‑vehicle and software division for five years, will leave the company next month. Alan Clarke, a former Tesla engineer who runs Ford’s California skunkworks lab,...
Consumers Prefer Robotaxis Over Owning New Luxury Robocars
A new robocar: https://t.co/yEijU7C02N I can see how this would sell a few. Rich people like having something that's different than the flood of Teslas here in Silicon Valley. And seeing a new approach to transportation that's based wholly around autonomy...
EU Law Threatens British Car Makers, $94bn Trade
The EU should urgently adjust a proposed law that will discriminate against British automobile manufacturers and undermine $94 billion of annual trade, according to a trade group https://t.co/XnG2unYGQg
QNX May Be the Most Underpriced Control Point in Automotive Software
QNX is shifting from a visible cockpit OS to the invisible safety‑critical control layer that coordinates multiple operating systems on a single, centralized vehicle computer. This deep‑stack role makes it harder to replace as automakers like BMW, Volkswagen and Stellantis...
US EV Slump Stems From Bad Cars, Not Demand
The headlines last year about the 'automakers leaving EV market b/c buyers don't want them' were so off-base. The issue was US automakers (w/ the exception of Tesla) were making sh*t EVs. The market is there. Just make a good...
Giga Texas Water Use Claims Are Wildly Exaggerated
We debunked the Giga Texas & Terafab water usage drama that tries to discredit @elonmusk and create fear to locals. We ran all the calculations, it’s fully overblown. Save this into your mythbusting folder and surface when needed: https://t.co/3dWDUsQnaC
Tesla Intertwines FSD with In-House Insurance for Attractive Incentive
Tesla has linked its Full Self‑Driving (Supervised) suite to its in‑house insurance, launching Safety Score 3.0 that automatically awards a perfect 100 score for every mile driven with FSD enabled. The update removes penalties for brief manual interventions, allowing drivers...
Interview with Volvo Autonomous Solutions: Driverless Trucks Are upon Us
Volvo Autonomous Solutions is moving driverless trucks from pilot projects to commercial reality with its purpose‑built VNL Autonomous platform, produced alongside conventional models at the New River Valley plant in Virginia. The company integrates autonomy at the vehicle level, partners...