Today's Automotive Pulse
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Rivian unveils R2 EV with specs, price and 2026 launch plans
Rivian announced its upcoming R2 electric vehicle, detailing specifications, pricing and availability for a 2026 release. The company is betting on the R2 to elevate the brand to household‑name status comparable to Tesla. Reviewers note the R2 is "too much fun to let drive itself," highlighting its advanced driver‑assist capabilities.
Audi Boss: Concept C Going Ahead Despite Porsche Uncertainty
Audi’s C‑Sport, the production version of the Concept C electric coupé, remains on track for a 2027 launch despite recent turbulence at Porsche. The vehicle, echoing the iconic TT design, will sit on the jointly developed PPE Sport platform. Porsche’s €3.1 billion ($3.35 billion) EV budget cut sparked doubts, but CEO Gernot Döllner affirmed continued collaboration. Audi has already released exterior and interior design data, signaling confidence in the project’s progress.
Mitsubishi Targets Hybrid Vehicle Production in the Philippines by 2028
Mitsubishi Motors announced it will begin assembling a new hybrid electric vehicle at its Santa Rosa, Laguna plant in the Philippines around mid‑2028, subject to approval under the country's Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS). The existing facility can produce up...
UK Backs Fusion Processing to Explore Driverless Airport Transportation
Fusion Processing has secured UK government funding through the CAM Pathfinder program to study driverless staff transport on airport airside. The feasibility study will assess operational, economic and safety cases for Level 4 autonomous vehicles across multiple UK airports, using a...
Automotive World Forecasts Nissan Sales Comeback in 2026
Automotive World’s latest global passenger‑car registration forecast projects a notable sales resurgence for Nissan, Volkswagen and Chery in 2026, after recent declines. The outlook also predicts a broad dip in registrations across Asia and North America that year. Meanwhile, ongoing...
Ferrari's Low Volume Yields 3‑plus× Higher Per‑car Revenue
Ferrari produces ~13k vehicles annually whereas Porsche produces nearly 50k 911 models (their iconic sports car) and another 20k 718s (their lower end sports car). Porsche also produces a lot of SUVs and Sedans, bringing their total annual volume around...
France Offers Ultra‑Cheap 360kW Charging via Lidl App
France = Winning 360kW charging from € 0,29/kWh Caution: this is not an adhoc price, you need the LIDL app to unlock this, which makes the sign, illegal perhaps?! :D #AFIR #alwaysbecharging #fairadhoc #now 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷 ⚡️⚡️⚡️ #alwaysbecharging photographer: @weelyke https://t.co/EuDNxvBvld
Fuel Prices Near £2 a Litre Could Push 44% of Drivers Towards EVs
Rising fuel costs in the UK are reaching a tipping point, with prices near £2 per litre (about $2.50) prompting a shift in consumer sentiment. A Cazoo & Motors Consumer Insight Panel of 2,008 car‑buying decision makers found that 44% of non‑EV...
China’s Luxury Market Shrinks, Even Porsche Loses Status
Bloomberg: "🇨🇳 Luxury spending remains subdued" What if Porsche is not considered luxury like it once was? See these examples by @leixing77: "Hangzhou Bay Cullinan", "Greater Bay Area Range Rover", "Anhui Escalade" 🤣🤣🤣 #alwaysbecharging #alwaysbeluxury https://t.co/pQ6BX9C36g
DHL Express Norway Adopts Spirii Charging Platform
DHL Express Norway has fully migrated its depot charging infrastructure to Spirii’s end‑to‑end platform, securing reliable 24/7 power for its electric fleet. Spirii, majority‑owned by Edenred, offers real‑time monitoring, billing, RFID and app‑based access, and integrates public chargers along routes....
Honda Super-N
Honda is set to launch the Super‑N, a compact electric city car, in the UK this July. Priced below £20,000 (about $25,600), it offers a combined range of 128 miles and up to 199 miles on urban cycles, powered by...
Study: EV Charging Offers 'Lucrative Opportunity' For Commercial Property Owners
A new Knight Frank study finds that the rapid growth of electric‑vehicle (EV) adoption in the United Kingdom is turning EV charging points into a lucrative asset class for commercial property owners. Rental values for viable charging locations have doubled,...
Waymo and Waze Launch Pothole‑Patch Pilot Using Autonomous Fleet Data in Five U.S. Cities
Waymo and Waze announced a joint pilot that will feed pothole detections from Waymo’s robotaxi sensors into the Waze for Cities platform. The program starts in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area, where Waymo has...
The Institute for Driverless Transport Event Debates Britain’s AV Rollout
The Institute for Driverless Transport convened experts, lobbyists and taxi operators in London to debate Britain’s autonomous‑vehicle (AV) rollout. The UK’s 2024 Autonomous Vehicle Act will take effect in 2026, allowing pilot programs on public roads for the first time....
Tesla's Exploded Model Y Draws Global Exhibition Buzz
Tesla has started showcasing its "exploded" Model Y across their EV exhibitions, I've seen it in several countries now. This is from Sweden, at Custom Motorshow. Absolutely love this approach, and catches a lot of attention. https://t.co/Wfsp1l0iZX
China Mar Power Battery Installations Flat as Production Surges 50%
China’s March power‑battery installations held steady at 56.5 GWh, essentially flat year‑over‑year but jumping 115% from February. Meanwhile, combined production of power and energy‑storage batteries surged 50% YoY to 177.7 GWh, reflecting a rapid capacity build‑out. Sales climbed sharply, with total battery...
Copenhagen Achieves 100% Electric Bus Network as Movia Deploys 62 New Units
Denmark’s public transport authority Movia has added 62 battery‑electric buses, raising its operational fleet to 794 vehicles and lifting the electric share to 72 percent. The rollout completes the conversion of all 42 municipal bus lines in Copenhagen to zero‑emission operation,...
Tesla Reportedly Adds Sunwoda as Additional Battery Cell Supplier
Tesla has added Chinese battery maker Sunwoda as its fifth supplier of traction‑battery cells, joining CATL, Panasonic, LG Energy Solution and BYD. Sunwoda’s third‑generation LFP cells, capable of 3C charging, are already being used in vehicles built at Tesla’s Shanghai...
EV Bloodbath: US Sales Plunge as Tesla Tightens Its Grip
U.S. electric‑vehicle sales plunged 27% year‑over‑year in Q1 2026, falling to roughly 216,000 units, as federal subsidies expired. Tesla remained the clear leader, delivering 117,300 EVs and holding a 54% market share, driven by a 23% jump in Model Y sales...
BYD Details Global 1,500 kW Flash Charging Network – 6,000 Stations Outside China by 2027, BESS Support
BYD announced its 1,500 kW Flash Charging network will expand beyond China with 6,000 stations slated for deployment over the next 12 months, including 3,000 in Europe. The ultra‑fast chargers can replenish a compatible BYD or Denza EV from 10% to...
Netherlands Now Has More EVs than Diesel Cars
"There are now more battery-electric cars in the Dutch fleet than diesel cars." 🔋🔋🔋 #alwaysbecharging https://t.co/2K8cJcqEAP
Spain's Unexpected Top 5 BEV Brands Revealed
BYD Mercedes Toyota Kia Deepal ⚡️⚡️⚡️ a top 5 you didn't expect? I'm so so excited to see full year BEV numbers (AND BRANDS) for Spain this year 🇪🇸🇪🇸 #alwaysbecharging https://t.co/LgtkVbqE38
Tesla Reportedly Plans Smaller, More Affordable SUV
Tesla is reportedly evaluating a new compact electric SUV positioned below the Model Y, aiming at a lower‑price segment. The vehicle would be about 4.28 m long, roughly half a metre shorter than the Model Y, and weigh around 1.5 tonnes, achieved by a...
Honda Super-N to Launch in July Priced Under £20,000
Japanese automaker Honda will debut its Super‑N compact electric car in the UK this July, with a starting price below £20,000 (approximately $25,000). The model offers up to 199 miles of city range and a combined 128‑mile range, targeting urban...
Used EVs and Petrol Cars Hit Price Parity in Q1, Finds Autorola
In Q1 2026 used electric vehicles (EVs) and petrol cars reached near price parity, with the average wholesale gap shrinking to just $241. Average used EV prices fell 9.1% to about $19,660, while used petrol prices rose 5.1% to roughly $20,000....
Nio Supplier Seyond Reaches 1 Million LiDAR Delivery Milestone
Seyond, the LiDAR supplier for Nio, announced it has shipped over one million units, with 750,000 Falcon and 250,000 Robin models delivered. First‑quarter shipments jumped 340% year‑on‑year to about 181,400 units, and the company expects full‑year 2026 deliveries to rise...
Nissan Launches the All-New NX8 Model in China
Dongfeng Nissan unveiled the NX8, a mid‑size electrified SUV tailored for China, just before the Auto China 2026 show. The model is the third China‑specific vehicle after the N6 plug‑in hybrid and N7 BEV sedan, and it arrives with two 800 V...
South Korean Vehicle Import Sales Surge 35% in March
Imported light passenger vehicle sales in South Korea jumped 35% in March 2026 to 33,970 units, outpacing domestic sales which fell slightly. The surge is driven by strong demand for battery electric and hybrid models. BMW and Mercedes‑Benz led the...
Tesla Just Missed Electric Vehicle Delivery Expectations Yet Again... It Gets Worse Too
Tesla reported 358,023 electric‑vehicle deliveries in Q1 2026, falling short of the 370,000 units analysts expected. The company produced 408,300 cars, leaving a record‑size inventory of over 50,000 unsold units. Tesla also raised its 2026 capital‑expenditure target to $20 billion, largely to...
FELDA Mulls B100 Biodiesel Malaysia Policy Change
FELDA chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek urged the Malaysian government to adopt B100 biodiesel, which could be priced below RM5 ($1.10) per litre, compared with diesel at RM6.72 ($1.48). The proposal is still at the policy stage, with pilot...
Government Gives £380m Grant to Agratas Gigafactory
The UK government has pledged a £380 million grant (about $483 million) to Agratas for a new battery gigafactory in Somerset. The plant will produce lithium‑ion cells for Jaguar Land Rover, Agratas’s anchor customer, and is slated to employ over 2,200 workers...
With New Brand Identity, Olectra Greentech Pivots to Integrated Energy and Heavy-Vehicle Logistics
Olectra Greentech, India’s leading electric‑bus maker, has launched a new brand identity to signal its shift from a pure hardware supplier to an integrated provider of electric mobility and energy services. The company aims to expand beyond municipal bus fleets...
Next Gen Engine Oil Gets Green Light
The American Petroleum Institute has approved new heavy‑duty engine oil specifications, CL‑4 and FB‑4, to support 2027 emissions standards, with licensing opening June 1, 2026. A federal court sentenced four individuals, including two trucking‑company owners, to a combined 99 months for a...
Low-RDS(on) MOSFETs in Automotive Power Systems
STMicroelectronics has launched a new series of low‑RDS(on) MOSFETs built on its Smart STripFET F8 platform, beginning with the STL059N4S8AG – a 40 V, 420 A N‑channel device featuring a 0.59 mΩ on‑resistance and housed in a compact PowerFLAT 5×6 package. The technology reduces conduction...
Waymo Crashes Far Less and Causes Fewer Serious Injuries
The opening here is very confusing. Waymos do not crash as often per mile as cars driven by humans, and are 92% less likely, when they do crash, for this to result in a serious injury. That's the whole argument....
China Q1 Car Sales Plunge Over 17%, NEVs Down 21%
1/2 Yicai: "China's retail sales of passenger cars declined more than 17 percent in the first quarter of the year, as new energy vehicle sales fell 21 percent following adjustments to the NEV purchase tax breaks." https://t.co/sWTFDBWjLi
Bosch and Qualcomm Expand Partnership to Cover ADAS
Bosch and Qualcomm announced an expansion of their automotive partnership to include advanced driver‑assistance systems (ADAS), adding to a collaboration that already powers cockpit computing. The joint ADAS integration platform, built on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride Flex system‑on‑chip, will combine cockpit...
Waymo and Waze to Share Pothole Data with US Cities
Waymo and Waze have launched a pilot that streams autonomous‑vehicle‑detected pothole data to municipal transportation departments via the Waze for Cities platform. The program currently operates in five U.S. metro areas—San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta—where Waymo’s...
Hyundai Launches Ioniq Brand in China with Two Concepts
Hyundai Motor officially launched its all‑electric Ioniq brand in China, unveiling the Venus sedan concept and Earth SUV concept in Beijing ahead of Auto China 2026. The two designs showcase planet‑themed styling, premium interior lighting and preview production models that will...
Valeo Inaugurates ADAS Camera Production at Sanand
Valeo has inaugurated a high‑definition surround‑view camera production line at its Sanand plant in Gujarat, India. The line will supply advanced driver‑assistance (ADAS) and advanced rider‑assistance (ARAS) vision systems to domestic OEMs. It forms part of a broader Sanand expansion...
GWM Ora 5 Priced From $33,990 Driveaway as New Electric SUV Joins Lineup
Great Wall Motors (GWM) unveiled Australian pricing for its new Ora 5 electric SUV, slated for showroom arrival in June. The base model starts at AU$33,990 (≈US$22,000) drive‑away, while the higher‑spec Ultra begins at AU$36,990 (≈US$24,000), keeping the entire lineup under...
China Reminds Battery Makers to Avoid Excess Capacity Growth
China has summoned its leading electric‑vehicle and stationary battery manufacturers for a second time in just over three months, urging them to curb capacity expansion. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other agencies addressed 16 firms, calling for...
Stellantis Circular Unit Targets Third Dismantling Centre
Stellantis’ circular‑economy arm SUSTAINera reported a 51% jump in its reuse business for 2025 and is set to launch a third vehicle‑dismantling centre in a new region, adding to sites in Turin and São Paulo. The subsidiary’s B‑Parts e‑commerce platform now...
Honda Begins Super-ONE EV Pre-Orders in Japan
Honda announced that pre‑orders for its new Super‑ONE compact electric vehicle will begin in Japan on 16 April 2026. The model, built on a lightweight N‑Series platform, weighs 1,090 kg and delivers a WLTP‑rated 274 km range, positioning it among the lightest EVs...
PonyWorld 2.0 Adds Self-Diagnosis to Pony.ai’s L4 Stack
Pony.ai unveiled PonyWorld 2.0, an upgraded world model that lets its Level‑4 autonomous driving stack diagnose its own performance gaps. The system creates targeted data‑collection tasks for human teams, feeding fresh samples back into a cloud‑based training loop. Pony.ai says...
VW Targets Double-Digit Volume Growth with Refreshed Taigun, Eyes New Export Markets
Volkswagen India is banking on a facelifted Taigun to deliver a sales uplift exceeding the typical 18‑22% boost seen after model updates, aiming for double‑digit growth. The company plans 18‑19 product interventions this year, with at least four coming from...
Ford Asks Aluminum Tariff Relief After Novelis Fire Disrupts F‑150 Output
Ford Motor Co. has formally asked the U.S. administration for relief from the 50% ad valorem aluminum tariff after a September blaze at Novelis' Oswego, New York plant knocked out aluminum sheets needed for the F‑150. The outage threatens $1.5‑$2 billion...
Hyundai Recalls 5000 Kona and IONIQ EVs over Battery Fire Risk
Hyundai announced an Australian recall of nearly 5,000 Kona and IONIQ electric vehicles after identifying a battery‑management software flaw that could trigger a short circuit and fire while charging or parked. The recall targets Kona EVs built from 2018‑2023 and...
Tesla Finally Makes Move Fans, and Investors, Have Been Waiting For
Tesla is contacting suppliers to develop a new, smaller electric SUV that will be about 18 inches shorter than the Model Y and priced below its $39,990 base. The vehicle will initially be built at the Shanghai plant, with plans to...
Excited to Join Everything Electric Podcast Live with Renault
Delighted to be appearing here...... "Everything Electric Podcast LIVE in partnership with Renault" https://t.co/HfWOhU1MmX @eventbritehelp
EV Realty Opens Major Truck Charging Hub in San Bernardino
EV Realty launched its flagship multi‑fleet truck charging hub in San Bernardino, installing 76 high‑power ports with 9.9 MW of grid capacity. The facility can service more than 200 medium‑ and heavy‑duty electric trucks daily under the company’s Powered Properties model,...