Today's Automotive Pulse
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Rivian Unveils R2 EV to Chase Tesla-Level Household Fame
Rivian’s upcoming R2, slated for a 2026 launch, comes with detailed specifications, pricing and availability plans. Industry analysts say the model is a strategic push to elevate Rivian into a mainstream name comparable to Tesla, while reviewers highlight its engaging autonomous driving experience.
Waymo Registers 577 Robots in Texas, Leaving Tesla's 42 Behind
Waymo has registered 577 autonomous vehicles in Texas, more than 13 times Tesla's 42 robotaxis, according to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The disparity underscores Waymo's lead in the state’s emerging robotaxi market and raises questions about Tesla’s rollout strategy.
Toyota Shelves Lexus Electric Saloon Project Amid Weaker EV Market – Report
Toyota has cancelled the development of the Lexus LF‑ZC electric saloon, pushing the projected mid‑2027 launch back indefinitely and shifting engineering effort toward sport‑utility vehicles and other body styles. The shelved model would have used gigacasting, a process that casts...
V2G Project: Hyundai Group and Vattenfall Test EVs as Mobile Energy Storage
Hyundai and Kia are partnering with Vattenfall to launch a six‑month Vehicle‑to‑Grid (V2G) pilot in the Netherlands, targeting up to 80 households that own a Kia EV9 or Hyundai Ioniq 5. Participants will receive a bidirectional charger and can be reimbursed...
Trump’s Misfire: The Electric Car Takeover Is Now Unstoppable
Electric vehicle adoption is accelerating worldwide, with sales doubling in Southeast Asia and double‑digit growth in South Korea, Latin America and Europe. Cost parity in China—where 70% of battery EVs are cheaper than gasoline models—has turned the region into a...
Nvidia Expands Drive Hyperion Level 4-Ready AV Ecosystem
Nvidia has broadened its Drive Hyperion ecosystem, a Level 4‑ready robotaxi platform that integrates Nvidia’s high‑performance Drive AGX compute, Halos safety OS and multimodal sensors. The expansion adds partnerships with Foxconn, VinFast, Uber and Humain, each targeting deployments in Taiwan, Southeast Asia,...
New Zealand April 2026: GWM Breaks Into Top 5
New Zealand's new‑vehicle market expanded 11.6% year‑on‑year in April, reaching 9,863 units. Passenger vehicle sales rose 16.7% while commercial vehicles were flat. Great Wall Motors (GWM) surged 130.7% to 489 units, breaking into the top‑5 brands for the first time...
BYD Expands Autonomous Driving Push in China with Liability Guarantee
Chinese EV leader BYD announced it will assume full financial liability for traffic accidents caused by its Level 3 and Level 4 city navigation‑assist system in China. The guarantee applies for one year from delivery and covers both new and upgraded vehicles...
GMC Hummer X SUV, Pickup Truck Concepts Offer a Glimpse At a Smaller EV Off-Roader
General Motors unveiled two mid‑size electric concepts, the Hummer X SUV and Hummer X Pick‑Up, at its new Pasadena design studio. Both models are 8‑10 inches shorter than the current Hummer EV, with a 116‑inch wheelbase for the SUV. The...
Nio Shares Surge 9% as ES9 SUV Launches at $57,470, Below Expected Price
Nio's shares jumped 9% in U.S. trading after the company unveiled its flagship ES9 SUV at a starting price of $57,470, roughly $4,000 below earlier pre‑sale estimates. The price cut, combined with the vehicle’s size and tech specs, ignited a...
BYD’s 5-Minute Charging Luxury EV Is Catching on as Deliveries Top 10,000
BYD’s luxury sub‑brand Denza has delivered more than 10,000 Z9 GT units in China within three months of its March launch, leveraging the new 122 kWh Blade Battery 2.0 and Flash Charging technology that can add 60% charge in five minutes. The...
Pionix to Provide Its EVerest Open-Source Software Stack for Tritium’s EV Chargers
Pionix is licensing its open‑source EVerest software stack to Tritium for use in the Australian maker’s DC fast chargers. The first EVerest‑powered units are scheduled for customer delivery this summer, bringing modular, protocol‑rich firmware to Tritium’s hardware line. EVerest already...
Slate Auto Will Announce Pricing and Take Preorders for Its EV on June 24
Slate Auto, backed by Jeff Bezos and Dodgers owner Mark Walter, will reveal pricing and open non‑refundable preorders on June 24, ahead of first deliveries later this year. The startup is urging a $50 reservation now to secure an earlier...
Marriage of Necessity? Jaguar Land Rover and Stellantis Combine to Develop New-Generation Electrified Models
Jaguar Land Rover and Stellantis have signed a broad collaboration to co‑develop next‑generation electrified models, exchanging JLR’s JEA architecture and Stellantis’s STLA One platform. The deal could see Land Rover leveraging Jeep technology and vice‑versa, while moving Range Rover Sport...
Heliox, A Siemens Business Unveiled Next-Generation Fleet Charging Solution at ACT Expo 2026
Heliox, a Siemens business, launched a next‑generation high‑power fleet charging system at the ACT Expo 2026 in Las Vegas. The new charger is engineered for space‑constrained depots, delivering faster charge rates while occupying a smaller footprint. Heliox’s Electrification Solutions Engineer,...
The Kia EV3 Wins the Highest-Rated EV in a New German Comparison Test
Kia’s compact EV3 has become a European bestseller, offering up to a 375‑mile range and a starting price of about €36,000 (≈ $42,000). In Auto Zeitung’s rigorous German comparison, the EV3 earned 3,039 points, outscoring rivals such as Renault 4 E‑Tech and BYD Atto 2 across...
Worldwide, a Quarter of New Car Sales Are Electric Vehicles or Hybrids
A new International Energy Agency analysis shows electric and plug‑in hybrid vehicles accounted for 25% of all new‑car sales worldwide in 2025, up from just 4% in 2020. The United States lagged at only 10% of new sales, well below...
Li Auto to Launch I6 in Europe in H2, MEGA in Right-Hand Drive Markets by Year-End
Li Auto announced it will launch its pure‑electric i6 SUV in Europe in the second half of 2024 and roll out a right‑hand‑drive version of the Mega MPV in Hong Kong and Singapore by year‑end. The moves aim to offset...
Tesla’s Own AI Trainers Don’t Trust ‘Full Self-Driving’ or Its Safety Stats, Reuters Finds
Reuters uncovered that Tesla’s Full Self‑Driving (FSD) safety statistics are inflated threefold because the company compared airbag‑deployment crashes in its fleet to a broader set of tow‑truck crashes in federal data. Interviews with nine former Tesla data labelers and a...
Stellantis Taps Applied Intuition to Power $70 Bn FaSTLane 2030 Software Push
Stellantis announced a deepened partnership with Silicon Valley firm Applied Intuition to develop its STLA Brain software architecture, part of a $70 billion FaSTLane 2030 plan that will roll out 60 new vehicles and 50 refreshes by 2030. The move aims...
Waymo Begins Virginia Mapping, Paving Way for Robotaxi Rollout
Waymo has deployed mapping vehicles to Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia, marking its first on‑ground activity in the Commonwealth. The move is a preparatory step for a potential robotaxi service, which could launch in 12‑18 months pending regulatory approval.
BYD Brings 5‑minute Flash Charging to $17.5k SUV
I didn't really believe BYD would pull this off, especially so quickly. BYD has now added its Flash Charging capability to the Atto 3, their compact SUV starting at ~$17.5k in China. So the 57.5 or 68.5 kWh battery gets...
China’s Auto Policy Leans on Tariffs and Subsidies
Worth remembering that tariffs (25% in autos for a very long time) and national preference (subsidies only to Chinese made EVs with Chinese made batteries) were a big part of China's industrial policy tool kit --
Frozen To -22 Degrees, BYD’s New EV Just Charged To 97% In Only 12 Minutes
Chinese automaker BYD demonstrated that its new Denza Z9GT luxury EV can charge from 20% to 97% in just 12 minutes, even after being frozen at –22 °F for 24 hours. The test used the second‑generation Blade lithium‑iron‑phosphate battery paired with...
Ferrari Just Pulled a Jaguar
On May 25 Ferrari unveiled the Luce, its first fully electric lift‑back sedan, priced at $640,000 and delivering 1,113 horsepower from four motors. The model, designed by Jony Ive, departs sharply from Ferrari’s traditional aggressive styling and naming conventions. Investors reacted negatively, with...
Chery Follows BYD Into Japan with Kei EV Exclusive
Chinese automaker Chery is entering Japan’s kei‑car market with a new electric‑vehicle sub‑brand, Emta, launched through a Singapore‑registered joint venture called Electric Mobility Technologies slated for 2027. The JV is owned equally by Chery and Jiangsu Yueda (27.27% each) with...
Toyota Battles China Slump, Sliding Sales and Rising Rivals
Toyota's second‑largest market, China, is losing momentum as sales slump, hinting at the end of its golden era. The automaker posted a modest 2.5% rise in global sales to 9.6 million units for FY2026, but Q4 performance faltered both domestically and...
South-East Asia’s Electric Vehicle Race Heats Up
Electric vehicle adoption in Southeast Asia has accelerated dramatically, driven by generous policy incentives and the influx of Chinese manufacturers. Indonesia now expects EVs to represent one in five new car sales by 2025, backed by a $1 bn BYD plant...
Mixed-Use Fast Charging Could Soon Be Europe's Norm
I wonder if this "mixed use" of fast charging sites will become as normal in Europe as I encountered it to be completely casual in Yunnan, China 🇨🇳 last year with William #alwaysbecharging https://t.co/DhKfu36cm9
Stellantis Announces Second JV with Dongfeng as Jeep, Peugeot Go to China
Stellantis announced a second European joint venture with China’s Dongfeng, taking a 51% stake to produce a premium EV from Dongfeng’s Voyah brand at the Rennes plant in France. The partnership follows a €1 billion ($1.16 bn) deal to build Jeep and...
UK Car Industry Faces ‘Existential Risk’ without ZEV Review
UK MPs warn that the government’s delayed review of the zero‑emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate threatens the survival of the domestic car industry. The current mandate forces manufacturers to sell an ever‑higher share of electric cars or face steep fines, prompting...
Polestar and Clever Trial Bi-Directional V2X in Denmark
Polestar and Danish charger operator Clever have launched Denmark’s first full‑scale bi‑directional vehicle‑to‑everything (V2X) pilot using the Polestar 4. The trial, running through autumn 2026, tests vehicle‑to‑home, vehicle‑to‑grid and island‑ing modes, with Clever’s smart‑charging platform managing both charging and discharge. Polestar will...
Lamborghini Boss: Delaying EVs Was 'The Right Way To Go'
Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed that the brand is postponing its Lanzador electric gran‑tourer and an all‑electric Urus SUV indefinitely, with any pure‑EV launch unlikely before 2030. The company will instead focus on plug‑in hybrid V8 and V12 powertrains, arguing that...
Charge Your Car at Menards? Its Illinois Stores Are Adding EV Ports.
Menards, the Midwest’s third‑largest home‑improvement chain, is teaming with JOJO Superfast EV Charging and XCharge North America to install public electric‑vehicle chargers at nine Illinois locations. Two suburban Chicago stores already host four dual‑port units, allowing eight cars to charge...
Rivian Finally Finds Its Niche as a Software Provider
Rivian is emerging as a low‑to‑medium volume OEM focused on software, a shift highlighted at the Financial Times Auto Live conference. Volkswagen’s brand chief Thomas Schafer praised Rivian’s software architecture, which will power VW’s upcoming ID.1 electric model. By taking...
MAN Backs New Brenner Corridor E-Truck Initiative
MAN Truck & Bus and Dettendorfer Energy have created the Initiative Green Brenner, a coalition aimed at fast‑tracking battery‑electric trucks on the Alpine Brenner freight corridor. The partners claim a 20 % lower total cost of ownership over three years, driven by roughly...
New Seat Cars on Horizon as Brand Diverges From Cupra
Seat has refreshed its Ibiza supermini and Arona crossover and will introduce mild‑hybrid versions next year, marking the first new models in years. CEO Markus Haupt emphasized that Seat will not simply rebadge Cupra electric vehicles, keeping the two brands...
5 Marques Added to Our Exclusive Chinese Brands Guide
The Chinese automotive landscape is expanding rather than consolidating, with five new marques added to an exclusive brand guide. Huawei has launched two EV marques—Epicland with Dongfeng and Aistaland with GAC—leveraging its tech pedigree. Vacuum‑cleaner maker Dreame entered car production...
Why World Models Must Do More than Simulate: Pony.ai CTO
Pony.ai CTO Lou Tiancheng argues that autonomous‑driving world models must evolve beyond photorealistic simulation. A useful model should act as a training system that captures objectives, dynamics, and interaction with other agents. It must be diagnosable, identifying whether failures stem...
The World's Carmakers Are Struggling to Compete with China
Global automakers are confronting a rapid shift as Chinese manufacturers dominate electric‑vehicle production, battery supply, and automotive software. State subsidies and massive investment have made Chinese EVs roughly 30% cheaper to build, while factories in Beijing and Hefei showcase unprecedented...
Ferrari’s Electric Car: Divisiveness Is the Point
Ferrari unveiled its first fully electric supercar, the Luce, on May 25, 2026, and deliberately framed the launch as "polarising." The announcement ignited a wave of criticism on social media and a negative reaction from investors, while automotive journalists offered...
Volkswagen's Full-Domain AI Agents Expected to Launch in Second Half of Year
Volkswagen announced that its Agentic AI for All roadmap will see full deployment in new models built on the CEA architecture starting in the second half of 2026. The system, powered by a locally trained large language model, moves beyond...
Deepening Roots in Guangdong with Further Support: XPENG Selected for First Batch of 100 Billion Yuan Fund
Guangdong province launched a 100 billion‑yuan ($14 billion) Strategic Emerging Industry Investment Guide Fund, the first perpetual government‑backed fund structured as a corporation. XPENG Motors was named among the inaugural signatories, with CEO He Xiaopeng pledging to leverage the fund’s patient capital...
BEV Sales Outpace PHEVs Across Europe in April
Battery‑electric vehicle (BEV) registrations surged across Europe in April, pushing BEV market share to 26% in both Germany and France and an extraordinary 82% in Denmark. Plug‑in hybrid (PHEV) shares stayed flat or fell, with Belgium and Denmark seeing shares...
EU Car Market 2026: Electrification Accelerates – ICE Vehicles Lose Ground
The EU passenger‑car market grew 4.2 % in the first four months of 2026, reaching about 3.8 million new registrations. Battery‑electric vehicles (BEVs) captured a 19.7 % share and plug‑in hybrids (PHEVs) 9.6 %, together approaching 30 % of all sales. Conventional hybrids expanded to...
Wisconsin Opens New NEVI Funding Round for EV Charging Expansion
Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation has opened the next round of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding, making roughly $40 million available for new fast‑charging stations beyond the state’s completed Alternative Fuel Corridor. The competitive WEVI programme will cover up to 80 %...
Chinese Carmakers Double EU Market Share as EVs Drive Sales Growth
European new‑car registrations rose 4.2% to 3.8 million in the first four months of 2026, driven by a surge in electric vehicles. Chinese manufacturers doubled their EU market share to about 6%, with BYD, Chery and Leapmotor posting double‑digit growth rates....
China Unveils Auto Industry Blueprint to Set EV, AI Vehicle and Semiconductor Standards
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology unveiled a sweeping regulatory blueprint during the 15th Five‑Year Plan to establish standards for electric vehicles, AI‑driven cars, automotive chips, batteries and autonomous‑driving safety. The plan calls for finalising a national standards system,...
Ferrari Unveils Luce, First Fully Electric Supercar Priced Near $640K
Ferrari introduced the Luce, its first fully electric production car, with a 1,035‑hp powertrain, 0‑100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and a starting price of roughly $640,000. The launch, led by designer collective LoveFrom, signals the Italian marque’s strategic shift toward electrification while...
Dongfeng Unveils Hydrogen Truck with 400 kW Fuel Cell
Dongfeng introduced a 400 kW hydrogen fuel‑cell system for 49‑tonne trucks, featuring a service life over 30,000 hours and cold‑start capability down to –40 °C. The system is part of three power‑rated platforms and is built on metal bipolar plates that passed a...
Bosch, Mitsubishi Win First China Customer for Battery Service Venture
Bosch and Mitsubishi Corporation have secured the first customer for their battery‑as‑a‑service joint venture in China, opening an energy service hub in Chizhou. The hub, operated by Shanghai Lingzhou Technology, supports over 100 electric trucks daily with swapping, AI‑driven charging...