Today's Automotive Pulse
BYD's Brazil shipments top 148,000 units in first four months of 2026
From January to April 2026 BYD exported 148,310 passenger vehicles to Brazil, its largest overseas market, including 78,913 battery‑electric and 69,397 plug‑in hybrid models. European destinations such as the UK, Belgium, Germany and Spain each received between 11,000 and 26,000 units, forming the next tier of BYD's export geography.
Also developing:
Copenhagen Switches Fully to Electric Buses
Copenhagen has finished converting its entire municipal bus network to battery‑electric vehicles, with routes 19 and 5C switched on 29 March. The final rollout added 15 electric buses on route 19 and 37 on the capital’s busiest line, 5C, which carries about 17 million passengers annually. The transition, first pledged in 2016 and targeted for 2025, was completed slightly behind schedule but ahead of many European peers. Movia now operates 72 percent of its fleet as electric, while diesel units remain only for contingencies.
Car Deal of the Day: Vauxhall Frontera Electric Has a Big Battery for a Small £155 a Month
Vauxhall’s new Frontera Electric ‘Extended Range’ model now offers a 249‑mile (400 km) range for families on a budget, priced at $194 per month after a $2,693 upfront payment for a two‑year lease. The top‑spec Ultimate trim includes heated seats, a heated...
As Electric Truck Demand Craters, GM Lays Off Workers and Idles Plant
General Motors temporarily idled its Factory Zero plant in Hamtramck, Michigan, laying off 1,300 workers until production resumes on April 13. The shutdown affects the assembly of the Escalade IQ, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, and GMC Hummer EVs....
New Cupra Raval Reveal Days Away as EV Prepares to Take on the Supermini Elite
Cupra will unveil its Raval electric supermini on 9 April, with UK deliveries slated for autumn. The B‑segment hatchback offers a 208 bhp base model delivering up to 280 miles of range, while the VZ Extreme tops out at 223 bhp and 249 miles. Priced at...
Proactive AI for EV Charging
Denmark‑based Monta has embedded an AI layer into its EV charging platform, analyzing data from over 260,000 charge points and 3 million monthly sessions. The system continuously surfaces anomalies, recommends actions such as firmware updates, and even answers natural‑language queries about...
Volvo, Daimler Truck and Toyota Unite on Fuel Cell Venture
Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and Toyota have signed a non‑binding memorandum of understanding to make Toyota an equal, third shareholder in cellcentric, the fuel‑cell joint venture owned by Volvo and Daimler. Toyota will contribute more than three decades of fuel‑cell...
Accelerator-Equipped MCU Brings Greater Access to AI in Cars
STMicroelectronics introduced the Stellar P3E, an automotive microcontroller that embeds a Neural‑ART accelerator for on‑chip AI inference. The MCU consolidates multiple ECUs, features six Cortex‑R52+ cores up to 500 MHz, and includes high‑density xMemory. By offloading machine‑learning tasks to the NPU, the...
What Is Shaping Europe’s New-Car Forecast in 2026?
The upcoming "Europe’s Auto Forecast 2026" webinar will dissect how shifting emissions policies, uneven electric‑vehicle adoption, and divergent OEM strategies are reshaping Europe’s new‑car market outlook. Panelists from JD Power and Autovista24 will evaluate the European Commission’s Automotive Package, the...
Can Smart Freight Tech Fix Congestion on I-40 Near Memphis?
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has teamed with Cavnue, LLC to launch a smart freight corridor pilot on I‑40 between Memphis and the upcoming Ford Blue Oval City campus. The initiative will deploy connected and autonomous trucking technologies, installing temporary...
Zero-Emission Buses Move Beyond Cities: Intercity Transition in Sustainable Bus’ Session at BUS2BUS
The Sustainable Bus Tour will host a panel titled “From city to intercity: the next step for zero‑emission bus transition” at Bus2Bus 2026 in Berlin on April 15. The session highlights Europe’s move to electrify intercity and coach services, with...
Higer Posts +14k Units Sold in 2025 as It Expands European Cooperation and Prepares New E-Bus Launch
Chinese bus manufacturer Higer reported sales of 14,246 complete vehicles in 2025, bringing its global new‑energy bus total to 55,714 units. The company now serves nearly 30 European countries, with 80% of its European fleet being zero‑emission models, and plans...
Tesla FSD's Overcautious Design Lets Drivers Block Merges
Fun fact: Tesla's FSD is so cautious, if you can figure out if they are using it, it's easy to prevent them from merging. Even other Teslas take advantage of it! 🤦T
Waymo’s Phoenix Fleet Now Shows Drivers After Years Driverless
Waymo's been in and around Phoenix since before 2020 and driving autonomously even in parts of Scottsdale and the surrounding cities for years. It is now very odd seeing a driver behind the wheel. I am sure there are loads of...
BRIEFLY: Sony/Honda, MG, EV Vans & More | 25 Mar 2026
The episode delivers a rapid roundup of the latest EV news, covering Sony/Honda’s cancellation of the Aphila EV joint venture, MG Motor’s new Frankfurt engineering hub and its upcoming semi‑solid‑state battery, and electric van conversions from Renault and Volvo. It...
Tesla FSD Cautiously Monitors Pedestrians, Causing Ambiguous Hesitation
I appreciate that Tesla's FSD actively watches out for pedestrians. Even if they are not sure of what I am going to do. It's hard to tell if the system's hesitation is because of the pedestrians not sure if I am...
Is Bp Pulse Plotting an Acquisition?
The episode examines the surge in electric vehicle (EV) adoption and the parallel rise in copper cable theft, which threatens both home and public EV charging infrastructure. Former detective Mark Cannona explains how thieves target copper in signal, broadband, and...
Turntide’s Semi‑integrated Electric Drive Powers Off‑highway Electrification
Turntide unveiled a semi‑integrated Electric Drive Unit (EDU) that pairs an axial‑flux motor with a gearbox and a flexible inverter placement for off‑highway vehicles. The motor’s pancake shape delivers two‑to‑four times the power density of conventional radial‑flux designs, while thermal‑fluid...
$41 Billion in Physical AI: What Investors Need to Know About Robotaxis & Humanoid Robots
In this episode of Autonomy Insiders, Marcin Briggs of Bank of America Global Research explains the rise of "physical AI"—AI that perceives, reasons, and acts in the real world—and why autonomous vehicles are the first large‑scale proving ground. He highlights...
Podcast: Recap: Haig Partners Maximizing Value Conference
The Maximizing Value Conference recap, hosted by John Muntz of Dealers Edge, featured insights from Alan Haig and John Murphy of Haig Partners, along with industry leaders Steve Greenfield, Aaron Keating, and NADA CEO Mike Stanton. Key takeaways included the...