China’s Automotive Expansion
GWM Tank 300
GWM has revealed a refreshed Tank 300 with a 200 km PHEV range, LiDAR, and improved off-road geometry. Pre-sales in China open July 6. carnewschina.com
BYD posted a second consecutive month of global sales growth in June, as a surge in exports helped offset weak demand in its home market. reuters.com
Chery formally took over Nissan’s car manufacturing plant in South Africa. reuters.com
VW’s ID. Era S5 PHEV sedan is coming to China this year with a claimed combined range of 2,000 km. The interior has been revealed, and it looks like VW is serious about competing on Chinese terms. carnewschina.com
Porsche is pulling dealer authorizations in four Chinese cities on June 30, resulting in a $4,413 loss per car sold in the market. Q1 deliveries fell 15%, and the EV price war is eating them alive. carnewschina.com
BYD launched the Linghui M9, a 5.2-meter plug-in hybrid MPV aimed at the ride-hailing market, priced at $27,770 USD. BYD keeps filling every segment it can reach. carnewschina.com
The Chery-built Freelander 8, developed with Jaguar Land Rover, has revealed five new exterior colour options. The JLR-Chery partnership continues to produce products. carnewschina.com
Malaysia has tightened EV import thresholds, squeezing market access for BYD and other Chinese exporters. Another market is building a wall. carnewschina.com
Local EV rivals have almost entirely elbowed out foreign brands in China with a faster, more tech-focused approach to building cars. WSJ maps out exactly how the grip slipped. wsj.com
Polestar EVs are now selling at $25,000 off in the US following the Commerce Department’s ban on the brand, leaving buyers scoring deals while existing owners ask who will service their cars amidst dealer chaos. reuters.com, thedrive.com
Must-Know Musk News
Lee Marten, right, is a Vancouver police sergeant who is one of the first Canadians to be implanted with a Neuralink brain chip in a bid to help him with symptoms of ALS or spinal injuries. His wife, Lisa, is seen in Toronto Western Hospital on May 20 before his procedure.
Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Sergeant Lee Marten became one of the first Canadian ALS patients to receive one of Elon’s Neuralink brain implants, as part of a clinical trial at University Health Network’s (UHN) Toronto Western Hospital. cbc.ca
Tesla started rolling out FSD v14 ‘Lite’ to older HW3 cars this week. It’s still supervised Level 2, not the unsupervised full self-driving that owners paid for years ago. electrek.co
Trailers full of Tesla Powerwalls and car batteries were stolen from Giga Nevada at least 11 times since December, nine of those in January alone. electrek.co
Tesla is testing the Cybercab without pedals or a steering wheel on Austin roads. techcrunch.com
Tesla rolls out robotaxi service in Miami. reuters.com
Tesla hired a 17-year Intel veteran who ran its 18A chip process to lead its $20 billion Terafab chip plant in Austin. electrek.co
A Texas man has been charged with manslaughter after his Tesla, operating on Autopilot, drove into a house and killed a 76-year-old woman. Front-door camera footage showed the car plowing through the driveway. reuters.com
California truckers are showing real interest in the Tesla Semi because it undercuts rival electric trucks on price and outperforms them on range. nytimes.com
A Tesla Semi rear-ended two vehicles stopped at a red light on US-50 in Nevada, killing two people. The driver reportedly fell asleep, making this the Semi’s first fatal crash on record. electrek.co
A wave of Power Conversion System failures is leaving Cybertruck owners unable to charge at home for weeks. Tesla is still refusing to issue a recall, telling owners to wait for parts. electrek.co
A Tesla Model Y caught fire after a highway crash in China, and a Li Auto i6 owner pulled the trapped driver out before the car was fully engulfed. The rescue was caught on video. carnewschina.com
Tesla delivered 480,126 vehicles in Q2 2026, up 25% year-over-year and 74,000 above Wall Street estimates. theverge.com
NHTSA closed its 2022 probe into 695,000 Tesla vehicles over unexpected braking, citing a low demonstrated hazard and a big drop in reported incidents. A clean bill of health on that one. reuters.com
Rise Of The Machines
Weave Isaac 1
US-based Weave Robotics has unveiled Isaac 1, a wheeled mobile home robot designed to automate everyday household chores such as tidying rooms and doing laundry. interestingengineering.com
Makers of increasingly large humanoid robots are implementing safety measures to prevent harm to humans as the machines enter workplaces. wsj.com
Someone used a Raspberry Pi 5 to give Claude Fable 5 a robot body. xda-developers.com
Energy
Canada unveils plans for new oil pipeline to break dependence on the US. ft.com
Gulf oil exports jump in June on record UAE flows. reuters.com
Global solar capacity continues to surge, but the next growth phase is shifting toward solar-plus-storage. oilprice.com
But Wait, There’s More
2027 Chevy Corvette Stingray
The 2027 Chevy Corvette Stingray now has a validated top speed of 200 mph, making it the most affordable car to be capable of hitting the double-century mark. caranddriver.com
GM’s Q2 US sales fell 4.2%, with EV demand and Silverado volumes both down year over year. cnbc.com
Ford’s $30,000 electric pick-up was spotted testing in Arizona again, with new details emerging about the interior as the affordable EV truck stays on track for a 2027 launch. electrek.co
Ford’s Q2 US sales fell 10.3%, hit by lower F-Series inventory and weak EV demand. CEO Jim Farley is calling for a level playing field with Toyota and GM on imports as USMCA talks reopen. cnbc.com, cnbc.com
Stellantis dealers got a glimpse of the new product they need. autonews.com
Toyota’s global sales fell for the fourth straight month in May, dragged down by China, the US, and the Middle East, while EV sales jumped 170%. reuters.com, electrek.co, thedrive.com
Toyota’s new bZ electric SUV cleared 17,500 US sales in its first months, outselling the Land Cruiser and several key EV rivals. The bZ is becoming a real volume play for Toyota. electrek.co
Toyota and Joby Aviation are forming a joint venture to produce Joby’s S4 air taxi. Toyota is betting on the eVTOL space as a long-term mobility play. reuters.com
Honda’s all-in EV bet unravelled badly, leading to the company’s first-ever annual loss. The NYT has the full story on how a bold strategy became a very expensive mistake. nytimes.com
Honda and Nissan are close to a tech partnership despite their failed merger attempt. Nissan got cold feet when it realized Honda essentially wanted to acquire it, but the two have moved past that. thedrive.com
Kia has revised Canadian pricing for the PV5 electric van. It’s positioned as an affordable EV option in a segment with few options. electrek.co
Hyundai sold over 20,000 IONIQ 5s in the first half of 2026, and IONIQ 9 sales are up 380%. electrek.co
VW CEO Oliver Blume is pushing a restructuring plan to cut up to 100,000 jobs and close high-cost German factories, prompting a boardroom showdown as the works council argues that current cuts aren’t enough. reuters.com, cnbc.com
BMW has officially revealed the iX5 with 525 miles of range and fast charging. It’s the first Neue Klasse-style X5 and sets a new benchmark for the segment. electrek.co
BMW has completed a $1.7 billion investment in EV production at its South Carolina plants, gearing up for US-built electric vehicles. reuters.com
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa says the brand’s US mission is to shed its rental-car image. reuters.com
Nissan Americas’ chief Christian Meunier is betting on hybrids, US-built vehicles, and a revamped Infiniti to pull the brand back. wsj.com
Rivian raised its full-year 2026 delivery outlook to 65,000-70,000 vehicles after a strong Q2, boosted by the new R2 SUV launch. The company is gaining momentum. electrek.co
The Ferrari Luce EV sold out instantly in China despite all the controversy back home. The market has spoken, even if the purists haven’t. electrek.co
Wayve has launched an $85 million employee tender offer at an $8.5 billion valuation. The UK AV start-up is using liquidity events to hold onto talent as it scales. techcrunch.com
Wayve is pitching its AI driving system to traditional automakers as a faster path to autonomy than building in-house, positioning itself as the go-to partner for OEMs that missed the window. reuters.com, wsj.com
Waymo and Uber quietly part ways in Phoenix. techcrunch.com