Former Chinese Minister Says the Country Should Develop a Unified Smart Vehicle OS

In the future when autonomous electric vehicles are more capable, it might better serve the industry to develop a unified vehicle OS in China, as well as the chips that support it, according to former Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Miao Wei. Mr Wei made the remarks on Thursday at an industry conference in Shanghai held by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

Porsche Unveils its 6th Generation Infotainment System with Android Auto & Voice Support

Automaker Porsche on Friday unveiled the 6th generation of its infotainment system called Porsche Communication Management (PCM) 6.0, which comes with a host of new features, including support for Android Auto and natural language voice commands.

Baidu Inc. to Deploy 1,000 ‘Apollo Moon’ Level-4 Robotaxis Over the Next 3 Years in China

China's Baidu revealed its next-generation electric robotaxi called “Apollo Moon", which the company Baidu says is a monumental milestone in the large-scale commercialization of fully autonomous ride-hailing services in China. Baidu plans to deploy 1,000 Apollo Moon robotaxis over the next three years as part of its "Apollo Go" ride-hailing service.

Mercedes-Benz Offering EQS Customers 2 Years of Free Charging From Electrify America

Mercedes Benz announced that its upcoming EQS electric sedan will come with complimentary charging from Electrify America. EQS drivers will receive complimentary 30-minute charging sessions for the first two years after account activation.

Ford Acquires California Startup Electriphi to Manage Charging for its Commercial Electric Vehicle Customers

Ford Motor Co has acquired San Francisco-based company Electriphi, a developer of charging management and fleet monitoring software for EVs. Electriphi's technology will help Ford's commercial customers better manage their fleets of electric vehicles. Electriphi’s EV charging management technology will be integrated into a new global business unit called "Ford Pro."

General Motors to Boost its Electric Vehicle & Autonomous Driving Investments by 30% to $35 Billion

U.S. automaker General Motors has just made one of the biggest financial commitments in its 100+ year history. The company announced on Wednesday that its increasing its investments in electrification and autonomous driving technologies to $35 billion through 2025 as it prepares for an all-electric future.

Electric Vehicle Brand Polestar to build its New SUV in the U.S.

Polestar, the electric vehicle brand owned by Swedish automaker Volvo and Chinese automaker Geely, announced on Wednesday that its next vehicle will be manufactured at the Volvo Cars production center in Ridgeville, South Carolina. The new vehicle is an electric-performance SUV called the Polestar 3.

Alphabet’s Autonomous Driving Unit Waymo Announces a New $2.5 Billion Funding Round

​Waymo, the self-driving division of Alphabet that spun out of Google’s self-driving car project, secured a significant new investment. On Wednesday, the company announced a new $2.5 billion funding round led by Waymo’s parent company Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz and others.

Continental & Elektrobit Announce the First In-Vehicle Integration of Amazon’s ‘Alexa Custom Assistant’

In order to integrate powerful AI technologies into production vehicles, automakers are turning to their OEM suppliers for new technology solutions. The latest collaboration comes from automotive component supplier Continental and software developer Elektrobit. The two companies announced on Tuesday the first ever in-vehicle integration of Amazon’s “Alexa Custom Assistant.”

Ford Motor Co Officially Starts Production of the Rugged New Bronco SUV

Ford Motor Co has officially kicked off production of the much anticipated 2021 Ford Bronco, after bringing the nameplate back last summer as a modern and rugged SUV after a 25 year hiatus. Shipments of the two-door and first ever four-door Bronco models to dealers across America begins today.

GM’s Autonomous Driving Unit Cruise to Tap $5 Billion Credit Line to Mass Produce the Origin Autonomous Shuttle

Cruise, the autonomous driving unit of automaker General Motors, plans to access a $5 billion line of credit to finance the purchase of tens of thousands of Cruise Origin shuttles, a commercial autonomous ride-hailing vehicle being built by GM, Honda Motor Co and Cruise. The funds will be made available through GM’s automotive financing arm GM Financial.

The 2022 Electric Jaguar I-PACE Gets a New HSE Trim With a $69,900 Price Tag

For the 2022 model year, British luxury automaker Jaguar introduced an all-new, HSE variant of its electric I-PACE performance SUV, which adds a host of new features.

Lidar Pioneer Velodyne Unveils its Next-Generation Velabit Sensor

Velodyne Lidar Inc. unveiled its next-generation Velabit lidar sensor on Monday. The improved sensor addresses the cost, safety, and design challenges of autonomous vehicles while delivering state-of-the-art performance in a compact form factor.

CEO, CFO of Electric Truck Startup Lordstown Motors Abruptly Resign

Electric truck startup Lordstown Motors on Monday announced the sudden departure of Chief Executive and founder Steve Burns and Chief Financial Officer Julio Rodriguez. The departure of Burns comes just days after the electric truck maker warned that it may not have enough money to stay in business over the next year, sending shares down more than 20% in early trading to $9.12.

GM Agrees to California’s Emissions Requirement, Wants Federal Help for EV Adoption

General Motors has changed its tune on California’s emissions requirements that were put into effect in 2019, but requested flexibility from the Biden Administration.

Ford Passes 100,000 Reservations for 2022 F-150 Lightning

Clearly, consumers are impressed with Ford’s first all-electric pickup truck.

XPeng Motors Valued at Over $8.4 Billion Files for U.S. IPO, the Company is Backed by Alibaba and Xiaomi

As existing shareholders continue to increase investments in EVs and related technologies, new participants are optimistic about China's growing electric vehicle market. As a result, electric vehicle startup XPeng Motors has strong financial backing and stamina for future development. The company has cash reserves of 8.2 billion yuan (US$1.19 billion), and is ramping up its investment in R&D.