Rivian owners who like to drive hands-free will discover they can travel a lot further than they expected later this month. The EV start-up plans to increase from 150,000 to 3.5 million the number of miles its autonomous driving system can operate on. And, starting late next year, it plans to go even further with the release of the new R2 model which will be Rivian’s first to permit hands-free/eyes-off driving. According to CEO RJ Scaringe, there’s yet more to follow.
The field to perfect robotaxis inched closer to getting crowded as Tesla secured a permit for a ride-hailing service in Arizona while Amazon-sponsored Zoox opened up for free robotaxi rides in San Francisco. Details at Headlight.News.
Waymo says it knows the way to San Jose as it puts driverless taxis on the freeway in Silicon Valley. The initiative beat out arch-rival Tesla, which just promised to pay Elon Musk billions to expand its robotaxi business. Headlight.News has more.
Bedazzled shareholders approved Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s proposed $1 trillion pay package. But to collect he faces major challenges. Musk has to turn around Tesla’s faltering automotive business at a time when EV sales are sagging, while also proving his vision of robotaxis, robots and AI can add new sources of revenue for the Texas-based company. More from Headlight.News.
In this week’s Headlight News podcast, we cover the impressive Tokyo Motor Show, new introductions from Honda and Subaru, as well as GM’s layoff of hundreds of workers. We also review the Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid and look back at this week in automotive history. You can find the podcast at Headlight.News and Spotify.
“Hands-free” driving systems, like General Motors’ Super Cruise, are becoming increasingly common, but Lucid today announced a new partnership with tech giant NVIDIA aimed at bringing next-level technology to the highway. The Level 4 system would permit a Lucid vehicle to operate virtually anywhere, anytime with no input from a motorist who could even take a nap while driving from Point A to Point B. Headlight.News has more.
Tesla revealed its third-quarter operating income dropped 40% compared to the year-ago period despite setting a new record for deliveries and revenue during the period. Officials cited a litany of reasons, but the biggest drivers appear to be tied to tariffs and sales mix. Check out the story at Headlight.News.
With its latest concept vehicle, Mercedes offers a retro-futuristic look at where it might take things with a coupe-style flagship that features not only an all-electric drivetrain but Level 4 hands-free driving capabilities. Headlight.News takes a closer look at the Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says he has “never been more confident than I am today” about the future of the struggling EV manufacturer. That’s despite a series of challenges facing the battery-electric vehicle sector in general – including the loss of federal EV tax credits and the rise of the low-cost Chinese competitors who are threatening to enter the U.S. market. A critical test will come early next year with the launch of Rivian’s more affordable R2 model line. But it’s also counting on joint ventures and alliances like those with Volkswagen and Amazon, reports Headlight.News.
Hyundai Motor Group will invest $26 billion in the U.S. market, the automaker announced, a $5 billion increase from the figure it announced earlier this year. The increased budget will be used to expand the groups presence in the steel and robotics industries, as well as to expand its automotive operations. More from Headlight.News.
How do you take the performance of a luxury EV to the next level? That’s what Cadillac aims to do with the Elevated Velocity Concept making its debut at Monterey Car Week. Headlight.News checks out this gullwinged, high-tech 2+2 designed for use both on and off-road.
Tesla shareholders have filed a lawsuit accusing Tesla and CEO Elon Musk of securities fraud, claiming they hid the potential dangers associated with the company’s new robotaxis. The suit touched off a sharp slump in Tesla sales.