A new fleet of autonomous taxis has arrived in one of America's worst traffic cities.

Specifically, Tesla's Robotaxi service is now active in Miami, according to a post from the company on X. The same post included a map of a relatively small portion of West Miami, where you can currently hail a Robotaxi. Presumably, more of the city will be included in the service at some point, but for now, the robot cars are limited to those areas.

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This follows a limited rollout in Houston and Dallas back in April. Tesla's Robotaxi service has been slowly expanding across the United States, and if precedent holds, the cabs will be available in a larger portion of Miami in the near-ish future, as Austin went from limited to full availability last month. Other cities that could get Robotaxi service this year include Orlando, Tampa, and Phoenix, though, as Electrek pointed out back in April, the company has not been especially good about meeting plans on time.

It should also be noted that these Robotaxis do not come with safety monitors. This is certainly one way to get around in Miami without worrying as much about the city's notoriously awful traffic problems, but keep in mind the risks involved.

Tech product names tend to get clunkier over time. The Tesla Model Y, one of the four original "S3XY" models, has now gotten another variant in the U.S., and while it's the company's most important model in a while, the full name doesn't actually roll of the tongue: Tesla Model Y L.

In fact, the full model name of the only available variant right now is the Tesla Model Y L Premium Launch Series.

Not-particularly-sexy naming aside, the Model Y L is a longer variant of the Model Y with a three-row, six-seat configuration, making it the optimal choice for larger families (now that the Tesla Model X has been sunsetted).

The car is not new; it's been available in China for about a year, and it was later expanded to several other markets, including Australia and New Zealand. And yes, a seven-seat variant of the Model Y does already exist in the U.S. But this is still a huge deal for anyone in America shopping for a truly larger Tesla, as the new Model Y has a roughly six-inch longer wheelbase, and about seven more inches in overall length than the regular Model Y.

Three rows, captain's seats with powered armrests in the second row. Credit: Tesla

Alas, it also comes with a significantly higher price, starting at $61,990, a full $4,000 more than the Model Y Performance.

For the price, you get dual motors, 325 miles of range, and 4.4 seconds from 0-60mph, and a total of 89 cubic feet of cargo space.

The amenities include first row heated and ventilates sport seats, second-row heated and ventilated seats with powered armrests, an eight-inch second-row touch screen, and an 18-speaker audio configuration. The Launch Series trim brings a few additional, mostly visual perks, including Launch Series badging, fancy floor mats, and puddle light.

The third row appears to be a lot roomier than the one in the seven-seater Model Y. Credit: Tesla

The rest is mostly a combo of what you get in the Premium and Performance version, with some minor differences; for example, the Model Y L is the only one that gets the choice of Zen Grey interior (replacing Black and White Premium interior that's available on the other models).

Is it a good deal? It's tough to tell: If you really want a Tesla and you need six seats, it's the only version out there. For another three-row electric car, you'll have to look at other brands, or perhaps wait until Tesla starts offering the regular, non-Launch Series version, which will probably be a little cheaper.

Pressured by recent lawsuits claiming Uber didn't do enough to prevent sexual assault, the ride-sharing company has announced stricter background check requirements for drivers.

"After listening to a wide range of feedback, we’ve broadened the criteria for convictions that permanently disqualify someone from driving or delivering with Uber," the company wrote in a recent blog post. "Our goal is to build the safest platform."

The new review process expands on existing driver requirements, permanently banning drivers with convictions that "may be sexual in nature." The new rules also disqualify drivers with misdemeanor or felony stalking and strangulation-related offenses because they "can be predictors of future violence," Uber explains. The company says the changes were influenced by recommendations from domestic violence prevention experts and civil rights groups.

In addition, background checks will be run for the driver's entire lifetime (technically 99 years). Previously, Uber's third-party background checks providers only ran Social Security Number (SSN) traces for the previous seven years.

The company stated the new requirements will not retroactively apply to existing driver accounts "with no serious interpersonal safety-related complaints of any kind," and if their conviction is "more than 15 years old and was not sexual in nature." The checks are still rolling out to drivers nationwide.

Multiple New York Times investigations have revealed an industry-wide prevalence of violent altercations with ride-share drivers, perpetrated primarily against female riders. A December exposé alleged Uber's background check protocols still approved drivers with violent felony convictions.

In February, Uber was deemed partially liable for the rape and assault of a ride-share passenger, who alleged the company failed to implement safety provisions that could have prevented the assault. The case included internal documents showing her ride was flagged as a safety concern, but the app did not notify her or authorities. Uber was ordered to pay $8.5 million instead of the requested $144 million in damages.

Remember Slate Auto, the minimalistic, made-in-America electric truck that went viral in 2025? Originally, the car was supposed to start at $20,000 after federal incentives.

Now, official price has been revealed and it's not exactly that, but it isn't too bad either.

The official starting price for Slate Auto is $24,950, though that doesn't include a destination charge, taxes, and other potential fees. Those federal credits that Slate hoped would push the price below $20,000 no longer exist thanks to Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill", so hoping the price would be so low was unrealistic, anyways.

For the price, you get the Blank Slate edition, which comes with a nice surprise: a slightly larger-than-announced 63kWh battery with 205 miles of EPA range. Other highlights include a single, rear-mounted 135kW motor with 181 hp, a 20-80 percent charge in 30 minutes on a DC fast charger, a 1,550lb max payload,and a towing capacity at around 2,000lb. The 0-60mph time is a flat eight seconds, and top speed is 90mph.

In terms of safety and comfort, you get traction control, electronic stability control, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, a backup camera, and remote keyless entry, among other amenities (see full specs on Slate's website).

The Slate Auto starts pretty basic, but you can add a bunch of goodies to it to make it unique. Credit: Slate

The car remains highly modular. You can choose between 100 color wraps with most costing an additional $499, and turn the Blank Slate variant into the Slate SUV variant which has a full roof (Fastback and an Open Air variants are also available). The pricing for those upgrades, however, hasn't been revealed yet.

While the price was expected, the big news here is the battery and the 205 miles of range, a pretty big increase from the originally announced 150 miles. Also, the car has an NCAS charging port, making it compatible with Tesla Supercharger network. The charging speed at 120kW is not the best out there but it's still plenty fast, especially on a battery of this size.

Slate said it received 180,000 reservations for the car so far, and deliveries start in the fourth quarter of the year.

Go behind the scenes with Force of Nature, the world's fastest steam-powered rocketbike.

TL;DR: Through June 26, Prime members who buy or lease a new car through Amazon Autos will receive a $1,500 Amazon gift card after pickup.

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Credit: Amazon Autos

Amazon Autos

Through June 26, Prime members who buy or lease a new car through Amazon Autos will get a $1,500 Amazon Gift Card.

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Buying a car through Amazon might not be something most people expect from Prime Day, but that’s exactly what’s on the table right now. Amazon Autos is offering Prime members a $1,500 gift card when they buy or lease a new vehicle through the platform for a limited time.

The promotion runs through June 26, and applies to new cars purchased or leased on Amazon Autos. Once the vehicle is picked up from a participating dealership, the $1,500 Amazon Gift Card is sent via email within two weeks. There’s no extra code needed — just complete the purchase on Amazon, finalize pickup, and the bonus will follow.

Here’s how it works:

• Start by choosing a new car on Amazon Autos and begin your purchase or lease. Used cars aren’t part of the deal, and you’ll need to be a Prime member to qualify.

• Complete checkout and submit your order by June 26.

• Schedule a pickup time through Amazon. You’ll still need to sign final documents at the dealership, and credit approval may be required if you’re financing or leasing.

• Pick up your car from the dealer by June 29.

• After pickup, Amazon sends a $1,500 gift card by email within two weeks. It’s non-transferable and can’t be exchanged for cash.

Buying a car through Amazon might feel strange, but Amazon Autos is set up to keep the process fairly straightforward. You can browse and select a new vehicle online, start checkout through Amazon, and then complete the final steps at a participating dealership, including signing documents and taking a test drive before everything is finalized.

There’s no shortage of Prime Day deals right now, but this $1,500 Amazon Autos gift card feels like one of the more unexpected offers in the mix. Especially if a car upgrade was already on your radar.

It looks like BMW has finally found the winning EV formula.

In 2025, the company launched the BMW iX3, a compact electric SUV based on BMW's new "Neue Klasse" philosophy, with a new infotainment system and a massive battery.

The auto company followed up with the sedan variant called the i3. Once again, BMW did its best to address the biggest pain point of owning an EV, and equipped the i3 with a massive battery giving it record-breaking range.

The strategy appears to have worked. The BMW i3 was originally slated to become available for preorder in September, but BMW decided to capitalize on the interest around the car and opened the preorders in Europe on Thursday, June 18.

The pre-orders are open in Europe now, and first deliveries are scheduled for September. Credit: BMW

The car that's being offered is called the BMW i3 First Edition, and it starts at €75,340 ($86,372) in Germany (the price varies slightly by market). For the money, you basically get the M Sport version of the BMW i3 50 xDrive, with a 108.7kWh battery with up to 912 kilometres (566 miles) of WLTP range, and super-fast 400kW charging that can get you 250 miles of range in 10 minutes. The car's two electric motors have a combined output of 469hp, and can take the car from 0 to 100 kph in 4.7 seconds.

The interior is similar to the iX3's, with a 17.9 central infotainment display, a super-wide, 43'' Panoramic Vision display, and BMW's 3D Head-Up Display. The First Edition also gets the M Sport exterior and interior design elements, including BMW's Iconic Glow, and the AC charging rate has been increased from 11 kW to 22 kW.

Some options are also available, and these include rear seat heating, panoramic glass sunroof, and an electronic tow bar.

Inside, you get the same massive display bonanza that debuted in the BMW iX3. Credit: BMW

First deliveries are expected this fall. There's no word on when BMW plans to open up pre-orders in the U.S.

For those willing to wait, a cheaper, base model will be available in the fall for €65,900 ($75,550), with the same battery and similar range, as well as dual motors, but fewer amenities.

As for why BMW is hurrying up with i3 preorders, the answer likely likes in the stellar sales of the BMW iX3. The car is outselling BMW's own X3 in Europe, with more than 50,000 orders being placed as of April this year.

Automatic parking is one of those features that sound great in theory, but in practice you often just take over and park the car yourself, be it because the car is too slow or it chooses the wrong parking spot.

According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk ,destination parking on Full Self-Driving is "by far the biggest reason people now intervene with FSD."

But the company is working to fix this, and Autopark should be getting a big upgrade soon.

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"Upcoming releases of FSD will remember your parking preferences, so that the car goes to the right location at your home, office, school drop off, etc," he wrote on X.

Musk did not share any details about timing and availability.

In a different tweet, he replied to someone asking when Tesla drivers will be able to use Tesla's built in AI chatbot Grok to issue driving commands. "Need to be able to converse w/ Grok like we can with an Uber driver: “Hey Grok, turn right here.” “Drop us off right here, we'll walk due to traffic.” “Drop at entrance first, then park far away," said the tweet.

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"This functionality will be there in about 3 months or so," wrote Musk.

Xpeng brought Mashable reporter Amanda Yeo to China to experience the new VLA 2.0 autonomous driving model inside its P7 electric vehicle. The demonstration offers a closer look at how Chinese automakers are advancing self-driving systems and what sets their approach apart from competitors around the world.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk may currently be busy looking at his net worth blasting through one trillion dollars, thanks to the recent SpaceX IPO, but he's got other reasons to be jolly, too.

Electrek spotted the official EPA filing for Tesla's self-driving car, the Cybercab, and the numbers look pretty great.

According to Tesla's submission, the Cybercab will be powered by a single, 163kW (219HP) motor driving the front wheels, and a 47.6kWh lithium-ion battery.

While that battery capacity doesn't sound like much (for example, even the Rear-Wheel Drive Tesla Model 3 has a larger, 57.5kWh battery), the Cybercab is listed as having 418.2 miles of combined range, and 375.4 miles of highway range. Those sound better than they really are, mind you; these are unadjusted EPA test results, and we'll probably see lower official figures once the Cybercab hits the roads. In particular, EPA will likely apply a 0.7 correction factor to these numbers (as it does to all electric vehicles), which brings the combined range to 293 miles, which is still pretty great.

The impressive range is partially thanks to the Cybercab's low curb weight, which is officially 3,113 lbs (1,412kg). Again, compare that to a RWD Tesla Model 3, which weighs 3,552 lbs in its lightest-ever configuration.

It's easy to see why the Cybercab is so light: smaller battery pack, only two seats, no steering wheel, and no pedals. Electrek points out that Tesla probably could have pushed the weight even lower, but the company was probably happy with the efficiency numbers it got with this configuration. The company originally claimed the Cybercab would have close to 300 miles of range.

Tesla Cybercabs are now pretty much cleared to hit the roads from EPA's standpoint, but in order to send them to ferry actual passengers, Tesla still needs to pass some regulatory hurdles. The company currently has a limited robotaxi operation with Model Y cars ferrying passengers in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas.

EV manufacturer XPENG will begin the global rollout of its VLA 2.0 autonomous driving system next year, the AI-powered model marking an important step in the company's efforts to develop driverless cars. Unfortunately, this tech won't be arriving in the U.S., with high tariffs continuing to keep the Chinese automakers out of the country.

Yet despite this, XPENG continues to maintain its Silicon Valley R&D centre, as well as develop its tech to account for U.S. drivers. Speaking to Mashable, XPENG's General Intelligence Center head Dr. Xianming Liu explained that, while it isn't in the U.S. market and doesn't test its cars in the country, having an R&D centre there remains invaluable for ensuring it's familiar with driving habits and conditions across the world.

"We need to make sure we and our R&D team understand the regulations, the traffic rules, but also the customer needs or customer habits. Once you have people locally drive [their cars] every day in Europe, in the U.S., you will know what people will like," said Liu. "How people are using [their cars] and how the regulations are different. I mean, the traffic rules are different, the traffic signs, everything is different."

XPENG has also established an R&D centre in Munich, Germany, Liu telling Mashable that each of these locations offer the company specific individual advantages. While Silicon Valley has a lot of talent and innovation, Germany excels at manufacturing and is home to several successful automotive companies. By conducting R&D in these areas, XPENG aims to both utilise and learn from these resources.

"Once you have an R&D centre in all the areas of the world, you can combine all the talent, all the thoughts together, and you can just make sure everyone is complementary to each other," said Liu.

EVs: the future of the automotive industry

XPENG showed off the technology in its cars at the Beijing Auto Show. Credit: XPENG

This includes tapping into China's resources as well. Like the San Francisco Bay Area, Liu stated that there's an abundance of talent in China's Greater Bay Area, including in Guangzhou where XPENG is headquartered. The widespread acceptance of EVs in China certainly helps autonomous car development in the region as well.

"We have people, we have freedom, we have flexibility to build the innovations," said Liu, speaking on the advantages of their Chinese R&D centre. "But also in China, the application of the AI system is pretty fast… People accept the concept of AI, accept the concept of [autonomous] driving, and also are willing to use it. So this gives us big room to keep iterating on the product."

Over half of all new cars sold in China are New Energy Vehicles (NEV), meaning that they are primarily or entirely powered by electricity. This April, that number rose above 60 percent. China isn't the only country embracing EVs either, with global electric car sales rising by over 25 percent in 2024. Almost all new cars sold in Norway during 2025 were EVs, while regions such as Latin America and Africa saw EV adoption double. In comparison, U.S. EV uptake has slowed significantly over the past two years, although they still account for approximately 10 percent of new car sales in the country.

"The new energy revolution is changing the world," said Liu. "It's not only happening in the U.S., not only in China, but also in other countries. South America, Central America, and even Europe, South Asia. So we will see the number keep increasing. And this can be very beneficial to the economy and also to the environment."

These aren't the only advantages to widespread EV adoption. Liu also explained that NEVs have better compatibility with autonomous driving systems than traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.

"The New Energy Vehicle is more suitable for intelligent car systems or smart driving because the control chain is shorter," Liu said. "The signal is an electric signal instead of the power train using the gas."

As such, it is far simpler to develop a fully autonomous EV than an ICE vehicle. If fully self-driving cars are to not only become a reality, but tech that is commonplace, it will require people —  and governments — to embrace electric cars first.

Creating a safe self-driving car

Autonomous driving systems are better suited to EVs than traditional combustion engine cars. Credit: XPENG

Liu previously worked at U.S. self-driving car company Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors. When asked to compare development approaches in the U.S. and China's autonomous car industries, he said he found them to be the same: with safety as paramount. 

"One underlying principle or philosophy that is not changing across different areas is safety," said Liu. "That's the first principle. No matter where you're working at, no matter U.S., Europe, or China, or even Southeast Asia, the problem is the same."

Secondary to this is to ensure the car feels safe as well, offering a smooth, comfortable experience that drivers can enjoy with peace of mind. 

"We have four axes to evaluate our system. We call it CCES: comfort, compliance, efficiency, and safety," said Liu. "So you can make sure the car is safe enough, but a lot of hard breaks [are] just not [comfortable]."

For Liu, controlling the car's speed is key to ensuring both safety and comfort. To deliver this, XPENG trains its VLA 2.0 autonomous driving model to identify and adjust to real-time road conditions, as well as recognise road marks and signs, rather than rely on map data to determine the car's behaviour.

"We don't use any kind of rules or external information to say you have to drive this speed," said Liu. "Of course, people can control the wheel, control the scroll to set up the speed limit [of the car]. The model tries to learn what kind of typical speed people will drive in this kind of situation, because we need to make sure the car is safe enough and also [isn't] too slow." 

Autonomous cars for the world (except the U.S.)

Though VLA 2.0 is expected to hit the global market in 2027, XPENG hasn't released any details about its international release schedule. At present, which country it will arrive in first will largely come down to whose regulations and standards XPENG can satisfy first.

"We're trying to work on different areas, different regions of the world, but we work with local governments to [ensure] we meet all the requirements," said Liu.

The U.S. may not be one of these regions, but being shut out of that market hasn't slowed XPENG's ambitions. The company is continuing to invest in R&D to ensure it can meet the different needs of new markets wherever they are. 

"We are seeing the trend [of increasing EV adoption] is changing the entire industry. All the cars selling now in China, if you don't have the smart driving system, usually people will not consider it," said Liu. "That's why we keep pushing hard on the physical AI. Because we believe this is going to be the next big thing, and this is going to be invaluable in the next decade."

The auto industry is evolving at a rapid pace, with EV acceptance and adoption accelerating across the globe. XPENG is working to ensure they're prepared for this future, and will be ready if the U.S. decides to join in.

This interview has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

Disclosure: Mashable travelled to China as a guest of XPENG.

EV manufacturer XPENG is targeting a 2027 global rollout for its next-generation VLA 2.0 autonomous driving system. Announcing its launch plans in March, XPENG stated that VLA 2.0 is the first AI driving model with L4 potential in China, marking a significant step toward the dream of the self-driving car.

XPENG's cars aren't completely driverless just yet. But speaking to Mashable, XPENG's General Intelligence Center head Dr. Xianming Liu explained that VLA 2.0 may be key to finally achieving that goal. 

What is L4 autonomous driving?

Autonomous driving systems are commonly categorised into one of six levels, as defined by global automotive standards organisation SAE International. These range from no driving automation at Level 0 (L0) to full driving automation at Level 5 (L5).

Most of the currently available cars with such systems operate at L2, offering partial driving automation. Despite its name, Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is a L2 system. The company changed up the system's branding earlier this year after the term "Full Self-Driving" was found to be misleading, adding the suffix "(Supervised)" as well as axing the name "Autopilot." (The feature was rebranded again to "Tesla Assisted Driving" to comply with regulations for its Chinese launch in May.)

Some other automakers have reached L3, with Mercedes-Benz becoming the first automaker to offer U.S. customers conditional driving automation in 2024. However, this L3 autonomous driving system only works in very narrow circumstances, such as on specific freeways during clear daytime weather, which limits its practicality.

L4 marks the next high watermark of driving automation, just one step away from not needing a driver at all. Now XPENG claims its AI-powered VLA 2.0 system — standing for Vision-Language-Action — is all but there. 

Mashable took a test ride in an XPENG P7 with VLA 2.0 enabled, and found it a difficult claim to dispute. The car was able to smoothly navigate Beijing's large city roads, rough rural streets, and busy pedestrian and scooter traffic with minimal driver intervention. It even could park by itself after everyone had exited the vehicle.

The driver did need to take over at a couple of points, demonstrating that VLA 2.0 isn't a completely autonomous system just yet. Self-driving robotaxi companies such as Tesla and Waymo have suffered concerning safety incidents after removing humans from behind the wheel, and XPENG doesn't claim it's ready to take that leap. But overall, VLA 2.0 felt safe, efficient, and even luxurious.

From autonomous driving to physical AI

According to Liu, VLA 2.0 is a fundamental change when compared to XPENG's previous L2 Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) system. While NGP focused on developing autonomous driving, VLA 2.0 is focused on solving physical AI problems.

"Once you work on the AI problem, everything changes," said Liu.

Autonomous driving systems such as NGP typically operate on a framework of perception, prediction, planning, and control. In such a system, the vehicle uses onboard sensors to detect its environment and abstract it into data, such as using boxes to represent other cars. It then predicts what these obstacles will do, plans a course of action, and controls the car to execute that plan. 

"The NGP is a traditional autonomous driving system where we do the perception first and then do the planning secondly. This is a very old paradigm of autonomous driving, or even currently in robotics," said Liu. "There's a lot of limitations in these kinds of algorithms. Once you work on autonomous driving or AI for more than 10 years, you'll see the limitation. You can never scale up or generalise enough of the entire system to different kinds of scenarios."

To create an L4 autonomous driving system, and eventually a completely self-driving robotaxi, the car must be able to identify and respond to unexpected situations that haven't been specifically accounted for in its programming. The problem, Liu explained, is that developers don't necessarily know what these problems might be.

"We call it unknown unknown," said Liu. "There's so much unknown unknown problems. You can never solve them one by one. So you need to change the paradigm, and try to change the system to be generalised enough and scalable enough to solve all the problems."

XPENG's Dr. Xianming Liu has worked in AI and autonomous driving for almost a decade. Credit: XPENG

For XPENG, the solution was to shift its entire approach to autonomous driving, switching to instead focus on physical AI — the integration of AI software with tangible hardware such as cars or robotics. Unlike digital AI such as chatbots ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Claude, physical AI is capable of directly interacting with the physical world. It's also able to ingest and adjust to a constant stream of information, breaking away from the sequential structure of previous autonomous driving systems.

"Physical AI is totally different from digital because the signal input is not structured, it's continuous," Liu said. "The information load is much higher than structured data like text or voice. And also the control signal requires high latency and high efficiency. That means your latency needs to be very small."

Turning to physical AI enabled XPENG to scale up, widening their model parameters and feeding it large amounts of data to learn from.

"We just take all the camera sensor input and directly train the model. We enlarge the model capacity, make it into billion parameters, and train the model using an even much larger data scale compared to large language models, and [then] ask the model to make a decision," said Liu.

"We changed the paradigm of auto driving, and luckily we see the result. The model is generalised enough to be ready for L4 autonomous driving."

How autonomous cars are linked to humanoid robots

Rather than focusing solely on autonomous driving, XPENG is developing the foundation AI model behind VLA 2.0 to be applied across a variety of use cases — including robotics. The company went viral when it debuted its uncannily lifelike humanoid IRON robot last November, even cutting it open to dispel speculation that it was a real person in a suit.

Though the connection between the two projects may not be immediately apparent, Liu told Mashable that many of the challenges facing autonomous car and humanoid robot development are very similar. As such, innovations are transferable.

"A lot of our R&D budget is spent on the AI or the training infrastructure, the data, the modeling itself," said Liu, noting that XPENG views itself as both an EV and physical AI company. 

A significant focus of XPENG's ongoing R&D is the AI model's ability to recognise and respond to increasingly complex verbal instructions. This is an important function for both humanoid robots and autonomous cars.

"Robots not only need to understand the environment, which is the world, [but] need to reconstruct the world," said Liu. "But also sometimes [they] need to understand how to communicate with humans or even with other agents in the world."

The XPENG X9 EV can seat up to seven people. Credit: XPENG

While VLA 2.0 navigates using vision input from the car's camera sensors, it's able to take verbal instructions as well. This functionality is currently limited to executing straightforward, immediate instructions, such as telling the car to turn left in 300 metres or change to the right lane. Eventually, XPENG aims for passengers to be able to simply climb in the car, verbally tell it where to go, and relax as they're ferried to their destination. 

"You ask the car, 'hey, just pull over in front. I want to buy a coffee so you need to pull over in front of the Starbucks.' The car needs to understand your instruction, needs to translate your instruction into some actions," said Liu. "We want to make sure the model can understand not only the world, which is the sensor [data from its cameras], but also the instruction and human intent."

XPENG and Tesla are driving toward the same destination

XPENG's work with autonomous EVs and humanoid robots have prompted frequent comparisons to Elon Musk's company Tesla. Liu acknowledged such parallels, noting that Tesla is also building a similar AI model aimed at achieving L4 driving.

"I think there is only one way to solve the problem entirely: you need to rethink the problem from the very beginning," Liu told Mashable. "[XPENG and Tesla are] doing something on the same trajectory. We want to solve the problem following the first principles [i.e. breaking it down to its most basic elements]. Directly go to L4, try to solve the problem not using rules, only using AI models. I think this is a similarity."

Humourously, Liu noted that where XPENG distinguishes itself from Tesla is in the sheer volume of data it has on bad driving. Using this data, XPENG has been able to develop its model to respond to such scenarios, ensuring it's better prepared for any unexpected events that might occur on the road.

"For XPENG, we have a lot of data in China which is terrible driving. So you will meet a lot of corner cases, [i.e. rare, unexpected situations outside the norm]," said Liu. "So every day, the problem we are facing is not that we don't have enough data to solve the corner cases, but we have too many corner cases. So we need to solve it. And that's our advantage, and also difference, compared to Tesla."

Ditching the roadmap

Rather than ingesting and relying on road map data, VLA 2.0 has been trained on human driving behaviours. This is to ensure it's capable of appropriately responding to a limitless, non-prescriptive variety of situations. For example, it can look at a live scenario and determine the typical, safe speed limit for that type of environment and conditions. 

"Sometimes, even though the road is limited, it's like 80 [speed limit], but it's pretty crowded, you need to slow down and pay attention. Or during inclement weather, for example, raining or foggy, people will slow down because of the situation, because of the environment," said Liu.

"So in these cases, you cannot ask a car to follow instructions from the speed limit from the map, or from all the signs. You need to make sure the model is aware of the risk and understands how to drive safely and how to control the speed."

Importantly, drivers are able to manually adjust the car's maximum speed as well, so it won't travel at a pace that makes them uncomfortable.

"For safety and comfort, the key is to control speed," said Liu. "People can control the wheel, control the scroll to set the speed limit. But the model tries to learn what kind of typical speed people will drive in this kind of situation, because we need to make sure the car is safe enough and also not too slow."

XPENG has numerous car models available in China, but none have entered the U.S. Credit: XPENG

Though VLA 2.0 is trained on a large amount of general data, XPENG hopes to eventually offer a more customised experience. Liu confirmed that the company is developing the ability for individual cars to learn from and adjust to their specific owners, adjusting to suit their personal driving habits. (Significantly, VLA 2.0 does not transfer data to the cloud, with all necessary processing done locally on the car.)

"We're working on that," said Liu. "Definitely customised driving behaviours is one of the things we're working on, so hopefully sometime later you will see it."

Exactly what sort of timeline that feature might be on isn't clear. What is clear is that XPENG has grand ambitions —  and maybe even the technology to back it up. Liu acknowledged that VLA 2.0 isn't yet perfect, still requiring driver intervention at times. Even so, there's no denying that it's an important advancement toward the ultimate goal of creating safe, fully autonomous vehicles.

This interview has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

Disclosure: Mashable travelled to China as a guest of XPENG.

Are you using Waymo so much that you'd pay thirty bucks per month to get a 10 percent cashback and some fancy perks on top? If so, you're in luck.

On Thursday, the robotaxi company announced Waymo Premier, an invite-only membership program that Waymo says its users asked for.

The highlight perk of the program is the cashback, with users earning 10 percent Waymo Cash on every trip, and "even more during busy times."

Other perks include priority pickups that allow you to skip the waiting line, early access to Waymo in new cities as the company expands coverage, and up to five free ride cancellations per month.

The price is pretty steep: $29.99 per month. In comparison, Uber and Lyft have similar programs (Uber One and Lyft Pink), both of which cost $9.99 per month. Uber One cashback is only six percent, so the math favors Waymo Premier, but only if you ride very, very often.

Waymo Premier will initially be offered to "select riders" in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The program will be expanded to more cities sometime in the future, the company said.

NASA's X-59 jet has broken the sound barrier for the first time, a major milestone in the effort to build a quiet supersonic aircraft for civilians. 

The sleek, needle-nosed airplane exceeded the speed of sound for the first time on Friday, June 5. NASA test pilot Jim "Clue" Less took off in the plane at 11:08 a.m. PT and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California about 81 minutes later. At the aircraft's top speed, it went Mach 1.1 — about 713 mph — at an altitude of 43,400 feet. 

The X-59 is experimental, part of the so-called QUESST mission to transform passenger air travel over land. Because existing supersonic aircraft produce loud sonic booms at high speed, the U.S. government bans routine supersonic flights over populated areas. But the X-59, designed by NASA and its contractor Lockheed Martin, is expected to tame the boom into a mere thump. 

NASA captured the achievement from the vantage point of a chase plane, which kept pace with the speedy experimental jet to monitor the test. You can watch the historic moment when it clocked supersonic speed in the video below. 

"X-59 goes through the number!" NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said on X. "We are rebuilding our X-plane portfolio and getting NASA back in the business of radical airframe and engine flight test!"

An X‑plane is a U.S. aircraft designed to test new flight technologies and ideas. The goal of the X-59 is to provide regulators and the airline industry with the evidence needed to reconsider restrictions on supersonic aircraft.

Most people think of NASA as the gateway to space, but the organization is first and foremost the nation's civil aeronautics agency (quite literally, the A comes before the S). The U.S. government legally requires NASA to lead such research — the kind private companies can't do. 

Future tests will see the X-59 go even faster. NASA wants the plane to ramp up to 925 mph. At that rate, a nonstop flight from New York to L.A. would take less than three hours. That would cut current flight times in half. Today's commercial airlines typically cruise at 550 mph, getting their passengers across the country in about 5 to 6 hours.

If you were expecting to see the X-59 zip through the sky, the video might feel underwhelming. Because the chase plane, a NASA F-15, followed the flight at the same speed, the jet didn't rush headlong out of frame. Instead, it appeared to serenely revel in the clouds. 

Thanks to the chase plane, the video also didn't capture the X-59's signature thump. The F-15 filled the air with a cacophony of its own sonic booms. 

Reaching supersonic speed is a crucial milestone, but the most critical test has yet to come. Soon the aircraft will surge to Mach 1.4, which should get it up to that 925 mph goal while flying at 55,000 feet. After crossing that hurdle, the test campaign will shift to a new phase focused on validating the shushed boom. 

A sonic boom happens when a plane flies faster than sound because pressure waves condense into a single shock that hits the ground like a sudden air explosion. To mitigate the sound, engineers designed the X-59's long spear-like nose to spread out the pressure shifts along the aircraft. The concept should turn the single shock into a series of smaller pulses.

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One tradeoff in the new silhouette is that the slim nose doesn't allow room for a traditional cockpit window. Instead, the pilot flies with a high-definition display screen that combines images from cameras. Test pilot Less spent hundreds of hours in a simulator using the unconventional vision system before flying the actual plane. 

After Less made his first flight at the controls of the X-59 in March, he said the lack of a windscreen didn't make him feel like he was flying blind. If anything, he felt he had better "visibility" because the image processing on his display reduces glare and improves contrast. 

"It really felt comfortable," he said during a news conference after the March flight. "Even though I wasn't seeing out the front, I could see out the sides and match that up."

Have you ever lost anything in an Uber vehicle before? If so, it was probably something normal, like a phone. Some people were not so lucky.

Uber published its 10th annual Lost & Found index on its website this week, highlighting some of the most unusual things people left in cars over the past year, while acknowledging some wider trends along the way. Uber's list of most unusual objects left in cars is pretty long, so we figured we would curate our 10 favorites for you. Here's what we came up with, in no particular order:

• Grass

• Dentures with two teeth

• Two wedding gowns

• Ankle monitor

• Brand new mini fridge

• Package of live butterflies

• Police radio

• Live fish

• Donny Osmond group photo

• Handcuffs

For at least a couple of those, you can sort of rationalize how they might have gotten left in an Uber. For example, I can easily see some forgetful person loading up a new mini fridge for transport and then just departing the car without grabbing it. Live butterflies and a live fish are a little harder to explain, though, as are the two wedding gowns. I could understand someone leaving one wedding gown in a car, but two is a bit bizarre.

Uber also published a list of the top 10 most commonly forgotten items, which is entirely more understandable. It includes phones, wallets, luggage, keys, and headphones, among other things you'd definitely expect people to leave in a car. New York City also ranked as the most forgetful city in the U.S., which is just another metric by which it is the number one city in the country. (Editor's note: Go Knicks.)

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It's called the Cavira, it's an electric vehicle with up to 359 miles of range, and it's built by the company that builds the iPhone.

Foxtron, a division of Taiwanese consumer electronics giant Foxconn, which is one of Apple's primary iPhone assemblers, has launched the Cavira as a pretty clear competitor to Tesla Model Y.

It doesn't exactly stand out, but the range, acceleration, and power output figures are commendable. Credit: Foxtron

The Cavira is an electric SUV that comes in several flavor, including a dual motor variant that has 468 hp, goes from 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds, and has up to 334 miles of range. A single (rear-mounted) electric motor variant has only 249 hp, but that comes with the perk of having up to 359 miles of range. Both versions have an 82.7 kWh battery, which charges from 10-80 percent in less than 30 minutes.

Other fragrance options are called Serene Interlude, and Whispered Essence. Credit: Foxtron

Inside, you'll find a pretty clean interior with a vertically oriented, 15.6-inch display, something that's becoming quite rare in today's EVs, most of which favor the horizontal display. Highlights include cruise control with lane assist, heated and ventilated front seats, and a fragrance system — including a setting called "Sweet Tranquility," which does sound like something I might need while driving in city traffic.

The Foxtron Cavira starts at 1.239,000 New Taiwan dollars, which is roughly $38,167, and it will be available in Taiwan first. There's no word on availability in the U.S., though as InsideEVs pointed out, Foxconn did own a former General Motors factory in Lordstown, Ohio. The company sold that factory last year, so the chances of the Cavira ever being built in the U.S. are pretty slim.

It's worth noting that the Cavira is not the first EV built by Foxtron; the company also sells the Bria, a more compact electric SUV.

Take a look at the new Hummer X Pickup & SUV concept cars from GM, during a special tour of the company's Advanced Design Facility in Pasadena.

About two years ago, in March 2024, Rivian showed off its compact SUV, the Rivian R2, for the first time.

Now, it's finally time for the R2 to hit the roads.

In a blog post dated Wednesday, Rivian announced the official launch date for the R2 is June 9. The car itself isn't much of a surprise, given that it could be configured and pre-ordered for a while now, but this is the date when pre-orders turn into orders, and first customer deliveries begin.

For the folks who pre-ordered the R2, this means the company will send invitations to actually order the car soon. How soon? Well, that depends on several factors, including the date and time when they first reserved the vehicle, as well as delivery location (areas surrounding Rivian Service and Demo Centers are likely to get an order invitation sooner).

The launch comes with some caveats, though. The first vehicle available to order will be the Rivian R2 Performance with Launch Package. The R2 Premium Trim will arrive "in late 2026," while the Standard trim will follow in 2027.

Once a customer has had their order confirmed, they can expect a delivery "within 2-6 weeks," Rivian said.

The folks interested in testing out the R2 will be able to book a demo drive at Rivian Spaces, starting June 9.

The Rivian R2 is a smaller car than the company's first SUV, the massive R1S, and it falls under the mid-size electric SUV category where it battles against Tesla Model Y, among (many) other competitors. It starts at $48,490, but that's for the Standard trim, which doesn't come until 2027. The one that's available now, the Rivian R2 Performance, starts at $57,990, and comes with an all-wheel drive system, Rivian's Automony+ driver assistance package, and an estimated EPA range of 330 miles.

For people in Europe, it's worth noting that, earlier this year, Rivian has quietly delayed its European launch timeline for the R2 from 2027 to an unspecified date. The company offered no further news about the European launch on its website.

American Air inked a deal with Starlink to equip 500 of the airline’s planes with the satellite internet provider’s WiFi.

In an announcement made today, American described Starlink "as the world’s most advanced satellite constellation" and touted its ability to deliver powerful broadband internet via its thousands of satellites flying in low Earth orbit.

Starlink will connect to American’s narrow body planes — smaller aircraft that typically fly shorter routes — starting in the early months of 2027. Starlink, part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, will connect to the planes via its Aero Terminal, which can support up to 1 Gbps of data per antenna.

American promises that Starlink WiFi will enable fliers to not just smoothly access their email, but stream entertainment and play online games.

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"American is committed to elevating every aspect of our customers’ travel journeys, which in the air means keeping them connected and comfortable with the assurance they won’t have to download documents ahead of a flight or worry about lag time," American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden said in a statement. "Starlink’s high speed and low latency make the Wi-Fi more reliable, which matters when customers are trying to load pages, join real-time collaboration tools or stay connected consistently throughout a flight."

American, the largest airline in the world, uses Viasat or Intelsat for WiFi on its larger, wide-body planes. It was just in January that the company announced it would start offering free AT&T WiFi for nearly all of its AAdvantage rewards members.

Starlink is already working with several major airlines, including United and Lufthansa. However, Starlink is also facing competition for control of the internet at 30,000 feet. Amazon Leo, the satellite internet service from Amazon, will support WiFi on Delta planes starting in 2028.

Electric vehicle fans, rejoice: Ferrari is now officially on board.

On Monday, the company announced its first-ever electric vehicle, the Ferrari Luce, and reader, this is not your typical Ferrari.

The Luce has been co-designed by Sir Jony Ive (the guy behind the design of at least a dozen iconic Apple gadgets, including the iPhone) and legendary industrial designer Marc Newson, the two heads of the LoveFrom creative collective.

It looks like a sports car from a certain angle, in a certain light. Credit: Ferrari

And it shows. The Ferrari Luce doesn't have the aggressive lines you'd typically see on a Ferrari; it's all rounded corners, soft edges and pastel colors, with only the massive yellow brake calipers and Ferrari badge betraying its true nature. Ferrari says the Luce has "by far" the lowest drag coefficient in the company's history, it's actually unusually tall for a Ferrari, somewhere between an SUV and a sedan. It's going to be a head-turner in more ways than one, and judging by some of the early reactions from Ferrari fans, not everyone will be happy about the design.

Well this is...pleasant. Credit: Ferrari

If you look at it from a certain angle, it can look a bit sporty from the outside. But step inside, and, frankly, it's tamer than a Kia. Again, rounded corners and soft edges dominate the interior, and the only thing that looks like it belongs in a sports car is the steering wheel. Ferrari calls this car a "new chapter" for the company, and it certainly is different. At least the trunk, at 597 liters of capacity, is big enough for a family of four.

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No need to worry about performance, though. This thing has 1,035 horsepower and it will go from 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 310 km/h, while still maintaining a very decent range of 530 kilometers or more.

The Luce is powered by a 122 kWh battery and four electric engines, one per each wheel, which enabled the company to do some things that can't be accomplished in a typical petrol-powered sports car. Ferrari said the car's development included more than 60 new patents, and some of the techy highlights include the ability to control each wheel's motion in every direction, an active suspension system that's derived from the Ferrari F80, and a new Vehicle Control Unit (VCU), a control centre that handles the powertrain and the driving dynamics.

The design includes lots of Corning Gorilla Glass. Credit: Ferrari

Ferrari also put great care into making the car sound authentic, though this is a bit hard to image from the press release alone. We're quoting Ferrari here: "A precision accelerometer at the centre of the axle captures the dynamic texture and vibration of the rotating components while the sound waves are moving. Developed in-house and patented, this system filters, equalises and amplifies the signal in a similar way to an electric guitar, but only when functional to the driving experience." Alrighty, then.

While the Ferrari Luce doesn't look like a raging speed demon, it does carry the price of one — starting at €550,000 (about $639,907) in Italy, though U.S. pricing hasn't been announced yet. Production should begin in late 2026, with deliveries starting in early 2027.

Hyundai is recalling thousands of standard and hybrid vehicles after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered a dangerous software glitch.

According to a May 19 safety recall report, software powering the vehicles' front cameras may inadvertently cause the forward collision-avoidance system to activate. In other words: The car could suddenly brake too early or without cause, leading to potentially serious crashes. The report documented 376 reports of unexpected braking between October 2024 and April 2026.

The software bug was found in more than 421,000 vehicles manufactured by the company since 2024, so Hyundai drivers who recently purchased a vehicle should see if their car is affected.

Which Hyundai cars are being recalled?

The recall applies to 2025-2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz and Tucson models, including both standard fuel and hybrid options. The list includes both the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid.

How do I know if my car has been recalled?

Owners of recalled vehicles will be notified by NHTSA mail by July 17. If you are uncertain if your vehicle is part of the recall, you can search the NHTSA recall database using your car's vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate.

Drivers can also take their vehicles to a Hyundai dealer to update their vehicle's software, the NHTSA says.

Are other vehicles affected?

The NHTSA issued 19 total recalls across Ford, Hyundai, Toyota, Tesla, Honda, and General Motors (as well as other manufacturers) for a variety of issues. Additional Hyundai models — including 2024-2026 Elantra Hybrid vehicles and Hyundai's 2025 Ioniq 5 and 2026 Ioniq 9 electric vehicles — also made the list.'

As far as the many, many Tesla product recalls go, this is one of the more innocuous ones.

Reuters reported that the U.S. ​National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a recall for 14,575 Tesla Model Y SUVs in the country due to the lack of proper signage on the vehicles. Specifically, there is supposed to be a sticker labeling how much weight a Model Y can safely carry, but the SUVs somehow made it to the streets without one. Tesla will take back the recalled Model Y vehicles and install those weight certification labels, per Reuters.

The justification here, obviously, is that people could potentially load up their Model Ys with too much stuff, leading to accidents. It should be noted, however, that there were no reported incidents directly attributable to the stickers' absence before this recall. It seems to have been merely a precautionary measure.

Tesla has been the subject of several product recalls several times in the past. Earlier this month, the NHTSA recalled more than 200,000 Tesla vehicles due to a glitch with their rearview cameras. A separate recall, also this month, affected Cybertrucks due to faulty construction with wheel rotors. Teslas have a bit of a reputation among gearheads for not always being the most tightly constructed vehicles, and stories like this probably don't help that reputation.

Waymo's autonomous ride-share vehicles are becoming increasingly common across the United States, but they just became much less common in four southern U.S. cities.

Waymo has temporarily suspended service in Atlanta, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas due to the risk of inclement weather, after at least one Waymo vehicle was spotted driving headfirst into a flooded street in Atlanta, according to TechCrunch. A photo of the incident circulated on social media, drawing attention to the issue that may have prompted the decision to suspend service as the company figures out how to fix it.

“Safety is Waymo’s top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with. During a period of intense rain yesterday in Atlanta, an unoccupied Waymo vehicle encountered a flooded road and stopped,” Waymo said in a statement, per TechCrunch.

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Waymo had actually issued a software update to its fleet (numbering nearly 4,000) last week to address this issue. Still, the photo of the vehicle rushing into flooded waters was taken after that. A local news report stated that the car had been stuck in the water for about an hour before being removed. Waymo is still working on a final fix to the problem, but until then, people in those four southern cities will need to find another way to get around that doesn't involve robot cars.

Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) assistance package is no longer available as a one-time purchase in Europe.

Instead, users can sign up for FSD at a monthly fee of 99 euros/British pounds, depending on the market. Previously, European customers were only able to get FSD (or the promise of FSD) for a one-time fee of €7,500 or £6,800, respectively.

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In addition, customers in Europe were previously able to get Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot suite of driver assistance features for a one-time fee of €3,800 or £3,400, depending on the market. That feature is no longer available; however, the customers who previously purchased Enhanced Autopilot can now get FSD for a reduced fee of €49 per month.

Tesla FSD brings numerous self-driving features, including navigating through city streets, respecting traffic lights, automatic parking, and more. Enhanced Autopilot has a greatly reduced set of options, with highlights being automatic lane changing on motorways, helpful navigation while on autosteer, and automatic parking.

The news comes after FSD became available in two European markets: the Netherlands and Lithuania. However, we've checked, and the option is available even in the European markets where FSD hasn't formally launched yet.

It's also available for vehicles with older HW3 hardware (as opposed to HW4), even though Tesla CEO Elon Musk made it clear that HW3 cars will not be able to run FSD in its full capability, at least not without a hardware upgrade.

Tesla has brought its Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite of driver assistance features to China – or it's at least close to doing so.

The company announced the news in a tweet on Thursday, listing all of the countries where FSD is currently available. Besides China, also new on that list is Lithuania, the second European country to get FSD after the Netherlands.

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The total list of countries where Tesla FSD is available is now as follows: Australia, Canada, China, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United States.

Tesla did not share any other details about FSD availability in China. Launching FSD in the vast, busy automotive market that is China would surely be a win for Tesla, especially given that many other local automakers, such as Xpeng and Xiaomi, have a similar suite of semi-autonomous driving features in the country already.

As CNBC pointed out, Tesla previously offered its Autopilot and Enhanced Autopilot suites of driver assistance features in China, while the FSD was only available to select users, and in limited fashion. China Daily, however, claims that the complete version of FSD isn't available in China yet, though "progress is under way," citing insider sources.

The news comes shortly after Musk, alongside several other American businessmen and President Donald Trump, visited Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Tesla customers in China currently have to pay a high price to access the most advanced autonomous driving package the company has to offer. As it stands on Tesla's Chinese website, the "Intelligent assisted driving" package costs a one-time fee of 64,000 yuan or $9,409. In the U.S., FSD is only available as a monthly subscription, at a price of $99 per month.

If you have an ongoing relationship with Google Gemini that usually gets suspended when you enter a car, those days are over.

General Motors announced this week that, in the near future, an update will roll out to more than four million GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac vehicles, enabling Gemini support. Gemini will be available through the car's GM’s infotainment system in model year 2022 vehicles or newer.

While there are many potential uses for this AI integration, it can be broadly summarized as hands-free, conversational AI chatbot functionality for your car. There are a few things owners need to do to make sure the update works:

1. Connect to OnStar

2. Sign into Google Play Store

3. Set US English as your assistant language

4. Opt in to Gemini

Once all of that is done and the update is available (it sounds like availability will vary depending on model during this initial rollout), owners will be able to talk to their car while driving.

Drivers can ask Gemini to summarize incoming text messages and send new ones, ask the car to plan a route to one destination that includes a detour to grab coffee, or even request an automatically generated music playlist to fit a certain mood.

You can also ask Gemini to queue up your favorite TV show through an app like HBO Max, but fellow pedestrians can rest assured that this only works when the car is parked. Gemini might be able to facilitate distracted driving to some degree, but not to that degree.

This isn't the first time AI has been integrated into vehicles. Grok has been available for Tesla vehicles since last year in a similar capacity, and ChatGPT recently came to Apple CarPlay.

GM also teased even more AI features set to arrive later this year in the form of a "custom-built AI assistant, fine-tuned with proprietary vehicle data to help anticipate your every need."

So, big news for anyone who wants to talk to their car.

Tesla is in a pickle.

Company CEO Elon Musk has been promising fully autonomous driving via Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) package for years. However, in January, it turned out that older Teslas — those with HW3 hardware, as opposed to newer, HW4 hardware inside — don't really support it, and never will.

This wouldn't be such a big deal if numerous HW3 Tesla owners hadn't already purchased the FSD package, which cost thousands of dollars (the price changed a lot over the years).

To appease these owners, Tesla previously promised a stripped-down version of the software, called FSD V14 Lite, that will run on Teslas with HW3 hardware, but only in the U.S. On Wednesday, the company expanded that globally, but with caveats. Many, many caveats.

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"Following future rollout of FSD V14 Lite for HW3 vehicles in the US, we plan on expanding V14 Lite to additional international markets. This update ensures that HW3 vehicle owners will continue to benefit from ongoing software updates," the company wrote in a tweet. "Since international rollout is subject to several factors (completion of technical verification, regional adaptation & relevant regulatory approvals), we can't provide definitive dates at the moment, but will provide updates on a rolling basis."

The news coincides with recent approval of FSD in the Netherlands, which will likely open the door to the software being allowed in the rest of the European Union. Tesla has been running supervised FSD tests across Europe; having tried it out in Croatia, I can say that it works reasonably well. But HW3 owners who have purchased FSD aren't particularly happy to be left behind; some have already banded together and launched a claims site, asking for their money back.

Tesla's FSD Lite is likely a way to appease HW3 owners. It's worth pointing out, however, that FSD and FSD Lite are not the same, and in some ways, they aren't even close. FSD should ultimately provide a truly autonomous driving experience, while FSD Lite gets some FSD features but will likely always remain just a driving assistance package. And no, true FSD is never coming to HW3 vehicles; during Tesla's Q1 2026 earnings call, Musk said that "Hardware 3 simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD," due to memory bandwidth, lower camera resolution, and processing power constraints.

Now, about those caveats. We don't really know much about FSD V14 Lite, except, as Tesla's VP of AI Ashok Elluswamy said during the call, it's a "distilled version of the same V14 software that we released for Hardware 4." Furthermore, he said FSD V14 Lite would be coming to the U.S. by "end of June." International rollout will start sometime after that, and is subject to regulatory approvals, technical verification, and regional adaptation. Add to that Musk's propensity to set unrealistic timelines, and it could be a long wait for HW3 Tesla owners in Europe and elsewhere.

During that same earnings call, Musk also said Tesla will at some point be offering the ability to retrofit an older car with HW4 hardware, but it's unclear when that will start, who will be eligible, or whether it would incur additional costs to owners.

Tesla's Cybercab has started production, according to CEO Elon Musk.

In a post on X on Friday, the company co-owner shared a very Cyberpunk 2077 video of the autonomous vehicles rolling through the production line, seemingly at Tesla's Giga Texas factory in Austin, Texas.

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On the same day, Tesla's official Robotaxi account also posted a video of Cybercabs "in formation" on a highway.

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Tesla's first Cybercab rolled off the production line on Feb. 18, with the company posting a celebratory photo. In its Q4 2025 earnings call, Tesla had moved the production of Cybercab up to 2026, and in its Q1 2026 earnings call, the company said it "expect[s] volume production of both Cybercab and the Tesla Semi this year," the latter referring to the awaited electric truck.

At launch in 2024, Musk said Tesla would produce 2 million units a year of Cybercab in full production capacity, which would be approximately 38,000 vehicles per week. In these early stages, it's likely to be more like hundreds per week. The company has a history of production delays, and before any of those Cybercabs hits the road, they've got to be approved by regulators.

60 Cybercab units were then spotted at Tesla's Giga Texas in Austin in early April, where the vehicles will all be produced. Drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer reported the autonomous vehicles indeed had steering wheels — the cars in Musk's video do not, they have large screens like most Tesla vehicles — so could be early models.

Tesla Cybercabs lined up at Giga Texas in Austin, on Apr. 8, 2026. Credit: Jay Janner / The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images

A closer look. Credit: Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images

What is the difference between Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi?

But wait, doesn't Tesla already have Cybercabs cruising around on the streets of Texas? Not exactly, but the confusion is real.

Unveiled in 2024 at Tesla's "We, Robot" event, the Cybercab is a fully autonomous electric vehicle that hasn't yet hit the streets. As Mashable's Stan Schroeder reported then, "both names [Cybercab and Robotaxi] were used throughout the event." It's gold, has butterfly wing doors, and will have no steering wheel or pedals.

Tesla's self-driving rideshare vehicles currently in operation are called Robotaxis, which are autonomous Model Y cars. Launched in Austin in 2025, these are the company's competition with Waymo and Uber, and they're black, have steering wheels and pedals, and though they're driverless, they travel with human safety monitors nearby. Tesla tried to trademark the term "Robotaxi" at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but the request was denied.

In Tesla's Q1 2026 earnings call, the company said, "In Q1, paid Robotaxi miles nearly doubled sequentially. Once in production, we expect that Cybercab will begin to replace the existing Model Y fleet and will be the largest volume vehicle in the fleet over time."

Essentially, Robotaxis are on the road now; Cybercabs will eventually replace them.

A Tesla Cybercab that was displayed during SXSW in Austin in March had the word Robotaxi on it (and had a screen, not a steering wheel). But in Musk's video, the word Cybercab is emblazoned on the screen.

The Cybercab shown at SXSW, decked out with the word Robotaxi. Credit: Jay Janner / The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)

No steering wheel. Credit: Jay Janner / The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images

Time to get to work then, Tesla.

Tesla's Robotaxis will hit the streets in two more cities: Dallas and Houston.

Announced by the Elon Musk-owned company on X over the weekend, Tesla is rolling out its autonomous rideshare vehicles in additional Texas locations, after launching in Austin in June 2025.

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Tesla also shared maps of where Robotaxis will be available in Houston and Dallas, which are much less initially penis-shaped maps than its Austin release. In Houston, Robotaxis will be available in the northwest around Jersey Village and Willowbrook; in Dallas, the service will cover a central/north area around Highland Park.

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The service, which has come with its fair share of teething issues, lets passengers be chauffeured around town by autonomous Tesla Model Y cars. In the video shared by Tesla on Saturday (above), there is no human driver or safety monitor in the passenger seat — exactly how "unsupervised" the Robotaxi rides technically are has made a few headlines about remote human oversight.

"We began testing driverless Robotaxis in Austin in December and began removing the safety monitor from customer rides in January on a limited basis, which will unlock further expansion of our Robotaxi fleet and coverage area in the Austin-metro," reads Tesla's Q4 earnings deck from Jan. 2025. Tesla has also been testing Robotaxi pickups from San José Mineta International Airport in the San Francisco Bay Area, "with plans to expand to other major airports in the Bay Area upon receiving required permitting."

Tesla's main competitor, Waymo, already operates for select riders in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio in Texas, as well as being open to the general public in Austin and major U.S. cities including Nashville, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, and most recently, Miami and Orlando — though it hasn't been a smooth rollout by any means.

In 2026, following a $16 billion financing round, Waymo is eyeing the likes of over 20 more cities including New York, Chicago, Charlotte, and many more; beyond the U.S., London and Tokyo are up next.

Uber, meanwhile, also has its sights set on Dallas, recently committing $10 billion to robotaxis in ​at least 28 cities by 2028.

Tesla is about to launch another major software update for its vehicles.

On Monday, the company's official X account posted an overview of what's coming.

Among the new features are a new Self-Driving app that makes it easy to subscribe to the company's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) package with a single tap. FSD has recently been made unavailable as a single purchase, and is now only available as a $99.99/month subscription.

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The new app has a myriad of options on how the car should behave on FSD, including speed profiles, behavior on destination, automatic parking options and more. It also has detailed self-driving stats, showing, for example, how many miles the car passed on FSD.

Another major update is the ability to invoke xAI's smart companion Grok by saying "Hey Grok." The option can be enabled in Grok -> Settings, and Grok can be dismissed by saying "goodbye."

Other features include new car visualization for new Model 3 and Y, more detailed trip stats, a new character (Cyberhog) to display when Pet Mode is active, stickers and emojis in Sketchpad, and custom wraps and license plates for Tesla avatars (only for Model S and X owners).

Also new is the ability to automatically install updates (finally!), more detailed weather maps, more dashcam options, and a new Premium Immersive Sound option that uses "advanced sound extraction to place the listener in front of a detailed soundstage within an Immersive space. "

Your kids will love this. Credit: Tesla

Some of the updates actually add important functionality to the way you drive. For example, the accent lights in the car now turn red when an object is in your blind spot and your turn signal is engaged, or when an approaching object is detected while parked.

This is a pretty large update for Tesla's standards, and it brings something for everyone, even owners of the (now discontinued) Model S and Model X. The company said the update will be rolling out "shortly."

Transportation companies Waymo and Waze announced a new, pothole-patching pilot today, harnessing their troves of street data to map out areas in need of fixing.

The program will rely on the perception and physical feedback systems built into Waymo's autonomous fleet vehicles to detect the location and condition of city potholes. That data will then be sent to city and state Departments of Transportation through the free Waze for Cities program, which provides real-time road data to partners.

Waze users will be able to access and verify the data in the app, starting with riders in Los Angeles, when driving through areas with Waymo fleets.

Waymo will pilot the data partnership in five cities to start: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, and plans to expand to cities with more complex transportation conditions, including harsh winters and freeze-thaw cycles. The company says it has already identified 500 potholes in need of filling. It says the partnership will "help fill reporting gaps and support cities’ efforts to maintain safer streets."

Waymo recently launched its driverless fleet to riders in Nashville, part of an aggressive expansion across the U.S., including cities like Chicago and Charlotte — it's expected to debut in dozens more cities this year. Waymo is in direct competition with Tesla's robotaxi fleet and recently had a $16 billion financing round. Tesla, meanwhile, is reportedly accelerating its autonomous fleet plans outside of its base in Austin, Texas.

Tesla is working on a new car, and it's going to be exactly what many are hoping for: a smaller, cheaper electric SUV.

This is according to Reuters, which spoke with four people familiar with the matter. According to the report, the new car will be an entirely new model, and not a variant of the Model 3 or Model Y (Tesla recently discontinued its larger sedan and SUV, the Model S and the Model X).

The new Tesla SUV would be about 14 feet long, making it considerably shorter than the Model Y, which is 15.7 feet long. It would also be "substantially" cheaper than the Model 3, which is currently the most affordable Tesla you can get, starting at $37,000 in the U.S.

The new SUV, which Tesla plans to manufacture in China, might also be offered with a smaller battery and just a single motor instead of two (both the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y can come with either with one or two motors). This would make the car lighter than other Tesla models, but the smaller battery might also mean it'll have less range than existing models.

There are no details on when Tesla plans to launch the new car, and the report says that the project is still in an "early development stage," meaning it might not happen at all.

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The fact that Tesla is working on something isn't a secret; just a few weeks ago the company CEO Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla is working on something "way cooler than a minivan."

Figuring out exactly what Tesla's exact plans are is another matter. The company is working on an autonomous vehicle called the Cybercab (or the Robovan; the name doesn't seem to be set in stone yet). And Tesla was reportedly working on a cheaper model for years before scrapping it, seemingly in favor of offering cheaper variants of existing models.

Notably, when Reuters reported on Tesla giving up on launching a cheaper model in 2024, Musk tweeted that the news agency was "lying". The fact is, the company never did launch a cheaper model; we'll see if things turn out differently this time.

Waymo is now offering fully autonomous, driverless taxi rides in Nashville.

We knew this was coming. The company's robotaxis were spotted driving around without a human safety driver in Nashville back in February, but the service wasn't open to the public yet.

Starting now, however, Waymo users will be getting invites for fully driverless rides in Nashville. Initially, the service will cover a 60-square-mile area (see map below), and Waymo says it's also planning to include the Nashville International Airport in the "near future."

The Nashville International Airport isn't included right now, but Waymo should be expanding there soon. Credit: Waymo

If you haven't received your invite, it should be coming soon. Waymo says the gradual rollout enables it to "thoughtfully scale while delivering a consistent, high-quality experience."

The service will initially be offered through Waymo app, but the company says it will also start serving some rides through project partner Lyft's app "later this year."

Waymo has been aggressively expanding in recent months, likely due to its chief competitor, Tesla, doing the same with its Robotaxi service. Most recently, Waymo has expanded its test vehicles in Chicago, Illinois, and Charlotte. The company's expansion follows a $16 billion financing round in February, with Waymo promising to expand to over 20 more cities in 2026.

It was not meant to be.

Shortly after Honda discontinued several upcoming electric vehicles of its own, Sony and Honda's joint electric vehicle project Afeela has come to an abrupt end.

In a joint statement, the companies said they would "discontinue the development and launch of its first model, AFEELA 1, and its second model," as well as review their business direction together.

While Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), the joint automotive venture between Sony and Honda, has not effectively been killed yet, the statement said the company will "continue to discuss and evaluate the future of SHM," with an announcement coming "at the earliest possible opportunity."

In other words, with no cars on the horizon, SHM is on life support, and it seems unlikely it will ever do much besides be unceremoniously dismantled in the near future.

Unlike Honda's "0 Series" concepts, SHM's Afeela appeared to be quite close to production, with the company showing an upgraded version of Afeela 1 just months ago at CES.

The sleek, techy Afeela 1 was envisioned as a car that puts entertainment first, with features including PlayStation Remote Play, an AI assistant, and videoconferencing. The starting price was set at $89,000 in the U.S., with the launch intended for late 2026.

The "second model" mentioned in SHM's statement is likely the Afeela 2 SUV, which was supposed to launch further down the line.

Nothing seemed amiss as NASA's experimental X-59 supersonic jet touched down after its second test in the air, smoothly coasting onto the runway. 

But the sleek, needle-nosed airplane had completed only nine minutes in the air on Friday, March 20, before a cockpit warning light forced an early landing. That warning was separate from a caution light that occurred during an earlier takeoff attempt just before 10 a.m. P.T., said Cathy Bahm, project manager at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.

The brief flight left from Edwards Air Force Base in California at 10:54 a.m. P.T. marked only the second time the aircraft had flown. While the team originally planned for about an hour, leaders stressed that even short flights provide new data for moving the project forward. You can watch the landing in the video below. 

Bob Pearce, who heads NASA's aeronautics research, said the team made the right call to cut the flight short on Friday. The agency expects to find and fix issues at this stage of an X‑plane, an aircraft the U.S. builds to test new flight technologies and ideas.

"Sometimes it's easy to forget that building this kind of experimental aircraft means creating something that never existed before," Pearce said during a news conference. "As far as X-planes go, it's not unusual."

The X-59 is part of a long-term effort to change how fast commercial airplanes fly over land. Traditional supersonic aircraft create a loud boom when they break the sound barrier, which is why the U.S. government bans routine supersonic passenger flights over populated areas. NASA and its contractor, Lockheed Martin, built the X-59 to fly faster than sound while producing only a "thump," with the goal of providing regulators and the industry with the evidence needed to reconsider the restrictions.

At the kind of supersonic speeds NASA wants to target for the X-59 — around 925 mph — a nonstop flight from New York to L.A. could take less than three hours. Today's commercial airlines typically cruise at about 550 mph on that route, so passengers tend to spend about 5 to 6 hours crossing the country.

A sonic boom occurs when a plane flies faster than the speed of sound, compressing pressure waves into a single shock wave that hits the ground like a sudden explosion of air. NASA designed the X‑59 so its shape spreads those pressure changes out along the aircraft, turning that single sharp shock into a series of smaller pulses.

Residents below didn't hear the X-59's thump during either of the first two test flights — and they weren't supposed to. The plane never flew fast enough either time to make it. Both flights intentionally stayed at subsonic speeds. NASA is using these early tests to shake out systems and watch how the plane handles. 

During Friday's test, the aircraft was supposed to fly for roughly an hour, reaching a cruising speed of 230 mph at 12,000 feet before accelerating to 260 mph at 20,000 feet. The plane never exceeded 230 mph, officials said.

"I certainly hoped to have more to talk about than nine minutes of flight," said Less, who flew the X-59 for the first time on this mission. "Although I had not intended to have to land quite as urgently for my first landing, the plane performed beautifully."

NASA test pilot Jim 'Clue' Less sits inside the cockpit of the experimental X-59 quiet supersonic jet at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Credit: NASA / Jim Ross

He described the aircraft as handling just like its simulators. Over hundreds of hours of test runs in the simulator, Less and other test pilots had practiced with the unconventional vision system that combines images from cameras into a high-definition display. But this was his first time flying without the traditional front window. 

The long nose shape that helps soften the sonic boom doesn't leave room for a standard cockpit windscreen. But in some cases, the system offers better visibility than the naked eye, he said. If a pilot is facing into the sun, for example, image processing can reduce glare and improve contrast. 

"It really felt comfortable," he said. "Even though I wasn't seeing out the front, I could see out the sides and match that up." 

More than 100 test flights are planned. NASA intends to gradually push toward higher, faster flights before testing those muffled booms over towns.

BMW put all the electric vehicle makers on notice with the near-universally loved BMW iX3, its first "Neue Klasse" electric car. The mid-sized SUV wowed reviewers with best-in-class range, slick entertainment, and smooth driving, prompting more than 50,000 people to pre-order it without even trying it out.

But many car enthusiasts love BMW for its sporty sedans, meaning that the BMW i3, the first "Neue Klasse" electric sedan, is equally as important for the company.

(Note that this BMW i3 is an electric counterpart to the BMW 3 series, and not a successor to the original BMW i3, a compact, electric city-dweller that BMW stopped selling a few years ago).

The headlights are very recognizably "Neue Klasse", but this is a far sportier car than the BMW iX3. Credit: BMW

At first glance, the BMW i3 doesn't disappoint. Unveiled on Wednesday in just one configuration (for now), the BMW i3 50 xDrive has dual electric motors with a power output of 469 hp. BMW's sixth-generation eDrive tech, with BMW's Heart of Joy computer fine-tuning the driving experience, should provide a smooth and sporty ride (BMW hasn't shared performance figures yet).

Credit: BMW

But the BMW i3's biggest highlight is the range, which is up to 440 miles per EPA standards, and up to 900 kilometers per Europe's WLTP standards, handily beating every Tesla out there. Equally impressive is the 400 kW charging enabled by the 800-volt architecture, which can get you up to 400 km of range in just 10 minutes.

The interior is very similar to that of the BMW iX3, with a 17.9-inch, oddly shaped central display, and the Panoramic Vision display stretching along the entire length of the windshield. Credit: BMW

At 187.4 inches in length and 73.4 inches in width, the BMW i3 is pretty close to the BMW 3 (and Tesla's Model 3, which is probably its biggest electric rival). The look, however, is very much "Neue Klasse" and a pretty big departure from BMW's current ICE lineup (though, also, a nod to BMW's original Neue Klasse models from the 1960s).

This means you can forget about BMW's oversized radiator grille; instead, the grille is near invisible, blending into the two angry-looking black strips that also host the headlights. In the rear, BMW thankfully stops just a few centimeters short of blending the taillights into a horizontal line which appears to be everywhere these days.

Inside, it's very similar to the iX3; you get a 17.9-inch central display, a full-length Panoramic Vision display stretching along the entire bottom of the windshield, plus an optional 3D head-up display. And yes, the steering wheel has the ultra-techy, four-spoke design, though you can also get an optional M Sport, 2-spoke wheel.

The BMW i3 goes into production this August, with deliveries starting in the fall. We don't know anything about the price, though; for reference, the BMW iX3 starts around $60,000 in the U.S.

At CES 2024 (and, again, at CES 2025), Honda showcased some of the coolest-looking electric vehicle concepts we've ever seen.

With a sleek retro aesthetic, the Honda 0 Series Saloon and 0 Series SUV seemed to be the company's ticket to make serious waves in the EV space, at a time when many other manufacturers were scaling down their EV plans.

The idea was to bring these cars to market in 2026, but that's not going to happen. On Thursday, Honda announced it would cancel the development and market launch of both the Honda 0 Series models, as well as the electric Acura RSX, writing off roughly $15.7 billion in restructuring costs.

"Honda determined that starting production and sales of these three models in current business environment where the demand for EVs is declining significantly would likely result in further losses over the long term," the company said in a statement.

The company lays down the blame for the move on Trump's tariffs, as well as its own inability to properly balance resources needed to develop EVs and remain competitive in Asia.

One paragraph from the statement is particularly notable as it clearly explains why Honda (but also many other, older manufacturers) cannot compete with the new wave of EVs from China.

"In China, what customers value more in automobiles is shifting from hardware features, such as fuel efficiency and cabin space, to software-based features that will continuously advance according to customer preferences. This has intensified the competition due to the rapid emergence of newer EV manufacturers that leverage their short product development cycles and strengths in the area of software-defined vehicle (SDV) technologies, including advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). In such a difficult competitive environment, Honda was unable to deliver products that offer value for money better than that of newer EV manufacturers."

European manufacturers, take note: This isn't only happening in China, and it goes for many of you, too.

While this isn't mentioned in the post, this likely means that the associated projects, such as this cool solar-powered camper, probably aren't happening either.

Honda will instead focus on hybrids for the time being. As for EVs, Honda will monitor "the balance between profitability and market trends" before it decides to introduce new EV models.

Xiaomi made true on its promise: The company brought the freshly announced Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo hypercar concept to its booth at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

I'd recognize that light signature anywhere. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

Having seen it in person at MWC, let me tell you, this is not your average electric family sedan, as fast as those are these days. The Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo is a futuristic supercar that sits very low to the ground and has apparently been designed with one thing in mind: to defeat the wind.

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We weren't allowed to peek inside, unfortunately, and see that snazzy, "cocoon-shaped" interior.

Those are some huge wind tunnels. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

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We still don't know much about the Xiaomi Vision GT. We don't know the details on its powertrain or battery, how fast it goes, or even how much it costs. In its presentation on Sunday, Xiaomi focused on the car's low drag coefficient and how connected it is to the other devices in the company's ecosystem.

The tire covers supposedly do not rotate while the car moves, which lowers drag. No, we don't know how it works. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

The Vision Gran Turismo name is not accidental; it means the concept car is part of the Vision Gran Turismo Program, a project led by Polyphony Digital's Kazunori Yamauchi involving a series of (mostly virtual) vehicles developed by car manufacturers for the Gran Turismo racing game franchise. What's new is that these cars are typically designed by renowned car companies including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Honda; now, Xiaomi — primarily a consumer electronics company — has joined the program as well.

OK, when can we order one? Hint: Probably never. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

As such, the Xiaomi Vision GT probably won't be a car you can actually purchase, but it's a cool exercise for Xiaomi. Gamers should soon be able to drive the car in Gran Turismo 7 and Xiaomi can now add "hypercar maker" to the ever-growing list of things it does.

Xiaomi likes to bring cars to Barcelona; the company gave us the first glimpse of its SU7 Ultra supercar during last year's MWC in March.

This year, however, Xiaomi has unveiled something that's pretty far out there, even by its own standards. Called the Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo, it's a hypercar that was designed to go really fast while slicing through the air in a way not many cars (or race cars, for that matter) can (Xiaomi says it's been "sculpted by the wind").

It feels kinda empty in there. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The company will bring the concept car to its MWC show floor in Barcelona on March 2, presumably when we'll learn more about its powertrain, acceleration, battery, and other trivialities. Today, however, Xiaomi was mostly focused on how the air flows through the car, using a variety of wind tunnels and channels (and even a moving part on the car's bottom) to make it more efficient.

The wheels and wheel covers are special, too. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Even the car's wheels have special covers that are (somehow) magnetically set in place so they don't rotate while the car moves, as that would also increase drag.

I bet your car doesn't have a cocoon-shaped sofa. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Inside, it gets even nuttier. The seats are out; instead, you sit in a "cocoon-shaped sofa" with an x-wing steering wheel with five tiny displays, some of which apparently double as (contextual?) buttons. Most of the things you associate with a traditional car are gone; instead, it's you in that sofa-shaped cockpit, that steering wheel, and the road. The car's a two-seater, so don't expect to bring your family on a trip in this one.

Fortunately, you might be able to get a cocoon-shaped sofa/cockpit for your home. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

In fact, most people probably won't be able to afford a car like this, but Xiaomi's got you covered, as it plans to release a gaming console/cockpit shaped just like the car's cockpit, so you can race around in your own little cocoon in the relative safety of your home.

We don't know how fast it goes. We don't know where the batteries are, given that the car appears to be mostly wind tunnels under that cockpit. We don't know if it's ever going to make it to market. But boy, does it all look cool.

We'll hopefully find out more on March 2 when that show floor opens, so stay tuned for pics and videos.

Polestar is expanding its lineup in a big way.

On Wednesday, the company announced what it called the "largest model offensive in its history," with four new cars coming in the next three years.

Some of these aren't exactly a surprise. The 2026 Polestar 5, a quick electric sedan, was announced last year, will start being delivered to customers this summer.

But the company also announced a revamp version of its electric SUV, the Polestar 4, which will launch later in 2026, with deliveries starting in the fourth quarter of the year.

Next in line is a new version of the compact electric sedan, the Polestar 2, which should launch "early in 2027."

Finally, the Polestar 7, a "compact, premium SUV," is scheduled for launch in 2028.

Here's a closer look at the upcoming models, Polestar 4,2, and 7. Credit: Polestar

The details on the new models are scarce; this is more of a strategy announcement from Polestar than a car reveal. The company did say the Polestar 4 will be "combining the space of an estate and the versatility of an SUV with the dynamic performance that is Polestar," while the Polestar 2 will be "very exciting."

As for the Polestar 7, a very important model in Europe where compact SUVs are all the rage, the company claims that it's convinced it "can offer customers a progressive performance-driven car for a very attractive price point, built in Europe."

Waymo's robotaxis are almost ready to launch in Nashville.

The company has been testing its autonomous vehicles in the city for a while, having announced the launch in Nashville back in September 2025. Now, Waymo announced that it's testing its robotaxis without a human safety driver, which is typically the last step before the service launches for everyone.

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Waymo plans to initially offer rides in Nashville through its Waymo One app. The company partnered with Lyft for the launch in Nashville, and Waymo's autonomous robotaxis should become available through Lyft's app down the line, too.

Waymo plans to rapidly expand its robotaxi service throughout 2026, both in the U.S. and abroad. The Alphabet-owned company recently took a monster, $16 billion financing round and announced plans to expand to more than 20 new cities in 2026.

Waymo most recently launched in Miami, and was also spotted testing its service in London.

A new lawsuit has shed a terrifying light on a Tesla driver's death in October 2025.

Bloomberg reported on the wrongful death lawsuit, which is centered around 20-year-old Samuel Tremblett, a driver who passed away after a collision involving a Tesla Model Y SUV in October of last year.

According to the lawsuit, Tremblett was driving a 2021 Tesla Model Y outside Boston when he left the road and struck a tree. He survived the initial impact but was apparently unable to exit the vehicle due to an alleged failure of Tesla's signature electric door system. He eventually died as a result of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. Before he died, Tremblett called 911, but first responders were not able to rescue him in time.

The most chilling part of this whole story comes from 911 call transcripts found in the lawsuit.

"It's on fire. Please help," Tremblett said, according to the transcript. "I am going to die."

The lawsuit states that police officers arrived quickly to the scene, but were unable to put out the fire or remove Tremblett in time. The lawsuit says it ultimately took firefighters four hours to extinguish the crashed Model Y.

As the fire burned, Tremblett stayed on the phone with the 911 dispatcher:

I’m stuck in a car crash… I can’t get out, please help me… I can’t breathe… It’s on fire, it’s on fire. Help please… I am going to die… I’m dying. Help. I’m dying… Help… Help.

Last year, a Bloomberg report found 15 deaths related to Tesla's electronic door system, part of a wider investigation into the safety of Tesla doors. According to Bloomberg, there is a low-voltage battery in each Tesla vehicle that governs components such as doors, while a higher voltage battery is responsible for propelling the car forward. If the low-voltage battery is disabled for any reason, the doors will not open in their normal fashion.

There is a mechanical release for the doors, but per Bloomberg, many drivers are not aware of this or how to operate it. In addition, panicked drivers in a life-or-death situation may struggle to recall the proper opening procedure.

The lawsuit accuses Tesla of selling vehicles with a “defective and unreasonably dangerous automated door handles.” It further states that “Tesla owed a duty to provide adequate warnings, instructions, and information with the Subject Vehicle before placing it into the stream of commerce” and that “Tesla knew or should have known of the defective and unreasonably dangerous condition of the 2021 Model Y.”

For its part, Tesla said last year that it would update its vehicles so that doors would automatically unlock after a "serious collision." However, the company only reached that conclusion after multiple deaths allegedly involving door failures.

Alphabet's Waymo just raised a ton of cash to finance massive expansion of its self-driving taxi fleet to over 20 more cities.

In a blog post Monday, Waymo said it raised a $16 billion investment, valuing the company at $126 billion. The round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, and included a who's who of investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Mubadala Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price.

The new capital will be used to scale Waymo to a "commercial reality," which includes expansion to more than 20 additional cities in 2026, including Tokyo and London.

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Incidentally, a Waymo was recently spotted testing the waters in London, anecdotally annoying drivers as it was one of the few vehicles actually obeying speed limits.

The company recently kicked off its robotaxi operation in Miami and expanded San Francisco coverage to include the San Francisco International Airport.

While Waymo has been slowly rolling out its self-driving taxis in a small number of U.S. cities for years, it's been expanding far more rapidly in recent months. This probably has something to do with Tesla, which launched its own robotaxi service in several U.S. cities, prompting CEO Elon Musk to proclaim that Waymo "never really had a chance" in the robotaxi race. Whether that's true remains to be seen, but at least now Waymo has a big pile of cash it can use to increase its chances.

If you planned on buying a Tesla Model S or a Model X, better hurry: These two models will be discontinued soon.

The plan was mentioned by company CEO Elon Musk during Tesla's earnings call on Wednesday. It was later confirmed in a tweet from Tesla's official account.

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"As we shift to an autonomous future, Model S & X production will wind down next quarter," the tweet said. "If you’d like to own one of them, now’s a good time to place your order."

The move doesn't come as complete surprise. Tesla kept its two premium models alive with small updates over the years, but never really gave either model the complete overhaul it deserved (this especially goes for the Model X, which still looks almost the same now as it did when it first launched in 2015).

Instead, the company focused on its best-selling SUV and sedan, the Model Y, and Model 3, while sales of the Model S and X dwindled. When reporting sales, Tesla lumps all of its premium models together in the "other models" category, and in the last quarter of 2025, it sold only 11,642 of these, a 51 percent year-over-year decrease.

Still, the discontinuation of Model S and X is a huge deal for the company and will likely cause a lot of grumpiness among fans. The Tesla Model S was the company's first family sedan, and the first car it sold at any sort of meaningful volume (the Tesla Roadster was the original Tesla car, but it was more of a showcase of what electric cars can do).

Perhaps most importantly, unless it comes up with something new, Tesla will now have a pretty big gap in its lineup. The Model 3 and Y are a compact sedan and SUV, respectively. The Model S is a large family sedan, and the fastest Tesla car you can get; The Model X is the company's most luxurious vehicle and the only truly large family SUV it had in its lineup.

Now, if you want something a bit more posh or spacious from Tesla, you'll have to go for the divisive Cybertruck, which is selling abysmally. That "other models" category we mentioned above? It also includes the Cybertruck and Tesla Semi.

Tesla's next car should be the self-driving Cybercab/Robotaxi, which isn't something regular people will want to own. The much-delayed new Tesla Roadster should arrive in 2027, but that's a pretty extreme sports car that even Elon Musk admits not everyone should own.

Instead, Tesla is increasingly focusing on its humanoid robot, Optimus. In fact, the company's production line in Fremont, California, where it used to manufacture the Model S and X, will now be replaced by a production line for Optimus.

What about the cars, though? Per Elon Musk: "The only vehicles that we'll make will be autonomous vehicles, with the exception of the next generation Roadster."

Volkswagen has recalled more than 40,000 of its ID.4 electric SUVs for one of the worst reasons imaginable: risk of battery fire.

There are actually several separate recalls going on here, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but they're all very similar. First, 43,881 Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles, produced from Sept. 2, 2022 to Apr. 10, 2025, have been recalled. "In rare circumstances," the NHTSA says, "the high-voltage battery modules may experience a thermal propagation, possibly resulting in a vehicle fire."

The issue stems from shifted electrodes in the cars' batteries, which can cause a short circuit, resulting in a fire. To make matters worse, there are several similar but separate issues that could cause battery fire here, with some ID.4 cars being more at risk than others.

For owners with affected vehicles, Volkswagen will "conduct a battery health check inspection and install updated SDD software on vehicles within this campaign, and will replace potentially affected HV battery cell modules," for free.

An additional 670 VW ID.4 vehicles, model years 2023 and 2024, were recalled in January due to misaligned electrodes in the batteries, which can again cause vehicle fire. Plus, 311 vehicles were recalled in December last year over a similar issue.

This isn't just a theoretical problem; several vehicles actually caught fire because of it. For 1,299 Volkswagen ID.4 EVs manufactured between Nov. 3, 2022, and Sept. 22, 2024, Volkswagen recommends that owners park the cars outside instead of in a garage, and charge them only on AC slow chargers.

European owners of ID.4 vehicles will be happy to know that this issue only affects American-made ID.4s, whose batteries were produced by SK Battery America, in its U.S. plant in Georgia. The Volkswagen ID.4 cars that were manufactured in Europe do not exhibit the same issue.

Tesla has discontinued Autopilot in the U.S.

As odd as that may sound, given how adamant CEO Elon Musk has been about the importance of autonomous driving, it's more of a pricing reshuffle than an actual removal of any specific feature, but it's still going to annoy many users.

Here's what's happening: If you buy a new Tesla car in the U.S., you will no longer receive the Basic Autopilot set of features, which was previously included with every Tesla. Instead, you're getting Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, which is a feature that maintains set driving speed and slows down when there's a slower vehicle in front of you.

Basic Autopilot, which is no longer available in the U.S., also includes Autosteer, which is an important driving assistance feature as it keeps vehicle centered in the lane. The combination of Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer is what enables you to hit one button (or stalk) and basically have the car drive itself on a highway (with you paying attention, of course).

Sorry, this is your only option now. Credit: Tesla

It's worth noting that Tesla also offers Enhanced Autopilot in some countries outside of the U.S., which is a far more comprehensive set of features, as it includes Autosteer, Navigate on Autopilot, Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control, and Smart Summon.

In the U.S., Tesla configurator now offers just one option: Full Self-Driving (FSD), which costs $99 per month, and is still available as a one time purchase for $8,000, though that option is going away on Feb. 14.

Annoyingly, Tesla's configurator doesn't really mention the change. The word "Autopilot" simply isn't mentioned anywhere on the page.

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The move is likely another (desperate?) Tesla effort to push customers to purchase FSD. But it's a very costly change for users who want Autosteer and don't really care about FSD (which is still beta software and does not offer autonomous driving, despite Musk having promised it for years), as they now have to pay $99 per month to get this feature. Even worse, Musk recently said that the price of the software will "rise as FSD's capabilities improve."

Buyers of Tesla's premium models — the Model S, Model X, and the "Cyberbeast" version of Cybertruck — get FSD for free, so this change doesn't really affect them. For anyone buying a new Model 3 or Model Y, though, it's FSD or (almost) nothing.

Judging by some of the comments on social media, people aren't happy about this change. Some have noted that cheaper, entry-level cars from other companies now come with these basic safety features whereas a Tesla Model 3 or Y doesn't.

Ironically, the situation is better in Europe, where most Full Self-Driving features aren't allowed yet. There, buyers still get Basic Autopilot with every new car, and can also opt for the Enhanced Autopilot, which costs half the price of FSD. This will likely change when (if) FSD gets the green light from European regulators, which, even more ironically, means that Tesla buyers in Europe will likely stop hoping (and petitioning) for it to happen.

Tesla now operates Robotaxis in Austin, Texas without human safety monitors in the driver's seat.

While the above sentence is technically correct, the company may have just moved the safety monitors to another car that follows the first one.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the news on X on Thursday. "Just started Tesla Robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car," he wrote. The official Tesla account on X went a step further, calling the ride "full unsupervised."

One "unsupervised" Robotaxi ride in a Tesla Model Y is detailed in a video by Joe Tegtmeyer, retweeted by Musk and Tesla. At one point, we see that a black Tesla Model Y is following the Robotaxi. "You'll also notice behind the Model Y is a chase car, I think they're using that for validation," Tegtmeyer says. The black car keeps following the Robotaxi throughout the ride.

Neither Musk nor Tesla have explained what the second car is for, so it's hard to make any definitive statement about it. It is, however, very possible that the car carries humans who are ready to intervene if something goes wrong with the Robotaxi ride, which sounds a lot like safety monitors.

We'll see whether Robotaxis in Austin will start making autonomous rides without another Tesla following them. For now, this could just be a cool trick that allows Musk to brag about Robotaxis making autonomous rides with "no safety monitor in the car."

Meanwhile, Tesla's chief competitor Waymo is carrying out fully autonomous rides in six major cities in the U.S., having added Miami to the list just days ago.

If you ask Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Waymo "never really had a chance" in the robotaxi race.

However, in reality, Waymo is extending its lead over Tesla. The company just launched its autonomous taxi service in Miami, bringing the number of U.S. cities where it operates to six.

Initially, the company will cover a 60-square-mile area of Miami, and Waymo says it plans to expand to Miami International Airport "soon."

Waymo will expand to Miami International Airport soon. Credit: Waymo

Waymo says the service is fully autonomous, and that 10,000 residents have already signed up, with new riders being invited on a "rolling basis."

The company currently operates its robotaxi service in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. There is, however, a pretty long list of cities which are getting Waymo next, including Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, and Washington DC in the U.S., as well as London in the UK.

The company also offers a "driving experience" program in a number of other cities, including Boston, New York, and Seattle in the U.S., and Tokyo in Japan.

Meanwhile, Tesla only offers autonomous Robotaxi rides in Austin; in the San Francisco Bay Area, the rides are only available with human "safety monitors" in driver's seats.

While Waymo is ahead, its autonomous ride-hailing service isn't entirely without issues. Most recently, Waymo cars stalled and caused traffic jams amidst a San Francisco blackout.

Volvo EX60 is probably the most important car for Volvo this decade, and the specifications show it.

Officially unveiled on Wednesday, the Volvo EX60 is a mid-sized electric SUV, positioned in between the smaller EX30 and the big family hauler, the EX90, both of which are already available for purchase.

Volvo says the EX60 is extremely efficient thanks to its aerodynamics, as well as thermal and propulsion efficiency. Credit: Volvo

But the EX60 mimics the company's all-time best-selling model, the petrol-powered Volvo XC60. And while that car has been electrified in the form of the plug-in hybrid, the XC60 Recharge, the Volvo EX60 is the company's first, true mid-size electric SUV.

Given the intense competition in that space, Volvo had to pull out the big guns to stay competitive, and that it did, at least on paper. The Volvo EX60, which is built on Volvo's new SPA3 EV architecture, has a massive 400 miles of range. It also has super-fast charging, ideally taking the battery from 10 to 80 percent in just 19 minutes on a 400kW charger.

You won't mistake the EX60 for a non-Volvo, that's for sure. Credit: Volvo

These figures are for the most powerful variant, the Volvo EX60 P12 AWD, which comes with a 117kWh battery and dual motors for a combined 670hp, propelling the car from 0 to 60mph in 3.8 seconds.

You can also get the EX60 in a slightly weaker, P10 AWD configuration, which has a 95kWh battery and up to 320 miles of range, while the P6 only has a rear motor and up to 310 miles of range.

It's worth comparing that range figure with some competitors, as Volvo claims it's best-in-class. For example, Tesla's Model Y has up to 330 of EPA range, while BMW's recently unveiled iX3 equals the EX60 with up to 400 miles of range.

The infotainment system is powered by Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Google Gemini AI. Note the central screen which is horizontal instead of vertical, as it is on other Volvo models. Credit: Volvo

Volvo also addressed another pain point in many of today's cars: Infotainment. The EX60 is based on HuginCore, Volvo's name for a hardware/software combination of Nvidia and Qualcomm chips, and Google's Gemini AI smarts.

Some amenities you can get in an EX60 include a 28-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, with Apple Music pre-installed with Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio support. The Gemini AI bit means you can have a natural conversation with your car, and the AI isn't just for answering geography and history questions; instead, it should be able to perform a variety of commands without you having to remember specific queries.

We hoped for a 7-seat variant, but Volvo doesn't mention it anywhere. Credit: Volvo

Volvo also says that all this hardware power brings a "no-lag" infotainment experience, in which "screens respond quickly, maps load instantly, voice assistants understand passengers better, and everything feels smooth." It sounds great, but we'll believe it when we see it.

Other highlights include tons of safety tech, as is customary for Volvo, which includes a boron steel-strengthened safety cage. The minimalistic exterior and interior design gently whispers "Scandinavian quality" into your ear. Looking at Volvo's promotional pictures, the most important detail we've noticed is the horizontally oriented central display, which used to be vertical in previous Volvos.

The Volvo EX60 CC is a bit more nature-friendly, but it's not that different from the regular EX60. Credit: Volvo

The company also launched the Volvo EX60 Cross Country, a slightly more rugged variant that shares very similar specs, though it's only available in the P10 AWD and P12 AWD configurations. Differences from the regular EX60 include higher clearance and seating position, air suspension, rugged wheel arches, stainless steel skid plates, and badges that remind you that this is a CC model.

Volvo says that the production of EX60 P6 and P10 variants will begin in April 2026, while the P12 will enter production later this year. As for price, the company says that a "really well-equipped" Volvo EX60 P10 AWD should cost around $60,000.

Going camping? With an EV? We've got the perfect trailer for you. The only problem? It's still a prototype.

Honda has just announced the Honda Base Station Prototype, a solar-powered camping trailer that ticks all the boxes for electric vehicle owners.

Details about the Base Station are pretty scarce. The trailer, developed by engineers and designers at Honda's U.S. R&D centers in California and Ohio, is modular, smart, with an "open, spacious, airy and bright interior." It can sleep a family of four with a foldable couch and an (optional) kids' bunk bed. And if you raise the roof, you get seven feet of stand-up space.

Raise the roof, and you get seven feet of stand-up space. Lower it down, and you're protected from the elements. Credit: Honda

The modular part comes in the form of various accessories, such as an air conditioner, an external shower, or an external kitchen. It's all powered through a lithium battery, inverter, and integrated solar powers and, if need be, you can hook it up to an external generator.

Honda didn't release any actual figures behind all this, such as battery capacity, or any of the ways that make the trailer "smart."

Honda, of course, has it pictured together with its Honda 0 SUV, which is currently also in prototype stage. The two might actually launch together, even though Honda didn't share many details about a launch date for the Base Station (the Honda 0 SUV is scheduled to launch in 2026).

As for the price, Honda said it would make it "competitively priced in the lightweight travel trailer segment."

Still on the fence about purchasing Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) package? You'll have to decide quickly, as FSD will soon become available only through a subscription.

CEO Elon Musk announced the news via X on Wednesday. "Tesla will stop selling FSD after Feb 14. FSD will only be available as a monthly subscription thereafter," he tweeted.

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This gives Tesla owners a month to make a decision on buying FSD outright and own it forever.

The FSD package is currently an option for some Tesla vehicles; if you're buying a Model 3, a Model Y, or the All-Wheel Drive variant of Cybertruck, it will cost you an additional $8,000. With other models, including all variants of the Model S and the Model Y, as well as the Cyberbeast version of the Cybertruck, it's included in the price.

Currently listed as Full Self-Driving (Supervised), the FSD is a set of driving assistance features that will make your car able to "drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention," according to Tesla. The company notes, however, that the "currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous," and that some features are "dependent on development and regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions."

In other words, and despite Musk's promises that FSD will turn your Tesla into a self-driving car, this hasn't happened yet. The situation is even worse in Europe, where most FSD features aren't available due to regulatory hurdles, though the company has recently begun testing FSD in some European countries, including Germany.

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Musk has long claimed that FSD will make your Tesla a money-maker, as it will become fully autonomous and you will be able to have it ferry other passengers when you're not using it. He also blew past his own deadlines for this happening many times in the past, leaving owners of older Tesla vehicles, which don't have the latest HW4 hardware, in limbo – despite promises that their cars will be able to support fully autonomous driving.

Tesla's Model Y in the U.S. can now be bought with a third row of seats – but this is not the larger, six-seater Model Y L that the company is selling in China.

Instead, the third row of seats, which is a $2,500 option for the Tesla Model Y Premium and Performance trims, has simply been squeezed into the current Model Y's trunk.

Yes, it brings the total number of seats in the Model Y to seven, but most adults won't be able to sit in that third row, making it usable mostly for families with small kids.

In contrast, the Chinese Model YL has a larger wheelbase (making the car 186mm longer), and a pretty respectable amount of legroom in the third row. The difference is obvious even in Tesla's official images; check out the Model YL's third row pic below.

Now that's a respectable third row. Credit: Tesla

The seven seater Model Y configuration that Tesla now offers in the U.S. was offered in the U.S. and Europe in the past, and it didn't last very long; we'll see if this one fares any better.

This is not the only change to the Model Y in the U.S., though. The company introduced a number of very subtle changes to the Premium and Performance trims (the Standard variant didn't get any of these).

The new Helix wheels do look a lot better than the old ones, we think. Credit: Tesla

These include new, 20'' Helix 2.0 wheels which are now dark grey instead of silver, darker interior headliner, black instead of silver badges on the back of the car, and a larger, 16-inch main display (up from 15.4 inches).

At this year's CES, automakers focused on showing us the future of cars; not so much the cars themselves.

OK, there were exceptions, such as Sony Honda Mobility's AFEELA 1 and the accompanying SUV prototype. Some automakers decided to launch new or refreshed models in the past couple of days, unrelated to CES.

At the CES 2026 show floor, however, the focus was on artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, safety tech, and the good old practice of throwing massive computing power at a car to make it smarter.

Let's recap the most important car and mobility trends that emerged from CES 2026.

Sony Honda Mobility is still dedicated to building EVs

The AFEELA is real-a. Sorry about that. Credit: Caroline Brehman / Contributor via Getty Images

We're not going to pretend that Sony Honda's AFEELA 1 is new. The joint company first unveiled the AFEELA 1 prototype three years ago, at CES 2023, while the production version was shown last year. And this year's version was simply more refined in numerous little ways, though that refinement comes at a cost, as the AFEELA 1 starts at $89,900.

This year, the company also brought the AFEELA 1 Prototype, which the company says will likely reach production in 2028. The car itself is essentially a SUV variant of the AFEELA 1, but the big news is that Sony Honda still looks serious about this whole smart EV business, even as some competitors dial down on their EV plans.

Tensor's Robocar

It should be able to drive itself, but you'll still have the option to sit behind the wheel and drive it if you so desire. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

The California-based Tensor Auto calls itself an "AI and RoboCar company," which tells you all you need to know about today's mobility trends: the AI element is as important as the car itself.

At CES 2026, the company brought its Robocar, a preposterously luxurious, extremely futuristic electric car that is basically a big smart robot that lugs you around — we had a close look at the Tensor Robocar at CES.

The Robocar, as the name suggests, is equal parts robot and car. You can talk to it, and it talks back. The vehicle can, for example, notify you about traffic conditions before you leave the house, and make contextual decisions as it drives you to your destination.

Oh, and did we mention that it's a real head-turner?

It's still early days for cars like these, as no personal car out there can autonomously drive you around without any user intervention (Tensor has designed the Robocar with Level 4 autonomy in mind). But Tensor is ramping up production in the second half of 2026, meaning you should be able to buy one relatively soon. Fingers crossed.

Nvidia's physical AI

One of Nvidia's obsessions at CES 2026 was "physical AI," which means AI systems that can perform complex actions in the physical world. This includes robots, smart spaces, but also autonomous vehicles, which have to process sensor data in real-time and then act upon it.

Mercedes-Benz was one of Nvidia's partners on the show floor, which showed its vision of AI-based driving, based on Nvidia's reasoning model for autonomous driving called Alpamayo. The company also announced plans to start testing a robotaxi service (with a partner) as soon as 2027.

So. Many. AI. Assistants.

In the past, the first things automakers bragged about were the acceleration, the space, the comfort. Now? It's all about who has the best AI assistant.

At CES 2026, BMW demoed its Amazon Alexa+-based assistant, built into the company's first Neue Klasse EV, the BMW iX3. The new AI companion, which is rolling out in the second half of 2026 in the U.S., is not just for navigation and turning on your seat heatings; it can also answer broader questions, including ones about the Mona Lisa.

Ford announced an intelligent assistant that will debut on smartphones first before launching in cars circa 2027. Sony's AFEELA 1 will feature a Microsoft Azure OpenAI-based AI assistant that should be able to keep up a conversation. And Tensor's AI Agent takes things a step further by analyzing data from all possible sensors as well as in-car entertainment systems and using long-term memory to learn and adapt to your preferences over time.

Good old EVs

Not fully revealed yet, but the Volvo EX60 should have the best range in its class. Credit: Volvo

With Detroit Auto Show coming up next week, most automakers decided to show up there instead of at CES. But some, like Xiaomi and Volvo, launched or teased new models during CES (even if Xiaomi didn't have a big presence at the show).

These weren't as futuristic as the other stuff we've seen at the show, but the good news is that they're actual new models that will soon be available for purchase.

With the new XIaomi SU7, the focus is on safety. Credit: Xiaomi

Xiaomi's refreshed SU7 electric sedan focuses on safety, though it does also have improved range and powertrain, among other improvements.

Finally, Volvo will officially launch its electric SUV, the EX60, on Jan. 21, but the company teased the car with a few photos, and some very impressive range figures.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and updates from the biggest show in tech.

When it comes to electric SUVs, Volvo has apparently saved the best for last.

Yes, the company already has a compact and a large electric SUV — the Volvo EX30 and EX90, respectively — but the mid-sized EX60 is likely to be the brand's most popular one.

While the Volvo EX60 is scheduled for a full reveal on Jan. 21, the company just revealed some key figures for the upcoming SUV. Perhaps most important of them is the range: The EX60 has a 400 mile range in an all-wheel configuration. The figure isn't an official EPA rating, but Volvo says it used comparable testing to obtain it. Similarly, the EX60 should have a WLTP range of about 810 kilometers, which would make it best in class amongst European electric SUVs.

The EX60 is the first Volvo car built with mega casting, meaning "hundreds" of smaller parts are replaced with a single, high-precision casting. Credit: Volvo

For comparison, Tesla Model Y maxes out at 622 kilometers WLTP range.

When the EX60's battery starts running out of juice, you'll be able to charge it quickly. Volvo says the EX60 will get up to 340 kilometers of range in 10 minutes on a 400kW fast charger.

Finally, if you're worried about the battery's longevity, Volvo will offer an optional 10-year battery warranty.

The folded seats indicate the EX60 will be available as a 6- or 7-seater. Credit: Volvo

The company didn't share other specs for the EX60, but it did post several images. One of them shows additional storage compartments in the trunk's bottom, with folded seats visible in the corner. This indicates that the EX60 will be available in a six- or seven-seat configuration, which would make it more appealing for large families.

The EX60's official reveal will be livestreamed on Jan. 21; you can tune in to watch it on Volvo's website.

Xiaomi SU7, the company's first electric sedan originally launched in 2023, has gotten its first refresh — and it's an important one.

On Wednesday, the company started taking pre-orders for the new SU7. Starting at ¥229.900 ($32,856), it's slightly pricier than the original variant, which retails for roughly $31,000.

For the price (which still undercuts most western competitors, including Tesla Model 3), you get up to 220 kilometers (447 miles) of range, and a number of safety improvements, including LiDAR sensing and Xiaomi's Hyper Autonomous Driving (HAD) assistance system being standard on all models.

There are still three variants on offer: Standard, Pro, and Max. Credit: Xiaomi

The car is still available in three variants. The range figure above is for the cheapest variant, the Xiaomi SU7 Standard. On the Xiaomi SU7 Pro, you get a whopping 902 kilometers (560 miles) of range, and on the performance-oriented Xiaomi SU7 Max the range goes down to 835 kilometers (519 miles). All figures come from China's CLTC standard, which are typically more optimistic than what you'd get from the U.S. EPA or Europe's WLTC ratings.

The new colors include Capri Blue (pictured), and Dark Black, joining the original Bay Blue and Obsidian Black. Credit: Xiaomi

You also get more airbags (nine vs seven on the previous model), door lock backup power, and a more powerful computer running the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The car has been structurally strengthened, with steel door anti-collision beams coming standard on all variants.

Other improvements include faster charging, the new V6s Plus motor on all models, a maximum power of 320hp on the Standard and Pro models (690hp on the Max variant), and an improved, dual-chamber air suspension with CDC dampers on the Pro and Max variants.

The car looks mostly the same as before, though rear tires are now wider and the front grille has been slightly redesigned.

The interior has been slightly refined as well. Credit: Xiaomi

The official website for the Xiaomi SU7 barely mentions performance, focusing instead on the safety features. There's a good reason for this, as the original SU7 came under public scrutiny after several security incidents, including one when the car burst into flames, and another in which the car's driver assistance system disengaged moments before fatal impact.

The Xiaomi SU7 is launching in April 2026; pre-orders for all variants are open now.

Sony Honda Mobility showed off the AFEELA 1 electric vehicle again at CES this year. If, like me, you saw it last year, the experience will feel very familiar. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The AFEELA 1 still looks polished, still leans hard into its identity as a rolling entertainment hub, and still feels more like a Sony product than a traditional car. What’s different is that this year is less about flashy new features and more about refinement.

Sony Honda Mobility used its CES keynote to reiterate its vision of "mobility as a creative entertainment space," positioning AFEELA 1 as a car built around time spent inside it, not just getting from point A to point B. Sitting inside the EV again, that philosophy is obvious. The panoramic dashboard display remains the centerpiece, spanning the entire cabin and serving as the primary interface for navigation, media, and apps.

Alongside the AFEELA 1, Sony Honda Mobility also showed off a SUV-style prototype, dubbed AFEELA Prototype 2026. Despite its name, the company says this prototype will likely reach production in 2028 at the earliest. It appeared to be essentially the same as the AFEELA 1, only in SUV form, though Sony Honda Mobility is remaining tight-lipped on further details at this stage. We'll just have to wait to find out more information on AFEELA 1's younger sibling as it gets closer to production.

Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

In the meantime, the AFEELA 1 has plenty to keep us entertained — literally. One of my personal favorite features of the AFEELA 1 is its PlayStation Remote Play. If you already own a PS5, you can stream games to the rear seat displays using a DualSense controller. I got to test it for the first time after it was teased last year, and the connection wasn't too bad. Obviously, it was unable to stream in 4K, but there was no noticeable input lag and it held up reliably even in a crowded demo environment. It’s still very much a "you already need to be bought into the PlayStation ecosystem" feature, but it works more consistently now than it did before.

The AI assistant, AFEELA, is also back, and it’s still best described as competent but unremarkable. Sony Honda Mobility frames it as a “personal agent” powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI, meant to support natural conversation and personalization over time. In practice, it behaves like a standard in-car assistant. It can open apps, set destinations, adjust settings, and respond to basic contextual prompts. It complemented my shirt using the cameras in the car, so that was nice.

Where the AFEELA 1 does feel improved is in the fundamentals. The interior runs more smoothly overall, with faster screen responses and fewer hiccups when switching between apps. The cabin feels quieter and more composed, and it's clear Sony Honda Mobility is prioritizing comfort and stability over experimental features.

That sense of polish also extends to how Sony Honda Mobility is positioning the AFEELA 1 as a productivity space. Beyond entertainment, the car supports apps like Zoom, letting you take video calls from inside the cabin. The camera angle is a bit off, so be aware that you may not look your best when it's on. They demoed it for us, and the camera was wide enough to capture the entirety of the car, rather than framing you like a laptop webcam.

All of this refinement comes at a premium. The AFEELA 1 is priced starting at $89,900, with higher trims exceeding $100,000, firmly placing it in the luxury EV territory. At that price, one's expectation should be higher than just being able to function properly. However, this year’s demo suggests Sony Honda Mobility is focusing on getting the fundamentals right before hitting California's roads later this year.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

Florida loves highways, so it may not come as a surprise that it's building a new one west of Orlando, connecting US Route 27 to State Road 429. The new highway, known as the Lake/Orange Expressway or State Road 516, is notable for its 21st-century features, which include technology that wirelessly powers electric vehicles.

A small portion of the freeway, approximately three-quarters of a mile, will feature inductive charging coils installed underneath the road, according to Techspot. The charging apparatus utilizes a magnetic field to send power upward and requires an attachable receiver that can transfer up to 200 kilowatts as the vehicle drives over the surface. The technology will allow vehicles — most likely EV trucks and buses — to extend their range, but will not allow a full charge. E-highways are not a new concept, but they typically require overhead wires and special (and expensive) infrastructure on the electric vehicles.

While the forthcoming Lake/Orange Expressway will offer tangible benefits to EVs when it fully opens around 2029, it will also serve as a test run for similar projects that allow charging without stopping. If successful, it can also address other impediments to large-scale EV adoption, like the dependence on massive battery packs and the cost and complexity of building charging stations. States like California are investing billions in new charging stations, with over 200,000 already in place.

Besides wireless charging, State Road 516 will also feature solar panels for nearby infrastructure, wildlife crossings, and shared-use paths that carve out space for non-automobile travel.

Tesla has filed a very interesting patent in the U.S. and Europe for a new type of car roof.

On Dec. 4, Tesla filed U.S. patent application 2025/0368267, which describes a novel "Vehicle Roof Assembly with Integrated RF Transparency for Electronic Module Consolidation." As first spotted by X user Chansoo Byeon, the patent has fueled speculation that Tesla could be planning to integrate Starlink satellites into its electric vehicles.

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An online copy of the patent filed with the European Patent Office includes several drawings of the proposed roof assembly along with a detailed description and list of potential parts. (While the U.S. version of the patent is indexed by Google, it's not viewable via a web browser at the time of writing.) The patent description states:

An example vehicle roof assembly is disclosed, featuring an outer roof panel made from radio frequency (RF) transparent polymer materials, such as Polycarbonate (PC), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), or Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate (ASA). In some examples, this assembly enables the integration of overhead electrical modules and components, including antennae, directly into the roof structure, facilitating clear communication with external devices and satellites. The design incorporates a membrane effect for enhanced occupant protection during impacts, and the use of integrated foams between the exterior roof and interior headliner improves thermal and acoustic insulation.

(Emphasis added.)

A partial cross-section view of the proposed vehicle roof assembly on a vehicle. Credit: European Patent Office / Tesla

The patent application describes this as a "perspective view of an example antenna module and mounting." Credit: European Patent Office / Tesla

Why is this noteworthy?

Tesla vehicles already connect to cellular networks, but by integrating Starlink antennas directly into its vehicles, Tesla could offer its drivers internet connectivity virtually anywhere. Electrek reports that the metal and glass roofs used in modern vehicles can block satellite radio signals. Not only does the new roof assembly allow for RF signals to pass through the roof membrane, but the proposed roof could also integrate a satellite antenna.

Electrek reports that some Tesla owners already retrofit their cars to include Starlink Mini dishes, and there could be a market for satellite-connected electric vehicles. And with both 5G cellular and satellite internet, Tesla vehicles would have far greater connectivity than other vehicles on the road.

Of course, the patent application doesn't specifically mention Starlink, nor has Tesla described any plans to integrate its EVs with Starlink. And companies file patents all the time for products or innovations that never make it to the factory floor.

But it's an interesting look into the potential future of connected cars.

Tesla has found itself in hot water, and it isn’t due to a recall or cratering sales numbers for a change. On Tuesday, a judge in California issued a ruling that slaps Tesla with a 30-day suspension from doing business in the state over Tesla's use of the term "Autopilot" to market its driver assistance systems. The ruling goes into effect on Jan. 15; however, Tesla will have 60 days to either stop using the term Autopilot or make certain changes to the system.

Tesla, for its part, says sales will continue uninterrupted. Earlier this week, the company also reposted a video on X showing a Tesla robotaxi driving in Austin, Texas with no drivers or passengers present in the vehicle at all, along with the tongue-in-cheek comment, "Just saying."

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According to court documents, the California DMV believes that the name “Autopilot” and Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving Capability” (FSD) do not accurately describe the level of autonomy with which the car can drive itself. The DMV filed a complaint, which demanded that Tesla change the names of its advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) in order to more accurately describe their capabilities. 

This assertion is based on the NHTSA’s Levels of Automation system, where Level 0 vehicles have no autonomy and Level 5 vehicles are fully autonomous. Autopilot and the Full Self-Driving Capability are both rated at a Level 2, and the court says that they should’ve been at Level 3 or higher to have earned their names, so to speak. The ruling now requires Tesla to either implement changes to bring its driver assistance systems up to Level 3 or stop using the term Autopilot.

Judge Juliet E. Cox, who presided over the complaint, agreed with the DMV, issuing a 30-day stay of business for Tesla. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tesla responded by openly stating that it intends to ignore the court order.

“This was a ‘consumer protection’ order about the use of the term ‘Autopilot’ in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” Tesla posted on X.

Per TechCrunch, the judge foresaw this potential pushback and stated that the “DMV’s authority to regulate vehicle advertising does not depend on evidence that any particular advertising has deceived or harmed any person.”

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If Tesla doesn't take mitigating action within 60 days of the order going into effect, the ban will hold, and Tesla will face additional penalties for continuing to sell cars in the state.

Tesla’s loss in court is the latest in several cases in 2025 that involve crashes or deaths from the use of Autopilot. In July, the family of Naibel Benavides filed suit in Miami, Florida, after the driver died while driving an Autopilot-equipped Tesla. The jury in that suit rather quickly found Tesla to be liable and ordered Tesla to pay over $240 million in damages. This was the first such court case where Tesla was found at least partially liable for an automobile accident involving Autopilot. 

However, emerging evidence suggests that driver-assisted and autonomous vehicles may be safer overall than traditional vehicles.

Tesla Robotaxis in Austin are finally doing what they were always supposed to do: drive themselves without a human at the wheel.

A Tesla Model Y was recently spotted driving on one of Austin's public roads with absolutely no one at the wheel, or at the passenger seat.

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While that may be a scary sight to some, it's basically the same thing Alphabet's Waymo's been doing in Austin for years now. The biggest difference, however, is that Tesla is using seemingly unmodified Model Y cars, the same ones you can buy as your own personal car, while Waymo is relying on heavily modified Jaguar I-Pace vehicles.

So far, Tesla's Robotaxi fleet in Austin has been operating with a human safety monitor in the driver's seat, but this is seemingly changing soon.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the company is testing fully driverless Robotaxis, writing on X, "Testing is underway with no occupants in the car."

In November, Musk said that he expects "Robotaxis to to operate without safety drivers in large parts of Austin this year." The year is almost at its end, but judging by this latest development, the company might just make the deadline.

While Waymo continues its expansion across America's roads (and highways), some concerns about the self-driving cars persist. The worries mostly concern autonomous vehicles hallucinating or disobeying traffic rules — such as driving past stopped school buses — but a new anxiety was unlocked this week in Los Angeles, when a female Waymo customer discovered a man hiding in the car's trunk.

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As reported by the local Fox affiliate, the woman recorded the incident, confronting the man. "Why are you in it?" the unnamed woman asks. "They just put me in it," the man responds. "Who put you in it?" the female customer says. "The people," he says.

No arrests were made since no crime was technically committed, according to Fox11.

A Waymo spokesperson explained to Mashable that the man climbed into the trunk after a previous rider left it open. Waymo added that police helped remove the man after the female passenger alerted them, and Waymo's Rider Support team assisted the woman during the process. The spokesperson said that the support team already has protocols for addressing situations like these and is implementing changes to improve them.

"We're committed to keeping our riders safe and earning the trust of the communities where we operate," a Waymo spokesperson tells Mashable. "This experience was unacceptable, and we are actively implementing changes to address this." 

One of the touted benefits of Waymo is the safety it offers lone passengers, especially women; hundreds of thousands of Uber and Lyft customers have allegedly been victims of sexual assault.

The Fox11 report also noted that a Waymo recently drove through an LAPD standoff, slowly cruising between a suspect on the ground and police officers with their guns drawn.

Sony's perpetually upcoming electric vehicle is going to allow for a degree of license plate customization never thought possible before.

According to TechRadar, Sony's Afeela EV (which has been showcased at multiple CES events in previous years but still isn't on sale) will pioneer something new: digital license plates. Sony is partnering with a company called Reviver to incorporate its RPlate technology, which allows you to customize what's on your license plate with a smartphone app.

For vanity plate fans, life may never be the same.

Per TechRadar, it's a simple HD display that allows you to switch between black and white backgrounds, with the additional ability to write custom messages along the bottom of the plate, presumably while maintaining your given license plate number above those. Examples of possible messages include social media handles or catchphrases, though as TechRadar pointed out, it's not yet clear if profanity will be allowed.

Many U.S. states also have various laws governing how license plates must appear on vehicles, and a technology like this would have to comply with a lot of various state laws and regulations.

These, and other questions about the Afeela, will have to wait for the car's launch to be answered. It still isn't out, despite first appearing at CES in 2023, and it's rumored to cost nearly $90,000 for U.S. drivers. That's a lot of money to spend for goofy license plate capabilities.

Google Maps on iOS has a new feature that could save you a few minutes of aimlessly walking through a parking lot.

The feature, announced by Google Maps senior product manager Rio Akasaka and reported by MacRumors, is available on iOS — and it's very simple to use.

Connect your iPhone's Google Maps app to your car via CarPlay, Bluetooth, and USB. Once you're done driving, Google Maps will remember where you parked by dropping a pin on the map with a label "You parked here." The pin will disappear once you drive away.

The feature essentially automates Google Maps' old "Save where you parked" feature, which is still available, along with the tool that shows you where you can find a park.

The ability to remember parking spots was added to Google Maps about a month ago, but it was slightly visually enhanced last week. Now, if you have a custom vehicle icon set in Google Maps, you'll see it on your parking spot on the map (instead of the somewhat boring "P" icon).

Bet you didn't know you could do this! Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable / Google

If you're wondering where you can set that custom vehicle icon, here are the instructions: Open Google Maps, start Navigation, tap the blue arrow (or the car icon if you've previously changed it), and select your preferred driving avatar (icon) by swiping left or right).

While you're here, we've got Google Maps guides for how to turn your location off and on with your iPhone, how to download Google Maps, how to turn on 3D buildings in navigation, how to save locations, and other Google Maps tips and tricks.

Waymo is issuing a software recall for its robotaxis following reports of the autonomous cars illegally passing school buses in Austin.

This is not going to be one of those recalls in which the vehicles are actually pulled from the road. Instead, Waymo will simply update its ride-hailing cars' software.

The recall comes following a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into at least 19 security incidents in which Waymo robotaxis have illegally passed school buses in the Texas capital. The NHTSA kicked off the probe after receiving a video of a Waymo car passing a school bus with an extended stop sign and flashing lights on.

Waymo initially said it had released a software fix on Nov. 17, though there were reports of incidents after that date. It's unclear whether the new fix is different from the old one.

Following the incidents, Austin Independent School District requested that Waymo should temporarily stop operating in Austin when children are loading and unloading on school buses until it can guarantee their safety. Waymo hasn't indicated it plans to comply with that request.

Waymo currently operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin, and plans to expand to a number of new U.S. cities soon, including Miami, Washington D.C., Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, as well as international cities like London.

Tesla's 2025 holiday update is here, and it's one of the biggest we've ever seen.

The company typically rolls out a big update ahead of the December holidays, and this year was no exception. The 2025 holiday update, which is rolling out "shortly," is a mix of fun, games, and some very interesting new driving and navigation features.

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The biggest new feature in the bunch is Grok with Navigation Commands. According to Tesla, "Grok can now add & edit navigation destinations, becoming your personal guide." To use this feature, you'll have to set Grok's personality to "Assistant."

There's a couple of other navigation improvements, including the ability to set your navigation favorites, including Home and Work, by simply dropping a pin on the map. Furthermore, suggested destination will now show up based on your recent trips and habits (only when you're parked, though).

Finally, navigation now offers optional automatic high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane routing. According to Tesla, if you choose this option in Navigation, "your route will automatically select the carpool lane when eligible, based on time, location, passenger count & road restrictions."

"Select" Tesla Superchargers are getting a 3D site map. Credit: Tesla

As for charging, you'll now be able to set charge limit per location – pretty useful if you always charge to a certain level at certain locations, such as at home or at work.

Also, some Tesla Superchargers will get a 3D view which you can access by tapping "View Site Map." The view shows a detailed layout of the Supercharger stalls, so you can pick the space you like as you drive towards the Supercharger.

As is typical for Tesla holiday updates, a lot of the new stuff is just pure fun. New features include the Tesla Photobooth, allowing you to take selfies with the car's inner camera and add filters, stickers, and emojis, with the ability to share the photos from your Tesla app.

Well, why not? Credit: Tesla

There's also a Santa Mode, which turns your car into Santa's carriage, a new light show called Jingle Rush, and more customization of your Tesla avatar, including window tints, custom wraps, and license plates (I shudder to think what my Tesla avatar will look like after my daughter finds this feature).

No more boring, uniform colors! Credit: Tesla

The update brings a new game called the ISS Docking Simulator, allowing you to try your hand at docking your spacecraft with the International Space Station, using controls based on actual interfaces used by NASA astronauts.

Other new features of note include Live Activity on the iPhone when your car is in Dog Mode, with periodic photo snapshots of your vehicle's interior, and live updates on temperature, battery, and climate conditions inside the car. Dashcam clips now include more details, like speed, steering wheel angle, and self-driving state.

Buddy's looking fine over there. Credit: Tesla

There's also a number of minor new features, including the ability to add Spotify tracks to queue from the search screen, and the ability to enable or disable your wireless phone charging pads.

As always, feature availability depends on region and on your car; older vehicles probably won't get all of the updates listed above.

Tesla didn't say when the update is coming, except that it's rolling out shortly.

Waymo robotaxis have been providing public rides in Austin, Texas since March, and following safety incidents with school buses, Austin school district officials have asked the company to stop offering robotaxi rides during school drop-off times.

Now, regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are investigating Waymo over complaints that its robotaxis have illegally passed school buses at least 19 times, according to Reuters.

The NHTSA sent a letter to Waymo earlier this week informing the company about the beginning of its inquiry concerning its autonomous vehicles' inability to follow traffic laws concerning school buses. The letter also requested additional information about the company's self-driving system.

An initial investigation was opened into Waymo in October by the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) after it obtained video of a Waymo robotaxi driving around a school bus in Atlanta as the vehicle was unloading schoolchildren with its stop sign extended and flashing lights on. Now the agency is going even further in its inquiry. 

Waymo said it released a software fix to the issue on November 17. However, in a public letter, the Austin Independent School District says that five of the 19 school bus-related Waymo incidents occurred after that date.

"One of these violations underscores the urgent risk posed by Waymo’s illegal activity: a Waymo automated vehicle was recorded driving past a stopped school bus only moments after a student crossed in front of the vehicle, and while the student was still in the road," the Austin School District wrote in a Nov. 20 letter to Waymo. "The vehicle then proceeds through a cross walk and an intersection, where all other vehicles are stopped."

The Austin School District requests that Waymo stop operating its robotaxis from 5:20 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., the hours when children are typically being picked up and dropped off before and after school.

The ODI sent its own letter to Waymo shortly after, letting the company know it was aware of the issue and inquiring if Waymo was planning to abide by the request to cease operations during those times.

According to a report by TechCrunch, Waymo insists that its update has improved its robotaxis' road safety issues around school buses. However, it does not seem like the company plans to oblige the Austin School District's request.

Tesla's cheapest Model 3 is now available in Europe.

The company started offering a stripped-down version of the model across its European markets on Friday, notifying its users via an in-app message.

The Model 3 Standard is "our most affordable vehicle," Tesla wrote in the message. "(It) gives you all the best Tesla features with a lower cost of ownership over time."

The price of the Model 3 Standard varies by market. In Germany, it starts at €37,970, while in France and Italy, it's a bit cheaper at €36,990.

While that's roughly €8,000 cheaper than the next trim (which is now called Premium), you do lose quite a lot in terms of features.

We've covered the details for both the Standard trims of Model Y and Model 3 on Mashable. In short, compared to Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Premium trim, you get lower range, slower acceleration, no additional display for passengers in the rear, no heated seats in the back, less fancy decorative elements, partially textile seats, and fewer colors on offer, among other reductions.

Some good news: Unlike in the U.S., the Model 3 Standard keeps Basic Autopilot with Autosteer; and unlike the Model Y Standard, it keeps the Panoramic Glass Roof. There are other, subtle differences between trims in Europe compared to America. For example, in Europe both the Standard and the cheapest Premium trim have seven loudspeakers; in the U.S. the Premium variant gets two speakers more.

The new model comes amidst a painful slump in sales across most European markets for Tesla, likely because of CEO Elon Musk's politics, but also due to strong competition from China's BYD and other electric vehicle makers.

Another bit of good news that may entice users to choose Tesla, though, is the latest Consumer Reports' auto brand ranking, which puts Tesla in the 10th place for the first time, a big jump from the 18th place last year. On the other hand, Germany's TÜV association recently highlighted some of Tesla's models as the least reliable it ever tested.

Uber is bringing robotaxis to Dallas — though don't expect them to ferry you around completely autonomously just yet.

The company partnered with Avride to launch the robotaxi service (which it actually calls "robotaxi," a term popularized by Tesla) in Dallas, covering 9 square miles of the city at launch — from Downtown to Uptown to Turtle Creek to Deep Ellum.

Uber customers will be able to access the service simply by requesting an UberX, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric ride, though they cannot specifically choose a robotaxi. Instead, they may be matched with an electric Avride robotaxi, and they'll have the option to switch to a non-robotaxi ride.

Users can, however, increase their chances of getting matched with a robotaxi by opting in to the Ride Preferences section in the Uber app's Settings.

While Uber says that Avride cars are design to operate fully autonomously, at launch there will be a driver behind the wheel, monitoring the car's behavior. Fully driverless operations will begin "in the future," said Uber.

With this move, the company joins Waymo and Tesla which already operate autonomous or semi-autonomous robotaxi services in Dallas.

Uber has previously partnered with other companies for its robotaxi service, including Lucid in the Bay Area, and Waymo in Austin and Atlanta.

Got a Tesla car with the latest iteration of Full Self-Driving hardware (HW4) inside, but you haven't actually purchased FSD? Well, you'll be able to try it out for free over the holidays.

According to Tesla enthusiast and blogger Sawyer Merritt, Tesla has given a free trial of its latest FSD software (V14) to roughly 1.5 million Tesla owners in the U.S., and the trial lasts approximately forty days, until January 8.

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Tesla FSD is a set of driving assistance features that brings the car closer to self-driving, with features such as automatic lane changing, automatic parking, and route navigation. However, FSD still requires constant supervision from the driver.

This is a pretty clever idea from Tesla; the company basically gifted the latest version of FSD to its entire eligible user base in the U.S. over the holidays, presumably hoping that some of them will like it so much that they'll purchase it after the trial ends.

FSD is not without issues, though. Tesla CEO Elon Musk keeps praising every new version of the software as the one that will make that final leap towards actual self-driving, but the progress is slower than he'd anticipated. Tesla FSD has been under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as the agency looks into whether FSD is making Tesla cars violate traffic safety laws.

Well, folks, it's that time of year. Holiday cheer, a big ol' bird on the table, walking the tightrope of polite conversation, and, most horrifyingly, praying to high heavens that your Thanksgiving air travel plans go off without a hitch.

If you're one of the projected 82 million Americans traveling domestically this week, you're in luck. So far, according to USA Today, flight cancellations are low this week, despite general fears that the recent government shutdown would lead to travel woes. This comes a few weeks after the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered a 10 percent cut in flights at 40 U.S. airports due to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Thousands of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents went to work without pay for over a month, Reuters reported at the time. But thankfully, after 43 long days, the shutdown ended just in time for Thanksgiving travel.

But the government shutdown isn't the only thing that might cause a bump in your holiday travel. The FAA expects this to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel week in 15 years, and typical weather and mechanical issues are sure to arise, particularly with winter storms moving into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region — sorry, Chicago travelers.

How to check your flight status online

This is something you should absolutely do before you leave for the airport. There's not much worse than zipping up your suitcase, locking up your house, making the trek to the airport, and finding your way through security and to your gate only to find out you could have stayed in pajamas the whole time. Before you head to the airport, always check the airport website or your airline's website.

We also recommend downloading your airline's app, which makes it easy to check for updates on the fly. Finally, to check on a specific flight or route, you can use sites like Flight Aware and Flight Tracker. If the plane you're taking to Wichita is delayed on its way into Atlanta, these tools can help you anticipate likely delays.

Thanksgiving flight cancellation trends so far

Overall, flight cancellations are on the low side this year, according to a CNN report, but that can change fast.

Flight Tracker has a tool called the Misery Map, which shows which airports are experiencing the most delays and cancellations. As of Wednesday, Nov. 26, Chicago O'Hare International Airport has far more issues than any other airport, per Flight Tracker. The airports with the most delays and cancellations so far include:

• Chicago O'Hare (ORD)

• Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)

• Los Angeles (LAX)

• Minneapolis–Saint Paul (MSP)

• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

• Denver (DEN)

• La Guardia New York City (LGA)

• Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX)

• George Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston (IAH)

• Boston Logan (BOS)

So, your flight was canceled. Now what?

If your flight is canceled, congratulations: You now have the perfect complaint to make over Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone will agree with you when you say something like, "Traveling during the holidays, am I right?"

Now you need to get to work. If you're still at home when you find out your flight is canceled, head to the airport website or your airline's website. Check if you're owed a refund or other types of compensation. Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Transportation has a dashboard that shows you exactly what airlines owe you in the event of a cancellation. Check the DOT's Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard to make sure you get everything you're entitled to.

Next, you've got to figure out your next move. Can you take a train to your destination, or rent a car? Is there another airline you can switch to? Or are you going to take your refund, head back home, and order dinner in lieu of navigating travel? Move quickly in situations like this, as rental cars and other flights can fill up quickly.

As always, no matter what travel issue ails you this holiday season, be nice to the people airline workers trying to get you across the country. And you just might want to show up at the airport a bit earlier than usual to wade your way through the inevitable lines.

Over the weekend, Tesla's official X account for the European market was elated over Dutch regulator RDW's approval of the company's Full Self-Driving driver-assistance system for the EU.

One problem. RDW says this isn't true. In an update, the regulator said it has not committed to giving Tesla approval regarding FSD. Also, they'd like Tesla fans to please stop contacting them about it, too.

"RDW has committed to granting Netherlands National approval in February 2026," read the celebratory yet apparently premature post from Tesla's X account. "Please contact them via link below to express your excitement & thank them for making this happen as soon as possible."

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And, as mentioned in its post, Tesla even provided a link to the regulator's contact page so Tesla fans could thank RDW.

On Monday, RDW posted a statement to its website specifically addressing the X post from Tesla. According to RDW, the regulator did put together a schedule alongside Tesla, which states the company must show that FSD Supervised meets the regulatory safety requirements in February 2026. RDW specifies that while it won't divulge specific details, Tesla is aware of what it needs to demonstrate in order for FSD to be approved at that time.

Furthermore, it appears Tesla fans did contact RDW regarding FSD approval, as the regulator had to specifically request that Tesla supporters stop calling and wasting their time. RDW also explicitly mentions in its statement that any contact with the regulator from Tesla fans will have no influence on RDW's decision regarding FSD approval, as a decision will be purely dependent on road safety concerns.

So, was the Tesla post an attempt to pressure RDW into giving Tesla the approval it desires?

As Bloomberg points out, Musk's statements during Tesla's annual shareholders meeting earlier this month strongly point to that possibility.

“Pressure from our customers in Europe to push the regulators to approve would be appreciated,” Musk said in the meeting.

Despite rolling out Full Self-Driving in the U.S. and a few other countries years ago, Tesla has not been able to do so in Europe. According to Elon Musk's EV company, Tesla's "main path to success is partnering with the Dutch approval authority RDW to gain exemption for the feature." According to TechCrunch, approval with RDW is a critical first step toward wider approval throughout the EU.

Porsche's largest SUV, the Cayenne, has finally turned electric, and it's got a few tricks up its sleeve.

Perhaps most importantly, it's wickedly quick. The fastest variant, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric, has up to 850kW (that's 1,156 horsepower) of power, allowing it to go from 0-100 km\/h in 2.5 seconds, and from 0-200 km/h in 7.4 seconds, with a max speed of 260 km/h. Porsche says it's the most powerful production Porsche of all time (so, not just the most powerful Cayenne or SUV; the most powerful Porsche of any kind, ever).

More family-friendly than sporty, but we'll take it. Credit: Porsche

The entry level Cayenne is a bit tamer with 300 kW of power and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.8 seconds, with a top speed of 230 km/h.

The Cayenne also has what Porsche calls "Formula E levels of recuperation," meaning the SUV is able to handle about 97 percent of all braking operations purely with its electric motors. Of course, for the Turbo variant you'll still probably want the (optional) Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake.

The Turbo variant is the most powerful Porsche of any kind, ever. Credit: Porsche

Other details include optional rear axle steering, adaptive air suspension which is standard on both the regular Cayenne and the Turbo variant, and the Porsche Active Ride active suspension which comes as an option and should "almost completely" compensate for the car's body movement.

A detail we like the most, though, is the (optional) inductive charging, which allows you to charge the Cayenne by merely park above a charging floor plate. The charging speed isn't the best – 11 kW – but it's way more practical than having to plug the car in after you park.

You shouldn't be worrying about charging too much with this one, as it comes with a hefty 113 kWh battery with super speedy charging (up to 400 kW DC charging), which should be good for up to 642 kilometers of WLTP range on the Cayenne Electric, and 623 kilometers of range on the Cayenne Turbo Electric.

With almost 5 meters of length, there should be plenty of space inside for a family of five. Credit: Porsche

Despite its power, the Cayenne Electric isn't the most aggressive-looking SUV, or even the most aggressive-looking Cayenne we've seen. European manufacturers like to make their electric cars more softer-looking, and Cayenne Electric looks like a slightly more futuristic, but also family-friendly variant of the regular Cayenne. And a true family hauler it is, with 4,985 millimeters in length, and 781 l in cargo space (up to 1,588 liters with seats folded), with an additional 90 liters in the frunk, which Porsche thankfully included on this one.

Largest display area in a Porsche, ever. Credit: Porsche

Inside, it's screens on top of screens, as is customary for modern Porsches. You get a 14.25-inch instrument cluster, and If you tick the option box for the 14.9-inch passenger display, you'll get the largest display area ever found in a Porsche. One new feature is called Mood Modes, which allows you to just pick the setting you want and the seating position, lighting, sound profile, display appearance, and even air conditioning all change to fit that mood.

We have no way of proving it, but I think these promo photos were taken in Croatia. No wonder, as Porsche co-owns Bugatti with Croatia's electric car powerhouse Rimac. Credit: Porsche

All the electric Cayenne models are available to order now. In the U.S., the Cayenne Electric starts at $111,350, while the Cayenne Turbo Electric starts at $165,350.

During the Nov. 6 Tesla shareholders' meeting, Elon Musk said that the electric vehicle company is almost ready to allow texting and driving. Musk said that this feature could be coming to full self-driving mode in just one or two months, according to Electrek.

The biggest news from the shareholders' event concerned Musk's pay package. At the meeting, shareholders voted to approve Musk's $1 trillion pay package, which is set to make the world's richest man even richer. However, the CEO's "texting and driving" comments also deserve a closer look.

In Tesla's Full Self-Driving mode (FSD), drivers can go hands-free, although they are required to pay attention and occasionally make contact with the wheel. If drivers attempt to use a mobile device while FSD is engaged, the Autopilot feature is designed to detect this activity and issue a warning to the driver.

A Tesla online driver's manual states: "Do not use handheld devices while using Autopilot features. If the cabin camera detects a handheld device while Autopilot is engaged, the touchscreen displays a message reminding you to pay attention."

Now, Musk says the company believes FSD is advanced enough that drivers could look away from the road and fire off text messages. This follows Tesla's introduction of a new "Mad Max" mode for FSD customers, which allows higher speeds and more aggressive lane changes. That feature, which debuted in October, almost instantly caught the attention of federal investigators.

Of course, most states (as well as many cities and counties) have laws against texting while driving. In fact, Montana is the only state without a total ban on the practice.

We should also point out that Musk has a long history of overestimating timelines for his products, particularly when it comes to self-driving.

In 2017, he predicted that drivers would be able to nap behind the wheel by 2019. Undeterred, he predicted in 2019 that robotaxis would soon be ready for the road. Tesla only launched its robotaxi service this year, and only in Austin, Texas.

For a company that pioneered electric-petrol hybrids several decades ago, Toyota sure seems to have an odd disdain for the purely electric car.

Take its latest battery electric vehicle (BEV), for example, the new Toyota Hilux. On Monday, Toyota introduced the new vehicle, including a variant relying purely on electric power — a first for the company's popular pickup (the Hilux also comes in petrol, diesel, and hybrid versions).

At least the interior is fresh. Credit: Toyota

Regardless of the variant, the Hilux has a revamped look which (as always) emphasises strength and toughness. It's only available as a double cab variant, and it comes with electric power steering and all-wheel drive across the range. Inside, the main infotainment display is horizontally oriented and measures up to 12.3 inches, the same size as the display in front of the driver.

It all sounds nice until you get to the battery and range. The electric version of the Hilux has a 59.2 kWh li-ion battery, with a WLTP driving range of about 149 miles, or 240 kilometers.

That, simply put, is painfully low, given that a competitor like Rivian's R1T pickup offers 270 to 420 miles of EPA range, depending on the battery. Bear in mind that Europe's WLTP testing is less stringent than the U.S. EPA standard, meaning that the Hilux will probably drop to sub-130 mile advertised EPA range.

A hydrogen fuel cell variant is scheduled to arrive in 2028. No word on range for that one. Credit: Toyota

Add to that the fact that Toyota's BEVs such as the bZ4X haven't had great real world range figures in testing, and you get an electric Hilux that probably won't take you very far, especially if you load it with stuff (which is, after all, what pickups are for).

Toyota says that the electric Hilux will go on sale starting Dec. 2025, but the price has not been announced. Hopefully, the company will introduce a variant with a larger battery, because this one is going to be a tough sell.

Tesla is having a very tough year. Sales are down, the brand has been tarnished in the eyes of some customers by its CEO Elon Musk, tax credit incentives that brought in consumers have now expired — what else can go wrong?

How about two major program managers leaving the company in a single day?

On Monday, two Tesla executives who headed up major product initiatives separately announced that they were leaving the company: One who leads the Cybertruck program and one who leads the Model Y program.

Siddhant Awasthi, head of Tesla's Cybertruck program, announced on LinkedIn early Monday morning that he was departing the company. Awasthi's story is inspiring, as he first joined Tesla eight years ago and worked his way up the company ladder to finally head up Musk's vision for an EV truck.

"I recently made one of the hardest decisions of my life to leave Tesla after an incredible run," the now-former Cybertruck chief wrote on LinkedIn. "Eight years ago, when I started as an intern, I never dreamed I’d one day have the opportunity to lead the Cybertruck program and bring it to reality."

It's unclear why Awasthi has left the company and, based on his post, it does appear to be on good terms. 

However, Cybertruck has certainly not lived up to Tesla's expectations. As The Verge notes, a recent Cybertruck recall notice from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that only 63,619 Cybertrucks have been sold since the vehicle's launch in 2023. Musk once bet that the future of Tesla depended on the company selling 250,000 Cybertruck vehicles per year. Tesla is nowhere close to doing that. In fact, interest in the Cybertruck has waned since the company claimed that it received 250,000 pre-order deposits in 2019.

Awasthi was later joined in his departure from the company by Emmanuel Lamacchia, the head of Tesla's Model Y program. 

"After 8 incredible years, I'm moving on from Tesla," Lamacchia wrote on LinkedIn. "What a journey it's been... from leading NPI for  Model 3 and Model Y variants to becoming the Vehicle Program Manager for Model Y, the best-selling car in the world!"

Lamacchia, who was the Model Y chief for the past four years, did lead the team behind Tesla's most successful vehicle. So, again, it does not appear any of these departures were performance-based.

If anything, it is concerning that Tesla is losing two talented leaders at the tail end of what has been a tumultuous year for the company. Pair these departures with Tesla's sales numbers and the recent news that Tesla is now looking to roll out a rental car service for Tesla vehicles, and it looks like Tesla could be in for a very bumpy 2026 as well.

Just days ago — and before shareholders approved his enormous pay package — Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the next-generation Tesla Roadster will "hopefully" be unveiled "before the end of the year."

Well, that's probably not happening. On Thursday, during Tesla's Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk said that the product unveil of the Roadster 2 will be on "April 1 of next year."

"I have some deniability because I can say I was just kidding," he said. "We are actually tentatively aiming for April 1, for what I think will be the most exciting, whether it works or not, demo of any product."

Yes, what Musk means here is any product ever, in the history of mankind.

While that's a pretty hefty delay, the news is even worse when it comes to production of the Roadster, as Musk said it's probably happening "about 12-18 months after that," so sometime in mid-to-late 2027.

Despite not having been launched yet, Tesla's second generation Roadster is one of Tesla's most unusual products. Originally announced in November 2017, the vehicle kept being delayed into the future (despite numerous people pre-ordering it with a $50,000 down payment), with Musk setting increasingly grandiose goals for it. Speaking with Joe Rogan recently, Musk said, "If you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it's crazier than that," — and hinted that it may actually be able to fly.

Musk and Tesla keep referring to the car as the "second-generation Roadster," even though it's probably not have a lot in common with the original second-generation Roadster which was announced eight years ago. That one was shown as prototype in November 2017, with an alleged 0-60mph time of 2.1 seconds. Later, Musk said it might get an (optional) cold gas thruster which would make it even faster. Most recently, Musk said the car would be able to accelerate from 0-60mph in under one second. Hopefully, the saga will end next April, before Musk starts claiming the car can go back in time.

Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation has made leaps and bounds since its humble beginnings back in 2009, but one thing was still missing: the ability to tell when you're in the wrong lane.

Now, thanks to AI, Google has apparently solved that problem. On Tuesday, the company announced it will be launching live lane guidance in Google Maps soon, though with quite a few caveats.

The feature will launch in Polestar 4 EVs in the U.S. and Sweden "in the coming months," Google said in a press release.

The system uses AI smarts to analyze lane markings captured by the car's front-facing cameras, and then integrates that with Google Maps' navigation. In practice, the system will detect when you're in the wrong lane relative to where you want to go, and notify you to switch lanes via audio and video cues.

It will only work on highways at first, though support for other road types is coming later. The company also said it will launch the feature in more cars in "partnership with key automakers," which probably means companies which have integrated Google UI into their cars, such as Polestar, Volvo, Honda, Nissan, and Ford, among others.

Like two toddlers who were somehow given the gift of internet access and infinite money, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are arguing online again.

The latest instance in this never-ending beef was started by Altman on Oct. 30, who shared his unsuccessful attempt to cancel the Tesla Roadster. In an X post with email screenshots, Altman said he had pre-ordered the Roadster in July 2018 with a $45,000 reservation payment. Seven years later, in 2025, he tried to cancel the reservation and get a refund by directly responding to the original reservation confirmation email, which yielded an "address not found" error.

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On one hand, it's not that unusual for a company email address to get changed or expire after seven years. On the other, it's very unusual for a company to ask for a $45k down payment on a car and then not launch it for seven years, so we do kinda get where Altman's coming from.

Musk responded on X on Nov. 1, first by changing the subject and saying that Altman "stole a non-profit," referencing the odd trajectory of OpenAI from a non-profit to for-profit company. (Musk was involved in OpenAI early, but later sued when the company transitioned to for-profit.) The Tesla CEO then said that Altman's "issue was fixed" and that the OpenAI CEO had received a refund "within 24 hours."

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Altman may have chosen the wrong moment to cancel his Roadster reservation, as Musk recently said that Tesla is close to demonstrating a "prototype" of the vehicle, hyping it up as "if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it's crazier than that" — and hinting that it'll be able to fly. Then again, this car was originally supposed to launch in 2020, so we wouldn't hold our breath waiting it to launch.

Tesla is recalling Cybertrucks again, and this time a hardware issue is to blame.

The company is recalling 6,197 Cybertrucks in the U.S. due to an issue that could cause the car's detached lightbar to fall off, posing road hazard to other vehicles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the issue is only present in some 2024 Cybertrucks, and is due to "an incorrect surface primer" which "may have been used to attach the lightbar to the windshield." Simply put, Tesla used the wrong glue to attach the lightbars to some cars.

If your Cybertruck is affected, Tesla will inspect your lightbar and either install an "additional mechanical attachment or replace the light bar using tape to adhere the light bar to the windshield as well as an additional mechanical attachment as necessary," all of that free of charge

We know that the number of recalled Cybertrucks represents roughly 10 percent of all Cybertrucks Tesla has sold so far due to another recall last week. That one affected 63,619 Cybertrucks over software that makes the front parking lights too bright, which could impair oncoming drivers' vision. That issue, however, was fixed via a software update.

Tesla's Cybertruck recalls happen often, and quite a few issues were hardware-related, meaning Tesla couldn't just fix them remotely. (Un)fortunately for Tesla, Cybertrucks aren't selling very well, so there's at least less of them to fix.

Tesla's Cybercab was originally envisioned as an autonomous taxi without a steering wheel or pedals, but it might be a lot more like a regular car at launch.

Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm spelled it out quite clearly in an interview with Bloomberg. "If we have to have a steering wheel, it can have a steering wheel and pedals," she said.

This is in contrast with what Tesla CEO Elon Musk originally wanted for the Cybercab. "If you try to make a car that is essentially a hybrid, manual, automatic car, it's not going to be as good as a dedicated autonomous car," Musk said during Cybercab's unveiling. "So, yes, Cybercab is just not going to have steering wheels and pedals."

The reason for the company's change in attitude towards steering wheels and pedals are likely regulations. U.S. regulators currently do allow manufacturers to produce passenger cars without a steering wheel or pedals, but only in a limited capacity.

During the company's earnings call last week, Musk said the Cybercab is launching in Q2 2026, and added that it will be the company's "single biggest expansion in production." During the same call, Musk reiterated that the Cybercab won't have a steering wheel or pedals, saying that the idea is to "minimize cost per mile of operation."

Tesla's main problem here is the fact that the company simply hasn't solved fully autonomous driving just yet. Even its Model Y-based Robotaxis in the San Francisco Bay Area aren't actually autonomous; there's currently a human present behind the steering wheel during rides. The company will likely have to either postpone the launch or make the tough decision to make the Cybercab a lot more like a regular car, and then get rid of the steering wheel and pedals later.

Parker Shi, vice president of GWM Group and president of GWM International, considers U.S. President Donald Trump to be the most successful man in the world by certain metrics. Yet at the same time, Trump remains a significant obstacle in the Chinese automaker's quest to access a global market.

"[People are] looking for power, looking for money, and they're looking for name. Right? Donald Trump is the one," Shi told his audience during GWM's global Tech Day in Australia earlier this month. "But what's the business looking for? Brand, volume, profit. Volume can be replaced by market share."

GWM's Tech Day was part of its international branding efforts, bringing some of its top executives to Melbourne to discuss the company's plans for global growth. Though China is the largest auto market in the world, GWM is one of many EV manufacturers whose ambitions extend well beyond their home country's borders. The company has been in the Australian market since 2009, when it became the first Chinese automaker to sell its cars in the country.

Yet while GWM aims to be a notable player on the global EV scene, the sizable yet inaccessible U.S. market continues to present a glaring challenge to these ambitions — as it does for all Chinese automakers.

When will GWM's vehicles enter the U.S. market?

Credit: Courtesy of GWM

Speaking to Mashable, Shi confirmed that GWM had been looking to enter the U.S. market by 2021, having conducted research, planned products, and even set up infrastructure and employees. Unfortunately, political issues and tariffs have put such plans on hold indefinitely.

"We prepared for the USA market for many years," said Shi. "We have the building there, we have the R&D team there. But because of the political issues, obviously, it's not the right time to make the plan for USA. So this is an open secret. I don't need to deny anything. It's because of the political issues it's difficult to invest [in a] manufacturing plant over there."

Specifically, Shi noted the high customs duties and tariffs the U.S. currently imposes upon EVs from China. Such vehicles were previously subject to a standard 2.5 percent tariff until Trump's first term in 2018, when he introduced an additional 25 percent tariff on Chinese goods. President Joe Biden subsequently increased tariffs further to 100 percent in 2024. 

U.S. tariffs on Chinese EVs have since fluctuated wildly under the current Trump administration, at one point skyrocketing to a whopping 247.5 percent. Understandably, such factors mean that the costs of investing in the U.S. currently outweigh the benefits.

"[If] you want to go there [to the U.S.], you have to put your money to build the factories or to acquire the factories," said Shi. "We do have the product suitable for the USA market. But the problem is the investment of the manufacturing has become difficult. It's a barrier. Direct investment is needed for USA market."

GWM does still have ambitions in the U.S., with Shi stating that the company is reluctant to give up the chance to tap into such a large market. Even so, entering the U.S. simply isn't feasible while the U.S. administration remains actively hostile toward Chinese automakers. When raising tariffs on Chinese EVs last year, Biden claimed that the Chinese government's EV subsidy programs enable Chinese companies to "cheat" by selling cars at "unfairly low prices," leaving U.S. manufacturers unable to compete. 

"We have some business in Mexico…. but now it's also changing," said Shi, acknowledging U.S. officials' fears that Chinese automakers could go through Mexico to supply their cars to American drivers. China is Mexico's leading auto supplier. "They're supposed to stop Chinese investment in Mexico. Maybe they are thinking we are using Mexico as the base to export to USA. It's a little bit complicated."

GWM courts international markets that aren't the U.S.

Credit: Courtesy of GWM

In the meantime, GWM has turned its attention to other countries such as Australia. The company took up residence in Victoria's Lang Lang Proving Grounds earlier this year in order to test and tweak its vehicles for Australian conditions, adapting its approach depending on different countries' specific needs. Shi emphasised that GWM aims to work with and understand people in different regions, noting that only 10 of GWM's 110 employees in Australia are from China.

"With the local, for the local. With the Thai, for the Thai. With the Australian, for the Australian," said Shi. "This is the kind of philosophy [which guides us].... You must make yourself more local. Not only brand. Product, service, operations…. Everything must be local."

Such considerations appear to be part of the reason why GWM doesn't only manufacture EVs, also offering petrol and hybrid vehicles such as its Tank 300 and Cannon Alpha. Lack of infrastructure and charging facilities have slowed EV uptake in some markets, with the level of government support and incentives varying significantly between different areas. 

As such, Shi acknowledged that there's still a need for traditional petrol-powered vehicles, particularly in countries which may not yet have the budget for widespread implementation of EV facilities. GWM is hoping to meet international customers where they are in the meantime.

"We believe new energy vehicles could be the future," said Shi. "Of course, for the China market, definitely because the government gives a lot of support, incentive, tax reductions, so the EV penetration is very high.… So that's why if you're talking about the new energy vehicles in China, it's over 50 percent market share. But the other markets I think could be slow because the government incentives or government support is very limited."

"Some markets we understand, petrol, diesel, especially for commercial vehicles… [continue to remain] for a long time because facilities for charging, they need time [to be built]. And budget from the government to encourage the electronic vehicles, to encourage the plug-in hybrid vehicles, [is] still very slow….

"We try to follow the [future] trend, of course," Shi continued. "EV could be very good for the environment, could be a great convenience. But we believe that different countries may have different usage scenarios."

Shi offered the example of Australians driving between Melbourne and Sydney, two cities which are approximately 544 mi (876 km) apart. In such a scenario, drivers may be anxious about making it to the next charger. Further, Shi speculated that what chargers are available may be less advanced and take a significant amount of time to charge. As such, he suggested that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles would be more suited to cross-country driving, noting that GWM's small Ora EV is designed for city use.

"This is why we are not investing [in] big models, big cars for EV," Shi continued. "Some other Chinese players, they have a five metre-big SUV…. We're not doing that. We have the capabilities to do that, but we don't think that's going to be the future. Especially [as] we are facing the global market. So different scenarios, different needs."

Working to secure data, trust, and market share

Credit: Courtesy of GWM

For GWM, expanding outside of China "is a must." However, foreign governments have expressed increasing suspicion towards Chinese tech companies in recent years, accusing them of giving the Chinese government access to customers' data. Though there is no public evidence that this is occurring, the possibility has lawmakers leery. As such, Chinese companies with global aspirations have had to allocate significant resources into reassuring governments and countering such wariness.

"If you try to be a global player in different countries, we have to follow the rules and regulations of the countries," said Shi. "This is the bottom line. This is number one."

As part of this, Shi states that GWM keeps sensitive customer data on servers within their respective country. For example, Australian drivers' data is kept on Australian servers. For GWM customers in the Asia-Pacific region, less sensitive ownership information such as users' names, email addresses, and Vehicle Identification Numbers are kept on servers in Singapore. In a statement to Mashable, GWM noted that Singapore is "recognised for its strong data protection and cybersecurity frameworks."

"We have isolated the customer data, because the customer data is very, very sensitive," said Shi. "This is the law…. We have to follow the law and [ensure GWM is in] compliance. This is the bottom line. You don't cross the bottom line. You cross the bottom line, you're going to burn your hand…. We don't want to, [in the] short term, make something easy [and end up with a] lot of leaking, leaking, leaking a lot of the customer's data. No, no, no. This is not allowed."

GWM has been in Australia for almost two decades now. As of July, GWM was the seventh-best selling automaker in the country this year, and the number one best-selling Chinese auto brand. The company is still continuing to grow its foothold, announcing during Tech Day that its new Tank 500 plug-in hybrid seven-seater SUV will cost Australians $AU79,990 driveaway — approximately $US52,000.

Unfortunately, it will still be a long while before U.S. drivers can test out GWM's vehicles themselves.

"I think we have the capability [to enter the U.S. market]. We have the product, we have the technology, we have the experience in global operation," Shi told Mashable. "We are planning, we are observing, we are watching. We are watching how the USA policies [are] changing…. We have the team over there, but with the administration change, everything's changed. Sorry for that!"

Disclosure: Mashable travelled to Melbourne as a guest of GWM.

UPDATE: Oct. 30, 2025, 12:54 p.m. AEDT This article has been updated to clarify where GWM stores different types of customer data.

One of the coolest things about owning a Tesla is the ability to get all sorts of info about your car through a mobile app.

Now, the auto company has taken it to another level with a new Maintenance tab (via Teslarati), that shows you exactly what your car needs replaced, fixed, or adjusted in the near future.

Somewhat hidden in the Tesla iOS app (Android app still doesn't have this option) under Service - Request Service - Maintenance, the new section tells you when your car is due for stuff like tire rotation, cabin air filter replacement, or wiper blades replacement. Even better, the app tells you the cost for each item (if you buy it at an official Tesla repair shop), and if you click on each item, you'll see the estimated life left for each component.

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Some of the items, such as Windshield Camera Area Precision Cleaning, probably aren't something you ever thought of doing, let alone paying 80 bucks for it, but it's still nice to know the current status for each of these parts.

If you've done maintenance at some place other than Tesla's official repair shops, these won't be accurate. Unfortunately, there's apparently no way to manually input when you've last changed your tires or had your wiper blades replaced (I've done both but none of that shows in the app).

Also, in my area I don't see the detailed breakdown of what's happening to my car as the folks in the U.S. seem to get. Hopefully Tesla will update this to work for all owners globally, and make it a little easier to access in the app. Still, the feature is a good reminder that you should take your car to the shop for basic maintenance every now and then.

Waymo has taken the Tesla Robotaxi threat seriously.

On Wednesday, the company announced it's launching its autonomous ride-hailing service in London in 2026.

The service will be offered, in truly British fashion, via a fleet of Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. Customers will be able to hail them via Waymo's app, and the company highlighted the fact that its cars will operate without a human behind the wheel.

There's no word on which areas Waymo's service will cover, though Waymo said it plans to serve Londoners and the city's "millions of visitors" next year. The company's official FAQ for London says it's conducting "extensive trials and safety validation work across select boroughs of London."

Fun fact: The Waymo cars in London will have the steering wheel on the left side, as the company will use its existing fleet of Jagaur I-PACE cars which were originally built for U.S. operations. It shouldn't matter too much as there will be no driver in the seat, and the company says its operators which monitor the system are "trained to operate a left-hand drive vehicle safely on UK roads."

This isn't the first time Waymo has expanded internationally; the company already announced it will launch in Tokyo, besides a host of cities in the U.S. where it's already operational. But it appears to have accelerated its expansion following the launch of Tesla Robotaxi, which currently operates in Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

After a long, long wait, the "affordable" Tesla is here.

Unsurprisingly, it's not a new model; instead, Tesla launched cheaper, stripped down variants of the Model Y and Model 3.

The new variants are dubbed "Standard" and are similar in what they offer — a $5,000 price reduction for the Model Y, a $5,500 reduction for the Model 3, and a number of features missing.

The lineup for both cars now consists of three basic variants: Standard, Premium (which was previously called Long Range), and Performance. The Premium and Performance trims are the same as before, both in terms of features and pricing. So what do you get (or, better said, what do you lose) when opting for the Standard trim?

Are these truly the cheapest Teslas?

First, let's talk about the prices.

The new trims come right after the Trump administration killed the federal tax credit for electric cars, which reduced the price of most EVs by up to $7,500. This isn't Tesla's fault – though there's something to be said about CEO Elon Musk's relentless support for Trump ahead of the election and in the early days of the administration. But there's no getting around the fact that, for most buyers in the U.S., even these "affordable" Teslas are more expensive than before.

If we pretended that the tax credit didn't matter, a $5,000 and $5,500 price reduction could be alright if you didn't lose a lot in terms of features. Sadly, this is also not the case.

The long, harrowing list of missing features

The list of differences for the Standard and Premium trims is painfully long and thorough. Some of the key features, such as range and acceleration, are greatly impacted. Focusing on the Model Y, and comparing with the next cheapest model, the Premium Rear-Wheel Drive, you get:

• lower range (321 vs 357 miles)

• slower acceleration (6.8 vs 5.4 seconds from 0-60mph)

• slower charging (up to 160 miles in 15 minutes of Supercharging vs up to 182 miles in 15 minutes of Supercharging)

• 7 speakers and no subwoofer vs. 15 speakers and 1 subwooer

• no FM/AM radio

• 18-inch Aperture Wheels vs. 19-inch Crossflow wheels

• no second-row touchscreen

• no panoramic glass roof

• no LED lightbar

• less advanced shock absorbers

• no autosteer

• manual folding side-view mirrors

• manually adjusted steering wheel

• no extended storage in the center console

• no ambient lighting

• no adaptive high beams

• no first-row ventilated seats

• no second-row heated seats

• textile and vegan leather combo for the seats vs. vegan leather only

• no HEPA filter

We skipped a few minor details; for the full list use the "Compare Models" feature on Tesla's website. But the list above will probably make any buyer reconsider going for the cheapest option. Yes, stuff like glass roof and the second-row touchscreen are desirable but perhaps not essential. But you also get a significantly smaller battery, slower acceleration, and a bumpier ride. It's hard to justify such a long list of missing features with a price that's just $5k away from the next model.

At least the Standard Model 3 looks almost the same as the Premium trim. Credit: Tesla

For the Model 3, the list of differences between Standard and Premium is very similar, and also includes less range and slower acceleration. In fact, the difference in range is even bigger, given that the Standard trim offers an EPA estimated 321 miles of range, while the Premium Rear-Wheel Drive has 363 miles. The price reduction is slightly more generous at $5,500, and the starting price of $36,990 will probably compel some buyers to look into this trim, especially if they don't need lots of range. It's still not a great deal; you simply lose too much by going Standard over Premium.

I don't think these new entries into Tesla's lineup will be revolutionary in any way, but at least the burning question of what the affordable Teslas will be like is finally answered. Tesla has a history of introducing affordable models before phasing them out, and I wouldn't be too surprised if this happened to these new trims, too. We'll keep an eye on a potential international launch of these new models; perhaps the pricing will be different globally.

Imagine this. You're in Austin, Texas, the one place where Tesla's autonomous robotaxi service is open to the public. You order a Tesla robotaxi in order to try the service out. After all, it's a self-driving car! You're living in the future.

And the Tesla robotaxi arrives with a human sitting in the driver's seat.

That's what's happening right now as Tesla seeks to operate its robotaxi under Texas's new driverless vehicle regulations.

In a post on Elon Musk's social media platform X, Elon Musk's robotaxi service replied to a user explaining how some robotaxis will now require a human "safety monitor" in the driver's seat on certain trips.

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"Safety monitors are only in the driver's seat for trips that involve highway driving, as a self-imposed cautious first step toward expanding to highways," the official Tesla Robotaxi account said.

Basically, human safety monitors are required to be present inside a Tesla robotaxi to supervise the driverless vehicle, make sure the software is performing as expected, and intervene if necessary. Typically, the safety monitor has been seated in the passenger seat of the vehicle.

However, under Texas's new regulations, if a customer requires the robotaxi to drive on the state's highways, the safety monitor must move to the driver's seat while the vehicle is in operation.

Texas SB 2807, which went into effect on Sept. 1, provides a robust regulatory framework for fully autonomous vehicles. Under this law, a human operator must be present within a driverless vehicle unless the state classifies it at a Level 4 or higher autonomy. 

As Gizmodo points out, the Society of Automotive Engineers defines Level 4 autonomy as a vehicle that can operate without a human "under specific conditions, such as within a geofenced area or on designated routes."

Despite Tesla calling its autonomous system "Full Self Driving," the state of Texas only classifies it at a Level 2, which means robotaxis are required to have human oversight at all times.

After Tesla's robotaxi launched in Austin in June, it only took about a week before occupants started sharing cautionary tales about the driverless service. Customers reported the robotaxis drove in the wrong lane, ran over a curb, and unexpectedly braked in the middle of a street for no reason.

Musk had touted a Tesla robotaxi service for at least a decade before it finally launched to the public in one single U.S. city this year. Regardless of the human safety monitor requirements and other issues, Musk recently claimed that he expects the robotaxi service to be available for roughly half the U.S. population by the end of 2025.

BMW's first Neue Klasse electric vehicle is here, and it's already one of the most interesting new EVs to come from Europe in the past couple of years.

First announced in 2023, the Neue Klasse (that's German for "new class") is a radical rethinking of BMW's philosophy, with a new design language, a minimalistic, digital-first interior, and promises of smarter tech, as well as more range, efficiency, and speedy charging — in short, all of the things that buyers of electric vehicles crave.

The BMW iX3 is the first officially unveiled Neue Klasse car, and it delivers on all of the above, at least on paper.

From the side, it almost looks like a regular BMW family hauler. Credit: BMW

Somewhat oddly, it bears the same name as the current BMW iX3, a fairly pedestrian electric SUV (or SAV — sport activity vehicle — as BMW calls it). And yes, the new BMW iX3 is still a mid-sized family hauler that runs on battery power, but it's also miles ahead of its predecessor on most counts.

The first model to hit the stores — in spring 2026 in Europe, followed by a U.S. launch in the summer —will be the BMW iX3 50 xDrive. It comes with a massive 679–805-kilometer (421–500-mile) WLTP range, thanks to a huge, 108.7kW lithium ion battery. The car allows for 400kW charging at compatible charging stations, meaning it'll charge from 10 to 80 percent in 21 minutes.

The iX30 50 xDrive is powered by two electric motors, giving it a maximum output of 469 horsepower, which should be enough to get from 0–100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, with a top speed of 210 km/h (130mph). BMW says that the drive tech it developed for Neue Klasse reduces energy losses by 40 percent compared to its fifth-gen eDrive tech, which is part of the reason why the new iX3 boasts a combined electric power consumption of 17.9–15.1 kWh/100 km.

Those taillights will be unmissable on the road. Credit: BMW

While the exterior design isn't that much of a radical departure from some of BMW's newer models (yay for smaller "kidneys" on the front grille), the interior is a different story. The oddly shaped, sort-of square center display probably won't be to everyone's taste, but it's certainly different from everything we've seen inside other cars. Same goes for the Panoramic Vision display that's spread under the entire length of the windshield, offering a quick glance of features like navigation, music, weather and time.

It's not just for show (pun intended). BMW's new infotainment system, the BMW Panoramic iDrive (based on the freshly developed BMW Operating System X) "brings together displays, geometry and light & sound design into a holistic experience," according to the company.

We need a name for the shape of the center display. Credit: BMW

OK, now that we've had a chuckle, it really does seem like BMW put a lot of thought into modernizing the infotainment while making sure you actually pay attention to the road. There's also the optional BMW 3D Head-Up-Display, and nearly all of it can be controlled by the busy array of buttons either side of the steering wheel.

The brains behind all of this are all brand new — all four of them, that is. BMW claims that its Neue Klasse features four "superbrains." One of them, called Heart of Joy (BMW just likes giving names to things), is responsible for the drivetrain, brakes, energy recuperation, and steering. Another, which BMW claims has "20 times greater processing power than conventional control units," takes care of the car's automated driving and parking functions.

As for the regular car stuff, suffice to say that the BMW iX3 measures 4,782 millimeters in length and has a respectable 520 liters in the back, alongside a small frunk which can hold 58 liters of cargo.

There's no word on price for all of this, but it'll sure make your eyes water if you opt for the optional M Sport or M package or M Sport package Pro. On the other hand, BMW says other, cheaper models will follow down the road.

This model is a big deal for BMW. The company plans to implement some of the Neue Klasse tech into 40 new models and model updates by 2027. It looks pretty great from afar, though it'll take a closer look to see how well it's all been put together.

If you're looking to buy an electric car in the U.S. and get the $7,500 tax credit after it ends on September 30, there is now a way to do that – but not by very long.

Yes, the $7,500 federal EV tax credit still ends on September 30, per Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which was signed into law in July. But previous rules required buyers to actually receive the car before that date, and this is no longer the case.

Per CNBC, new IRS guidance, released on August 21, changes the rules slightly in favor of the buyer.

"A vehicle is 'acquired' as of the date a written binding contract is entered into and a payment has been made. A payment includes a nominal downpayment or a vehicle trade-in," say the new rules.

This means that you only have to sign a contract and make a payment for an EV by Sept. 30, but the vehicle itself can be delivered at a later date.

Of course, just like before, you still have to make sure both you and the car you're buying can qualify for the tax credit. You can search for eligible vehicles over at the United States Environmental Protection Agency's website. As for potential buyers, individuals must have an income under $150,000; a head of household must earn less than $225,000, and married couples must make less than $300,000.

Tesla has officially launched its new Model Y Performance trim in Europe, and it's even better than we thought it'd be — but it will cost you.

As expected, the performance-oriented trim looks like a slightly beefed up version of the standard Model Y, with a carbon fiber spoiler, 21-inch Arachnid wheels, and a slightly more aggressive front and rear fascia. Inside, you'll find carbon fiber details and sportier seats.

But it's the actual performance that makes this car really interesting, especially when you consider that this is still a family SUV. It accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 250km/h.

While those figures are the same as on the previous Model Y Performance trims (which weren't available after the car's "Juniper" refresh in January 2025), what makes this model really interesting is the range. The Model Y Performance has an advertised 580km WLTP range, which is nearly the same as the 586km you get on the Long Range All-Wheel Drive. In a way, with the Performance trim you get to have your cake and eat it, too, as the previous Performance version had a lot less range than the Long Range AWD trim.

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This range improvement, Tesla says, is thanks to "new high-density battery cells with increased charge capacity."

The stability of the ride has been improved, too, with adaptive damping that can adjust handling based on road conditions, and staggered wheel and tire fitment which should provide better grip and steering. Finally, new drive modes allow you to adjust traction control depending on your driving style and terrain.

Then there's the price. We've checked it in several European markets, and it's roughly 9,000 euros more than the Long Range All-Wheel Drive variant. For example, the Tesla MYP costs 62,970 euros in Germany, and 61,651 euros in France. It's not a small ask, but the specs are pretty great, so we're sure the new trim will find buyers (if any buyers remain in Europe at all, given the plummeting sales on the continent following Musk's political shenanigans).

Everything that's new on the 2025 Tesla MYP

Here's a complete list of upgrades on the new Tesla Model Y Performance, compared to the Long Range All-Wheel Drive variant:

• Range: 580km (WLTP)

• New high-density battery cells

• Supercharging speed: Up to 243 km of range in 15 min (compared to 266 km on the LR AWD variant)

• 0-100km/h: 3.5 seconds

• Top speed: 250km/h

• 21-inch Arachnid 2.0 wheels

• New tires and brakes

• Carbon fiber spoiler

• Redesigned front fascia

• Redesigned rear fascia

• Improved suspension with adaptive damping and new Drive modes

• Sport seats in the first row

• 16-inch high-definition display in the front (compared to the 15.4-inch display on other trims)

• Carbon fiber elements in the interior

• Weight: 2,033 kg (compared to 1,997 kg on the Model Y LR AWD trim)

• Length: 4,796 mm (compared to 4,790 mm on the Model Y LR AWD trim)

• Height: 1,624 mm (compared to 1,611mm on the Model Y LR AWD trim)

• Ground clearance: 151mm (compared to 167mm on the Model Y LR AWD trim)

Forty percent. That's how much Tesla's European sales declined in July compared to the year before.

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), the lobbying group for the automobile industry in the EU, released new data on Thursday showing that Tesla, led by Elon Musk, is continuing to face a steep decline in sales.

In total, just 8,837 Tesla vehicles were registered across Europe in July 2025. That figure includes the European Union, as well as the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

Furthermore, Tesla's drop in sales is not the result of a broader decline across the larger EV market either. In fact, sales of electric vehicles as a whole actually went up in the EU. For example, Tesla's biggest Chinese rival BYD saw 13,503 new vehicle registrations in July. That's a monthly surge of 225 percent compared to the year before, as CNBC reported.

This also marks Tesla's seventh month in a row of declining sales.

Tesla has also seen declining sales in the United States so far in 2025, though the impending end of the EV tax credit has given EV makers a temporary boost over the summer.

No end in sight for Tesla's woes

Tesla's sales issues began shortly Musk's involvement in the President Donald Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has also been involved in other costly controversies, including his support for a far-right party in Germany.

In fact, in the month after Musk supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Tesla recorded fewer than 900 sales in Germany — a nearly 50 percent drop.

In July, amid declining sales, Tesla also stopped allowing EU customers to configure and order some of its car models, such as the Model S and X. And, in the U.S., Tesla owners have flooded the market with used Tesla vehicles.

Under increasing pressure, Musk announced in May that he was stepping away from his role with the Trump administration, but Tesla's sales problems have continued.

On top of that, the president's Big Beautiful Bill will see the end of a vital source of Tesla's revenue: Carbon credits.

Over the past decade, these regulatory credits have accounted for a whopping $11.8 billion in revenue for Tesla.

Finally, the federal EV tax credit will expire on Sept. 30, which will immediately make electric vehicles more expensive for U.S. shoppers.

Tesla Model Y Performance might finally be on its way.

The company launched a thoroughly revamped Model Y in January, and has gradually expanded the available trims, but one popular option was missing: The super-quick Performance trim.

Now, Tesla's Europe and Middle East account has posted a teaser video showing something that looks a lot like the rear end of a Model Y with a pronounced spoiler. The video also displays a date – August 29, 2025 – and has a tagline "spoiler alert," all of which indicates the company is getting ready to launch the Performance trim of the Model Y this Friday.

Given that the teaser video was only posted by Tesla's Europe and Middle East account, it's quite possible that the Model Y will hit those markets first.

This wouldn't be a big surprise; after all, the revamped Model Y was launched in China, Australia and Europe first, followed by a U.S. launch a few months later.

Tesla opted for a similarly staggered launch of its revamped Model 3 last year, having launched the regular, Long Range first, following by the incredibly quick Performance trim.

So what can we expect from the new trim? Besides quicker acceleration, which is a given, a recent spotting of a camouflaged Model Y Performance at Nurburgring revealed several upgrades, including a new rear spoiler, 21-inch rims, updated brakes and suspension, and sportier seats.

Tesla has expanded its Robotaxi coverage area in Austin for the third time in just two months.

The company first launched the Robotaxi service in June, initially covering just a tiny, 22 square mile area in southern Austin. Now, with this latest increase, Tesla covers 173 square miles in Austin, and the company says it's also increased the number of available cars by 50 percent.

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A fun fact noted by Teslarati: The Robotaxi service area now also covers Tesla's own Gigafactory Texas.

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With this increase, Tesla has far surpassed Alphabet's Waymo, which currently covers 90 square miles in Austin with its self-driving cars.

While Musk's proclaimed goal of expanding Robotaxis to cover half the population of the U.S. by year's end remains near-impossible, the company is expanding fast.

It's worth noting, however, that despite the increased service area and the number of cars available, Tesla's Robotaxi service is still only available via invite to a limited number of users.

The news follows Waymo's potential expansion to New York City, where the company recently acquired a pilot permit for running an autonomous vehicle taxi operation.

Robotaxis are braving the notoriously hectic New York City streets, as Waymo wins coveted approval to test its autonomous vehicles.

The self-driving ride-share company has been granted the first pilot permit by the city of New York. This permits the company to train its camera, LIDAR, and RADAR systems on the busy NYC grid. Other autonomous vehicle companies, including competitor Tesla, have made aggressive pushes into the metropolitan area in a race to own the market in major cities.

The permit allows Waymo to deploy eight vehicles (Jaguar I-Pace SUVs) throughout Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn from now until late September. The vehicles will be occupied by a safety operator who will maintain constant contact with the steering wheel. Waymo is not approved to test with passengers under the city's taxi and limousine licensing requirements, and had to submit additional plans to the city's emergency services system and Department of Transportation to get approval. The company told TechCrunch it plans to begin testing its fleet "immediately."

Last month, Waymo announced it has plans for a robotaxi launch in Dallas in 2026, following the tongue-in-cheek deployment of Elon Musk-led Tesla robotaxis earlier this year. Waymo, a leader in the space, already operates fleets in San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. For several years, Robotaxi companies have been gradually piloting autonomous vehicle services in major cities (predominantly California), but few have gone fully to market.

Tesla is now bundling its top Cybertruck with a bunch of extras, but those come with a large price hike that cannot be avoided.

Tesla calls this the "Luxe Package," and it's only available for the Cyberbeast, which is the Cybertruck's top trim. It includes Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) package, four-year premium service, free, unlimited supercharging, and premium connectivity.

The problem with Luxe Package, however, is that it's not optional: It's included with every Cyberbeast, which now costs $114,990, which is a $15,000 hike compared to yesterday's pricing.

The Luxe Package could still, theoretically, be good value. Unfortunately, in this case it's mediocre at best. Tesla's FSD package costs $8,000 on other trims, and – despite Elon Musk's constant promises of massive progress – it currently isn't all that useful. The other big perk the buyers will get, free Supercharging, will take a while before it pays off. Fortunately, you can still get the two cheaper Cybertruck trims, without the Luxe Package, for $62,490 and $72,490, respectively.

The move is even more puzzling when you consider how poorly the Cybertruck's been selling. Tesla doesn't share exact numbers, but estimates say the company sold just 6,406 Cybertrucks in the first quarter of 2025.

Tesla's Model S and Model X haven't been selling that great recently, either, but Tesla did a similar thing to them last week, adding the Luxe Package and $10,000 to the price of these models' top trims.

Earlier this week, Tesla launched a six-seater version of its most popular SUV, dubbed the Tesla Model YL. We've got the details, but in short, it's a bit larger than the Model Y, with six seats instead of five, nearly the same range, and a slightly higher price tag.

Given that the only six-seater Tesla option globally is the far pricier Model X, a lot of potential buyers probably hoped that the Model YL would come to the U.S. as well. That might never happen, and if it does, it won't be very soon.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed this in a tweet.

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"This variant of the Model Y doesn’t start production in the US until the end of next year. Might not ever, given the advent of self-driving in America," he wrote.

At best, U.S. buyers won't be able to get a Model YL until very late 2026 or, more likely, early 2027.

As for the "advent of self-driving," Musk is referring to the company's recently launched and fast-expanding Robotaxi service. It's only available in a handful of cities and areas in the U.S. right now, but Musk said the plan was to offer Robotaxis to "half the population" of the U.S. by year's end.

That's very unlikely to happen. The Robotaxi service is currently in a sort of closed beta, and isn't exactly autonomous either, especially in the Bay Area where a driver must be present at all times. Even if Tesla could pull it off, the service would still need to be approved by regulators, and it's hard to imagine the company getting the green light in so many U.S. cities in the next four months.

It's not entirely clear why self-driving would impact a six-seat variant of the Model Y, either, and Musk offered no further explanation.

Tesla's chief also didn't mention markets other than the U.S., so potential buyers can still hope that the Model YL will arrive there a bit sooner.

Tesla's Model YL is now official.

Following numerous rumors about a six-seater version of Tesla's most popular car, the company launched the Tesla Model YL — albeit for now only in China.

The Tesla Model YL is a slightly elongated version of the regular Model Y, with a total length of 4,976 millimeters (the regular Model Y is 4,790 millimeters long). It's also 24 millimeters taller, with a total height of 1,668 millimeters; the width remains the same at 2,129 millimeters (with mirrors extended).

There's some luggage space left even with all the seats unfolded. Credit: Tesla

Inside, there are six seats instead of five, in a 2-2-2 seating configuration. There's some space left in the trunk even when all seats are upright, though Tesla only lists the total storage space, which is 2,539 liters. The third row seats are heated, and power-folding, though they lack power-folding armrests and ventilation, which you only get on the second-row seats.

The Model YL is slightly taller than the Model Y, and its roofline appears to slope less, which probably makes life in the third row a little easier. Credit: Tesla

Despite the larger dimensions, the Model YL doesn't differ all that much from the Model Y. It has dual motors, accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.5 seconds (0.2 seconds slower than the Model Y), and has nearly the exact same cruising range by CLTC specifications — 751 vs 750 kilometers on the regular Model Y.

The pricing starts at CN¥339,000 or about $47,000, some $3,600 more than the price of regular Model Y in China.

There's no word on whether this version will come to the U.S. or other markets.

Independent testing has found several popular EVs fell short of their claimed driving ranges when placed in real-world conditions, including the Tesla Model Y, Model 3, and Kia EV6. In the most egregious discrepancy, one vehicle demonstrated an enormous 23 percent reduction in range.

The Australian Automobile Association's (AAA) Real-World Testing Program has published the results of its range and energy consumption tests on five EVs, the program's first evaluation of entirely electric vehicles since its launch. Unfortunately, all five EVs underperformed in real-world conditions when compared to their mandated lab results, including three popular models available in the U.S.: the 2024 Tesla Model 3, 2024 Tesla Model Y, and 2022 Kia EV6. 

The Tesla Model 3 had some of the worst results when it came to range, managing only 441km (274mi) compared to their lab result of 513km (318.8mi) — a 14 percent drop. The Model Y didn't live up to its 533km (331.2mi) lab range either, suffering an eight percent reduction to top out at 490km (304.5mi). The Kia EV6 also underperformed by eight percent, travelling 484km (300.7mi) in the AAA's tests as opposed to the 528km (328.1mi) expected.

The AAA further tested the 2023 BYD Atto 3 and 2024 Smart #3, finding the latter performed the closest to the range it advertised out of all the EVs tested. Specifically, the Smart #3's real-world range of 432km (268.4mi) was five percent lower than its purported 455km (282.7mi) lab result. In contrast, the Atto 3 displayed the widest discrepancy of the five cars tested, with its real-world range of 369km (229.3 mi) landing 23 percent lower than its lab range of 480km (298.3mi). Though neither vehicle is currently available in the U.S., the Atto 3 is the fifth best-selling EV in Australia.

"Range anxiety is a concern for EV drivers, and this independent validation shows the [Smart] #3 delivers range you can trust in everyday conditions," Smart said, welcoming the AAA's findings in a statement to Mashable. "Initiatives like this provide important transparency, helping consumers make confident choices."

Mashable has reached out to Tesla, Kia, and BYD for comment.

Credit: Australian Automobile Association

Fortunately, it wasn't all bad news when it came to the five EVs' energy consumption. The Tesla Model Y actually performed slightly better than its lab results, consuming one percent less energy at 167Wh/km rather than 169Wh/km. Sadly, the other four vehicles performed slightly worse, each one exceeding the energy use from their lab tests. The Kia EV6 consumed one percent more energy compared to its lab results, the Tesla Model 3 used six percent more, and the Smart #3 used four percent more. Shockingly, the Atto 3's energy consumption was a whopping 21 percent higher than expected, a poor result when considered in conjunction with its 23 percent lower range.

The AAA states that its program tested the cars on a 93km (57.8mi) circuit in Geelong, Victoria, between March and May, in both damp and dry conditions and temperatures ranging from 17 to 25C (62 to 77F).

"[The Real-World Testing Program] uses strict testing protocols based on European regulations to ensure results are repeatable and to minimise the influence of human factors such as driving style and changing traffic flows," the AAA stated.

Funded by the Australian government, the AAA's Real-World Testing Program was first proposed in the wake of the 2015 Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal. It was subsequently launched in 2023, with the intention to test 200 vehicles over four years and evaluate them against their claims. Of the 114 internal combustion engine and hybrid vehicles since tested, one in five has surpassed noxious emissions limits and 75 percent has exceeded fuel consumption when compared to lab tests.

UPDATE: Aug. 13, 2025, 11:28 a.m. AEST This article has been updated with comment from Smart.

Tesla is expanding its Robotaxi service area again for the second time in a week.

The company originally launched its autonomous ride-hailing service in June, open to a limited number of people and in a fairly small area in South Austin.

But Tesla has been expanding its Robotaxi coverage on a very fast track: First, it expanded the the original coverage area into a much larger, penis-shaped area over Austin. And just days ago, Tesla launched a similar, though far less autonomous, Robotaxi-named service in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Now, Tesla has expanded (via Teslarati) the geofenced area where its Robotaxis operate in Austin once more. It now covers an estimated 80 square miles, nearly matching Waymo's autonomous taxi coverage in the area.

Judging by the way other autonomous ride-hailing services have been expanding over the years — for example, Alphabet's Waymo has been around for a decade, and it added new cities and areas at a much slower pace — Tesla seems to be confident in its Robotaxis, which consist of regular Tesla Model Y vehicles. Musk recently laid out an incredibly ambitious plan to offer Robotaxis to "half the population of the U.S." by the end of 2025.

Meanwhile, Waymo has been picking up the pace in its own autonomous taxi expansion; the company recently said it would launch in Dallas in 2026.

As recently promised by CEO Elon Musk, Tesla has launched its Robotaxi service in the Bay Area — but the "robo" part is a bit dodgy right now.

Tesla's AI account on X posted a coverage map on Thursday, with a big chunk of San Francisco, San Jose, and everything in between being covered by the service. Musk retweeted the tweet, saying that "you can now ride-hail a Tesla in the SF Bay Area, in addition to Austin."

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Tesla fans will undoubtedly be happy to see the service expand so quickly - it launched less than two months ago in Austin, and the coverage area was expanded to a wider area in Austin after a couple of weeks.

But as Electrek pointed out, in Bay Area the Robotaxi service is very different from the one in Austin, where the cars are really driving themselves, with no one present in the driver's seat (though the company does use human supervisors in the passenger seat).

In the Bay Area, however, there's a driver in the driver's seat. Their job is to basically use Tesla's Full-Self Driving set of autonomous driving features, allowing the car to drive itself but constantly supervising what it does, always ready to take over if the car makes an error.

Politico noted that Tesla doesn't have a permit to run an autonomous driving service in California, meaning that it can't launch a truly driverless Robotaxi service there.

The news comes after Alphabet's Waymo picked up its expansion plans. The company recently announced it will launch its autonomous ride-hailing service in Dallas next year, on top of previously announced expansion in Miami and Washington D.C.

Tesla has stopped taking orders for its Model S and Model X luxury electric vehicles in Europe.

The change was silently introduced across the continent; we've checked out several of Tesla's European websites, including those for Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and Croatia, and they're all only offering inventory Model X and Model S vehicles. In contrast, Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y cars can still be configured and ordered in these markets.

This doesn't mean the cars are completely unavailable in Europe; buyers can still choose from a number of preconfigured Model S and Model X vehicles (we've found several available models in every market we've checked).

The change comes after a quarter in which Tesla delivered just 10,394 of its "other" models, a category which encompasses the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck — nearly a 50 percent drop compared to the same quarter last year.

The Model S and X were recently revamped in a modest way, with starting prices going up $5,000 for each model.

It could be just a temporary measure, though. As Electrek pointed out, this is not the first time it's happened; for example, Tesla wasn't taking orders for Model S and X throughout the first seven months of 2022, following a refresh of the two models the previous year.

The change could be due to supply issues, as the wait time for the Model S is two months even in California, where the car is produced. But it could also be a signal that the end of the line for Tesla's luxury EVs is near — at least in some markets.

It appears Tesla's Robotaxi launch has stirred up competition: Waymo is launching its autonomous ride-hailing service in Dallas next year.

According to the company's announcement on Monday, Waymo will offer the service through its app, while the fleet will be managed and maintained by Avis.

Dallas has the worst traffic fatality rate among the 10 largest cities in the U.S., and Waymo said it hopes to improve this statistic.

The company didn't say how many cars it plans to operate with in Dallas, nor has it shared a coverage map. The press release did mention a few areas of the city which will presumably be covered: "Whether catching a Mavericks’ game, hitting up the multiple arts districts, or tasting your way through the trendy culinary scene, the Waymo Driver offers a convenient, consistent way for both residents and visitors to get around town."

There's no word on exact timing, either. Waymo says that "early testing is already underway," and rides will be offered to the public "next year." Further down the line, Waymo says it plans to expand to more cities.

Waymo currently operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin, while Miami, and Washington D.C. are listed as "coming soon."

The announcement comes shortly after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that his company's Robotaxis could cover half the population of the U.S. by the end of 2025 — should regulators allow it. Waymo, which has been operating for a decade, has already engaged in a bit of a contest with Tesla; after Tesla expanded its Robotaxi coverage area in Austin, Waymo responded with an even larger expansion of its own.