🚗 Automotive

Take a look around the American automotive landscape, and you’ll see an industry acting as if new-car sales will grow forever. Before the decade is out, seven brand-new assembly plants are scheduled to come online in the United States alone. Cumulatively, all the big bets Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Scout Motors, Slate Auto, Vinfast, Lucid and Rivian are making on new assembly plants may be tooled to potentially make 1.8 million more cars and trucks. On paper, the logic seems sound: build localized capacity to offset imports, secure domestic supply chains, and prepare for a new era of propulsion. But if you lift up the hood and look at the actual data, you have to ask yourself a very uncomfortable question: Who is going to buy all these cars? According to the latest data from the Federal Reserve Board, existing automotive assembly plants in the U.S. are currently running at less than 70% of capacity. That means we already have nearly 4 million units of manufacturing capacity sitting entirely idle, gathering dust. And yet, we’re about to aggressively add more supply to a market that is already struggling with excess capacity. This capital expenditure spree is being driven by ten-year product cycles and five-year corporate strategies. But the auto industry is failing to look 20 years out, where a convergence of demographic shifts and alternative mobility trends is about to fundamentally change the concept of vehicle ownership. | Wards Auto

Vehicle leasing has declined in the United States in recent years, curbing what has long been a preferred route to new wheels for many car shoppers. Before the pandemic, leasing accounted for around 30% of the U.S. new-vehicle market, according to research firm JD Power. That percentage fell to 17% ‌during post-pandemic car shortages, and leasing has still not fully recovered: In the first half of 2026, leases accounted for 23% of new car deals. A big reason for the decline: Automakers have gotten stingier, unwilling to offer low monthly rates that historically enticed buyers to lease. Shoppers returning at the end of their term often are presented with monthly rates on their next lease that are a few hundred dollars higher. | Reuters ($)

Ford Motor Company's shift away from cars that chief executive Jim Farley has deemed “boring” has been great for the automaker’s bottom line. Ford’s U.S. sales in 2025 were the highest in six years, though lower than a decade earlier when it had more types of cars to sell. That has had downsides for some Ford dealers, who now operate without cars like the Escape SUV and Focus sedan, which once generated significant sales. Ford, which helped pioneer the modern assembly line and still assembles most of its cars in the U.S., sees the shift as a business necessity—for itself and for dealers. Overall sales of new cars have shrunk in recent years with about a million buyers opting out—and car owners keeping their old vehicles for longer than ever—as average prices hover around $50,000. The market has shifted to favor large, expensive trucks and SUVs, and Ford has moved to capitalize on it. A decade ago, a Ford vehicle could cost less than $15,000, with several options in the $20,000 range. Now, the least-expensive new Ford begins a little under $30,000. Tariffs and labor costs in particular complicate plans for building affordable cars in the country, and most budget-friendly cars in the U.S. today are built overseas and imported to the U.S. Crosstown rival General Motors, for example, sells two small SUVs priced below $25,000 that are assembled in South Korea. | The Wall Street Journal ($)

Germany’s automakers are struggling under the weight of American tariffs, Chinese competition and a rocky transition to electric vehicles. The gravity of the situation became clear this summer as Volkswagen executives discussed closing factories, canceling models and culling tens of thousands of jobs. The crisis raises questions about whether the German approach of balancing profits with job security by, among other things, giving workers a strong voice in management is capable of adapting to breathtaking technological change. Chinese carmakers churn out new models in 18 months or less, a fraction of the time most Western carmakers take. Along with chemicals and machinery, autos are “one of three sources of German strength rooted in the 19th century in areas where German engineers made great strides,” said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Investment Bank. When the industry is changing rapidly, “German labor relations are a hindrance,” Mr. Schmieding said. “A modest downsizing you can discuss with your workers. When it’s a dramatic shift, that’s more difficult.” | The New York Times ($)

Volkswagen is axing hundreds of management roles as part of a cull of white-collar workers, flooding the job market at a time when Germany’s auto giants are under extreme pressure from Chinese carmakers. Manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen were “squeezing out managers like mad”, said Dr. Magnus Tessner, automotive partner at the executive search company IFP. Many of the managers were searching for new jobs, although their departures had been cushioned by generous exit packages, he said. One external headhunter said that they had been approached by VW to find new positions for 400 to 500 managers. “I told them we cannot do it . . . we do not have 400 executive roles that need filling,” the recruiter said. | Financial Times ($)

Ford Motor Company is chasing its biggest military contract since the Cold War. The automaker said Monday that it has joined the race to build the US Army’s newest tactical truck, a pickup that would double on the battlefield as a stealthy power bank on wheels. The move, which has Ford competing for the project with crosstown rival General Motors, comes as the Pentagon pushes automakers to put their manufacturing power toward modernizing and replenishing American military hardware. The Army is looking to build about 600 of the trucks. On Monday, the Army confirmed that it awarded contracts to GM, Ford and BC Customs, an off-road vehicle manufacturer, to build prototypes to be delivered next year. GM is years into developing its own version of the infantry squad vehicle, dubbed the ISV-Heavy. Military officials recently purchased some of the GM prototypes, built off the heavy-duty version of the automaker’s Silverado pickup, for field testing. | The Wall Street Journal ($)

Ford and General Motors are looking beyond cars. If history rhymes, investors could come to regret their wandering eyes. Will this time be different? In May, Ford’s shares surged as much as 45%, adding nearly $23 billion of market value, in the weeks after it formally announced Ford Energy, a grid-scale battery-storage business that will serve the power needs of artificial-intelligence hyperscalers and utilities. Its shares have since moderated, but are still up more than 20% since the Ford Energy launch. The company is also re-entering the defense sector, having recently won a contract to build tactical trucks for the U.S. Army. GM’s shares have climbed 16% since last week’s earnings call, when it raised its full-year guidance and provided some details around its own defense and grid-scale battery businesses. On the earnings call, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said these are opportunities to improve margins and become less cyclical. Investors might want to keep their expectations in check. These businesses are promising but not proven, and automakers have a checkered history with diversification. | The Wall Street Journal ($)

A new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) finds that many of the cars on American roads with the highest rates of driver deaths fall into the category of either sportier-than-average vehicles, smaller-than-average ones, or both — while some 3-row SUVs had rates so low, they effectively saw no driver deaths during the four-year span of the study. The independent safety watchdog analyzed the deaths of drivers across the 2021–2024 timespan who were behind the wheel of vehicles from the 2023 model year or before, provided those earlier versions had the same designs and features as the model’s 2023 example, and found that smaller and sportier vehicles had the highest rate of driver deaths. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the diminutive Kia Rio led the list, with 170 driver deaths per million registered vehicle-years. The Chrysler 300 and Dodge Challenger accounted for the third, fourth, and fifth-highest driver death rates (IIHS breaks Hemi-powered Challengers out separately, for some reason, with them one spot ahead of non-Hemi versions), with respective rates per million registration years of 132, 127, and 125. Other notable vehicles included in the highest driver death rate data include the Kia Forte (120 deaths per million registered vehicle years), Nissan Altima (105 deaths per million registered vehicle years), and Chevrolet Camaro (88 deaths per million registered vehicle years). The Chevy Corvette was also included in the top 20 vehicles with the highest rates of driver deaths, with a rate of 82 deaths per million registered vehicle years. | Road&Track ($)

A leading European insurer is calling for major changes to the way modern vehicle headlights are designed and repaired. Allianz argues that today's increasingly sophisticated lighting systems are driving up repair bills unnecessarily, turning minor accidents into expensive insurance claims. The company wants automakers to make headlights easier to repair instead of requiring complete replacement when only a small section is damaged. It is also urging regulators to revise repair rules that currently prevent some technically viable fixes, particularly in Germany. According to German outlet Handelsblatt, Allianz states that around 870,000 headlights are replaced every year in Germany following collisions. The insurer estimates the average price of a replacement headlight has risen from €708 in 2015 to €1,251 in 2025, while certain premium models can cost as much as €6,700 each. Those rising costs affect more than insurance companies. Higher repair expenses ultimately contribute to increased insurance premiums for motorists, while replacing entire assemblies instead of individual components also creates unnecessary waste and higher carbon emissions. | Yahoo!Autos

Ferrari has hit this year’s sales target for its first electric vehicle model on the back of strong demand from China despite a polarising design that drew a backlash from investors and enthusiasts. The Italian group has not disclosed its target for the Luce but two people with knowledge of the matter said it had aimed to sell this year just under 500 units of the EV, which was designed by former Apple designer Jony Ive and priced from €550,000. One of the two people said the target had been reached earlier in July, just two months after its controversial launch when critics on social media derided its unconventional styling and compared its design to far cheaper mass-market models. At the time, former Ferrari chair Luca Cordero di Montezemolo called for the Luce to be stripped of its signature prancing horse badge. The group’s Milan-listed shares also lost more than 8 percent in the first trading session after the unveiling in May. | Financial Times ($)

When Ferrari revealed the Luce — its first EV — to the public in May, the internet reacted. And not in a positive way. Critics compared the wedge-shaped Luce with a Nissan Leaf and said Chinese EVs would outperform it while undercutting it on price. Even former Ferrari chair Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was among the haters. Ferrari’s stock dropped 8% the day after the reveal. Their conclusion: The Luce would be a dud. It turns out, the armchair auto executives were wrong about the five-seater that was largely designed by Jony Ive and his firm, LoveFrom. Ferrari hit this year’s sales target for the Luce in just two months, according to a report by the Financial Times. The automaker was hoping to sell just under 500 of the €555,000 ($630,000) EV, and based on previous reports, it sounds like at least 20% will make their way to China. That’s not surprising, given that the Luce seems tailor-made for the Chinese market, which favors fast, sleek four-door EVs. Much of the internet’s hate was directed at the Luce’s styling, which hewed to some Ferrari norms while throwing others out the window. Appearance is subjective, and I’ve seen enough cars in my day to know that some designs don’t translate well on-screen. Maybe seeing one in person tipped buyers into placing an order. What’s more, Ferrari has an enthusiastic and price-insensitive customer base. The company sold more than 13,000 cars last year, which is a lot for an automaker that specializes in six-figure vehicles. Ferrari buyers tend to own several models, so it’s also not difficult to imagine 500 of them wanting a practical vehicle that’s also a Ferrari. Is the Luce worth the price of admission? Early reviews suggest that it drives like a Ferrari should. Plus, it has the prancing horse on the hood. That appears to be all Ferrari needs to succeed. | TechCrunch ($)

Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family, has purchased a 5% stake in Lucid Motors, increasing the Kingdom’s overall ownership of the electric vehicle company. A new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published Tuesday shows that the billionaire prince recently purchased a little more than 19 million shares. In a post on X, he wrote that his investment office made the purchase when Lucid’s market cap was below $2 billion. That happened on July 14, when an electric vehicle blog published a report claiming that Lucid was considering either filing for bankruptcy protection or being taken private by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Lucid strenuously denied the reports, and the company’s stock price has since rebounded. “We don’t comment on individual investments, but we are aware and appreciate the independent vote of confidence,” Lucid Motors’ chief communications officer Nick Twork said in a statement to TechCrunch. | TechCrunch ($)

Like many long-standing traditions, London’s taxi trade continues to confront new threats. The centuries-old industry has survived wars, the onslaught of Uber, and Covid. Black cabs remain one of London’s defining symbols for many, alongside Buckingham Palace, Sunday roast lunches and Paddington Bear. But the trade faces perhaps its greatest disruption yet: competition from vehicles with no driver at all. Still in testing mode, autonomous taxis could, pending government approval, offer driverless rides to Londoners by the end of the year. Their arrival could arguably prove a greater shock in the city than elsewhere. London is, after all, home to the world’s most thoroughly trained cabbies, who spend up to four years completing “the Knowledge” — a famously rigorous memorization of the city’s street plan. Introduced in 1865, the Knowledge remains one of the world’s toughest professional qualifications. Candidates master the city’s streets through intensive visualization, training so rigorous that studies have shown it can physically reshape the brain. One study even found that London cabbies outperform GPS navigation apps in some respects. | Bloomberg ($)

⚡️ Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Ron Eastman got an unpleasant surprise from the insurance company that has provided coverage for his electric vehicle, a Polestar 2 sedan, and a previous electric hybrid, for more than a decade. “The 2023 Polestar vehicle ... does not meet company underwriting guidelines,” the notice from the insurer, Quincy Mutual Group, read. “This vehicle is electric and not eligible for coverage.” A 76-year-old retired professor, Eastman said he’s never before had an issue with Quincy Mutual, “which is why I was very surprised when I got those letters. It’s like, wow, what’s going on?” What’s going on is that electric vehicles are often so much more expensive to repair than gas-powered cars that insurers are either charging significantly higher premiums or, in extreme cases such as Eastman’s, even dropping coverage altogether. This comes at a time when Massachusetts is already falling behind on its goal of convincing nearly 1 million drivers to switch from gas-powered cars to help cut climate emissions. Massachusetts has the highest difference in insurance costs between electric vehicles and gas-powered: $3,560 on average, for EVs in 2025, compared with $2,318 for gas-powered cars, according to rankings from Insurify, which compares insurance rates. That’s yet another hurdle to going electric, after the Trump administration cut federal subsidies and automakers canceled or delayed some low-priced models. | Boston Globe ($)

Tesla has built its 10 millionth electric vehicle, according to a social media post by the company early on Thursday. The milestone comes six years after the company built its one millionth vehicle. Crossing the 10 million mark means Tesla is halfway to reaching one of the four core “product goals” that unlocks the full value of CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package, which shareholders approved last year. By 2035, Musk has to ensure the company builds 20 million vehicles, reaches 10 million active subscriptions for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, delivers 1 million “bots,” and puts 1 million robotaxis on the road. | TechCrunch ($)

Tesla's Revenue vs. Costs for Q2 2026. | App Economy Insights

Elon Musk’s tunneling startup, The Boring Company, is in talks to raise new funding that would value it at around $20 billion, according to people familiar with the discussions. The company is in talks to raise around $4 billion. The company builds tunnel boring machines that it claims can dig underground more cheaply than traditional construction companies. The startup, which spun off from SpaceX in 2018, owns a transportation network under the Las Vegas Strip in which drivers ferry passengers in Teslas to and from the Las Vegas Convention Center. Boring was valued at around $5.7 billion after a 2022 funding round. That round raised $675 million from investors, including Vy Capital, Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund. The company has pitched privately funded projects in cities including Baltimore, Chicago and Los Angeles, where the startup stood to make money from ticketed passengers using its underground transit system. Many of those projects haven’t panned out. | The Wall Street Journal ($)

🇨🇳 China

Ford CEO Jim Farley informed employees that the company is currently making preparations for Chinese automakers to arrive on American shores within five to 10 years. The warning came during a recent closed town hall meeting attended by Ford employees, according to an Automotive News report based on the account of three individuals in attendance. The statement from Farley comes despite the growing list of trade barriers aimed at preventing Chinese automakers from importing or selling their vehicles in the United States. Despite American pushback, Chinese automakers continue to gain market share around the globe, with sales numbers increasing in Europe. They are also becoming more commonplace in our bordering countries, gaining significant popularity in Mexico, and earning a deal to sell a limited number of EVs in Canada. Farley said it is more likely that Chinese automakers begin arriving in the later stages of that timeframe, rather than the earlier stages. The Ford executive has been vocal in recent years about the competency shown by Chinese automakers, suggesting that they pose a genuine value threat to established American brands. | Car and Driver

Elon Musk designed Tesla’s China business to be easily separated from its U.S. business because of geopolitical tensions. It might also come in handy if he proceeds with a SpaceX merger. Musk in recent years instructed Tesla executives to organize the company with a “laser” between its U.S. and China businesses, according to people familiar with the planning. He wanted to ensure that in the event of geopolitical strife between the two countries, at least the U.S. half of Tesla would survive. Now, some Tesla executives have been told to prepare for a separation of the China business ahead of a potential merger, a person familiar with those talks said. And Tesla advisers have discussed possible options for a separation, including a spinoff, sale or closure, another person said. Any of those moves could have a profound impact on Tesla, whose Chinese operation transformed it into a consistently profitable global mass-market electric vehicle leader—and potentially impact its valuation if a SpaceX merger were to happen. | The Wall Street Journal ($)

Tesla has officially refuted reports claiming the company is considering spinning off, selling, or closing its China operations to facilitate a potential merger with SpaceX. The controversy erupted following a report by The Wall Street Journal, which cited sources claiming that Tesla executives had been instructed to prepare for a separation of the China business. The reported plans allegedly included the creation of an independent sales entity to manage overseas exports from the Shanghai Gigafactory, as well as implementing strict “firewalls” to limit China-based employees’ access to other company units. When contacted by National Business Daily, The Paper and multiple Chinese media outlets, a representative from Tesla China dismissed these claims as “false information.” CEO Elon Musk also took to his social media platform, X, to label the reports “fake news.” | Car News China

Nissan says it has cracked the code for developing cars at China Speed. The multipronged plan includes bundled vehicle families, faster adoption of “umbrella designs,” greater concentration of decision-making and more artificial intelligence in vehicle testing. And, crucially, no more chasing perfection, which bogs down timelines and jacks up costs. Nissan’s new way slashes development times for new vehicles to 37 months from 50 and for derivative models to 30, for a 40 percent speed-up. Nissan Motor Co. has already internalized the approach. Engineers say it will enable them to deliver the next-generation Nissan Skyline sedan in a brisk 26 months. The advance puts Japan’s No. 3 automaker in the same league as Chinese rivals that are churning out cars in 24 months or even faster, a breakneck speed legacy players call China Speed. Nissan is revamping product development as legacy automakers from Japan, Europe, Korea and the U.S. struggle to compete with the flood of new product coming from Chinese automakers. | Automotive News ($)

For decades, Toyota built its reputation on doing things differently. The Toyota Production System became the gold standard for manufacturing efficiency, while its suppliers formed one of the world's most tightly integrated industrial ecosystems. But in a remarkable twist, former Toyota CEO Koji Sato is now suggesting that Japan's carmakers should do something they have traditionally resisted: share more. Speaking recently about the challenges facing Japan's automotive industry, Sato argued that manufacturers should pursue far greater standardization of components across the industry for better efficiency. In an era where Tesla and Chinese EV giants such as BYD, GEELY, CHERY and SAIC are rewriting the rules of car manufacturing, he believes Japanese automakers can no longer afford to develop thousands of near-identical parts independently. More than a decade ago, the late Sergio Marchionne, then CEO of FCA Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, in his Confessions of a Capital Junkie, repeatedly urged global automakers to stop wasting billions of dollars developing components that consumers never see. In a now-famous 2015 presentation, Marchionne argued that the industry was destroying shareholder value by duplicating research and development on everything from seat frames and wiring harnesses to electric motors, HVAC systems and battery technology. | Forbes ($)

🤖 Autonomy

Uber has partnered with — and in some cases made direct investments in — more than 30 autonomous vehicle (AV) companies over the past two years. And it’s taking a global approach. TechCrunch tracks every one of those moves in one place. | TechCrunch ($)

🦾 Robotics

The Federal Communications Commission issued a ban on the import of humanoid robots Tuesday, expanding a Trump administration effort to keep cutting-edge Chinese technology out of the United States. The ban follows a determination by the administration that allowing the robots — along with doglike quadrupeds or machines on wheels — into the country presents a national security risk. “Advanced robotic devices collect data that could be leveraged by malign actors to surveil Americans, enhance the capabilities of foreign intelligence services, or to remotely commandeer the robots,” officials wrote. Analysts at Morgan Stanley have forecast that the market for humanoid robots could be worth $5 trillion by 2050, and a ban on imports could give American firms a leg up. President Donald Trump’s sons have moved into the industry, investing in defense and robotics firms focused on building in the United States. Officials’ determination supporting the restrictions points to the Trump administration’s policy of promoting investment in domestic manufacturing. | The Washington Post ($)

Robot trade tensions escalated on Thursday as China angrily denounced a proposal by the United States to ban imports of Chinese-made humanoid robots, calling the measure discriminatory and threatening retaliation. In a sharply worded statement, China’s commerce ministry accused the Trump administration of launching a new provocation that would “severely undermine the stability of China-U.S. economic and trade relations, and seriously disrupt the stability of global industrial and supply chains.” On Tuesday, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said it intended to restrict imports of humanoid and animal-like robots on national security grounds, while promoting the development of advanced robots domestically. Although the F.C.C. did not explicitly identify China, Chinese producers dominate the global humanoid robot industry. China’s commerce ministry said the proposal was unmistakably aimed at the country’s manufacturers, describing it as “discriminatory and suppressive against Chinese companies and products.” | The New York Times ($)

🤖 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Switching careers in America is hard; AI may soon make it more common. Around 10m jobs could be displaced over the next decade, according to Goldman Sachs. Entry-level white-collar jobs and routine office work are especially exposed, putting both new and current workers at risk. Widespread job losses have yet to materialize, but the fear is already shaping American politics: nearly one in five workers expects AI to eliminate their job within five years. Earlier technologies, from electricity to computers, displaced workers but also created new kinds of work. Now some technologists, including Elon Musk, imagine a future in which universal high income cushions people as paid work recedes. Few politicians are content with that solution, but devising a different fix is harder. A serious response would help young people enter the workforce, existing workers adapt as jobs change, and displaced workers move into new occupations. Can America build such a system before the disruption arrives? Its recent record is not encouraging. Between 2000 and 2011 America shed nearly 6m factory jobs—around 1m of them owing to rising Chinese import competition—leaving employment depressed for years in the hardest-hit places. The main federal response, Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), paid for retraining and extended unemployment benefits, but only for workers who could prove that trade had cost them their jobs. Those who received training worked roughly three months more than comparable workers who did not and, over the following decade, earned about $50,000 more. But the programme’s scope was limited. In the early 2000s, roughly 160,000 workers a year were covered by TAA certifications, while manufacturing was losing around 500,000 jobs annually. Of those covered, only about 40,000 entered training each year, reflecting cumbersome applications and waits of nearly a year before training could begin. The result was local economic devastation that helped fuel America’s populist turn. The AI shock will be different, affecting white-collar jobs scattered across the country. Losses may come through less hiring and rounds of layoffs rather than sudden factory closures. The burden could nevertheless fall heavily on particular groups. Young workers may find entry-level opportunities disappearing, while women without four-year degrees—overrepresented in clerical, administrative, call-centre and back-office roles—face especially high risks. | The Economist ($)

One of the richest sources of online information is re-evaluating its relationship with Google. Reddit, the online message board that powers a swath of Google search results, has discussed shutting off the technology giant’s access to its content for AI use, according to people familiar with the matter. It is part of a growing chorus of online media companies expressing frustration with the tech giant as AI changes the way people ask questions, siphons off search traffic and upends publishers’ revenue models. They say the search engine is no longer a reliable source of visitors, especially after Alphabet’s GOOGL 6.73%increase; up pointing triangle Google expanded its AI search features in recent months. USA Today, Politico, the Economist, People Inc. and Reuters are all evaluating how, or even if, they will continue to work with Google. | The Wall Street Journal ($)

🛜 Connectivity

A vocal minority of car buyers is fighting the auto industry’s obsession with packing new technology into cars. Call them curmudgeonly roadblocks to progress, or the last beacons of sanity on the road. Either way, they’re pushing back. Some are rejecting new cars altogether, opting to stick with used models or keeping their older cars running longer than ever. Others have gotten resourceful. They scour dealerships for models with the fewest bells and whistles. They take to online message boards seeking the most low-tech of modern vehicles. They figure out how to disable alarms and alerts, or stick tape on digital dashboards to mimic old-school buttons. It’s not an easy feat. Offering the latest in-car gadgetry has become a game of one-upmanship among automakers, from dashboard-spanning display screens and cars that start with a fingerprint, to automated driving-assistance technology and infrared cameras that scan a driver’s eyes for signs of fatigue. | The Wall Street Journal ($)

As modern cars have evolved into multi-ton computers on wheels, drivers are beginning to learn they need to install security updates for their vehicles' code, just as they would for a phone or laptop. Yet not even the most tech-savvy car owners would expect they'd need to install a patch for an insecure third-party component they never installed or requested—and likely aren't even aware of—that's been wired into some of the most sensitive systems of their vehicle, leaving it vulnerable to stealthy hacking, tracking, and even roadside paralysis. That's the disturbing discovery of a team of security researchers at UC San Diego, who found that a model of aftermarket car alarm known as the KARR Security System, installed in more than 2 million vehicles across the U.S. by their estimate, can let any hacker within Bluetooth range send radio commands to silently unlock the car at will, turn off its alarm, honk the car's horn or flash its lights, or even disable its ignition and leave a driver stranded. The KARR alarm devices are typically installed by car dealers, not manufacturers or owners, and used as a measure to prevent auto theft from dealer lots. Yet when the cars are sold, the alarms typically aren't removed, even if the buyer declines to pay for it as an additional feature. That means car owners across the U.S. have a hackable device under their hood whose code they'll need to update to protect their vehicle—but one that, in many cases, they never purchased and have no idea is there. | Wired ($)

For decades, American farmers dealing with malfunctioning John Deere equipment were left with few options for repairs. The company allowed only authorized dealers to make fixes, withholding necessary tools from independent repair shops and individuals, driving up costs and wait times. A settlement this month with the Federal Trade Commission will change that. The commission secured a right-to-repair settlement with John Deere as part of a lawsuit filed in January 2025. The settlement “enables farmers to do what they’ve done for generations — fix their own tractors and other farm equipment — without having to pay an authorized John Deere dealer to do it for them,” Daniel Guarnera, the director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said in a statement. Deere & Company’s farming equipment has become more reliant on computerized components, which makes it easier for the company to maintain restrictions on who can repair its products. The company also produces the only software tools that are able to make electronic repairs to the equipment. | The New York Times ($)

🚎 Public Transit

For decades, the federal government has funneled big-ticket grants to local communities to help them take on ambitious construction projects to expand public transit. The grants, sometimes in the billions of dollars, have funded new railroad tracks, train stations and roads rebuilt for modern bus service. Today, they’re funding extensions of the Second Avenue Subway in New York and the Red Line in Chicago, as well as the Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River and bus infrastructure in Indianapolis and San Antonio. But since President Trump returned to office, the Federal Transit Administration has not signed a single new agreement under the program, known as Capital Investment Grants. Large projects ready to enter the final phase of the program’s yearslong pipeline have stalled there. The administration also tried halting payments to the New York and Chicago projects, forcing courts to intervene. As the number of pending projects builds up, so has anxiety about the federal government’s support for major transit infrastructure. Money that Congress designated for that purpose is accumulating too: More than $7 billion hasn’t been obligated to any project. “It’s hard to look at the last year and see anything other than a deliberate slowdown of these grants,” said Steve Davis, director of the advocacy group Transportation for America. The program illustrates a subtler tactic in how the Trump administration is managing federal funds: not just terminating grants, as it did in droves last year, but quietly declining to give out new ones. | The New York Times ($)

✈️ Aviation & Space

Globetrotters hunting for airfare bargains are in for a rude awakening: the days of stumbling across a cheap seat on a popular flight could soon disappear. Airlines have long relied on analysts to devise pricing rules — such as increasing fares by 20% once a flight is a quarter full. Now, artificial intelligence is enabling carriers to change seat prices more quickly by weighing dozens of variables in real time, helping capture more revenue while shrinking the pricing gaps that once allowed travelers to find bargain fares. Driven by soaring costs, carriers from Delta Air Lines to Virgin Atlantic are increasingly adopting the technology to squeeze more revenue from every flight. For travelers, that will likely mean higher fares on busy routes as fewer seats are sold below what airlines believe customers are willing to pay and flights are packed closer to capacity. The shift marks a new era in airline pricing, replacing rules and spreadsheets with predictive models that continuously adjust fares to demand. | Bloomberg ($)

🚘 Car of the Week

Our Automotive Ventures “Car of the Week”: a 1996 McLaren F1 GTR. | RM Sotheby’s

📰 In The News

📢 On this week's Automotive Ventures "Future of Automotive" segment on CBT News, we discuss vehicle subscriptions. Not subscribing instead of owning a car, but the unbundling of vehicle features and options and charging the consumer a monthly fee to activate them. | CBT News ($)

👀 Automotive Ventures Company to Watch

SparkServ’s Service BDC Hub and AI-Agents empower automotive dealers to boost net profits, increase CSI, and ensure that their service bays are always full. | SparkServ