(Reuters) – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a probe into more than 1.4 million Honda vehicles sold in the United States over concerns that connecting rod bearing failures in their engines could lead to complete engine failure.
In a letter dated August 20, the regulator said it received 414 reports of the issue in various Honda and Acura vehicles’ 3.5-liter V6 engine. Continue reading “US probes into more than 1.4 million Honda vehicles over engine failure”
BERLIN, (Reuters) – German carmaker Porsche AG has scrapped plans to produce high-performance batteries at its Cellforce unit, citing slow demand for electric vehicles and changed conditions in China and the United States.
The move, which according to a person familiar with the matter will see about 200 of the nearly 300 jobs at the subsidiary cut, is a further blow to European efforts to challenge Asia’s dominance in automotive battery manufacturing. Continue reading “Porsche scraps battery production plans at Cellforce unit”
TOKYO/BERLIN, (Reuters) – The pension trust of Mercedes-Benz will sell off its roughly $346 million shareholding, a 3.8% stake, in Nissan Motor a spokesperson for the German carmaker said on Monday, adding to pressure on the Japanese automaker’s share price.
Japan’s third-largest automaker has been hit by U.S. tariffs, restructuring and lower sales volumes that have contributed to a 24% slide in its share price this year. Continue reading “Mercedes-Benz Pension Trust to sell its 3.8% stake in Nissan Motor”
(Reuters) – Startups worldwide are racing to develop new battery technologies using materials like sodium and sulfur or other innovative chemistries, aiming to cut costs and reduce reliance on some critical minerals to supply electric vehicles (EVs).
China controls 85% of the global battery cell production, and 90% of processing of raw materials used in two lithium-ion variants that dominate today’s EV market. Continue reading “Competing battery technologies shape the EV industry”
Summary
STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) – Silicon Valley startup Lyten will need to convince carmakers it can succeed where bankrupt Swedish EV battery maker Northvolt failed – creating a European champion to reduce the region’s reliance on China.
Lyten, which develops lithium-sulfur batteries, unexpectedly announced on August 7 it was buying Northvolt’s assets, offering a lifeline to future European battery production for electric vehicles. Continue reading “Battery startup Lyten yet to convince carmakers over Northvolt revival”
New Delhi, 25th August 2025: The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) organised the 2nd SIAM Automotive Taxation Conference 2025, themed “Drive with Policy Reforms and Innovation to Build Viksit Bharat.” The conference included insightful discussions related to critical role of taxation policies in supporting the growth of India’s automotive sector while contributing to the nation’s economic development; GST compliance – best practices and challenges; and the role of AI & analytics for ease of compliance.
Mr. Shashank Priya, Special Secretary & Member (GST, CX&ST), CBIC, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, said, “The Government is working towards GST rate rationalization, towards substantially controlling disputes and boost consumer sentiments. We are looking at early refund of inverted duty structure, focus at more auto-filled data and working on time frame for reconciliation of credit notes.” Continue reading “SIAM Deliberates on Policy Reforms for Automotive Taxation”
(Reuters) – Tesla has raised the price of its most-expensive Cybertruck pickup truck model by $15,000 in the United States despite softer-than-expected sales and recalls.
The sharp increase follows a long-delayed rollout in which the pickup has struggled to meet Tesla’s early promises, with sales so far trailing expectations. Continue reading “Tesla raises price of most-expensive Cybertruck by $15,000 in US”
Summary
WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – The European Union will work to ensure lower U.S. tariffs on its car exports are applied retroactively to August 1, the bloc’s trade chief said on Thursday, as the transatlantic partners set out details of a framework trade deal struck in July. Continue reading “EU pushes for reduced US autos tariff from August 1 as joint text limits exemptions”
Summary
GANZHOU, China, (Reuters) – Chinese copper flat wire manufacturer Wellascent’s decision early last year to build a factory in Texas was a hedge against geopolitical risks. Now the investment is paying off as U.S. import tariffs boost demand for its locally produced goods. Continue reading “Texas factory gives Chinese copper firm an edge in tariff war”
Source : PTI | VinFast Auto India on Friday said it has joined hands with State Bank of India to facilitate loans for customers.
The agreement aims to offer a seamless suite of credit solutions ahead of the electric automaker’s first product rollout in the country. Continue reading “VinFast Auto partners with SBI for vehicle finance”
Source : PTI | The domestic tyre industry is likely to register a 7-8 per cent growth in the current fiscal on the back of replacement demand, according to people tracking the sector.
JK Tyre & Industries MD Anshuman Singhania said the Indian tyre industry remains an export-heavy manufacturing sector, with outbound shipments surpassing ₹25,000 crore in FY25. Continue reading “Tyre industry likely to see 7-8% growth in FY26”
Source : PTI | Electric vehicles are exempted from paying toll on the Atal Setu (formerly Mumbai Trans Harbour Link or MTHL), India’s longest sea bridge, an official said on Friday.
The state Urban Development Department, in a notification on Thursday, said that the exemption will apply to electric four-wheelers and electric buses, including those operated by state transport undertakings and private operators.
Continue reading “Electric vehicles exempted from toll on Atal Setu”
Summary
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. auto safety agency said Thursday it would investigate Tesla’s delays in submitting crash reports involving advanced driver-assistance systems or self-driving vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had identified numerous incident crash reports from Tesla that arrived several months or more after those incidents. Continue reading “US probes delays in Tesla crash reports involving driver-assistance systems”
Summary
WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – The European Union will work to ensure lower U.S. tariffs on its car exports are applied retroactively to August 1, the bloc’s trade chief said on Thursday, as the transatlantic partners set out details of a framework trade deal struck in July. Continue reading “EU pushes for reduced US autos tariff from August 1 as joint text limits exemptions”
(Reuters) – Alphabet’s robotaxi unit Waymo has received its first permit to begin testing its autonomous vehicles in New York City with a trained specialist behind the wheel, helping the company advance its self-driving ambitions.
Waymo can now begin testing a limited number of its self-driving cars in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said on Friday. Continue reading “Waymo gets first permit to test autonomous vehicles in New York City”
BEIJING, (Reuters) – China’s Dongfeng Motor has put its 50% stake in Dongfeng Honda Engine Company up for sale, according to a stock exchange filing on the Guangdong United Assets and Equity Exchange on Monday.
A reserve price has yet to be set. Continue reading “China’s Dongfeng Motor puts its 50% stake in Dongfeng Honda Engine up for sale”
JSW MG Motor India’s luxury channel, MG SELECT, has officially handed over the first batch of the MG Cyberster, the brand’s all-electric roadster, to eight customers in Bengaluru.
The Cyberster, billed as the world’s fastest MG, brings supercar-level performance to the electric era. Equipped with a dual-motor setup generating 503 bhp and 725 Nm of torque, the two-seater convertible can accelerate from 0–100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds Continue reading “MG SELECT Delivers India’s First Cybersters In Bengaluru”
Reuters – Self-driving vehicle startup Nuro closed its late-stage funding round on Thursday, raising $203 million at a $6 billion valuation from new investors Uber (UBER.N), and Nvidia (NVDA.O), alongside returning backers.
The latest tranche of $97 million follows the $106 million announced in April, which included investors such as T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, and Tiger Global. Continue reading “Self-driving vehicle startup Nuro valued at $6 billion in late-stage funding round”
Source : PTI | TVS Motor Company on Thursday expanded its electric commercial vehicle range with the introduction of a three-wheeler for the cargo segment.
The company had forayed into the electric three-wheeler segment earlier this year with the launch of the King EV MAX to cater to the passenger segment. Continue reading “TVS expands electric 3-wheeler portfolio; drives in model to cater to cargo segment”
Source : PTI | JSW Group firm JSW Sarbloh Motors on Thursday said it has formed a joint venture with Tomcar USA for local production of the TX range of all-terrain vehicles in India.
Phoenix, Arizona-based Tomcar is a manufacturer of high-performance all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) designed for military, commercial, and industrial operations. Continue reading “JSW Sarbloh Motors forms JV with Tomcar USA for production of ATV in India”
Reuters – The United States and the European Union agreed a joint statement on the framework trade dealstruck at the end of July to end months of uncertainty for industries and consumers.
Here are the main elements of the statement, produced after weeks of wrangling, spelling out what both sides have agreed to. Continue reading “What’s in Trump’s trade deal with Europe?”
Kochi: Volkswagen India announced the launch of a new ‘Flash Red’ colour option for Virtus and Taigun in Kerala. With the festive season commencing on the auspicious occasion of Onam, Volkswagen has introduced the new bold ‘Flash Red’ colour, Continue reading “Volkswagen India introduces new ‘Flash Red’ colour on Virtus and Taigun in celebration of Onam in Kerala”
Reuters – Tesla has since Monday evacuated part of its plant in Germany after a fire broke out in a building processing battery packs, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Thursday, adding there were no injuries or environmental damage. Continue reading “Tesla evacuates part of Germany plant after fire, HB reports”
Reuters – KKR (KKR.N), is the leading candidate to buy the Yokohama headquarters of automaker Nissan Motor (7201.T), and has offered around 90 billion yen ($609.80 million), a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
KJR Management, a real estate unit owned by KKR, submitted the highest bid but negotiations are ongoing, said the person, who declined to be named because the matter is not public. Continue reading “KKR is lead bidder for Nissan $610 million headquarters sale, source says”
Reuters – Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T), is recalling 91,697 Outlander and Outlander hybrid SUVs in the U.S. over risks of the rear hatch falling unexpectedly, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday. Continue reading “Mitsubishi to recall over 91,000 US vehicles over rear hatch issues, NHTSA says”
Reuters – Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ.O), said on Wednesday its car sales unit was partnering with Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O), automotive retail platform, Amazon Autos, to sell pre-owned vehicles, sending the car rental company’s shares up 7% in early trading.
Shares of used-car retailers fell, with Avis Budget Group (CAR.O), down 6%, Carvana (CVNA.N), losing 4.2% and CarMax (KMX.N), shedding 1.4%. Continue reading “Hertz partners with Amazon Autos to sell used vehicles online”
Summary
Reuters – India’s Epsilon Advanced Materials is moving swiftly to close deals to supply critical components to Japanese and South Korean battery makers in the U.S., a top executive said, after Washington imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese imports. Continue reading “US tariffs on Chinese graphite spark opportunity for India’s Epsilon”
Source : PTI | Environment ministry has set up a separate category on its online clearance portal to speed up approvals for mining projects involving critical minerals, a move aimed at boosting domestic supply of resources considered essential for clean energy and advanced technologies, the government informed Parliament on Monday.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, minister of state for environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the mines ministry had in Feb requested faster clearances for such projects, following which the new facility was added to the Parivesh 2.0 portal on Mar 13. Continue reading “Faster approvals online for critical mineral: Centre”
Reuters – The U.S. Commerce Department said on Tuesday it is hiking steel and aluminum tariffs on more than 400 products including wind turbines, mobile cranes, appliances, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, along with railcars, motorcycles, marine engines, furniture and hundreds of other products.
The department said 407 product categories are being added to the list of “derivative” steel and aluminum products covered by sectoral tariffs, with a 50% tariff on any steel and aluminum content of these products plus the country rate on the non-steel and non-aluminum content. Continue reading “US hikes steel, aluminum tariffs on imported appliances, railcars, EV parts”
Reuters – Tesla (TSLA.O), must face a certified class action by California drivers who said Elon Musk misled them for eight years about the self-driving capabilities of his company’s electric vehicles.
U.S. District Judge Rita Lin said the common question of whether Tesla lacked sensors to achieve high-level autonomy plus its inability to “demonstrate a long-distance autonomous drive with any of its vehicles” justified group lawsuits by two sets of drivers who bought its Full Self-Driving technology package. Continue reading “Tesla drivers can pursue class action over self-driving claims, judge rules”
Summary
Reuters – Japan’s exports posted the biggest monthly drop in about four years in July, government data showed on Wednesday, as the impact of U.S. tariffs intensified, raising concerns about the outlook for the export-reliant economy. Continue reading “Japan’s exports log biggest drop in 4 years as US tariff impacts intensify”
Reuters – Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng (9868.HK), on Tuesday forecast third-quarter revenue would double, betting on surging deliveries of its cars despite challenging economic conditions.
The Guangzhou, China-based company’s U.S.-listed shares rose over 4%. Continue reading “China’s Xpeng expects quarterly revenue to double on strong demand for its EVs”
Reuters – A Brazilian subsidiary of China’s ride-hailing company DiDi Global (92Sy.D), sued Chinese rival Keeta on Monday in a Sao Paulo court alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition, according to court documents seen by Reuters.
The lawsuit comes days after Keeta, which is entering the Brazilian market, sued DiDi’s Brazilian unit, 99, in Brazil, alleging its food delivery app 99Food was trying to restrict restaurants from working with more than two delivery platforms. Continue reading “Chinese firms in legal battle over Brazil food delivery”
Reuters – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), started accepting orders for its new Model Y L in China on Tuesday with a starting price of 339,000 yuan ($47,184), its website showed, as it refreshes its line-up in the world’s largest auto market to battle growing competition.
Tesla first launched the Model Y in 2020 and it became the world’s best-selling car in 2023. The ageing model lost some sales momentum last year, hurt by competition from local rivals in China such as Xiaomi’s (1810.HK), YU7, while in other markets demand for electric vehicles has weakened. Continue reading “Tesla starts taking orders for its new Model Y L in China from around $47,200”
Reuters – Germany said on Monday that the United States would have to follow through on agreed lower tariffs on Europe-made cars before a wider agreement on trade can be finalised in writing.
“In particular, car tariffs must be reduced quickly as agreed. We are also aware of the considerable burden on the export-orientated economy. … Our role here is to continue to fully support the European Commission in this process,” a German government spokesman said in a press conference. Continue reading “Germany says written EU-US trade deal requires lower car duties”
Reuters – Tesla’s (TSLA.O) Model Y L is “coming soon”, the electric car company said on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Monday, having previously registered plans to introduce the new model in China.
The Model Y L is a six-seat version of its best-selling Model Y with a longer wheelbase. Tesla also shared a video of the new model in its Weibo post. Continue reading “Tesla says Model Y L is ‘coming soon’”
Source : PTI | In upcoming sweeping reforms, the GST on automobiles – currently in the highest tax bracket – will be restructured to resolve classification disputes related to engine capacity and vehicle size, ultimately benefiting the common man, according to government sources.
Presently, automobiles are taxed at 28 per cent, which is the highest GST slab. A compensation cess, ranging from 1 to 22 per cent, is levied on top of this rate, depending on the type of vehicle. Continue reading “Proposed GST rate tweaks on automobiles to end classification disputes”
