Volkswagen and Porsche recall over 500,000 US vehicles for models between 2019-2026

Bad news!

Why Carmakers Are Bringing Back Buttons, Ditching Touchscreens due to government regulation with Palki Sharma. Really!

This does not make much sense to bring back buttons for more driving safety! Why not e.g. audio commands? Why not separate touch screens etc.?

Bosch: Das Ende der Auto-DNA? Radikaler Kurswechsel weg von Automotive

Empfehlenswert!

Tesla toppled by Chinese carmaker BYD as world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles

Can the West keep up with China? BYD has over a 1,000 dealerships in Europe alone.

VW in der Krise: Erstes Quartalsminus seit Dieselgate – wie schlimm wird es 2025

Sehr empfehlenswert, aber schlechte Nachrichten! Geschäft in den China und in den USA deutlich eingebrochen!

Lada, Kaluga, Moskau: Warum Russlands Autoboom eine Illusion war

Sehr empfehlenswert! Wie Russland zur einer Kolonie von China wird!

Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing for Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, judge rules. Really!

Bad news! What is going on in California again? Politically motivated lawfare? Technophobia?

Caveat:  I am not familiar with the details of this case.

"An administrative law judge has ruled that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing that gave customers a false impression of the capabilities of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving driver assistance software, a pivotal development in a years-long case initiated by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

The judge agreed with the state DMV’s request to suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses in the state for 30 days as a penalty for its actions, but the DMV stayed the order and is giving Tesla 60 days to comply. ...

The company has signaled it won’t comply, though. Tesla said in a post on X that: “Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”

“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,” the company wrote. ..."

Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing for Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, judge rules | TechCrunch

Gelenkiger Chinese: Dieses Auto kann seitwärts fahren

Warum wurde dieses Auto nicht in Deutschland entwickelt?

Gelenkiger Chinese: Dieses Auto kann seitwärts fahren "Geely zeigt im EX5 eine neue Antriebstechnik: Alle Räder lassen sich um 90 Grad drehen. Das ermöglicht Seitwärtsfahren und Wenden auf der Stelle."

Chinese BYD’s Engine Flexes Between Ethanol, Gasoline, and Electricity in Brazil. Really!

Sounds like overkill to me! What kind of experiment is this?

"The world’s first mass-produced ethanol car, the Fiat 147, motored onto Brazilian roads in 1979. The vehicle crowned decades of experimentation in the country with sugar-cane (and later, corn-based and second-generation sugar-cane waste) ethanol as a homegrown fuel.

When Chinese automaker BYD introduced a plug-in hybrid designed for Brazil in October, equipped with a flex-fuel engine that lets drivers choose to run on any ratio of gasoline and ethanol or access plug-in electric power, the move felt like the latest chapter in a long national story.

The new engine, designed for the company’s best-selling compact SUV, the Song Pro, is the first plug-in hybrid engine dedicated to biofuel, according to Wang Chuanfu, BYD’s founder and CEO. ..."

BYD's Ethanol Hybrid EV Is an Innovation for Brazil - IEEE Spectrum "The automaker is rolling it out for the Brazilian market"

BYD’s Song Pro can run not only on electricity, but on any ratio of gasoline and ethanol as well.

President Trump to Have Approved tiny Kei Cars for U.S.

Good news!

"... While outlining how his new plans will improve the affordability of new cars in America, Trump announced that he has tasked U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy with clearing the regulatory deck to allow small cars of the sort sold in Asia, such as Japan's kei cars, to become available in the United States. ..."

President Trump Appears to Have Approved Kei Cars for U.S. [Updated] "Trump saw diminutive cars on a recent visit to Asia. Now, he wants them in the States."

Credits: The Flyover

Volkswagen geht volles Risiko: Gelingt der riskanteste Software-Deal der Auto-Industrie mit Rivian?

Empfehlenswert!

China’s Petrol Car Push: How Beijing Is Flooding Emerging Markets with Palki Sharma

Very clever by China! Sell EVs to the foolish Western countries and gasoline powered vehicles to the rest of the world!

West Asia = Middle East

Chinas BYD und Xiaomi jagen auf dem Nürburgring nach Rekorden mit hochgerüsteten Elektroautos

Darf ich wetten, dass die Bananenrepublik D nichts vergleichbares zu bieten hat?

BYD und Xiaomi jagen auf dem Nürburgring nach Rekorden | FAZ "Mit 3000 PS durch die Eifel: Die chinesischen Autokonzerne BYD und Xiaomi wetteifern mit hochgerüsteten Elektroautos um die schnellsten Rundenzeiten auf der legendären deutschen Rennstrecke."

YASA axial flux electric motor becomes the world's most power dense

Amazing stuff! Looks like electric motors are becoming more powerful almost by the month.

"Since 2021, YASA has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group"

"... YASA announced its latest prototype motor breakthrough this week, and this time around, it's managed to shave off close to half an ounce of weight while boosting power by over 33%.

More precisely, YASA's latest prototype axial flux motor weighs in at 12.7 kg (28 lb) while firing out a peak power of 750 kW (1,006 hp), pinning down a new unofficial world record power density of 59 kW/kg, a full 40% more than the already massive figure it achieved just a few calendar flips ago. ...

As for what the YASA prototype motor can achieve in continuous operation, YASA's team estimates that figure between 350 and 400 kW (469 and 536 hp), which gives it a 27.6 kW/kg continuous power density that lands greater than most motors' peak power densities. In fact, it's double a couple of those aforementioned figures above. ..."

YASA axial flux electric motor becomes the world's most power dense

YASA Axial Flux Motor

Durable steel wheels could replace rubber tires on large, heavy mining vehicles

Amazing stuff! What about our cars? Too many pavement repairs? 😊

"For nearly a decade, a Phoenix, Arizona-based outfit has been working on a smart replacement for the giant rubber tires that go on heavy mining vehicles – think haul trucks, excavators, and bulldozers that can weigh dozens of tons. The descriptively named company, Global Air Cylinder Wheels (GACW), is inching towards a commercial launch of its airless wheels, and it might be on to something big.

The trouble with rubber tires, especially on heavy vehicles that operate in harsh conditions, is that they wear out quickly. In the case of working mining vehicles, that means replacing tires every 6-9 months, and GACW estimates this can work out to as much as US$7 million in tire costs for a single mining truck over its lifetime. ..."

Airless wheels for mining trucks promise big savings

GACW says its Air Suspension Wheels can last as long as the vehicles they're fitted on, and save up to 60 percent of what you'd spend refitting tires on them over that time

"Air Suspension Wheels®: Designed to last as long as the vehicle"

Electric Yangwang U9 Xtreme dethrones gas powered Bugatti Chiron Supersport 300+ as the world's fastest production car at almost 500 km/h

Wow! This is fast for a non race car as I presume!

China is competing with the West in many areas! However, this is a an apples (electric car) to oranges (gas powered car) comparison.

Are these fastest cars really "production cars" or is this a misnomer?

"The year is 2019. The Bugatti Chiron Supersport 300+ has just hit 304.8 mph (490.5 km/h) on a test track in Germany. ...

The special edition based on the stock Yangwang U9 achieved a top speed of 308.4 mph (496.2 km/h) on September 14th at the Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany. ..."

Yangwang U9 Xtreme: world's fastest production EV dethrones Bugatti

Fake Chinese air-bag parts suspected to be behind a spate of fatal car accidents in the US

Bad news! This devious or vicious! If confirmed/convicted, these criminals should serve long prison sentences.

What are the Chinese authorities doing to prevent such dangerous counterfeit products to be exported?

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into seven incidents, including five deaths, involving aftermarket air-bag parts that failed and ruptured during collisions. Investigators say it is difficult to determine how many of the counterfeit Chinese-made components, which can explode during a crash, have been installed in cars in the U.S. Imitations can appear identical to genuine devices."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

Nissan to start shipping EVs from China in 2026 to Southeast Asia and Middle East

Will the Japanese people elect a Japanese Trump as Prime Minister at next opportunity?

Or is this just a struggling Japanese car manufacturer going out of business?

"Nissan Motor in 2026 will begin exporting electric vehicles from its plant in China to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other markets ...

The struggling Japanese automaker is reviewing its manufacturing operations around the world. It hopes to achieve a quick business turnaround by selling made-in-China EVs, which are competitive in price and performance, to many other markets. ..."

Nissan to start shipping EVs from China in 2026 - Nikkei Asia "Japanese automaker eyes Southeast Asia and Middle East as destinations"

China's automakers aim for cars with 100% domestic chips from 2026

Sounds very ambitious! Other Chinese industries will surely follow!

"Chinese automakers including SAIC Motor, Changan, Great Wall Motor, BYD, Li Auto and Geely, are preparing to launch models equipped with 100% homemade chips, with at least two brands aiming to start mass production as early as 2026 ...

The first of these models to be mass-produced will be the newest versions of existing lines made by a few brands, with more makers to follow, according to people familiar with the situation. These efforts are part of Beijing's ambitious vision for increasing the country's self-reliance in chips amid intensifying tensions with the U.S. ..."

"... By 2027, all automotive semiconductors are to be developed and manufactured domestically. ..." 

China's automakers aim for cars with 100% domestic chips from 2026 - Nikkei Asia "BYD, Geely and SAIC among those racing to meet Beijing's ramped-up targets"

Nikkei Asia newsletter

World’s First Mass-Produced Flying Car from Slovakia

Amazing stuff! Ready for takeoff?

The company has an excellent name, in English it would Small Vision!

"Created by Slovakia-based company Klein Vision, the AirCar production prototype made its public debut May 8, after making its insider debut at the 2025 Living Legends of Aviation Awards Ceremony in Beverly Hills late last month. At the event, Morgan Freeman and John Travolta presented the car’s inventor, Stefan Klein, with a Special Recognition Award for Engineering Excellence. ..."

The new model will run on gasoline and will be able to reach speeds of 155 mph, with a maximum flight range of about 621 miles. ... the company plans to go electric “as soon as the energy density of the batteries is good enough. ...”

World’s First Mass-Produced Flying Car: Watch

KleinVision

Credits: Flyover