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IN TODAY’S REPORT
⚡ROUNDUP
Key headlines shaping the auto industry this week
⚙️ Corporate & Financial Moves
Tesla loses program manager behind its most successful EV project (Link)
Lucid announces proposed convertible senior notes offering (Link)
Polestar Q3 results miss Wall Street estimates, plans reverse stock split (Link)
Rivian CEO sells 52,350 shares worth $869,000, SEC filing shows (Link)
BYD targets 1.6 million overseas vehicle sales in 2026 (Link)
Panasonic unveils new strategic initiatives for mobility and energy divisions (Link)
🚗 Products, Launches & Market Moves
VW and XPeng jointly present the ID. Unyx 08 crossover in China (Link)
Audi downsizes luxury electric lineup in Australia amid market headwinds (Link)
GM is developing two new V8 engines — not just for trucks (Link)
Hyundai showcases advancements in EV manufacturing and smart mobility (Link)
GM’s biggest SUVs are dominating sales in the Middle East (Link)
🔋 Batteries, Electrification & Components
Tesla’s China sales hit a 3-year low, falling behind XPeng, NIO, and Xiaomi (Link)
CATL announces new initiatives to strengthen its global battery ecosystem (Link)
Bosch Engineering unveils 800-volt electric drive system for tractors (Link)
United Micro Technology and CEVA collaborate on 5G RedCap SoC for connected vehicles (Link)
🤖 Autonomy, AI & Software
Waymo expands driverless service to several new cities and adds freeway routes (Link)
Rivian–VW joint venture begins testing first Volkswagen ID.1 prototypes in California (Link)
Abu Dhabi makes bold push to become a global leader in autonomous mobility (Link)
Teradar exits stealth with $150M funding and all-weather sensor for autonomous driving (Link)
IVECO and Accenture collaborate on V2X tech for safer, smarter road mobility (Link)
Mercedes-Benz Trucks expands driver-assistance systems for greater safety by 2026 (Link)
🧠 AI, Chips & Tech Infrastructure
📊 Market & Industry Analysis
McKinsey: India’s auto component industry at a crossroads amid global trade shifts (Link)
💼BRIEFING
Top insights and analysis that is moving the needle in the automotive industry
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon argues that AI agents will redefine the user interface paradigm — moving us away from traditional apps and operating systems toward context-aware, human-centred AI.
He emphasizes that AI is becoming the “new UI”: devices (phones, cars, PCs) will adapt to users’ contexts rather than users adapting to software.
The CEO predicts a radical change in how humans interact with technology.
Referencing how the mouse and graphical interface changed how people used computers, and smartphones turned programmes into applications, Amon said AI will create another revolution in UI.
General Motors (GM) plans to launch conversational AI powered by Google Gemini in its vehicles beginning in 2026, enabling natural-language interaction for navigation, charging stops, and vehicle tasks.
GM also targets 2028 to introduce an “eyes-off, hands-off” driving system (Level 3 automation) starting with the Cadillac Escalade IQ.
Panasonic Automotive Systems has updated its VERZEUSE™ cybersecurity suite to support Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) architectures, ensuring vehicle systems are secure throughout their lifecycle.
The technology emphasises runtime integrity checking, threat analysis (TARA) and compliance with standards like ISO/SAE 21434, signalling a deeper focus on over-the-air updates and secure domain controllers.
❝VERZEUSE for Runtime Integrity Checker builds upon traditional integrity monitoring software*11 and extends its capabilities to support in-vehicle systems in the SDV era. For virtual machines—such as instrument clusters and IVI systems—that operate in a virtual environment, this innovation can ensure continuous and elevated security by applying constant monitoring at multiple stages based on the trust chain*12 from integrity monitoring software located in a secure area. Multiple virtual machines operate simultaneously in these virtual environments, and because memory management communication paths become increasingly complex, monitoring using traditional systems has become difficult.
Startup Teradar raised US$150 million to commercialise a terahertz-band sensor solution said to combine the strengths of radar (weather robustness) and lidar (high resolution) for advanced driver assistance and autonomy.
The sensor is planning for automotive application with expected production contracts in 2027/28, targeting widespread deployment across OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers.
Automotive sensing is a strategic differentiator. A breakthrough sensor that works reliably in all weather could enable new autonomous features and supply-chain power shifts.
HARMAN International announced its Ready Display product achieved the first HDR10+ Automotive certification, bringing high dynamic-range (HDR) cinematic-quality visuals into the vehicle cabin.
The initiative demonstrates how in-vehicle displays are evolving from utility to experience-centric media platforms, supporting entertainment, productivity and advanced UI in cars.
IVECO Group, in collaboration with Accenture, developed a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) software solution under the EU-funded MOST project, enabling vehicles to exchange data with infrastructure, sensors, and pedestrians for enhanced safety.
Key capabilities include collective perception messages (CPMs), on-board sensors plus telematics in IVECO’s eDaily light commercial vehicle, enabling “seeing the unseen” beyond a single vehicle’s sensor horizon.
According to McKinsey & Company, India’s auto-component industry is projected to reach US$200 billion by 2030, aided by export growth, EV transition, and trade corridor realignments.
Major drivers:
Global trade shifts (US$12-14 trillion of trade expected to relocate by 2035) forcing component supply-chains to diversify.
India’s strengths: cost competitiveness, growing domestic EV/ICE market, and skilled workforce.
Key strategic moves for India: the IGNITE (ICE global play + new tech + investment + talent) and GAIN (governance + associations + finance + network) frameworks for MSMEs.
📈MARKET SNAPSHOT
This week’s key movers in the automotive stock market
