🎮Autowist Report 132

Ford Motor Co. is recalling approximately 229,609 units of its 2025-2026 model year Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport SUVs due to a software error in the digital instrument cluster. The bug can prevent the display from showing key information such as vehicle speed and warning lights.

According to official filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fix involves either over-the-air (OTA) software update or a dealer installation, offered free of charge.

The affected vehicles include ~101,002 Broncos and ~128,607 Bronco Sports built from late spring 2024 through November 2025.

No crashes or injuries have yet been attributed to the defect, but the failure to display essential driving information is considered a serious safety concern.

BYD is phasing out its signature “rotating” infotainment screen—which could flip between portrait and landscape modes—starting with the new Atto 2 model.

The decision stems from usability and compatibility concerns: BYD’s vice-president states that although drivers liked the rotating screen as a novelty, actual usage was low. It also limited integration of major third-party platforms like Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto (which only work in landscape mode).

BYD plans to replace the rotating screen with a fixed-orientation (landscape) display, enabling smoother integration of apps/services and improving global market readiness (especially in regions where CarPlay/Android Auto are expected).

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) announced an investment of approximately INR 2 crore (~US$240 k) in Ravity Software Solutions Private Limited, acquiring a ~7.84% equity stake.

Ravity is a Bengaluru-based startup founded in 2022, specialising in AI-powered connected mobility intelligence—helping OEMs and fleet operators leverage vehicle data for quality/operations/insights.

This is the third startup investment under MSIL’s “Maruti Suzuki Innovation Fund” (previous investments: Amlgo Labs in March 2024; Sociograph Solutions in June 2022).

The Chinese EV maker Xpeng Inc. is aggressively transforming into a “tech company on wheels,” mirroring Tesla, Inc.’s model by combining electric vehicles, in-house chips and robotics.

Xpeng showcased its humanoid robot “IRON” and announced a big push into what it calls Physical AI—AI that perceives, reasons and acts in the physical world, not just on screen.

Their autonomous-driving platform “VLA 2.0” (Vision, Language, Action) is designed to integrate large language models, driving-scene data, and in-house “Turing” chips to achieve higher levels of autonomy.

The firm collected 100 million hours of driving-data via video, which feeds its AI training and simulation base for long-tail driving scenarios.

Xpeng aims to roll out robotaxi- and high-level autonomy-enabled models in 2026, and it intends the same stack to work globally (not just in China).

Verra Mobility, a U.S.–based mobility-technology company, has launched its AutoKinex® in-vehicle commerce platform which enables drivers to pay for tolls, road-usage charging, parking, fueling and EV-charging directly from their vehicle.

The first OEM partner is Stellantis N.V., with the service rolling out initially in 2021-model-year and newer Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep® and Ram vehicles in the United States.

The platform is OEM-ready, requiring no additional hardware or mobile apps for drivers: location of the vehicle is matched to tolling agencies and payments processed automatically, with transponder provided at no cost for gated toll sites.

Verra positions AutoKinex not just as a convenience feature but as a scalable revenue channel for automakers, embedding mobility services and commerce into the vehicle experience.

Google Gemini, the next evolution of Google’s artificial-intelligence assistant, is being integrated into Android Auto, replacing the older Google Assistant.

The rollout is global, available in 45 languages, and applies to vehicles that support Android Auto and smartphones upgraded to Gemini.

Gemini brings advanced conversational features: it can parse emails to find addresses and set destinations in Maps, translate messages in real-time, identify EV charging stations with specific operators and wait-time filters, and summarise group chats.

For OEMs whose infotainment systems use Android Automotive OS (AAOS), cars from companies such as Volvo and Polestar are listed among first recipients.

The CEOs of Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company and Stellantis N.V. have been summoned to appear before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on January 14 2026 to answer questions about soaring vehicle prices, electric-vehicle strategy, government regulation and trade impacts.

U.S. lawmakers, led by Ted Cruz, are probing how regulatory burdens and EV mandates may have contributed to new-vehicle average prices that have more than doubled over the past decade.

The hearing also includes participation by Tesla, Inc. (via a senior-exec invite) and will explore how fuel-economy rules, EV incentives and manufacturing costs are shaping consumer affordability.