A Florida court has ruled that Tesla must pay US$243 million in damages over a fatal crash that occurred in 2019, holding the automaker partially liable for the incident. The verdict, which assigns one-third of the responsibility to Tesla, has sent ripples through the auto industry—not just because of the hefty penalty, but because it challenges long-standing legal norms around Level 2 (L2) driver-assist technologies. Tesla has vowed to appeal.
Since early 2025, Taiwan's real estate and auto markets have been sluggish, with car sales in a prolonged downturn. Though the government once set ambitious electric vehicle (EV) adoption targets under its 2050 net-zero carbon roadmap—including EVs accounting for 10% of all new car sales and 20% of motorcycles by 2025—those goals have since been quietly softened. As of 2024, Taiwan has fallen significantly short: EVs represented just 8.3% of new car sales and electric scooters 10.5%.
As China moves to curb domestic EV overcompetition and prioritize industrial upgrading, China Changan Automobile Group (CCAG) officially launched in Chongqing on July 27. The restructuring makes CCAG the third centrally owned automaker in the country, alongside FAW Group and Dongfeng Motor Corporation.
Toyota Motor plans to begin electric vehicle (EV) production in Europe by 2028, marking a significant expansion of its global EV manufacturing strategy. The company announced that its subsidiary in the Czech Republic will produce approximately 100,000 EVs annually, making it Toyota's first EV production hub in Europe and its fourth globally, following facilities in Japan, the US, and China.
Shanghai has issued its first demonstration licenses for Level 4 autonomous vehicles, allowing eight companies to operate fare-based robotaxi services within designated urban zones. The permits, announced during the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), mark a key milestone in the commercial rollout of self-driving technology in one of China's largest and most advanced cities.
