Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
😮 Autonomous Driving Startup Nuro Raises $106M At $6B Valuation. “Nuro, a developer of autonomous driving technology and software, raised $106 million in an ongoing Series E that values the company at $6 billion. The new deal would represent a cut from the reported $8.6 billion it was valued at in 2021 after raising a $600 million Series D led by Tiger Global Management.”
😮 Waymo Denies Plan to Use Robotaxis’ Interior Cameras to Personalize Ads. “Waymo denied a media report that it plans to use data from its robotaxis’ interior cameras to identify individuals or personalize ads. TechCrunch cited a post on X from researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who said an unreleased privacy page from Waymo indicated that the company may use the data for those purposes, while also allowing riders to opt out.”
🚗 Amazon’s Zoox Begins Robotaxi Testing in Los Angeles. “The data-collection effort marks Zoox’s entrance into its sixth city and lays the groundwork for a future robotaxi service.”
🤞 Waymo Readies Autonomous Cars for First International Tests in Japan. “The company has yet to commit to launching a commercial robotaxi service in the country but is still celebrating the tests as a significant milestone.”
🤔 Tesla Europe Shares FSD Test Video Weeks Ahead of Launch Target. “Tesla TSLA -1.41%↓ aims to launch Supervised Full Self-Driving in European markets in the coming weeks, though engineering tests are well underway.”
🌍 Pony.ai Gets Permit for Testing L4 Robotaxis in Luxembourg. “Pony.ai Europe has clearance from Luxembourg’s Ministry of Mobility and Public Works for testing Level 4 autonomous driving. Pony.ai earlier had established its European research and testing hub in Luxembourg in September 2024, as part of its strategic expansion into the European market.”
💰 Ottometric Secures $10M Series A Financing to Advance ADAS Validation.
🚙 Mercedes Quietly Gives 2026 S-Class a Huge Self-Driving Update. “Mercedes‘ Drive Pilot will be able to take over driving at speeds up to 59 mph in Germany.”
🚘 China’s Deeproute.ai to Team Up with Qualcomm to Develop Advanced Driver Assistance Solutions. “The solutions will cover lidar and vision-only systems and support features including urban navigation on autopilot, highway navigation and automated parking, according to a company statement.”
👉 Uber Technologies Expands Autonomous Vehicle Partnerships. “Uber Technologies UBER -0.68%↓ has been active with numerous partnerships and expansions, such as collaborating with WeRide and Dubai’s RTA to introduce autonomous vehicles, and expanding Coco Robotics for delivery in Miami. Despite these efforts, the stock showed a flat price movement in the last quarter.”
😕 Lyft Stock Crashes on Fears it Will Miss out on Autonomous Vehicle Boom. “Despite stating that Lyft LYFT -2.20%↓ has long-term potential in the autonomous vehicle or AV space, its partnerships were still in the early stages and recent pricing challenges are likely to continue affecting profit margins.”
🤷♂️ There’s Something Very Sketchy Going on With Self-Driving Teslas Running Down Motorcycles. “According to a new analysis by FuelArc, Teslas have a totally unique propensity for plowing over motorcyclists among self-driving cars — supporting a belief among some motorcyclists that Teslas are particularly dangerous to ride next to.”
