Hyundai has an all-new generation of interiors, introduced first on the Grandeur in Korea and since carried over to the Ioniq 3, Avante/Elantra, and Tucson. Every one of them is built around Pleos Connect, a large central infotainment screen that borrows its layout and its logic from Tesla, and there is no shortage of processing power behind the glass. On the cheaper trims, though, one piece of hardware got left off the list.

It has now emerged that the new 2027 Avante/Elantra, which just launched in Korea, and the global-market Ioniq 3 go without a digital instrument cluster in front of the driver in base trims, an item which has been standard-fit on most of Hyundai’s current-generation cars.

A Cluster You Have To Pay For

According to Motor1, Korean buyers can add a slim 9.9-inch cluster to the Avante, though it costs 350,000 won (US$255). No such option box appears to exist for base Ioniq 3 models, leaving owners to read everything off the central touchscreen. The Ioniq 3 also goes without a head-up display, exactly like a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y. In the UK, the entry-level £22,245 (about $30,000) Ioniq 3 Advanced arrives without the cluster, while the £25,595 (roughly $34,500) Premium trim and above include it.

Read: Hyundai’s Radical New Tucson Makes The RAV4 Look Half-Asleep

It’s hardly a secret that screens are the cheaper option for manufacturers. A panel of glass and the software behind it costs less than the gauges, bezels, wiring, and physical switchgear it replaces, which explains why the industry has moved this way with so little resistance. Cost is not the whole story, though. Buyers have been asking for this kind of interface, the tablet-style layout with app menus and over-the-air updates, and Hyundai’s new setup answers that request.

Hyundai Should Know Better

Even so, it’s pretty poor form from Hyundai to make such a small screen an optional extra, rather than fitting it as standard equipment. The display includes important functions like speed, speed-limit signs, range figures, and efficiency details. We’ve yet to try out the new Pleos system, but having to glance over to the infotainment display to check your speed is a bit of a nuisance.  

The new Elantra and Tucson will be the first Hyundai models sold in the US with the Pleos Connect system next year. Here’s hoping we get slightly more well-equipped versions that include the cluster screen as standard equipment.

Developing and building fully autonomous vehicles isn’t easy. Just ask Tesla, which has been working on the technology for more than a decade and has yet to perfect it. Based on a recent video of a Model Y currently being used by its robotaxi fleet in Austin, Texas, Tesla still has a long way to go.

This clip was recently shared on Reddit by a frequent user of Tesla’s Austin robotaxi service, and it may make you think twice before trying it yourself. For whatever reason, the Model Y in question attempted to make a right turn at a large intersection, but failed to realize that the inside corner of the road was blocked off by bollards for pedestrian safety.

Read: Tesla’s Cybercab Is About To Carry Real Passengers

A human driver would have seen these bollards and realized you have to turn around them. Instead, the Tesla Model Y drove directly into the blocked-off area and sat there for several seconds, presumably because it realized it was now stuck. Unable to reverse out and correct its mistake, the robotaxi instead tried to thread its way through two of the bollards, hitting them in the process.

It didn’t take long for Redditors to identify the exact intersection where the incident took place, and a Google Street View search revealed the bollards had been there since at least February 2024.

Video Reddit /bladerskb

Cybercabs Are Coming

Despite incidents like this, Tesla appears to be plowing ahead with plans to expand its robotaxi fleet in Austin. According to a recent report, it completed a local trial with the Cybercab and company employees on private roads and is now preparing to add the Cybercab to its fleet and make it available to the public.

It remains to be seen whether the Cybercab’s self-driving capabilities will be better than those of other Tesla models. We do know it’s equipped with more RAM and an upgraded AI4 Fully Self-Driving computer. Whether it actually performs any better than a Model Y like this remains to be seen, but as we’ve seen so often from Tesla in the past, members of the public will be used as test dummies.

Donfeng’s Voyah brand wanted headlines for its new electric SUV, so it drove the Passion S through a full 360-degree loop inside a Chinese tunnel, recreating the famous stunt Michael Schumacher pulled off in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG back in 2010.

Read: Stellantis’ New Chinese Partner Is Going After The Xiaomi YU7

Photos and specs for the Passion S have been floating around for months, but the official launch came only late last week, timed to land alongside the stunt. Going upside down in a tunnel says nothing about how Voyah’s Xiaomi YU7 rival drives, though it did exactly what it was meant to do online.

The Internet Cried AI, Voyah Responds

Shortly after Voyah released its expertly edited clip of the Passion S completing the 360-degree loop in the tunnel, many suggested it may have been the work of artificial intelligence. Before long, separate footage leaked to Weibo showing a camouflaged Passion S prototype attempting to complete the loop but falling and crashing onto the road below.

CarNewsChina, which picked up that clip, points out that a company willing to write off multiple prototypes is probably using real cars rather than a render farm.

Voyah quickly responded, releasing the raw, unedited footage from the stunt. It shows the Passion S hitting the ramp at roughly 81 mph (130 km/h) and performing a complete loop, but only just. As the SUV spun upside down, it appears to have briefly lost contact with the ceiling before the wheels smashed into the down-ramp, allowing it to complete the loop.

If you review the footage in slow motion, you’ll notice the lower corner of the Passion S’s front bumper took an absolute beating as it came off the steep down ramp and back onto the road. In the edited clip, the Passion S is shown completing the loop unscathed and emerging out of the tunnel without a single scratch. Evidently, this part was filmed with another model.

Cheap And Powerful

Voyah has confirmed the Passion S will be offered with 81 kWh and 98 kWh battery packs, and all versions will use an 800-volt electrical architecture, allowing the pack to be charged from 20-80 percent in ten minutes.

Both rear- and all-wheel-drive models will be offered, although we only have specifications for the dual-motor version, which delivers 637 hp and 564 lb-ft (765 Nm) of torque, allowing the SUV to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.5 seconds. The rear-wheel-drive model has a claimed CLTC range of 459 miles (740 km), while the all-wheel-drive version should be good for 391 miles (630 km) between stops. Prices range between 229,900 yuan ($34,100) and 279,900 yuan ($41,500).

Zeekr, one of China’s most popular premium EV and hybrid manufacturers, has quickly reacted to a clip spreading across local social media showing a 7X catching fire while parked at a charging station. According to the Geely-owned brand, this particular 7X had been in a collision beforehand and had never had its repairs inspected.

In the video, the driver of the 7X can be spotted leaning over the frunk while parked at a charging station, although the electric SUV wasn’t actually plugged in. Moments later, sparks and flames can be seen violently spewing out from the underside, triggering a plume of smoke to fill the air.

Read: Zeekr’s Biggest, Plushest SUV Rolls Into Europe With 897 HP To Take On The BMW X7

For a few seconds, it seems the 7X had decided against setting itself on fire. Then sparks and flames erupt from the rear, swallowing large sections of the SUV as the battery pack keeps throwing off sparks. A bystander, presumably the driver, grabs a fire extinguisher and manages to smother the flames.

The incident happened on Sunday in Ningbo City, and local fire crews arrived quickly and brought everything under control, CarNewsChina reports.

A PR Problem, And An Unanswered Question

Obviously, the sight of an EV seemingly randomly catching fire while parked isn’t the type of publicity any car manufacturer would want. Zeekr quickly sought to quell fears among owners, stating its initial investigation had revealed this 7X had previously been involved in a collision and that it had not been properly inspected or reported at a Zeekr facility.

However, the company has yet to provide an explanation as to what exactly triggered the blaze, although it certainly looks to be battery-related.

Like so many other brands in China, Zeekr initially launched exclusively in its home country, but it is embarking on an ambitious overseas expansion. In addition to already launching in markets like Australia, it has also arrived in Europe, selling its premium EVs and hybrids at prices that easily undercut similar vehicles from legacy rivals like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.

A lawsuit filed in California late last week alleges that Lucid retaliated against a former engineering manager who says he warned about issues with the Air EV’s half-shafts, months before the automaker issued two separate recalls for the car in late 2025 and in March 2026, Runtimewire reports.

In total, 3,852 Lucid Air models have been recalled in the United States. According to the most recent recall, the half-shaft bolts on Lucid Air Pure models may not be properly secured, meaning the half-shaft could disconnect from the drive unit, resulting in an immediate loss of power.

Read: Lucid’s Fix For Losing Drive Power Is A Notification That You’re About To Lose Drive Power

According to the lawsuit he filed, Neil Milne warned Lucid of “multiple failure modes” of the part in April 2025. He says he consistently challenged Lucid’s testing, validation, and documentation for safety-critical engineering work, alleging weak manufacturing controls, insufficient auditing, and missing records for important engineered decisions. The complaint states that just 225 vehicles were recalled last October, with an additional 3,627 named in a separate recall by March this year.

The lawsuit doesn’t specify whether the faults Milne reported were the same as those listed in the recalls, though he contends the timing and similarities point that way.

In an email the complaint says was sent to Lucid product-safety officer Rick Clementz on January 13, 2026, Milne wrote, “Will say what I said originally 9 months ago. Bad design, with multiple failure modes,” Runtimewire reports. Per the same report, Lucid initially relied on a “lash detection” algorithm to analyze the Air and identify vehicles with loose half-shaft bolts while investigating the half-shaft concerns, but determined that hundreds of vehicles had slipped through, which the report links to the second recall earlier this year.

Passed Over For A Promotion And Then Terminated

After Milne raised concerns about the half-shafts, he alleges Lucid progressively stripped him of his authority, allegedly starting by moving him out of his senior-manager role for power-electronics systems and onto thermal programs. In February this year, he was told his performance rating “does not meet expectations,” and he claims he was passed over for a charging leadership role because he had raised the half-shaft concerns.

Milne alleges Lucid retaliated against him for whistleblowing and has also accused the EV maker of wrongful termination. According to the complaint, he is demanding a jury trial and seeking lost pay, bonuses, equity, and benefits, along with punitive damages, legal fees, and damages for emotional distress.

While China has spent the past few years throwing new EV brands at us faster than anyone can keep track, one of its oddest car companies has slipped by almost unnoticed. That company is FullGood Motors, previously known as Songsan Motors, and we first wrote about it nearly six years ago, back when Xiaomi wasn’t anywhere close to building a car.

FullGood began life as a motorcycle club three decades ago, and it has no interest in engineering EVs from a clean sheet. Its opening move was to take BYD underpinnings and drape them in bodywork lifted from American classics, chief among them the C1-generation Chevrolet Corvette. That car, sold as the Dolphin SS, broke cover in September 2020 as a proof of concept for what the outfit could pull off. While deliveries have yet to begin, it’s apparently sold out.

Read: Songsan’s SS Dolphin Is A Plug-In Hybrid Corvette C1 Knockoff From China

Photos Weibo

Youtube channel Everything Electric recently had the opportunity to tour the firm’s facility in Beijing and see not just the Dolphin SS, but other models the company plans to bring to the market as well. One of them is the Summer, a large bus inspired by the Volkswagen T1. Like the Dolphin SS, it was first unveiled in 2020, though this one is apparently edging closer to production and should be ready to test in the coming months.

Adorned with a fantastic retro design, there’s no denying the Summer has personality, particularly when finished in bright yellow. The interior is much more modern, with three rows of seats, all of which are on rails and can spin 360 degrees. Perhaps the most intriguing thing is that the Summer has three doors on each side, meaning there are doors for each row.

Photos Weibo

FullGood’s wildest creation is a blacked-out Hot Rod adorned with a huge chrome bumper, grille, and fake chrome-plated exhausts. It also sits on retro white-wall tires. Like the Summer, the interior is much more modern than the exterior, looking much like any other entry-level EV from China. FullGood has also created a four-door version of its Corvette-inspired Dolphin, although it uses a different architecture and powertrain.

Shockingly, and despite there is no chance these cars will ever be sold in the US, FullGood plans to bring several of its models to November’s LA Auto Show, so if you’ll be at the event, you will have the chance to see them in person.

Electric cars do not work for everybody. They can be a terrible fit for apartment dwellers without dependable charging, certain rural routes, and buyers who regularly tow long distances. But President Trump took the familiar issue of range anxiety and turned it into “a disease” during remarks in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Red Rock Resort, Trump claimed he had “ended the electric mandate,” before suggesting that previous policy would have required everyone to drive an EV “within a very short period of time.” He said EV drivers begin worrying about where to charge when their battery is still three-quarters full, calling them “crazy.” These are real statements that were said out loud.

More: Trump Doesn’t Renew US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement

There is a real point buried beneath all the theatrics. Public charging still needs work, especially outside major metro areas and on parts of America’s vast rural highway network. Someone who cannot charge at home has a very different EV ownership experience than someone who plugs in every night, and long-distance travel requires more planning than filling a gas tank.

Still, calling that a disease is silly. A driver who sees a charger 89 miles off-route might reasonably factor that into the trip, but three-quarters of a battery is generally not panic territory in a modern EV. For most people who can charge at home, it is barely something they think about day to day.

The claim that there was “no way” to charge electric cars does not hold up either. The Department of Energy’s charging database now shows more than 250,000 public charging ports nationwide. That does not make the network perfect, reliable, or evenly distributed, but it is a far cry from nonexistent.

Trump also said EVs account for 7 percent of U.S. vehicle sales. The latest Kelley Blue Book estimates put the second-quarter figure at 5.8 percent, so the larger point is fair. EV demand has cooled sharply since its 2025 peak. That is a real market correction automakers cannot ignore. But it’s also partially a byproduct of Trump’s move to end the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.

What is not accurate is the idea that Americans faced a federal order to buy an electric car by 2030. Biden’s policy set a 50 percent target for new zero-emission vehicle sales, while emissions and fuel-economy rules pressured automakers to sell more of them. Trump’s own 2025 executive order targeted those policies, subsidies, and California’s waiver, not a retail rule forcing somebody to trade their F-150 for a Model Y. EVs are not a universal answer. Neither is pretending the people who buy them are sick.

Back in late 2024, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal commissioned West Coast Customs to build him a one-off Lucid Air Coupe roomy enough for his 7’1″ frame. Eighteen months on, Shaq’s bespoke EV has landed in a salvage lot after a crash. If you back your own skills with a wrench, you could buy it, fix it up, and own a unique Lucid.

Just how far the modifications go isn’t fully clear, and nobody’s confirmed whether the wheelbase was stretched. According to Road & Track, West Coast Customs pushed the front seats back for extra legroom. The second-row seats survived the redesign, so the Air still seats five, or maybe four with Shaq at the wheel.

Read: Shaq’s New Ride Is This Stunning Lucid Air Coupe

Copart

Visually, the car also looks a little different, most notably thanks to the fact that it’s a two-door and sits on a set of aftermarket, tightly-spoked black wheels. Sadly, Shaq’s ride is now in desperate need of some repairs.

There’s no word on how the unique Lucid was crashed or whether Shaq was behind the wheel at the time, but with some TLC, the EV might be able to return to the roads. The front bumper has been removed, and one of the radiators is busted and will need to be replaced.

A Big Lucid For A Big Man

Copart

In addition, the headlights are missing, and the hood has been damaged, so it will need to be replaced as well. If there’s a shred of good news, it’s that the rear half of the EV appears unscathed, which should help to minimize repair costs.

As for what specific Lucid Air variant the car is based on, well, that isn’t known. What the Copart listing does confirm is that it’s an all-wheel-drive model. It’s also been driven just 2,898 miles (4,663 km), so it’d be a shame if someone didn’t try to repair it.

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A post shared by West Coast Customs (@westcoastcustoms)

The Zeekr 9X is a deeply luxurious SUV stuffed with technology, and by most measures that counts as a selling point, but one owner in China has run into the flip side of all that intelligence. As he found out, the 9X may be smart enough to become a problem for the person who actually paid for it.

Earlier this month, 9X owner Mr. Liu set off on a planned road trip from China all the way to Europe, a journey meant to be the ultimate test of Zeekr’s flagship SUV. Things went sideways as soon as he crossed into Kazakhstan, forcing the brand to step in so his trip could continue.

Read: Zeekr’s Flagship 9X Costs Lincoln Money But Crushes Hypercar Power

Liu claims that once he left China, his 9X clamped down hard. The navigation quit, the glove box locked itself, and, most maddening of all, the electronically operated fuel filler cap stayed shut for more than 30 hours. He points out that his local Zeekr dealer knew about the trip ahead of time, since the 9X was in for routine maintenance beforehand, yet nobody mentioned these limits.

Too Much Tech?

No doubt eager to get its side of the story out before Liu’s experience went viral, Zeekr spoke to the National Business Daily and explained that the SUV’s security mechanisms kicked in the moment it left China. That triggers on-screen prompts and pop-up warnings and also restricts certain functions. The system, Zeekr later said, is meant to deter theft and smuggling.

Although Zeekr says the powertrain and brakes will continue to operate normally, it is not possible to open the fuel filler cap or charging port electronically, as is usually done in the 9X. Instead, the only way to open the fuel filler door is to hold the hazard light button inside the cabin for five seconds. Additionally, the charging flap can be opened by applying direct and firm pressure to it. While this all sounds rather easy, we suspect very few 9X owners know the hazard light switch can double as an opener for the fuel cap.

The restrictions were ultimately lifted through an authorization code sent to the 9X. However, CarNewsChina understands this may be something the owner has to do every time he crosses into a new country. Zeekr has since apologized, saying that real safety “shouldn’t be solely defined by the manufacturer” and framing its revised approach as “control by the user & protection by the manufacturer.”

A Passcode And An Apology

The company has now added a passcode generator to its companion app, letting owners create their own unlock codes after a cross-border lockout. Whether those codes work offline is unclear, since signal is hard to find near international crossings. Zeekr has also promised an over-the-air update with an opt-out toggle that turns cross-border lockouts off by default, sparing Liu a fresh authorization code every time he enters a new country.

Zeekr has already expanded into multiple countries, Europe included. Vehicles sold there presumably skip these location-based restrictions, given how often drivers hop between countries in a single trip.

Electric vehicles are flooding onto Chinese roads at a staggering pace, replacing millions of gas guzzlers and cutting down on toxic tailpipe emissions. It’s not all good news, though. As big, heavy EVs grow more common across the country, the roads beneath them are taking some serious punishment, leaving authorities scratching their heads over how to pay for the repairs.

Read: America Plans 159 New Cars By 2030, China Just Launched 650 In Six Months

Data from the China Passenger Car Association shows that 60 percent of new cars launched in the country in the first half of this year stretched beyond 16 feet (5 meters), as a growing number of local manufacturers develop ever-larger and ever-more-luxurious SUVs and minivans to meet rising demand.

Some of these supersized models now weigh as much as three tons, which is where the road damage comes from. By comparison, just 2 percent of new models came in under 14.8 feet (4.5 meters), down from 13 percent a year earlier, a sign of how quickly buyers have abandoned smaller vehicles.

Ordinarily, the government funds highway and road repairs through a fuel tax. Revenue from that tax has begun to decline, and according to a Bloomberg report, the nation now faces an annual shortfall of roughly 50 percent for road upkeep and management. A study by a research unit within China’s Transport Ministry found that around 40 percent of local roads have been approved for repair but remain unfunded because of tight budgets. The gap has been estimated at up to 300 billion yuan ($44 billion) a year.

How To Fund Roads In The EV Age

New ways to fund roads are being considered. A mileage-based road user charge is one option. The government has also started trimming EV tax concessions, halving the sales tax discount for new energy vehicles (NEVs) to 5 percent, with the maximum discount now capped at 15,000 yuan (around $2,250). Annual vehicle and vessel tax exemptions will be axed for PHEVs and extended-range EVs.

There are other measures in play. Hainan province is running a pilot program that uses sat-nav to track certain vehicles, which could form the basis of a dynamic mileage tax that varies by vehicle class.

The government also wants carmakers to rein in their obsession with size. Mandatory energy-consumption figures penalize excessively heavy passenger cars, nudging automakers toward lighter materials and better aerodynamics rather than ever-larger battery packs to stretch range.

The ruling Communist Party’s official newspaper, The People’s Daily, has urged companies to “return to rationality,” noting that such large vehicles clash with existing urban infrastructure and drive up energy consumption. State broadcaster CCTV has also criticized the industry’s growing focus on oversized EVs, calling it a response to short-term market demand rather than genuine innovation.

We’ve seen Tesla Cybertrucks in all kinds of trouble, from minor fender benders to getting beached or rolling over on trails. One even drove into an empty swimming pool. But a Cybertruck being split cleanly into two pieces after a multi-vehicle crash is probably the most visually extreme Cyber-related accident we’ve come across so far.

The incident unfolded Saturday afternoon in Silver Spring, Maryland, where a moving truck reportedly lost control and plowed into a line of traffic. By the time emergency crews reached the scene, numerous vehicles had been damaged and one Cybertruck had been transformed into something that looked less like a pickup and more like a cutaway auto show display.

Related: Family Wants Cybertruck Off The Roads After Teen Killed In Crash

According to Montgomery County authorities, the crash involved at least 10 vehicles. Firefighters responding to the scene reportedly had to rescue multiple occupants who were trapped inside damaged cars, WTOP News reports. Images from the aftermath show debris scattered across the roadway and vehicles positioned at all kinds of angles following the impact.

One black SUV can be seen lying on its side behind the Nation Capital Movers truck, and another is directly in front of the same truck, looking like its been T-boned and pushed along the road.

But it’s the Cybertruck that has attracted the most attention. Tesla’s stainless steel pickup has been a divisive vehicle ever since it debuted. People generally seem to either love the futuristic wedge-shaped truck or absolutely hate it. Following this crash, though, it’s no longer merely divisive in a figurative sense. It became divisive in a very literal one, with the cab half of the truck entirely separated from the rear end, and high-voltage cables left to dangle in mid-air.

Three Children Injured

Silver Spring, MD – Aerial of a reported crash involving entrapment in the area of Columbia Pike/Fairland Rd. @mcfrsPIO @HHFireProds @ArmisteadIsaac @mcfrs #mcfrs @MoCoFireWire @Lawzfirephotos @command11b @MCFRSNews @DavidPazos15 @mcpnews #mcpd pic.twitter.com/O0lPtgqMu3

— MyDrone.Pro (@MyDronePro) July 18, 2026

Police later provided an update on X, saying, “10 people transported to area hospitals with minor injuries. 3 pediatric patients.”

The department added that “the initial report is that a moving truck lost control and collided with at least 10 vehicles.”

Thankfully, the outcome appears far less severe than the wreckage might suggest. Given the extent of the damage visible in photographs from the scene, things could have been much worse.

Investigators are still working to establish exactly what happened before the moving truck lost control. Officials haven’t yet released additional information regarding potential contributing factors, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Montgomery County Police Dept, MyDrone.Pro

I’ve been using my trusty Samsung smartphone for three years and have never owned a car that wasn’t at least seven years old when I purchased it. Things are different in China, where it’s been revealed that the average age of EVs on local roads is less than the length of time most people keep a smartphone.

A recent report from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Hejun Consulting, cited by Bloomberg, puts the average age of EVs on Chinese roads at just 1.8 years. The average combustion car in the country is about 8.2 years old by comparison. Across every powertrain, the typical vehicle is under 7 years old, versus 12.8 years in America. None of this means buyers are grabbing an EV, running it for two years, and flipping it for something new.

Read: The Average Chinese Car Is Under 7 Years Old, America’s Is Nearly 13, And That Helps Its 2030 EV Push

Electric vehicles only really surged in popularity across the country after 2021, ultimately reaching a 60 percent penetration rate of the new car market in 2026. As such, it makes sense that the typical EV on the road in China is less than two years old.

How Long Are People Owning Them For?

A white paper last year found that 70 percent of fuel-powered vehicles in China stay with their owners for more than five years before replacement. Flip to the other side, and Sohu reports that 90 percent of new energy vehicles, EVs included, get swapped out in under five years.

There are several reasons for this, but perhaps the most important is that EVs now behave more like tech products. Many ICE cars built in 2000 had engines and transmissions very similar to those produced in 2010, so there was often no need for car owners to upgrade their vehicles quickly. In the EV world, things are different.

Batteries, electric motors, electronic controls, self-driving systems, and on-board technologies have developed rapidly in recent years, meaning an EV launched in China just three years ago may feel dated compared to a brand-new alternative. Additionally, the development cycle of EVs is much faster, especially in China, than that of ICEs, allowing car manufacturers to introduce all-new models much more quickly than previously possible.

If the current administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gets his way, driverless cars sold in the United States could shed their steering wheels for good. A ruling like that would ripple through the robotaxi business, and Tesla, deep into developing and testing its Robocab, stands to gain more than almost anyone else.

Speaking with CNBC, NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison said that, “If you’re developing a vehicle that is designed never to be driven by a human operator, it doesn’t make any sense to require manual controls.” Evidently, he was referring to companies that have deployed or are developing fully autonomous robotaxis, including Waymo and Tesla.

Read: The Feds Could Soon Clear The Way For A Tesla With No Brake Pedal

The agency moved last month to rework existing federal safety standards, and part of that effort would strip away the rule forcing autonomous vehicles to carry manual brake pedals.

Tesla To Benefit

If these changes are implemented, Tesla will reap the rewards. Its Cybercab, unveiled in late 2024, was originally conceived without a steering wheel or pedals, aiming to be fully autonomous, all the time.

However, last year, Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm acknowledged that, given the regulatory landscape at the time, Tesla would equip the robotaxi with a steering wheel and pedals if necessary. Before long, it had been seen testing multiple Cybercabs with these traditional controls.

Even if the law eventually lets Tesla sell the Cybercab stripped of a wheel and pedals, building it both ways would be the smarter play. Fleet versions could go without, while private buyers might want to drive their own Cybercabs part of the time and then turn them loose as autonomous taxis to earn their keep. One car, two lives, depending on who is behind the glass.

There’s no word on whether Elon Musk, who contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to President Trump’s campaign, has had any sway on the NHTSA rushing to update its regulations.

Questions have started to swirl around Windrose, one of many electric truck startups, after two former employees alleged that the company’s boss refused to pay them and that one of its pricey trucks has gone missing.

While the name Windrose Technology may not ring a bell, the company says it has raised roughly $400 million and aims to establish itself as a serious player in the electric-truck race, building a hauler to rival the Tesla Semi. The firm is Chinese-owned and runs out of a headquarters in Belgium, and beyond its US launch, it has locked in orders from buyers in Norway, Chile, and Australia.

Read: Ford’s First Heavy Duty EV Truck Swaps Diesel Grit For Electric Grit

But as we’ve seen so many times before with newly established vehicle manufacturers, not everything has been smooth sailing for Windrose. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company’s founder and chief executive, Wen Han, reportedly lost track of one of the company’s trucks earlier this year.

Unpaid Wages

Windrose

Travis Waite and Harold Keller, two former employees fired in January, allegedly refused to help Han locate the truck until they received $91,000 in unpaid wages and benefits, according to the WSJ. They say that as of July, they still hadn’t been paid, and the truck had yet to turn up. Han contends the sum Waite and Keller claim they’re owed is “unfounded.”

The company’s boss has admitted that he “hired too quickly and too aggressively in order to help the company expand”. He also acknowledged that Windrose has had payroll issues but insists it has the funding to support its ambitions for global expansion. Later this year, Windrose wants to go public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company.

According to the WSJ, the company delivered its first electric truck in late 2024 and currently has 36 of its trucks operating worldwide. Han says the company’s trucks deliver roughly double the driving range of equivalent electric big rigs from Volvo and Daimler, all while costing significantly less. This is in part thanks to the company using contract manufacturers in China to build the truck, before they’re shipped to regional partners for local assembly.

Cash For Sponsorships

As the company has grown, Han reportedly sponsored a basketball team near its Belgian headquarters, pledged $15 million to Stanford University once Windrose goes public, and said the firm has facilities in California and Georgia ready to start local assembly. Over that same stretch, employees’ paychecks have allegedly been frequently delayed.

Last October, the company’s first North American operations boss, Jason Gies, demanded payment of unpaid wages, the WSJ reports. He was fired just days later, and after filing a lawsuit in federal court, a judge ordered Windrose to pay him $413,000.

More recently, Windrose drew the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after it was revealed that two of the four Windrose trucks in the US had VINs indicating they were made in Georgia, even though they were built in China. Han has blamed this issue on a former employee. Clearly, the company is experiencing growing pains, and only time will tell if it can iron out the kinks.

Launching a new EV in a crowded market place is tough enough. Launching one that looks like another popular EV can make life even tougher as MG discovered when copycat complaints forced it to halt a recent livestream introducing its new MG07.

Chen Cui, who heads MG’s brand operations, hosted the June 29 broadcast to explain the styling behind the new fastback sedan. Instead, viewers repeatedly compared it to both the Porsche Taycan and Xiaomi SU7. According to Chinese media, Chen insisted the MG07 “does not plagiarize a single detail,” but became emotional before ending the session early.

MG wasn’t about to let the criticism stand unanswered. At a subsequent media briefing, Chen tried to reframe the debate by arguing that if the MG07 copied anything, it copied MG itself, Sina reports. He pointed to design cues from classic models including the 1965 MGB GT fastback, saying the company’s latest sedan is a modern interpretation of styling that’s been part of the brand for decades.

More: The New MG 07 Flagship’s Looks Say Porsche Taycan, Its Price Says Corolla

I can’t say I see much MGB in the MG07 but i can see plenty of evidence of the pressures modern car designers are under. Whether a car runs on batteries, petrol or a combination of both, maximizing efficiency means reducing drag.

That pushes designers toward familiar solutions including low noses, smooth body sides, flush door handles, sweeping rooflines, and tapered fastback tails. When everyone is chasing the same aerodynamic targets, there’s only so much freedom available.

Once you see it…

Still, it’s equally fair to acknowledge why some people made the comparisons. The MG07’s headlights have more than a passing resemblance to Porsche‘s own lights, some wheel designs also feel familiar, and viewed from the side the car inevitably bring the Xiaomi SU7 (itself a Taycan admirer) to mind. Those similarities may not prove copying, but they certainly don’t help MG’s case. The 07 is not ugly, but it is derivative.

Ultimately, this is becoming one of the defining design debates of the EV era. Physics is steadily nudging every manufacturer toward the same basic silhouette. The real challenge isn’t making a slippery car anymore. It’s giving that slippery car enough personality that nobody mistakes it for someone else’s.

MG/SAIC