Trade News

Tesla Inc.'s Dojo supercomputer could power a near $600 billion jump in the automaker's market value by boosting the adoption of robotaxis and its software services, Morgan Stanley analysts said.

The electric-vehicle maker started production of the supercomputer used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models for self-driving cars in July and plans to spend more than $1 billion on Dojo through next year.

Dojo can open up new addressable markets that "extend well beyond selling vehicles at a fixed price," Morgan Stanley analysts, led by Adam Jonas, said in a note on Sunday.

The stock on Monday was on track to add about $46 billion in market value. Morgan Stanley is one of Musk’s key advisory firms, including on the $44 billion takeover of Twitter Inc., now known as X.

Tesla shares rose 5.5 percent to $262.66 in early Monday trading.

The analysts' report said: "If Dojo can help make cars 'see' and 'react,' what other markets could open up…

LONDON -- BMW will invest 600 million pounds ($750 million) at its U.K. plant in Oxford to take its Mini brand all-electric by 2030, a fresh boost for Britain's car industry after years of Brexit-related uncertainty.

Starting in 2026, the automaker will make two electric models at the English plant: the three-door version of the Mini Cooper and the Aceman compact crossover.

BMW will also invest in its U.K. plant in Swindon that makes parts for Mini models.

The company did not say what will happen to its engine plant in Hams Hall in a statement released on Monday.

The Oxford factory will make only electric models as of 2030.

The Cooper and Aceman EVs will also be made in China. Exports of the cars begin in 2024.

Had BMW opted to keep electric Mini production limited to China, it would have been a serious blow to the U.K., where car production has halved since the 2016 Brexit referendum.

British business minister Kemi Badenoch …

China’s big tech firms are feeling the pain of being late to the electric vehicle party.

Their push into the world’s largest car market is being hampered by government efforts to rein in an EV industry built at breakneck pace via years of generous subsidies. But as consumer demand takes a hit and Beijing’s strict rules around production licenses endure, aspiring market entrants are being pushed into partnerships with licensed manufacturers, or pivoting their business plans entirely.

“Technology companies need to find their own positioning in this fiercely competitive market,” said Esun Xu, senior consulting director at Frost & Sullivan. “It’s becoming harder for them to get into the game as they face multiple challenges including technological barriers, financial requirements, market competition, regulatory hurdles and supply chain management.”

The toughest hurdle is getting a hold of the permit needed to make an EV. China has granted just a handful…

Toyota has gone from being an environmental darling, lauded for pioneering hybrid technology, to a pariah among many conservationists. Gill Pratt, CEO of the Toyota Research Institute, defends the company’s commitment to hybrids. And we hear from environmental activists and former government officials who say the world’s largest auto company is dangerously dragging its feet.

Buckle up for a big week

We're heading into a big week for the auto industry — and a really big week for Automotive News.

We start the week off with a couple of exciting releases: One is entirely new and the other is a perennial favorite.

First the familiar: Automotive News readers will get to meet the 2023 class of Rising Stars. These are two dozen leaders and high achievers, age 45 or younger, working at automakers, suppliers and other non-retail entities in the automotive industry. (Young dealership folks are honored with the 40 Under 40 program.)

Also dropping is Driving to Zero, a limited-series podcast about the auto industry's efforts to reduce and even eliminate carbon emissions throughout the value chain and vehicle lifecycle. The first four episodes come out this week with four more to come. Jake Neher, our terrific coordinating producer for audio, led this project as reporter and host on top of his work on Daily Drive, the weekday new…

Driving through the plains of Ontario always reminds me of my home state of Iowa. A lot of it is agricultural. and the road can be numbingly straight.

But as Jake Neher and Jack Hallauer — two Michigan native colleagues — and I headed toward the Toronto exurb of Brampton to tour a Magna International plant, I experienced something I never felt in Iowa: a burning in my throat from wildfires.

This past summer, locales from Chicago to New York were canceling outdoor activities because of the Ontario forest fires and the heavy smoke hanging over large swaths of North America.

Those fires were not global warming; a hot day in August is not climate change. But the accumulation of years of progressively hotter temperatures throughout the world provides ample evidence of a real problem. In the words of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, "the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theo…

The chair of the International Council on Clean Transportation discusses her role in spurring change at Volkswagen following the company’s emissions-cheating scandal and says 2023 marks a critical juncture in a shift toward green mobility.

How do I subscribe?

Apple Podcasts: “Shift: A podcast about mobility” is available on the iTunes Store and through the ‘Podcast’ app pre-installed on all iOS devices. Click here to subscribe.

Spotify: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" can be streamed through Spotify on your desktop, tablet or mobile device. Click here to subscribe.

Google Play: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" is available on Android devices through the Google Play store. Click here to subscribe.

Larry Dominique is just happy to see people talking about Alfa Romeo.

The Italian brand grabbed headlines in late August by unveiling the limited-edition 33 Stradale, a supercar that surpasses 620 hp with a twin-turbo V-6 engine or more than 750 hp in an electric iteration.

Although Alfa Romeo is building only 33 of the stylish two-seaters, Dominique said the attention the Stradale draws helps the brand's quest to build awareness in the U.S. A spokesperson said the Stradale has attracted vast media coverage around the world from nonautomotive outlets covering art, technology and luxury.

Alfa Romeo is in the midst of a brand evolution that includes delving into electrification this year with the Tonale, its first plug-in hybrid and last new model with an internal combustion engine. The brand plans to go all-electric by 2027.

Its marketing leaders have described ad spending for the Tonale launch as unprecedented in a …

Electric vehicle newcomer VinFast Auto plans to import three additional crossovers to join its midsize VF 8 that went on sale this year. Most of the automaker's lineup is scheduled to be assembled at a $2 billion North Carolina factory, starting in 2025.

VinFast is off to a slow start for VF 8 sales, with just a few hundred vehicles delivered through July, according to a company spokesperson. But the EV maker is rapidly introducing new models in Vietnam that will make their way to U.S. shores.

Next to go on sale is the stylish VF 9, a three-row crossover. The company plans to import its smaller VF 6 and VF 7 crossovers next year.

VinFast is drawing attention with its design choices of modern interiors and adventurous exteriors. Pininfarina collaborated on the VF 8 and VF 9, the automaker said, while Torino Design worked on the VF 6 and VF 7.

Originally, VinFast planned to sell its EVs separate from their batteries, which would be leased for a mon…