Automotive

The company is ditching its lidar business to focus on bringing its AVs to market before the clock runs out. AV timelines are notoriously fickle, but we expect adoption to accelerate in the next two years.

The smartphone giant acquired AV startup Deepmotion for $77.4 million. Xiaomi could use its consumer electronic experience to create compelling entertainment-focused vehicles, but it will have to overcome manufacturing challenges and potential regulatory scrutiny.

The $1.8 billion recall exposes the perils EV makers face in relying on third-party battery suppliers.

The company reaffirmed its commitment to the computer vision-only approach to AVS despite calls by regulators and advocates questioning the company’s safety. Regulators may ultimately seek to limit the way Tesla tests Autopilot on public roads, which pump the brakes on new updates.

If the FTC decides to investigate Tesla’s Autopilot capabilities (as it’s being urged to),it could have far-reaching categorization effects for the AV industry, which for years has over-promised and under-delivered.

The world’s largest car makers are ramping up EV battery production in expectation of soaring demand. Resource scarcity and environmental degradation associated with lithium mining will force firms to rapidly increase battery efficiency and recyclability.

The US auto industry's digital ad spending will rebound completely from 2020's pandemic-propelled losses, allowing for a full recovery in ad spending by the end of 2021.