Electric Cars

The first near-final version of Rivian’s critical $45,000 electric vehicle just rolled off the assembly line at the company’s factory in Normal, Illinois. Customer deliveries are expected to follow soon after, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said. This is a make-or-break moment for the company: can it make more affordable, high-volume EVs? Or will it be relegated to niche status as an expensive truck company?

The charge is related to the automaker’s plans to reduce some of its EV production in the face of cooling demand and a less hospitable regulatory environment. It comes a week after Ford said it would take a similar financial hit on its EV investments, and a few months after GM took a $1.6 billion writedown on EVs. When will the EV bloodletting end?

Stellantis is discontinuing its plug-in hybrid lineup for Jeep and Chrysler, as the automaker pivots away from electrification to gas guzzlers and extended-range electric vehicles. It’s kind of a surprising move, given the sales momentum around hybrids these days in the face of slowing demand for EVs. But when you recall that Jeep’s 4xe lineup has been plagued by recalls, including one recently for a high-voltage battery defect that poses a risk for fire, than it starts to make a little more sense.

The Sony-Honda brand unveiled the higher-riding, roomier equivalent to the Afeela 1 at its CES keynote earlier this week, saying it could go into production in 2028. While the luxury EV market is a bit saturated these days, the concept is sure to appeal to anyone who loves Afeela’s approach to in-car entertainment and wants more room than the sedan version offers.

Afeela cars will get themes featuring Sony franchises like Gran Turismo and Astro Bot, including custom wallpapers and e-motor sounds. Driving with the delightful sounds of Astro Bot does feel like it could be fun.

Sorry, had to get the first Afeela pun out of the way ahead of the CES 2026 Sony Honda Mobility press conference. The shows kicks off at 8PM ET / 5PM PT, and you can watch it on YouTube.

The automaker’s sales drop was a lot steeper than Tesla’s, recording a 31.3 percent year over year decline in the fourth quarter of 2025. For the whole year, Rivian sold 42,247 vehicles, an 18 percent drop compared to 2024. Both figures were in line with Rivian’s expectations, the company said.

In 2011, the Tesla CEO didn’t see BYD as a competitor, laughing out loud at the mere suggestion, just like Steve Ballmer did in response to the iPhone. Microsoft no longer makes phones, and the Chinese auto giant is expected to officially surpass Tesla in global annual sales for the first time.

According to Not A Tesla App, one owner shared a service message saying there’s an Engineering Investigation ongoing, and some service staff have said a third revision of the wiper is in testing.

Following mounting pressure, European officials have recommended the bloc drop its 2035 ban on new gas cars, instead aiming for a 90 percent reduction in emissions from new vehicles, leaving room for a few hybrids to still hit the market. The change will still have to pass the EU parliament.

The company’s decision to cut off CarPlay and Android Auto hasn’t exactly been popular. While GM isn’t backing down anytime soon, some industrious drivers are working to bring back support. A reasonably complicated open-source hack involving hardware and sideloaded software adds Wireless CarPlay to newer models like the Equinox EV.

Trump was talking about Japanese kei cars, specifically, but Stellantis is hoping his good will extends to Italian quadricycles like the Fiat Topolino. The automaker says it will bring the micro-EV to the US sometime next year, but I’m not convinced American car buyers will be as charmed as the president. Last year, Fiat had to pause production of the slightly larger 500e after record-low sales. At one point Fiat dealers were practically trying to give them away.

Footage of Tesla’s humanoid Optimus robot falling over at the company’s Autonomy Visualized event is raising questions over its, well, autonomy. We can’t be sure, but it certainly looks like a teleoperator removing a VR headset.

Continuing the trend of car influencers falling in love with Chinese EVs, MKBHD got behind the wheel of a Xiaomi SU7 and walked away wondering if US automakers were “cooked.” Well, not yet. The SU7 might cost roughly $42,000 and handle like $75,000 car, but it’s also not available in the US... At least not outside of video games.

The EV maker showcased a limited-run “Miami Edition” of the Rivian R1S at Miami Art Week, a white body with splashes of vibrant blue and pink that I’d love to see more of for standard models. Wallpaper also reports that Rivian is releasing a fragrance during the event that’s “inspired by diverse landscapes from alpine to canyon to forest.”

Last month Musk promised there would be “500 or more” of the (supervised) Robotaxis in Texas by the end of the year. Today he told an X user the fleet should “roughly double next month.” But given best estimates put the current number of cars around 30, double that is... nowhere near 500.