Automotive News. Curated from across the open web and key dark web sources. Stay informed.
Tesla added 29 Cybercabs to its Texas robotaxi fleet, bringing the total to 1,080 vehicles. The expansion reflects Tesla's accelerating deployment of purpose-built autonomous vehicles in the state. The growing fleet scale positions Tesla to compete more directly with Waymo's commercial robotaxi operations.
Volkswagen received approval to test Level 3 automated driving in China while Xpeng began Level 4 demonstration runs, advancing both firms' positions in the country's competitive ADAS race. The parallel milestones show German and Chinese automakers pushing higher autonomy levels simultaneously in the world's largest EV market.
Bolt and Stellantis announced a pilot program to deploy autonomous vehicles in Paris. The partnership pairs the ride-hailing platform with the automaker's AV technology in a major European capital. The pilot signals growing European momentum for commercial robotaxi testing beyond US and Chinese markets.
Tensor and the Münchner Taxi Zentrum announced plans to deploy up to 500 autonomous taxis in Germany. The partnership targets Munich's taxi market with driverless vehicles. The scale of the planned fleet signals growing commercial confidence in robotaxi operations beyond US and Chinese markets.
Meleghy Automotive & Cie. GmbH is targeted by aurora.Victim Description: [automotive] The exposed material includes: Passport/visa/student-admission dossiers Tesla Model Y/Opal tooling, CAD and DFM tree Employee contract and HR folders <redacted> MEB/BMW NCAR metrology and plant-layout trees PLC/SPS/robot backups and cross-reference DBs TISAX/IATF audit and corrective-action records Restricted management meeting/WLAN record <redacted> Browser profile SQLite databasesVictim’s Country: DEDiscovered: 28 Oct 2026, 18:05 SGT
Colmobil reported it resolved a cybersecurity incident affecting its operations, with systems gradually restored and full service including maintenance, software updates, and support resuming at service centers. The company stated the incident was unrelated to vehicles' own systems, indicating the compromise was confined to corporate or dealer IT rather than embedded automotive systems. The event nonetheless exposed vulnerabilities in Israel's connected-car ecosystem, and the distinction between IT and vehicle-system impact is a key factor for assessing downstream safety and regulatory exposure.
XPeng received approval to conduct citywide L4 robotaxi demonstrations in Guangzhou. The permit allows the Chinese automaker to test fully driverless operations across the entire city. The approval advances XPeng's robotaxi commercialization timeline and strengthens China's position in L4 deployment.
Waymo expanded its San Diego service area to include La Jolla, University City and Clairemont, nearly doubling coverage to roughly 90 square miles. The Alphabet-owned robotaxi operator continues scaling its Southern California footprint. The expansion reflects Waymo's strategy of adding contiguous urban zones as it matures testing into broader service.
Waymo expanded robotaxi coverage by nearly 250 square miles across five US cities, extending its operational footprint in existing markets. The expansion reflects Waymo's scaling strategy of densifying service areas in cities where it already holds permits rather than entering new metros.
Waymo expanded its autonomous taxi service in San Diego into La Jolla, covering UC San Diego, the UTC shopping mall and the Veterans Affairs office. The move extends Waymo's Southern California footprint and adds university and retail corridors to its commercial ride-hailing map.
Waymo doubled its Orlando service area, expanding autonomous taxi coverage in the Florida market. The expansion continues Waymo's pattern of scaling existing metro footprints and strengthens its position in Florida ahead of anticipated competitor entries into the state's robotaxi market.
Tesla's robotaxi fleet in Texas surpassed 1,000 vehicles, with the purpose-built Cybercab reportedly overtaking the Model Y in fleet composition. The milestone signals Tesla's accelerating transition from modified consumer vehicles to its dedicated autonomous platform in the Austin and broader Texas market.
South Korean police booked 80 Tesla drivers for using illegal devices to unlock Full Self-Driving features on their vehicles. The enforcement action signals growing regulatory scrutiny of aftermarket software circumvention as Tesla's driver-assistance systems spread across markets.
Land Line Media reported a accumulating record of Tesla Full Self-Driving crashes in California, drawing on state collision data for vehicles operating with the driver-assistance system. The crash tally adds to regulatory and public-safety pressure on Tesla as it markets FSD and scales robotaxi service.
Tesla expanded its robotaxi service across Houston, widening its Texas autonomous ride-hailing footprint as competition with Waymo and others intensifies. The move deepens Tesla's presence in a major Sun Belt metro and tests its camera-only approach against lidar-based rivals in dense urban driving.
A survey of automotive professionals found that most expect software-defined vehicles to become cyberattack targets within three years, citing the consolidation of infotainment and safety software onto a single computer as a core risk. The architecture in question underpins next-generation SDV platforms from automakers and suppliers such as Continental. Because safety-critical and consumer-facing functions share compute, a single compromise could affect both. The finding implies that OEMs face pressure to harden domain controllers and segment safety software before SDV fleets scale.
Tesla expanded rollout of its 2026.38.5.11 software update, delivering FSD v14.3.13 to HW4 vehicles and a reduced FSD v14.3 Lite build to older HW3 cars. Splitting the stack by hardware generation lets Tesla keep legacy fleet owners on supervised FSD while advancing its newest compute platform.
XPeng received L4 autonomous driving demonstration approval for its robotaxi in Guangzhou, allowing testing of fully driverless operations on designated roads. The permit advances XPeng's robotaxi ambitions in China's competitive autonomous vehicle market and supports its plans for commercial driverless service.
Charger Logistics plans to deploy a 500-truck driverless fleet using Aurora Innovation's autonomous driving technology. The carrier will own the autonomous trucks outright, shifting the capital burden of autonomy from Aurora onto the fleet operator that uses it. The deal signals a commercial model where logistics companies absorb vehicle ownership costs while Aurora supplies the self-driving stack for freight operations.
Zhito Technology is targeted by dragonforce.Victim Description: Provider and developer of smart logistics solutions and autonomous driving systems intended to serve the vehicle industry. The company develops intelligent vehicle software and hardware system for the commercial vehicle industry, committing to making transportation and logistics more intelligent and safer.Victim’s Country: UADiscovered: 27 Oct 2026, 08:14 SGT
Chinese regulators granted permits to Volkswagen's joint venture and XPeng for driverless vehicle operations as China's autonomous car race accelerates. The approvals signal Beijing's willingness to expand commercial driverless testing to major automakers and local EV startups alike, intensifying competition in the world's largest AV market.
A 71-year-old California man was killed crossing Interstate 80 and the CHP reported the Tesla involved was operating in Full Self-Driving mode. The fatality adds to regulatory scrutiny of Tesla's FSD system and its driver-monitoring safeguards on public roads.
Tesla is seeking FSD approval in South Korea as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport prepares DCAS regulations. Approval would open a major Asian market for Tesla's driver-assistance software and set a precedent for how Korean regulators certify automated driving features.
Tesla expanded its robotaxi service area in Houston, with the new coverage zone forming a rocket-shaped map. The expansion increases the geographic footprint of Tesla's ride-hailing operation in the Texas city. It signals Tesla is scaling its robotaxi deployment in Texas as it competes with Waymo and other operators for early market share.
The Illinois General Assembly is considering a bill that would authorize testing of self-driving vehicles on public roads, according to the Daily Herald. The legislation would establish a regulatory framework for AV testing in the state. Approval would open a new U.S. market for autonomous vehicle developers seeking to expand beyond states with existing testing programs.