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Feb 25, 10:14
BMW retreats from L3 autonomy, betting instead on a smarter L2
In late January 2026, Mercedes-Benz removed its Level 3 autonomous driving function from the facelifted flagship S-Class. By the end of April, BMW followed with a strategic pivot of its own. In the refreshed BMW 7 Series—the first model built on its Neue Klasse architecture—the company opted to abandon Level 3 capability, instead doubling down on an enhanced Level 2+ driver-assistance system.
In an interview with Germany's Handelsblatt, Infineon CEO Jochen Hanebeck said the emerging robotics market is expected to generate significant revenue growth and help support the company's stable performance amid margin pressures.
Alphabet's Waymo has refocused competition from pure perception advances to real-world feasibility and business model viability with its sixth-generation autonomous driving hardware system, Gen6, targeting two long-term commercialization bottlenecks: high costs and climate adaptability.
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a severe new warning to U.S. trading partners following a recent Supreme Court decision that quashed his previous global duties.
According to various foreign media reports, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo Cars, and Stellantis NV have renewed evaluation, research, and investment in sodium-ion batteries, a technology earlier sidelined due to weight and energy-density limitations.
Uber Technologies Inc. announced on February 18, 2026, that it will invest more than US$100 million to develop specialized charging infrastructure for autonomous vehicles (AVs), marking a significant pivot as the company moves to own physical assets and secure its robotaxi future.

The European Union is preparing a structural shift in industrial policy, linking electric vehicle subsidies and public procurement to binding "Made in Europe" content rules that would reshape automotive supply chains.

The European Commission officially introduced a minimum price commitment mechanism in mid-January 2026 for imports of battery electric vehicles (BEV) from China to Europe, as an alternative to punitive tariffs of up to 35%.
China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued a set of guidelines on February 12 aimed at regulating pricing throughout the automotive production process, as part of the government's efforts to curb destructive price slashing in the electric vehicle (EV) market.
One of the biggest stories in Taiwan's auto market toward the end of 2025 is Foxtron's official announcement to acquire 100% of Luxgen, with the deal expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. This move marks Foxtron's shift from solely product design and development toward vertical integration, gaining full control over its brand and distribution channels—the critical "export gateway."
Stellantis NV has officially abandoned plans to build two lithium battery gigafactories in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and Termoli, Italy, the company's CEO, Antonio Filosa, said, following a EUR2.1 billion (US$2.49 billion) asset impairment tied to its ACC joint venture with TotalEnergies and Mercedes‑Benz.
Taiwan and the US concluded an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) that will reduce tariffs on US-manufactured passenger cars to zero, the Executive Yuan said on February 13. Mercedes‑Benz Taiwan announced price reductions for five US-produced models in line with the agreement.