Category: Business

UK automotive industry expects £4.6 billion uplift by 2030, new predictions suggest

According to the latest report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK automotive industry could deliver a £4.6 billion injection to the UK economy by 2030.  

The uplift is driven by the UK’s commitment to ban the sale of all new petrol vehicles by 2035, a decision that is pushing automotive manufacturers towards electric vehicles with prescriptive rule of origin laws. Much like EU content laws, the UK government will offer preferential trade conditions for cars that exceed a threshold for UK or EU manufactured content.  

The SMMT forecasts that this strategy will increase demand for UK-made parts by 80% by 2030, providing considerable opportunities for investment and a healthy boost to domestic supply chains.  

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Trump administration denies Ford tariff relief despite aluminium supply disruption

It has been over a year since President Trump announced a sweeping suite of country-by-country tariffs on imported foreign goods. After many reversals, walk-backs, and changes of mind, some industries have emerged largely untouched by these unpredictable and, at times, erratic shifts in trade and foreign policy.

For industries that rely on steel, aluminium, or semiconductors—of which automotive is one—the story is different. Owing to Section 232, materials deemed critical to matters of national security are subject to Trump’s high and unwavering tariffs.

A year after “liberation day,” many OEMs are calling for a reappraisal of Trump’s stringent tariffs due to mounting pressure caused by aluminium supply disruptions. Among these is legacy automaker Ford, which, under the leadership of CEO Jim Farley, has been vocal in its opposition to import tariffs.

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Will surging oil prices reignite EV demand amid the Iran conflict?

Since war broke out in Iran on 28 February, global oil prices have soared to unprecedented highs. The spike follows disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s busiest shipping channel for crude oil.   

As the global conflict unravels and the oil crisis intensifies, analysts are recognising a renewed interest in electric vehicles (EVs) as consumers attempt to shield themselves from the impact of rising energy costs. 

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Jaguar Land Rover shuts UK plant due to fire at supplier site in Norway

Jaguar Land Rover is once again grappling with disruption, as production at one of its key UK facilities is set to pause following a fire at a supplier site in Norway. The interruption will affect output of its flagship Range Rover and Range Rover Sport vehicles at the Solihull plant, with operations halted until April 8. This latest grievance represents a significant setback for the automaker in a two year period punctuated by disruption. 

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Elon Musk’s Tesla approved to enter UK energy market amid security concerns

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, could soon have sway over the UK’s private energy sector after its subsidiary, Tesla Energy Ventures, received approval to operate as an electricity supplier in the United Kingdom. The licence, granted by the UK energy regulator, clears the path for the company to enter a market that has faced turbulence in recent years and rising concern among households over an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

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Firefighters and factory workers: Meet the intelligent robots at the forefront of the AI revolution

As corporations begin to embed AI into the ways they process data, make sales, and draft communications, many companies are also looking for ways to automate and implement AI in manufacturing processes, on factory floors, and to perform difficult or dangerous tasks that humans may not want or cannot do.

Automotive manufacturers are among the companies leading the charge in the physical AI space. Read more to find out how.

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German EV makers race ahead of Chinese imports in domestic sales

Germany has long held the title of Europe’s largest and most significant automotive market, with a rich history of manufacturing and vehicle production. As the birthplace of well-loved legacy brands such as Audi and Volkswagen, the automotive sector continues to make up a significant share of Germany’s overall GDP—around 5%.

It is perhaps this legacy that explains why Germany’s domestic brands continue to outpace international competition in electric vehicle sales, led by brands like Volkswagen—currently the country’s leading EV seller—followed by BMW.

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Germany to invest €3bn in electric vehicle incentives

Germany is preparing to relaunch large-scale incentives for electric vehicles, signalling a concerted governmental effort to revive demand after last year’s slowdown. 

The federal government plans to allocate around €3bn to a new support programme that will run from the beginning of this year until 2029, aiming to put roughly 800,000 additional low-emission vehicles on the road. 

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The physical AI revolution: How automakers are rethinking manufacturing in 2026

Conversations around AI are dominating the tech and automotive industries as companies rush to integrate efficiency-boosting AI systems into their manufacturing processes. For many of us, our first introduction to AI is likely to have been through large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini. 

Now, in 2026, the industry is pivoting from a software-focused approach to a hardware-driven one, moving towards physical applications such as robotics and advanced automation. In this period of strategic change, the question remains: are automakers reading for the physical AI revolution? 

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Tesla embraces recurring revenue, offering FSD autonomy as a subscription-only service

Tesla’s Chief executive Elon Musk has confirmed that the company will eliminate the one-time purchase option for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package in the U.S., moving exclusively to a monthly subscription model beginning February 14.

The move illustrates the brand’s decision to lean heavily in to recurring revenue streams and subscription services—think X premium, launched in October 2023.  

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Ford promises Level 3 autonomy by 2028 at CES

A host of exciting developments came out of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas last week. 

Among the speakers was Ford’s chief EV, digital, and design officer, Doug Field, who laid out Ford’s roadmap for hands-free, eyes-off driving. Alongside this announcement, Ford revealed plans for an AI assistant and a new “vehicle brain” module. 

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Nvidia unveils AI platform to equip self-driving cars with human-like “reasoning”

The world’s leading AI chipmaker, Nvidia, has announced a new tech platform, Alpamayo, which promises to equip self-driving cars with “reasoning” capabilities. 

Taking to the stage at Las Vegas’ CES, Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, laid out the next leg of the company’s AI roadmap, suggesting it is seeking opportunities to embed AI into physical hardware such as autonomous vehicles. 

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Battery manufacturers say “Made in Europe” regulation is essential to compete with China

Europe’s race to secure its electric vehicle future is increasingly centred on one question: how much of an EV should be made at home?

As Brussels prepares proposals to raise local content requirements for products such as cars and solar panels, senior figures from Europe’s emerging battery industry are voicing strong support, arguing that tighter rules are essential to counter China’s dominance in EV production and adjacent key technologies.

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Flying taxi technology ‘takes off’ in the UK and U.S.

Flying taxis may sound like a space-age fantasy, but they could be with us sooner than we think. China has recently approved its first flying taxis for commercial passenger service, granting EHang holdings and its subsidiary Heyi Aviation air operator certificates for short tourism routes.  

As extensive piloting and some commercial operations scale in China, the future of flying taxis in the U.S and the U.K could also be just around the corner.  

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Europe accused of ‘mixed signals’ as it softens its 2035 EV mandate

In 2022, the European Union voted to impose a decisive vehicle emissions mandate banning the sale of all new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, including hybrids. The legislation reflected the EU’s united effort toward mass electrification and a clean energy transition.

Now, less than a decade out from its 2035 combustion engine ban, Europe is getting cold feet about its EV mandate, with Brussels voting yesterday to revise the goal.

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U.S. government endorses female crash dummy to close safety gap for female motorists

In the U.S., licensed female drivers outnumber licensed male drivers by about three million, and yet when it comes to safety features, the majority of vehicle testing is still carried out using outdated data and models designed to protect the average man.

According to government data, female drivers in the United States are 73% more likely to be severely injured in a car crash than their male counterparts, and are 17% more likely to die.

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UK Government pledges to end overreliance on imports of critical materials used in EV manufacturing

In an effort to end overreliance on imports of critical materials, the UK Government has unveiled a new strategy to invest in the domestic production of the resources essential to critical industries such as automotive.

The Critical Minerals Strategy sets out the ambition to produce 10% of the UK’s mineral needs domestically and 20% through recycling by 2035.

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