Japanese partners expand control unit collaboration

Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda said they would jointly develop standardized electronic control units for software-defined vehicles, deepening their collaboration on more advanced car technology. The companies plan to introduce an architecture incorporating the jointly developed ECUs and software in next-generation vehicles from the 2029 financial year onward, they said in a joint statement last week. Software has become a key battleground for automakers as vehicles take on more autonomous-driving and connected functions. Carmakers are investing heavily in operating systems that support features ranging from driver assistance and entertainment to over-the-air updates, increasing development costs.

Tesla registers mixed European results

Tesla's August registrations across several European markets painted a mixed picture, with strong gains in France and Denmark contrasted by declines in Norway, Spain, Sweden, Portugal and Italy. Registrations of new Tesla vehicles soared 279 percent in France and 104 percent in Denmark from a year ago, according to data from French car industry body PFA and Danish vehicle data platform bilstatistik.dk. Registrations fell 79 percent in Norway and Spain, 41 percent in Sweden, 37 percent in Portugal and 36 percent in Italy, data from industry groups OFV, Mobility Sweden, ANFAC and ACAP, as well as Italy's transport ministry, showed.

Uber flattens management for leaner operations

Uber Technologies will lay off about 3,300 employees, or 10 percent of staff, in its largest cuts since the COVID-19 pandemic to better navigate the rise of robotaxis encroaching on its ride-hailing business. The cuts will flatten management layers, reducing organizational complexity that was built during a period of rapid growth but is now proving a hurdle to decision-making, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a note to employees on Wednesday. "A leaner organization will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions and more time spent building rather than coordinating. It will also generate savings that we intend to reinvest in growth, innovation and the capabilities that will matter most over the coming years," Khosrowshahi said.

Driverless rivals broaden reach

Amazon's Zoox and Alphabet's Waymo separately announced expansions last week of their driverless ride-hailing operations into new US cities, weeks after Zoox started paid services. Zoox said it would begin testing in Houston and San Diego, bringing its presence to 12 US locations. It will initially use retrofitted test vehicles for manual mapping and testing before deploying its purpose-built driverless robotaxis. Its commercial launch has intensified competition with Waymo and Tesla as companies race to scale autonomous ride-hailing in the US. Waymo, meanwhile, said it would begin welcoming its first public riders in Denver, San Diego and Tampa.

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