Tesla fights for Musk's money, Fisker dies, and Nvidia-backed self-driving trucks: Autos news roundup
Tesla is touting its Model Y’s American-made success, even as it launches two legal battles: one over alleged theft and another over CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay deal. Nvidia and Uber-backed Waabi plans to launch driverless trucks as soon as next year, while electric vehicle startup Fisker — finally — files for bankruptcy. And drivers are majorly distracted at the wheel — and no one’s happy about it.
Read these stories and more in this week’s auto news roundup.
Distracted driving is accelerating as Gen Z takes the wheel
Americans just can’t help themselves from checking their phones, texting, or playing with their in-car entertainment systems, according to a new study from insurance provider LexisNexis.
Tesla has the most American-made car, according to Cars.com
Despite losing some ground to rival foreign automakers, Tesla held onto the lead in the latest edition of Cars.com’s American-Made Index.
A Nvidia-backed self-driving truck startup says its AI-powered cars will hit the roads next year
More self-driving trucks are coming to Texas next year, as Canadian startup Waabi is getting ready to put its artificial intelligence-powered fleet on the road.
EV startup Fisker has filed for bankruptcy as the Ocean SUV flounders
After several months on life support, electric vehicle startup Fisker has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Jeep and Chrysler parent Stellantis recalls more than 1 million vehicles over rear-camera issues
Stellantis, the parent company behind brands including Jeep and Chrysler, is recalling more than 1 million vehicles across North America due to a software bug that could increase the risk of a crash.
A major car dealership system got hit by cyberattacks
CDK Global has been forced to shut down its dealership management for the second day in a row after being struck by back-to-back cyberattacks.
Tesla sued its former supplier for stealing EV battery trade secrets
Tesla has sued its former supplier, Matthews International, accusing the company of selling its trade secrets and trying to patent confidential information related to electric-vehicle batteries. In response, Matthews told Quartz that Tesla’s complaints are “utterly without merit.”
Now Tesla’s legal fight over Elon Musk’s pay package starts all over again
Tesla has officially started trying to convince the Delaware courts to recognize last week’s shareholder vote approving of CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion compensation package.
Stellantis is calling engineers back to the office to ‘accelerate’ work
Stellantis, which once expected the majority of employees to work remotely as it attempted to cut costs, has called its auto engineers back to the office.
Toyota’s chairman faces a reckoning over a massive safety scandal
Akio Toyoda has been on the board of his family’s Toyota Motor Co. since 2000, helping guide the company through the 2008 financial crisis and a massive safety scandal that cost billions of dollars and dozens of lives. Now, he’s facing a reckoning from investors.