Automotive Industry

Tesla has canceled the long-promised inexpensive car that investors have been counting on to drive its growth into a mass-market automaker, according to three sources familiar with the matter and company messages seen by Reuters.

The automaker will continue developing self-driving robotaxis on the same small-vehicle platform, the sources said.

The decision represents an abandonment of a longstanding goal that Tesla chief Elon Musk has often characterized as its primary mission: affordable electric cars for the masses. His first “master plan”, opens new tab for the company in 2006 called for manufacturing luxury models first, then using the profits to finance a “low cost family car.”

An estimated 2,000 employees were working on Apple's car project at the time it was canceled, and while many will have been redeployed elsewhere – possibly on Apple's generative AI projects – the notices are evidence that not all were retained.

geteilt von: https://lemmy.world/post/13429417

The decision followed a New York Times report this month that G.M. had, for years, been sharing data about drivers’ mileage, braking, acceleration and speed with the insurance industry. The drivers were enrolled — some unknowingly, they said — in OnStar Smart Driver, a feature in G.M.’s internet-connected cars that collected data about how the car had been driven and promised feedback and digital badges for good driving.

If the article link contains a paywall, you can consider reading this alternative article instead: 'GM Stops Sharing Driver Data With Brokers Amid Backlash' on Ars Technica.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/13231268

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