Chinese automakers are following Tesla’s bet that robots are the next big profit machine

Technical progress has encouraged a new batch of companies to jump in on the promise of profits from humanoid robots. And they’re all Chinese automakers.

My Tesla Cybercab launch predictions
My Tesla Cybercab launch predictions

Tesla holds its Cybercab launch event in Austin on September 3, and it’s being sold as a milestone. Here’s my prediction: it’s going to look a lot like the last time Tesla launched this car, back in October 2024.
Expect a big robotaxi fleet number as t…

BYD Q2 profit jumps 30% as record exports offset weak China sales
BYD Q2 profit jumps 30% as record exports offset weak China sales

BYD posted its first quarterly profit increase in more than a year, with second-quarter net profit rising 29.8% to 8.2 billion yuan ($1.22 billion) as a record surge in exports offset a weak Chinese market.
The rebound ends four straight quarters of pr…

Tesla Full Self-Driving likes trains a bit too much
Tesla Full Self-Driving likes trains a bit too much

A Tesla running the latest version of “Full Self-Driving” failed to stop at an active railroad crossing this week and nearly drove straight into a passing train, according to the driver and as evidenced in dashcam footage.
The kicker: it was running FS…

In a swipe at Tesla, Waymo says ‘cameras… aren’t enough’
In a swipe at Tesla, Waymo says ‘cameras… aren’t enough’

As Tesla gears up for the official launch of its steering wheel and pedal-less Cybercabs, Waymo is issuing a stark warning about Elon Musk’s approach autonomous driving. Srikanth Thirumalai, Waymo’s VP of Onboard Software, doesn’t specifically call out Musk or Tesla in a blog post, published Wednesday, entitled “10 AI Lessons from Driving 200+ Million […]

Waymo takes a shot at Tesla’s self-driving: it’s a ‘false summit’
Waymo takes a shot at Tesla’s self-driving: it’s a ‘false summit’

Waymo published a list of “10 AI lessons” from driving more than 200 million fully autonomous miles, and several of them read as a direct rebuke of Tesla’s self-driving strategy — without ever naming Tesla.
The sharpest: trying to turn a driver-assist …

Tesla owners are now filming themselves breaking the law on FSD — and posting it for clout
Tesla owners are now filming themselves breaking the law on FSD — and posting it for clout

Tesla owners used to hide the fact that they were abusing Full Self-Driving. Now they film it, add a caption, and post it for the algorithm.
Sleeping at highway speed, gaming with a controller, watching live TV, answering emails on a laptop — a whole g…

How Tesla’s solar business works in 2026 after killing Solar Roof
How Tesla’s solar business works in 2026 after killing Solar Roof

Tesla’s residential solar business has been shrinking for most of a decade, ever since the company absorbed SolarCity in 2016. Now, with electricity rates climbing across the US, Tesla is trying to revive it around a new in-house solar panel and Powerw…

Tesla denies rumors it’s abandoning ‘Full Self-Driving’ push in China
Tesla denies rumors it’s abandoning ‘Full Self-Driving’ push in China

Tesla is denying rumors that it has pulled its “Full Self-Driving” team out of China, saying its Shanghai data center is “operating normally” and that it has even reported the claims to police.
The denial comes as China remains conspicuously absent fro…

Tesla raises Cybertruck prices by $5,000 despite abysmal demand
Tesla raises Cybertruck prices by $5,000 despite abysmal demand

Tesla raised the price of the Cybertruck by $5,000 on Monday night, quietly updating its online configurator without changing a single spec.
The Dual Motor all-wheel drive now starts at $74,990, up from $69,990. And it comes while Tesla is running the …