Welcome to the Dec. 17 edition of the Daily 5.
Even as major auto shows are losing their luster, the Detroit show soldiers on. In this latest iteration, show attendees will see vehicles from 22 brands, including a Detroit 3 lineup and new participants Rivian and Ineos, and a new test track when the show returns to its winter roots in January. There will also be some missing elements on the 723,000-square-foot Huntington Place show floor. Tesla won't have any vehicles at the Jan. 10-20 event — and showgoers will see less participation among major automotive suppliers. Sam Klemet, the new co-executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, which produces the show, said the event's consumer-centric shift and four experiential tracks will make it a crowd-pleaser and, just as importantly, ensure automakers and dealers are happy. Organizers said they anticipate new-vehicle reveals and company announcements, but declined to elaborate.
Also in 2025, Waymo's self-driving vehicles will debut in Tokyo early in the year, marking its first international expansion. The subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet has not specified when robotaxis might become available for public use. Here's how it will roll out: Drivers from Japanese taxi operator Nihon Kotsu will manually operate Waymo's all-electric Jaguar I-Paces to help map Tokyo and adjust to driving on the left-hand side. The effort will focus on the key districts of Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chuo, Shinagawa and Koto. Waymo is partnering with Japanese taxi app Go to better understand the local market, a spokeswoman said.
South Korea's LG Energy Solution is in talks with India's JSW Energy to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The joint venture would need an investment of more than $1.5 billion, two sources told Reuters. The two companies have signed an initial agreement to form an equal partnership in which LGES will contribute the technology and equipment for making batteries and JSW will invest money, one source said. The discussions include setting up a plant in India with a capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours of which JSW is likely to use about 70 percent for energy storage and electric vehicles and LGES will take the remainder, both sources said. LGES supplies Tesla, General Motors and Hyundai.
Other don't-miss stories include the return of the Honda Prelude and Toyota lowering the bZ4X's starting price.
That's it for today. Enjoy the rest of your day!
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Wes Raynal, assistant web editor
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