Welcome to today's edition of the Daily 5.
Just a few days after the Biden administration finalized steep tariff increases on Chinese electric vehicle imports, the ripple effects might have already reached self-driving cars. Self-driving tech company Waymo is holding discussions with Hyundai Motor Group about possibly using the automaker's Ioniq 5 EV as a robotaxi platform, according to reports from Reuters and a South Korean newspaper. The talks come as Alphabet subsidiary Waymo searches for an alternate to its Zeekr robotaxi platform, designed and developed with Chinese automaker Geely. The tariff is set to increase to 100 percent on Sept. 27. Pete Bigelow has more.
LaFontaine Automotive Group has purchased four Detroit area dealerships in less than six months: three from Lithia Motors Inc. and another from dealer Mike Savoie. All three transactions involve relocations within the Mitten state and in two cases involve only the assets, LaFontaine spokesperson Max Muncey told Automotive News.
A cautionary tale: Tesla Inc. is facing increasing competition in the EV market it once had nearly to itself as its models age and rivals ramp up their offerings. But as our Laurence Iliff reports, registration data from Silicon Valley shows another dynamic at play. Read our editorial to find out what that might be.
Be sure to check out our stories on Bollinger starting production and Ford and Kia revamping their Chinese operations hoping to catch up with China's lightning-quick shift to EVs.
That's it for our Sept. 19 report. Enjoy the rest of your day.
If you want to read this story in your browser, click here.
— Wes Raynal, assistant web editor
