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It’s been a minute, people! As you may remember, the newsletter took a little holiday break. We’re back and good in 2026. And a lot has happened since the last edition.
I spent the first week of the year Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And when I write about it Last Januaryit is worth repeating: US automakers have left the building.
Have you filled the void at the Las Vegas Convention Center? Autonomous vehicle technology company (Zoox, Tensor Auto Kab, Level IVand Waymowhich its rebranding Zeekr RTto name a few), Chinese automakers like Geely and Friendsoftware and automotive chip companies, and much more Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called “physical AI.”
The term, sometimes called “manifested AI,” describes the use of AI outside of the digital world and into a real, physics-based world. AI models, combined with sensors, cameras, and motorized controls, allow physical objects – humanoid robots, drones, autonomous forklifts, robotaxi – to detect and understand what is in this real environment and make decisions to operate within it. And it’s everywhere from agriculture and robotics to autonomous vehicles and drones, industrial manufacturing, and wearables.
Hyundai has been one of the busiest and largest exhibitions with a near-constant line wrapped around the entrance. The Korean automaker did not show the car. No, it is a robot of various forms, including the Atlas of humanoid robotshave subsidiaries Boston Dynamics. There are also innovations that come out of it Hyundai Motor Group Robotics LABincluding robots that charge electric autonomous vehicles, and a four-wheeled electric platform called Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobEd) that will go into production this year. It seems like everyone is embracing and showcasing robotics, especially humanoids.
The hype around humanoids, in particular, and physical AI, in general, is palpable. I asked Mobileye co-founder and president Amnon Sashua about this because his company just bought a humanoid robot startup for $900 million: “What do you say when people tell you that humanoid robots are all hype?”
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“The internet is also hype, remember in 2000, the internet crisis,” said Shashua. “It does not mean that (the) internet is not real. Hype means that the company is overvalued for a certain period of time, then it crashes. It does not mean that the domain is not real. I believe that the humanoid domain is real.”
Some important stories from CES:
Nvidia launches Alpamayo, an open AI model that allows autonomous vehicles to ‘think like humans’
This is Uber’s new robotaxi from Lucid and Nuro
Mobileye acquired humanoid robot startup Mentee Robotics for $900M
Now onto more non-CES news and more…
A small bird
President Trump made comments this week at a Detroit Economic Club meeting about welcoming Chinese automakers to the United States that didn’t sit well with much of the auto industry, according to insiders I spoke with. Specifically, I have told the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (an industry lobbying group) has been “freaking out,” a DC insider told me.
“If they want to come in and build a plant and hire you and hire their friends and neighbors, that’s great, I’m happy,” Trump said, according to the reporter in attendance. “Let China come in, Japan come in.”
A couple of notes. Japanese companies like Toyota it has become very common in the United States. A bigger obstacle, beyond the protests from the boardrooms of US automakers, is existing law. In 2025, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued the rule restricting imports and sales certain connected vehicles and related hardware and software from China or Russia. This essentially bans the sale of Chinese vehicles in the country.
Avery Ashwho is the CEO of SECUREnonpartisan organization focused on securing US energy, critical materials, and supply chains, weighed in on the dangers of allowing Chinese automakers to sell vehicles in the United States. Side note: Ash is on my podcast, in Autonocastwhich touches on some of these things.
“Expecting Chinese automakers to build cars in the U.S. will reverse hard-won gains and put Americans at risk,” said. “We’ve seen this strategy backfire in Europe and elsewhere — it will have a potentially catastrophic effect on our auto industry, have a ripple effect across the entire defense industrial base, and make every American less safe.”
Meanwhile, Canada is opening its doors to Chinese automakers. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the country will reduce the 100% import tax on Chinese EVs to only 6.1%, Sean O’Kane reports.
“Got a tip for us to share in the Little Bird section? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or My signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.
Offer!
Operator budget He claimed it agreed to buy a competitor Sun Country Airlines for about $1.5 billion in cash and stock.
Dealerwarewhich sells software services to automotive OEMs and retailers, there acquired by a group of investors led by Wavecrest Growth Partners and Radian Capital. Automotive Ventures and automotive industry executives David Metter and Devin Daly also participated. The terms were not disclosed.
Long-distance bus and train providers Flix acquire a majority stake European airport transfer platform Flibco. The Luxembourg company SLG will retain some ownership shares in Flibco. Terms were not disclosed.
JetZeroA Long Beach, California, startup developing a mid-size triangular plane designed to save fuel has raised $175 million in a Series B round led by B Capital, Bloomberg reported.
Joby Aviationa company developing an electric air taxi, reach an agreement to purchase a 700,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Dayton, Ohio, to support plans to double production to four aircraft per month by 2027.
shining already reach an agreement to sell the lidar business to a company called Quantum Computing Inc for just $22 million. If that seems less, you’re right. Luminar’s highest valuation in 2021 is $11 billion.
Recorded readings and other tidbits
Bluspark Globala New York-based shipping and supply chain software company, had no idea that its platform was vulnerable and open to anyone on the internet. Here’s how security researchers (and TechCrunch) fixed it.
At Federal Trade Commission complete a prohibitory order General Motors and OnStar telematics services from sharing certain consumer data with consumer reporting agencies. Read the full story on what that means.
In DriveThe company started as a ride-hailing platform that allows users to set prices, diversify and start implementing a “super app” strategy. That means more in-app ads in the top 20 markets and expanding grocery shipments to Pakistan. Read the full story here.
Motionalthe majority of autonomous vehicle company Hyundai, has rebooted. When Motional paused its operations last year, I wasn’t sure if it would survive. Other AV companies with big backers have seen their funding disappear quickly, so that’s possible. But the company is here and with a new AI-first approach. Before you roll your eyes at these terms, read my articlewhich includes a demo ride and an interview with CEO Laura Major. Then don’t hesitate to hit the inbox with your thoughts.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul plans to introduce legislation that will effectively legalize robotaxis in states other than New York City. There are no details on this; I’ve been told all will be revealed in next week’s executive budget proposal. What we do know is that the proposal is designed to expand the state’s existing AV pilot program to allow “limited deployment of commercial autonomous passenger vehicles for hire outside of New York City.” My article goes more in depth on what it shows and give an update on Waymo’s NYC permit.
Tesla is ditching the one-time fee option for its Full Self-driving (Supervised) software and will now sell access to these features through a monthly subscription.
An on-demand drone delivery company Wing bringing the service to another 150 Walmart shop is part of partnership expanded with retailers.