San Francisco Regulators Want Elon Musk To Stop Lying About Robotaxis – Jalopnik

Happy Tuesday! It’s September 23 2025, and that is The Morning Shift — your every day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from world wide, in a single place. This is the place you will discover an important tales which are shaping the best way Americans drive and get round.

In this morning’s version, we’re taking a look at Tesla’s bay space robotaxis, which match neither half of the phrase, in addition to the continued fallout from Jaguar Land Rover’s cyberattack. We’ll additionally take a look at Volvo’s plans for U.S. hybrid manufacturing, and Berkshire Hathaway’s divestment from BYD. 

Tesla is staking its future on robots and AI somewhat than automobiles. This is an odd transfer for a carmaker, however a good odder one for a carmaker with a robotaxi rollout that incorporates neither robotic nor taxi. Tesla’s ride-hailing launch within the Bay Area is one such rollout, with automobiles which are neither autonomous nor capable of be hailed at will — regardless of CEO Elon Musk’s statements. Regulators are, as you may think, not thrilled concerning the blended messaging. From Reuters:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tantalized buyers in July with a robotaxi replace: After a small-scale check in Austin, Texas, Tesla would quickly develop driverless cabs to markets together with the San Francisco Bay Area, the place it was “getting the regulatory permission to launch.”

Musk posted on X earlier that month that Tesla would deploy robotaxis there “probably in a month or two.”

The actuality of Tesla’s San Francisco plans didn’t embody driverless taxis in any respect. The automaker had not utilized for the wanted permits, a course of that may take years of testing below state oversight. Instead, it deliberate pre-arranged journeys in human-driven automobiles just for riders who obtained an invite. And it might do that below a allow that’s sometimes used for limousines and doesn’t enable on-demand ride-hailing, based on state officers.

News of Tesla’s robotaxi plans shocked and alarmed regulators, based on emails amongst California and federal officers and a Tesla public-policy staffer, which Reuters obtained via a public-records request. After a media report that Tesla would deploy Bay Area robotaxis in late July, a senior state transportation official requested the Tesla worker whether or not the corporate would clear up the “public confusion.”

Elon Musk saying one thing blatantly unfaithful about one among his firms? Well, I by no means. 

Jaguar Land Rover has been coping with the fallout of a cyberattack for weeks now, and it isn’t displaying any indicators of clearing up quickly. The firm hoped to be again up and operating this week, however is now eyeing a date previous Christmas to get issues totally restarted. From Automotive News: 

Jaguar Land Rover is extending the closure of its factories till Oct. 1 following a cyberattack that has left its operations paralyzed and smaller suppliers struggling.

“We have made this decision to give clarity for the coming week as we build the timeline for the phased restart of our operations and continue our investigation,” JLR stated on Sept. 23.

JLR’s factories in Britain produce about 1,000 automobiles a day and the automaker is alleged to be shedding tens of tens of millions of kilos, with lots of its 33,000 employees instructed to remain at dwelling.

…

Some JLR suppliers count on the manufacturing facility disruption to final past Christmas, The Times of London reported.

I am unable to wait to listen to all the small print on precisely what techniques have been hacked and precisely how. This is a really huge degree of fallout for one cyberattack, and it simply retains going. 

Automakers world wide are rethinking their manufacturing methods, within the face of each U.S. tariffs and our seemingly world dedication to placing revenue over the continued habitability of our planet. Companies that after promised to go all-EV at the moment are investing in hybrids, and seeking to produce them within the States — like Volvo is now planning. From Automotive News:

Volvo Cars is gearing as much as understand the potential of its South Carolina manufacturing facility, seven years after the primary S60 sedan rolled off the meeting line there.

Volvo will start manufacturing of its XC60 crossover on the Ridgeville, S.C., plant in late 2026. That might be adopted by a “next-gen hybrid model” later within the decade, the automaker stated Sept. 23.

Volvo didn’t title the hybrid mannequin, solely saying it’s “designed to meet the specific demands of the U.S. market.”

Automotive News in July reported that mannequin can be the XC90 massive crossover — Volvo’s second bestseller within the U.S.

The manufacturing facility is not something new, so it will not be including the trillions of jobs the Trump administration hoped. But no less than we’re getting hybrids, somewhat than the EVs that would mitigate our planet’s warming. That’s higher, proper?

Berkshire Hathaway likes to put money into promising firms, and it had some huge cash invested in BYD. Now, although, that funding is right down to absolute zero. This most likely is not a foul signal for BYD, although. From Reuters:

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has totally exited Chinese automaker BYD, a submitting confirmed, ending a 17-year funding that grew over 20-fold in worth in that interval.

The submitting by Berkshire’s vitality subsidiary recorded the worth of its BYD funding as zero as of end-March, down from $415 million on the finish of 2024.

Buffett’s firm started investing in Shenzhen-based BYD in 2008, when it paid $230 million for about 225 million shares, equal to a ten% stake on the time.

It started promoting these shares in 2022 after BYD’s share worth had risen greater than twentyfold.

The key right here is that Berkshire is searching for huge development. BYD has gotten a variety of that out of the best way, and the automotive sector has been in turmoil during the Trump administration — dangers are rising, and the potential for enormous upsides is down. No one needs to put money into firms that merely do nicely, they need billions of {dollars} free of charge. 

Remember when Mitt Romney put his canine on the roof of his automotive? How far we have come.

Gotta love Lambrini Girls.