Autoline Daily Feb 25, 2026

AD #4241 - Nissan Plans Dual Pathfinder Strategy By 2030; Aston Martin Slashes 20% of Workforce; Tesla Sues California Over Autopilot Name C

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Term

U.S. tariffs

U.S. tariffs are extra taxes the U.S. government charges when companies bring products from other countries into the U.S., making things more expensive.

Brand

Aston Martin

Aston Martin is a company from Britain that makes fancy and fast cars.

Term

electric vehicles

Electric vehicles are cars that run on electricity stored in batteries instead of using gas or diesel fuel.

Car

Lucid Gravity

The Lucid Gravity is a new electric SUV made by Lucid Motors. It's a bigger car than their first model and is designed for people who want a fancy electric SUV.

Company

Wave

Wave is a company from the UK that makes technology to help cars drive themselves using smart computers, without needing detailed maps.

Term

AI to sense, make decisions, and then execute

AI means smart computer programs that help the car see what's around it, decide what to do, and then actually do it while driving.

Term

level 1 to level 4 driver assistance

These levels show how much a car can drive itself, from simple help like cruise control (level 1) to almost fully driving on its own in some situations (level 4).

Term

HD maps

HD maps are very detailed maps that help self-driving cars know exactly where they are and what the road looks like.

Term

hands-off system

A hands-off system means the car can drive itself for a while so the driver doesn't have to keep their hands on the wheel all the time.

Term

level 3 system

Level 3 means the car can drive itself in some situations, but the driver still needs to be ready to take over if the car asks.

Concept

Jay Leno Law

The Jay Leno Law is a rule in California that helps older cars owned by collectors avoid tough pollution tests so they can be driven more easily.

Term

OBD2 sensors

OBD2 sensors are devices in cars made since the 1990s that check how the engine and pollution controls are working, helping mechanics find problems and making pollution tests possible.

Company

MEMA

MEMA is a group of companies that make parts and equipment for cars.

Concept

collector vehicles

Collector vehicles are special old cars that people keep because they like them or because they are rare, and sometimes they get special rules for things like insurance or pollution tests.

Concept

classic cars

Classic cars are old cars that people often keep because they like them or they are special. They usually don't drive them a lot, so they don't pollute as much as cars used every day.

Car

Nissan Pathfinder

The Nissan Pathfinder is a type of SUV that Nissan will sell in two different styles: one that is smoother to drive and one that is better for driving off-road.

Term

hybrid

A hybrid car uses both gas and electricity to help it save fuel and pollute less.

Concept

truck platform

A truck platform is like the basic frame and parts that several trucks or SUVs use so companies can make different models without starting from scratch each time.

Brand

Hyundai

Hyundai is a car company from South Korea that makes many types of cars and special vehicles for things like the military and firefighters.

Term

airless tires

Airless tires are special tires that don’t need air inside them, so they can’t go flat or get a puncture. They use a different design to keep the ride smooth.

Term

AI

AI means computers that can think and make decisions like people. In cars, it helps the vehicle understand what’s around it and decide what to do.

Term

LiDAR

LiDAR is a technology that uses lasers to scan the area around a vehicle, helping it see and understand where things are so it can move safely.

Term

traffic-aware cruise control

Traffic-aware cruise control is a feature that helps the car keep a safe distance from other cars by slowing down or speeding up automatically.

Concept

false advertising

False advertising means saying something about a product that isn't true or is misleading to trick people into buying it.

Term

FSD

FSD is a feature Tesla sells that tries to let the car drive itself completely, but it still needs the driver to watch carefully.

Term

Autopilot

Autopilot is a system in Tesla cars that helps the car drive itself a little, like staying in the lane or keeping distance from other cars.

Car

The Tesla Cybercab is a type of electric truck that Tesla might make, similar to their Cybertruck. It's special because it uses electricity instead of gas and looks very modern. People talk about it because it could change how trucks work in the future.

Concept

trademark

A trademark is a special legal right that stops other people from using the same name or logo for their products.

Brand

Napa

Napa is a company that sells car parts and tools. People who fix or work on cars often buy parts from Napa.

Brand

Bridgestone

Bridgestone makes tires, which are the rubber parts your car uses to touch the road. They make tires that help you drive safely, even when it's rainy or wet.

LIVE

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

As we reported earlier this week, Aston Martin is struggling financially due to U.S. tariffs

and weak demand in China.

Now the automaker is taking action to stop the bleeding, announcing plans to slash 20

percent of its workforce.

It employs around 3,000 workers, so the cuts would amount to about 600 jobs and result

in annual savings of $54 million, according to Aston.

The company also cut its five-year capital spending plan from 2 million to 1.7 million

pounds by delaying its investment in electric vehicles.

Chairman Lawrence Stroll and his investor group have pumped a lot of money into the

company trying to turn it around.

They initially paid about $240 million to acquire a stake in 2020, and they've invested

more than $810 million since then.

In speaking of job cuts, earlier this week Lucid announced it's cutting 12 percent of

its global workforce, and now the automaker says it expects lower production growth this

year.

Last year, the company nearly doubled production to just under 18,000 units thanks to the ramp

up of its second model, the Gravity.

But Lucid's CEO says he expects the automaker to produce between 25,000 and 27,000 vehicles,

which would be 40 to 50 percent growth compared to 2025.

While that's not bad, it is lower than a previous estimate.

Lucid is planning on launching a third model later this year, but it's not expected to

have a big impact on volume.

That model will first be made in Saudi Arabia and will later enter its plant in Arizona.

While it doesn't need a second plant at the moment, or at least we don't think so, Saudi

Arabia's public investment fund is Lucid's majority owner, so it likely doesn't have

much choice in ramping up operations in the country.

While McKinsey thinks the future of autonomous vehicles is still in flux, it says the technology

is at a turning point, both from a development and business case standpoint.

And UK-based self-driving start-up wave could be a good example of that.

In its latest funding round, the company raised $1.2 billion from investors that included

Mercedes, Microsoft, Nissan, NVIDIA, Stellantis and Uber.

What likely helped lure those companies in is that Wave offers level 1 to level 4 driver

assistance solutions that use AI to sense, make decisions, and then execute without

HD maps.

Its tech was also designed to integrate with any vehicle's existing hardware and software,

so a big benefit is that companies don't have to make big changes to their architectures.

Nissan will be the first to launch vehicles with Wave software and eyes on hands-off system,

a potentially a level 3 system as well.

The latest funding round now brings the start-ups valuation to $8.6 billion.

They call it the Jay Leno Law, though it's officially called Senate Bill 1392.

The famous TV personality and car collector is pushing for legislation in California that

will exempt classic cars from the state's strict emissions regulations.

In California, all cars have to undergo an emissions test every other year, but most

inspection stations there are not equipped to test cars that were built before OBD2 sensors

were mandated, and only 7% of all smog inspections in California involve classic cars.

That's according to MIMA or the Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association.

So the new bill would only exempt collector vehicles.

It requires collector vehicle insurance with proof-at-registration and phases in eligibility

in a controlled way, starting with certain older model years and expanding gradually

over time.

MIMA points out that classic cars aren't driven nearly as often, so the impact on the environment

should be minimal.

Nissan is going to offer two completely different versions of the Pathfinder by the end of the decade.

Automotive News reports that it's going to sell unibody and body-on-frame versions starting

in mid-2029.

The models will have distinct design, capability, performance, ride handling, and pricing.

The unibody version will have more refined ride and handling, while the body-on-frame

Pathfinder will feature a boxy design and have greater off-road capabilities.

The unibody Pathfinder will only be powered by an ICE, while the body-on-frame model will

have both gas engine and hybrid options.

The body-on-frame version will be built at Nissan's Plant in Mississippi, alongside

four other models based on the same truck platform.

The current unibody Pathfinder is made at Nissan's Plant in Tennessee.

Hyundai not only keeps troops in South Korea safe, now it's turning its attention to firefighters.

The HR Sherpa is an electrified six-wheeled unmanned vehicle that a division of the group

called Hyundai Rodham originally made for military applications, like for reconnaissance

and patient transfer.

But, Hyundai also worked with the Korea National Fire Agency and is now upfitting the HR Sherpa

with an infrared camera, a big water cannon, and a spraying system to keep the ground around

the vehicle's airless tires nice and cool.

Thanks to LiDAR cameras and AI, the vehicle can go places firefighters can't either

on its own or via remote operation.

Hyundai says there's already two models in operation and two more are on the way.

Ever since Tesla came up with the name Autopilot, safety advocates have criticized it as misleading.

While the system is quite impressive, it definitely can't drive itself in all situations.

Last month, the California Department of Motor Vehicles forced Tesla to drop the name, threatening

to revoke the automaker's license to sell cars in the state.

So, Tesla now refers to the system as traffic-aware cruise control.

Sounds to us like the name a legal department would come up with, and no doubt the marketing

team cringes every time it hears it.

But, now that it has changed the name, Tesla filed a lawsuit against the California DMV,

trying to overturn the ruling that it engaged in false advertising with the Autopilot and

FSD names.

And speaking of brand names, Tesla has another headache on its hands.

A French beverage company called Unibev trademarked the CyberCab name back in October 2024, which

was two weeks after Tesla unveiled the CyberCab.

But here's the problem.

For some reason, Tesla never trademarked the name.

Now Tesla is appealing to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to get the name back.

Tesla says it's a clear case of trademark squatting, where someone trademarks a name

with no intention of ever using it, only wanting to sell it.

We think Tesla has a pretty good case, and will end up winning this.

But, this is also a big lesson for everyone in the industry.

Don't go around throwing a name unless you know for sure you already have the rights

to use it.

All of you who work on your cars are probably familiar with brand names like Napa and Genuine,

and for those of you down under, the Repco brand.

While the parent company of those brands, the Genuine Parts company, is splitting into

two.

The company, which does $24 billion in annual revenue, and has been around since 1928, is

under pressure from an activist investor group, Elliott Investment Management, to make

the split.

One company, involving all those brands you're familiar with, will be called Global Automotive.

The other part, which handles parts and repairs for industrial equipment, will be called Global

Industrial, though it will operate under the brand name Motion.

When investors got wind last month that the split was coming, they bid up the share price

by 22 percent.

But, after the company officially announced what it's doing, the price dropped right back

down again.

It reminds us of that old Wall Street saying, buy on the rumor, sell on the news.

And that's a wrap for today's show.

Thanks for tuning in.

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About this episode

Aston Martin plans to cut 20% of its workforce amid financial struggles, while Lucid lowers its production growth forecast despite launching a new model. Nissan reveals a dual Pathfinder strategy with distinct unibody and body-on-frame versions by 2029. UK startup Wave secures $1.2 billion for AI-driven driver assistance tech, partnering with Nissan for hands-off systems. Tesla faces legal battles over its Autopilot name and trademark issues with CyberCab. Additionally, Hyundai develops an unmanned firefighting vehicle, and Genuine Parts Company announces a major corporate split.

airless tires AI to sense, make decisions, and then execute Aston Martin autopilot Bridgestone classic cars collector vehicles EV false advertising FSD

Lucid Gravity Nissan Pathfinder Tesla Cybercab

Original notes

- Aston Martin Slashes 20% of Workers Amid Financial Struggles - Lucid Cuts Workforce and Lowers 2026 Production Targets - Wayve Raises $1.2 Billion for Autonomous Tech - “Jay Leno Law” Exempts Classic Cars from Smog Tests - Nissan To Launch Dual Pathfinder Strategy By 2030 - Hyundai Unveils Unmanned Robot for Firefighting - Tesla Sues California Over Autopilot Name Change - Tesla Battles Trademark Squatter Over Cybercab Name - Genuine Parts Company Splitting into Two Public Entities

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