Chinese automakers are rapidly gaining ground in Europe, forcing German giants like Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes into cost-cutting mode — and offering a warning of what could happen if Chinese-made EVs break into North America through Canada. Plus, China’s new open-source AI model GLM 5.2 is climbing the rankings and impressing developers, raising the stakes for businesses weighing cheaper open-source tools against the top closed models from U.S. labs.

And in The Lookout: Canada, the U.S., and Mexico head into the first tri-lateral CUSMA review, Alberta prepares to pitch a major new west coast oil pipeline, and fresh GDP numbers could help settle whether Canada’s economy is actually bouncing back.

The Peak Daily is produced in partnership with reframevid.com