Norwegian robotics firm 1X recently unveiled its latest home robot, Neo Gamma which will replace Neo Beta that debuted last August.  1X joins Tesla, Honda, Toyota, and a handful of other companies that have or currently are developing humanoid robots for home or factory applications.  

Collectible cars have inspired generations of enthusiasts and collectors.  Their growing appeal (even today!) translates into new opportunities along the entire automotive value chain.  Sounds like a way to cash in to me. 

A new business start-up is offering factory managers an opportunity to "optimize" line performance on the factory floor by using AI enhanced video monitors at each station on the line - remote micromanaging.  Is this ok? 

The number is staggering - 877,000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon and Cadillac Escalades equipped with the GM L87 6.2L V8 engines may be subject to recall for sudden and catastrophic failure - often without warning.  What happened?

When it comes to strange life in the sewers, most folks think about big metropolitan cities like New York or Chicago.  In actuality, researchers recently monitored a Florida town’s storm drains and were surprised at what they discovered.  

Firecrawl, a tiny tech start-up in the famed Y Combinator business incubator in California, posted a want ad on the organization’s job board for an AI Agent, with a starting salary of $10,000 to $15,000.  Problem is, this ad was NOT for a human!  Needless to say, it went viral and the rest is history.  Is this the future?  

In 2000, Acura introduced its first all-original SUV, the MDX.  The moniker stands for Multi-Dimensional luxury.  The production models of the MDX debuted for the 2001 model year.  The fourth and current generation of the MDX was introduced in January 2021 for the 2022 model year.  The performance-oriented Type-S variant was introduced in December 2022.   The MDX also became the flagship model of the Acura marque following the discontinuation of the RLX midsize luxury sedan in 2020. 

The Lucid Gravity EV SUV will continue the innovative ways of its passenger car sibling when it starts rolling out onto American roads later this year.  Meanwhile, the Volkswagen ID7 EV sedan is NOT coming to America, despite being sold in Europe. 

Over the course of this program, I have said many times that vehicle manufacturing is not for the faint of heart, or light of pocket.  Years of upfront investment, the buildout of a dealer network, parts network, marketing department, and being able to build and launch a brand-new manufacturing facility, managing what could be hundreds if not thousands of suppliers is often a daunting task, even for established companies.  Two more EV makers have gone broke, but perhaps one may live to see another day.  

The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in the aftermath of the financial crisis during the early part of this century to protect consumers from unscrupulous behavior by financial institutions.  This not only includes banks, but payday lenders and buy here, pay here car lots to name a few.  With little fanfare, the Bureau has been shut down and its website taken offline.  What does this mean for you?