Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Tesla, the US automaker, has integrated the Doubao large language model developed by ByteDance into electric vehicles sold in mainland China. The in-cabin intelligent voice command system supports general conversation, singing, interpreting debates, storytelling, English conversation practice, and character role-play, allowing users to switch between four voice tones and five operating modes. Tesla China said the in-cabin infotainment system uses Doubao's real-time conversational model together with an end-to-end voice interaction system to move beyond traditional question-and-answer communication toward a more natural, fluid, and proactive interactive experience, activated simply by pressing and holding the voice command button on the steering wheel. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz, the German automaker, has expanded its cooperation with ByteDance to integrate the Doubao large language model into Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles starting in September 2025. Chinese technology groups have made significant progress in developing artificial intelligence models, such as Alibaba launching Qwen 3.8-Max, a large language model, on August 3, a major upgrade of the Qwen family of AI models with advanced capabilities in coding, real-world tasks, and research. MoonShot AI, an artificial intelligence startup, launched Kimi K3 in July, which has 2.8 trillion parameters and is the world's largest open-source AI model by parameter count. Experts believe the growing number of large open-source models from China is shifting from individual breakthroughs to collective progress, offering new approaches to global artificial intelligence development.

The European Commission has approved Mercedes-Benz China, BMW Brilliance Automotive and Seres Group taking joint control of Beijing IONCHI New Energy Technology, known as Ionchi. Ionchi had previously been under the joint control of Mercedes and BMW, and following the approved transaction, Seres becomes a third joint owner of the venture. Ionchi was established in 2024 and operates public high-power charging infrastructure and charging service networks for electric vehicles in China, combining fast charging with station operation, maintenance, customer service and the use of 100% renewable energy. The deal received clearance under the European Union Merger Regulation following the simplified merger review procedure, and according to the Commission, the transaction does not raise competition concerns given its limited impact on the European Economic Area. The approval follows an announcement made in April that Seres would become an equal shareholder in Ionchi, joining BMW and Mercedes-Benz, with each of the three companies holding a 33.3% stake in the joint venture.

European stock markets closed higher for a third consecutive session. As listed companies continued to report earnings, consumer goods shares showing solid results were bought, and the STOXX Europe 600 index ended 0.35 percent higher at 646.89. Unilever jumped 8.0 percent after its April to June quarter revenue growth beat market expectations, while Mercedes-Benz rose 2.9 percent after posting an operating profit increase in the latest quarter. Meanwhile, oil and gas stocks fell 2.37 percent as crude prices declined on hopes of easing tensions between the US and Iran, and Italy's Saipem dropped 8.9 percent after cutting its full-year core profit outlook. Market attention is focused on the Federal Reserve's policy decision announcement on the 29th.

German stocks moved higher on Tuesday, with the benchmark DAX up 85.61 points or 0.34% at 25,510.02 by noon, extending gains from the previous session. Automakers were broadly higher following reports that France and Germany are pursuing a new initiative to revive the auto industry, with Volkswagen surging 3.6% and Mercedes-Benz rallying 4%. Mercedes-Benz Group reported a second-quarter net profit of 1.065 billion euros, up from 915 million euros a year earlier, while Daimler Truck Holding and BMW moved up 3.75% and 3.7% respectively. Among other gainers, Rheinmetall jumped more than 4% and MTU Aero Engines climbed 3.7%, while Siemens Energy and Infineon Technologies shed 2% and 1.9% respectively.

Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority reports that new electric vehicle registrations in Germany jumped 48% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, pushing their market share to 24.8% of all new passenger car registrations. That is higher than petrol cars at 22% and diesel at 13%. Total new car registrations reached around 1.48 million units, up 5.8%, of which more than 368,000 were electric. Volkswagen led with nearly 50,000 EV registrations, followed by BMW with 31,000 and Mercedes-Benz with 26,000. Skoda was the top foreign brand at 37,000 units, overtaking Tesla which registered 29,000. Hybrids still held the largest market share at 37.8%, and average CO2 emissions of new cars fell 10% to 98.4 grams per kilometre. The state of Rhineland-Palatinate had the highest EV share at nearly 30%, while Hamburg had the lowest at 16%.

The global automotive head-up display market is projected to grow from USD 2.41 billion in 2026 to USD 4.71 billion by 2033, a compound annual growth rate of 10.1%. Market expansion is driven by increased emphasis on driver safety, reduced distraction, and real-time visualization of critical vehicle information, alongside growing adoption of connected vehicle ecosystems, advanced driver assistance systems, and digital cockpit technologies. Hardware represents a major share of automotive HUD cost, with 2D HUDs accounting for more than 85% of the market, while software requirements become more significant in augmented reality and ADAS-enabled platforms. Europe remains a significant market supported by premium OEM presence and stringent safety regulations, with companies including BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz deploying HUD systems as standard or optional features. In North America, increasing production of semi-autonomous vehicles and declining display costs are opening opportunities beyond premium vehicles and supporting greater penetration across mid-range segments.

Yahoo Finance Senior Autos Reporter Pras Subramanian test drove the new Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ electric sedan, a luxury EV designed to compete with Tesla's Model 3. The base rear-wheel-drive model starts at $45,000, offers 250 horsepower with immediate torque, and delivers 380 miles of range, making it a compelling value proposition in the compact EV sedan segment. Subramanian noted the car's aggressive exterior styling, elevated interior experience, and nimble handling, though top speed is limited to around 80 miles per hour. The tested vehicle was optioned up to about $65,000, while a comparable all-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3 is priced around $47,000, positioning the Mercedes as a more luxurious alternative. A gas-powered hybrid version will also be available.

Hesai Group shareholders approved an 8-for-1 stock split at the annual general meeting on June 26, 2026. The share subdivision became effective on July 10, with dealings in the subdivided Class B ordinary shares beginning that day. The company reported first-quarter earnings per share of 4 cents on revenue of $98.7 million, with total lidar shipments rising 140.9% year-over-year to 471,723 units. CEO Yifan Li described the quarter as a transformative chapter as Hesai evolves from spatial perception to spatial intelligence, noting its role as a strategic lidar partner for Mercedes-Benz models enabling L3 autonomy. Citi lowered its price target on Hesai to $28.60 from $33 while maintaining a Buy rating, citing more conservative revenue and net profit forecasts and a lower multiple due to likely weaker-than-expected second-quarter EV sector shipments.

Mercedes-Benz has completed a €1 billion expansion of its Kecskemét plant in Hungary, part of its Business Plan 2022–2026 to strengthen competitiveness and future viability. The site has doubled in size to 440 hectares, becoming the company's largest plant in Hungary and one of its biggest globally. New facilities include two halls for bodywork and assembly, an additional press shop, a new paint shop, and a battery assembly unit. The plant will now produce the electric C-Class, its first battery-electric core model there, while existing lines continue building combustion and electric models on a shared flexible line. Under a local-for-local approach, body components and drive batteries for the GLB and C-Class EVs will be made on-site to shorten supply chains.

Carmakers have broadly won the first round in UK diesel emissions litigation, as the High Court rejected most of the dieselgate claims against Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Nissan, Renault and Stellantis's Peugeot-Citroën-DS division. The ruling, issued by Lady Justice Cockerill after 55 hearing days, relates to claims brought by about 1.6 million owners of Euro 5 and Euro 6 diesel vehicles. The judge adopted a narrow interpretation of a defeat device, concluding that most of the around 40 devices alleged across the five manufacturers were either not shown to be defeat devices or that claimants did not prove a reduction in effectiveness. Outcomes varied: for Mercedes and Ford, none of the alleged devices were upheld; for Peugeot-Citroën-DS, a split mode device was found to be a prohibited defeat device; and for Renault and Nissan, several devices including torque cut-off systems and correction factors were found to breach regulations. The proceedings form part of a wider group litigation structure, and this judgment will influence about 800,000 related claims against other carmakers.

Mercedes-Benz USA reported retail sales of 84,500 vehicles in the second quarter of 2026, comprising 75,000 passenger cars and 9,500 vans. SUV demand remained a key driver, with the GLE up nearly 30%, the GLC up 8%, and the GLB up 40% year-over-year. Mercedes-Maybach retail sales increased 25%, while AMG SUV sales rose 17% in the quarter. The company also highlighted a 4.4% increase in van sales to 9,500 units. Globally, Mercedes-Benz Group sold 511,900 cars and vans, a 2% quarter-on-quarter rise, with battery-electric vehicle sales surging 50% year-over-year.

The UK’s Upper Tribunal has suspended parts of the Financial Conduct Authority’s £9.1 billion car finance redress scheme, delaying payouts for millions of motorists. The FCA is facing legal challenges from the financial services arms of Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, the car finance arm of Credit Agricole, and consumer group Consumer Voice, who argue the rules are unlawful. The tribunal will hear the cases in December or February next year, with a judgment expected in the following months. Under the pause, lenders do not need to calculate or pay compensation, nor inform customers of amounts owed, until the legal process concludes. If the scheme is upheld and not appealed, payments could begin in 2027; if overturned, the FCA may switch to a complaints-led approach, potentially handling up to 19 million individual complaints at an extra cost of £6 billion.

Wayve is positioning itself as a disruptor in the robotaxi market through a series of strategic partnerships and funding rounds. Last month, the company signed a deal with Stellantis and Uber to explore deploying Level 4 robotaxis globally, combining Stellantis vehicles, Wayve’s AI Driver, and Uber’s ride-hailing platform. Earlier this year, Wayve, Uber, and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding to develop robotaxis using the Nissan Leaf, with a pilot targeted for late 2026 in Tokyo via the Uber app. Wayve also expects to roll out supervised autonomy software in consumer vehicles in 2027. The company raised $1.05 billion in 2024 from investors including SoftBank, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber, and earlier this year landed another $1.5 billion at an $8.6 billion valuation from a group that included Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, AMD, Arm, and Qualcomm.

Hesai Group shared how its lidar solutions help autonomous mobile robots operate outdoors, where conventional camera-based systems often fail due to complex terrain and changing lighting. Innok Robotics built its outdoor-ready platforms around the Hesai XT32 lidar, which provides a 360-degree field of vision and high-resolution 3D spatial data regardless of light or weather, eliminating blind spots and reducing false detections. Separately, on May 20, Hesai won a contract from a top European automaker for over 1 million units across more than 10 joint venture models in China, expanding on its Mercedes-Benz L3 program. The project features the Hesai ATX compact long-range lidar, which has already achieved 1 million deliveries and a backlog of over 6 million units, with business from 40 automakers across more than 160 models.

Mercedes-Benz Group is rolling out deeper cost-cutting measures and accelerating artificial intelligence adoption across its workforce, targeting 70% AI integration among staff. The move aims to address margin pressure and maintain competitiveness against global peers such as BMW, Audi, and Tesla. The company's share price is around €45.235, down 27.0% year to date, with a 9.7% decline over the past month and a 7.5% drop over the past week. The AI push is expected to support areas like procurement, engineering, and customer support, potentially lowering unit costs and reinforcing the premium-brand focus. However, execution risks remain, including potential disruption to operations, strain on labor relations, and the challenge of balancing cost cuts with necessary investments in electrification and software.

Chinese autonomous-driving company Momenta is preparing a Hong Kong initial public offering that could raise about $1 billion, valuing the company at roughly $9 billion. The Suzhou-based firm, whose investors include General Motors, Toyota Motor and SAIC Motor, develops autonomous-vehicle technology and sells driving assistance systems to carmakers. It has also signed robotaxi partnerships with Uber and Mercedes-Benz Group for projects in Munich and Abu Dhabi, and is working with ride-hailing company Grab in Southeast Asia. A China Securities Regulatory Commission notice dated 10 June and published on 18 June said Momenta plans to offer up to 43.75 million shares in Hong Kong, and the regulator approved the filing. If completed, the flotation would add Momenta to a growing number of Chinese technology and robotics companies turning to Hong Kong's capital markets, following autonomous-driving peers WeRide and Pony AI which both listed in Hong Kong last year.