Sep 12, 2026 · Auto & Mobility Daily Digest
A roundup of auto and mobility headlines for Sep 12, 2026, with summaries, links, and brief commentary.
I. Policy & Markets
1. Trump Says He Would Accept Chinese Carmakers Building Plants in the U.S. If They Hire Americans (Policy / U.S.)
Summary:
Reuters reported on Sep 12 that President Donald Trump told Fox News he would be okay with Chinese automakers opening U.S. plants that hire American workers, while rejecting the idea of Chinese-built cars entering via Mexico and denying plans to allow imported Chinese vehicles. Existing early-2025 rules and tariffs above 100% still effectively bar Chinese brands from selling or building passenger cars in the U.S. Last week the Alliance for Automotive Innovation urged Congress to pass legislation permanently blocking Chinese vehicles by year-end. Trump is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington in about two weeks, amid broad opposition from U.S. automakers and lawmakers.
Links:
- Reuters — Trump says he would be OK with China building cars in US
- Bloomberg — Trump Says He May Allow Chinese EV Plants in US With American Workers
Commentary:
“Build here, don’t import” splits China auto policy into a jobs story and a market wall—delivery still hinges on tariffs, connectivity rules, and Congress.
2. China to End Some NEV and Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Tax Breaks From 2027 (Policy / China)
Summary:
China’s Ministry of Finance, State Taxation Administration, and MIIT issued an announcement, with Q&A circulated by provincial finance outlets around Sep 11–12: from Jan 1, 2027, half-rate vehicle and vessel tax for fuel-efficient cars ends, as does the exemption for pure-electric commercial vehicles, plug-in (including range-extended) hybrids, and fuel-cell commercial vehicles—including units purchased before the change. Pure-electric and fuel-cell passenger cars remain outside the tax’s scope. Officials cited 2025 NEV sales of about 16.49 million units, a domestic new-car share above 50%, and an average PHEV passenger-car price of about 218,000 yuan as reasons to restore property-tax fairness.
Links:
Commentary:
Purchase-tax and volume targets still backstop the market, while annual vehicle tax starts splitting pure-electric passenger cars from commercials and PHEVs—incentive design is getting more granular.
3. Xinhua Unpacks China’s 15th Five-Year ICEV Plan: Safety, Solid-State Batteries, and Overseas Compliance (Policy / China)
Summary:
Xinhua Finance on Sep 12 highlighted the nine-ministry Intelligent Connected NEV Industry Development Plan for the 15th Five-Year period: by 2030, NEVs should account for about 70% of new passenger-car and 40% of new commercial-vehicle sales, with autonomous-capable cars in scaled use. NDRC officials pointed to joint work on next-gen E/E architectures, all-solid-state batteries, and vehicle OS; MIIT stressed “safety first” for ADAS/AV and a production-consistency and quality campaign. The plan also covers charging/swapping and high-power chargers, C-V2X penetration, antitrust and price enforcement, plus overseas compliance and protection of firms abroad.
Links:
- China Financial Information / Xinhua Finance — Highlights of the 15th Five-Year ICEV plan
- Sina Finance — 15th Five-Year intelligent connected NEV roadmap released
Commentary:
After volume targets, official messaging pivots to whether cars can be safely mass-produced and exported under compliance rules—the next scorecard is technical thresholds and market order.
II. Automakers & Supply-Chain Politics
4. GM Pushes U.S. Sodium-Ion Batteries as DOT Criticizes Ford’s CATL Tie-Up (Batteries / U.S.)
Summary:
CNBC reported on Sep 12 that GM battery VP Kurt Kelty said the company is developing sodium-ion cells with Denver startup Peak Energy, mainly for energy storage, aiming for commercial production around 2029, with a similar domestic priority for future EV cells. GM is also spending about $900 million on battery labs and a prototyping plant near Detroit. The comments land as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy voiced “profound concern” over Ford’s CATL LFP licensing; Kelty argued GM prefers leapfrogging via domestic supply chains rather than matching China’s LFP path. IEA figures cited in the piece put China’s share of global EV cathode active material near 85% and anode material above 90%.
Links:
Commentary:
Washington is elevating “battery independence,” while OEMs choose between licensed speed-to-market and slower chemistry bets—near-term cost and long-term security rarely optimize together.
5. Ford CEO Rejects “China Dependence” Claims as Sub-$30K Fathom EV Truck Nears (Automaker / U.S.)
Summary:
TechRadar on Sep 12, citing The Wall Street Journal and Ford statements, reported CEO Jim Farley calling government criticism of Ford’s China ties “basic misunderstandings, mistruths.” Ford says BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in Marshall uses CATL-licensed LFP know-how but is owned and operated by Ford, with LFP cells on track to ship in 2026 for the affordable Fathom electric pickup. Fathom starts at about $28,350 before destination fees, under $30,000, with NACS, bidirectional charging, and next-gen BlueCruise hardware. Current F-150 Lightning production ends this year; a next-gen Lightning EREV is pitched at more than roughly 700 miles of combined range. A key rival is the Bezos-backed Slate truck priced from under about $25,000.
Links:
- TechRadar — Ford CEO hits back at government ‘mistruths’ about China
- Paultan — Ford blasted by Trump administration over deals with Chinese companies
Commentary:
Fathom is meant to prove Americans will buy a cheap electric truck—but politics may price the CATL license as a security issue before the product can prove itself.
6. Tesla Launches Refreshed Model Y Performance in China From 369,000 Yuan as Sales Soften (Product / China)
Summary:
CnEVPost and Gasgoo reported Tesla launched the refreshed Model Y Performance AWD in China on Sep 11 at 369,000 yuan, with 0–100 km/h in about 3.5 seconds, CLTC range of about 659 km, and a top speed of about 250 km/h; deliveries are estimated in 2–6 weeks. It is the fifth and priciest Model Y variant in China. CPCA data compiled by CnEVPost show August Model Y deliveries in China at about 29,260, down about 25.8% year on year—the third straight monthly decline. Year-to-date through August, Model Y deliveries were about 226,931 (−6.1% YoY) and Tesla’s China total about 316,251 (−12.4% YoY). Tesla is also offering a 10,000-yuan payment cut on eligible inventory Model Y units delivered by Sep 30.
Links:
- CnEVPost — Tesla launches Model Y Performance in China as sales of key SUV weaken
- Gasgoo — Refreshed Model Y Performance All-Wheel Drive Launches, Priced at 369,000 CNY
Commentary:
A performance halo can lift brand and ASP, but it does not reverse share loss on the volume SUV—China is forcing Tesla to fight on both price and product at once.
III. Autonomous Driving & Mobility Platforms
7. WeRide Wins Spain’s First Level 4 Passenger AV Operating License; Madrid to Link With Uber (AV / Europe)
Summary:
Gasgoo reported on Sep 12 that WeRide, Uber, and AVOMO announced on Sep 10 Spain’s first Level 4 autonomous passenger-vehicle operating license from the DGT—WeRide’s first national-level EU permit for the Robotaxi GXR. Early deployment will put dozens of safety-operator GXR units into high-demand Madrid corridors; after regulatory milestones, commercial Robotaxi service via the Uber app is planned for 2026, with a path to driverless operations in core districts. Madrid is the partners’ fourth city and first European commercial site, with a goal of 15 cities globally by 2030. WeRide says it now holds AV-related licenses in nine countries, including China, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Singapore, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
Links:
Commentary:
Europe still sequences robotaxis as license → supervised pilots → driverless scale, but the permit itself is already a scarce ticket U.S. and Chinese players fight to hold.
8. Tesla Rolls Out Automatic Collision Evasion in FSD V14.3.9, Engaging Without Driver Consent (AV / U.S.)
Summary:
autoevolution reported on Sep 12 that Tesla is shipping Automatic Collision Evasion (ACE) with FSD V14.3.9 (around software 2026.27.6) on AI4/HW4 vehicles. When the system detects an imminent front collision that braking alone may not prevent—and FSD is available/enabled but not active, speed is at or below about 85 mph (about 137 km/h), and the road is not wet/slippery—it can take over steering, braking, or acceleration. During intervention the accelerator is muted; braking can slow the car without necessarily canceling the maneuver. ACE is not in FSD V14.2 Lite on the same build, leaving HW3 owners out. The feature intensifies debate over automated takeover without explicit driver approval.
Links:
Commentary:
ACE shifts assistance from “driver must opt in” toward “the car may force a takeover”—the more aggressive the safety claim, the sharper the liability and hardware-tier fights become.
9. U.S. Lawmaker Demands Federal Action After 43 Videos of Tesla Drivers Asleep on FSD (Regulation / U.S.–Europe)
Summary:
The Next Web reported on Sep 12 that Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi asked the transportation secretary to explain by Sep 30 what federal regulators will do about drivers sleeping or distracted with Full Self-Driving on, responding to an NBC investigation that found 43 related videos (17 posted this year) and 13 California citations. The letter questions whether cabin cameras still work when drivers wear sunglasses or cover the lens. The piece notes Dutch regulator RDW approved FSD Supervised in April under UN R171, with Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, and Slovenia accepting the Dutch certificate via mutual recognition—covering about 42 million people—while NHTSA has kept an engineering analysis open on about 3.2 million Teslas since March.
Links:
Commentary:
Both sides of the Atlantic are stuck on whether supervision is real: one side demands transparency, the other is already spreading approvals by mutual recognition—regulatory openness is becoming FSD’s globalization bottleneck.
IV. Battery Recycling & Charging
10. Sumitomo Metal Mining Opens Japan’s First EV Battery Recycling Plant (Recycling / Japan)
Summary:
Nikkei Asia reported on Sep 12 that Sumitomo Metal Mining has opened Japan’s first recycling plant dedicated to electric-vehicle batteries, designed to recover lithium and other scarce metals from spent packs, limit resource outflow, and support a more stable domestic materials supply. Public summaries emphasize the strategic closed-loop intent; detailed capacity and process metrics were not fully available in open excerpts.
Links:
Commentary:
Japan is treating recycling as a “second mine”—when upstream mineral leverage is limited, closed-loop capacity itself becomes a supply-security asset.
11. European Commission Keeps Battery Recycling Targets, Citing Treatment Capacity Gaps (Policy / Europe)
Summary:
2EU.brussels reported on Sep 12 that the European Commission will not change EU recycling-efficiency and material-recovery targets for waste batteries. Lithium recovery remains at least 50% by end-2027 and 80% by end-2031; lithium-based battery recycling efficiency stays at 65% from end-2025, rising to 70% by end-2030. JRC modeling suggests moving lithium recovery rates by ten percentage points would shift EU supply coverage by only about two points in 2027 and three in 2035; a baseline case sees European production (primary plus recycling) potentially meeting about 18% of battery lithium demand in 2027 and 42% in 2035—before accounting for available treatment capacity. The Commission says industrial-scale processing, not higher percentages, is the binding constraint; mandatory recycler reporting begins around 2027. Separately, Fraunhofer FFB and RWTH Aachen launched NRW-DiRecLab to compare five direct-recycling routes for electrode scrap.
Links:
- 2EU.brussels — Commission keeps battery recycling targets, pointing to the need for more EU treatment capacity
- Battery-Tech Network — Fraunhofer FFB and RWTH Aachen Launch Recycling Lab
Commentary:
Europe’s recycling debate has moved from raising percentages to building plants—ambitious targets without industrial treatment lines remain a paper loop.
12. Vinci Consortium Commits About €90M to Megawatt Truck-Charging Corridors (Charging / Europe)
Summary:
Supply News reported on Sep 12 that Vinci Concessions, Epopee Gestion, and Ademe Investissement are investing about €90 million in a first wave of roughly 20 high-power charging sites for electric heavy trucks, developed and operated by Vinci subsidiary Voltix along major corridors mainly in France and into the rest of Europe. Stations will use the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), said to restore about 4.5 hours of driving range in under 45 minutes—aligned with mandatory driver rest breaks. The first site is due this autumn at Vierzon in France’s Cher department. The report frames long-haul truck electrification as more constrained by plugging in than by vehicles.
Links:
Commentary:
Matching charge time to statutory rest is rare regulatory-compatible design for e-trucks—corridor density will matter more than any single site’s peak power.
V. M&A & Aftermarket
13. Copart to Buy ACV for About $1.9B Cash, Spanning Full-Spectrum Vehicle Remarketing (M&A / U.S.)
Summary:
Copart and ACV announced on Sep 10 a definitive deal for Copart to acquire all outstanding ACV shares for $10.50 per share in cash, implying about $1.9 billion in equity value and roughly a 45% premium to ACV’s unaffected Aug 10 close. Closing is expected by year-end 2026, with ACV continuing as an independent subsidiary. The companies say the combination covers dealer trade-ins, wholesale auctions, salvage disposition, and international resale, pairing ACV’s condition data and AI valuation tools with Copart’s global buyer network and more than 250 physical locations. Used Car News and others continued coverage on Sep 12 on implications for dealer-to-dealer wholesale.
Links:
- ACV Investor Relations — Copart to Acquire ACV
- Used Car News — Copart to Acquire ACV Auctions in $1.9B Deal
Commentary:
While new-car electrification grabs headlines, the aftermarket is quietly consolidating inspection–auction–residual data—whoever owns condition data edges closer to used-car pricing power.
Today's Summary
- China and the U.S. both flashed strong policy signals: Beijing tightens some vehicle-tax incentives and digs into 15th Five-Year safety/tech details, while Washington verbally opens a “build Chinese cars in America” window but keeps imports blocked.
- Battery supply-chain politics heated up: GM bets on sodium-ion “leapfrog” autonomy; Ford defends CATL licensing alongside its sub-$30K Fathom pickup.
- Autonomy showed license expansion and regulatory pushback in parallel: WeRide secured Spain’s L4 permit; Tesla pushed forced collision intervention while facing asleep-at-the-wheel scrutiny and transatlantic transparency questions.
- Recycling and truck charging moved into capacity-delivery mode: Japan’s first EV battery recycling plant opened, the EU held targets while naming treatment gaps, and Vinci funded MCS corridor build-out.
Daily Framing:
Today in the auto/mobility cycle was a “policy opening meets supply-chain confrontation” day—market-access talk loosened a notch while battery, autonomy, and data thresholds tightened at the same time.
This digest is compiled from real-time search results and is for reference only. Date: Sep 12, 2026 (Saturday)