Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your go-to hub for all things transportation!
Hey everyone, it’s great to be back after a brief hiatus. We’re diving right back into 2026, and boy, has it been a whirlwind few weeks in the mobility space. Let me catch you up on some of the highlights.
CES 2026 was a big deal, and I spent the first week of the year there. One thing was clear: the US automakers have really left the building. In their place, we saw autonomous vehicle tech companies like Zoox, Tensor Auto, Tier IV, and Waymo (which rebranded their Zeekr RT) making waves. Chinese automakers like Geely and GWM were also there, along with software and automotive chip companies, and the buzzword of the week: Physical AI.
Physical AI refers to using AI outside of the digital world and into the actual, physics-based one. It’s the combination of AI models, sensors, cameras, and motorized controls that enables the physical thing – humanoid robots, drones, autonomous forklifts, robotaxis – to detect and perceive the world and make decisions. And it was on show at CES everywhere: from agriculture and robotics to autonomous vehicles and drones, industrial manufacturing, and wearables.
Hyundai was one of the busier and larger displays, with a near-constant line outside. They weren’t showing cars, though; it was robots, and all kinds of them. There were robots from their subsidiary Boston Dynamics, as well as innovations from their Hyundai Motor Group Robotics LAB. I talked to Amnon Shashua, co-founder and president of Mobileye, which just bought a humanoid robotics startup for $900 million. “What do you say when people tell you humanoid robots are all hype?” he asked. “The internet was also a hype, remember in 2000, the internet crisis. That didn’t mean that the internet isn’t a real thing. Hype means that companies are overvalued for a certain time, and then they crash. It doesn’t mean that the area isn’t real.”
Of course, there were also some notable stories from CES:
* Nvidia launched Alpamayo, open AI models that enable autonomous vehicles to “think like a human”
* Here’s Uber’s new robotaxi from Lucid and Nuro
* Mobileye acquired humanoid robot startup Mentee Robotics for $900M
Now, onto the other non-CES and newer news…
President Trump made some comments about welcoming Chinese automakers into the US that didn’t sit well with the auto industry. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation is reportedly “freaking out.” “If they want to come in and build a plant and hire you and hire your friends and your neighbors, that’s great, I like that,” Trump said. “Let China come in, let Japan come in.”
But there are several hurdles to this. Japanese companies like Toyota are already in the US, and the bigger problem is current legislation. In 2025, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued a rule restricting the import and sale of certain linked automobiles and related hardware and software linked to China or Russia.
Avery Ash, CEO of SAFE, weighed in on the risks of permitting Chinese automakers to sell their vehicles in the US: “Welcoming Chinese automakers to build vehicles here in the US will reverse these hard-won accomplishments and put Americans in danger.”
On the other hand, Canada is opening the door to Chinese automakers. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his nation will slash its 100% import tax on Chinese EVs to just 6.1%.
Deals!
* Budget provider Allegiant agreed to buy rival Sun Country Airlines for about $1.5 billion in cash and stock
* Dealerware, a software company for automotive OEMs and retailers, was acquired by a group of investors led by Wavecrest Partners and Radian Capital
* Flix, a long-distance bus and train supplier, acquired the majority share of European airport transfer-platform Flibco
* JetZero, a Long Beach, California-based startup developing a midsized triangular plane designed to save on fuel, raised $175 million in a Series B round led by B Capital
* Joby Aviation, an organization developing electric air taxis, reached an agreement to buy a 700,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Dayton, Ohio, to support its plans to double manufacturing to four planes per month in 2027
* Luminar has reached a deal to sell its lidar business to an organization called Quantum Computing Inc. for just $22 million
Notable reads and other tidbits
* Bluspark International, a New York-based delivery and supply chain software company, didn’t notice its platform was vulnerable and open to anyone on the web. Here’s how a security researcher (and TechCrunch) got it fixed.
* The Federal Trade Commission finalized an order that bans General Motors and its OnStar telematics service from sharing certain customer data with consumer reporting companies. Read the full story on what this means.
* InDrive, the company that started as a ride-hailing platform that lets customers set the price, is diversifying and starting to execute on its “super app” strategy. That means more in-app advertising across its top 20 markets and expanding grocery delivery to Pakistan. Read the full story here.
* Motional, the bulk Hyundai-owned autonomous vehicle company, has rebooted. When Motional paused its operations last year, I wasn’t sure it would survive. Other AV companies with big backers have seen their funding disappear in a blink, so it was really believable. But the company is here and with a new AI-first strategy. Before you roll your eyes at that term, take a read of my article, which features a demo ride and an interview with CEO Laura Main. Then be sure to hit my inbox with your thoughts.
* New York Governor Kathy Hochul plans to introduce legislation that would effectively legalize robotaxis in the state excluding New York City. No details on this yet; I’ve been told it will all be revealed in her executive budget proposal next week. What we do know is the proposal is designed to expand the state’s current AV pilot program to allow for the “limited deployment of commercial for-hire autonomous passenger vehicles outside New York City.” My article delves deeper into what she shared and gives an update on Waymo’s NYC permit.
* Tesla is ditching the one-time fee option for its Full Self-driving (Supervised) software and will now sell access to the feature through a monthly subscription.
* On-demand drone delivery company Wing is bringing its service to another 150 Walmart stores as part of an expanded partnership with the retailer.
That’s it for now – stay tuned for more on all this and more in the world of mobility!
