Navigation on a motorcycle is hardly new, riders have been mounting smartphones to handlebars for years. But what is changing is where navigation is appearing and who gets access to it.

Vehicle-to-grid technology is reaching the road, but commercial progress still relies on local energy rules, infrastructure and partners. For automakers, choosing where to launch V2G services is the most important decision.

As Li Auto's CTO Xie Yan aptly noted: just as no leading automaker in the ICE era would completely outsource their engine and chassis, underlying AI compute is the new "engine" of the smart vehicle era.

If you want to understand where the ADAS industry is really heading in 2026, this insight explores why the biggest opportunity may not be SAE Level 3 at all, but the rapid evolution of L2+ / L2++ assisted driving, urban autonomy and AI-native vehicle architectures. The 2026 ADAS landscape is evolving around three key trends: uncertainty over the market readiness of SAE Level 3, growing value creation from SAE Level 2 assisted driving and the increasing adoption of AI-centric

For more than a decade, competition in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has been defined by hardware performance, sensor configurations and increasingly sophisticated driver assistance features. Vehicle manufacturers differentiated through compute platforms, perception capability and functions such as highway navigation and automated parking.

The term zonal architecture is one of the most overused phrases in the current SDV era. From disruptive brands like Tesla and established premium brands like Mercedes-Benz to regional giants like BYD, nearly every major automaker has zonal architectures in its 5-year/10-year roadmap, if not its immediate plan.

Keeping track of the Chinese automotive industry over the past six months has kept me busy. Fortunately, July has given us a chance to reflect on the year so far. In July, manufacturers posted their Q2 2026 delivery and sales data, allowing us to see a more complete picture of the performance of Chinese automakers in 2026.

The global telecommunications and automotive technology industries entered a new paradigm this year. When the GSMA hosted MWC Shanghai 2026, it signalled a fundamental shift under the overarching theme of "The IQ Era"—the definitive transition of the mobile ecosystem from standard cellular data pipes to active, cognitive, and autonomous intelligence platforms.

We have reached a point where Over-the-Air (OTA) updates are one of the clearest indicators of the maturity of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs). The ability to remotely fix bugs, improve performance, introduce new features, and reduce dealership visits fundamentally changed how OEMs maintain and enhance vehicles after purchase. However, as OTA capability becomes increasingly common across the industry, the focus of competition is shifting.

For the past few years, the automotive industry has focused on defining what a Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) should look like. At SDV Europe 2026 in Berlin, that conversation had clearly moved on.

Vehicle HMI and infotainment are entering a phase where AI, contextualisation, and software‑defined architectures are reshaping how drivers and passengers experience the car.

As we mark the halfway point of 2026, one thing is apparent: consumer and industry technology is evolving faster than ever… still.

As vehicles become increasingly software- and connectivity-focused, the automotive industry is undergoing structural shifts.

The HERE Tech Day in Paris brought together OEMs, suppliers and technology companies to discuss the future of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), artificial intelligence, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), digital cockpits and next-generation mapping technologies.

June demonstrated how Chinese automakers are fighting on multiple fronts, product releases in Europe and over-the-air updates for Chinese customers.

In 2026, the light commercial vehicle (LCV) industry experienced a fundamental phase in the market. With connectivity at its peak, fleets are under pressure to deliver more with less, such as more uptime, more safety and more efficiency, all while reducing costs and meeting sustainability goals.

For automotive OEMs, vehicle safety has long focused on preventing collisions and protecting occupants during impact.

The EV battery market is diversifying, but the battery supply chain is not necessarily decentralising. Today, the answer to higher EV adoption does not seem to lie with a single miracle battery chemistry. The direction that more stakeholders are taking instead is diversification.

The industry's greatest challenge is no longer proving that new mobility technologies work. The challenge is scaling them economically, globally and safely.

For years, the automotive industry has focused on reducing cost, improving quality and increasing manufacturing efficiency. AI will certainly contribute to all three. However, the biggest impact for both OEMs and suppliers is likely to come from something far more powerful, speed of decision-making.