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Monterey Car Week has come to a close. And while it remains steeped in tradition, the collection of parties, auctions and car shows held across the Monterey Peninsula is delving deeper into electric vehicles and technology. And it's getting younger. As TechCrunch contributor Abigail Bassett noted, a heavy dose of Silicon Valley software developers and founders took to the stage this year. See her article on The most interesting electric vehicles from Monterey Car Week.
During the event, Rimac presented its Nevera Ran upgraded version of its Nevera hypercar that somehow has more power than its predecessor. TechCrunch also spent some time with the new Porsche Managing Director, North America Timo Reschwho talked about the upcoming all-electric Macan EV and how the German automaker will survive the turbulent market. Then there was Pole Star Executive Director Thomas Ingenlathwho shared his concerns about the unstable political environment, the Polestar 3 and How the company will become self-sufficient — and less capital dependent on its largest shareholders Geely Holding Group and Volvo.
But there was much more to Monterey Car Week, so let's get to it!
A little bird
A little bird told us at the end of last week that Canoes announced at an all-staff meeting its plans to close its Los Angeles office, the company’s original headquarters dating back to its founding in late 2017. The company’s new headquarters will be in Justin, Texas, where it has maintained a corporate office since around the time President and CEO Tony Aquila took over a few years ago.
This all comes a few years after Canoo announced (but ultimately abandoned) plans to move its headquarters to Bentonville, Arkansas, as it looked to attract Walmart.
Canoo quietly included in its quarterly SEC filing last week that it is offering “relocation to approximately 137 employees of the 194 employees located at the Torrance plant.” The relocations will be to Texas or Oklahoma, the latter location being where Canoo has been trying for years to get a manufacturing plant up and running. The remaining staff will be laid off.
Regardless of how many agree to relocate, all those California jobs are done. The Los Angeles office will close on Oct. 15. Canoo reported it had 651 employees at the end of 2023, down from a peak of nearly 1,000 at the end of 2022.
Canoo employees have long expected Aquila to close its Los Angeles office, especially after co-founder and chief design officer Richard Kim left the company in April 2023. The company has struggled to scale to significant production volumes and has pivoted its business model several times under Aquila’s watch.
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Offers!
Just a few deals this week…
AutoScout24an online car marketplace based in Germany, has acquired Canadian rival Trader Corp. of private equity firm Thoma Bravo.
Beyond mathematicsa startup that applies AI to physical simulation, It raised 8.5 million dollars in a seed funding round led by UP.Partners, with participation from Insight Partners and InMotion Ventures. TC editor Devin Coldewey wrote about how BeyondMath’s “digital wind tunnel” put a physics-based AI simulation to work on Formula 1 cars.
Re: Build Manufacturinga Massachusetts startup focused on industrial manufacturing in the US, raised $120 million in a round led by General Catalyst.
Featured readings and other curiosities
Autonomous vehicles
Waymo He said he is now giving More than 100,000 paid robotaxi rides Every week, in its three main commercial markets of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. Context: That’s double the number it shared publicly a few months ago. Another item worth highlighting in my article: Waymo has 778 robotaxis under its deployment permit in the state, according to a Freedom of Information Act request from the California Department of Revenue. It’s not clear whether any of those vehicles are operating in Phoenix.
In other Waymo news… Remember the horn problem the software engineer had? Sofia Tung captured via a live stream from the parking lot where Waymo Robotaxis It comes and goes? Well, it was fixed and then it came back again. But now, Waymo says, it's fixed for good. Waymo's chief product and operations officer Vishay Nihalani He joined Tung's livestream and answered questions about robotaxis and the horn, among other things. I'll share some details in next week's edition of TechCrunch Mobility.
Electric vehicles, charging and batteries
GogoroTaiwanese manufacturer of electric two-wheeled vehicles, postponed his highly ambitious plans For India, the company has started a pilot project for bike-taxi with aggregator Rapido to test its vehicles before their commercial launch.
Rivian He threw a Smallest Camp Kitchen $1400History lesson: Rivian unveiled the first prototype, a much larger and more expensive kitchen, more than five years ago. This time, customers can buy it!
Uber has hired Rebecca Tinucciwho led Tesla's Supercharger team, as its new Global Chief Sustainability Officer.
Volkswagen continues to slowly move toward selling its electric minivan in the United States. We now know that the Identification of the year 2025. will cost buyers $59,995 for the Pro S model, which includes seven seats, rear-wheel drive and a 91-kWh battery that provides an EPA-estimated range of 234 miles.
The future of flight
Darlinga startup developing a universal operating system for flights, opened a new facility at Hawthorne Airport in California.
Technology in the car
General Motors Cut around 1,000 software sector workers Globally. I happen to be in Detroit this week visiting GM to learn more about the Sierra EV and its software initiatives. How timely! These cuts should be viewed as a restructuring, and an essential restructuring if GM hopes to avoid problems like the one it had last year with the Chevrolet Blazer EV. Stay tuned for more on that.
This week's wheels
What is “This Week’s Wheels”? It’s a chance to learn about the different transportation products we’re testing, whether it’s an electric or hybrid car, an electric bike, or even a ride on an autonomous vehicle. Vehicles of the future include the Nissan Leafsome electric bikes and the GMC Sierra EV.
