February is here and the automotive world is delivering some genuinely interesting stories. Here’s the weekly roundup.
Corvette fans are camping overnight at dealerships to secure allocations of the new C8 E-Ray — the hybrid Corvette variant that uses an electric motor on the front axle to add all-wheel-drive capability while the rear is still powered by the traditional LT2 V8. The enthusiasm is understandable: the E-Ray brings 655 combined horsepower and all-weather capability to a Corvette for the first time, without sacrificing the rear-engine purity that defines the model. That buyers are sleeping in their cars to get one says something about the demand, and about what happens when Chevy produces something genuinely compelling at a price point that’s expensive but not stratospheric.
The Nissan-Renault alliance restructuring is moving forward. Renault has agreed to reduce its Nissan stake to 15% — putting the two companies on equal footing — in exchange for Nissan’s participation in Renault’s Ampere EV spinout. It’s a significant shift after years of Nissan chafing under the asymmetric arrangement, and it provides a more stable foundation for a partnership that survived the Ghosn drama and has continued to produce real business value through platform and technology sharing.
San Francisco’s City Attorney has filed suit against Cruise and Waymo over what city officials describe as the companies’ robotaxi fleets creating public safety hazards and obstructing emergency vehicles. The lawsuit represents a significant escalation of the friction between autonomous vehicle operators and the city, going beyond the earlier NHTSA investigation into traffic blockages. San Francisco has been the primary testing ground for both Cruise and Waymo’s commercial operations, and the relationship between the city and the companies has been increasingly tense.
Super Bowl week is delivering its usual automotive commercial previews. This year’s crop of auto ads leans heavily on electrification themes — EV reveals, sustainability messaging, and electric performance claims feature prominently. The Super Bowl audience is enormous and demographically diverse, which makes it an interesting venue to assess how mainstream automakers are choosing to position their EV products when speaking to the broadest possible consumer audience.