Japan
Toyota’s FSD Rival Will Run on Arene, With a Rule-Based ‘Guardrail’ Watching the AI
Toyota's end-to-end Level 2++ driving system, due from 2028, will be built on its Arene software platform, with a rule-based guardrail that checks the AI's route. Car Watch also rode in the prototype in Europe.
Japan
Japan’s EV Subsidy Gets Cut From January: Tesla Model 3 and Y Drop From ¥1.27M (about $8,090) to ¥762,000 (about $4,850)
Japan will pay roughly 60% to 80% of today's CEV subsidy for EVs first registered from Jan 1, 2027. A Tesla Model 3 or Model Y drops from ¥1.27 million to ¥762,000, so registration timing now matters.
Japan
Subaru’s First Self-Built EV Packs 510 hp, and It Took Half the Usual Time to Build
Subaru showed its first in-house EV prototype in Tochigi: 380 kW all-wheel drive, 0–100 km/h in under 4 seconds, and a development process cut to about a year.
Japan
Mitsubishi Electric Hands Half Its Car Business to Foxconn in a ¥115 Billion EV Motor Bet
Hon Hai (Foxconn) will buy 50% of Mitsubishi Electric Mobility for ¥115 billion, creating a joint venture to build EV electric drive units fast enough to take on China.
Japan
FSD in Japan by New Year’s? Tesla Japan’s Boss Says He’s Pushing for ‘100%’
Tesla Japan President Richi Hashimoto tells Nikkei he's going all out to bring FSD (Supervised) to Japan in 2026. Here's the timeline, the hurdles, and what's realistic.
Japan
Hyundai Inster Gets a Solar-Charging Fix in Japan: V2H Software Update Arrives October 19 (Kona Still Waiting)
Hyundai Mobility Japan starts a service-center software update for the Inster on Oct. 19, fixing solar charging through certain Nichicon and Denso V2H units. Kona's fix is still coming.
Japan
One Person, Ten Snow Robots: Japan’s Award-Winning Snow Removal Drone Learns to Drive Itself
everblue Technologies' Snow Removal Drone just won a CEATEC AWARD 2026, and its self-driving SRD-F11A goes on sale in January 2027. The next goal: one operator, ten robots.
Japan
Tesla Roadster Reservations Are Live in Japan: ¥6.82 Million, Left-Hand Drive, No Flying Allowed
Tesla Japan is taking Roadster reservations: Performance trim only, left-hand drive, ¥680,000 up front plus ¥6.14 million within 10 days. Here's the fine print.
Japan
CEATEC 2026 Robot Roundup: A Homegrown Humanoid Eyes Mass Production, and Honda’s Avatar Gets an AI Co-Pilot
Highlanders showed its mass-production humanoid N, Honda demoed an AI-assisted avatar robot, and Kawasaki and the Matsuo Institute taught a humanoid to lift 22.7 kg.
Japan
Japan’s ¥1.27 Million Tesla Subsidy Is Running Out: What Buyers Need to Know
Japan's CEV subsidy gives Model 3, Model Y and Model Y L ¥1.27 million, but applications are expected to close in December 2026. Timing tips inside.
Popular articles
EV Industry
BYD’s Q3 Profit Jumps 28% as Overseas Sales Do the Heavy Lifting
BYD's third-quarter net profit rose 28.08% to 10.02 billion yuan (about $1.50 billion) on revenue up 13.59%, while nine-month profit still fell 4.24%. Overseas sales are up 92.66% this year, and Japan's RACCO kei EV is part of that push.
Starlink
FCC Votes to Put 482 MHz More on the Table for Satellite-to-Phone Service, and Starlink Mobile Is Listening
The FCC adopted a proposal to open an extra 482 MHz of licensed spectrum to direct-to-device service and drop region-wide lease rules, a potential win for SpaceX's Starlink Mobile. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile want two 5G bands left out.
Tesla
Tesla Model Y Sets Green NCAP’s Lowest-Ever Life-Cycle Emissions Mark, and Tesla Showed Its Homework
Green NCAP gave the Berlin-built Model Y RWD five stars and 93%, with life-cycle emissions of 95 g CO2-eq/km, the lowest it has ever published. Tesla's verified factory and battery data made the difference.
Stock Watch
Alphabet Has Its Worst Day Ever, and Tesla Barely Blinks at $403
Alphabet sank 12.64% to $283.82, its worst day as a public company, and the Nasdaq lost 1.38%. Tesla slipped just 0.23% to $403.30, Mobileye fell 9.21%, Ford and GM rallied, and Advantest led Tokyo up 6.01%.
Japan
Toyota Develops a Smaller Next-Gen Hybrid So One Platform Can Be an EV, PHEV or Hybrid
Toyota's new 1.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid is small enough to fit a BEV-first multi-pathway platform, letting one body be an EV, PHEV or hybrid with 15%+ better fuel economy.