Trucks | FoT: China, First Brands, Fair

Trucks | Future of Transportation for 2025.10.13
FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital 

Notable:

From cars to fighter jets, China’s new export curbs may level a heavy blow worldwide (link). 'The new regulations, which take effect in stages on Nov. 8 and Dec. 1, apply to the entire world, sharply escalating China’s sway over critical manufacturing at a time of increased international fractures over trade...China has modeled its rare earth regulations on American rules for trade in a few of the world’s most powerful computer chips. But rare earths are more widely used.' The thought of escalating a tariff war against China requires a sort of magical thinking (pretending) that we can survive without the critical parts and components that only China can -- at the moment -- provide. Said differently, it feels like going to war with ourselves.

Drivers who get used to energy-recovery systems in EVs are driving more aggressively (link). 'Results show ERS reduces conservative driving by 61.4% and increases aggressive driving by 35.5% compared to ICEVs, as drivers adapt to maximize energy recovery through acceleration-deceleration cycling.'

Ferrari's mix down on EV powertrains: from 40/40/20 (BEV/hybrid/ICE) to 20/40/40 (link). If the most profitable supercar maker can't extract dollars from its buyers for BEVs, you know the high end of the market is on a quieter growth path. Here are the presentations from their capital markets day last week (link). All the same, the company flew journalists to Maranello to take a look at their next pure BEV platform, Ellectrica (link). 'Elettrica will sound like no EV before, too, thanks to a system that picks up the vibrations from the rear motors and runs them through a digital amplifier to create a harmonic experience.' Although these artificial atmospherics are their own little feats of engineering, I'm waiting for the first one that doesn't reek of inauthenticity.

How committed is Ram to ICE vehicles? They're selling a vehicle with a 'Symbol of Protest' badge (link).

Tesla under investigation after FSD cars ran red lights, drove on the wrong side of the road (link).

Video: JR Hildebrand discusses his Blackbird 66 project to redefine motorsports (link). Video: Andy Didorosi's new car company, the kit car company Mutiny (link). Audio: Rivian founder RJ Scaringe on the Verge podcast (link). Video: the Capricorn Group's new Z8 Zagato (link). Video: Patrick Depailler on-board of the Tyrrell-Cosworth P34 at Monaco (link). Video: driving the Xiaomi XU7 around Detroit (link).

New Jersey's answer to Goodwood is a vintage motorcycle race on the beach (link). Via DK.

M&A / Deals / Changes:

Chinese EV startup Faraday Future reportedly plans public offering through SPAC merger with unnamed entity (link).

Solar car startup Aptera files to go public through direct listing (link).

Behind the collapse of an auto parts giant: $2B hole and mysterious CEO (link). 'First Brands would often provide products to customers on delayed-payment terms, and then pledge the accounts receivables to outside investors that provided the company with financing. The extent of these arrangements, which wasn’t disclosed until the bankruptcy, grew over time into several billion dollars of off-balance-sheet debt.'

Indian vehicle predictive maintenance startup Intangles raises $30M (link). Led by Avataar Venture Partners.

DoorDash adds Serve Robotics as AV delivery partner (link).

Former Fair CEO seeks to buy back the SoftBank-backed car leasing service (link).

Lyft plans fleet of hundreds of Tensor AVs from 2027 (link).

Board & Executive Changes:

Ford: Jim Baumbick to lead Europe division; Darren Palmer to retire as head of EV programs (link).

GM: CMO Norm de Greve will become chief growth officer; Lin-Hua Wu will lead both marketing and communications (link).

AutoZone: William Rhodes promoted to Chair (link).

Curated Jobs:

Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Controls at Gatik in Mountain View, CA, USA (link).

Senior Systems Engineer at May Mobility in Ann Arbor, MI USA (link).

Hiring? Post a job (link). If you're a startup, use code 'Trucks' for free standard listings.

Hunting? View all 458 postings on the MobilityJobs job board (link).

New Stuff:

GM's new sub-$30k Bolt EV: 255 mi range, 65 kWh LFP pack (link).

Jeep's over-the-air update to Wrangler 4XE vehicles this week bricked all of them at once (link, link to video). Via James M.

US Moves to Ban Chinese Airline Loophole for Shorter Trips (link). 'While the most efficient routes connecting certain parts of the US with China plot a course through Russian airspace, those were closed off to US carriers in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Chinese airlines can offer the more direct routes via Russian airspace, which the department said not only cuts flight times but also saves on fuel and other operating costs.'

Tesla pushes Tron: Ares ad inside its cars, upsetting owners (link).

Patents & Patent Applications:

GM's patent application shows dual heads-up display parking guide (link).

Statistics / Projections:

Chinese EV maker BYD's UK sales surged by 880% in September 2025 vs the same month last year (link). Via BBC / Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The percentage of new-car buyers with credit scores below 650 was nearly 14% in September, roughly 1 in 7 people (link). Via WSJ / J.D. Power. 'That is the highest for the comparable period since 2016.'

Thank you:

Thank you to Tarani Duncan (link), Patrick Hunt (link), William Knapp (link), Karen Mitchell (link) and Mykolas Rambus (link) for offers of introductions to new founders, investors and friends over the last week.

Trucks portfolio companies mentioned in this issue:

Gatik (link), May Mobility (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder (EB White),

Reilly Brennan