Ahead of the General Motors (GM) earnings call this week, the automaker has new union contracts and is expected to report around $10 billion in earnings. However, challenges remain for GM, including electric vehicle (EV) production constraints and the ongoing effects of an accident involving one of its self-driving subsidiary Cruise’s robotaxis in October.
GM will report Q4 and FY 2023 earnings on Tuesday, and the company said in November it expected to earn almost $10 billion throughout 2023—despite around $1.1 billion being lost during historic six-week strikes from the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.
Analysts will be looking to see how GM plans to manage its upcoming launch of the Equinox EV, despite past production issues. In addition, onlookers will want to see how the automaker can navigate its self-driving unit Cruise this year, after an accident with a pedestrian in October rocked operations at the startup.
ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood: Ford and GM’s EV slowdown may benefit Tesla
Morningstar U.S. Auto Equity Analyst David Whiston says he hopes to see what kind of tone CEO Mary Barra and CFO Paul Jacobsen are setting for 2024 during the call, along with the company’s financial expectations given the recent events (via Automotive News).
According to Whiston, this year “should be at least a solid year for them, if not better.”
Other analysts expect the effects of the UAW strikes to have a larger impact on GM’s 2023 numbers, as highlighted by Bank of America analysts in a BofA Global Research note published last week.
“GM and Ford are likely to post a lighter finish to 2023 given pressures from the UAW strike, which impaired production,” the note said. “The greatest focus [will] be on EV expectations since sentiment on electrification has quickly soured.”
In November, GM also announced a $10 billion share buyback plan to help boost Wall Street confidence following the new UAW labor agreement.
EV Production Constraints at GM
GM has struggled to ramp up production of its Ultium EV platform, partially due to an issue with an automation equipment supplier that significantly delayed assembly of battery modules. Last month, the automaker was forced to issue a stop sale on the Blazer EV to address software quality issues.
In November, Barra highlighted the recent production issues, saying that GM “didn’t execute well this year as it relates to demonstrating our EV capability.” In 2024, however, Barra said she expects production to be “significantly higher.”
GM plans to begin production of its upcoming Equinox EV later this year, expected to be a mass-market vehicle priced around $35,000 with shipping.
“That needs to be a flawless launch,” Whiston added. “There’s a space of affordable EVs that Tesla is not in yet, and you don’t want Tesla to be first.”
GM Self-Driving Subsidiary Cruise Runs into Trouble
Along with GM’s need to smooth things out on the production side, the company’s robotaxi company Cruise has been spiraling since one of its driverless vehicles dragged and pinned a pedestrian in October. The startup’s license to operate self-driving vehicles was immediately revoked by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which went on to say that the company “misrepresented” and “omitted” critical details about the accident in its follow-up correspondence with the state.
Since then, the company founders have resigned along with several executives, and the GM subsidiary has laid off almost a quarter of its workforce. Following an independent review of the accident from GM-hired law firm Quinn Emanuel, the results of which were shared last week, it was discovered that a lack of internet connectivity may have hindered Cruise’s ability to share video from the incident with regulators.
Cruise is set to appear before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in a hearing on February 6.
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Tesla celebrates 75k Superchargers, less than 5 months since 70k-stall milestone
Tesla’s 75,000th stall is hosted at the South Hobart Smart Store on Cascade Road, South Hobart, Tasmania.
Tesla has crossed another major charging milestone by officially installing its 75,000th Supercharger stall worldwide. The electric vehicle maker chose South Hobart, Tasmania, as the commemorative location of its 75,000th Supercharger.
Tesla’s 75,000th Supercharger
Tesla’s 75,000th stall is hosted at the South Hobart Smart Store on Cascade Road, South Hobart, TAS 7004, as noted in a techAU report. The location features four next-generation V4 Superchargers, which are built with longer cables that should make it easy even for non-Teslas to use the rapid charger. The site also includes simplified payment options, aligning with Tesla’s push to make V4 stations more accessible to a broader set of drivers.
For Tasmanian EV owners, the installation fills an important regional gap, improving long-distance coverage around Hobart and strengthening the area’s appeal for mainland travelers traveling by electric vehicle. Similar to other commemorative Superchargers, the 70,000th stall is quite special as it is finished in Glacier Blue paint. Tesla’s 50,000th stall, which is in California, is painted a stunning red, and the 60,000th stall, which is in Japan, features unique origami-inspired graphics.
Accelerating Supercharger milestones
The Tesla Supercharger’s pace of expansion shows no signs of slowing. Tesla celebrated its 70,000th stall at a 12-stall site in Burleson, Texas late June 2025. Just eight months earlier, Tesla announced that it had celebrated the buildout of its 60,000th Supercharger, which was built in Enshu Morimachi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network also recently received accolades in the United Kingdom, with the 2025 Zapmap survey naming the rapid charging system as the Best Large EV Charging Network for the second year in a row. Survey respondents praised the Supercharger Network for its ease of use, price, and reliability, which is best-in-class. The fact that the network has also been opened for non-Teslas is just icing on the cake.
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Luminar-Volvo breakdown deepens as lidar maker warns of potential bankruptcy
The automaker stated that Luminar failed to meet contractual obligations.
Luminar’s largest customer, Volvo, has canceled a key five-year contract as the lidar supplier warned investors that it might be forced to file for bankruptcy. The automaker stated that Luminar failed to meet contractual obligations, escalating a dispute already unfolding as Luminar defaults on loans, undergoes layoffs, and works to sell portions of the business.
Volvo pulls back on Luminar
In a statement to TechCrunch, Volvo stated that Luminar’s failure to deliver its contractual obligations was a key driver of the cancellation of the contract. “Volvo Cars has made this decision to limit the company’s supply chain risk exposure and it is a direct result of Luminar’s failure to meet its contractual obligations to Volvo Cars,” Volvo noted in a statement.
The rift marked a notable turn for the two companies, whose relationship dates back several years. Volvo invested in Luminar early and helped push its sensors into production programs, while Luminar’s technology bolstered the credibility of Volvo’s safety-focused autonomous driving plans. Volvo’s partnership also supported Luminar’s 2020 SPAC listing, which briefly made founder Austin Russell one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the industry.
Damaged Volvo relations
The damaged Volvo partnership comes during a critical period for Luminar. The company has defaulted on several loans and warned investors that bankruptcy remains a possibility if restructuring discussions fall through. To conserve cash, Luminar has cut 25% of its workforce and is exploring strategic alternatives, including partial or full asset sales.
One potential buyer is founder Austin Russell, who resigned as CEO in May amid a board-initiated ethics inquiry. The company is also the subject of an ongoing SEC investigation.
Luminar, for its part, also noted in a filing that it had “made a claim against Volvo for significant damages” and “suspended further commitments of Iris” for the carmaker. “The Company is in discussions with Volvo concerning the dispute; however, there can be no assurance that the dispute will be resolved favorably or at all,” the lidar maker stated.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk says he’s open to powering Apple’s Siri with xAI’s Grok
Siri, one of the first intelligent AI assistants in the market, has become widely outdated and outperformed by rivals over the years.
Elon Musk says he’s willing to help Apple overhaul Siri by integrating xAI’s Grok 4.1, igniting widespread excitement and speculations about a potential collaboration between the two tech giants.
Siri, one of the first intelligent AI assistants in the market, has become widely outdated and outperformed by rivals over the years.
Musk open to an Apple collaboration
Musk’s willingness to team up with Apple surfaced after an X user suggested replacing Siri with Grok 4.1 to modernize the AI assistant. The original post criticized Siri’s limitations and urged Apple to adopt a more advanced AI system. “It’s time for Apple to team up with xAI and actually fix Siri. Replace that outdated, painfully dumb assistant with Grok 4.1. Siri deserves to be Superintelligent,” the X user wrote.
Musk quoted the post, responding with, “I’m down.” Musk’s comment quickly attracted a lot of attention among X’s users, many of whom noted that a Grok update to Siri would be appreciated because Apple’s AI assistant has legitimately become terrible in recent years. Others also noted that Grok, together with Apple’s potential integration of Starlink connectivity, would make iPhones even more compelling.
Grok promises major Siri upgrades
The enthusiasm stems largely from Grok 4.1’s technical strengths, which include stronger reasoning and improved creative output. xAI also designed the model to reduce hallucinations, as noted in a Reality Tea report. Supporters believe these improvements could address Apple’s reported challenges developing its own advanced AI systems, giving Siri the upgrade many users have waited years for.
Reactions ranged from humorous to hopeful, with some users joking that Siri would finally “wake up with a personality” if paired with Grok. Siri, after all, was a trailblazer in voice assistants, but it is currently dominated by rivals in terms of features and capabilities. Grok could change that, provided that Apple is willing to collaborate with Elon Musk’s xAI.
Tesla celebrates 75k Superchargers, less than 5 months since 70k-stall milestone
Luminar-Volvo breakdown deepens as lidar maker warns of potential bankruptcy
