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Honda CEO denies electric cars, pledges hybrid support: ‘EVs will not be mainstream’
In a rather surprising interview, Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo revealed that he does not believe in the widespread adoption of all-electric vehicles. This is why he noted that Honda will be focusing its efforts on gasoline-electric hybrid cars instead. This, according to Honda, is a more realistic way of approaching EVs.
While speaking with Automotive News at Honda Motor Co.’s global headquarters in Tokyo, Hachigo stated that battery-electric cars still have a lot of hurdles to go through. Addressing other automakers that are going all-in on electric propulsion, the Honda CEO noted that there’s a chance other companies are getting too optimistic about EVs, or full self-driving initiatives for that matter.
“The hurdles to battery electric vehicles and complete autonomous driving are still quite high. I don’t know whether other manufacturers are becoming too optimistic or not, but apparently the approach in going about these regulations differs from one company to another,” he said.
Hachigo’s statements are quite interesting, considering that Honda is preparing to launch its very own all-electric car, the Honda e. The e has been received warmly by the electric car community, though based on the CEO’s statements, and the fact that the vehicle will not be sold globally, it appears that the vehicle may very well be little more than a compliance car. Hachigo later noted that he does not think that EVs will see a dramatic increase in demand.
“I do not believe there will be a dramatic increase in demand for battery vehicles, and I believe this situation is true globally. There are issues with infrastructure and hardware. There are different regulations in different countries, and we have to abide by them. But I don’t believe it will become mainstream anytime soon,” he added.
As for advanced driver-assist technologies like Tesla’s Autopilot, the CEO was quick to remark that Honda has already developed its own solutions. It should be noted that back in 2017, Honda announced plans to roll out a lane-changing autonomous highway driving system by 2020 and a Level 4 self-driving solution by 2025.
Yet, since these announcements, Honda has been quite silent about the progress of its projects, with Hachigo admitting last month that the company does not really have any horizon as for the introduction of Level 3 automated systems. Instead, the company has decided simply build more features into its Honda Sensing system, which utilizes features like lane-keep assist, blind-spot warning and automatic emergency braking on the road.
For now, Honda is heading towards a potential industry shift in the auto market on its own. Unlike fellow Japanese carmakers like Toyota and Mitsubishi, Honda continues to operate independently. This has allowed the company to make its own decisions without considering a partner’s viewpoints, though it also meant that the company’s share of the market is far smaller than its Japanese rivals. In the last fiscal year, for example, Honda sold 5.3 million vehicles worldwide. The number is impressive, but it is only half of the sales of conglomerates like the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance or Toyota, Subaru, Mazda and Suzuki.
News
Texas lawmakers urge Tesla to delay Austin robotaxi launch to September
The letter urges Tesla to delay its initial robotaxi launch in the interest of public safety.

A group of Democratic lawmakers from Austin is asking Tesla to postpone its planned robotaxi rollout, at least until a new state law governing autonomous vehicles takes effect in September.
The letter, which was sent Wednesday, urges Tesla to delay its initial robotaxi launch in the interest of public safety.
What the lawmakers’ letter says
In their letter, the Democratic lawmakers stated that delaying Tesla’s initial robotaxi launch would build trust in the electric vehicle maker’s autonomous vehicle operations.
“We are formally requesting that Tesla delay autonomous robotaxi operations until the new law takes effect on September 1, 2025. We believe this is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla’s operations,” the letter read.
The lawmakers noted that if Tesla wishes to push through with its planned June 22 launch, the company must provide detailed information explaining its robotaxi service’s initial launch.
New rules kick in September
The new Texas law passed state legislature last month, and it introduces stricter requirements for companies deploying fully self-driving cars.
Current state law allows autonomous vehicle testing without a human driver, as long as vehicles meet basic registration and insurance standards. The updated framework gives state agencies more oversight, including the ability to revoke permits if autonomous vehicles pose safety risks.
It remains to be seen if the Democratic lawmakers’ efforts will bear fruit, especially since Texas is state where Republicans hold the governorship and majorities in both legislative chambers, as noted in a Reuters report.
Elon Musk, for his part, confirmed that Tesla’s initial robotaxi launch for Austin this June will start with a small fleet of Model Y vehicles. He also noted the service would initially operate only in parts of the city the company deems safest.
Tesla has not issued a comment about the Democratic lawmakers’ letter as of writing.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok 3 partners with Oracle Cloud for corporate AI innovation
Elon Musk’s xAI partners with Oracle to deliver Grok 3 to enterprise users via OCI. The move boosts Grok’s reach.

xAI’s Grok 3 is partnering with Oracle Cloud to deliver its advanced AI model to corporate customers.
Oracle announced its collaboration with xAI earlier this week. The partnership leverages Oracle’s robust infrastructure to offer xAI’s Grok 3, positioning it as a transformative tool for business applications.
“Today, we announced xAI has selected Oracle to offer xAI’s Grok models via OCI Generative AI service for a wide range of use cases and will use OCI’s leading AI infrastructure to train and run inferencing for its next-generation Grok models,” said Clay Magouyrk, Executive Vice President at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, via LinkedIn.
Oracle’s cost-effective AI capabilities will support xAI’s demanding workloads, enabling faster processing for enterprise users.
Oracle’s Karan Batta told Reuters: “Our goal here is to make sure that we can provide a portfolio of models – we don’t have our own.” Oracle will host Grok 3 alongside models from Meta, Mistral, and Cohere, ensuring corporate data remains secure within existing Oracle protections.
Oracle’s strategy focuses on integrating popular AI models into corporate software, and xAI’s Grok 3 enhances this portfolio. The collaboration expands Grok’s reach to businesses seeking secure, high-performance AI solutions for diverse use cases.
Elon Musk’s xAI launched Grok 3 in February. It competes with models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. Grok 3 is free for all X users, but features are limited. X offers Premium and Premium+ subscribers access to Grok 3’s advanced capabilities like DeepResearch and Think modes. Users who are not paid subscribers have access to Grok 3’s basic features.
Elon Musk’s companies have a longstanding relationship with Oracle. In 2018, Tesla appointed Oracle founder Larry Ellison to its board, a move Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives called a “home run appointment.”
In 2023, Ellison–who is no longer on Tesla’s board but still close with Musk–revealed plans for a Tesla Cybertruck police car.
“Our next-generation police car is coming out very soon,” Ellison said at the 2023 Oracle CloudWorld conference in Las Vegas. “It’s my favorite police car. It’s my favorite car, actually. It’s Elon’s favorite car.”
Grok 3’s integration into Oracle Cloud strengthens xAI’s position in the corporate artificial intelligence market. By combining Oracle’s infrastructure with Grok’s cutting-edge capabilities, this collaboration could redefine enterprise AI adoption, driving innovation across industries.
Elon Musk
Tesla Robotaxis are becoming a common sight on Austin’s public roads
Tesla Robotaxi sightings are becoming much more frequent ahead of its launch planned for this month.

Tesla Robotaxis are becoming a common sight on the public roads of Austin, Texas, as yet another test mule has been spotted near the company’s target launch date.
Just over a week ago, the first public sighting of a driverless Tesla Robotaxi was reported. The vehicle was an updated version of the Tesla Model Y, which will be the initial model used in the public deployment of the Robotaxi platform.
Throughout the past week, sightings have been more common, as people in Austin have been looking for the unique decal Tesla is placing on car doors to recognize the driverless vehicles (After all, Robotaxis are not as easy to recognize as driverless vehicles without the LIDAR unit on the roof like Waymo).
Yet another sighting of a Robotaxi was shared on social media today, just two days before CEO Elon Musk’s proposed launch date of June 22:
🚨 Tesla Robotaxis are being spotted all over Austin!
Here’s another spotted within the last hour: https://t.co/79l1RHpL5d pic.twitter.com/bOIlZYgs0U
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) June 18, 2025
It is easy to tell that there is nobody in the driver’s seat of this vehicle. Tesla is using its white interior on this particular mule, making it incredibly simple to recognize that no human is controlling the car.
Whether Tesla will still meet the June 22nd deadline remains to be seen, but it is no secret that the company is prioritizing safety ahead of offering public rides.
Tesla will initially roll out the Robotaxi platform in Austin, but it has already started the regulatory process in other areas, specifically California.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also helping to streamline the process for companies developing driverless vehicles by giving exemptions to automakers. It will make things much more efficient, benefiting Tesla and other car companies that have similar plans.
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