BYD Has An Answer For Autonomy’s Biggest Question

Happy Wednesday! It’s July 9, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift — your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you’ll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.

In this morning’s edition, we’re looking at BYD’s solution to autonomy’s biggest legal hang-up, as well as the ever-climbing cost of used cars. We’ll also look at Waymo’s entry into New York City, and Rivian’s billion-dollar micromobility spin-off brand. 

BYD claims its God’s Eye driver-assist software has reached SAE Level 4, allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road unless prompted. This is a big claim, but it comes with an even bigger one: BYD will take liability for any crashes that occur while God’s Eye is running. From Reuters:

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD on Wednesday promised to take responsibility for losses to cars with its God’s Eye assisted driving systems in smart parking scenarios in China.

…

For losses to cars using God’s Eye smart driving, users do not need to go through the insurance process but instead reach out to BYD after-sales staff for handling, it added.

This is the big question in vehicle autonomy: Who takes the blame when a “self-driving” car crashes? BYD has chosen the right answer here, which leaves us only waiting for an answer to the second-biggest question in vehicle autonomy: Why did BYD name its autonomy suite after the surveillance state software from “Furious 7?”

Tariffs mean higher prices and lower supply for new cars. Higher prices and lower supply for new cars mean more buyers are pushed into the used market. More used-car demand means higher prices, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing — used car prices are way up, and promising to continue that rising trend. From Reuters:

A gauge of U.S. used vehicle prices sold at wholesale auctions that proved predictive ahead of the inflation surge following the COVID pandemic is climbing again, last month notching its largest annual increase in nearly three years.

The rise comes amid ongoing vehicle price and sales volatility connected to auto tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index rose 1.6% in June from May on a seasonally adjusted basis and surged 6.3% from a year earlier, the largest year-over-year increase since August 2022, according to data released on Tuesday. At 208.5, the index has been trending upward for a year and is now at its highest since October 2023.

The embedded graph in the Reuters piece is even more damning. The October 2023 comparison is when prices were on their way down from pandemic peaks, but current used car prices eclipse nearly the entire pre-pandemic chart — all the way back to 2011. 

There’s a unique art to driving in New York, one that’s often intimidating to tourists but that’s relatively understandable once you’ve driven here a few times. Drivers are expected to have a certain level of aggression, neither too low nor too high, and a tolerance for tight fits. Now, Waymo has the confidence in its driving skill to try and tackle our roads. From Bloomberg:

Waymo’s first self-driving taxis arrived in New York City this week to begin collecting data with a human behind the wheel as the company seeks a permit for autonomous testing.

The Alphabet Inc.-owned company plans to gather data as its cars are driven manually in the city, an initial step into one of the largest ride-hailing markets in the US. Waymo applied for a testing permit from the New York City Department of Transportation in June. If approved, it plans to test its vehicles autonomously with a human safety monitor in the vehicle.

I’m the lone holdout on the Jalopnik staff who’s staunchly anti-autonomous taxis, but not for the reasons you might expect. I like chatting with taxi and rideshare drivers, and Shazam-ing good music off their radio stations and playlists. Remember in “Die Hard,” when Argyle tells John McClane “Sorry, man. I used to drive a cab, and people would expect a little chitchat”? Talking with your drivers used to be the norm! Wearing headphones in a rideshare feels antisocial and disrespectful to me, and I have no interest in a rideshare that will offer me an experience of the world that is entirely within my control. 

Rivian spun out Also Inc. as a micromobility startup earlier this year, but the EV maker only owns a small piece of the terribly-named-for-SEO e-bike maker. Much of the rest now belongs to an investment firm, which invested enough to give the startup a $1 billion valuation. From Bloomberg:

A Rivian Automotive Inc.-backed startup developing small electric vehicles was valued at $1 billion in a new investment from Greenoaks Capital, according to people familiar with the matter.

The venture firm put $200 million into the business, known as Also Inc., at a $1 billion post-money valuation, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing nonpublic details.

I’ve spent way too much money on bikeshares around Brooklyn and Queens recently, and I can confirm that micromobility just feels so much better than the alternatives. Forget about cars, even my motorcycle has been sitting under its cover as I continue to get around on little garbage Citibikes. I get places just as quickly, I’m out in the world while I do it — unencumbered by armored jackets and boots — and I get a bit of cardio in. I’m looking forward to seeing what Also puts out. 

I’m sorry, but “Zachary Taylor” is not an 1800s name. Zach Taylor is a modern name, a name that knows about Mountain Dew Code Red and has strong opinions about “Call of Duty” loadouts. Clearly our former President was a time traveler, and died due to something we haven’t yet discovered. It’ll be called “tachyon interference” or something. 

This music video has some real “Love Lies Bleeding” energy, which is one of the highest compliments I can give.