Wed March 11, 2026 | Mobility Monitor

AI/Automation

NiCE wins Best Innovation for Customer Experience award at Enterprise Connect 2026 for AI-powered solutions Yahoo Finance
Hilton launches AI trip planner tool using generative AI to help customers plan trips with conversational searches, asking questions like "Where can I stay during peak cherry blossom season?" Skift / CX Dive / Phocuswire
Best Buy aims to be at the forefront of agentic AI discovery, with CEO stating "As agentic commerce matures, we want to serve our customers in new ways" Retail Dive
Uber for Business showcases how leading organizations manage business travel, meals, and expense integration to eliminate manual paperwork Uber for Business LinkedIn
Ford launches Ford Pro AI, a generative AI system that analyzes commercial vehicle data and converts it into actionable items for fleet managers The Verge
Uber Engineering details rebuilding their Ads personalization model with Transformer-based sequential encoders to boost targeting accuracy Uber Engineering LinkedIn
Agentic AI could transform travel companies' response to disruption, similar to what Amazon did for online shopping Phocuswire

Kia discontinues the Niro EV as upgraded version launches exclusively as a hybrid, focusing on dedicated EVs like EV3, EV4, and EV5 Electrek
Toyota's $15,000 bZ3X electric SUV surpasses 80,000 deliveries in China in first year, becoming best-selling EV among joint ventures for five months straight Electrek
EV prices fall again in February while gas car prices rise, narrowing the gap between the two to $6,500 Electrek
Mercedes launches VLE electric van with luxury appointments as "grand limousine" seating eight, targeting VIP transport market The Drive / The Drive
Porsche launches Cayenne S Electric with 657 hp and $125,000+ price tag, filling gap between base and Turbo models Electrek
MG unveils 4X electric SUV, its first model with semi-solid-state battery technology Electrek
Scout Traveler SUV will launch first in 2028, with Terra pickup following later The Drive
Hyundai electric SUV spotted testing, believed to be upcoming IONIQ 1 Electrek
NIO reports first quarterly net profit in Q4 2025 after record sales, joining XPeng and Li Auto as profitable Chinese EV makers MoveMnt / EV Blog / EV Blog
BYD explores Formula 1 and Le Mans entry as part of brand awareness push outside China Electrek / EV Blog
Tesla, Google, and Carrier launch Utilize coalition claiming better grid utilization could save consumers over $100 billion by unlocking idle capacity Electrek
ION Storage Systems clears major milestone in bringing solid-state batteries to production Electrek

2026 Audi RS3 CL unveiled with continued five-cylinder performance improvements The Drive
Acura brings NSX Heritage Parts Program to US this summer for first-generation NSX owners The Drive
Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC can be specced with $70K in options on top of $105,485 base price The Drive
Infiniti QX80 with 600 hp will kick off new "Red Sport" performance push The Drive
2027 Ford Super Duty chassis cab now available in luxury Platinum trim by customer demand The Drive
Fabletics expands into denim to ride casualization trend as shoppers expect athletic brands to offer casual products Retail Dive
Ride1Up expands Vorsa e-bike into platform with three models: Vorsa Lite, original Vorsa, and fat-tire Vorsa FT Electrek
Juiced Bikes revival shows first look at fresh e-bike lineup as company relaunches Electrek
Rivian R2 SUV to offer eight exterior colors when it launches in 48 hours, leak reveals EV Blog
Hakkapeliitta 01 winter tires feature studs that retract as temperature warms up Ars Technica

Indian airlines report $576 million losses despite being world's third largest domestic market with booming demand Skift
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers exits abruptly after December operational meltdown, despite turning airline into global contender Skift / Skift
Canadian travel to U.S. falls for 13 straight months with few signs of reversal Skift
Hilton CEO calls out U.S. tourism slide over 30 years, saying regaining ground in global race for visitors could boost jobs Skift

Airbnb appoints former Uber safety executive as Global Head of Operations to reshape teams into unified "intelligent platform" while launching new verticals Skift
Lucid CEO says Uber-robotaxi deal is only the beginning of major autonomous vehicle strategy, with "20,000 not the limit" EV Blog

Europcar partners with Corriere della Sera to provide free app access for news and podcasts during rentals in Italy Europcar LinkedIn

Accor seeks cooler regions and staycations to avoid climate costs as heat, drought, and carbon rules raise costs in some destinations Skift
IHG to review climate targets after emissions rise in 2025 for second consecutive year Skift
As oil prices spike 50% following US-Israel actions in Iran, EVs remain best route to energy independence and reduced conflict Electrek

Tariffs ruin VW's U.S. growth plan targeting 10% market share, with cars built in Mexico facing current tariff policy The Drive
Three Chinese automakers confirmed for Canada entry by year-end with certification and retail network development underway EV Blog
Volkswagen CEO rebuffs Canada's push to tie automotive investment to submarine procurement deal EV Blog

MakeMyTrip to expand packages business through Flamingo Transworld acquisition to drive growth across India Phocuswire
YouTrip CEO Caecilia Chu describes travel payments specialist as her "life's mission" since co-founding in 2018 Phocuswire

Tesla Semi clocks 1.64 kWh/mile efficiency across 4,700 miles in first-gen test by Texas transportation company EV Blog
Tesla VP of Finance Sendil Palani leaves after 17 years as executive exodus deepens Electrek

NIO aims to sell "several thousand" EVs overseas in 2026 with larger-scale expansion in next 2-3 years EV Blog
Lucid CFO says Saudi Arabia's PIF sees EV maker as both financial and domestic priority EV Blog