A July 13, 2026 article reports that young people are interested in autonomous vehicles, while adults are less sure. The article references an incident where Mike Johns’ Waymo robotaxi began circling eight times with no obvious cause before stopping, raising concerns about autonomous vehicle safety. Separately, Volkswagen Group plans deep cuts, putting models such as the VW ID5, Porsche Taycan, Audi's Sportback variants and the entire Seat lineup at risk as the group aims to shrink its lineup to improve profitability. VW CEO Oliver Blume faces an uphill battle after the board rejects a revival plan, with the prospects of his restructuring plan, including job cuts and factory closures, uncertain without the support of labor and the state government of Lower Saxony. Auto industry confidence reached a survey high in the second quarter, with all four sectors posting optimistic six-month outlooks for the first time as tariff and affordability concerns persist. Stellantis shipped 1.6 million vehicles globally in the second quarter, up 10 percent, with North America surging 38 percent on Ram and Jeep strength, though one analyst warned that inventory buildup could hurt second-half production.