BYD Announces It Will Take Responsibility for Crashes Involving Self-Driving Technology: TDS
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Welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short, The Drive's morning news roundup that brings you the top automotive headlines from across the globe.
The Downshift provides a quick summary of the news, along with links to full articles for those looking for more details. We hope you had an enjoyable weekend—here’s your update for Monday, June 1, 2026.
💰 BYD has declared it will take full financial liability for any accidents that occur while its City Navigation autonomous driving system is used correctly within one year of a vehicle's delivery or upon the update to its latest "God's Eye" software. However, this one-year limit does not address one of the major concerns surrounding autonomous driving, although it is a significant announcement from China's largest automaker. [CleanTechnica]
🚫 There are worries that new legislation being proposed in the House, which prevents automakers from selling cars in the U.S. if they have “any direct or indirect equity interest by a foreign-adversary government,” might exclude Mercedes-Benz from the market. Chinese companies BAIC and Geely control a combined 19.67% of the company, and, as currently interpreted, the bill sets the control threshold by a "foreign adversary" at 15% ownership. [CNBC]
7️⃣ The upcoming BMW X7 is expected to have a more wagon-like appearance, distinguishing it from BMW's usual SUVs and its rivals, according to insights from retailers privy to the new model. [Automotive News]
🫰 It is reported that only about 800 manual BMW M3 CS Handschalter models are designated for the U.S. market, with BMW M Certified dealers allocated two units and non-M dealers just one, according to BMWBlog. Additionally, markups reportedly hover between several thousand dollars to $25,000. [BMWBlog]
⚖️ A class-action lawsuit is in the works for owners of 2023-2025 Kia Tellurides in New York and Pennsylvania, claiming that Kia was aware of potential failures in the SUV’s 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. [Car Complaints]
🟠 Genesis’ Le Mans Hypercars will sport new orange liveries for their debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans later this month. [Racer]
🏁 Weekend Race Results:
WRC Rally Japan: Elfyn Evans won for Toyota
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Nashville: Layne Riggs won for Front Row Motorsports
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Nashville: Justin Allgaier won for JR Motorsports
MotoGP Italian Grand Prix: Marco Bezzecchi won for Aprilia
IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix: Alex Palou won for Chip Ganassi Racing
IMSA Detroit Grand Prix: Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber won for Cadillac
NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville: Denny Hamlin won for Joe Gibbs Racing
Have a tip or feedback for TDS? Contact us at tips@thedrive.com
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BYD Announces It Will Take Responsibility for Accidents Involving Self-Driving Vehicles: TDS
Determining liability in the event of a crash is one of the major obstacles to Level 4 self-driving technology, and BYD has made a significant, albeit not flawless, advancement in this area.
BYD Announces It Will Take Responsibility for Crashes Involving Self-Driving Technology: TDS
Determining liability for a crash is one of the significant obstacles to Level 4 self-driving technology, and BYD has made a significant, albeit not flawless, move in this area.