Motors - Gulf Insider

1 week ago

Study Finds Self-Driving Cars Crash More Often, But Cause Far Fewer Injuries

Self-driving cars may be involved in more crashes than human drivers on a per-mile basis, but the evidence suggests those accidents are generally far less likely to result in serious injuries or fatalities, according to Aulsbrook Car & Truck Lawyers. A review of autonomous vehicle safety data found self-driving vehicles are involved in about 9.1 crashes per million miles traveled, compared with roughly 4.1 for human-driven vehicles. However, the report found autonomous vehicle crashes are typically much less severe, with significantly fewer injuries and no recorded fatalities in several major datasets. The contrast is especially clear in Austin, Texas, where about 12,000 traffic crashes occurred in 2025. Just 85 involved autonomous vehicles, resulting in eight injuries and no deaths. By comparison, crashes involving human drivers caused roughly 8,000 injuries and 99 fatalities. Several studies cited in the report reached similar conclusions. One analysis covering more than 7 million autonomous miles found self-driving systems reduced injury-related crashes by 85% compared with human drivers. Waymo separately reported major reductions in injury crashes, airbag deployments, and collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists when compared with human-operated vehicles traveling the same roads. The study says that autonomous vehicles are rarely blamed for the crashes they are […]

1 week ago

Porsche Sales Tumble To Weakest In Six Years As Chinese Demand Plummets

Days after Germany’s top financial newspaper, Handelsblatt, reported that Porsche AG is planning more than 4,000 job cuts, the sports-car maker on Thursday revealed first-half sales figures that were the weakest in six years, with its China business falling off a cliff. For the January to June period, Porsche reported 122,306 vehicle deliveries across global markets, a 16% decline from the same period a year earlier. The first-half slump marked Porsche’s weakest sales performance since 2020, with its top market, North America, seeing a 13% decline in vehicle sales, while China suffered an outright 32% decline. Softening luxury demand in the West and China’s deepening slowdown are increasingly concerning for the high-end automaker. “With around 122,000 customer deliveries in the first half of 2026, we are below the same period last year but in line with our expectations,” Matthias Becker, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG, wrote in a statement. Porsche blamed the slowdown in North America on several issues: Among the sales regions, North America remains at the top with 37,712 deliveries. The decline of around 13 per cent can be attributed, among other factors, to the expiration of tax incentives for electric […]

2 weeks ago

Trump Signals Willingness To Sell Turkey F-35 Jets Despite Loud Netanyahu Protests

Israel and Turkey are in a bit of a tug-of-war with President Trump and potential major arms deals hanging in the balance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vehemently complained to Trump in a Friday call about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s escalating anti-Israel rhetoric, officials cited in Axios said. Netanyahu specifically pressed Trump block sales of weapons systems to Turkey, especially those that would help Turkey modernize its air force. Of central issue remains potential F-35 transfer, which if carried through would outrage Israeli leaders. Turkey was blocked from the program in 2019 after the NATO member state went through with acquiring Russia’s S-400 air defense system on fears that the US advanced fighter jets classified systems could be compromised. Also central to current negotiations with Washington is a $700 million deal for new engines for Turkey’s fighter jets. Turkey’s welcome ceremony for Trump and his entourage was expectedly lavish, complete with honor guards and military bands, and even cannons firing. Erdogan has said that Trump is adding “might and strength” to the summit. Trump has in turn said of the Turkish president, “We are great friends” – and extolled the beauty of Turkey’s modernized infrastructure. Turkey is a country to be “reckoned” with, Trump said […]

2 weeks ago

Porsche To Eliminate 4,000 Jobs In Germany: Report

Germany was once the industrial engine of Europe, but years of disastrous climate change policies, high energy costs, and left-wing economic mismanagement have battered its manufacturing base. This pressure has been roiling the country’s auto industry, where struggling carmakers are restructuring operations through workforce reductions, production cuts, and capacity reductions. Germany’s top financial newspaper, Handelsblatt, reports that Porsche is preparing another round of deep job cuts at its main factories as the sports car maker grapples with weak demand. The company is considering eliminating as many as 4,000 additional jobs at its Zuffenhausen plant, the outlet said, citing people familiar with the matter. These reductions would come on top of previously agreed cuts impacting 3,900 jobs. Porsche’s Zuffenhausen plant in Stuttgart is home to the brand’s core sports car production lines, including the 911, 718, and Taycan. Administration and management roles are expected to be reduced the most, while Porsche may also cut capacity at its Weissach development site by up to 30%. Last month, Porsche CEO Michael Leiters said the company plans to produce at a lower capacity than the roughly 280,000 cars sold last year. He stated that the company must “make money with fewer cars.” Porsche’s profit […]

2 weeks ago

Tough’ Leclerc Delivers Ferrari’s 250th Win With Victory In British GP

Leclerc master chaotic race while Antonelli retained championship lead despite late trouble Charles Leclerc claimed his first British Grand Prix victory yesterday with a consummate drive for Ferrari to win a dramatic and at times controversial race that ended behind a safety car after series leader Kimi Antonelli was hit by mechanical problems. The 28-year-old Monegasque finished 0.427 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell after he stayed out when both Ferraris pitted with five laps remaining after four-time champion Max Verstappen crashed out. The decision proved costly for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari who slipped from second to third during the pit-stops as the race stewards chose not to resume the race, as expected, in the final laps. He had earlier been hit with a five-second penalty for a near-invisible false start. “I just didn’t have it today. I jumped the start and I got a five-second penalty… but Charles had the pace on,” said a disappointed Hamilton. As a result, many spectators were left frustrated and puzzled as the race ended in a procession. Antonelli, who won the sprint on Saturday, still leads the title race with 179 points, 25 ahead of Russell with Hamilton a […]

2 weeks ago

Yas Island Introduces Ticketless Parking: What Visitors Will Pay From July 6

New digital parking at Yas Marina, Yas Bay and West Yas Plaza starts from July 6 Abu Dhabi: Parking at some of Yas Island’s busiest attractions is going fully digital, with visitors no longer needing paper tickets, cash or parking barriers when they drive in or out. From July 6, motorists visiting Yas Marina, Yas Bay Waterfront and West Yas Plaza will use a new smart parking system that automatically recognises vehicle number plates and, where applicable, charges parking fees through Salik, Yas Island said in a statement issued Monday. The system, introduced in partnership with PARKONIC, uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles as they enter and leave. Parking charges are calculated automatically, allowing drivers to exit without stopping to pay. Visitors to Yas Bay Waterfront will pay Dh20 for the first hour, followed by Dh10 for each additional hour. Customers dining at participating restaurants can receive up to three hours of free parking, while gym and beach users can get up to six hours of complimentary parking per day, subject to validation. At Yas Marina, parking charges are the same — Dh20 for the first hour and Dh10 for every additional hour. Diners can also […]

2 weeks ago

Two Drivers Caught Speeding Over 200 km/h On Sultan Said Bin Taimur Street

Muscat: The General Directorate of Traffic has apprehended two motorists for driving at speeds exceeding 200 km/h on Sultan Said bin Taimur Street while travelling towards Dhofar Governorate. The violations were detected through mobile speed monitoring devices deployed by the traffic authorities. Officials said the two drivers were stopped and the necessary legal procedures are being completed in accordance with the applicable traffic laws and regulations. The General Directorate of Traffic reiterated its call for all road users to adhere to speed limits and traffic rules, warning that excessive speeding poses a serious risk to motorists and other road users and remains one of the leading causes of severe road accidents. Authorities urged drivers to exercise caution, drive responsibly, and comply with speed limits to help ensure the safety of everyone on Oman’s roads.

2 weeks ago

Trump Pardons 6 Prosecuted For ‘Fixing Their Car’ Under Biden-Era Emissions Rules

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times, President Donald Trump on Friday announced pardons for six individuals he said were persecuted by the Biden administration for repairing their own vehicles, saying that the cases were emblematic of regulatory overreach. “It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for ‘fixing their car,’” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!“ The pardoned individuals were targeted under the Clean Air Act for allegedly disabling or tampering with vehicle emissions control systems, generally on commercial diesel trucks or personal vehicles. Individuals who had installed “defeat devices” were pursued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice under the Biden administration. Trump’s action means the immediate release of those in prison or facing incarceration. The identities of the six people were not named in Trump’s post. On June 29, the president signed a presidential memorandum titled “Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix,” directing federal agencies to expand access to aftermarket parts and support independent repairs to lower costs for […]

2 weeks ago

Is Tesla About To Use Facial Recognition Before Activating Full Self-Driving

Tesla is reportedly preparing a series of updates, including one that would use a vehicle’s cabin camera to verify a driver’s identity before activating Full Self-Driving. It sounds a bit dystopian, but this is likely the direction that connected smart-car brands are headed. As vehicles become more autonomous, automakers will increasingly need to verify who is behind the wheel before unlocking FSD functions. The X account Tesla App Updates penned a new report outlining a series of changes possibly headed to the mobile app, including deeper FSD integration, more owner-facing controls, and expanded software monetization infrastructure. https://t.co/2gdMVXNncs — Tesla App Updates (iOS) (@Tesla_App_iOS) July 1, 2026 • Coastal Blue paint now properly supported in 3D vehicle rendering • In-app searchable video tutorials with pinning/bookmarking • Deeper FSD tracking + new “streak days” gamification… What stood out to us is the possibility of a new FSD identity-verification layer tied to the cabin camera. If the system cannot verify that the driver matches an authorized profile, FSD could be blocked. Tesla has added support for a new paint color called Coastal Blue, currently exclusive to the base Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive built at Giga Berlin for the European market. The strings COASTALBLUE, […]

2 weeks ago

Window tint limit at 50% in Oman, ROP reaffirms

To enhance convenience for road users and in response to their suggestions, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has clarified regulations governing vehicle window tinting through a public advisory, reaffirming the permitted tint limits while ensuring compliance with road safety requirements. According to the advisory, vehicle windows may be tinted, with the exception of the front windshield, which is not permitted to be tinted. The maximum allowable tint level for the remaining vehicle windows is 50 per cent. The ROP also stated that vehicles fitted with factory-installed tinted side windows are permitted, provided the glass maintains a minimum light transmission of 30 per cent. In addition, the advisory confirmed that motorists are allowed to use matte (non-gloss) vehicle wraps or paint finishes, provided they retain some degree of shine or reflective appearance.

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Study Finds Self-Driving Cars Crash More Often, But Cause Far Fewer Injuries

Porsche Sales Tumble To Weakest In Six Years As Chinese Demand Plummets

Trump Signals Willingness To Sell Turkey F-35 Jets Despite Loud Netanyahu Protests

Porsche To Eliminate 4,000 Jobs In Germany: Report

Tough’ Leclerc Delivers Ferrari’s 250th Win With Victory In British GP

Yas Island Introduces Ticketless Parking: What Visitors Will Pay From July 6

Two Drivers Caught Speeding Over 200 km/h On Sultan Said Bin Taimur Street

Trump Pardons 6 Prosecuted For ‘Fixing Their Car’ Under Biden-Era Emissions Rules

Is Tesla About To Use Facial Recognition Before Activating Full Self-Driving

Window tint limit at 50% in Oman, ROP reaffirms

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