The MotorClaw Brief — August 19, 2026
Autonomous vehicle operators and truck makers advanced commercial deployments across three continents on 18 August 2026, as Pony.ai reported robotaxi revenue reaching one-third of total sales and Einride partnered with DAF on Level 4 electric freight. In parallel, MAN Truck & Bus secured a federal police van contract and Maruti Suzuki's Fronx crossed 200,000 exports. Cummins was selected for its largest battery storage project to date.
Autonomous vehicle operators and truck makers advanced commercial deployments across three continents on 18 August 2026, as Pony.ai reported robotaxi revenue reaching one-third of total sales and Einride partnered with DAF on Level 4 electric freight. In parallel, MAN Truck & Bus secured a federal police van contract and Maruti Suzuki's Fronx crossed 200,000 exports. Cummins was selected for its largest battery storage project to date.
Pony.ai robotaxi revenue reaches one-third of total sales
Pony.ai reported Q2 total revenue of US$36.2 million, up 68.8% year-over-year. Robotaxi revenue rose 691.2% to US$12.1 million, with fare-charging revenue up 849.3%, making robotaxi one-third of total revenue for the first time. The company said it is on track to grow robotaxi revenue to more than 3.5 times its 2025 level. The overseas pipeline now exceeds 4,000 robotaxis through agreements including a planned 2,000-vehicle deployment with Uber in Europe. Pony.ai and ComfortDelGro made the Punggol service in Singapore bookable via the Zig app. Robotruck revenue grew 40%, with fourth-generation vehicles entering commercial delivery. Net loss narrowed 14.9% to US$45.4 million.
Read the full story →MAN Truck & Bus wins up to 1,000-vehicle police van contract
MAN Truck & Bus received a framework agreement from Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior for up to 1,000 TGE vans, covering up to 250 people-carrier vehicles per year for the Federal Police and state riot police units over four years. Deliveries begin this year, with the TGE 3.180 Kombi models producing 130 kW and 410 Nm of torque. MOSOLF Special Vehicles GmbH in Kippenheim will handle conversion from standard production vehicles to police-specification units. The contract ranks among the largest single orders in the TGE model's history, according to MAN, and covers duties including border protection, federal object protection and railway police operations.
Read the full story →Einride and DAF integrate Level 4 system into electric trucks
Einride AB and DAF Trucks announced a joint initiative to install Einride's autonomous driving system into DAF's electric truck platform. The partners, with Dutch research institute TNO, will define and test system integration, establish interfaces for safe operations and work with type approval authorities for public road use. Initial tests are planned for 2026, followed in 2027 by integration and commissioning of Einride's software with validation on a DAF truck. The program builds on PACCAR's North American Autonomous Vehicle Platform activities. The collaboration targets SAE Level 4 operation, where the vehicle performs repetitive driving tasks without human intervention.
Read the full story →Maruti Suzuki Fronx exports reach 200,000 units
Maruti Suzuki said the Fronx reached 200,000 exports in less than 38 months, with the second 100,000 units shipped in about 13 months after the first took roughly 25 months. The Hansalpur plant in Gujarat builds the SUV for nearly 90 countries. The company said the Fronx has been India's leading exported passenger vehicle since FY2024-25. Maruti Suzuki shipped 395,000 passenger vehicles in calendar 2025, exported 17 models to almost 120 countries and held the top exporter position for a fifth consecutive year, according to the company and SIAM data.
Read the full story →Epsilon secures ₹145 crore support for graphite anode project
MeitY's components-manufacturing programme will provide ₹145 crore toward Epsilon Advanced Materials' graphite-anode buildout, equal to 25% of planned capital spend. Epsilon said it was the sole anode-material producer selected in this approval tranche. The company's EAM-ONE customer-qualification facility operates in Karnataka's Vijayanagar industrial area, testing coin, pouch and multilayer pouch formats. Epsilon's intellectual-property portfolio includes 43 filings covering materials, manufacturing methods and production equipment, with 50 further assets planned by 2030. Across the broader ECMS, 106 projects in 30 product areas were cleared, representing proposed investment of ₹69,548 crore.
Read the full story →Exicom ships Hyderabad-made liquid-cooled modules to US
Exicom began serial production of liquid-cooled AC-DC and DC-DC power modules at Hyderabad after nearly two years of development and about $3.5 million of investment. The modules are moving from India to the company's US factory for use in next-generation DC fast chargers and solar inverters. EVSE chief executive Anshuman Divyanshu told Autocar Professional the modules can reach 99% efficiency, versus roughly 95 to 96% for conventional units. Exicom offers a 10-year warranty compared with about two years for air-cooled modules, while the new units cost about twice as much to build. The modules are bidirectional and support future vehicle-to-grid use.
Read the full story →Blue Energy LNG trucks enter JSW Steel freight in Karnataka
Bombay Logistics assigned Blue Energy Motors' gas-fuelled heavy trucks to industrial freight work for JSW Steel in Karnataka's Toranagallu region. Blue Energy said its LNG powertrain targets demanding long-haul work with fuel-efficiency gains of up to 20% against a conventional baseline. Bombay Logistics received handover, route planning and deployment support. Blue Energy puts avoided carbon dioxide from its vehicles at more than 30,000 tonnes. The company manufactures electric and LNG heavy-duty trucks in India and pairs vehicles with energy and maintenance support.
Read the full story →Cummins selected for largest battery storage project to date
Cummins Inc. said its Power Generation business was selected to supply battery energy storage systems for a large US data center project. The systems will meet utility-defined requirements for managing AI-driven load fluctuations, mitigating load oscillations and improving ride-through performance. Cummins said the project would be its largest BESS deployment to date. The company said its BESS solution can serve as a bridge-to-grid option, integrate with backup power systems or fit within a microgrid architecture. For data center developers, BESS can help accelerate deployment timelines and optimize available power capacity as interconnection queues lengthen.
Read the full story →Wayve hires Alex Toshev to lead general robotics team
Wayve hired Alex Toshev, a former research leader at Apple and Google, to head a new general robotics team within Wayve Labs. The team will build a foundation intelligence layer for physical systems beyond automotive, including robot manipulation and mobility, according to the company. It starts with a founding team in Wayve's Sunnyvale office. Wayve Labs launched in June as the company's frontier research unit focused on intelligence that can perceive, reason and act in the physical world. The work spans hardware, software, data, model development, training, evaluation and deployment. Wayve is hiring researchers and engineers across machine learning and robotics.
Read the full story →Leapmotor opens Argentine sales with two extended-range SUVs
Leapmotor started Argentine operations with extended-range versions of its B10 and C10 SUVs. The company opened 12 sales outlets and 20 dedicated after-sales locations across major cities. The retail setup uses Stellantis dealerships and adds Leapmotor-branded spaces for test drives and financing. Stellantis' network of more than 300 service outlets will provide routine care and emergency support. The launch gives Leapmotor access to a South American market without building a local retail network from scratch, relying instead on Stellantis' existing infrastructure.
Read the full story →Lucid simplifies European Gravity lineup to four trims
Lucid announced an updated Gravity SUV lineup for Europe, simplifying the range to four trims: Touring, Touring Plus, Grand Touring and Grand Touring Ultimate. DreamDrive 2 Premium is now standard on all models, and from Touring Plus upward customers get seven-seat configuration and the Comfort and Convenience Pack as standard. The Touring Plus adds a new entry point in Germany at €94,900. Orders for all trims are open now, with deliveries expected to begin in autumn 2026. The restructured range consolidates optional features into the standard specification across the four trims.
Read the full story →Skoda unveils updated Slavia saloon for Indian market
Skoda Auto unveiled the updated Slavia saloon for India, introduced in early 2022 under the brand's localisation campaign. The model has sold nearly 80,000 units. The update adds segment-first features including an eight-speed torque-converter automatic, rear-seat massage and AI-powered infotainment. Skoda has operated in India since 2000 and has led Volkswagen Group operations there since 2018, with India serving as a hub for ASEAN and the Middle East. The saloon lineup includes the Octavia RS, with the Superb to follow in 2027. The update supports the company's recent delivery growth in the market.
Read the full story →On 18 August 2026, twelve companies announced orders, product launches or partnership agreements spanning autonomous driving, electric powertrains and international market entries.
Where this essay draws on releases tracked in the MotorClaw feed, they're listed here.
- Pony.ai Inc. — Pony.ai Robotaxi Revenue Up 691.2% YoY, Now One-Third of Total Revenue
- MAN Truck & Bus — MAN Truck & Bus to supply up to 1,000 TGE vans to German Federal Police
- Einride AB — Einride and DAF Partner to Accelerate Scale-Up of Autonomous Electric Freight
- Maruti Suzuki India Limited — Maruti Suzuki Fronx reaches 200,000 exports before its fourth year
- Epsilon Advanced Materials — Epsilon’s India anode plan clears ₹145 crore capital-support hurdle
- Exicom — Exicom begins US shipments of India-made liquid-cooled charger modules
- Blue Energy Motors — JSW Steel adds Blue Energy gas-fuelled haulers to Karnataka freight operation
- Cummins Inc. — Cummins to supply battery energy storage systems for large U.S. data center project
- Wayve Technologies Ltd. — Wayve Hires Ex-Apple and Google AI Leader Alex Toshev to Head New General Robotics Team
- Leapmotor — Leapmotor opens Argentine sales network with two extended-range SUVs
- Lucid Motors — Lucid simplifies European Gravity SUV lineup to four trims, adds standard tech
- Skoda Auto a.s. — Skoda Auto unveils updated Slavia in India with segment-first features