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The self-driving robotaxi braked, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before striking the child.

Published Jan 30, 2026 7:23 AM EST

Waymo

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💥 A self-driving Waymo robotaxi struck a child in Santa Monica, California during school drop off when the kid emerged into the roadway from behind a SUV as the Waymo was going 17 mph, immediately detected the child, hit the brakes, and reduced speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before making contact; the child is said to have immediately stood up and walked to the sidewalk and the NHTSA is opening an investigation into the incident.

🛻 Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said “you should never say no. But right now … it’s the last segment I could imagine,” when asked if the automaker is interested in making a truck sibling to its potential and desired Mercedes G-Class SUV rival.

🚕 Mercedes-Benz, Nvidia, and Uber are moving forward with plans for self-driving robotaxis, which will include the refreshed 2027 S-Class.

🇩🇪 Audi’s German labor force renewed their opposition to the automaker building a U.S. factory and investing in jobs outside the company’s home country.

⛽️ Volkswagen’s head of chassis development and driving dynamics, Sebastian Willmann, committed that the current gas-powered GTI and Golf R will not be the last iteration of the icons to be powered by gasoline.

🔋 A study concluded that used EVs are now the cheapest cars to own with the lowest total cost of ownership of any type of vehicle.

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