Ford's Hybrid Push, WeRide's Fleet Expansion, Tesla's Struggles And GM's New HQ: This Week In Mobility

The week saw Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) exploring a battery partnership, WeRide Inc. expanding its robotaxi fleet, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) grappling with a sales slump, Nio Inc. (NYSE:NIO) reaffirming its European expansion, and General Motors (NYSE:GM) moving to a new headquarters. Ford Explores BYD Battery Partnership Ford is reportedly in discussions with China’s BYD Co. Ltd. for a potential collaboration that could see the American automaker purchasing batteries for its hybrid-vehicle models. This comes as Ford shifts its powertrain strategy and scales back its push into fully electric vehicles. The company’s hybrid sales saw an 18% YoY increase in Q4, signaling the growing momentum behind the shift. Read the full article here. Waymo, Tesla Robotaxi Rival WeRide’s Fleet Surpasses 1,000 AVs Chinese robotaxi firm WeRide announced the expansion of its global autonomous cab fleet. The company shared that it has reached a milestone of 1,023 Robotaxis globally and has achieved driverless operations in Beijing, Guangzhou & Abu Dhabi. Read the full article here. Tesla Is Struggling — The Global EV Market Isn’t Despite Tesla’s recent sales slump, the global EV market remains robust. Electric vehicle sales fell 4% in North America in 2025, largely due to the expiration of the Federal EV tax credit. However, the global demand for EVs has been much stronger. Read the full article here. NIO Reaffirms European Expansion Despite New EU Tariff Framework Nio shares took a hit as the European Commission formalized conditions for China-made EVs’ tariff alternatives. Despite this, the Chinese EV maker pledged to continue expanding its business in Europe. The company expressed satisfaction with its “steady progress toward consensus.” Read the full article here. GM Moves To Smaller Detroit HQ General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced the company’s move to a new, smaller headquarters in Detroit, which she believes will foster collaboration across teams. The new HQ is significantly smaller than the automaker’s previous headquarters, the “Renaissance Center,” also in Detroit and first built in the 1970s by rival Ford. Read the full article here. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Image via Imagn Images