In today's issue:
Waymo suspends service across multiple cities after its robotaxis keep driving into floodwaters.
Kyle Busch, the all-time NASCAR national-series wins leader, dies at 41, three days before the Coca-Cola 600.
Stellantis confirms a compact Ram Rampage, a Dakota revival, a Chrysler lifeline, and a Dodge halo car all in one investor day.
WATER HAZARD
Waymo Pauses Service in Multiple Cities After Its Cars Drove Into Floods
Waymo has paused robotaxi service in at least four U.S. cities this week after multiple vehicles drove into flooded roads, per Carscoops and TechCrunch.
One Waymo sat stranded in Atlanta floodwaters until a human intervened, per CBT News; a nearly identical incident occurred in San Antonio before the Atlanta pause.
The pauses follow a recall of nearly 3,800 autonomous vehicles issued last week over a software flaw specifically tied to flooded road detection, per CBT News and TechCrunch.
Waymo also separately halted freeway rides after robotaxis struggled to handle active construction zones, per TechCrunch: two distinct failure modes surfacing in the same week.
Riders in the affected cities have no timeline for service restoration, and Waymo has not disclosed which software fix will address the flooding behavior.
Waymo's public case has always rested on the claim that its sensors outperform human eyes in adverse conditions. A car that drives into standing water, triggers a recall, drives into standing water again in another city, and then pauses freeway use for construction-zone failures is the hardest possible counter-argument to that claim. The geography of the suspensions is now bigger than the geography of the service.
Also worth knowing
NASCAR loses its all-time wins leader: Kyle Busch dies at 41: The two-time Cup Series champion (2015, 2019) died May 21 after being hospitalized with a severe illness, per Car and Driver, RACER, and NASCAR. Busch retires as the all-time leader in NASCAR national-series victories with 234, including 63 Cup wins, an all-time record 102 in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, and an all-time record 69 in the Craftsman Truck Series. He was set to race the Coca-Cola 600 in three days. Denny Hamlin called him "the most talented and gifted race car driver that ever stepped in a car." #news
Stellantis confirms Rampage, Dakota, and a full-size SUV for North America: Ram brand CEO Tim Kuniskis told investors on May 21 that a compact Rampage-based unibody pickup arrives in 2028 to target the Ford Maverick, a midsize Dakota follows, and Ram's first-ever non-truck product, a full-size SUV, rounds out the trifecta, per Kelley Blue Book and Automotive News. All three will land in U.S. showrooms by 2030, and Ram is targeting a 60% sales gain by decade's end, per Automotive News. #analyst
Chrysler gets three new sub-$30K SUVs under FaSTLAne 2030: Chrysler will receive two sub-$30,000 SUVs, part of nine total North American vehicles priced under $40,000 in the brand's revival plan, per Automotive News. #analyst
Hyundai's second big recall this week hits 420,000 vehicles: Just days after recalling 54,337 Elantra Hybrids for fire risk, Hyundai is recalling more than 420,000 Tucson and Santa Cruz models because the forward collision-avoidance system can trigger unexpected emergency braking with no warning, per Autoblog and Reuters. The defect is software-based; no injuries have been disclosed publicly. #news
Citroen confirms 2CV revival as a sub-€15,000 EV made in Italy: Citroen CEO Xavier Chardon announced the 2CV nameplate's return at Stellantis Investor Day, with production planned for Stellantis's Pomigliano d'Arco factory in southern Italy, per Automotive News. InsideEVs reports the target price below $17,500; Autocar UK pegs UK pricing around £15,000. The car arrives in 2028. #enthusiast
Ford halts F-150 production at Dearborn Truck after a stamping machine failure: Ford paused F-Series output at its Dearborn Truck Plant this week due to a stamping equipment issue, per Ford Authority and CBT News. The stoppage compounds earlier supplier-related disruptions that already thinned F-Series dealer inventory, per CBT News, putting further pressure on the market's best-selling vehicle line. #analyst
What's new
Dodge Copperhead SRT confirmed as new halo sports coupe: CEO Tim Kuniskis revealed the Copperhead SRT name at Stellantis's May 21 investor day, per The Drive and Car and Driver. It's a new halo car that is explicitly not called the Viper; Kuniskis positioned it above the Charger Daytona in the lineup. Dodge previously killed the Viper nameplate in 2017; the Copperhead is the brand's first confirmed sports coupe announcement since. The reveal lands while the brand's 2024 Hornets are still moving slowly, with 347 new units reportedly unsold, per CarEdge Live: a halo coupe unveil sitting on top of dead inventory of the volume product. #enthusiast
Recalls & legal action
Hyundai Tucson and Santa Cruz phantom braking, 420,000+ vehicles: NHTSA is overseeing a recall of more than 420,000 model-year Tucson and Santa Cruz vehicles after the forward collision-avoidance assist can activate emergency brakes without warning, per Autoblog and Reuters. No injuries reported publicly; a software remedy is expected. #news
Chevy Silverado roof rail airbags recalled for the seventh time: GM Authority reports the Chevrolet Silverado has been issued yet another recall for faulty roof rail airbags, marking the seventh campaign for the same defect. The GMC Sierra has received an additional recall for the identical issue, per GM Authority. #news
Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, nearly 60,000 EVs recalled for rearview camera blackout: The backup camera display can go dark, masking the view behind the vehicle during reversing, per Motor Trend and Autoblog. No word yet on whether the related Chevrolet Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq, which share the same GM platform, will face a parallel action, per Motor Trend. #news
Quick links
UAW pushes tougher U.S. content rules ahead of USMCA review: The union is pressing for stricter domestic manufacturing thresholds in the upcoming USMCA renegotiation, per CBT News and Reuters. Automakers already moving toward supply-chain localization in response to tariff exposure, per Automotive News. #analyst
J.D. Power forecasts resilient U.S. auto sales despite affordability pressure: The firm sees sales holding up but flags affordability as the top constraint on showroom traffic and closing rates, with leasing gaining ground as buyers hunt for lower monthly payments, per CBT News. #market
New vehicle CPI fell 0.2% in April 2026: Per FRED, offering modest relief on transaction prices as affordability remains the dominant showroom constraint. #market
Sources: Carscoops · CBT News (Waymo Atlanta) · TechCrunch (Waymo freeway) · TechCrunch (Waymo four cities) · Kelley Blue Book · Automotive News (Ram compact) · Automotive News (investor day) · Autoblog (Hyundai Tucson) · Automotive News (Citroen 2CV) · InsideEVs (2CV) · Autocar UK (2CV) · Ford Authority (F-150) · CBT News (F-150) · The Drive (Copperhead) · GM Authority (Silverado) · GM Authority (Sierra) · Motor Trend (Honda) · Autoblog (Honda) · Car and Driver (Busch) · RACER · NASCAR.com · CBT News (UAW) · Automotive News (tariffs) · CBT News (J.D. Power)