Dutch Regulators Keep FSD Data Secret On Tesla's Request
Happy Friday! It's August 7, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift — your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you'll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.
In this morning's edition, we're looking at Dutch regulators keeping FSD data secret, and Honda outsourcing to Tata. We'll also look at Volkswagen's dreams of an American pickup, and Toyota's earthquake fallout.
If you'd like a recap of the latest auto news sent to your inbox each weekday, you can sign up for Jalopnik's free Morning Shift newsletter here.
1st Gear: Tesla says FSD safety data is a trade secret, and Dutch regulators bought it
Dutch regulators recently approved Tesla's FSD software for use on the roads of the Netherlands, but they're not telling the Dutch people why they made that approval. As it turns out, that's at Tesla's behest — the company has been pressuring those regulators to keep any and all information secret. From Reuters:
Aug 6 (Reuters) – Four months ago, the Netherlands approved Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system and has since then advocated for its adoption across the EU.
But Dutch road regulator RDW won't tell the public why it concluded the driver-assistance system is safe or how it evaluated the technology, which for years has faced regulatory investigations and lawsuits over FSD-involved crashes in the United States.
Releasing such details would violate Tesla's commercial secrets, the regulator told Reuters, echoing the automaker's own demands on the regulator for confidentiality. Since late 2024, Tesla has pressed RDW to keep documentation about the FSD safety review secret, according to previously unreported email correspondence between the Dutch regulator and Tesla, obtained by Reuters through a public-records request.
Tesla has called FSD approval key to boosting sales in Europe, where it's trying to regain market share lost in recent years and faces fierce competition from Chinese EVs.
It's tough to agree that independent third-party tests of software could ever be considered trade secrets of that software's developer — assuming Dutch regulators did in fact do independent third-party testing and didn't just take Tesla's word that everything is cool and good — but I'm no Dutch attorney.
2nd Gear: Honda's newest platform will be designed by Tata
Honda has traditionally been an automaker that does things itself, rather than outsourcing development to subcontractors. That all stands to change, as the company has asked Tata to develop its latest car platform — not just a single vehicle, but a platform meant to underpin gas, hybrid, and electric cars. From Bloomberg:
Honda Motor Co. has outsourced development of a new vehicle program to Tata Technologies Ltd., people familiar with the matter said, the first time the automaker is entrusting an Indian engineering services firm with building an end-to-end platform to help cut costs.
This platform is expected to support multiple car models, the people said, asking not to be identified as the details are private. It is intended to accommodate conventional fossil fuel-powered models as well as electrified powertrains for hybrids and electric vehicles, the people added. They did not specify the markets where these Tata-engineered vehicles might be sold.
The farming out of this crucial function marks a departure for Honda, which has typically kept development of core vehicle platforms largely in-house or within its established supplier network. It comes as the Japanese automaker overhauls its product roadmap after reporting its first annual loss since its founding in 1948, shelving several planned electric vehicle programs and accelerating cost-cutting efforts.
There's a desperation in the car market right now, with every automaker looking to slash costs so the bones. Will this affect Honda's reputation? Who can say — it'll all depend on whether the car Tata develops for Honda is any good.
3rd Gear: Volkswagen wants to bring a pickup to the U.S.
Volkswagen wants to boost its profits in the U.S., and there's an easy way to do that: Give us a truck. So, the company wants to introduce a U.S.-built truck to its lineup, and it wants to do it within just a few years. From Reuters:
BERLIN, Aug 7 (Reuters) – German auto group Volkswagen plans to overhaul its U.S. strategy with new management and a revised product offering, including a new pickup truck, a company source told Reuters on Friday.
...
Thomas Schaefer, head of the Volkswagen brand, sees growth opportunities in pick-up trucks and large SUVs – both high-margin vehicles in strong demand in the U.S. – which the Wolfsburg-based group does not currently offer.
The source said the goal is to bring the first pick-up truck to market before the end of the decade. The vehicle is to be built in the U.S.
Do the right thing Volkswagen. Bring the Tarok to the U.S., and you will be reincarnated as a lotus flower.
4th Gear: Typhoon after earthquake forced Toyota to pause 17 production lines
Toyota just got itself back up and running after Japan's latest terrible earthquake, and now the company's been forced to close its doors again. This time, a typhoon is to blame, and it's impacted models across Toyota's lineup. From Automotive News:
TOKYO – Natural disaster has struck again at Toyota, with a typhoon forcing the carmaker to close plants across Japan on Aug. 7, just a day after it restored auto output in the wake of a deadly earthquake.
As the storm approached, Toyota Motor Corp. suspended 17 lines across nine of its 14 assembly plants in Japan, for both shifts, due to disruption in maritime shipping, spokesman Nobu Sunaga said.
The latest suspensions affect the Corolla, Camry, Prius, RAV4, and the sedan, sport and crossover variants of the Crown series, as well as the bZ and C-HR electric utility vehicles.
Also impacted are the Land Cruiser 300 and Land Cruiser 70.
For Lexus, the offline factories also make the Lexus RZ and LBX crossovers and LX SUV.
Toyota really just can't catch a break, huh?
Reverse: Rescuers really wanted the podkova onboard
Getting the sailors back was a bonus.
The Fuel Up
The downward trend is not only continuing, but seems to be accelerating. Surely this will continue when the war inevitably escalates after market hours close. Plan for the Weekend Wars, indeed.
On The Radio - The Mountain Goats - 'Song for Layne Staley'
Happy new Goats day! I'm already liking this one.