On June 22, Tesla officially launched its first robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, inviting select passengers to participate in trial rides, marking what CEO Elon Musk called the company's entry into the commercial era of fully autonomous driving. The announcement quickly drew global media attention and was widely interpreted as a direct challenge to Waymo, the long-time leader in the US robotaxi market.
As smart vehicles shift from mechanical machines to software-defined platforms, the global auto industry is confronting structural challenges that stretch far beyond hardware. At the Smart Automotive Forum held on May 16 in Taipei, TÜV Rheinland, a leading global provider of technical testing and certification, presented a comprehensive white paper titled Driving the Future: Key Trends in Intelligent Vehicle Development (transliteration), which outlines the regulatory, technical, and validation transformations ahead.
It's unclear how many still recall the optimism with which 2025 was once hailed—by automakers across Europe, the US, and even China—as the definitive launch year for Level 3 (L3) autonomous vehicles. Yet, as the calendar pages turn, the odds of L3 systems arriving on time—and making a triumphant debut—now seem slim.
South Korea's leading substrate manufacturers, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) and Daeduck Electronics, are preparing to supply crucial components for Tesla's next-generation autonomous taxi, the Cybercab. With production slated to begin in the second half of 2025, both companies are positioned to deliver ABF substrates (FC-BGA) for the high-tech vehicle by the end of 2025.
