Joyful Monday! It is November 10, 2025, and that is The Morning Shift — your every day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from all over the world, in a single place. That is the place you may discover an important tales which are shaping the way in which Individuals drive and get round.
On this morning’s version, we’re Tesla’s gross sales figures in China, in addition to the top of the short-lived Nexperia chip scarcity. We’ll additionally have a look at Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe’s new pay package deal, and the most recent big-name departure from Tesla.
1st Gear: Tesla continues to tank in China
China’s electrical automotive market is fairly cutthroat as of late, and Tesla has been dealing with an uphill battle in opposition to its growing old autos and politically divisive CEO. This all got here collectively in October, when Tesla’s gross sales in China dropped to their lowest numbers in years. From Reuters:
Tesla’s gross sales in China dropped to 26,006 autos in October, their lowest in three years, because the U.S. electrical automobile maker struggles with tepid demand within the hyper-competitive market.
Gross sales fell 35.8% from a yr earlier, down from September’s determine of 71,525 when Tesla started deliveries of the Mannequin Y L, a longer-wheelbase and six-seat model of its best-selling Mannequin Y SUV till now solely obtainable in China.
These huge Tesla points — the growing old lineup, the CEO whose politics alienate the core viewers for electrical autos — should not be tough for such an enormous firm with such a staggering market cap to unravel. Sadly for Tesla, booting Elon would additionally tank that market cap again right down to one thing that really befits a distinct segment automaker with declining gross sales. Not an important place to be in, in case you’re the board.
2nd Gear: Nexperia chips can as soon as once more stream
One other chip scarcity has held up auto manufacturing globally, forcing automakers to idle provide traces or scramble for substitutes, due to a dispute between the Netherlands and China. Now, as rapidly because it began, it appears that evidently scarcity may very well be ending. China is permitting chips from Nexperia to stream as soon as once more, and carmakers are grateful. From Automotive Information:
China has granted exemptions to export controls on Nexperia chips for civilian purposes, the commerce ministry mentioned Nov. 9 in a transfer that can assist to alleviate provide shortages for carmakers and automotive suppliers.
The announcement is the strongest sign but from Beijing that it’ll ease stress on the worldwide auto trade brought on by export curbs imposed after the Dutch authorities took management of Nexperia, a big producer of fundamental chips utilized in automotive electrical programs.
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China’s commerce ministry didn’t specify what it thought-about to be civilian use, however the announcement follows statements from German and Japanese firms saying that deliveries of Nexperia’s Chinese language-made chips had resumed.
Honda already reduce its 2025 revenue estimates based mostly on this chip scarcity, and different firms have had their manufacturing impacted. Hopefully issues get again to regular quickly.
third Gear: The Elon Musk pay package deal is catching on, with Rivian making the same deal for RJ Scaringe
CEOs all over the world appear to be studying from Elon Musk — or at the least his exorbitant pay packages tied to firm efficiency. Now Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is getting in on the development, with a pay package deal that would pay out $4.6 billion. From Reuters:
Electrical pickup and SUV maker Rivian mentioned on Friday it was giving its CEO a pay plan price as a lot as $4.6 billion over the following decade, a deal just like Tesla’s report package deal for CEO Elon Musk, and linked to new revenue targets and decrease share value milestones than a earlier deal.
The transfer by the Rivian board reveals that the Tesla plan for Musk might grow to be a mannequin for firms aiming to develop quick. Rivian’s pay package deal for its CEO RJ Scaringe may very well be one of many richest in historical past, relying on what efficiency objectives are met.
Rivian mentioned the plan will retain its founder and hold him centered on progress and profitability because the automaker, recognized for its R1S SUVs and R1T pickups, gears as much as launch subsequent yr its smaller, extra reasonably priced R2 SUV that can compete with Tesla’s best-selling Mannequin Y crossover.
The Rivian plan replaces one which the board mentioned was not prone to be met, with the contemporary plan having decrease objectives when it comes to share progress.
I am a fan of Rivian, and I need the corporate to stay round and hold producing automobiles properly into the long run. I marvel, although, if it could actually afford compensation offers like this.
4th Gear: Man leaves job
Tesla has been bleeding expertise just lately, and its newest loss is a giant one: The top of Cybertruck growth, Siddhant Awasthi. He additionally labored on the Mannequin 3 line, each earlier than and after the launch of the Cybertruck, however now he is gone to greener pastures. From Bloomberg:
Tesla Inc.’s head of the Cybertruck program is leaving the corporate, including to a collection of high-level departures this yr because the electric-vehicle maker struggles with uneven gross sales.
Siddhant Awasthi, who oversaw the event and ramp-up of the divisive pickup truck, is departing Tesla after three years in that position, he mentioned in a put up on LinkedIn.
“This determination wasn’t simple, particularly with a lot thrilling progress on the horizon,” Awasthi wrote. He did not specify what he’ll do subsequent.
His determination follows a string of govt exits at Tesla, which has grappled with lukewarm client demand and the lack of key US incentives whereas pursuing new enterprise traces round robotaxis and humanoid robots. David Lau, Tesla’s vp of software program engineering, this yr left for OpenAI after nearly 13 years.
Awasthi had been at Tesla for almost a decade, beginning in 2017, which is a very long time for anybody to remain at any firm. Nonetheless, he isn’t the one higher-up on the firm to go away just lately, because the underlying automotive gross sales have gotten much less and fewer sound. That is what we within the enterprise name a “unhealthy signal.”
Reverse: The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Fifty years of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
On The Radio: Flyleaf – ‘All Round Me’
I used to be speaking with my roommates about Flyleaf final evening, they usually’d by no means heard of the band. I figured everybody knew Flyleaf round 2010, however I suppose I used to be unsuitable. For those who’re additionally not aware of this somehow-Christian band, welcome to immediately’s fortunate 10,000.
