Business
business
Max Knoblauch

Volkswagen deliveries tick up in spite of another deep drop-off in China

Volkswagen deliveries grew 1.4% in the first quarter, with growth in nearly every market narrowly making up for a deep decline in China.

VW’s deliveries in China fell 7.1% to 644,100 vehicles. All-electric vehicle deliveries plummeted roughly 37% in the country. The automaker’s struggles in China are nothing new. After four decades at the top of the Chinese market, Europe’s largest automaker was bumped out of its position in 2023 by EV biggie BYD.

North American deliveries grew 4.4%, including a more than 6% bump in the US as customers raced to snag vehicles before the Trump administration’s auto tariffs hike prices. US rivals experienced similar sales surges recently: General Motors saw a 17% Q1 sales spike, while Ford said its dealership sales jumped 19% in March.

Last week, Volkswagen told US dealers it would be adding an “import fee” to cars affected by tariffs. And you can expect plenty of import fees: about 70% of Volkswagen’s US sales were Mexican-made vehicles last year.

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business
Max Knoblauch

Uber launches “digital tasks” in the US, paying some drivers to train AI

Beginning later this fall, US Uber drivers will be able to earn money by completing short “digital tasks” like uploading restaurant menus or recording audio samples.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi teased the new gig income stream back in June at the Bloomberg Tech conference.

At that time, Khosrowshahi said drivers and couriers were “labeling maps, translating language, looking at AI answers, and grading AI answers.” According to Thursday’s announcement, the tasks won’t be so focused on Uber’s business, but instead on connecting workers with “companies that need real people to help improve their technology.”

Per Uber, digital tasks can be done when drivers aren’t on a trip, be it at home or when not driving, and will take only “a few minutes” each.

Uber’s having drivers train its AI while partnering with robotaxi companies that could replace them

Uber’s having drivers train its AI while partnering with robotaxi companies that could replace them

At that time, Khosrowshahi said drivers and couriers were “labeling maps, translating language, looking at AI answers, and grading AI answers.” According to Thursday’s announcement, the tasks won’t be so focused on Uber’s business, but instead on connecting workers with “companies that need real people to help improve their technology.”

Per Uber, digital tasks can be done when drivers aren’t on a trip, be it at home or when not driving, and will take only “a few minutes” each.

Max Knoblauch
10/15/25
United Airlines posts stronger-than-expected profit but weaker sales in its third quarter

United’s full-year profit outlook falls somewhere in between the dual forecasts it issued back in April.

United Airlines Airplanes at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey
Hyunsoo Rim, David Crowther
HEAD OF MACROS
10/15/25
Pop-Tarts, Doritos, and Uncrustables have joined the protein craze taking over America’s snack aisle

Food giants are catching up with the latest diet obsession.

Pop tarts protein
US-ENTERTAINMENT-ILLUSTRATION-APPLE TV+

Apple TV dropped the “plus” as streamers keep pulling back on originals

After the spray-and-pray approach led to a wave of cancellations, Hollywood is settling into an era of just making fewer shows.

Hyunsoo Rim10/15/25
business
Max Knoblauch

The average price of a new vehicle in the US passed $50,000 for the first time ever in September

The average price of a new vehicle in the US surpassed $50,000 in September, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.

At $50,080, that’s the highest industry average ever, reflecting the price hikes faced by new car buyers in recent years amid pandemic supply shortages, tariff-induced increases, and the high cost of EV production. The figure marks a 3.6% jump from the same month last year.

“Tariffs have introduced new cost pressure to the business, but the pricing story in September was mostly driven by the healthy mix of EVs and higher-end vehicles pushing the new-vehicle ATP into uncharted territory,” Cox executive analyst Erin Keating said. Passing the $50,000 mark was inevitable, Keating said, especially considering that the country’s bestseller is a Ford truck that “routinely costs north of $65,000.”

Year over year, new vehicle prices rose nearly 6% for GM, while Ford’s climbed 2.5%. Volkswagen new prices were up 12.5%.

As prices climb, so do delinquencies on loans to borrowers with lower credit scores. Recent data from Fitch Ratings shows the portion of subprime US auto loans 60 days or more overdue reached 6.43% in August.

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