July 10th, 2017 News of the Day: China to become Cadillac's largest market, Oregon adds EV rebate

China to become Cadillac's biggest market

Cadillac continues to boom in China, which could become the luxury carmaker's largest market.

Last month, 12,886 Cadillacs were sold in China compared with 9,552 sold in June 2016, seeing a 34.9% surge. The year-to-date sales in China for 2017 reached 80,357 cars by last month, a 75.4% increase over last year.

Early in January, Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen mentioned that China could become the company's largest market within three years, but now seemingly the pace can be even faster.

Meanwhile, Cadillac is also building the CT6 Plug-in Hybrid in China, eyeing the country as one of its important manufacturing and business places.

Oregon introduce EV rebates and bicycle tax

According to Car and Driver reports, Oregon state is introducing its own EV rebate program, approving an amount of up to $2,500 for purchasing a new electric vehicle. The incentive may be offered as a point-of-sale rebate at local dealerships, but could take the state up to 60 days to process claims. This new rebate is on top of any federal incentive, meaning buyers in Oregon could save up to $10,000 on a new EV if they get the full $7500 federal tax credit.

Besides, there's new fee on bicycle riders. Adult bicycles with wheels at least 26 inches in diameter and priced over $200 will be subject to a $15 excise tax. These funds will go toward grants for bicycle and pedestrian transportation projects.

Congress close to approving a New Space Army

The House Armed Services Committee voted 60 to 1 in favor of the creation of a new military branch to be called the United States Space Corps (USSC).

The proposal is part of negotiations for this year's National Defense Authorization Act. If passed, the organization would be the first new branch of the military since 1947, when the Air Force was formed. The proposal would put USSC in the department of the Air Force, and the Space Corp's chief of staff would be ranked equal to the Air Force chief of staff and would report to the Secretary of the Air Force.

German prosecutor investigating employees at VW's Porsche

German prosecutors said on Monday that employees at Porsche AG and a U.S. based subsidiary were being investigated for suspected fraud and false advertising in terms of diesel emissions.

The probe is the latest twist in a sweeping investigation of automakers and their emissions after Volkswagen, which owns the Audi, VW and Porsche brands, admitted systematic cheating of diesel engine tests in 2015.

Prosecutors did not give details about the ongoing probe. Meanwhile, Porsche said it was fully cooperating with authorities and even sought contact with prosecutors well before a formal probe was launched.

Waymo's autonomous minivans get some emergency training time

Waymo's self-driving Pacifica minivans are recently under testing with the Chandler, Arizona Fire & Police Department. The fleets spent some time in demo runs where fire trucks, police cars, motorcycles, and ambulances navigated streets around the the Waymo cars.

It was the "first emergency vehicle testing day" Waymo has run with its new vehicles. The goal was to collect as much sensor data as possible regarding emergency vehicles, including how they sound and look as they move around the autonomous cars.