Autonomous Vehicles — Sep 21 – Sep 25, 2026 (Wk 39): Autonomous Vehicle News: Wayve, BlackBerry, Lucid, and Uber in Focus

TL;DR — This week saw developments in autonomous vehicle technology, including a UK AI firm's robotaxi progress and a software provider's strong revenue. Several companies, including Lucid and Uber, experienced stock movements, with some insider buying and analyst attention on valuation and future prospects.

What moved

• Wayve, a UK AI firm, is making progress in the robotaxi sector, indicating continued development and potential for new entrants in the autonomous vehicle market. This highlights the ongoing competition and innovation in self-driving technology. (src: [0]) [Morningstar]
• BlackBerry raised its fiscal 2027 guidance due to record revenue from its QNX software, which is widely used in automotive systems, including autonomous vehicles. This suggests increasing adoption and importance of foundational software in the AV industry. (src: [1]) [The Globe and Mail]
• Lucid Group (LCID) stock saw movement this week, with some analysis suggesting it might trade above fair value despite news related to autonomous fleets. This indicates that market perception and valuation can be influenced by factors beyond immediate technological announcements. (src: [2], [7], [8], [15]) [simplywall.st] [tradingview.com] [fool.com] [fool.com]
• Uber's CEO purchased $10 million of company stock, even as the stock was down 28% and concerns about robotaxi competition persist. This insider buy can signal management's confidence in the company's long-term strategy, including its approach to autonomous vehicles. (src: [4], [6]) [Stocktwits] [TIKR.com]
• Beamr and Intempora demonstrated video compression technology for autonomous vehicles. Efficient data handling is crucial for AVs, and advancements in this area can improve performance and reduce operational costs for developers. (src: [14]) [Investing.com Canada]

The why behind the week

• The continued development of robotaxis by companies like Wayve underscores the ongoing race to commercialize autonomous driving, which could significantly impact transportation and logistics sectors. (src: [0]) [Morningstar]
• Strong performance from software providers like BlackBerry's QNX highlights the critical role of underlying technology and infrastructure in enabling autonomous vehicle development and deployment. (src: [1]) [The Globe and Mail]
• Billionaire investor Bill Ackman's backing of Uber, suggesting robotaxi fears are overblown, indicates that some market participants see long-term value in ride-sharing platforms despite the perceived threat or opportunity from autonomous fleets. (src: [3], [4]) [fool.com] [Stocktwits]
• Discussions around Lucid's valuation and stock movements, despite autonomous fleet news, reflect the complex interplay of market sentiment, company-specific news, and broader sector trends in determining stock performance. (src: [2], [7], [8], [15]) [simplywall.st] [tradingview.com] [fool.com] [fool.com]
• Elon Musk's endorsement of slowing AI development, as suggested by Dario, could influence the AI roadmaps for companies like Tesla and xAI. This may impact the pace and direction of autonomous driving technology, which heavily relies on AI advancements. (src: [9]) [The Globe and Mail]

The macro backdrop

Every theme swims in this tide — judge the week’s moves against it.

📅 On the calendar — and why it matters here

• Fri Sep 25 — FOMC (Fed rate decision / minutes). the single biggest scheduled market mover — a rate surprise in either direction repriced everything, hardest on rate-sensitive names (growth, REITs, utilities, homebuilders). Watch for a surprise vs expectations — that gap, not the number itself, is what moves markets.
• Tue Sep 29 — JOLTS (job openings). labor-market tightness — a cooling read eases wage-inflation fears. Watch for a surprise vs expectations — that gap, not the number itself, is what moves markets.
• Wed Sep 30 — GDP. the broadest growth read — confirms or breaks the soft-landing thesis. Watch for a surprise vs expectations — that gap, not the number itself, is what moves markets.
• Wed Sep 30 — PCE inflation (the Fed's gauge). a hot print pushes rate-cut odds out (pressuring long-duration assets); a soft print does the reverse — one of the highest-impact releases. Watch for a surprise vs expectations — that gap, not the number itself, is what moves markets.
• Fri Oct 2 — Jobs report (payrolls + unemployment). sets the growth-vs-recession narrative — a weak number lifts recession odds (hits cyclicals, consumer, financials); a strong one can paradoxically pressure rates. Watch for a surprise vs expectations — that gap, not the number itself, is what moves markets.

What to watch next

• The 10-year Treasury yield at 5.11% and high-yield credit spread at 2.73% indicate the cost of capital. Higher borrowing costs can impact the financing of capital-intensive autonomous vehicle research and development, potentially slowing progress for some firms. (src: ["macro"]) [macro data]
• The VIX at 15.16 suggests moderate market volatility. While not extreme, shifts in overall market sentiment can affect investor appetite for growth-oriented and often pre-profit autonomous vehicle companies. (src: ["macro"]) [macro data]
• The Shiller CAPE ratio at 41.25 indicates a historically high valuation for the broader market. In such an environment, investors may scrutinize the profitability and long-term potential of autonomous vehicle companies more closely. (src: ["macro"]) [macro data]
• The median price-to-model-value across 9 stocks in this theme is 1.49x. This metric provides a benchmark for how the market is valuing companies in the autonomous vehicle sector relative to their intrinsic models, and significant deviations could signal shifts in investor perception. (src: ["own"]) [SAVNG data]
• The absence of recorded open-market insider buys (routine/10b5-1 stripped) this week, apart from Uber's CEO, suggests that while some executives may be confident, there wasn't a broad pattern of insider buying across the theme to signal widespread internal optimism. (src: ["own"]) [SAVNG data]

This week’s headlines (sources)

• How to Invest in Wayve, the UK AI Firm Behind London’s Robotaxis — Morningstar, Sep 25
• Stock Market Today, Sept. 24: BlackBerry Lifts Fiscal 2027 Guidance on Record QNX Revenue — The Globe and Mail, Sep 24
• Lucid (LCID) Stock May Trade Above Fair Value Despite Autonomous Fleet News — simplywall.st, Sep 24
• Billionaire Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management Has 12.7% of Its Portfolio Invested in This Beaten-Down Stock — fool.com, Sep 24
• Is Wall Street Getting Uber Wrong? Bill Ackman Backs Bull Case That Robotaxi Fears Are Overblown — Stocktwits, Sep 24
• Prediction: The Biggest Opportunity for Tesla Stock May Be Just Ahead — 24/7 Wall St., Sep 24
• Uber Stock Is Down 28%, and the Robotaxi Clock Is Ticking. Its CEO Just Bought $10 Million of Stock Anyway — TIKR.com, Sep 24
• What's Going On with Lucid Stock Thursday? — tradingview.com, Sep 24
• Finally, Some Good News for Lucid — but There's a Catch — fool.com, Sep 23
• Elon Musk Just Said "Dario Is Right" About Slowing AI Development. Here's What That Endorsement Could Mean for Tesla's and xAI's AI Road Maps. — The Globe and Mail, Sep 23
• Nvidia stock set to rise nearly 40% on strong d… — Pluang, Sep 23
• Nvidia Stock Set For 40% Surge: 3 Catalysts That Could Drive the Next Big Move — 24/7 Wall St., Sep 23
• May Mobility's SPAC Merger: Is This a Road to Nowhere for Investors? — fool.com, Sep 23
• Lyft (LYFT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As Sphere Partnership Puts Brand Reach In Focus — simplywall.st, Sep 23
• Beamr and Intempora demonstrate video compression for autonomous vehicles By Investing.com — Investing.com Canada, Sep 22
• Why Lucid Group Stock Motored Over 5% Higher Today — fool.com, Sep 22

Every claim above cites its source — headlines link to the original outlet; [SAVNG data] marks our own EDGAR-computed figures. Where our sources don’t explain a move, we say so rather than guess. All weekly roundups →