The automobile of the future isn’t just about batteries and self-driving computers. For ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, that evolution could determine whether the metal retains a century-long role as the primary material in most new cars and trucks.

Inside General Motors Co’s vehicle assembly plant in this southern China city, many workers wear the red-and-yellow uniforms of DHL, the logistics company.

Kohl’s Corp plans to lease space left vacant after shrinking some of its stores to retailers such as grocery stores or convenience stores, the company said last week.

Self-driving cars, a.k.a. autonomous vehicles, appear poised to take over the world. They’re everywhere, on movie screens and in magazine pages. The Jetsons-esque notion that a car could drive you to your desired destination — look Ma, no hands! — is beginning to sink in for many of us, even as we putter to work and other destinations in our exceedingly manual vehicles.

In the fast-moving race to perfect autonomous driving, Toyota has taken a low-key, measured pace up to now. But the automotive giant is shaking things up with plans for robotic van-like pods and the creation of a mobility service platform for shared rides and e-commerce.