ev.news

CHINA’S CARMAKERS BACK EU HYBRID LIMITS
BYD, Geely Holding and Chery have backed a China–EU hybrid-trade framework that the EU says would halve exports against its four-year no-deal forecast, not today’s shipments. Beijing says the quota would exceed the 2025 baseline of 302,000 vehicles, offering exporters more predictable but constrained access while leaving separate duties on Chinese battery-electric cars unchanged.
LEAPMOTOR SETS A10S LAUNCH FOR 18 OCTOBER
Leapmotor will launch the sportier A10s small SUV in China on 18 October, with its undisclosed price crucial to retaining the existing A10’s budget appeal. Reported specifications include an 800-volt platform, 39.8 kWh and 53.0 kWh batteries, 403–505 km of CLTC range and a fastest 30–80% charge of 16 minutes, although final trim specifications remain unconfirmed.
FAW-VW TEASES POSSIBLE ID. AURA SEDAN
FAW-Volkswagen has teased a possible electric sedan, which local reporting expects to be named ID. AURA L5 and use electronic architecture developed with Xpeng. Its name, powertrain and launch date remain unconfirmed, but Volkswagen Group’s 42.5% fall in Chinese battery-electric deliveries over the first nine months underscores the pressure for locally developed models that compete on software, cost and launch speed.
CHERY PICKS BOSCH FOR SIX EUROPEAN MODELS
Chery and Bosch have agreed to develop camera-based driving and parking assistance for six European models, with production scheduled for 2028 and more than 800,000 systems anticipated over five years. Bosch’s European testing experience could accelerate localisation as Chery expands, although individual vehicles will still need their own approvals and the systems require driver supervision.
CHANGAN AND CATL REAFFIRM 75 GWH BATTERY PLAN
Changan and CATL have reaffirmed plans for 75 GWh of joint battery-cell capacity, including a 25 GWh expansion scheduled to start production in the second half of 2027. The projects could strengthen supply for Avatr, Deepal and Nevo alongside sodium-ion and solid-state development, but the capacity announcement does not establish a solid-state breakthrough or confirm that all production lines are operating.
JETOUR LAUNCHES TRAVELLER 7 PLUG-IN HYBRID
Jetour has launched the Traveller 7 plug-in hybrid in China at approximately $22,800–$25,800 before conditional offers, with 26.6 kWh or 45.1 kWh batteries delivering a claimed 140–251 km of CLTC electric range. The launch hybrids are two-wheel drive despite their off-road styling, while Jetour’s claim of more than 10,000 firm orders in 30 minutes signals early interest rather than completed deliveries.
CHANGAN SEEKS EUROPEAN PRODUCTION IN EARLY 2027
Changan hopes to build its first European-made vehicle in early 2027 and reach annual production of 180,000 cars by 2028, with supply and joint-production discussions under way. The EU’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act would, under its standard route, tie covered public purchases and support to EU assembly, at least 70% EU-origin non-battery component value and separate battery conditions, making local supply chains increasingly important.
CHINESE EV ARRIVALS COULD DELAY CANADIAN BUYERS
An Abacus Data survey found that 42% of respondents inclined to choose an EV said Chinese brands’ expected arrival next year could influence them to postpone buying, rather than reporting purchases already delayed. China-built cars are excluded from federal EV rebates, worth up to C$4,000 for eligible battery-electric rivals in 2027, while the first-year 49,000-vehicle import quota is shared with foreign-owned brands manufacturing in China.
BYD REPORTEDLY PLANS 18 CAR CARRIERS BY 2029
BYD reportedly plans to expand its dedicated car-carrier fleet from eight ships to 18 by 2029, with capacity for about 9,200 cars per new vessel, although it did not confirm the proposal to Rest of World. More ships could ease export bottlenecks caused by longer routes, but a dedicated fleet does not necessarily mean vessel ownership, and greater shipping capacity does not guarantee overseas retail demand.
CHINA EXPECTS 50 MILLION KW OF FLEXIBLE EV CHARGING
Engineer Ouyang Minggao has outlined an expectation of 50 million kW of adjustable EV charging capacity in China by 2030, using the growing vehicle fleet to help manage electricity demand. This includes shifting charging away from peak periods, not simply feeding electricity back into the grid, while bidirectional services must make financial sense for owners and account for compatible equipment, battery wear and travel needs.
GOTION PLANS MOROCCO BATTERY PLANT COMMISSIONING
Gotion Power Morocco says equipment commissioning at its Kenitra battery factory will begin during the week of 20 October, after recruiting more than 400 Moroccan employees, most trained in China. The milestone advances China’s overseas battery expansion alongside a proposed PowerCo–Gotion cathode-materials venture, but commissioning is not full commercial production and trade advantages depend on genuine local manufacturing and applicable origin rules.

Europe’s carmakers came to the Paris Motor Show 2026 ready to fight for the electric-car buyer. From the Renault Twingo’s character to the Peugeot E-208 GTi’s performance appeal, there was renewed confidence in making EVs people genuinely want. In this episode of ev.news, Martyn Lee explores a European fightback built on desirable design, practical choices and a rediscovery of what made these brands worth caring about.
But the Chinese manufacturers didn’t arrive ready to surrender. They brought their strongest technology, with BYD’s Flash Charging ambitions illustrating how hard they are pushing the charging benchmark. Their growing manufacturing presence in Europe also makes this more complicated than a contest between imports and home-grown cars. Europe brought a convincing response, but has it closed the competitiveness gap—or simply made the competition more interesting?
That contest made Paris a brilliant motor show. Beyond the individual launches, the bigger story is what buyers stand to gain: more affordable options, more personality, more practical body styles and better reasons to choose electric. Not every promise is a production car yet, but the choice is already expanding. Ultimately, the consumer wins when manufacturers compete to build cars that fit people’s lives, rather than expecting people to fit around the cars available.

TESLA HALTS MODEL 3 PREMIUM ORDERS WITH QUOTA UNUSED
Tesla has stopped taking Canadian orders for both versions of the Model 3 Premium, claiming its allocation is exhausted despite government figures showing 33,069 of 33,397 Chinese EV import quota places remain available. Canadian rules permit officials to reserve allocations, but no Tesla-specific limit has been disclosed, raising questions about how manufacturers are being granted access to the country's import quota.
US EV SALES REBOUND AS TOYOTA AND RIVIAN GAIN
US electric vehicle sales rose 7.7% quarter-on-quarter to 266,630 in Q3 2026, lifting market share to 6.5%, although volumes remained 38.6% below last year's incentive-driven peak. Rivian gained 45.7% and Subaru grew 31.5%, while Tesla retained approximately 54% market share despite a 19.7% decline in deliveries.
SMART OPENS #2 PRE-ORDERS FROM €19,990
Smart has opened European pre-orders for its new #2 two-seat electric city car, priced from €19,990 in Germany, with a 35.8 kWh LFP battery, 60 kW rear motor and provisional 290 km WLTP range ahead of wider availability in 2027. All four trims share the same battery and motor, with higher specifications adding equipment and faster AC charging rather than additional range, while every version supports 65 kW DC charging and vehicle-to-load functionality.
MERCEDES OFFERS GERMAN EV OWNERS PAID GRID SUPPORT
Mercedes-Benz is introducing bidirectional home charging in Germany, initially for the electric GLC and C-Class, allowing owners to earn an estimated €500 annually by making their batteries available for grid services. The system requires an 11 kW DC wallbox and compatible electricity tariff, with introductory wallbox pricing of €1,990 potentially allowing customers to recover their investment within four years, according to Mercedes' estimates.
SKODA PRICES EPIQ SPORTLINE AT £32,450
Skoda has priced its Epiq SportLine compact electric SUV at £32,450 in the UK, offering a 55 kWh battery, 155 kW motor, approximately 270 miles of provisional range and 10–80% charging in as little as 24 minutes. The sportier specification adds Matrix LED headlights, 19-inch wheels, electrically adjustable sports seats and vehicle-to-load capability, with first customer deliveries expected in early 2027.
RENAULT CUTS 4 E-TECH PRICE BY €1,810
Renault has reduced the German starting price of its 4 E-Tech electric SUV by €1,810 to €27,690, while improving aerodynamic efficiency and increasing WLTP range to 310 km for the 40 kWh version and 415 km for the 52 kWh model. Drivers also gain manually activated battery preconditioning for more convenient fast charging, making the lower purchase price the most significant improvement in the car's competitiveness against combustion alternatives.
RENAULT SETS €47,000 LAUNCH PRICE FOR NEW ELECTRIC TRAFIC
Renault's new electric Trafic van will initially launch in France at €47,000 before VAT with an 81 kWh battery, up to 470 km of provisional WLTP range and 800-volt charging capable of adding 280 km in 20 minutes, while a cheaper €41,500 version with a 60 kWh battery follows in early 2027. Built alongside diesel Trafics at Sandouville, the electric van offers up to 1.3 tonnes of payload, with Renault estimating total ownership costs up to 10% lower than a comparable diesel.
RENAULT DEMANDS MORE DISTINCT CARS FROM PARTNERS
Renault CEO François Provost wants future vehicles manufactured for Nissan, Ford and Mitsubishi to look and feel more distinctive, acknowledging that the Nissan Micra shares too much of its interior and exterior design with the Renault 5. The strategy aims to preserve the manufacturing savings of shared electric platforms while ensuring partner brands retain their own identities, although greater differentiation will increase production costs.
VALEO PLANS OPEN-SOURCE DRIVING AI
Valeo and research laboratory KE:SAI plan to release an open-source AI driving system, including its code, trained models and datasets, allowing manufacturers to develop and customise autonomous driving technology without relying entirely on proprietary software suppliers. The compact system is intended to work across different vehicles and sensor configurations, but remains a development project requiring extensive validation before any production deployment.
TOMTOM SAYS EV NAVIGATION SETUP NOW TAKES MINUTES
TomTom has launched a self-service platform that it claims reduces the time manufacturers need to configure EV-specific navigation services from months to minutes, using vehicle specifications and real-world driving data to calculate energy consumption and charging requirements. Its routing system incorporates more than 2.3 million charging connectors across 117 countries, potentially allowing manufacturers to introduce tailored EV navigation more quickly without establishing that range predictions are necessarily more accurate.
LUCID AIR US SALES FALL 80.0%, COX ESTIMATES
Lucid's Air electric saloon suffered an estimated 80% year-on-year collapse in US sales to just 506 vehicles during Q3 2026, according to Cox Automotive, while the Gravity SUV recorded 2,202 sales but could not prevent the company's combined US volume declining 14.9%. Alternative estimates differ on the model breakdown, although both suggest Gravity is becoming Lucid's main retail product, while official global deliveries fell 6.7% to 3,806 vehicles.
BMW PLANS OVER €100M FOR ELECTRIC DRIVE COMPONENTS
BMW will invest more than €100 million at its Steyr factory in Austria to manufacture inverter power modules for its next-generation electric drivetrains, with production scheduled to begin in summer 2029. Although the facility continues producing more than one million petrol and diesel engines annually, the investment strengthens BMW's internal control of critical EV technology and demonstrates how established combustion-engine factories are increasingly developing electric manufacturing capabilities.
VOLVO EX60 PRODUCTION PROBLEMS DELAY US DELIVERIES
Volvo's EX60 electric SUV is reportedly suffering battery installation and electric motor manufacturing bottlenecks at its Swedish factory, restricting production to approximately one-tenth of the planned 2,000 vehicles weekly and delaying substantial US deliveries until the first half of 2027. Volvo is prioritising European demand, leaving American customers with limited availability of the EX60 following the discontinuation of the EX30 and EX40 in the US, making manufacturing capacity rather than demand the immediate constraint on growth.

TESLA HALTS MODEL 3 PREMIUM ORDERS WITH QUOTA UNUSED
Tesla has stopped taking Canadian orders for both versions of the Model 3 Premium, claiming its allocation is exhausted despite government figures showing 33,069 of 33,397 Chinese EV import quota places remain available. Canadian rules permit officials to reserve allocations, but no Tesla-specific limit has been disclosed, raising questions about how manufacturers are being granted access to the country's import quota.
US EV SALES REBOUND AS TOYOTA AND RIVIAN GAIN
US electric vehicle sales rose 7.7% quarter-on-quarter to 266,630 in Q3 2026, lifting market share to 6.5%, although volumes remained 38.6% below last year's incentive-driven peak. Rivian gained 45.7% and Subaru grew 31.5%, while Tesla retained approximately 54% market share despite a 19.7% decline in deliveries.
SMART OPENS #2 PRE-ORDERS FROM €19,990
Smart has opened European pre-orders for its new #2 two-seat electric city car, priced from €19,990 in Germany, with a 35.8 kWh LFP battery, 60 kW rear motor and provisional 290 km WLTP range ahead of wider availability in 2027. All four trims share the same battery and motor, with higher specifications adding equipment and faster AC charging rather than additional range, while every version supports 65 kW DC charging and vehicle-to-load functionality.
MERCEDES OFFERS GERMAN EV OWNERS PAID GRID SUPPORT
Mercedes-Benz is introducing bidirectional home charging in Germany, initially for the electric GLC and C-Class, allowing owners to earn an estimated €500 annually by making their batteries available for grid services. The system requires an 11 kW DC wallbox and compatible electricity tariff, with introductory wallbox pricing of €1,990 potentially allowing customers to recover their investment within four years, according to Mercedes' estimates.
SKODA PRICES EPIQ SPORTLINE AT £32,450
Skoda has priced its Epiq SportLine compact electric SUV at £32,450 in the UK, offering a 55 kWh battery, 155 kW motor, approximately 270 miles of provisional range and 10–80% charging in as little as 24 minutes. The sportier specification adds Matrix LED headlights, 19-inch wheels, electrically adjustable sports seats and vehicle-to-load capability, with first customer deliveries expected in early 2027.
RENAULT CUTS 4 E-TECH PRICE BY €1,810
Renault has reduced the German starting price of its 4 E-Tech electric SUV by €1,810 to €27,690, while improving aerodynamic efficiency and increasing WLTP range to 310 km for the 40 kWh version and 415 km for the 52 kWh model. Drivers also gain manually activated battery preconditioning for more convenient fast charging, making the lower purchase price the most significant improvement in the car's competitiveness against combustion alternatives.
RENAULT SETS €47,000 LAUNCH PRICE FOR NEW ELECTRIC TRAFIC
Renault's new electric Trafic van will initially launch in France at €47,000 before VAT with an 81 kWh battery, up to 470 km of provisional WLTP range and 800-volt charging capable of adding 280 km in 20 minutes, while a cheaper €41,500 version with a 60 kWh battery follows in early 2027. Built alongside diesel Trafics at Sandouville, the electric van offers up to 1.3 tonnes of payload, with Renault estimating total ownership costs up to 10% lower than a comparable diesel.
RENAULT DEMANDS MORE DISTINCT CARS FROM PARTNERS
Renault CEO François Provost wants future vehicles manufactured for Nissan, Ford and Mitsubishi to look and feel more distinctive, acknowledging that the Nissan Micra shares too much of its interior and exterior design with the Renault 5. The strategy aims to preserve the manufacturing savings of shared electric platforms while ensuring partner brands retain their own identities, although greater differentiation will increase production costs.
VALEO PLANS OPEN-SOURCE DRIVING AI
Valeo and research laboratory KE:SAI plan to release an open-source AI driving system, including its code, trained models and datasets, allowing manufacturers to develop and customise autonomous driving technology without relying entirely on proprietary software suppliers. The compact system is intended to work across different vehicles and sensor configurations, but remains a development project requiring extensive validation before any production deployment.
TOMTOM SAYS EV NAVIGATION SETUP NOW TAKES MINUTES
TomTom has launched a self-service platform that it claims reduces the time manufacturers need to configure EV-specific navigation services from months to minutes, using vehicle specifications and real-world driving data to calculate energy consumption and charging requirements. Its routing system incorporates more than 2.3 million charging connectors across 117 countries, potentially allowing manufacturers to introduce tailored EV navigation more quickly without establishing that range predictions are necessarily more accurate.
LUCID AIR US SALES FALL 80.0%, COX ESTIMATES
Lucid's Air electric saloon suffered an estimated 80% year-on-year collapse in US sales to just 506 vehicles during Q3 2026, according to Cox Automotive, while the Gravity SUV recorded 2,202 sales but could not prevent the company's combined US volume declining 14.9%. Alternative estimates differ on the model breakdown, although both suggest Gravity is becoming Lucid's main retail product, while official global deliveries fell 6.7% to 3,806 vehicles.
BMW PLANS OVER €100M FOR ELECTRIC DRIVE COMPONENTS
BMW will invest more than €100 million at its Steyr factory in Austria to manufacture inverter power modules for its next-generation electric drivetrains, with production scheduled to begin in summer 2029. Although the facility continues producing more than one million petrol and diesel engines annually, the investment strengthens BMW's internal control of critical EV technology and demonstrates how established combustion-engine factories are increasingly developing electric manufacturing capabilities.
VOLVO EX60 PRODUCTION PROBLEMS DELAY US DELIVERIES
Volvo's EX60 electric SUV is reportedly suffering battery installation and electric motor manufacturing bottlenecks at its Swedish factory, restricting production to approximately one-tenth of the planned 2,000 vehicles weekly and delaying substantial US deliveries until the first half of 2027. Volvo is prioritising European demand, leaving American customers with limited availability of the EX60 following the discontinuation of the EX30 and EX40 in the US, making manufacturing capacity rather than demand the immediate constraint on growth.

BYD LAUNCHES DA HAN WITH 1,008 KM CLTC RANGE
BYD has launched its flagship Da Han electric saloon from 235,900 yuan ($35,200), offering a 102.3 kWh Blade Battery, up to 1,008 km CLTC range (816 km WLTP), and claimed 10–97% charging in nine minutes using dedicated flash chargers. The 5.26-metre luxury EV features standard air suspension, rear-wheel steering and lidar-based driver assistance, with a 570 kW all-wheel-drive version accelerating to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, as BYD seeks to reverse a 71% decline in existing Han sales.
TESLA MODEL Y TOPS CHINA’S SEPTEMBER SALES
Tesla’s Model Y became China’s best-selling passenger vehicle across all powertrains in September with 50,359 sales, ahead of the Geely Xingyuan’s 44,275, despite being the most expensive vehicle in the top ten. New-energy vehicles reached a record 67% of passenger-car retail sales even as the overall market contracted 28% year on year, although Tesla remained fourth among NEV manufacturers behind BYD, Geely and Leapmotor.
BYD PLANS GOD’S EYE FOR EUROPE IN 2027
BYD will introduce its lidar-based God’s Eye B urban driving assistance to Europe in 2027, beginning with the Denza Z9 GT through an over-the-air update, enabling supervised navigation through junctions, roundabouts and city traffic. The Level 2 system uses lidar, 11 cameras and radar sensors with continuous driver monitoring, while rival Xpeng is also preparing European urban-navigation assistance for early 2027.
CHERY OVERTAKES GEELY IN CHINA’S NEV EXPORTS
Chery has overtaken Geely to become China’s second-largest new-energy passenger vehicle exporter, shipping 85,990 vehicles in September, up 25.7% from August, compared with Geely’s 72,893. BYD remains the dominant exporter with 174,277 September shipments and a 31.1% market share, having exported more than 1.3 million NEVs during the first nine months of the year.
XIAOMI’S RANGE-EXTENDERS LIFT SEPTEMBER DELIVERIES
Xiaomi delivered 40,015 vehicles in September, up 32.7% month on month, as its newly launched Sky Nomad N70 and N90 range-extended SUVs contributed 12,444 sales while deliveries of its battery-electric SU7 and YU7 both declined. Despite securing more than 70,000 locked-in orders for the new SUVs, Xiaomi has delivered just 286,490 vehicles against its 550,000 annual target, requiring monthly deliveries to more than double during the final quarter.
XPENG X9 AND AION UT EARN FIVE-STAR RATINGS
The Xpeng X9 and GAC Aion UT have achieved five-star ANCAP safety ratings under tougher 2026 testing requirements, scoring 91% and 90% respectively for crash protection, although their Safe Driving scores were substantially lower at 56% and 68%. The smaller Aion UT combines its safety credentials with a 60 kWh battery and 430 km WLTP range, while ANCAP has urged manufacturers to restore physical controls for essential functions including wipers and demisting.
XPENG SEEKS 500,000 ANNUAL EUROPEAN SALES
Xpeng aims to sell 500,000 vehicles annually in Europe by 2030, representing half its planned global sales, and is exploring expanded European manufacturing capacity with Magna in Austria and other potential partners. Magna already builds several Xpeng models in Graz, but the manufacturer's European deliveries have totalled just over 60,000 since 2020, highlighting the scale of production expansion required to achieve its ambition.
BYD’S LARGER SEAGULL ARRIVES AT DEALERS
BYD’s second-generation Seagull has arrived at Chinese dealerships ahead of launch, growing 425 mm to 4.21 metres and offering 30 kWh or 39.2 kWh batteries with up to 420 km CLTC range (344 km WLTP). Expected to cost below 100,000 yuan ($14,900), the electric hatchback promises 10–97% flash charging in nine minutes, bringing ultra-fast charging technology into the affordable EV segment as BYD attempts to reverse a 66.5% decline in Seagull deliveries.
CHINESE EXPERT WARNS OF BATTERY-RECYCLING COSTS
China’s battery-recycling industry faces rising compliance costs, volatile raw-material prices and immature commercial models as increasing numbers of EV batteries reach retirement, according to Pan Wang of the China Automotive Technology & Research Center. Although revised recycling regulations took effect in April and recovered lithium, nickel and cobalt offer growing environmental benefits, the industry must overcome economic uncertainty to establish a sustainable supply of recycled battery materials.