February 19, 2026
Chinese BYD has revealed the interior and key specifications of the Racco, a compact urban runabout tailored to Japan’s uniquely popular kei segment. But in a European context, it could become something much more significant: a test case for whether the EU is serious about enabling a new generation of genuinely affordable small EVs. Japan’s […]
February 16, 2026
Audi’s plan to reinvent itself in China is further unfolding. Its new 670-horsepower E7X electric SUV has been spotted during winter testing, months after regulatory filings first revealed the model’s core specifications. When Audi chose to create a China-only brand written in capital letters rather than crowned by its familiar four rings, it was a […]
February 16, 2026
China’s car industry is facing a regulatory reset. After the fire-prone battery standards and the ban on retractable door handles, a new draft for safety rules published by the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) signals two remarkable backsteps: no more yoke-style steering wheels and no more screen-dominated dashboards. Could this ripple through […]
February 16, 2026
In early 2026, China’s luxury passenger car market reached a critical inflexion point as traditional European premium brands collectively adjusted pricing strategies amid continued sales erosion in the world’s largest auto market, according to the influential local website 36kr. Data from the 2025 calendar year showed that cumulative China sales for BMW, Mercedes‑Benz, and Audi […]
February 13, 2026
Fresh registration data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), the UK-based market intelligence firm tracking the global EV, battery, and critical minerals supply chains, show worldwide EV registrations (battery-electric and plug-in hybrid combined) fell 3% year-on-year in January to just under 1.2 million units. The decline was driven by a sharp reversal in China and a […]
February 13, 2026
Toyota has overtaken Volkswagen in battery-electric car sales in China. A symbolic passing of the crown in the world’s largest car market that underlines the growing pressure on Europe’s biggest automaker. The reversal comes as Volkswagen has slipped to third place overall in China, ceding ground to domestic rivals and exposing the limits of its […]
February 13, 2026
The European Commission has exempted Volkswagen’s Cupra brand from additional tariffs on its China-built Tavascan. Cupra is the first automaker to secure approval under the EU’s price floor mechanism for Chinese-made battery electric vehicles. In detail, the decision removes a 20.7 percent anti-subsidy duty that had been applied on top of the bloc’s standard 10 […]
February 12, 2026
The company car is becoming the new bull’s eye in left-wing circles. After Groen’s train-for-car proposal, Belgium’s governing socialist party, Vooruit, wants to restrict tax breaks for company cars to vehicles largely produced in Europe. Protection or posturing? Interesting twist: including their batteries. But above all, these parties would rather abolish the system that has […]
February 12, 2026
After presenting it in China, BYD is planning to launch the Atto 3 Evo in Europe in spring 2026. It won’t be a routine facelift as the ‘Evo’ badge – short for evolution – signals a deeper technical reset for one of the brand’s most important European models. The compact SUV moves to an 800-volt […]
February 11, 2026
Windrose, the Chinese electric truck start-up with production plans in the Port of Antwerp, is looking to innovate in the AI sector with containerized data centers and battery backup systems. Founder & CEO Wen Han took to LinkedIn to float the idea… using AI artwork and very little concrete data. Windrose has faced many hurdles […]
February 10, 2026
BYD intends to localize production of its compact electric SUV, the Atto 2, in Hungary. This should reduce its retail price by several thousand euros compared to the lots built in China, avoiding import fines. However, the Hungarian site itself is facing regulatory scrutiny from Brussels over alleged state subsidies. BYD is betting that European […]
February 09, 2026
China’s Changan Automobile and battery giant CATL have unveiled what they claim is the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle powered by sodium-ion batteries. It’s a major step for a technology that has long been seen as a lower-cost, safer alternative to lithium-based systems. The car, a variant of Changan’s Nevo A06 sedan, contains a 45 […]
February 06, 2026
A Chinese man’s daily driving habit has unexpectedly turned into a peculiar experiment in electric vehicle durability. So put away your established assumptions about battery lifespan under scrutiny. Mr. Feng, the proud owner of a Xiaomi SU7 Pro, has driven over 265,000 kilometers in just 18 months, and his car’s battery still retains 94.5% of […]
February 06, 2026
XPeng has lifted the veil in China on its most ambitious SUV yet: the XPeng GX, a large flagship crossover widely expected to reach Europe from 2027 as the brand expands its presence in the large premium SUV segment. Positioned at the top of XPeng’s lineup, the GX is designed from the ground up around […]
February 05, 2026
Ford Motor and China’s Geely Group are said to be in early talks about sharing European manufacturing capacity, allowing Geely to assemble vehicles at under-utilized Ford plants in Europe, rather than on a full joint venture or merger of operations. While neither company has confirmed details publicly, several media outlets, including Reuters, have reported negotiations, […]
February 05, 2026
Avatr, a still largely unknown Chinese EV brand in Europe and part of the Changan group, has sent a clear signal that it is no longer designing cars solely for its domestic market. On February 5, the brand released official images of the Avatr 06T, a low, sleek station wagon that immediately stands out in […]
February 04, 2026
MG has unveiled the MG4 Urban EV in the UK. The model shares its name with the current MG4 but introduces a completely new approach and replaces its base version. With a softer design and lower prices, it’s designed to woo customers considering entry-level battery-powered car models, yet it packs remarkable tech underneath. Although the […]
February 04, 2026
The Chinese electric carmaker BYD, until recently the world’s top EV seller, is facing a sharp downturn in domestic demand as government support dries up and price battles rage across the country’s once-booming green car sector. A 30% drop in sales in the first month of the year has sent the company scrambling to maintain […]
February 03, 2026
The European Union is struggling with its strategy to reduce its dependence on other countries for the supply of strategic raw materials for the energy transition. Obstacles hinder domestic production, and recycling remains embryonic. However, demand for these materials will only increase sharply over the decade. Raw materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare […]
February 02, 2026
Chinese battery heavyweight CATL believes it has found a new way to take the edge off one of the electric car’s biggest anxieties: how long will my expensive EV battery last? In a short video released in January 2026, the world’s largest battery maker claims its latest 5C battery can withstand repeated ultra-fast charging while […]
January 30, 2026
Antwerp’s industry gets an electric jolt. Windrose, a little-known Chinese electric truck startup with outsized ambitions, has chosen the Belgian port city as the site of its first European factory. With promises of thousands of vehicles, hundreds of jobs, and a streamlined supply chain linking China, Belgium, and France, the decision marks a breakthrough after […]
January 29, 2026
China has issued its first mandatory national standard for automatic emergency braking (AEB), making the system compulsory for all new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles from 2028 onwards. The move introduces a formal nationwide safety baseline in the world’s largest car market, but comes several years after comparable requirements were already enforced in Europe. […]
January 28, 2026
Chinese carmaker Chery has unveiled the Rely R08 EV, its first fully electric pickup truck under its wholly owned brand, marking a notable step into a segment that remains small but strategically important in Europe. A segment traditionally ruled by the Toyota Hilux, alongside models such as the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, and Volkswagen Amarok. Launched […]
January 27, 2026
In the battle for China’s car market, the high ground remains occupied. While Western carmakers have been steadily losing share in the broader landscape — overtaken in many segments by aggressive, fast-rising domestic rivals — their dominance at the very top of the market is proving stubbornly resilient. New data on 2025’s best-selling ultra-luxury vehicles […]
January 26, 2026
Guangzhou Shipyard International has launched the world’s largest car carrier to date, capable of transporting 10,800 vehicles. The LNG dual-fuel vessel is surpassing the previous generation of 9,000–9,500-car ships that only recently seemed enormous, and it’s intended for South Korean Hyundai. On the surface, it is a story about scale and engineering. Underneath, it is […]
January 26, 2026
Geely, the Chinese group behind brands such as Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, and Zeekr, just announced that it will complete its first in-house all-solid-state battery pack in 2026 and start testing it in cars. It reignites one of the electric car industry’s most persistent promises: a battery that charges faster, goes further, and is safer than […]
January 22, 2026
A new ‘Italian-built’ and fully electric sports car is set to come to life. The SC01, a lightweight, two-seat electric sports car developed by a little-known Chinese start-up, is now preparing for a limited European launch and intends to do so by assembling the car in Italy. Production will be deliberately limited to around 1,000 […]
January 20, 2026
Smart has named Germany head Wolfgang Ufer as its next Europe chief. Ufer is a long-serving insider who has now been tasked with stabilizing a brand under pressure from tariffs, falling registrations, and an increasingly crowded electric vehicle market. Smart said Ufer will take over leadership of its European operations in March. He succeeds Dirk […]
January 19, 2026
Porsche closed 2025 with its steepest global sales decline since the financial crisis era. The main scapegoat? Another year of falling deliveries in China. The slide erased gains elsewhere and forces the sports car brand to seriously rethink how it competes in the world’s largest auto market. Porsche delivered 279,449 vehicles worldwide last year, down […]
January 19, 2026
The European Union is weighing whether hybrid vehicles from China should face the same penalties as battery electric models made in the region. Just as Brussels and Beijing are attempting to steady their relationship with price floors, the debate has been reopened. Chinese brands are heavily mediatized for their competitive electric cars, but hybrids account […]
January 16, 2026
Nissan’s newest SUV, developed and launched first in China, signals a clear break from the product playbook that has defined the brand’s global lineup for the past decade. The NX8, a car from the Dongfeng Nissan subsidiary, is a reminder that much of Nissan’s zero-emission innovation is now emerging from its Chinese joint venture rather than […]
January 13, 2026
Mercedes-Benz entered the new year under growing pressure to demonstrate that its electric strategy remains on track. Latest figures show the German premium carmaker lost more ground to BMW in battery-electric vehicle sales last year. Chased hot on the heels by the competition, demand has weakened in key regions. A spark of hope comes from […]
January 13, 2026
The European Union has opened a narrow path for Chinese electric vehicle makers to sidestep punitive import duties. Detailed guidance shows how minimum prices could substitute for tariffs that have caused trade tensions between the two blocs since 2024. But why does Brussels want to hand over its extra income from punitive tariffs to the […]
January 10, 2026
Air quality in Beijing is better than ever. In 2025, the city reported more than 340 days of ‘good’ or ‘moderate’ air quality, attributable to strict emission regulations and the growing number of electric vehicles in Chinese cities. Heavy pollution days dropped from dozens per year in the early 2010s to almost zero. Over the […]
January 08, 2026
Chinese appliance maker Dreame, stepping onto the CES 2026 stage in Las Vegas, clearly hadn’t come to talk about better suction power alone. Next to robot vacuums and cordless cleaners, the company unveiled three dramatic electric sports car concepts. An idea that it has been playing with for some time now, coming true in Vegas, […]
January 08, 2026
Smartphone maker Xiaomi has given its SU7 electric sedan a significant mid-cycle update in China, underscoring that its ambitions in the automotive sector extend beyond a one-off debut. And Europe should pay attention. The refreshed model, now open for pre-orders ahead of an April 2026 launch, brings higher-end hardware, longer range, and more advanced driver-assistance […]
January 06, 2026
Chinese start-up Leapmotor is rocketing toward the big leagues. The brand became China’s No. 1 NEV start-up car brand, with a 103% year-on-year increase in sales, bringing its total to over 600,000 vehicles sold. And to add to the tally, the company has unveiled its first MPV, the D99. Leapmotor was founded in 2015 and […]
January 06, 2026
BMW has started trial production of its Neue Klasse electric vehicles at its factory in Shenyang. With the ongoing pre-series of the long-wheelbase BMW iX3, the company considers itself prepared for the start of series production in 2026. According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, the first pre-series units of the long-wheelbase iX3 have been […]
December 30, 2025
The world’s largest-ever electric vehicle winter test just concluded in China, and the results show how extreme cold punishes driving range. Chinese EVs dominated the rankings, but one American and one Japanese model still cracked the top ten. The test was conducted by Autohome, China’s largest automotive media outlet, which drove roughly 67 new EVs […]
December 29, 2025
The first batch of Deepal electric SUVs has officially left Thailand for Europe, marking a concrete new phase in the expansion of another Chinese carmaker on the European market. The shipment concerns the Deepal S05, produced at Changan Automobile’s newly opened factory in Rayong, Thailand. It is the group’s first overseas production site dedicated entirely […]
December 29, 2025
It’s no secret that the Alliance of Renault with its two Japanese partners, Nissan and Mitsubishi, has been under pressure in recent years. At the same time, collaborations with the Chinese car manufacturing group Geely have multiplied. Is Renault steadily preferring Geely over its Japanese partners? Renault started collaborating with Geely in 2021. First in […]
December 29, 2025
XPeng is preparing to give its P7+ sedan a new role on the global stage. The key change is not just a facelift, but a fundamental shift in powertrain strategy, one that seeks to monetise the lingering grip of range anxiety on European car buyers. The Chinese electric vehicle maker has confirmed that the updated […]
December 22, 2025
Ford just introduced the Bronco New Energy in China, a fully battery-electric version and an extended-range electric variant, at a starting price of just over 32,000 US dollars. It quietly confirms a fundamental shift in how the company has, for some time now, treated several of its most recognizable nameplates. In the US, it remains […]
December 22, 2025
Chinese automaker Leapmotor, partner of Stellantis, plans to produce up to four models at Stellantis’ Spanish plant in Figueruelas near Zaragoza. As expected, production will start with the B10, followed by three additional models by 2027. The news was reported by the Spanish portal Forococheseléctricos, citing statements from Ding Yongfei, Leapmotor’s Global Quality Director. “We […]
December 19, 2025
The promise of solid-state batteries is not waning, even as electric-vehicle adoption faces more headwinds now that the EU has revised its 2035 ban. In both China and the US, progress is tangible, as evidenced by the latest results from companies like QuantumScape and WeLion. Hongqi, a car manufacturer, has committed to bringing the technology […]
December 19, 2025
Chinese automaker BYD announced this week that cumulative output of its electric and plug-in hybrid models has reached 15 million units, a figure that now exceeds the combined lifetime electric-vehicle production of Tesla (8.1 million) and the Volkswagen Group (under 3 million). That acceleration mirrors what is happening across the global market. Recent analysis shows […]
December 18, 2025
China is moving one step closer to a full ban on automatic flush door handles, which have become a commodity on so many electric cars. Following a series of fatal incidents, in which rescuers were unable to access burning vehicles, Beijing has launched a public consultation on a new set of safety rules. These would […]
December 16, 2025
According to a newly released statement from Smart Europe, the fully electric #2, to be launched at the end of 2026, has entered an intensive real-world validation phase on its entirely new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA). The #2, expected to become the spiritual successor to the original Smart Fortwo, arrives at a moment when the […]
December 15, 2025
Geely has unveiled a vast new safety complex in eastern China, a flagship project shaped by the engineering competence of its Swedish subsidiary, Volvo. The Chinese car group wants to leverage its competitive edge and plans to make safety, alongside reliability, a sales argument in an increasingly crowded market. The new facility carries a price […]
December 15, 2025
The EU and China have resumed negotiations on a minimum price plan for electric cars manufactured in China. Most recently, the EU had examined a possible exemption for Volkswagen from EV tariffs, which now appears to have set the process in motion again. Representatives of the European Union and China are once again discussing alternatives […]
December 13, 2025
Best known until now for televisions and household electronics, Chinese Skyworth has set its eyes on the Belgian car market. To stand out in the plethora of Chinese newcomers, the brand promises an 11-minute charge with grace from the 800-volt network. The question remains whether its K800V SUV can earn enough trust with sharp numbers […]
December 11, 2025
Mercedes has inked a significant new supply deal with South Korea’s LG Energy Solutions. On paper, the agreement appears to be a routine procurement for the carmaker’s next wave of electric models. But in practice, it exposes the deepening malaise within Europe’s battery ambitions, as one of the continent’s flagship manufacturing projects continues to miss […]
December 10, 2025
German luxury carmaker Mercedes has partnered with Chinese software firm Momenta to deploy autonomous S-Class limousines, aiming to differentiate itself from Waymo and Tesla with a premium offering. Mercedes is to enter the commercial robotaxi market with a fleet of autonomous S-Class limousines in Abu Dhabi, as the German manufacturer attempts to carve out a […]
December 09, 2025
When Chinese battery giant CATL announced last week that fully electric vessels capable of open-ocean voyages could be commercially viable within three years, the claim sent a jolt through the maritime world. Batteries have already reshaped personal mobility and are rapidly gaining ground in Europe’s leisure boating market, but scaling them to the demands of […]
December 09, 2025
Lotus has unveiled its first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) based on the Eletre SUV. The Lotus For Me, as it’s called in China, features a dual-motor electric drivetrain aided by a gasoline engine for additional driving range. But apart from that, the electric performance is perhaps even more interesting… Lotus was set to become an […]
December 08, 2025
Smart has unveiled the first official images of its new #6 sedan via China’s MIIT filings, confirming a significant shift in direction for the brand — one that points to a different trajectory than the one Smart follows in Europe. The #6 mirrors the plug-in hybrid approach of the Smart #5, underscoring how Smart China […]
December 05, 2025
It begins with a thud that shouldn’t be survivable. In a video ricocheting across Chinese social media and picked up by YouTube channel Planet Car News, a two-ton palm tree with a trunk thicker than a man’s torso is dropped on a gleaming BYD Yangwang U8L luxury SUV. The impact is violent, the shockwave rippling […]
December 04, 2025
The European Commission wants to make Europe less dependent on rare materials and other critical raw materials. It is allocating a budget of €3 billion for this purpose. Among other things, the program includes restricting the export of waste that can be recycled for valuable materials essential to the green transition, such as rare-earth metals […]
December 02, 2025
Since December 1st, China has introduced new, stricter regulations to improve the safety and quality of e-bikes, particularly their batteries. With more than 350 million e-bikes, the country has the world’s largest fleet. The stricter safety requirements govern battery safety and are intended to prevent illegal modifications that could reduce the risk of fire. The […]
December 02, 2025
Geely took to the legendary Paris-Beijing route – or rather, vice versa – to make a point about the durability of its Galaxy M9 SUV. Tale to the story: the car not only reached its destination in good shape, but engineers also dismantled the model overtly to demonstrate its resilience. Automakers typically prefer their vehicles to […]
