Schaeffler and ThunderSoft Partner on Vehicle Computing Platforms
German automotive supplier Schaeffler and Chinese software firm ThunderSoft have formed a partnership to develop modular, scalable central vehicle computing platforms. The joint effort aims to replace traditional distributed ECU architectures with a single high‑performance processor that can handle safety‑critical driving functions, driver assistance, and infotainment. Schaeffler contributes its expertise in high‑volume production of complex electronic systems, while ThunderSoft provides software platforms, operating systems, and a technology ecosystem. Initial roll‑out will focus on Asia‑Pacific and Europe, with plans to expand to China and North America.
Japan’s Vehicle Sales Rise by 9% in April
Japan’s domestic new‑vehicle market expanded 9.1% year‑on‑year in April 2026, reaching 373,952 registrations. The growth was driven by a 33% surge in light‑truck sales, while passenger‑vehicle sales slipped 2.3%. Toyota posted a modest 1% year‑to‑date sales increase, bolstered by strong...
Toyota to Build Vehicle Plant in Maharashtra, India
Toyota Motor announced a new vehicle plant in the Bidkin Industrial Area of Maharashtra, slated to begin production in the first half of 2029. The facility, run by Toyota Kirloskar Motor, will produce a new SUV with an annual capacity...
Honda Set for First Operating Loss Amid EV Overhaul – Report
Honda Motor is projected to post a ¥400 billion ($2.55 billion) operating loss for the fiscal year ending March 2026, its first deficit since going public in 1957. The loss follows a strategic overhaul that saw the cancellation of three North‑American EV models...
Toyota Launches Yaris Cross in Malaysia
Toyota’s Malaysian arm, UMW Toyota Motor, has launched the locally assembled Yaris Cross, entering the fast‑growing B‑segment SUV market. The model is offered in both conventional 1.5‑litre ICE and hybrid configurations, priced between US$25,400 and US$28,000. The hybrid combines a...
Mitsubishi’s Net Profit Plunges 76% in FY2025
Mitsubishi Motors reported a 76% plunge in net profit to ¥10 bn ($64 m) for FY2025, driven largely by U.S. import tariffs. Operating profit also fell 63% to ¥75.5 bn, even as global revenue rose 8.3% to ¥2.9 tn. Vehicle sales slipped 5.3% to...
South Korea Report: Domestic Sales Fall 4% in April
South Korea’s five major automakers saw domestic sales dip 4% in April, falling to 123,444 units from 128,639 a year earlier. The decline was driven largely by Hyundai’s production stoppages, even as the country’s GDP grew 3.6% in Q1. Kia...
South Korean Vehicle Import Sales Surge 58% in April
South Korea’s imported light‑passenger vehicle market surged 58% in April 2026, reaching 33,993 units, while domestic sales slipped 2% over the first four months. The boom was driven primarily by battery‑electric and hybrid models, with Tesla alone contributing 29% of...
India Light Vehicle Market Hits New Record in March
India’s light‑vehicle market posted a record March 2026, with total wholesales reaching 512,000 units – a 6% month‑on‑month and 17% year‑on‑year rise. Passenger‑vehicle sales climbed to 441,000 units, up 16% YoY, while light‑commercial‑vehicle volumes hit 70,000, a 20% YoY gain....
Chinese Domestic Demand Slumps but Production Anchored by Export Surge
China’s light‑vehicle market contracted sharply in March, with overall sales down 22% YoY to 4.9 million units and passenger‑vehicle sales falling 19% YoY. Production slipped only 4% YoY to 1.6 million units, highlighting a widening gap between output and domestic demand. Export...
Polestar First Quarter Loss Widens on Tariffs and Pricing Pressure
Polestar reported a widened first‑quarter loss for 2026, posting a net loss of $383 million, a 130.7% YoY decline, while adjusted EBITDA fell to $235 million. Despite flat revenue at $633 million, the EV maker achieved record retail volumes, with sales up 7%...
Continental Increases Profitability in Q1
Continental reported a strong start to 2026, with first‑quarter adjusted EBIT rising 6.1% to €522 million (about $570 million) and the EBIT margin expanding to 11.9% versus 10.7% a year earlier. Net income jumped 197% to €200 million (roughly $218 million) despite a 10.4%...
Goodyear Swings to Loss as Volumes and Costs Weigh on First Quarter
Goodyear Tire & Rubber reported a first‑quarter 2026 net loss of $246 million, reversing a $118 million profit a year earlier. Net sales fell 9% to $3.88 billion as tyre‑unit volumes dropped to 34 million, driven by a 17% volume decline in the Americas....
Automotive Trade Groups Urge US to Extend USMCA over Bilateral Deals
President Trump has reduced tariffs on automotive imports, setting a 15% rate for Japan, the European Union and South Korea and a 10% rate for the United Kingdom. Seven leading automotive trade associations—including GM, Volkswagen, Tesla, Toyota and Hyundai—have written...
Kia Appoints Cycle & Carriage as Key Dealer in Malaysia
Kia Sales Malaysia has appointed the Cycle & Carriage Group as a key authorized dealer, replacing Bermaz Auto after the latter's partnership ended in November 2025. The move is part of Kia’s manufacturer‑driven strategy to tighten control over sales and...
Hyundai Mobis Unveils New 160-kW Electric Drive System for BEVs
Hyundai Mobis unveiled a new 160‑kW (215 hp) Power Electric drive system for battery‑electric vehicles, marking its first fully in‑house developed drivetrain. The system combines a motor, inverter and reduction gear in a modular architecture that can be shared with its...
The Commercial Vehicle Show 2026: Electrification and Decarbonization Accelerate in the UK CV Industry
The Commercial Vehicle Show 2026 in Birmingham highlighted the UK’s shift from planning to action on vehicle electrification and decarbonisation. Exhibitors displayed mature electric light‑commercial vans and heavy‑goods trucks, with the Renault Kangoo E‑Tech achieving a 220‑mile range and a...
Pirelli to Begin Cyber Tyre Manufacturing in Georgia, US
Pirelli will begin manufacturing its Cyber Tyre technology at its Rome, Georgia plant, marking the first U.S. production of the sensor‑enabled tyre. The rollout coincides with Italy’s golden‑power intervention that curtails Chinese investor Sinochem’s board influence. The Georgia facility will...
Lucid Posts Q1 Loss Despite Revenue and Production Rise
Lucid Group posted Q1 2026 revenue of $282.4 million, up 20% year‑on‑year, while vehicle production surged 149% to 5,500 units. Despite the top‑line growth, the electric‑vehicle maker recorded a net loss of $1.02 billion, widening from $366 million a year earlier, driven by higher...
Indonesia Reverses Decision to Cut BEV Incentives
Indonesia’s government has scrapped Home Ministry Regulation No. 11/2026, which would have imposed motor vehicle and ownership transfer taxes on battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The reversal restores the tax‑exempt status that had been a cornerstone of the country’s EV push....
Hevo Explores Foxconn Tie-Up for Wireless EV Charging Production
Hevo, a wireless electric‑vehicle charging startup, has entered preliminary talks with Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT) to explore high‑volume manufacturing of its Rezonant charging‑pad hardware. The discussions are at the technical validation and design‑for‑manufacturability stage, with no production timeline confirmed. Hevo’s...
Honda Scraps Plan to Build BEV Plant in Canada
Honda Motor announced it will postpone indefinitely its CAD 15 billion (US$ 11 billion) battery‑electric‑vehicle plant in Ontario, Canada. The move follows the Trump administration’s rollback of up to US$ 7,500 BEV purchase incentives, which weakened demand in the United States. Honda also cancelled plans...
Ford Future Models: 2026-2036
Ford is committing $2 billion to revamp its Louisville Assembly plant for the first stage of its Universal Electric Vehicle Architecture (UEVA). The debut model, likely named the Ranchero, will be a mid‑size electric pickup unveiled in 2026 and built using...
Nissan Cancels BEV Production Plans for Mississippi Plant in the US
Nissan Motor has abandoned plans to build two battery‑electric SUVs at its Canton, Mississippi plant, citing a slowdown in U.S. BEV demand after federal purchase incentives were withdrawn. The shift is part of the broader "Nissan Vision" strategy announced in...
BYD April NEV Sales Fall 26% Year-on-Year
BYD reported a sharp decline in April 2026 NEV output, producing 322,298 units and selling 321,123, a 26% year‑on‑year drop. Year‑to‑date figures show NEV production at 1.03 million and sales at 1.02 million, both down roughly a quarter from the prior year....
Hyundai Unveils Pleos Connect for Software-Defined Vehicle Architecture
Hyundai Motor unveiled Pleos Connect, a software‑defined infotainment platform debuting on the Grandeur sedan in South Korea. The system features Gleo AI, a large‑language‑model voice assistant that handles multi‑command, context‑aware, zone‑specific requests and integrates an open App Market for third‑party...
Posco Signs US$765m Deal for 30% Stake in Australian Lithium Mines
Posco Holdings has agreed to pay $765 million for a 30 percent stake in Mineral Resources’ Mount Marion and Wodgina lithium mines in Western Australia. The joint venture will give Posco rights to produce about 37,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide annually, enough for...
Hyundai Launches Battery Subscription Service in South Korea
Hyundai Motor Group, together with its finance arm Hyundai Capital, has launched a pilot battery‑subscription service in South Korea aimed at corporate taxi operators using Ioniq 5 electric SUVs. The program follows new Korean regulations that allow EV batteries to be...
Nexteer Puts Steer-by-Wire Into Series Production
Nexteer Automotive has launched series production of its steer‑by‑wire (SbW) system, debuting it on a Chinese new‑energy vehicle that will become the world’s first passenger car with a full drive‑by‑wire chassis. The system, certified to ASIL‑D functional safety by Germany’s...
Aston Martin Narrows Losses Despite Rising Debt in First Quarter
Aston Martin posted a narrower Q1 loss as revenue climbed 16% to £270.4m ($365m) and gross margin rose to 34.7%. Adjusted EBITDA turned positive at £23.2m ($31m) while operating loss fell to £8.9m from £67.3m a year earlier. Net debt...
Volvo Cars Reports Lower Q1 Revenue and EBIT in “Volatile World”
Volvo Cars, owned by Geely, reported a 12% drop in Q1 revenue to SEK 72.6bn (≈$7.8bn) and a decline in EBIT to SEK 1.6bn (≈$172m), yielding a 2.2% margin. Retail sales fell 11% YoY to 153,300 units, while net income slipped 26%...
Mercedes-Benz Posts Lower Q1 Profit, Keeps Full-Year Outlook
Mercedes‑Benz Group reported Q1 2026 revenue of €31.6 bn ($36.9 bn), down 4.9% year‑on‑year, while EBIT fell 16.8% to €1.9 bn and net profit slipped 17.2% to €1.43 bn. Unit sales dropped 6% to 419,430 vehicles, but excluding China the figure rose 5%. Battery‑electric...
Stellantis Swings to Profit in Q1
Stellantis reported a first‑quarter profit of about $440 million, reversing a $440 million loss from the same period last year, with revenue reaching roughly $41.5 billion, up 6% year‑over‑year. Growth was driven by a 6% sales increase in North America, where the company...
Auto China 2026: Huawei’s Ascent From Backend Supplier to Automotive Industry Front-Runner
The 2026 Beijing Auto Show highlighted a dramatic power shift in the automotive sector, with Huawei occupying over 4,400 m² of exhibition space—surpassing BYD and the combined German trio of Mercedes‑Benz, BMW and Audi. By showcasing the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance,...
Ford Raises 2026 EBIT Outlook After First Quarter Profit Rise
Ford posted a dramatic earnings rebound in Q1 2026, with net income soaring to $2.55 bn from $473 m a year earlier. Revenue rose 6% to $43.25 bn despite a 4% decline in wholesale volumes. The automaker lifted its full‑year adjusted EBIT outlook...
LGES Reports Net Loss in Q1 on ESS Ramp Up
LG Energy Solution (LGES) posted a Q1 2026 net loss of KRW 944 billion ($636 million), a swing from a KRW 227 billion profit a year earlier. The loss stems from higher costs tied to the ramp‑up of its U.S. energy storage systems (ESS) plant...
Mitsubishi’s Global Vehicle Production Rises by 18% in March
Mitsubishi Motors reported an 18% year‑on‑year jump in global vehicle production in March 2026, reaching 86,982 units. Output in Japan surged 26% to 51,761 vehicles, marking the fifth straight month of growth, while overseas production rose nearly 8% to 35,221...
Frontera – Why Vauxhall Prices EV and MHEV Identically
Vauxhall has aligned the pricing of its new Frontera SUV’s electric, mild‑hybrid and plug‑in hybrid versions, offering each trim at the same price point. The strategy follows Stellantis’s broader move to simplify trim levels and boost EV appeal, with the...
Maruti Suzuki Records “Highest” Annual Sales and Profit in FY25-26
Maruti Suzuki India posted a record 2.42 million units sold in FY2025‑26, the highest annual volume in its history. Net sales jumped 20.2% to Rs 1.74 trillion (about $18.3 billion), while net profit edged up to Rs 144.45 billion. Domestic sales reached 1.97 million units and exports...
Nissan Sets Out New Strategy as Global Sales Continue to Fall
Nissan unveiled its "Nissan Vision" strategy to halt a near‑40% drop in global sales since 2019 and streamline operations. The plan concentrates on its three biggest markets—Japan, the United States and China—while trimming under‑performing plants and model lines. Nissan aims...
Honda’s Global Vehicle Output Falls 5% in March
Honda Motor Co. reported a 4.8% drop in global vehicle output in March 2026, producing 313,259 units versus 328,944 a year earlier. Production in Japan rebounded, rising over 9% to 66,750 vehicles, while overseas output fell 8% to 246,509 units....
BYD First Quarter Profit Falls 55.4%
Chinese EV maker BYD posted a 55.4% year‑on‑year plunge in Q1 net profit, falling to 4.08 bn yuan ($596 m) as revenue slipped 11.8% to 150.22 bn yuan ($22 bn). Operating profit more than halved to 4.70 bn yuan ($686 m) and cash flow from operations...
GM Raises 2026 Outlook After Tariff Ruling
General Motors reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $43.62 bn, a 0.9% YoY decline, while adjusted EBIT jumped 21.9% to $4.25 bn. The automaker raised its full‑year adjusted EBIT outlook to $13.5‑$15.5 bn after a U.S. Supreme Court decision trimmed tariff costs by $0.5 bn....
Denso Grows FY2026 Revenue and Profit
Denso announced FY2026 consolidated revenue of ¥7.54 trillion (≈$47 bn), up 5.3% year‑on‑year, and operating profit of ¥552.5 billion (≈$3.5 bn), a 6.5% increase. The company lifted its dividend to ¥67 per share and projects FY2027 revenue of ¥7.67 trillion (≈$48 bn) with operating profit of...
Carmakers Warn that Affordable Compact Cars May Leave US Market
Several foreign automakers, including Nissan, Hyundai and Toyota, warned that without a renewed or strengthened USMCA, entry‑level compact cars could vanish from the U.S. market. The current pact provides tariff‑free treatment only for vehicles with North American parts, but recent...
AUDI (Not to Be Confused with Audi) Shows E7X Model in Beijing
Audi unveiled the world‑premiere AUDI E7X electric SUV at the Auto China show in Beijing, marking the second production model from the China‑only AUDI brand. The debut coincides with a new strategic agreement between Audi and SAIC to co‑develop a next‑generation...
Smart Brand Shows Electric City Car Concept #2 at Beijing Auto Show
Smart, the Mercedes‑Geely joint venture, unveiled its Concept #2 electric city car at the Beijing Auto China 2026 show. Built on the brand’s new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), the ultra‑compact two‑seater measures just 2,792 mm in length and boasts a 6.95‑meter turning...
How the Iran War Is Driving Europe Toward Chinese EVs
Europe’s electrification push is bearing fruit, with BEVs projected to represent about a quarter of new car sales by the end of 2026 and Germany recording its first BEV‑only month. The surge is being fueled by higher fuel prices linked...
Audi Revamps Production, Ends A1 and Q2 Lines
Audi announced a sweeping overhaul of its European manufacturing network, ending production of the Q2 in Ingolstadt and the A1 in Spain after 887,231 and 1.38 million units respectively. The changes pave the way for mid‑2026 launch of the Q3 at...
Chery Lepas Brand Shows Electric L4 at Auto China 2026
Lepas, the Chery‑owned brand, unveiled its compact L4 electric crossover at Auto China 2026, showcasing a new global NEV strategy built on the LEX intelligent platform. The L4 is pitched as a lightweight, city‑focused SUV that blends agility with premium...