Electric Vehicles Cars: News & Models

Hyundai has opened European orders for the Staria Electric, its first fully electric van-based MPV, priced in Germany from EUR 57,450. The Trend and Prime trims seat nine; only the range-topping Calligraphy drops to seven.

BMW has shown the new iX5 Hydrogen undisguised as it finishes its testing programme. Third-generation fuel cells developed with Toyota sit 25% more compactly than before, seven 700-bar tanks hold at least 7 kg of hydrogen, and BMW quotes up to 750 km of WLTP range on prototypes with a refuel of under five minutes. Series production starts in 2028.

Volvo has restyled the XC40, EX40 and EC40 together for the first time since the XC40 debuted in 2017, with new Matrix LED "Thor's hammer" headlights, a redesigned front end, an 11.2-inch infotainment system with Google's Gemini assistant, and new safety hardware. Powertrains carry over: the mild-hybrid XC40 stays at 163 or 197 hp, the electric EX40 and EC40 at up to 436 hp. German pricing starts at €43,990 for the XC40.

Geely launched the Galaxy TT on 10 September at prices from ¥129,900 ($19,170), the entry car 16,000 yuan under the ¥145,900 it had set at pre-sale in August. Range also improved: the 540 km entry tier is gone, replaced by 640 km as the new base across three of the five prices, with a 725 km version added on top.

Audi has published the full specification of its entry-level electric hatchback: four rear-wheel-drive versions from 125 to 240 kW, batteries of 52, 61 and 84 kWh, up to 646 km WLTP and German prices from €38,200 to €51,200 (about $41,600 to $55,800). Orders open on 10 September, deliveries start in December.

Dacia has revealed the second-generation Spring and opened orders in France. The cheapest electric car in its range is no longer assembled in China: it moves to Renault Group's Novo Mesto plant in Slovenia, onto the new RG-EV small platform, with a 60 kW motor, a 27.5 kWh LFP battery and up to 250 km WLTP. Prices start at €17,990 (about $19,600) before incentives.

Li Auto has revealed an updated MEGA, its seven-seat electric MPV. The range narrows to a single Home trim at ¥509,800 (about $75,840), ¥50,000 (about $7,400) below what the previous MEGA Home listed at, while the sensor count goes from one lidar to four and combined output rises from 400 kW to 413 kW. A 108 kWh CATL battery is rated at 710 km CLTC.

Volkswagen has confirmed more than 30,000 European orders for the ID. Polo, with dealers quoting a minimum ten-month wait on individually configured cars - order now and delivery falls in May-June 2027. The company points to demand and to planned capacity at its Martorell plant. Sibling MEB+ models show the same pattern: Skoda has over 35,000 orders for the Epiq, and the Cupra Raval is booked out for months.

BYD has put the Sealion 08 on sale in China in eight versions between 229,900 and 279,900 yuan ($33,900 and $41,300). Every version uses the second-generation Blade Battery, which brings flash charging to the Ocean flagship: 10 to 70 percent in five minutes on the electric cars, which carry a 115.072 kWh pack and up to 900 km CLTC.

On the redesigned Avante in Korea and the new Ioniq 3, the screen behind the steering wheel is no longer standard equipment. Avante buyers can add the 9.9-inch driver's display for 350,000 won ($255). On the entry UK Ioniq 3 it cannot be added at any price. Without it, the speedometer lives on the central touchscreen.

Polestar has added a second body to the Polestar 4 range, and it reverses the car's most argued-about feature: the SUV has a conventional rear window and mirror. It also has 530 litres of boot space, standard roof rails and up to 630 km WLTP, and it undercuts the coupe in Germany, the UK and Australia.

Audi and SAIC have opened the AUDI Innovation & Technology Center in Shanghai, a roughly 300-person R&D operation for the China-only AUDI brand covering chassis, software, AI cockpits and driver assistance. The two companies will jointly develop four models on the new ADP 2.0 platform, the first arriving in 2028.

Tesla has published an online form inviting companies to register interest in buying Cybercab fleets and building Robotaxi infrastructure. It is the first public sign that the two-seat robotaxi may be operated by outside owners rather than only by Tesla itself. Nothing about prices, delivery timing or operator requirements has been confirmed.

Land Rover has opened orders for the first battery-electric Range Rover, built at Solihull on the same line as the petrol and plug-in hybrid cars. Two motors give 542 hp and 850 Nm, the usable 118.5 kWh pack is rated at 372 miles WLTP in the UK and 333 miles EPA in the US, and the off-road figures carry over: 900 mm wading, traction control that reacts in 50 milliseconds, and one-pedal descent on 45-degree slopes. Prices start at $138,000 in the US and £154,070 (about $208,200) in the UK.

Denza has detailed the N8, a five-seat electric SUV that shares its 3,075 mm wheelbase with the six-seat N8L. Chinese filings list two Blade Battery packs and CLTC range from 800 km to 1,003 km, with a tri-motor version making 890 kW (1,194 hp). The interior drops the instrument cluster for a 1.1-metre projection strip and a 30-inch screen. No prices yet.

Toyota is finishing a Lexus factory in Shanghai's Jinshan district, the brand's first production site in China and the first Japanese-owned car plant in the country with no local joint-venture partner. Investment is 14.6 billion yuan ($2.02 billion), capacity around 100,000 cars a year, and production starts in the second half of 2027.

A second-generation BMW X7 has been filmed testing at the Nurburgring with four exhaust tips, which points to a V8 surviving into the new car. The bigger change is the electric iX7 that joins it, reported to run next-generation Neue Klasse batteries and motors on the existing CLAR architecture rather than on a dedicated electric platform.

The Times reports that JLR has paused work on the next-generation Defender, pushing the full electric version into the 2030s. Staff were told the reason is that the current car keeps selling, at around 110,000 units a year. What JLR has confirmed itself is separate: a smaller Defender-family model on the EMA platform, now offered as a hybrid as well as an EV.

Stellantis and Dongfeng have registered Dongfeng Stellantis Automotive Technology, a company with 8.2 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) of capital that will develop two electrified Jeeps and two Peugeots. They are built at DPCA's Wuhan plant from 2027, and the Jeeps are meant for export.

Jetour has opened refundable blind orders in China for the Tourer, the first battery-electric car from Chery's SUV and MPV brand. A certification filing lists a 200 kW rear-drive version and a 275 kW dual-motor version; the battery capacity, the range and the prices are all still unpublished. Sales start in the fourth quarter of 2026.