Industry

Chery says the Fulwin A9 locked 18,173 orders in 72 hours, from 115,900 yuan ($17,100). Xiaomi's YU7 took 315,900 in the same window last year, and neither number tells you how many cars will actually ship.

China's regulator will no longer certify new models fitted with the small blue exterior lights used by Li Auto, Aito, XPeng, Nio, BYD, Xiaomi and others to signal active L2/L2+ driver assistance, citing the national lighting standard GB 4785-2019. The rule took effect 27 July 2026; measures for cars already on sale are still under review.

Modern cars stream location, speed, driving style, camera and sensor data, and voice commands back to the automaker. Regulators are now moving to control it: FTC action in the US, GDPR consent rules in the EU, and mandatory in-country data storage in China.

Honda is reportedly weighing a return of the raised Accord Crosstour liftback, internally called Accord SUV, for the US market with production possibly starting in mid-2029. Honda has told Car and Driver the report isn't based on any of its announcements.

UC San Diego researchers found that KARR, an aftermarket alarm installed at dealerships across Southern California, uses one Bluetooth authentication key across all 2.2 million units sold since 2017, letting anyone nearby unlock the car, kill the ignition or sound the horn. Acrisure, which makes KARR, shipped a patch on July 20, 2026, about 18 months after the researchers first reported the flaw. Fixing it requires the owner to install an app update; roughly half of owners do not know the alarm is even in their car.

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 310,667 vehicles in the US after moisture can enter a faulty door-latch microswitch supplied for the driver's door, which can stop the car from detecting that the door is open and keep the electronic parking brake or Auto-Park from engaging. No accidents have been reported.

BMW is launching its largest workforce reduction in years, aiming to cut around 8,000 positions by the end of 2027 - about 20% of administrative and engineering roles in Germany and roughly 5% of its global headcount. Factory workers are exempt, and the company points to a nearly 30% sales drop in China and a shrinking automotive margin.

Honda will pause production of the manual-transmission Civic Si and Acura Integra A-Spec after the 2026 model year ends. Officially the company cites "changing business conditions," but a leaked internal letter from its Canadian plant points to EPA certification trouble for the shared 200 hp 1.5L turbo engine. Honda calls it a pause, not a cancellation, with dealer stock expected to last into early 2027. The Type R and Type S, built around a different 2.0L engine, are unaffected.

BMW is recalling an additional 318,495 vehicles in the United States over a Valeo-built starter motor prone to excess wear, a campaign that also reaches the 2023-2024 Toyota Supra, which shares BMW-sourced drivetrain hardware. Metal dust from the wear can prevent the engine from starting or, rarely, spark a fire. BMW estimates fewer than 0.1% of covered vehicles carry the defect; owner notifications begin August 28.

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed a smaller version of the G-Class will be built exclusively at its Kecskemet plant in Hungary, part of a 1 billion euro (about $1.09 billion) expansion that will make Kecskemet the automaker's largest European factory, with the compact G-Class due to start production in 2027 as an EV with a hybrid variant added later.

Porsche is preparing another round of restructuring as Chinese sales fall, US tariffs bite and EV demand slows, with Reuters reporting plans to raise total job cuts to about 9,000 positions by 2035 while the company refocuses on the 911 and premium SUVs and works more closely with Audi to cut costs.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles considered a range-extender version of the ID. Buzz, adding a small combustion engine to generate electricity and cut dependence on charging stations, but the MEB platform's short front overhang left no space for it without an expensive redesign, so the van stays fully electric.

Ford's Universal EV Platform will use Apple Maps as its built-in navigation system, with range-aware routing and charging-stop planning. The first model, a mid-size electric pickup around $30,000, arrives in 2027. Apple Maps data will also feed Ford's next-generation BlueCruise.

Ford and Geely Auto have signed a 66/34 joint venture to build EVs at Ford's Valencia plant in Spain, confirming and reshaping the informal deal first rumored in May 2026. The venture adds a Bronco-family SUV, a new Ford crossover, and two Geely electric SUVs from 2028; specific Geely models and full powertrain splits remain unconfirmed.

In the ACSI 2026 automobile study, mass-market and luxury brands finished level at 78 points out of 100, and Toyota led the whole industry with 83. Mercedes-Benz was the best luxury brand at 81, while Cadillac fell 15% to last place on 69 and Lexus dropped 10% to 78.

Ford CEO Jim Farley says the company's benchmark factories today are in Mexico and China rather than the US, pointing to stronger process discipline and line-level problem solving, while crediting UAW-staffed US plants with real progress that helped Ford rank first among mass-market brands in J.D. Power's 2026 initial quality study.

Geely has unveiled the Thunder 16-in-1 Intelligent E-Drive, a compact electric drive unit that folds 12 hardware components and 4 control systems into one module. The company says it reaches 93.8% efficiency, among the best figures for a production e-drive, while cutting part count by more than 180 and bringing unit weight down to 75 kg. The unit has already debuted on the Geely Galaxy TT Ultra.

Volvo global sales fell 8 percent in the first half of 2026 to 324,800 cars, but CEO Hakan Samuelsson says the company's most ambitious product plan yet is set to turn that around, starting with the new EX60 electric SUV and a record-demand EX90 flagship, with a strategy reveal and electric successors to the S60 and V60 due later this year.

BYD appointed Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's former foreign and trade minister, to lead external relations and new business development as the Chinese automaker scales up its European operations.

China shipped 1.037 million vehicles abroad in June 2026, the first time monthly exports have passed 1 million, according to CAAM data - up 75.1% year on year. NEV exports reached 523,000 for the month, also a record, as exports offset a 13.4% drop in domestic NEV sales in the first half.