Automotive World Magazine – October 2026

In this issue:

Data

• Global light vehicle sales forecast – September 2026 edition
• Renault Group: performance and production forecast to 2030
• Ashok Leyland: performance and production forecast to 2031

Strategy

• BYD sets 2.5 million export target for 2027
• GAC and FAW reorganise as Beijing moves for consolidation
• Ford importing a Chinese-made Transit City; is the game up?
• Ford enters the race for a UK military vehicle contract
• Does Honda have a US$9.4bn challenge for its suppliers?
• JLR seeks shelter from global storms in the US
• Re:Nissan shows signs of progress
• Renault and Geely pledge US$368m more to their Brazil JV
• Volvo Cars picks VW margin operator to succeed Samuelsson
• VW flags US$11.5bn in charges on a Porsche writedown
• Will VW say ‘adios’ to SEAT before 2030?
• Daimler Truck: diesel spike is delaying fleet renewal

Markets

• China tells automakers to keep price wars out of exports
• Is the Chinese EV takeover in ASEAN unstoppable?
• Chinese OEMs record 12% EU hybrid share as tariffs loom
• Chinese could take 11% of US market by 2038 if tariffs go
• Europe’s premium OEMs feel pain as China’s market shrinks
• Hyundai CEO warns US could see Europe’s Chinese car surge
• Toyota props up Japanese car sales growth
• US lowers fuel economy standards while pump prices soar
• Trump admin grills Ford over China ties, Ford rebukes claims
• Trump says he would accept Chinese car plants in the US

Autonomous mobility

• Cybercab launches to muted reception and a federal audit

E-Mobility

• California signs six bills to speed EV adoption, charging
• GM seeks differentiation via diesel while rivals go hybrid
• Range Rover launches its first BEV at a £50,000 premium
• ID. Polo sales affirm small BEV demand is strong in Europe
• Tesla begins Semi deliveries nine years after unveiling
• Gotion and VW plan US$3.67bn European battery investment

Software-defined vehicle

• Honda and Nissan SDV tie-up splits Japan into two camps
• Toyota reportedly seeks to diversify EBIT from new car sales

Manufacturing

• BYD hires 8,000 more at largest China plant amid export boom
• Ford-Geely showcases broader auto restructuring themes
• GM cuts Bolt output by 75% as subsidy loss hits demand
• Nikkei: Honda nears US$2.5bn deal on new hybrid plant in Ohio
• Jaguar Land Rover confirms 4,000 job cuts over two years
• Stellantis Brampton: first casualty of US-Canada trade war?
• VW sells Osnabrück for Iron Dome production, 1,400 jobs saved
• VW union agrees more job cuts needed to secure “next decade”