The Genesis GV80 Hybrid is the brand's first hybrid, unveiled on 13 August 2026 and due on sale in South Korea in September. It pairs a 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine with two motors in a parallel P1 plus P2 layout for a combined 352 PS (347 hp) and 54.0 kgf-m (529 Nm), driving through a new seven-speed rear-wheel-drive automatic. It is a conventional hybrid, not a plug-in.
Latest news
Ford revealed the Mustang Dark Horse SC Convertible in August 2026, putting the supercharged 795 hp 5.2-litre Predator V8 in an open-top Mustang for the first time. The engine and seven-speed dual-clutch carry over from the coupe unchanged; what is new is a magnesium tower-to-tower brace and MagneRide dampers at all four corners, retuned for touring. Ford has not announced a price.
Genesis unveiled its first hybrid system on 13 August 2026, five years after committing to sell nothing but electric and fuel-cell cars from 2025. It debuts in the GV80 Hybrid next month: a 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine with two motors in a P1 plus P2 layout, 352 PS (347 hp) and 54.0 kgf-m (529 Nm), a new seven-speed rear-wheel-drive automatic, and no charging port.
Aston Martin revealed the Valen at Monterey Car Week on 14 August 2026, a 150-car V12 special making 850 PS (838 hp) and 1,000 Nm. It is the third limited-run V12 the company has built in four years and the first of them without a manual gearbox, using an eight-speed ZF transaxle with shift strategies from the Vantage GT4 race car.
BYD put the Qin Max on sale in China on 13 August at ¥99,900 to ¥143,900 ($14,700 to $21,200), two days after launching the 2027 Seal 06 at ¥99,900 to ¥155,900. The two sedans share a 2,820 mm wheelbase, the same DM-i and EV powertrains and the same second-generation Blade battery, and their bodies are 4 mm apart in length. What separates them is the dealer network.
Kia has priced the 2027 EV3 across seven configurations, from $29,890 to $45,890 before a $1,495 destination charge. The version that travels furthest, 321 miles (517 km), is the second-cheapest one, and every all-wheel-drive trim above it is rated lower.
A 150-car V12 special from Q by Aston Martin, revealed at Monterey Car Week in August 2026. The 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 makes 850 PS (838 hp) and 1,000 Nm, which Aston calls the most powerful front-engined production car in the world. Carbon-fibre body, eight-speed ZF transaxle, first deliveries in Q2 2027.
Top stories
Nissan posted a ¥3.8 billion ($24 million) net profit for the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year, against a ¥115.8 billion loss a year earlier. Global sales still fell 6.7% in the first half of 2026, and the company trimmed its full-year volume forecast to 3.15 million cars.
BAIC and Huawei's second HIMA model is taking Chinese preorders at ¥439,800 to ¥559,800 ($64,200 to $81,700). The angular SUV runs an 800V architecture with all-wheel drive, air suspension and rear-wheel steering as standard, in EREV form with up to 405 km of electric CLTC range or as an EV with 728 km.
The 2027 C-HR arrives in the United States as an electric car only, with dual motors, all-wheel drive and 338 hp in both trims. A 74.7 kWh battery gives up to 287 miles, the charge port is NACS, and the SE opens at $37,080. Sales start in September.
New & upcoming models
All models →A 150-car V12 special from Q by Aston Martin, revealed at Monterey Car Week in August 2026. The 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 makes 850 PS (838 hp) and 1,000 Nm, which Aston calls the most powerful front-engined production car in the world. Carbon-fibre body, eight-speed ZF transaxle, first deliveries in Q2 2027.
The Lucid Gravity GT-S is the performance version of Lucid's three-row electric SUV, with 1,070 hp, a 3.1-second 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) time and seating for up to seven. Lucid projects 373 miles (600 km) of range. Prices start at $125,900 before a $1,850 destination charge, with US deliveries due late in 2026.
The Denza Z9S is BYD's premium-brand electric sedan, pre-sold in China from ¥319,800 ($47,100) with a claimed CLTC range up to 1,100 km - which Denza calls the longest of any mass-produced electric car. A tri-motor Performance version makes 1,194 hp and does 0-100 km/h in 2.68 seconds.
The Electra L7 is a rear-drive electric sedan SAIC-GM pre-sold in China from ¥169,900 ($25,190) after subsidy, or ¥194,900 ($28,910) at list. It claims over 700 km CLTC range, 378 hp, and 450 km added in 10 minutes of fast charging.
BYD's new flagship sedan for China and the first D-segment car in the Dynasty line, sitting above the Han at 5,256 mm long on a 3,130 mm wheelbase. Rear-drive versions claim up to 1,008 km CLTC from a 102.3 kWh LFP Blade pack; an all-wheel-drive version makes 764 hp. A plug-in hybrid variant has also been filed. Debuts at the Chengdu Auto Show in August 2026, pricing unannounced.
MG's flagship fastback for China, replacing the MG 7. Five battery-electric trims opened pre-sales at ¥125,900 to ¥165,900 ($18,600 to $24,500), with a 67 kWh semi-solid-state pack on the cheaper versions and a 91 kWh CATL pack good for 845 km CLTC on the 800V versions. First MG fitted with lidar. A plug-in hybrid has been shown but not priced.
The 2027 C-HR is Toyota's compact electric SUV for North America, sold in Europe as the C-HR+. Every US car is dual-motor all-wheel drive with 338 hp and a 74.7 kWh battery, rated at up to 287 miles (462 km) EPA, with a NACS port. Prices start at $37,080, on sale from September 2026.
Explainers
All explainers →
The Volkswagens sold in China are built by two companies, and one of them is Chinese. That arrangement started in 1983 as a condition of entry, and it has since produced badges that exist nowhere else: Jetta, Wuling, and AUDI in block capitals with no rings. Who holds which half, which brands the ventures invented for themselves, and which of the old partnerships have quietly ended.
Aion is GAC, Jaecoo and Omoda are Chery, Deepal is Changan, Nammi is Dongfeng. Ten Chinese brands whose names do not carry the parent company, grouped by how each one relates to its owner: brands sold only outside China, recent badges on long-established state groups, brands two levels below the group, and one that Huawei supplies but does not own.
Twelve European badges whose nationality does not match their ownership: Cupra, Vauxhall, DS, Opel, Lancia, Alpine, Abarth, MG, Ebro, DR Automobiles, smart and Leapmotor. Some are Spanish or British names owned in Germany or the Netherlands, some are revived badges on Chinese hardware, and several are assembled in a third country again.
Market Data
All market data →
New-energy vehicles took a record 64.4% of China's retail car sales in July 2026, even as NEV retail itself fell 2% year on year - the seventh straight monthly decline. The record came from combustion collapsing faster than EVs are growing.
Skoda registered 457,663 cars across the EU27+4 in H1 2026, up 10.8% year on year, holding second place among all brands for a second straight quarter and pulling 14,966 cars clear of Toyota. Skoda's own EV deliveries rose a record 48%.
Battery-electric cars reached 20.7% of new EU car sales in H1 2026, up from 15.6% a year earlier, while combined petrol and diesel share fell below 30% for the first time. France, Germany and Denmark led BEV growth; hybrids remain the single largest powertrain at 37.3%.
Brands
All brands →
Germany
USA
Japan
South Korea
United Kingdom