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Mercedes-Benz has started returning physical controls to its interiors after customer complaints about touch surfaces. The new CLA Shooting Brake and electric GLC get a steering wheel with rollers, keys and switches, and that wheel becomes standard on future models.
Uber and Rivian will build a robotaxi fleet on the electric R2 crossover, with Uber investing up to $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031 if autonomy milestones are met. The service starts in 2028 in San Francisco and Miami.
Xpeng has revealed the G9L, a five-seat SUV between the G9 and the six-seat flagship GX on the same 800V platform. It comes as an EREV or a battery-electric SUV, from 286 hp up to 585 hp on the top all-wheel- drive EV. China sales open before the end of 2026.
BMW is preparing its biggest lineup overhaul in years, with more than 40 launches promised across every segment as Neue Klasse design and technology spread from electric models to petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars. The electric iX3 and i3, an updated 7 Series, and the new X5 and iX5 are already underway, with a first electric M model and a BMW Alpina due in 2027.
A month after the global fifth-generation X5 launch, BMW revealed its long-wheelbase Chinese variant. The X5 L gets a dedicated G78 designator and a 130 mm longer wheelbase (3,165 mm), with nearly all the extra length going to rear-seat passengers.
Audi's first full-size flagship SUV, built in Bratislava on a stretched platform. Europe gets a 3.0 V6 turbodiesel with 48V mild-hybrid assistance (245 or 299 hp), 8-speed Tiptronic and quattro; the US gets a 435 hp 2.9 twin-turbo petrol V6. Air suspension, three cabin displays and a panoramic roof with switchable opacity feature throughout. Orders open from July 2026, deliveries from November, from €108,400 in Germany.
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.
Ferrari has sold out its full 2026 production run of the Luce, about 500 cars, in under two months since the May reveal and before the first customer deliveries. China provided most of the demand; CEO Benedetto Vigna says the order book is now filled into 2027.
Audi has revealed the Q9, its first full-size flagship SUV at 5,309 mm long. Europe gets a 3.0 V6 turbodiesel mild hybrid (245 or 299 hp) and quattro; the US gets a 435 hp 2.9 twin-turbo petrol, plus a 591 hp V8 SQ9. Orders open from July 2026, from €108,400 (about $118,100) in Germany, or $87,700 in the US.
Jaguar's first model of its all-electric relaunch, a four-door grand tourer built on the new JEA platform. Three motors put out around 1,000 hp, with a claimed WLTP range past 700 km. Prototypes have been testing publicly since May 2026; the full reveal is due October 2026 in New York, with customer deliveries starting in 2027.
The Xpeng G9L slots between the G9 and the flagship GX, a five-seat SUV on the same 800V platform with a 1,152-litre boot. Offered as an EREV or a pure EV, from 286 hp up to 585 hp on the top all-wheel-drive EV. China sales open before the end of 2026, export to follow.
The BYD Sealion 08 is the new flagship of the Ocean SUV lineup, 5,115 mm long with a 3,030 mm wheelbase and a five- or six-seat cabin. Offered as a plug-in hybrid or a battery-electric SUV, with EV outputs up to 796 hp. China sales expected from August 2026.
The Jetta M6 is the budget FAW-Volkswagen brand's first electric model, a front-wheel-drive sedan close in size to a Volkswagen Passat with 154 hp or 197 hp motor options. China sales are due before the end of 2026; battery capacity and range have not been disclosed.
The shorter, five-seat sibling to Xiaomi's SkyNomad N90, pre-sold in China at 259,900 yuan for the top Max trim. A 76 kWh battery gives 505 km of CLTC electric range - more than the larger N90 - while a 1.5-litre engine works purely as a generator once it's depleted.
The Leapmotor A05 is a budget electric hatchback for China, offered with a 95 hp/39.8 kWh or 122 hp/53 kWh front-motor setup and CLTC range up to 510 km, with a European twin called the B03.
The BMW iX5 60 xDrive is the battery-electric version of the fifth-generation X5, with a 141 kWh pack, up to 845 km of WLTP range, 570 hp and 460 kW peak charging that adds 274 km of range in 10 minutes. A hydrogen fuel-cell iX5 developed with Toyota is planned to follow in 2028.
The fifth-generation BMW X5 (G65) drops the third-row seat and split tailgate, adopts Neue Klasse styling and the new iDrive X interior, and offers petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid power ahead of the electric iX5. The M60e plug-in flagship combines 603 hp with a 98 km WLTP electric range.
America's car industry comes down to a few big names, and not all of the 'Big Three' are American-owned. Here is who owns what: GM, Ford, the Europe-based Stellantis behind Jeep and Ram, Tesla and the EV newcomers, and the familiar names that are now owned abroad.
Most European badges trace back to about five mega-groups - Volkswagen, Stellantis, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Renault. But several beloved European brands are now owned abroad, in China, India and the UAE, and a few Chinese and joint-venture names now sell under European flags. Here is who owns what in 2026.
Japan's carmakers stay overwhelmingly Japanese-controlled, but the ownership lines are still tangled - Toyota holds minority stakes in three of its own rivals, and Nissan, Mitsubishi and Renault are locked into a 25-year cross-shareholding pact that a 2025 Honda-Nissan merger attempt failed to simplify.
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%.
Spain's new-car market grew 7.8% in June, and the Dacia Sandero kept its lead among models - but the bigger story was the BYD Atto 2, which reached Spain's top 10 for the first time as the brand's overall sales more than doubled.
Italy's new-car market grew 10.6% in June, but the real mover was the BYD Atto 2 - the first BYD model to reach third place among every car sold in the country, driven almost entirely by its plug-in hybrid version.
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