Industry

The two companies signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to jointly develop vehicles for America. No specific models or technologies disclosed - both sides say they are beginning to explore possibilities.

Stellantis and Dongfeng signed a memorandum to create a 51/49 European joint venture. Voyah vehicles will be assembled at the Citroën plant in Rennes, currently running below 25% capacity.

Europe's first commercial robotaxi service is launching in Zagreb, using Pony.ai's autonomous stack on the ArcFox Alpha T5 platform.

Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa announced the E-Car programme - a family of electric vehicles under 4.2 metres, priced from €15,000, built to the EU's proposed M1E simplified safety standard. Three brands (Fiat, Citroën, Opel), one plant (Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy), production from 2028. The Dacia Hipster concept is the design reference for what M1E vehicles could look like.

China's state broadcaster CCTV aired an investigation into "battery lockdown" - OTA updates that covertly reduce battery capacity and charging speed to avoid warranty claims. 12,000+ complaints in March 2026 alone (+273% year-on-year). Eight automakers summoned; three under formal investigation; two have already recalled affected updates. New rules ban hidden OTA battery changes from 2026.

Hyundai Motor Group unveiled Pleos Connect, a new infotainment platform for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Wide horizontal display, physical controls retained, Gleo AI assistant, Android Automotive OS. Debuts on the Grandeur in Korea in May, then on the European Ioniq 3.

Geely has agreed to buy the newest building at Ford's Almussafes (Valencia) plant. The plan: Geely GEA-platform models (BEV and PHEV) plus new affordable Ford EVs on the same Chinese architecture.

Chery's Jaecoo and Omoda sub-brands will be assembled locally in Kazakhstan from Q3 2026, at the AMMKZ plant in Almaty. Jaecoo J5 and J7 PHEV are first; Omoda C5 and C7 follow. Astana Motors replaces Aster as the official distributor for both brands.

The Kia K3, successor to the Rio, has entered production at the ADM Jizzakh plant in Uzbekistan. Full manufacturing cycle, up to 25,000 units/year. Two petrol engines. Pricing announced in May.

Leapmotor is localizing B05 production at Stellantis's Zaragoza plant in Spain. Currently sold from €26,900 in Europe (imported from China); local production is expected to bring the entry price to around €19,500 after subsidies.

The Navara Pro for the Middle East is actually the Chinese-market Frontier Pro under a different name. Here's how Nissan's pickup lineup currently maps across markets.

Nissan is reducing its Sunderland plant from two production lines to one. The freed space is being negotiated with Chery and Dongfeng. Transformation starts H2 2026.

The petrol Macan outsells the electric version - 10,130 of 18,209 Macans sold in Q1 2026 were combustion-engined. Porsche is discontinuing it anyway. Leipzig production ends summer 2026; a combustion replacement on Audi Q5 III underpinnings arrives in 2028 under a different name.

Ford's Model e division posted a $4.8B operating loss in 2025 on top of $10.7B in programme writedowns. GM added $6B. The F-150 Lightning is discontinued. Cadillac Lyriq, Vistiq, GMC Hummer EV, and Escalade IQ production is being cut. Both companies are pivoting to hybrids and EREVs.