On December 15, Volkswagen announced the ID. Polo, the first of four new small and compact electric cars priced from EUR 25,000, to be launched from 2026. The ID. Polo introduces the new “Pure Positive” design and offers more space and driving performance similar to a larger car. It is also the first electric ID mode

On December 15, Smart started real-world testing of its new all-electric #2, using the new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA) platform.
The smart #2 will keep the fortwo’s key features, including a two-door, two-seat layout, rear-wheel drive, and compact proportions. At the same time, the car will be fully redesigne

On December 12, Volkswagen Group started a new testing phase in Wolfsburg, Germany, with its self-driving research vehicle, Gen.Urban1. After extensive testing, the vehicle can now drive autonomously in real city traffic. The project studies how passengers feel riding in a car without a steering wheel or pedals and w

On December 12, the European Commission welcomed a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on new rules for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). The regulation covers how vehicles are designed, produced, and recycled at the end of their life. Better collection, dismantling, and recycling will he

On December 13, MAN Truck & Bus announced that it has been awarded to supply more than 3,000 buses to Deutsche Bahn, Germany, between 2027 and 2032, with many of them being fully electric. It is the largest-ever bus contract for the company. The vehicles will be used across Germany by DB Regio AG for regional transpo

On December 15, BMW officially opened its new Cell Recycling Competence Center (CRCC) in Salching, Lower Bavaria, Germany. The center was built and is operated with regional partners, led by BMW and its joint venture company Encory, Germany.
The CRCC uses direct recycling, where leftover materials from battery cell p

On December 11, 2025, Keto Motors signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Telangana to set up a greenfield electric bus manufacturing facility at Jadcherla with a proposed investment of around INR 3 billion. The plant is planned with an initial annual capacity of over 1,000 electric buses, s

On December 15, 2025, Wheels India Limited signed a technical assistance agreement with Tokyo‑headquartered Topy Industries for the design, development, and manufacture of aluminium alloy wheels. Under the agreement, Topy will provide technical know‑how and engineering support to enhance Wheels India’s cast aluminium

On December 15, 2025, JSW MG Motor India launched the facelifted MG Hector SUV with prices starting at INR 1.199 million and going up to INR 1.95 million for the top-tier variant. The model continues with a 1.5‑litre turbocharged gasoline engine (MT and CVT) producing 143 PS and 250 Nm and is offered in both 5‑seater

Announced on December 15, 2025, XPeng Motors plans to launch its third overseas localized manufacturing initiative, selecting Malaysia as the next base to deepen its footprint in Southeast Asia.
The company recently formalized a partnership with Malaysia’s EPMB Group to move forward with the project, marking XPeng’s

PTC announced that HOLON, a subsidiary of the Benteler Group, has used its Windchill+ product lifecycle management (PLM) software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution to develop the HOLON urban, an automotive-standard autonomous Level-4 electric vehicle (EV).
HOLON has replaced manual, paper-based processes with this cloud-b

Elektrobit Automotive GmbH (Elektrobit) has joined SDVerse, the automotive industry’s first B2B marketplace for software, to expand access to its extensive portfolio of software solutions for OEMs and suppliers.
This collaboration accelerates the development of software-defined vehicles. It helps automakers and suppl

On December 12, 2025, the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) reported that Rheinmetall AG officially opened its new factory at the SZTE Science Park in Szeged, completing an EUR 69 million investment.
Supported by HIPA, the facility is Rheinmetall’s only production site outside Germany to operate with fully

Knorr-Bremse AG (Knorr-Bremse) has received an extended supply contract for its electronic levelling control (ELC) systems from a leading truck manufacturer. The order volume is in the lower triple-digit million-euro range.
The company will supply around 200,000 ELC systems in three model sizes annually until 2033, c

According to multiple press releases dated December 10, the ID. UNYX 07 midsize battery electric sedan, the first cooperative vehicle model between VW Group and XPeng, will roll off the production line at VW Anhui on December 31.
Built on VW Group’s CEA (China Electronic Architecture) architecture for the Chinese mar

According to multiple press releases dated December 11, GAC Group will enter the Japanese EV market with its Aion sub-brand in the summer of 2026.
For Japanese sales operations, GAC Group plans to entrust M Mobility Japan, an agent in Nakano, Tokyo. Two battery electric vehicle models will initially be introduced, na

On December 11, SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) held a ceremony for the inauguration and production line commissioning of the Saike Chongqing site, a.k.a. Saike Ruipu Chongqing Branch. The site will focus on supporting the CF510V project, an SGMW project on the development of finished battery electric, fuel, and range-extended

On December 11, a joint laboratory for flying cars between JAC Group and its two partners was officially opened.
Under the agreement, the joint laboratory will focus on tackling nine related core technology paths along the complete chain “from flying car configuration design to operating models” to build a perfect te

On December 10, Zhejiang Geely Farizon New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group Co., Ltd. (Geely Farizon) signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing Xingshunda Bus Co., Ltd. (Xingshunda Bus) in Beijing. The two companies also announced that the U11E new energy highway bus was put into operation.
The U11E measur

On December 11, at the 2025 Guangxi-ASEAN International Automobile Exhibition‌, SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) globally debuted the Xingguang 560 versatile hardcore SUV. The model is available in four ICEV (internal combustion engine vehicle), PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), and EV (battery electric vehicle) variants,