Volkswagen Group is facing the deepest crisis in its 89-year history, driven primarily by a collapse in its traditionally lucrative Chinese market, resulting in plummeting profits, proposed job cuts of up to 100,000, and potential factory closures. The company is struggling to transition from being a market-dominatin

For the first half of this decade, Southeast Asia served as an open playing field for global Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) manufacturers, with the region flooded with fully built, highly affordable models, especially from Chinese brands. Attracted by tax holidays and buoyed by strong consumer demand, drivers in Bang

Tariffs. Slumping Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) sales. Soaring gasoline prices. Geopolitical instability. Rock-bottom consumer confidence. An affordability crisis for new vehicles. All these factors are at work in the US Light Vehicle (LV) market in 2026. And yet, sales are holding up remarkably well. Admittedly, vo

The 2026 SAE Automated Transportation Symposium (ATS) took place in San Diego on July 27–30, drawing OEMs, suppliers, transportation agencies, and regulators together around the task of moving higher automation solutions (SAE Level 3–5) from pilots toward scale. GlobalData’s central finding from the four-day event is

In the first five months of 2026, China’s Passenger Vehicle (PV) exports surpassed 3.5 million units, with New Energy Vehicles (NEVs)—which comprise Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), including Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs)—accounting for over half for the first

At the start of the year, economic growth across Europe for full-year 2026 was set to improve. However, the picture quickly changed as strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drove an energy shock which saw Brent Crude spike above $100 per barrel and lifted fuel and household energy bills across Europ

The 2026 Road Transport Expo at NAEC Stoneleigh, the UK’s largest industry event for fleet transport and Trucks, showcased the latest models from over 350 exhibitors and featured seminars with industry experts and live demonstrations.
At the seminar sessions, Zero Emissions Trucks and related technologies were the ce

The Stuttgart Autonomous Vehicle Tech Expo 2026
At Messe Stuttgart, the 2026 Autonomous Vehicle Tech Expo (6/23-25) brought together OEMs, suppliers, and regulators for three days of tech showcases, talks, and debate. The consensus across the sessions GlobalData attended seemed to be that the technology is close to r

In business, comebacks are celebrated, yet sustaining success is far more difficult. Few companies illustrate that better than Tata Motors. Less than a decade ago, its Passenger Vehicle (PV) business was struggling with an aging portfolio, weak brand perception and declining relevance. Its products failed to resonate

China’s automobile trade-in subsidy policy has undergone a major adjustment in 2026, shifting from being a fixed-amount mechanism in 2025 to a proportion-based system. The aim of this revision is to drive automotive consumption upgrading as well as to boost the development of the domestic new vehicle market across a

In recent years, Thailand’s pickup market has faced one of the most significant downturns in its history, notably underperforming compared to the broader automotive sector. Historically, pickups constituted 40-50% of the country’s total Light Vehicle (LV) market, but the segment’s share has drastically declined from

Autonomous driving is rapidly transforming the automotive industry, shifting control from human drivers to AI-powered systems that can make real-time driving decisions. For decades, human error, including distraction, fatigue, emotional stress, and delayed reaction times, has remained one of the leading causes of roa

Since the early 2020s, the automotive industry has been reshaped by Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Performance and usability continue to improve, but two constraints still steer market decisions: range anxiety and rising exposure to raw-material supply risk and geopolitics.
China remains the global center of gravi

Europe has established a policy framework to electrify its car market and curb its reliance on imported energy, and on the first count, it is delivering. In 2025, a fifth of all vehicles sold in Europe were electric, while 2026 is forecast to end closer to a quarter. March provided the clearest signal yet as Battery

The 2026 Beijing Auto Show stands as a vivid barometer of reshaping power dynamics in the global automotive industry, with exhibition space allocation directly reflecting the shift of industrial discourse power. 
As the undisputed flagship exhibitor, Huawei—encompassing the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, Qian

The Commercial Vehicle Show 2026 held at NEC Birmingham showcased how the UK Commercial Vehicle (CV) industry has moved beyond its transitioning phase and is now actively implementing its electrification and decarbonization ambitions. Fleet decarbonization was among the major themes discussed at the event, reflected

2025 was a challenging year for global politics and the world economy. On one hand, regional conflicts erupted in multiple regions, posing challenges to global energy supplies and maritime supply chains. On the other hand, protectionism gained momentum, with tariff barriers proliferating worldwide, further straining

The conflict in the Middle East has continued to be a focus of concern through March 2026, and certainly since GlobalData’s Global Light Vehicle Sales Forecast (G LVSF) was published on March 10th, 2026. At the time of the G LVSF publication, we had reduced the forecast for the next few years to capture the evolving

Tesla has announced plans to wind down production of its Model S and Model X flagship models, with no successor programs confirmed, while retooling sections of its Fremont factory to support early production of its Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robot later this year. 
The move marks the clearest signal yet that Tesla intend

Despite the trials and tribulations of recent years, European Light Vehicle (LV) sales and production have largely shared the same fate, with both contracting by a CAGR of 3.8% and 4%, respectively, in 2019-23. However, since then, the relationship has started to diverge, with regional output declining by 3.9% in 202