On May 1, a government holiday celebrated in Europe and elsewhere to honor labor, President Trump said he was raising tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the EU from 15% to 25%, claiming that the trade bloc had failed to fully comply with a negotiated trade agreement. 
“I am pleased to announce that, based on th

On April 30, the Egyptian Ministry of Industry met with the Chairman and MD of VW Group Africa to discuss plans to expand car manufacturing in Egypt in the near future.
VW is studying plans to build cars in Egypt by working with the Egyptian German Automotive Company (EGA), using existing factories. This could save t

On April 25, multiple sources reported that Mozambique and China are partnering for critical minerals and rare earth metals. The two countries will deepen cooperation in the geological and mineral sectors by using platforms such as the China-Africa Geoscience Cooperation Centre and the Belt and Road International Geo

On April 29, the Government of Egypt announced that its cabinet approved the inclusion of car exports within the export burden refund program. The Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade also activated the investment incentives related to the Investment Law issued by Law No. 72 of 2017 for the automotive sector and

On April 30, 2026, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper on the regulatory framework for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication. The paper follows a MoRTH Task Force Part-1 report submitted in May 2025, after which DoT gave in-principal approval to adopt Cellular V2X (C-V2X

On April 27, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) published a draft notification, proposing amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989. The draft is open for public comments for 30 days from the date of Gazette publication. The key proposed amendments include the following:
·       Exp

On April 29, the Ministry of Heavy Industries amended the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) for N2 and N3 category e-Trucks under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. The amendment introduces stricter domestic manufacturing requirements for three key components, i.e., Battery Management System (BMS), DC-DC Converter, and Vehicl

Reported on April 25, 2026, the Malaysian government is reviewing a possible reduction in road tax for diesel vehicles as a way to offset higher fuel costs, according to the Prime Minister. The Transport Ministry has been tasked with developing implementation details and assessing policy options.
The proposal comes a

On April 28, the Minister of Industry of Egypt discussed Japanese investments in Egypt with the Japanese Ambassador. He stated that the automotive, pharmaceutical, and electronics industries represent key opportunities for enhancing industrial cooperation between Egypt and Japan.
Japanese companies, especially Nissan

On April 28, General Motors reported that its Q1 2026 earnings fell 5.7% compared to the same period last year as it has had to deal with tariff costs, a diminished EV market, and settlements with suppliers after cancelling programs.
However, GM is raising its full-year 2026 EBIT adjusted guidance due to a favorable

On April 23, the U.S. government announced that the Trump administration is offering relief from tariffs on steel and aluminum to individual companies if they make detailed commitments to increase U.S. capacity of primary steel and primary aluminum that supports U.S. production capacity for automobiles, medium- and h

On April 27, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told CBC News that Canada and the U.S. could resolve the ongoing tariff dispute within days if the U.S. side had the "bandwidth and the inclination to go through with it."
Carney said that the Canadian side is ready to work on a deal that would see some of the tariffs

On April 27, India and New Zealand signed a Free Trade Agreement, concluded in a record 9 months from the announcement of negotiations on March 16, 2025. The FTA eliminates pre-FTA peak tariffs of up to 10% on Indian engineering goods and auto components exported to New Zealand, providing zero-duty market access acro

On April 27, the Spanish Association of Automotive Suppliers (SERNAUTO) urged the Administration to take urgent, proportionate measures to address the industry impact of the prolonged war in the Middle East. It is impacting energy markets, global logistics, and the economic environment. Furthermore, supply chain disr

On April 23, the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) welcomed the agreement on the greenhouse gas reduction quota in transport. The Second Act on the Further Development of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Quota creates initial incentives for this and is a step in the right direction.
VDA stated that the

On April 23, the UK Government announced the automated passenger services (APS) permitting scheme consultation and laid the Automated Vehicles (Permits for Automated Passenger Services) Regulations 2026. The government will introduce a legal and regulatory framework needed to allow these services to operate commercia

On April 21, Volklec announced that it has secured new government backing. The combined public and private investment will support the rapid expansion of Volklec’s UK operations, scaling from an initial 1GWh capacity to a 10GWh gigafactory. Following new backing through DRIVE35, Volklec will ramp up two critical prog

On April 23, the Prime Minister of Egypt announced that the government is providing important incentives to the automotive industry, especially in the "electric car industry," and negotiations are currently underway with two global companies to reach a final agreement to produce between 100,000 and 200,000 cars annua

Announced on April 20, 2026, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and BOI led talks in the U.S. to attract semiconductor investment, including applications relevant to the automotive sector (especially EVs and automotive electronics), as well as advanced manufacturing systems.
Discussions with U.S. chip and automation fi

Reported on April 17, 2026, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is urging Thailand to ease non-tariff barriers under a reciprocal trade deal across multiple sectors, including the automotive sector, with automotive standards a key issue. 
Thailand does not recognize US Federal Motor Vehicle Sa