GlobalData blog: GlobalData revises forecasts down on Middle East conflict 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 events.That adjustment focused on lowering the Middle E...

News  Updated at: 2026/03/26

GlobalData blog: Will the Iran crisis derail the European truck market’s recovery in 2026? Since Israeli and US missile strikes on Iran began on 28 February, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has jeopardised global oil and gas transport and is resulting in sharply spiking oil prices that are translating into soaring fuel and heating oil prices. More than a quarter of all sea-borne crude oil is transported via the Strait of Hormuz (~...

News  Updated at: 2026/03/11

GlobalData blog: Has Chinese light vehicle demand peaked? Over the past decade, China has established itself as one of, if not the leading player in the global automotive sector, holding both the largest domestic sales volume and highest vehicle manufacturing output in the world.  That lead widened again in 2025. The country’s topline domestic Light Vehicle (LV) sales are estimated to reach a seven-year high of 26.9 mn units, up by 5.5% year-o...

News  Updated at: 2026/02/18

GlobalData blog: Navigating 50% tariffs: strategic options for Chinese automakers in Mexico Starting in January 2026, Mexico officially raised tariffs on Light Vehicles (LVs) from 20% to 50%, applying only to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in place. While the change in rate affects many markets, we expect the most significant impact to be felt in China and India. These measures have been under discussion for months and we...

News  Updated at: 2026/01/30

GlobalData blog: The ADAS endgame: Global outlook for Autonomous Vehicles Overall, the autonomous driving endgame is shaping up less like a sudden leap to fully driverless cars and more like a long, uneven climb. Autonomous driving has come a long way since Tesla debuted Autopilot on its Model S in 2014. Today, companies invested in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are navigating a game of hardware costs, software maturity, and regulatio...

News  Updated at: 2026/01/19

GlobalData blog: The rise of FHEVs across Asia-Pacific Over the last few years, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) have been the focal point of the electrification trend, while Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) and Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs) have also recently gained traction. However, across the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China), Full Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FHEVs) are quietly re-emerging as the preferred electrification pathway. In mark...

News  Updated at: 2025/08/22

GlobalData blog: Thailand’s automotive market faces critical challenges amidst shifting regional landscape Thailand’s position in the ASEAN automotive landscape is facing increasing pressure as regional dynamics shift. The country experienced a staggering 26% YoY decline in Light Vehicle (LV) sales in 2024, and the outlook for 2025 remains bleak, with a further contraction of 7% YoY experienced in Q1 compared to an already depressed base duri...

News  Updated at: 2025/06/12

GlobalData blog: GlobalData reduces US light vehicle sales outlook following tariff announcements Under the current tariff implementation, significant risk would be also added to GlobalData's North American LV production forecast GlobalData has carried out detailed analysis on the likely impact of tariffs on automotive imports to the US, including both finished Light Vehicles (LVs) and automotive parts. The following represents a summary of the t...

News  Updated at: 2025/04/10

GlobalData blog: Insights from InterBattery 2025: Korean battery manufacturers showcase innovations amidst global market challenges GlobalData attended the 2025 InterBattery event in Seoul, Korea, from March 5-7, 2025. This year, 688 exhibitors participated, including Korean battery cell manufacturers, raw material providers, and manufacturing equipment suppliers. Concurrently, the Korean Battery Industry Association (KBIA) hosted The Battery Con...

News  Updated at: 2025/03/14

GlobalData blog: Australia: Asia’s mature market down under After a record-breaking year for the Australian LV market, Trump's protectionist trade policies and China’s slowdown are risks to the import-dependent market. 2024 was a record-breaking year for the Australian Light Vehicle (LV) market. Total sales in the country reached an all-time high of 1.21 mn units, representing a 1.8% expansion, and surpassed the 1.2 mn-unit mark for the first...

News  Updated at: 2025/02/14

GlobalData Blog: Thailand’s automotive industry at a crossroads Thailand’s automotive industry stands at a crossroads. While it remains a significant player in the ASEAN region, its traditional strengths are under pressure from global trends and domestic challenges. Thailand, formerly known as “the Detroit of Asia,” is losing its competitive edge as a major auto production hub and exporter, as overseas buyers are increasingly switching to...

News  Updated at: 2024/12/12

GlobalData blog: GlobalData initial impact assessment of the US election result on Heavy Trucks History suggests that the US election result is unlikely to have a material impact on the global truck industry in the very near term beyond creating uncertainty. In the mid- to long-term, however, the impact of Trump’s return to the presidency could be significant, particularly via emissions regulations, trade, and the focus on domestic manufacturin...

News  Updated at: 2024/11/19

GlobalData blog: Are more expensive cars here to stay? The prices of light vehicles surged in the aftermath of the pandemic, but will they ever come down? No, it isn’t your imagination – vehicles really have become significantly more expensive over recent years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Light Vehicle (LV) prices mostly tracked with inflation in the wider US economy, and average disposable incomes were also rising in line with price...

News  Updated at: 2024/10/04

GlobalData blog: The India vs. China discussion A comparison between India and China often emerges as a focal point in discussions and industry conferences. A recurring question is whether India’s automotive market will encounter a take-off point akin to China’s. In my assessment, this scenario is improbable. There are obviously major disparities between these two Asian behemoths, ranging from their forms of government to the development, com...

News  Updated at: 2024/10/02

GlobalData blog: Soaring Chinese vehicle sales in South America, opportunities and challenges ahead In South America, sales of vehicles imported from China have been exploding. Across the region, our forecast shows that vehicles imported from China are poised to account for 24% of the total market in 2024. In Brazil, vehicles imported from China have been growing strongly and Chinese imports are anticipated to more than double year-on-year (YoY) ...

News  Updated at: 2024/09/10

GlobalData blog: Asia-Pacific light vehicle production forecast to slow Asia-Pacific’s Light Vehicle (LV) production ended 2023 on a high note. The region’s production expanded nearly 10% year-on-year (YoY) to a record-high level of 51.8 million units thanks to the robust pace of production in China and Japan, and to a lesser extent, Korea and India. Strong exports were a key driver for growth in the mainland and China became the world’s la...

News  Updated at: 2024/02/29

GlobalData blog: The Asian sales outlook – slowdown ahead The Asian automotive market finished 2023 with phenomenal results. Total Light Vehicle (LV) sales in the region reached an all-time high of 46.1 million units (+9.3%), exceeding the previous record-high of 44.5 million units in 2017. Out of the twelve Asian countries that we tracked in detail, four countries broke their records and registered their all-time highs: China*, India, Australi...

News  Updated at: 2024/02/08

GlobalData blog: Thailand set to be relegated to 3rd place in the ASEAN LV market in 2023 For more than a decade, Thailand and Indonesia have taken turns to be the largest and second-largest Light Vehicle (LV) markets in the ASEAN region. However, 2023 will be a challenging year for Thailand to maintain its position within the top two markets in the region. For the first nine months of this year, Indonesia held on to the top spot with cumulative ...

News  Updated at: 2023/12/12

GlobalData blog: Is global automotive capacity headed for a day of reckoning? The recovery in global Light Vehicle (LV) demand in 2023 has been stronger than expected, as supply constraints eased in most markets. The outlook for 2023 has been increased by 4%, from 85.8 million units in January to 89.2 million units in November. However, this recovery and, more specifically, consumers still face headwinds from high vehicle prices (with the excepti...

News  Updated at: 2023/11/22

GlobalData blog: Can Vietnam remain as Asia’s rising star? The Vietnamese economy and automotive market have been growing fast, in the shadow of its giant neighbour, China. Since the country signed a trade agreement with the US and joined the WTO in the 2000s foreign investment and exports have surged dramatically – and helped boost the nation’s income. In more recent years, the economy has benefitted from global corporations (and even Chin...

News  Updated at: 2023/11/07