MITI clarifies open investment rules for BYD and other foreign automakers in Malaysia Reported on March 31, 2026, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) has issued a statement clarifying its policies on foreign automotive investment and BYD’s CKD assembly plans in Malaysia. Earlier reports suggested that MITI had imposed restrictive conditions on BYD’s Tanjung Malim plant, including a reported requirement to export up to 80% of...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

more sustainable and connected EV ecosystem. Under the agreement, Vikki Bank will provide suitable land and financial backing to help V-Green expand its network. The partnership will also enhance Vikki Bank’s operational spaces with daily amenities, attracting new customers while better serving existing ones. V-Green currently operates 150,000 charging ports across 34 provinces and cities. In 2026, the company plans to add 99 supercharging stat...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

ons with touch and intelligent voice interaction directly into the lighting system. It features ultra-slim lighting modules of just 15 mm x 120 mm. Its interactive functions include opening the vehicle front trunk (frunk) via touch on the illuminated logo or through voice control in Chinese and English. Flat Lit Surface digital rear lighting is a 3D digital rear lighting solution combining OLED technology and Folia-LED surface lighting to deliver...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

2026 Isuzu D-Max with new 2.2L turbocharged diesel engine launched in Malaysia Announced on March 31, 2026, the 2026 Isuzu D-Max has been launched in Malaysia, headlined by a new 2.2L turbodiesel engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission, alongside styling and equipment updates. The new RZ4F-TC 2.2L four-cylinder turbodiesel replaces the 1.9L unit, producing 163 PS and 400 Nm, and is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission co-developed w...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

Japanese government holds first cross-ministerial task force meeting for stable supply of important goods Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Ryosei Akazawa, who was appointed as the minister in charge of securing stable supply of essential goods, held the first cross-ministerial task force meeting on April 2 and received a briefing from relevant ministries concerned about the supply of fuels, naphtha, and other essential go...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

Six Japanese OEMs’ U.S. sales fall for the first time in four years (Jan–Mar 2026) Six Japanese automakers’ new vehicle sales in the U.S. from January to March 2026 totaled 1,416,619 units, a year-over-year (y/y) decrease of 5.4% for the first time in four years. The reason for the decline is believed to be the previous year’s robust sales from a last-minute surge in demand before higher automotive tariffs took effect (in April 2025). Cru...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

Mitsubishi Materials to collaborate with U.S. company on rare earth recycling Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (Mitsubishi Materials) announced that it has decided to make an investment in U.S.-based ReElement Technologies Corporation (ReElement) and signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on recycling rare earths and rare metals in both Japan and the U.S. ReElement engages in recycling critical mineral resources such as rare earths. ...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

FAW-VW launches Sagitar S sedan On April 1, FAW-VW launched the Sagitar S sedan. The model is available in four variants, with prices ranging from CNY 79,800 to CNY 105,800. The Sagitar S measures 4,702mm long, 1,815mm wide, and 1,484mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,688mm. The Sagitar S features a front-engine FWD layout. Equipped with a powertrain comprising either an 81kW/141Nm 1.5L engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission or a 118kW/250Nm 1.5...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

LG Chem to strengthen automotive electronics material business South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd. (LG Chem) announced that it has unveiled a plan to expand its electronic material business, from current KRW 1 trillion (JPY 110 billion) in sales to KRW 2 trillion (JPY 220 billion) by 2030. Prior to this, the company positioned automotive electronic components, semiconductors, and next-generation displays as the main areas of its business and integrated ...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

Toyota Motor Hamura is established, taking the lead in ladder-frame vehicles Toyota Motor Hamura Co., Ltd. (Hamura City, Tokyo), a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) that took over the Hamura Plant (Hamura City, Tokyo) from Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino), was established on April 1 and announced its corporate philosophy and other details. As a leader in ladder-frame vehicle production—featuring a structural ladder-like frame...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

Stellantis reportedly in talks to build Leapmotor EVs at idled Brampton, Ontario plant Stellantis is reportedly in talks over options for building electric vehicles (EVs) in Canada with Chinese partner, Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co., according to people familiar with the matter. The development follows on changes in Canadian industrial policy as a result of imposition of tariffs and other pressures from the Trump administration on OEMs to mov...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

GM’s joint venture in China seeks to build vehicles in Mexico General Motors and its Chinese joint venture, SAIC-GM-Wuling, are reported to be in advanced talks to manufacture vehicles in Mexico. The move comes amid shifting trade policies, as Mexico raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 50% in January. The joint venture already ships approximately 130,000 Chinese-built Chevrolet Aveo, Groove, and Tornado vans annually to Mexico, but adding loca...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

1 2026 totaled 626,429 vehicles, a decline of 9.7% compared to the same period a year earlier. GM says it expects a similar decline for the U.S. auto industry as a whole since the current market has been feeling the effects of winter storms (as well as affordability and gasoline price concerns) and is being compared to an exceptionally high selling rate in March 2025, before tariffs and ahead of EV credit discontinuation, when sales came in at a ...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

Kia Seltos earns 5-star Bharat NCAP rating in India On March 30, 2026, Kia India announced that the all-new Seltos has received a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating with a combined score of 76.70, the highest for any ICE vehicle tested under the programme to date. It scored 31.70 points for Adult Occupant Protection, the highest-ever AOP score among ICE vehicles in BNCAP history, and 45.00 points for Child Occupant Protection. The vehicle is built on the...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

Hero MotoCorp, India picks up 36.67% in Euler Motors On April 1, Hero MotoCorp completed the acquisition of 268,219 Series E Cumulative Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares in Euler Motors for INR 2.1 billion, part of a broader INR 2.75 billion additional investment approved in February 2026. Post acquisition, Hero MotoCorp holds 36.67% of Euler Motors on a fully diluted basis, up from its earlier associate-level stake. Euler Motors is a Be...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

Covestro, Germany, Marquardt, and E Ink develop design-integrated surfaces for automotive interiors On April 2, Covestro announced that Marquardt is developing a door interior panel that maintains the visual and haptic properties of polyurethane (PU)-coated textile synthetics commonly used in automotive interiors, while enabling a dynamic color-changing responsive display to be invisibly embedded within the surface, under its Centum project.  Ma...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

ArcelorMittal supplies Usibor 1500 steel for Renault’s new generation BEV models On March 31, ArcelorMittal announced that it is supplying Usibor 1500 XCarb recycled and renewably produced steel for five hot-stamped structural parts used on Renault 5 E-Tech electric, Alpine A290, and Renault 4 E-Tech electric. ArcelorMittal started supplies in September 2025. This steel grade is produced via scrap-based EAF production route with 75% scrap conte...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

Agratas, India completes steel frame at Sanand battery gigafactory On April 2, Agratas, the Tata Group's global battery business, completed the steel frame structure at its Sanand facility in Gujarat, a key construction milestone keeping the 20 GWh first-phase gigafactory on track for production in 2027. The structure spans 700 metres in length, 150 metres in width, and rises to 34 metres at its highest point, covering a built-up area of 105,000 ...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

results from its Nano-Encapsulated Sulfur (NES) Cathode Active Material (CAM) platform, leading to an expansion in the Collaboration Agreement scope with TDK Corporation. These developments further validate the performance potential and commercial readiness of Gelion’s cathode technology. Gelion is seeking to replace the strategic minerals in current Lithium-ion battery cathodes with Gelion’s NES that are low-cost and can be dropped into exi...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

hat it sold 1,143 electric commercial vehicles and produced 1,344 units in FY 2025-26 across its bus, small commercial vehicle, and newly entered medium and heavy commercial vehicle truck segments. The company has a confirmed order book of 6,000-plus e-buses for delivery over the next two years and is scaling up planned annual manufacturing capacity to 10,000 buses, 6,000 trucks, and 24,000 SCVs across two operational Pune facilities and a Pitham...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02