automotiveindustrynews

Citi kept a “buy” rating and a target price of €100 for Volkswagen shares, but noted that the performance of the stock over the next 12 months will largely depend on the European Union’s willingness to take trade-protection measures against competition from China.
After the warning about lower profits that Volkswagen published on Friday afternoon last week, Citi revised its model, reflecting an additional deterioration in VW Core and Audi’s operating performance in 2026 by €1 billion. As reasons, the bank cited pressure from China, competition from Chinese manufacturers in Europe, and margin erosion in the electric vehicle segment. In addition, the bank added about €8.5 billion in additional one-off expenses for the third quarter of 2026, and also accounted for the estimated timing of the rollout of VW’s additional €10 billion restructuring program.

Volvo Cars announced on Sunday that Klaus Zellmer will take over as president and chief executive officer within the next year, replacing Håkan Samuelsson as head of the Swedish automaker.
According to the company, Zellmer will assume the position no later than October 1, 2027.

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD announced plans to launch its first heavy truck on the European market next year, and also intends to set up local production.
Stella Li, executive vice president of BYD and head of the international division, said on Monday at the IAA trade show in Hanover that, in the long term, the company plans to manufacture all vehicles that can be sold in Europe directly on site.

Chinese automakers are set to capture 37% of the global automotive market by 2030, increasing their share from 22% in the first half of 2026, as growing consumer confidence is driving their expansion beyond China, analysts at UBS report.
The forecast was raised from 35%, while the expected market share in Europe has also been increased to 20% from 18%. Chinese brands currently account for about 8% of the European market, and the latest growth rates have exceeded previously expected levels.

Stellantis NV (New York: STLA) plans to invest more than €1 billion ($1.16 billion) in the production of a new van at its plant in France as part of a major restructuring of its European manufacturing capacity. Bloomberg reports this, citing informed sources.
Peugeot and Fiat carmaker is modernizing an existing plant in Ordan in northern France, and is also planning to invest in research and development in other regions of the country to support the production of a new model, sources say.

Jaguar Land Rover announced on Monday plans to cut around 4,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years as part of a cost-reduction program aimed at improving the company’s competitiveness.
British luxury carmaker said it expects to save £1.7 billion ($2.30 billion) and plans to bring its break-even point down to approximately 300,000 vehicles.

Honda Motor (TYO:7267) plans to cut costs by more than $9 billion over the next four years and has asked suppliers to significantly lower prices as the automaker steps up efforts to compete with Chinese electric-vehicle makers, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Hyundai Motor Company (KRX:005380) accelerates the launch of robotaxis together with Motional by the end of 2026 and plans to bring to market by 2028 cars with a software-defined architecture based on Nvidia technologies, while also confirming the sales target for 2030 at around ~5.5 million units and a margin of over 9%. This comes against the backdrop of a generous package of payments to employees and a complete redesign of the next-generation i10.

Chinese automaker BYD Co. is exploring the possibility of purchasing a Stellantis NV idle plant in the Toronto suburb, a local politician said.
Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton (Ontario province), said that about six months ago, BYD approached him with a proposal to discuss producing buses at this facility. Previously, Stellantis had been retooling the plant to produce the Jeep Compass, but the company paused those plans last year after the United States imposed tariffs on foreign-made cars.

Jefferies raised its rating on Mercedes-Benz Group AG shares from «hold» to «buy,» while cutting the target price from €60 to €52, citing the management’s supportive guidance and an «outdated» annual consensus that needs to be revised downward.
According to analysts, the signals sounded at the German-Swiss conference Jefferies on 23.06 were perceived as positive and consistent with confirmation of the margin forecasts. Mercedes-Benz Group is ahead of German automakers «in the pace of restructuring, launching new models, and capital allocation,» the broker noted.

Ford Motor and the Chinese company Geely have reached an agreement under which the American automaker will sell part of its Almussafes plant near Valencia, ABC reports on Wednesday.
The deal will allow Geely to set up electric vehicle production in Spain, ABC reports citing informed sources. An official announcement is expected on Thursday during the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Ford Europe President Jim Farley Baumguis to the Almussafes plant.

Nissan Motor Co. (TYO:7201) is working to reduce the cost of the cars produced in Mexico in order to mitigate the impact of tariffs that have significantly hindered sales of vehicles in the U.S. market, the company’s CEO said.
As talks between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada drag on beyond the deadline of 01.07.2025 for concluding an updated free trade agreement, Nissan is paying special attention to vehicles subject to a 25% duty. This was reported by the company’s CEO, Iván Espinosa, on Bloomberg Television.

Shares of the French automaker Renault rose by 2% on Tuesday after French business newspaper Les Echos reported two unsuccessful attempts by Chinese rival BYD to acquire a stake in the company.
According to Les Echos, the first attempt was made in 2024, and the second in the autumn of 2025. The rejection of these proposals indicates Renault’s clear strategic stance aimed at maintaining control in the key European market.

Improving the performance of Tesla’s automotive division should support near-term profit and help fund investments in artificial intelligence. However, at Morgan Stanley and Barclays, the main drivers of stock valuation are still considered to be Robotaxi, Full Self-Driving, and Optimus.

The war between the US and Israel with Iran has caused gas prices to skyrocket worldwide - and it's got many drivers thinking about whether it's time to switch from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric cars. For residents in some countries, this will be a pretty significant change in their daily lives - but in several regions, as stats show, electric mobility has been gaining traction for the past few years. The numbers vary widely by country, so the global sales figures can skew the reality. However, let's try to clarify things.

BYD stated that it did not violate environmental regulations during the construction of its electric vehicle factory in Hungary, reports Bloomberg citing the words of the company's Executive Vice President Stella Li.
"This is a false claim," Li said at an international conference in Belgrade, adding that the Chinese automaker has engaged lawyers to respond to the allegations made.

BMW stocks took a hit, dropping over 7% on Wednesday after the German automaker slashed its 2026 margin forecast for the automotive segment by more than half, citing a deepening sales slump in China and the fallout from the Middle Eastern conflict. This is one of the sharpest profit warnings the company has issued in recent years.

Great Wall Motor plans to capture between 3% and 5% of the European automotive market by 2030 by launching at least 10 models over the next two years. This was stated on Thursday by the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Nicole U.
The Chinese automaker entered the European market at the beginning of this decade, focusing on electric vehicles, but ran into difficulties amid intense competition. Currently, the company sells vehicles in the UK and Germany through local importers, and also has its own subsidiary structures in Italy and Spain.

Suzuki Motor Corporation reported operating profit for the first quarter of ¥158.0 billion, 11% higher than the same period last year. Operating margin was 9.3%. The results matched market expectations.
The company revised its full-year operating profit forecast downward — to ¥540 billion from ¥570 billion. Suzuki faced a negative impact on profit of ¥110 billion due to higher raw material costs related to the situation in the Middle East.

Honda Motor (TYO:7267) reported profit and revenue for the first quarter that exceeded expectations, and raised its full-year guidance. The weakening yen, along with strong results in the motorcycles and financial services segments, more than offset costs related to tariffs and the decline in car sales.