EVs outsell combustion cars in the EU as China's peak-season sales weaken

EVs outsold gasoline and diesel cars combined in the EU, while China's new-energy vehicle retail sales fell 13% during October 1–25. Battery makers moved solid-state technologies into production, even as expanding recalls and uneven earnings exposed continuing safety and financial pressures.

Key developments

Europe crosses a sales threshold

EVs outsold gasoline and diesel cars combined in the EU, with EV sales rising in nearly every member country.

Electric models now account for more sales than the two conventional combustion categories combined in the EU.

Oct 29 · InsideEVs

China's retail demand weakens

China's new-energy vehicle retail sales totaled 753,000 during October 1–25, down 13% year over year and 1% from the same period in September.

Fewer peak-season purchases intensify competition for buyers in the world's largest EV market.

Oct 28 · CnEVPost

Volkswagen battery recall expands

Volkswagen Group's battery recall exceeded 85,000 vehicles, including nearly 13,000 Audi Q4 E-Tron and Q4 Sportback E-Tron vehicles globally. An earlier Audi recall covered 9,048 Q4 E-Trons over battery-fire risk; affected owners are being told to limit charging to 80%.

The charging restriction reduces usable range for affected owners while their vehicles await a remedy.

Oct 26–28 · Electrek · InsideEVs · Electrek

Semi-solid packs enter mass production

Svolt began mass production of 100-kWh semi-solid battery packs. The company says they support 900-volt, 6C charging and can add 500 km of range in 12 minutes.

The production start moves semi-solid packs and their claimed faster charging toward use in vehicles.

Oct 26 · CnEVPost

Solid-state cells use converted capacity

Greater Bay Technology began series production of all-solid-state cells in Nansha, Guangzhou, using 1 GWh of converted lithium-ion production capacity.

Reusing lithium-ion production capacity offers a manufacturing route that does not depend entirely on new factories.

Oct 26 · Charged EVs

BYD grows, with cash under pressure

BYD's third-quarter net profit rose 28% to 10.02 billion yuan, supported by more than half a million vehicle exports, but inventory rose 60% since January and cash nearly halved. October sales reached 490,168 new-energy vehicles, up 11%, with battery-electric sales exceeding 300,000 for the first time.

Rising inventory and falling cash leave BYD with less financial room despite stronger quarterly earnings and vehicle sales.

Oct 29–Nov 1 · Electrek · CnEVPost

R2 leads Rivian's growth

Rivian's third-quarter revenue rose 38% to about $2.16 billion, and the company raised its annual guidance. The R2 became its best-selling vehicle in its first full delivery quarter, although the automotive business remained loss-making.

R2 is now the main sales driver of Rivian's expansion, but higher revenue has not yet brought automotive profitability.

Oct 30 · Electrek · electrive · InsideEVs

Electric Golf development pauses

Volkswagen temporarily halted ID.Golf development because of cost pressure. Work is intended to resume when the necessary investment can be secured.

The funding constraint makes the future electric Golf's development schedule uncertain.

Oct 30 · InsideEVs · electrive · Electrek

CATL sets a solid-state checkpoint

CATL advanced its solid-state battery development to 20 Ah cells and targets small-scale production in 2027. Its development ambitions include energy density of 500 Wh/kg.

The production target provides a dated test of whether CATL can move the technology beyond development cells.

Oct 28 · Gasgoo · hi-Tech.ua · UA.NEWS

LiveWire warns on survival

LiveWire disclosed substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern, with liquid assets just under $40 million. The electric motorcycle maker is exploring financing, strategic partners or a sale despite recently increased sales.

Its ability to sustain operations and remain independent now depends on securing financial support or a transaction.

Oct 31 · electrive

Also this week

Models and deliveries

• BYD opened reservations for the five-seat revamped Denza N8, claiming up to 1,003 km of CLTC range ahead of its November launch. CnEVPost · Electrek

• The 2027 Lexus RZ will start below $50,000 and offer over 300 miles of range, with dealership arrivals beginning early next year. Electrek

• Xpeng began global Mona L05 shipments targeting 65 countries and regions, then launched the SUV in China at a limited-time starting price of 139,800 yuan ($20,820). CnEVPost · CnEVPost

• Kia announced a starting price of about $38,000 for the 2027 EV6, more than $8,000 above the new EV3. Electrek

• BYD launched the larger third-generation Qin Plus DM-i with up to 220 kilometres of electric range. CnEVPost

• Xpeng scheduled Middle East launches of its GX and G9L flagships for next week, with GX orders nearing 4,000 and its overseas store count exceeding 1,200. CnEVPost

• Li Auto launched the 2026 i6 at an unchanged starting price, increasing battery capacity to 96 kWh and making its Mach M100 driver-assistance chip standard. CnEVPost

• The 2027 Ford Mustang Mach-E will start below $40,000 with a standard 88-kWh battery, up to 320 miles of range and a new Trail package. Electric Cars Report

• Hyundai put the facelifted Ioniq 6 on sale in the UK from £33,240, offering up to 422 miles of range and 800V fast charging. Electrek · Electric Cars Report

• Xpeng's October deliveries exceeded 50,000 for the first time, while Nio and Li Auto recorded declines. CnEVPost

• Chery Group sold 295,934 vehicles in October, up 5.3%, with record new-energy vehicle sales and exports exceeding 200,000 for the third time this year. CnEVPost

• Leapmotor launched the A10, known internationally as the B03X, across 19 Thai showrooms, with an updated C10 due to follow this year. CnEVPost

Company strategy

• Volvo plans job cuts following third-quarter losses despite full EX60 order books, while preparing an affordable European electric model for 2027 and two new China models. electrive

• Volkswagen is considering Xpeng co-developed architecture for about 75% of next-generation Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra models, subject to group management review. CnEVPost

• Audi is assigning the ringless AUDI brand exclusively to SAIC and consolidating four-ring Audi vehicles with FAW in China. electrive

• Tesla opened five Vietnam roles covering areas including sales, service and charging, with a recruiter confirming entry into a market where VinFast holds roughly 36% of new-car sales this year. Electrek

• Polestar is ending Chinese production of the Polestar 2 after more than six years and over 200,000 vehicles, ahead of a new successor's early-2027 launch. electrive

• Ford's Model e division lost $1.1 billion in the third quarter, a smaller loss than a year earlier. electrive

• Xiaomi plans to invest about $253 million for a 5.34% stake in Sunwoda EVB, which would make it the battery company's third-largest shareholder. CnEVPost

• Tesla says its Cybercab production process skips the paint shop and brings mostly built vehicles to final assembly, requiring roughly half the factory space. InsideEVs

• Volkswagen plans to dismantle 4,100 vehicles annually at Zwickau and sell reusable components through a factory-backed used-parts business. InsideEVs

• CATL's cumulative buybacks reached 19.37 million A-shares, while an analyst price target was cut by 44.7%. ad-hoc-news.de · ad-hoc-news.de · ad-hoc-news.de

Battery supply

• The CATL-Antam EV battery plant in West Java began production ahead of its inauguration. Jakarta Globe

• GAC's Inpow Battery Technology started production at a new battery plant in Thailand. electrive

• Nexeon secured £52.6 million from the UK National Wealth Fund within a £100 million investment round supporting domestic expansion and a pilot manufacturing facility. electrive

Charging and power

• Ford's upcoming Fathom electric truck will use an onboard DC-to-AC inverter for bidirectional charging, removing the need for an expensive external inverter for home backup. Electrek · InsideEVs

• ChargePoint introduced Express Solo, promising up to 750-kW charging, power sharing between vehicles and lower installation costs. InsideEVs

• Dongfeng Motor and CATL extended their charging and battery-swapping cooperation for another five years. Gasgoo · Gasgoo

• Ionity integrated battery storage at a Baden-Württemberg charging site to enable more charging points and plans 50 storage installations next year. electrive

• Allye Energy introduced the MEV depot charger, using complete second-life EV batteries to deliver up to 400 kW without necessarily increasing grid connection capacity. electrive

• Pennsylvania allocated $37 million through the federal NEVI programme for 515 public charging ports across five counties. electrive

• Milence opened a truck-charging hub with Megawatt Charging System charging in Temse, its fifth Belgian location. Charged EVs

Commercial vehicles

• Amazon announced plans to deploy 3,000 electric trucks in India. electrive

• Rivian began delivering upgraded vans with a larger LFP battery offering 30% more range and a new dual-motor AWD version in early October. Electrek · InsideEVs

• Toyota will build a custom bZ4X with the Waymo Driver integrated on its Japanese production line for a test fleet scheduled to operate in Japan in 2027. InsideEVs · Electrek · Electric Cars Report

• A Tesla Semi caught fire on Interstate 880 in Hayward during the evening commute, with the cause not established. Electric Vehicles Archives

• Rivian's electric van outsold the R1S and R1T combined in the third quarter and ranked as America's fourth-best-selling EV. InsideEVs

• Peterbilt added its medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric trucks to its Sourcewell cooperative purchasing agreement, simplifying procurement for state and municipal fleets. Electrek

Policy and remedies

• The UK's Autumn Budget committed £100 million over two years from spring 2027 to lower prices at local, lower-powered public chargers. electrive

• The Offenburg Regional Court allowed reversal of a Cupra Born purchase under the EU Product Safety Regulation over a potentially defective high-voltage battery. electrive

• The US Department of Energy released a national battery strategy and launched the Battery Manufacturing Accelerator consortium to strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains. Charged EVs

• Great Britain confirmed adoption of Euro 7, including battery lifespan rules, accepting EU and UNECE type approvals without separate GB-specific approval or additional testing. electrive

What to watch

• Watch Xpeng's GX and G9L Middle East launches next week for regional pricing.

• Watch the Denza N8's official November launch following reservations and its claimed 1,003-km CLTC range.

• Watch the Polestar 2 successor's launch in early 2027 as production of the current model ends.

• Watch the rollout of the UK's £100 million local-charging support from spring 2027.

• Watch Volkswagen management's decision on using Xpeng co-developed architecture across next-generation models; the timing is not announced.