Highway charging boom during national holiday

China's new energy vehicle highway charging volume rose sharply during the weeklong National Day holiday, data from the National Energy Administration showed on Thursday. During Oct 1-7, highway NEV charging volume reached 163 million kilowatt-hours, averaging 23.26 million kWh daily, up 51.42 percent year-on-year. The figures reflect the rapid growth of China's NEV fleet and the growing number of highway charging facilities. China is the world's largest NEV market. Official data show China's NEV ownership has reached 48.97 million, or 13.19 percent of all vehicles, with NEVs accounting for nearly half of new vehicle registrations in the first half of 2026.

London calling: Pony.ai makes taxi plans for city

Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle maker Pony.ai plan to launch a robotaxi service in the UK, as part of an expanded partnership to bring driverless cars to Europe. The two companies said on Thursday that they would begin testing Pony.ai's Gen-7 robotaxis in London in the coming weeks. The announcement is the latest instance of Uber's ambitious push into autonomous vehicle technology through a growing web of partnerships and investments. Uber and Pony.ai first partnered in May 2025, initially focusing on the Middle East. The partnership has since expanded to Europe, where the companies plan to deploy 2,000 robotaxis, starting with Croatia's capital, Zagreb.

Third-quarter woes for Mercedes in China

German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz saw sales in its core business continue to fall in the third quarter, declining 8 percent year-on-year due to challenging market conditions in China. Car deliveries fell to 407,200 units in the July-September period, the company said in a statement. In China, the drop was 31 percent to 86,800 units, compared with the same period of 2025. Quarterly sales in the top-end segment dropped 21 percent to 53,900 units, affected by the weaker market environment in China and model changeovers. However, its car sales rose by 6 percent in the US and 5 percent in Europe. Group sales of battery electric vehicles, which include cars and vans, rose by 52 percent to 78,100 units.

New look for Jaguar as it unveils Type 01

Jaguar Land Rover unveiled its new Jaguar Type 01 electric car — with an ultra-long bonnet, no rear window and a wealth of technology — in New York as it targets the potential for growth in the US market. The UK-based luxury carmaker said the Type 01, a four-door grand tourer with a starting price of $130,500, marks the "beginning of a new generation of Jaguar vehicles and a transformative new era". The Type 01's design follows the 2024 unveiling of the Jaguar Type 00 concept car in bright pink as part of the automaker's brand relaunch.

Record uptake of electric vehicles in EU

The European Union's uptake of electric vehicles is gaining momentum, with record sales so far this year. It has been driven by a slew of affordable models coming onto the market to bring carmakers in line with EU targets, according to a study. EV sales across the EU totaled 1.64 million units in the January-to-August period, up 45 percent year-onyear, Brussels-based Transport &Environment found in its EV progress report. EVs made up 22 percent of the market during this period, six percentage points higher than the same period of 2025, according to the report. T&E called 2026 "a pivotal year for EV availability", with model choice up 50 percent in a single year as carmakers expand their lineups to meet EU emissions targets.

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