Lincoln production set to return to US

Ford Motor plans to move production of some Lincoln models from China to the United States beginning in 2030, Ford CEO Jim Farley said on Wednesday, adding that the move was difficult but necessary to strengthen the American auto manufacturing base. Vehicles imported from China are subject to hefty duties. The US tariff on the Lincoln Nautilus, the main vehicle Ford imports from China, is 52.5 percent, Ford confirmed. "We made this decision as soon as the policy of the administration was set," Farley said, referring to the tariffs. The US-made Lincolns would be sold in the domestic market as part of a significant effort to scale up output, Farley said, although the company did not disclose where they would be produced.

More robotaxis planned for Europe in Uber deal

Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai announced plans on Friday to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis in Europe under an expanded partnership with Uber. The collaboration, dating back to May 2025, is set to expand from the commercial robotaxi service in Croatia's capital Zagreb to four unnamed cities in Europe, according to a company statement. No timeline was given for when the rollout would be completed. The tie-up's expansion plan also includes the Middle East, the statement said, without providing details. Pony.ai operates paid, driverless robotaxi services in China's four tier-one cities, where it has achieved citywide break-even economics in multiple markets, validating its commercial model for operating robotaxis at scale.

Battery plant back in business after shutdown

A factory jointly owned by General Motors and LG Energy Solution in northeast Ohio, the United States, is scheduled to restart production of battery cells after a seven-month shutdown. The majority of laid-off workers will resume making batteries this week. In total, 1,400 people will be working at the facility. The company ceased battery-cell production there in January because of a drop in consumer demand for electric vehicles. The other GM and LG JV plant, in Tennessee, now makes energy storage system batteries instead of EV batteries. Last week, battery manufacturer Samsung SDI purchased GM's stake in the joint venture the companies had formed to make EV battery cells at an under-construction Indiana plant.

Green light for SAIC to build car factory in Spain

Spain's defense ministry will approve SAIC's plans to build a car factory in the Galicia region, a ministry spokesperson has said. SAIC is one of a growing number of Chinese car and battery makers signing deals to set up plants in Spain, in some cases providing a lifeline for regions where car factories had shut down. The plant, which will build up to 120,000 cars a year for the MG brand, is due to begin construction in 2027 and become operational from 2028. The defense ministry has been involved in negotiations with SAIC for months and has expressed "no concern regarding security", the Galician government spokesperson said. A defense ministry spokesperson confirmed that stance and said the project would be subject to approval by a Strategic Investments Committee.

Demand increases across world for electric autos

Global demand for electric vehicles rose for a fifth consecutive month in July, data from consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence showed on Thursday. Sales of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles rose 9 percent from a year ago to 1.85 million units in July, bringing year-to-date volumes to 11.5 million vehicles. The figures underscore the growing divergence between major EV markets, with European subsidies supporting demand, while the US market has been affected by the removal of federal EV tax credits. Sales in Europe climbed 33 percent to 450,000 units, pushing year-to-date growth to 2 percent. "High growth persisted in Europe's larger automotive markets, many of which have experienced a return of an EV subsidy scheme over the past 18 months," BMI said.

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