UK car sales reached their highest May level since before Covid, with a 7% rise to 160,662 units. Chinese brands like BYD and Chery saw significant growth, alongside Tesla. Electric car sales led the surge, accounting for over 27% of the market.
UK car sales rose 7% in May to 160,662, the highest for the month since before Covid. Chinese brands like BYD and Chery saw significant growth, alongside Tesla. Increased demand for EVs is driving compliance with ZEV targets, despite lobbying for weaker regulations.
Mayıs 2026'da Türkiye'de otomobil satışları açıklandı. Volkswagen 7.374 adetle ilk sırada yer alırken, Fiat 6.310, Peugeot 5.616 adetle onu takip etti. Yerli ve ithal araç satışları ile otomobil ve hafif ticari araç dağılımları da belirtildi.
Rising fuel costs are driving a surge in electric car sales in France, particularly in the used market. Consumers are seeking significant savings on monthly expenses, with some reporting savings of up to 150 euros per month.
New car sales in France rose 3.7% in May to 128,484 units, with electric vehicles accounting for a record 29% market share. Used electric car sales more than doubled, driven by favorable prices and new models.
Sales of new premium cars in Russia increased by 13% year-on-year in April 2026, reaching 11,600 units. Voyah led sales, followed by BMW and Exeed, with premium cars making up 10% of the total Russian auto market.
Sales of new luxury cars in Russia reached 81 vehicles in April 2026, a record high since November 2021, up 4% year-on-year. Rolls-Royce led sales, with the Cullinan model being the most popular.
In the 20th week of the year, Russia saw a 7.4% rise in motorcycle registrations, attributed to the start of the season. New car sales remained stable with a 12.4% year-on-year increase, while LCV and truck sales experienced significant declines.
Chinese passenger car sales in Russia decreased by 14% year-over-year to 47,700 units in April 2026, with Chinese brands holding a 41% market share, down from 55% the previous year.
Electric vehicles now represent 16 per cent of new car sales in Australia, in a growing trend coinciding with record fuel prices.
Electric vehicles now represent 16 per cent of new car sales in Australia, in a growing trend coinciding with record fuel prices.
Profit trajectories between automotive assemblers and electric vehicle (EV) battery producers in China are set to diverge further due to lacklustre car sales and buoyant demand for energy-storage systems. Leading players, including China’s EV battery king Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), would continue to attract buying interest in their shares, spurred by improved profitability, according to analysts. They added that flat vehicle prices, coupled with a dip in new car sales, had...
Hong Kong’s retail sales jumped by 12.8 per cent in March, bringing first-quarter growth to 9.8 per cent, driven by a spurt in sales of electric cars ahead of the withdrawal of tax breaks. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Wednesday showed that retail sales reached HK$33.9 billion (US$4.32 billion) in March. The March increase was largely fuelled by car sales as buyers raced to make deals before the first registration tax concessions for electric cars ended...
BEV sales jumped nearly 60% in April, taking total electric car registrations to more than 2m, says SMMTBusiness live – latest updatesA recent jump in electric car sales in the UK is likely to be “tempered” by worries over rising inflation and energy prices caused by the Iran war, a leading industry body has warned.New car sales in the UK rose by 24% year on year to 149,247 in April, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Continue reading...
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsHSBC profits fall amid $400m fraud-related charge and Iran warAustralia hikes interest rates to 4.35% in blow to mortgage holdersThose credit losses have “overshadowed” HSBC’s results in the last quarter, reports Will Howlett, financials analyst at Quilter Cheviot:HSBC’s quarter was dominated by a sharp and unexpected jump in credit losses, which took the shine off otherwise solid trading and pushed profits just below expectations. A $400m fraud-related loss in the UK drove a marked rise in bad loan charges and has put fresh focus on the risks sitting within more complex lending, even as the rest of the loan book remains stable.Profits were broadly flat on last year, as higher income was absorbed by rising costs and credit charges. Revenues grew 4%, slightly ahead of expectations, helped mainly by fees rather than interest income. Wealth management continued to perform well, though growth has slowed from last year’s pace.“HSBC’s results always bring more of an international flavour than its UK peers. Unfortunately that means the Hormuz crisis looms large in the results, casting a shadow over an otherwise solid set of numbers.The theme is grimly familiar to investors; were it not for the crisis, earnings outlooks would be much rosier. The warnings around the economic impact will only continue to grow the longer the situation remains unresolved.” Continue reading...
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsAustralia hikes interest rates to 4.35% in blow to mortgage holdersThe Financial Times have a corking story this morning – UK chancellor Rachel Reeves had a “fierce row” with US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent in Washington last month, they say.The pair of finance ministers clashed over the Iran war on the sidelines of the IMF’s Spring Meeting, after Reeves said she was “not convinced” that “we are safer today than we were a few weeks ago”.Reeves responded angrily by telling Bessent she did not work for him and disliked how he had spoken to her.She also reiterated her argument about the Iran conflict lacking clear goals and not necessarily making the world safer.“This is a war that we did not start. It was a war that we did not want. I feel very frustrated and angry that the US went into this war without a clear exit plan, without a clear idea of what they were trying to achieve. And as a result the strait of Hormuz is now blocked.”The decrease reflected higher expected credit losses and other credit impairment charges (‘ECL‘) in 1Q26, an adverse impact from notable items and a rise in operating expenses.The macroeconomic outlook is facing heightened uncertainty, creating volatility in both economic forecasts and financial markets resulting in both tailwinds and headwinds.The Group is well-positioned to manage the impacts of these challenges through our high-quality revenue streams, conservative approach to credit risk and strong deposit franchise. Supporting our clients through this volatile period is a top priority.9am BST: UK car sales for April1.30pm BST: US trade report for March3pm BST: US service sector PMI Continue reading...
Germany’s former finance minister is set to become the CEO of the country’s largest auto dealership.
Tesla reported Q1 2026 earnings of $477 million, up 17% year-over-year, with revenue reaching $22.39 billion driven by 16% automotive growth. The company lost its crown as world's largest EV maker to BYD but is pivoting to robotaxis, which doubled miles in Q1, and humanoid robots with planned 10M annual capacity. Capital expenditures surged 67% to $2.5 billion as Musk bets on autonomous driving and Optimus.
Tesla’s profit rose in the first quarter as its car sales rebounded from a sharp slump in 2025.
Tesla reported Q1 2026 financials showing 16% revenue growth to $22.4 billion with net income of $477 million. Automotive revenue rose 16% to $16.2 billion, while energy storage revenues fell 12% to $2.4 billion. Operating margin improved to 4.2% from 2.1% in Q1 2025. FSD subscriptions reached 1.3 million, up 51%, after Tesla shifted to a $99/month model. The company plans to begin Optimus robot production in Q2.
Electric car sales in continental Europe soared 51% in March as rising petrol and diesel costs driven by the Iran war accelerated the shift to EVs. Some 224,000 new EVs were registered last month, with 500,000 sold in Q1 – a 33.5% increase year-on-year. Norway leads with 98% of new cars being electric, while Germany, France, Italy and Poland recorded 40% EV uptake. The switch has reduced annual oil demand by the equivalent of 2m barrels per year.
