Short Torque

Polestar to build new SUV in Europe in 2028

Polestar said on Thursday it would make its Polestar 7 SUV model at a Volvo Cars factory in Slovakia, as the EV maker shifts more production from China and tries to cut its exposure to heavy European and US tariffs. Polestar said the two Swedish companies, both controlled by China's Geely and its owner Li Shufu, had signed a memorandum of understanding and the new model would launch in 2028. "Polestar is taking the next step in diversifying its contract manufacturing footprint by expanding it to Europe," the company said. Volvo's Kosice factory in Slovakia is scheduled to start production in 2026, with an expected annual capacity of 250,000 cars.

XPeng G6 named the best-selling EV in Israel

The XPeng G6, a midsize electric SUV, topped electric car sales in Israel in the first half of 2025, according to figures released by the Israel Vehicle Importers Association on Wednesday. With 3,164 units sold in the first half, the G6 overtook another Chinese model, the BYD Atto 3, an electric compact crossover, which sold 3,009 units in the same period. The next four best-selling electric models in Israel were also from Chinese automakers, each selling more than 1,500 units. These included Chery's Omoda 5 compact SUV, the Lynk & Co 02 compact, the MG4 hatchback from SAIC Motor, and the Geometry C compact crossover by Geely. A total of 21,252 Chinese electric cars were sold in Israel during the period, accounting for 81.2 percent of EV sales in the country.

Tariff fears fuelling custom at GM and Ford

Detroit auto giants General Motors and Ford reported increased US car sales in the second quarter on Tuesday as consumers fast-forwarded purchases ahead of US tariffs. GM notched a 7.3 percent rise in vehicle deliveries to 746,588 behind a continued solid performance in pickup trucks and SUVs, as well as good sales of models geared toward customers seeking affordable vehicles. Ford scored a 14.2 percent jump in sales to 612,095, reflecting the boon from a popular program that offered customers employee pricing on many models. Companies have relied on leftover inventories and have so far refrained from significant price hikes.

Domestic market the key focus of Xiaomi

Xiaomi will only consider selling cars outside China from 2027, Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi, said during a livestream on Wednesday. The company has to focus on its domestic market in the meantime, given robust orders for its SU7 and YU7 cars, he said. The electric SU7 sedan has outsold Tesla's Model 3 on a monthly basis since December and the YU7 SUV received robust orders in the first 18 hours after it went on sale in late June. Xiaomi was telling YU7 customers that they will have to wait more than a year to pick up their cars, sparking a fresh wave of complaints against the company. Many commentators asked about the long waiting times and production ramp-up during the livestream, but Lei offered no clues. "We'll strive to ramp up capacity," Lei said.

More Danish buyers choose electric cars

More than 80 percent of new private passenger cars registered in Denmark in the first half of 2025 were electric, underscoring the country's accelerated shift toward greener transportation, according to figures released by Mobility Denmark on Tuesday. A total of 89,547 new cars were registered across Denmark from January to June, marking a slight increase of 3.8 percent compared to the same period of 2024. Electric cars have seen a significant surge in popularity this year. A total of 57,171 new electric vehicles were registered in the first half, up nearly 47 percent from the same period of 2024. EVs accounted for 63.8 percent of all new car registrations during the period, compared to around 45 percent in the first half of 2024.

Agencies - Motoring