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Europe
Manager Magazin reported on 26 Oct, and Reuters confirmed via a person familiar, that VW brand chief Thomas Schäfer will propose using the ‘China Electronic Architecture’ (CEA), co-developed with XPeng, for the core brands’ European volume models instead of the Rivian-based architecture. Schäfer’s team puts the saving at €4–5bn; models cited include the ID. Golf, ID. Passat and Škoda Enyaq. The proposal was due to go to management on Tuesday 27 Oct; no decision has been taken, Audi and Scout are not included, and VW declined to comment. Critics inside VW question how easily CEA can be adapted to EU regulation, and Rivian supporters worry about cost-sharing in the $5.8bn joint venture.
Companies Volkswagen, XPeng, Škoda, SEAT/Cupra, Rivian, Audi
Source: Reuters via Euronext (26 Oct) · Manager Magazin (26 Oct, DE) · CnEVPost (27 Oct) · derStandard / Reuters (26 Oct, DE)
Europe
VW Group and NXP announced the partnership on 26 Oct at VW’s suppliers fair (IZB) in Wolfsburg. The S32K5 will be the core processor in the zonal controllers of the architecture developed by Rivian and VW’s joint venture RV Tech, handling lighting, body, comfort, chassis and safety functions across all brands and segments. VW says this consolidates functions that previously needed separate chips and ECUs, and that it is building direct long-term relationships with chipmakers for supply resilience.
Companies Volkswagen, NXP, Rivian
Source: Volkswagen Group press release (26 Oct) · NXP investor release (26 Oct) · dpa via Yahoo Finance (26 Oct)
Asia
Bloomberg, citing Dataforce, reported on 26 Oct that registrations of Chinese brands in Europe roughly doubled year on year in Q3, led by hybrids, giving them 12.7% of the market against 11.9% for Japanese makers including Toyota. September share jumped almost three points from August to 14.5%. Five years ago Chinese brands had about 1%. Chery’s Jaecoo 7 was the UK’s best-selling model in September. The EU agreed earlier this month in principle to curb hybrid imports from China, and Chery (Barcelona), BYD (Szeged) and Leapmotor (Zaragoza) are localising.
Companies Toyota, Chery, BYD, Leapmotor
Source: Bloomberg (26 Oct) · Taipei Times / Bloomberg (27 Oct) · The Herald Business (27 Oct) · Autoline Daily (26 Oct)
Global
Provisional results published on 26 Oct show 238.2m shares tendered, worth about €3.43bn. The threshold, lowered to 80% after Iveco’s 16 Oct EGM approved the back-end merger resolution, is met. Final results are due by 07:29 CET on 29 Oct, payment on 30 Oct, and the offer reopens from 2 to 6 Nov, with payment for those shares on 13 Nov.
Companies Iveco
Source: Offeror press release, GlobeNewswire (26 Oct) · Tata Motors exchange filing (27 Oct) · CNBC TV18 · Moneycontrol
Americas
Porsche reported on 27 Oct nine-month revenue of €25.28bn (down 5.9%) and operating profit of €1.74bn, a 6.9% return on sales after 0.2% a year earlier, when realignment costs were €2.7bn (about €0.5bn this year). Deliveries fell 16% to 178,532. Automotive net cash flow rose to €2.5bn, mainly from the sale of its Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group stakes; Q3 cash flow absorbed €100–200m of realignment costs, €250m of pension funding and €200m of US tariffs. Full-year guidance is kept at €35–36bn revenue and 5.5–7.5% operating margin.
Companies Porsche
Source: Porsche AG press release (27 Oct) · Investing.com (27 Oct) · Dow Jones preview via MarketScreener (27 Oct, DE)
Europe
Handelsblatt and AFP reported on 22 Oct that BMW stopped taking applications for its voluntary-leaver scheme, open to about 40,000 non-production staff in Germany, because the target had been reached earlier than planned. Reports put interest at about 5,000; BMW did not give a final number. The wider plan removes about 8,000 jobs worldwide by end-2027, more than half in Germany, mostly outside direct production.
Companies BMW
Source: Handelsblatt (22 Oct, DE) · Boursorama / AFP (22 Oct, FR) · Világgazdaság (Oct, HU)
Europe
The ballot result came out on 26 Oct. IG Metall Völklingen said it would decide on a strike call depending on how management proceeds in the insolvency, which was filed last week. The union wants jobs kept and talks on a social plan, and says there are enough profitable production contracts for the coming years. Aios makes parts for several Mercedes luxury models; about 200 people work in Überherrn and close to 300 across its sites.
Companies Aios, Mercedes-Benz
Source: tagesschau / SR (26 Oct, DE) · SR.de (26 Oct, DE) · saarnews (26 Oct, DE)
Americas
Reuters reported on 26 Oct, citing sources, that Washington and Ottawa are negotiating relief from Section 232 tariffs of up to 50% on Canadian steel and 25% on vehicles, led on the US side by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. A deal could come before the 3 Nov elections but is expected to be narrow, and the US wants further concessions. Separately, Chery executive vice-president Zhang Guibing told Bloomberg (23 Oct) the company is looking at idle capacity in existing Canadian plants or a factory with local investors ahead of a 2027 sales launch.
Companies Chery
Source: Reuters via Investing.com (26 Oct) · Reuters via Air Freight News (26 Oct) · CnEVPost / Bloomberg, Chery (23 Oct) · Financial Post, Chery
Global
Automotive News reported on 26 Oct that Toyota expects external sales of engines and hybrid systems to grow from more than $550m in 2026 to nearly $1.7bn by 2032. New compact 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines designed for hybrids and plug-in hybrids arrive from 2027. Toyota did not name buyers; it has close ties with Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki and Daihatsu. Mazda and Subaru are reported to have their own plans.
Companies Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki
Source: Automotive News (26 Oct) · Autoline Daily (26 Oct)
Asia
The president of the Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers’ Unions (JAW) told Reuters on 26 Oct that the group is discussing a higher target for the 2027 spring wage talks than in previous years, linking pay to productivity and the value of work rather than only offsetting inflation, as Japanese carmakers compete with China. No figure has been set yet; for 2026 the group sought at least ¥12,000 a month in base pay.
Source: Reuters via Investing.com (26 Oct) · Reuters Japan via d menu (26 Oct, JP)
Asia
Bloomberg reported (via Just Auto, 26 Oct) that VW has frozen capital spending on its Indian EV programme, although design work for an entry-level electric platform developed for China (CMP 21) is complete. Funds stay on hold until a commercial structure with JSW Group is agreed; VW and JSW confirmed last month they are studying a joint project covering combustion, electric and hybrid cars for India and export. The group is pursuing a 15% cut in overall investment.
Companies Volkswagen
Source: Just Auto / Bloomberg (26 Oct)
Global
LME copper cash settlement was $14,500/t on 26 Oct and three-month $14,332, up from $14,215 and $14,096 on 22 Oct. The roughly $168 premium of cash over three-month metal points to tight nearby supply even though LME stocks are near 273,000 t, up from about 225,000 t in mid-October.
Source: Westmetall LME copper series · LME copper page