Europe's plugin share hit a fresh record while US Q2 numbers showed a market contracting but no longer collapsing — and Honda permanently pulled its only North American EV.
Plugin electric vehicles took 25.6% of June new car registrations across 17 European markets, with sales up nearly 40% year-on-year. Sweden reached 67% plugin share in Q2; Norway sustained 98.3%. The market is bifurcated by how aggressively individual countries subsidise the shift.
US battery-electric vehicle sales reached 247,226 units in Q2 2026, a 20.5% decline from Q2 2025, but a 14.7% sequential increase from Q1 — the strongest quarterly result since the $7,500 federal tax credit expired. Analysts describe the market as stabilising.
Honda confirmed it is ending production and sales of the Prologue — its only battery-electric vehicle for North American buyers — with remaining inventory available through early 2027. The decision follows the expiry of the federal tax credit and the end of its GM battery supply arrangement.
Federal regulators formally demanded a specific internal Tesla document as part of their investigation into Full Self-Driving system crashes in low-visibility conditions. The document focuses on the company''s decision to remove radar sensors from its vehicles.
The European Commission released its Electrification Action Plan, committing to 46% electrification of EU energy consumption by 2040 and prioritising vehicle-to-grid technology standardisation to reduce fossil fuel dependency and integrate EV fleets into grid balancing.
Volkswagen reported early commercial success with its electric ID Polo and unveiled a new ID Cross model at the same event, even as the company faces potential workforce reductions of up to 100,000 amid intense Chinese competition.
Chinese manufacturer Xpeng released pricing and specifications for the X9 — a seven-seat electric luxury people mover — in the Australian market at $89,900. It is the latest in a series of Xpeng product expansions beyond China and Europe.