Edition No. 6Covering October 19–25, 2026Published October 26, 2026
The $823 Payment, GM's Trucks Pay for the Future and Volvo Hits the Wall
The average new-car payment hit an October record even though prices have stopped rising. GM's pickups are paying for its self-driving future, Volvo lost money and cut 2,500 more jobs, Tesla said it wants to sell a car with no steering wheel by the end of the year, and CATL wants electric semis to swap batteries in 5 minutes.
The week's theme was what it costs. For American buyers, it's a monthly payment that hit an October record while prices stood still. For automakers, it's the next generation: GM is paying for eyes-off driving with its pickups, Volvo is struggling to pay for its future at all, and Tesla wants to sell a car with no steering wheel before the rules for one are written. And Ferrari reminded everyone what drivers will still pay for: the chance to do the job themselves. As always, every story carries a status line, because a final count, a forecast and a promise in a press release are not the same kind of news.
Affordability · United States
A forecast for October, from J.D. Power and GlobalData, released October 22 · final sales come in early November
The Average New-Car Payment Hits an October Record: $823
The price of a new car has stopped rising, and incentives are up 13%. The monthly payment went up anyway, because the money costs more and the loans run longer.
New cars on a dealer lot. The average transaction price has barely moved in a year, and the average payment keeps climbing.
TROY, Mich. — The average monthly payment on a new vehicle financed in October will be $823, up 2.6% and the highest ever for an October, J.D. Power and GlobalData forecast on October 22. The average transaction price is barely changed, at $46,329, and incentives are up 13.1%, to $3,304 a vehicle. Sales are holding up: the forecasters expect 1,327,100 new vehicles sold in October, a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 15.6 million, unchanged from a year ago.
A payment has 3 parts: the amount borrowed, the interest rate and the length of the loan. With prices flat, the amount borrowed hardly moved. The rate did, to an average of 6.81%, the highest for an October since 2023. And more buyers are stretching the loan to bring the monthly number down: 13.3% of new-vehicle loans now run 84 months or longer. Those buyers pay less each month and more interest overall. Already, 29.6% of trade-ins carry negative equity, meaning the owner owes more than the car is worth, and that debt often gets rolled into the next loan.
October, by the numbers
October 2026
Change from a year ago
Average monthly payment
$823
Up 2.6%, an October record
Average transaction price
$46,329
Down 0.1%
Average loan rate
6.81%
Up 0.19 point
Loans of 84 months or longer
13.3%
Up 0.9 point
Incentives per vehicle
$3,304
Up 13.1%
Trade-ins with negative equity
29.6%
Up 0.6 point
Hybrid share of retail sales
18.6%
Up 4.0 points
EV share of retail sales
6.9%
Down 0.3 point
A forecast based on the first part of the month. Source: J.D. Power and GlobalData, October 22, 2026, via CBT News and CollisionWeek.
Used cars aren't getting cheaper either. Manheim's wholesale used-vehicle value index was up 2.2% from a year earlier in the first half of October, which Cox Automotive put down to leaner inventory rather than stronger buying.
The Carveyance take
The price of a new car has stopped rising. The cost of paying for one hasn't, because buyers are borrowing more expensive money for longer. Affordability is now mostly a financing problem, and a 7-year loan on a car that loses value faster than it's paid off sets up the next one.
What to watch: final October sales in early November, and whether loan rates ease before the year-end sales push.
Third-quarter results October 20 · technology plans shown October 21 · eyes-off driving due on the 2028 Escalade IQ
GM's Trucks Pay for a Future of Eyes-Off Driving and Cheaper Batteries
Pickups helped GM earn $3.3 billion, and its shares still fell 6.8% on rising costs. A day later, GM showed investors what the money is for.
A Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2. GM's full-size pickups are paying for its next generation of technology.
DETROIT — GM earned $3.3 billion in the third quarter on revenue of $50.0 billion, up 2.9%. Its adjusted earnings of $3.70 a share beat analysts' estimate of $3.63. Sales of its light-duty full-size pickups rose 9%, and GM approved a new $20 billion share buyback.
The shares fell 6.8% that day, after GM said it expects about $2 billion of commodity inflation this year, including logistics and memory chips, and tariff costs of about $2.5 billion. Paul Jacobson, the chief financial officer, said the fourth quarter would be seasonally weaker. GM says its charges for scaling back its EV plans are now "substantially completed."
What the money is for
A day later, at its GM Forward event in New York, GM laid out its next generation. The 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ will be the first GM with eyes-off driving on highways, and GM says the system will later reach its gasoline full-size pickups and SUVs, without giving a year. The Escalade IQ will also be the first on a new architecture with a single central computer, which GM says has 40 times the computing power of today's systems and needs 30% less wiring. GM's fourth-generation EVs will use lithium manganese-rich batteries that it says offer 33% more energy density than lithium iron phosphate cells at a comparable price. On October 20, GM also confirmed it will close its Brownstown, Michigan, battery-pack plant, which built packs for the Cadillac Celestiq and the Corvette E-Ray, as its lease ends.
The Carveyance take
GM is making its money where it always has, on big pickups, and spending it on the next generation: one computer instead of dozens of modules, cheaper batteries and a car that drives itself on the highway. The test isn't whether that sounds impressive. It's whether GM can make it ordinary, in the trucks people actually buy.
What to watch: how much the fourth quarter falls, and a date for eyes-off driving beyond the Escalade IQ.
Third-quarter results October 23 · job cuts announced, not yet made · full-year volume and cash-flow guidance withdrawn October 2
Volvo Loses Money, Cuts 2,500 More Jobs and Falls 24% in a Day
A week after Volvo described its self-driving future with NVIDIA, its present looked much harder: revenue down 23% and its new EX60 stuck in a slow ramp-up.
The Volvo EX60. It has more than 50,000 European orders, but production is ramping up more slowly than planned.
GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Volvo Cars reported an operating loss of SEK 5.6 billion (about $565 million) for the third quarter, on revenue of SEK 66.9 billion (about $6.7 billion), down from SEK 86.4 billion (about $8.7 billion) a year earlier. Excluding one-off items and its share of joint ventures, it lost SEK 3.7 billion (about $373 million); analysts had expected a loss of about SEK 724 million (about $73 million), according to Citi. "The third quarter of 2026 was very disappointing," said Håkan Samuelsson, the chief executive. The shares fell 24% on October 23, to a record low.
Volvo will cut about 2,500 more jobs, 2,000 of them in Sweden, and another SEK 5 billion (about $500 million) in costs. The quarter included a SEK 1.1 billion (about $110 million) writedown of US fuel-economy credits after a change in US law. The EX60, Volvo's new electric midsize SUV, has more than 50,000 European orders, but production is ramping up more slowly than planned because of its new battery construction. Reuters reported that about 5,000 of the 40,000 planned for this year had been built. Volvo will focus on 5 plants of its own and is studying building cars for other Geely brands in Ghent and Chengdu.
A smaller Volvo
Volvo Cars revenue, third quarter, in billions of Swedish kronor
2025
SEK 86.4 billion
2026
SEK 66.9 billion
Scale 0–100. About $8.7 billion and $6.7 billion. Source: Volvo Cars, October 23, 2026.
The Carveyance take
Volvo is squeezed in the 2 markets it needs most: America, where a change in the law wiped out the value of its fuel-economy credits, and China, where it says it will put margins ahead of market share. Its NVIDIA partnership is a story for the end of the decade. The EX60 ramp-up is this winter's.
What to watch: EX60 production in the fourth quarter, and whether Ghent and Chengdu start building other Geely brands.
Customer sales a target for the end of 2026 · no price · NHTSA's audit of the Cybercab is still open · the cyan-light rule is a proposal
Tesla Wants to Sell a Car With No Steering Wheel, and NHTSA Proposes a Light for It
Tesla says it's trying to get Cybercabs to customers by the end of the year. In the same week, NHTSA proposed optional cyan lamps to show the world when a car is driving itself.
The Tesla Cybercab at its unveiling on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, in October 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla said on October 21 that it is trying to put the Cybercab, its 2-seat robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals, in customers' hands by the end of 2026. "We're trying to get [Cybercabs] to customers by the end of this year, 2026," Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering, said on the third-quarter earnings call. Every Cybercab built so far has gone to Tesla's own robotaxi fleet, and Elon Musk said most will stay there, "essentially Tesla-owned" and sold as rides. Tesla gave no price.
There's a regulator in the way first. Automakers certify for themselves that their cars meet federal safety standards, and NHTSA opened an audit of how Tesla did that for the Cybercab on September 3, the day Tesla launched it in Austin. A week later, it ordered Tesla to answer 21 questions under oath, including how a car with no pedals meets a brake standard that requires service brakes to be worked "by means of a foot control." Tesla's answers are due October 30. Tesla says the car complies with every standard that applies.
A color for no driver
On October 23, NHTSA announced proposed changes to its lighting standard for vehicles that drive themselves, published on October 26. The headline is an optional cyan marker lamp, 4 to 8 of them on the front, sides and rear, that would show a vehicle is operating without the expectation that anyone inside is watching the road. NHTSA says the existing colors, amber, red and white, "would not have clear meaning" for that job, and it isn't proposing to require the lamps. It's one of a series of rewrites for cars without controls: NHTSA has already proposed one for the brake standard, and says mirrors and controls are coming. Comments are due November 25.
The announcement came with a weak quarter: Tesla's profit fell 43% to $787 million on flat revenue, though the margin on its cars improved. Waymo, which runs its robotaxis as a service and doesn't sell them, began rides at Las Vegas's airport on October 21, its 6th major airport, and named Madrid as its first city in Spain.
The Carveyance take
Selling a car with no controls to a private owner is a different promise from running a robotaxi fleet. It needs a regulator to accept the car, and everyone else on the road to understand it. A cyan light is the first sign the rules are being written for that, and it's optional.
What to watch: a price, whether NHTSA's review closes before the first customer delivery, and the comments on the cyan-light proposal, due November 25.
September registrations from ACEA, October 22 · the 2035 change has passed 2 committees and isn't law
Electric Cars Take 30% of Europe's September as Lawmakers Move to Loosen 2035
Battery-electric registrations rose 73% in the EU, and in France 4 in 10 new cars were electric. In the same week, 2 European Parliament committees voted to let some combustion and hybrid cars stay on sale after 2035.
A Tesla Model Y. Tesla's EU registrations rose 78.6% in September, but BYD has registered more cars in the EU this year.
BRUSSELS — Battery-electric cars made up 29.9% of new-car registrations in the European Union in September: 290,117 cars, up 72.9%, in a market that grew 9.3%, according to ACEA, the European automakers' association. Gasoline registrations fell 23.4% and diesel 29.6%. Through September, EVs have 22.7% of the EU market, up from 16.1% a year earlier.
Across 17 European markets tracked by E-Mobility Europe, New AutoMotive and Fier Automotive, EV registrations rose 70.3% to 300,202, a 32.6% share, Reuters reported, and the country shares range from 98.8% in Norway to 6.2% in Poland. Tesla's EU registrations rose 78.6% in September, to 45,866, according to ACEA, but BYD has registered more cars than Tesla in the EU this year, 206,002 to 188,035.
Same continent, very different markets
Battery-electric share of new-car registrations, September 2026
Norway
98.8%
Denmark
88.8%
Finland
62.7%
Sweden
49.0%
France
41.7%
Germany
34.5%
EU average
29.9%
UK
28.3%
Czech Republic
11.2%
Italy
7.6%
Poland
6.2%
Scale 0–100%. Sources: ACEA, October 22, 2026; KBA, for Germany; SMMT, for the UK; E-Mobility Europe, New AutoMotive and Fier Automotive, via Reuters, October 19, 2026, for the rest.
Not every gap is about demand. Stellantis is idling its Sochaux and Rennes plants in France from October 23 to 30 because it doesn't have enough long-range batteries from ACC, the battery maker it co-owns, Auto Infos reported; the plants build the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 and the Citroën C5 Aircross. And the cheap end of the market is still filling in: Volkswagen's smallest EV, aimed at about €20,000 (about $22,400), goes on sale in 2027 under a name it hasn't announced, Electrek and Autoblog reported.
The 2035 vote
On October 22, the European Parliament's industry and transport committees voted for a compromise that changes the 2035 target from a 100% cut in new cars' CO2 emissions to 95%, compared with 2021. Automakers could count up to 7.5 more points for using low-carbon steel made in Europe, so the required cut could be as small as 87.5%. The European Commission had proposed 90%. Either way, some combustion and hybrid cars could still be sold after 2035. The full Parliament votes probably in December, and EU governments have to agree too.
The Carveyance take
Europe's buyers are moving faster than its rules. EVs took nearly a third of the market in a month when lawmakers were voting to make the 2035 target easier to meet, and in some plants the limit was the battery supply, not the buyers.
What to watch: the environment committee's vote in November, and whether BYD stays ahead of Tesla in the EU for the year.
Batteries launched October 20 · the station numbers are CATL's targets for 2026 and 2027
CATL Wants Electric Semis to Swap Batteries in 5 Minutes
Its new heavy-truck batteries go up to 760 kWh, and it plans to have 900 battery-swap stations in China by the end of the year, up from about 305 at the start of it.
A CATL Qiji battery-swap station for heavy trucks, in an image from CATL. A depleted battery comes out and a charged one goes in, in about 5 minutes.
BEIJING — CATL, the world's biggest maker of EV batteries, launched its TECTRANS II heavy-truck batteries in China on October 20, in 5 versions. The largest holds 760 kWh, which CATL says is good for more than 600 km (373 miles) on a charge. At CATL's Qiji stations, a truck's depleted battery can be exchanged for a charged one in about 5 minutes. CATL plans to grow the network to 900 truck-swap stations in China by the end of 2026 and 2,000 by 2027. CATL also showed a "dual-electric" version that pairs a swappable main pack with a fixed 77 kWh backup battery, a range extender with no engine. "For heavy trucks, battery swapping is the only solution for pursuing ultimate energy-replenishment efficiency," said Gao Huan, CATL's chief technology officer for its vehicle businesses in China.
The market is already moving. New-energy heavy trucks were 50% of China's heavy-truck sales in September, up from 29% a year earlier, CnEVPost reported, and about 29% of those sold in 2025 were built to swap batteries. A day before the launch, Huawei's car unit agreed to make vehicles that use its driving systems compatible with Choco-swap, CATL's battery-swap network for passenger cars, which has 2,520 stations.
The Carveyance take
Swapping doesn't eliminate charging time. It moves it off the truck and onto the station, where it can be slower, cheaper and gentler on the battery. The catch is that every truck maker has to agree on the pack, and someone has to own a lot of very expensive batteries sitting on shelves.
What to watch: whether CATL reaches 900 stations by December, and whether any truck maker outside China signs on.
Announced October 24 · still needs Volkswagen's board to approve it · production in the early 2030s
Audi Plans Its First American Factory, for Big SUVs
About $4 billion, up to 200,000 vehicles a year and around 4,500 jobs in Georgia. Today, every Audi sold in America is imported.
An Audi Q8, one of the large SUVs Motor1 expects the Georgia plant to build.
PERRY, Ga. — Audi said on October 24 that it plans to build its first US factory, in Georgia, an investment of about $4 billion. The plant would build up to 200,000 large SUVs a year, expected to include the Q7, Q8 and Q9, Motor1 reported, and employ about 4,500 people. Construction is due to start in 2027, with production in the early 2030s. "This decision was preceded by many months of careful planning and intense negotiations," said Gernot Döllner, Audi's chief executive.
Audi builds no cars in the US, so every Audi sold here is imported and pays tariffs. Reuters reported that tariffs cost Audi €1.2 billion (about $1.3 billion) last year. The project still needs approval from Volkswagen's supervisory board, and Daniela Cavallo, who leads Volkswagen's works council, said worker representatives won't approve it automatically and want a full assessment of how it would affect the group's other plants.
The Carveyance take
Tariffs have made an imported luxury SUV expensive to sell in America, and Audi's answer is the one BMW and Mercedes reached decades ago in South Carolina and Alabama. The catch is time: the first SUVs won't arrive until the 2030s.
What to watch: Volkswagen's board decision, the exact site, and which models Audi confirms.
First drives published October 21 · revealed in July · 1,499 to be built, deliveries from early 2027
Ferrari's By-Wire Manual V12 Can Stall, and the First Testers Love It
The 12Cilindri Manuale's gated shifter and clutch pedal don't touch the gearbox. They tell an 8-speed dual-clutch what to do, and you can still get it wrong.
Inside the 12Cilindri Manuale. The open-gate 6-speed shifter and clutch pedal send commands to a dual-clutch gearbox.
BALOCCO, Italy — The first reviews of the Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale came out on October 21, after drives at the Balocco test track. Ferrari revealed the car in July. Its open-gate 6-speed shifter and clutch pedal have no mechanical connection to the gearbox: they send commands to the standard car's 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. In manual mode it uses 6 gears, and a button switches it to full automatic and unlocks 7th and 8th. Behind it is the standard car's 819-hp, 6.5-liter V12, and Ferrari says a clumsy driver can stall it.
Ferrari will build 1,499, a nod to the 1,499 cc of its first V12 in 1947, all through its Tailor Made personalization program, with deliveries from early 2027. In Europe it costs €590,000 (about $661,000), roughly €190,000 (about $213,000) more than the standard 12Cilindri, and Ferrari hasn't published a US price. Its official performance matches the standard car's: 0–62 mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph. Top Gear called it "an all-time great manual." Auto Express said, "It's very tolerant of ham-fisted shifts."
The Carveyance take
Ferrari is charging a premium for the chance to do the job yourself, and to do it badly. Nothing shows more clearly how rare real participation has become in a fast car, or how much people will pay to get it back.
What to watch: whether Ferrari puts the system in other models, and whether anyone else copies it.
2 recalls from this week that owners should act on now.
Porsche: do not drive
548 cars from the 2024 model year: the 911 GT3, GT3 RS, Turbo, Turbo S, S/T and Carrera GTS, and the 718 Cayman GT4 RS and Spyder RS. The center-lock wheel bolt can fracture and the wheel can come off, according to NHTSA. Porsche tells owners not to drive until a dealer has inspected the wheel fastening and replaced any incorrectly made parts. It expands a 2024 recall. NHTSA campaign 26V682.
Toyota Land Cruiser: fuel leak
105,794 Land Cruisers from the 2024 to 2027 model years, every model year of the hybrid-only Land Cruiser since the name returned to America. A fuel-tube connection near the tank can come apart and leak fuel, which can cause a fire. Dealers will add a clamp, and replace the tube if needed. Owner letters go out from November 29. NHTSA campaign 26V673.
Also That Week
5 more stories worth knowing, in brief.
Launches · Ford
Orders opened October 22 · EPA range not announced yet
Ford Makes the Big Battery Standard on the Mustang Mach-E
DEARBORN, Mich. — Every 2027 Mustang Mach-E gets the extended-range battery, 88 kWh usable in the Select and Premium and 91 kWh in the GT and Rally, and prices start at $39,995 before destination. Motor1 reported that every version but the rear-drive Select costs $2,300 to $3,050 less than before. A new $2,295 Trail package for the all-wheel-drive Select adds a little lift, the Rally's 19-inch wheels and Michelin CrossClimate 2 all-weather tires, from the first quarter of 2027.
Why it matters: a bigger battery and lower prices on most versions show how hard an EV has to work for buyers a year after the federal tax credit ended.
Markets · China
Reported October 20 by Reuters, from Volkswagen planning documents
Volkswagen's First Xpeng-Developed SUV Falls Far Short in China
HEFEI, China — The ID. UNYX 08, the first Volkswagen developed with the Chinese EV maker Xpeng, averaged 267 sales a month from its April launch through August, according to the consultancy ThinkerCar, against a target of 3,622 a month in Volkswagen's planning documents, Reuters reported. Volkswagen cut its 2026 forecast for the SUV by 62%, to 12,300, and a September update brought a limited-time starting price of 189,900 yuan (about $28,300), 17.4% below launch. Volkswagen said the partnership delivered a new electric architecture in a record 18 months.
Why it matters: borrowing Chinese speed and software hasn't fixed Volkswagen's brand problem in China, where its share of the market has fallen to about 10% from about 1 in 5 in 2019.
Partnerships · Honda and Mitsubishi
Memorandum of understanding signed October 22 · on sale in 2028
Honda Will Sell a Pickup Built From Mitsubishi's Triton
TOKYO — Honda and Mitsubishi Motors signed a memorandum of understanding for a Honda pickup based on the Mitsubishi Triton, to go on sale in Southeast Asia in 2028. It's the first time the 2 have agreed to supply products for each other's lineups, under the partnership they and Nissan agreed in August 2024. Honda has no pickup in the region today.
Why it matters: sharing a truck is cheaper than developing one.
Worth watching · Subaru
Prototype shown October 18 · some technology due around 2029 · no model, price or date
Subaru Shows an EV It Built Without Toyota
TOKYO — Subaru showed reporters a prototype on its own new EV platform at its proving ground north of Tokyo. The Outback-based test car has 2 motors and 380 kW (510 hp), reaches 62 mph in under 4 seconds and carries a battery Subaru says is about 25% lighter than its last one, and a single computer runs almost everything. Some of the technology should reach customers around 2029. Subaru's EVs today, including the Solterra and Trailseeker, are developed with Toyota, and in May Subaru shelved 4 in-house EVs that had been due by 2028.
Why it matters: shared platforms save money, but they can erase what makes a small brand different. Subaru wants its EVs to feel like Subarus.
Launches · Mercedes-AMG
German orders opened October 20 · no US details
AMG's First In-House Electric SUV Goes on Sale in Germany
AFFALTERBACH, Germany — Mercedes-AMG opened German orders for the GT 53 version of its GT SUV, the first electric SUV AMG has developed itself, from €113,050 (about $126,600). The range-topping GT 63, due in the spring of 2027, makes 860 kW (1,153 hp). There are no US details yet.
Why it matters: it puts more power than most supercars into a family SUV.
Since That Week
Where last week's stories went next.
Follow-up · NVIDIA, Volvo and Mercedes
The platform spread. At its GTC Berlin conference on October 21, NVIDIA said Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is presenting its autonomous ID. Buzz AD platform with NVIDIA Hyperion, that Bolt chose NVIDIA's driving software for a European robotaxi program planned around at least 25,000 future Lucid vehicles, with data collection due to start in Madrid in 2027, subject to approval, and that the Swedish autonomous-trucking company Einride is building its next system on Hyperion. The same day, Mercedes said MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, its NVIDIA-based driver assistance that can steer from address to address, will be available to order in Germany from the first half of 2027. It's a Level 2 system, so the driver stays responsible. Volvo's quarter is story 3 above, and Mercedes reports on October 28. Read: Is NVIDIA Becoming the Operating System of the Automobile?
Follow-up · Porsche Mission S
Porsche still hasn't given an engine, price or date. Car and Driver expects the production car in 2029 at the earliest, its own estimate rather than Porsche's. Porsche reports its third-quarter results on October 27. Read: Fewer Cars, Higher Prices and a Supercar Above the 911
Follow-up · US EV sales
The Energy Information Administration put battery-electric vehicles at 6% of new light-duty sales in the third quarter, down from 10% a year earlier, with hybrids at 16%.
Follow-up · Tesla's Roadster
The Thrust prototype from the October 15 demonstration is on display in the Petersen Automotive Museum's lobby in Los Angeles through October 27. Tesla says US production cars will have side mirrors, which the prototype lacks, and original Founders Series reservations were converted to the Thrust version. There's still no price, and the earnings call added nothing beyond a mention of the demonstration.
Follow-up · Tesla's driver assistance in Europe
Tesla said on October 26 that Latvia had approved Tesla Assisted Driving, making it 10 European countries. On the earnings call, Musk said of EU-wide approval: "I would be surprised if it takes longer than Q1."
Follow-up · Europe's hybrid cap
Still no legal text. Bloomberg reported on October 26, citing people briefed on the process, that the Commission aims to propose the rules in the coming weeks for a December start, and that the cap would last 4 years, rising 6% a year after the first.
Follow-up · Stellantis in Canada
No strike date. After last week's 97.3% strike mandate, neither side has asked Ontario for the "no board" report that has to come before a legal strike, which could then start 17 days later.
Follow-up · The Genesis seat recall
Still no fix for the 94,622 cars. Hyundai says the remedy is being developed and plans to mail owners on December 6. Until then, owners should keep parking outside.
Follow-up · Fuel prices
Regular gasoline averaged $4.29 a gallon on October 26, down from $4.30 on October 19, according to AAA, after dipping to $4.27 midweek. A year ago it was $3.05. Diesel rose to $6.35.
In Depth This Week
4 of this week's stories get the full Carveyance treatment.
GM's, Volvo's and Tesla's results. ACEA's registrations. The European Parliament committee votes. NHTSA's lighting proposal and its Cybercab audit. CATL's batteries. The Ferrari's specifications. Stellantis's scheduled plant stoppages. The Mach-E's battery and prices. Both recalls. Honda and Mitsubishi's agreement.
Reported, not confirmed
The Audi plant's models, from Motor1, and what tariffs cost Audi, from Reuters. Volvo's EX60 build count, from Reuters. Volkswagen's internal targets for the UNYX 08, from Reuters. The Mach-E's price changes by version, from Motor1. The hybrid cap's start date and terms, from Bloomberg.
Plans without dates
GM's eyes-off driving beyond the Escalade IQ, and its fourth-generation EVs. Audi's exact site and models. A name for Volkswagen's cheapest EV. A Subaru that uses its new platform.
Not final yet
J.D. Power's October figures, which are a forecast. Cybercab sales by the end of 2026, and customer-owned Teslas joining the robotaxi fleet around the second quarter of 2027, both targets. CATL's station numbers, which are targets. The 2035 change, which has passed 2 committees. Audi's plant, which needs Volkswagen's board. NHTSA's lighting rule, which is a proposal.
Noise
Tesla and SpaceX: Musk said on October 20 that both boards have formed special committees of independent directors to study a merger, but committees studying a deal aren't a deal, and no terms have been agreed. "Unifor sets October 29 strike deadline for Stellantis": a 2023 story that keeps turning up in searches; there's no deadline this year. Chery buying Jaguar: the reports rest on unnamed sources. Chery's chairman told Auto Express it wants to help JLR "resume volume scale," which isn't a bid, and JLR and Tata have said nothing. Waymo putting 20,000 cars on the road by the end of 2027: unnamed sources, via Semafor and Reuters, and Waymo hasn't confirmed it. The Roadster "isn't an aircraft" stories: the FAA said that on October 16, and it's being recycled. And the Mission S's €500,000 price and flat-eight engine: still reports, not Porsche facts.
The Industry Brief publishes every Monday.
Sources
Car payments and used-car prices
J.D. Power and GlobalData October 2026 forecast, via CBT News, October 23, 2026 — cbtnews.com
CollisionWeek, "October new-vehicle sales pace flat at 15.6 million; monthly payments set October record," October 22, 2026 — collisionweek.com
Cox Automotive, Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, mid-October 2026, October 19, 2026 — coxautoinc.com
General Motors
General Motors, third-quarter 2026 results, SEC filing, October 20, 2026 — sec.gov
General Motors, third-quarter 2026 investor presentation, October 20, 2026 — investor.gm.com
AskTraders, "General Motors shares fall 6.8% as cost warning overshadows Q3 beat," October 21, 2026 — asktraders.com
Reuters, via BNN Bloomberg, "GM shares sink as full-year profit forecast misses Wall Street estimates," October 20, 2026 — bnnbloomberg.ca
The Drive, on GM's technology event, October 21, 2026 — thedrive.com
TechCrunch, on the Brownstown battery plant, October 20, 2026 — techcrunch.com
General Motors, "Speed and simplicity shape GM's fourth-generation EVs," October 21, 2026 — news.gm.com
Volvo Cars
Volvo Cars, third-quarter 2026 report, October 23, 2026 — volvocars.com
Reuters, via Euronext, "Volvo Cars shares in record plunge on widening losses, job cuts," October 23, 2026 — live.euronext.com
TimesLive, "Volvo Cars pulls sales guidance on Chinese outlook and slow US rebound," October 2, 2026 — timeslive.co.za
Tesla, the Cybercab and the cyan light
TechCrunch, "Tesla says it will start selling Cybercabs by end of year," October 21, 2026 — techcrunch.com
Electrek, Tesla third-quarter 2026 financial results, October 21, 2026 — electrek.co
Electrek, on Tesla's capital spending guidance and cash flow, October 22, 2026 — electrek.co
The Motley Fool, Tesla third-quarter 2026 earnings call transcript, October 22, 2026 — fool.com
Reuters, via Investing.com, "Tesla drops as spending pullback clouds AI, robotics ambitions," October 22, 2026 — investing.com
NHTSA, "Modernization of FMVSS No. 108 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles," proposed rule, Federal Register, October 26, 2026 — federalregister.gov
TechCrunch, "Waymo starts offering rides at the Las Vegas airport," October 21, 2026 — techcrunch.com
Just Auto, on Waymo in Madrid, October 21, 2026 — just-auto.com
Europe's registrations and the 2035 vote
ACEA, "New car registrations: +5.7% in September 2026 year-to-date; battery-electric 22.7% market share," October 22, 2026 — acea.auto, with the full tables
Best Selling Cars Blog, citing Dataforce, Europe in September 2026, October 22, 2026 — bestsellingcarsblog.com
electrive, on the European Parliament committee votes, October 23, 2026 — electrive.com
Reuters, via Claims Journal, on September EV registrations in 17 European markets, October 20, 2026 — claimsjournal.com
electrive, on UK registrations in September, October 2, 2026 — electrive.com
Auto Infos, on Stellantis's Sochaux and Rennes plants, October 15, 2026 — auto-infos.fr
Electrek, on Volkswagen's most affordable EV, October 22, 2026 — electrek.co
Autoblog, "Volkswagen's cheapest EV targets $22,500 and a new name," October 25, 2026 — autoblog.com
CATL
Reuters, via The Standard, "CATL bets on battery swapping to speed electrification of heavy trucks," October 20, 2026 — thestandard.com.hk
CnEVPost, "CATL unveils dual-battery system to accelerate heavy-duty truck electrification," October 20, 2026 — cnevpost.com
ChargedEVs, on CATL's swap stations at the end of 2025, January 15, 2026 — chargedevs.com
CnEVPost, "Huawei's smart car unit partners with CATL, joins Choco battery swap ecosystem," October 19, 2026 — cnevpost.com
Audi
Motor1, on Audi's planned Georgia factory, October 26, 2026 — motor1.com
The Drive, on Audi's Georgia plant, October 26, 2026 — thedrive.com
Reuters, via Yahoo Finance, on Audi's US plant, October 25, 2026 — finance.yahoo.com
The Deep Dive, on Volkswagen board approval for the Audi plant, October 26, 2026 — thedeepdive.ca
Ferrari
Top Gear, Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale first drive, October 21, 2026 — topgear.com
Auto Express, "New Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale review: not perfect, still superb," October 21, 2026 — autoexpress.co.uk
evo, Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale review, October 21, 2026 — evo.co.uk
Top Gear, on the 12Cilindri Manuale reveal, July 3, 2026 — topgear.com
New Atlas, on the 12Cilindri Manuale and its price, July 9, 2026 — newatlas.com
Safety notices
CarPro, weekly recalls, including NHTSA campaigns 26V682 (Porsche) and 26V673 (Toyota), October 23, 2026 — carpro.com
Also that week
Ford, "New 2027 Ford Mustang Mach-E Trail: made for adventure," October 22, 2026 — fromtheroad.ford.com
Motor1, on 2027 Mach-E pricing, October 22, 2026 — motor1.com
Reuters, via The Standard, "Volkswagen bet on Xpeng to save its China business. It's not going to plan," October 20, 2026 — thestandard.com.hk
CnEVPost, on the ID. UNYX 09 launch, October 21, 2026 — cnevpost.com
Mitsubishi Motors, on its memorandum of understanding with Honda, October 22, 2026 — mitsubishi-motors.com
InsideEVs, "Subaru Wants Its Own EVs. A 510-HP Mule Shows What's Coming," October 19, 2026 — insideevs.com
Electrek, on Subaru's EV prototype, October 19, 2026 — electrek.co
Just Auto, on Subaru shelving its in-house EVs, May 2026 — just-auto.com
ArenaEV, on the Mercedes-AMG GT SUV, October 20, 2026 — arenaev.com
Since that week
NVIDIA, "European Mobility Leaders Build Safe Vehicles and Robotaxi Fleets on NVIDIA Hyperion," October 21, 2026 — nvidianews.nvidia.com
Electrek, on Bolt, Lucid and NVIDIA, October 21, 2026 — electrek.co
electrive, on MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO in Germany, October 21, 2026 — electrive.com
Paul Tan, citing Car and Driver and Autocar, on the Porsche Mission S, October 20, 2026 — paultan.org
US Energy Information Administration, Today in Energy, October 19, 2026 — eia.gov
Not a Tesla App, on the Roadster at the Petersen Automotive Museum, October 24, 2026 — notateslaapp.com
Teslarati, on Latvia's approval of Tesla Assisted Driving, October 26, 2026 — teslarati.com
Bloomberg, via Briefs, on the EU's hybrid safeguard, October 26, 2026 — briefs.co
Jobs n Hire, on the Stellantis strike mandate, October 23, 2026 — jobsnhire.com
The Auto Wire, on the Genesis seat-switch recall, October 21, 2026, updated October 24 — theautowire.com
AAA, national average gas prices, October 26, 2026 — gasprices.aaa.com
Noise
Auto Express, on Chery and JLR, October 26, 2026 — autoexpress.co.uk
Reuters, via Claims Journal, on Waymo's fleet plans, October 20, 2026 — claimsjournal.com
Fortune, on the Roadster and the FAA, October 17, 2026 — fortune.com
TechCrunch, "SpaceX and Tesla boards form special committees to review merger," October 20, 2026 — techcrunch.com
Currency conversions at about $1.12 per euro, about 10 US cents per Swedish krona and about 6.7 yuan per dollar.
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