The Automotive Update: Major carmaker partnerships on the cards?
05 February 2026
Which carmakers are considering partnerships? What are the fastest-selling used cars across Europe? How might the EU’s automotive package impact battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales? Autovista24 editor Tom Geggus reveals all in The Automotive Update podcast.
In this episode, an update on a potential partnership between major automotive manufacturers. Plus, a look at how used-car markets performed across European countries during January. Finally, what are the latest views on the EU’s automotive package?
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Potential automotive partnerships?
Ford and Geely are in partnership talks, according to a number of people familiar with the matter, Reuters has reported.
Discussions are apparently advancing, particularly around manufacturing locations. Geely may be able to use Ford’s factory in Spain to produce vehicles for the region, navigating import tariffs.
Sources close to the matter also revealed a possible framework for exploring autonomous driving and other technologies. This could help curb costs at a time when development is steering decision making.
Separately, Renault is expected to build a small electric vehicle engine with parts from Shanghai e-drive, as reported by L’Argus. The entry-level drive component will be built at the carmaker’s site in Cléon, Northern France. It will also be used in Dacia and Mitsubishi models.
A new production line is anticipated in early 2027 and is set to produce 120,000 units annually. Renault currently imports Shanghai e-drive components for its Twingo model, according to Reuters.
Fastest-selling used cars
European used-car markets could soon see increased demand, as revealed in the latest Monthly Market update. Consumer price indices appear resolutely high as affordability remains a sticking point.
Meanwhile, new-car list prices continued to climb in Europe last month. Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK all recorded year-on-year increases. Some used models are already seeing quick selling times.
Austria saw the fastest model-selling time of the observed markets with the Audi Q3. In Switzerland and the UK, the Tesla Model Y sold the fastest. The Toyota Yaris moved quickly in France, while its stablemate, the Toyota Corolla, saw fast sales in Spain. Meanwhile, the Volvo XC40 spent the least amount of time on dealership forecourts in Germany.
Automotive package update concerns
Sustainable mobility group, Transport and Environment (T&E), has released a position paper citing potential results of changes to emissions targets.
In mid-December last year, the European Commission published its automotive package proposal. This outlined possible changes to the current new-car emissions targets. Key to this was the possibility of internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales in the EU after 2035.
T&E claim that moving the 2035 CO2 reduction target from 100% to 90% will reduce the expected BEV share from 100% to 85%. It also believes the package will introduce greater uncertainty. The paper outlined that BEV sales could fall by between 50% and 95%, depending on the powertrain strategy.
Additionally, adopting an average target between 2030 and 2032 is also expected to have a negative impact. T&E forecast a 10-percentage point reduction in the BEV share in 2030, down to 47%
