Tag Archives: EVs

News

Polestar’s Bright Idea Is Flickering: Stock Trouble Shadows a Promising EV Brand

Polestar once sounded like a can’t-miss formula. Take Volvo’s Scandinavian sensibility, strip away the boxiness, add a dash of performance, and wrap it in minimalist design. For a while, it worked. The brand carved out a niche as the thinking driver’s EV—something between Tesla’s chaos and Porsche’s precision.

But lately, the glow around Polestar has dimmed. The company announced this week that it’s received a delisting warning from Nasdaq after its share price slipped below the $1.00 minimum bid requirement. The stock closed at $0.84, brushing uncomfortably close to its 52-week low of $0.82 and far from its $1.42 high.

The warning doesn’t mean Polestar is immediately out of the game. The automaker has until April 29 to get its share price above $1 for at least ten consecutive trading days. If that doesn’t happen, Nasdaq could grant another 180-day extension—but that’s more a stay of execution than a cure.

Momentum in the Metal, Not on the Market

The irony is that Polestar’s product lineup is stronger than ever. Third-quarter retail sales jumped 13 percent to 14,192 units, and year-to-date sales are up 36 percent to 44,482 vehicles. Those aren’t Tesla numbers, but for a brand that sells design-led performance EVs rather than volume boxes, it’s respectable growth.

At the Munich Motor Show, Polestar finally pulled the covers off the production Polestar 5—a sleek four-door GT aimed squarely at the Porsche Taycan. It’s a stunner, both in looks and numbers: a 112-kWh battery, dual motors, and up to 872 horsepower (650 kW). That’s supercar-level thrust, wrapped in Swedish understatement.

And earlier this month, the company showed off a heavily revised Polestar 3, now boasting an 800-volt electrical architecture, improved batteries, and stronger, more efficient motors. Faster charging, better range, and more punch—exactly what a luxury EV crossover needs to stay relevant.

A Brand at a Crossroads

Polestar’s lineup suggests it’s heading in the right direction; its stock chart says otherwise. Investors remain wary, perhaps spooked by the company’s slow ramp-up, high R&D costs, and dependence on Geely-Volvo infrastructure.

Still, it’s too early to write Polestar’s obituary. The brand has a clear identity and increasingly capable cars. But as the EV market shifts from hype to hard economics, Polestar will need to prove it can be more than a design darling—it has to be a business success too.

If the company can bring its financials up to the same level as its engineering, the stock might shine again. If not, this bright Scandinavian star risks flickering out before it ever truly blazes.

Source: Polestar

News

Cancelled Jaguar XJ EV Was Secretly Engineered for a Straight-Six Engine

Jaguar’s cancelled electric flagship, the ill-fated XJ that never saw the light of day, might not have been as purely electric as we once thought. According to its designer, Ian Callum, the luxury saloon was “packaged to take a six-cylinder engine, if need be.”

That’s right — the EV that was supposed to signal Jaguar’s all-electric rebirth was secretly engineered with an escape hatch back to combustion. Speaking on Autocar’s My Week in Cars podcast, Callum revealed the XJ’s flexible packaging could have accommodated one of Jaguar Land Rover’s straight-six engines — the same ones that power the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport today.

It’s a revelation that casts the cancelled project in a new light. When Jaguar pulled the plug in 2021, the global EV market was expected to surge. But as we now know, that wave never quite crested the way automakers hoped. Mercedes, for one, is already preparing to sunset its EQE and EQS sedans earlier than planned in favor of a next-generation S-Class that will offer both gasoline and electric powertrains.

Had Jaguar kept the XJ’s internal-combustion option in play, it might have given the brand the flexibility to pivot with market demand — a crucial capability as the industry now scrambles to rebalance its EV ambitions.

Callum didn’t confirm what would have lived under the hood, but the likely candidate was JLR’s Ingenium straight-six, mounted on the MLA platform that the XJ was designed to share with its SUV cousins. The sedan, interestingly, was set to abandon the traditional short- and long-wheelbase format entirely. “We didn’t want to get into this ramble about two wheelbases,” Callum explained. “So we created something in the middle in terms of size.”

Design-wise, the final XJ leaned more toward stately than sporty — a direction Callum says he “fought against.” Still, it would have been a striking return for a nameplate that has defined Jaguar luxury for half a century.

And it wasn’t the only future model on Callum’s sketchpad before his 2019 departure. Alongside the XJ, he penned designs for a next-gen F-Pace (which doubled as a new I-Pace) and even a fresh Jaguar sports car likely intended as the F-Type’s successor. None survived the brand’s sweeping 2021 Reimagine strategy, which effectively hit reset on Jaguar as a maker of low, long, and loud cars.

Now running his own design consultancy, Callum Design, with former JLR colleague David Fairbairn, the famed designer is free to speak a little more candidly. On the podcast, he mused about the strange design tropes of modern EVs: “I look at all these new electric cars and they look like they were designed 20 years ago. I don’t understand why they got long bonnets on them. Why would you build an electric car with a long bonnet on it? It’s not got a V12 in there.”

He’s not wrong. As the industry stumbles through its identity crisis — caught between the past’s grandeur and the future’s silence — the unreleased XJ stands as a fascinating “what if.” What if Jaguar had built a car that bridged both worlds? What if the XJ’s silent heart had been allowed to beat?

We’ll never know. But one thing’s clear: even in cancellation, Jaguar’s most ambitious saloon still has plenty to say.

Source: Autocar

News

Kia’s Electrified Momentum Carries Record Sales—But Tariffs Dent Profits

Kia just posted its highest-ever third-quarter revenue and sales volume, driven by surging demand for hybrids and a growing lineup of EVs. But even as the Korean automaker’s electrified strategy continues to pay dividends, profitability took a hit thanks to trade headwinds and aggressive incentives—especially in the United States.

Record Revenue, Record Sales

In Q3 2025, Kia raked in ₩28.69 trillion (roughly $21 billion) in revenue, an 8.2 percent jump year over year. That figure marks the company’s strongest third-quarter performance ever, fueled by global appetite for electrified models and a higher average selling price across its lineup.

Kia moved 785,137 vehicles globally between July and September, up 2.8 percent from a year earlier. The brand’s hybrid lineup remains its strongest growth engine, while EVs continue to gain traction—particularly in North America and Korea.

Profit Takes a Tariff Hit

The bright sales figures couldn’t mask the sting from new U.S. tariffs and incentive spending. Operating profit slid 49.2 percent to ₩1.46 trillion, dropping the operating margin to 5.1 percent. Net profit fell 37.3 percent year over year, landing at ₩1.42 trillion.

The silver lining: solid hybrid performance in the U.S. and steady domestic demand in Korea helped cushion the blow. “Hybrid is our anchor in volatile markets,” a Kia executive reportedly told investors.

Regional Highlights

Kia’s home market remains a stronghold, with Korean sales climbing 10.2 percent to 138,009 units, powered by robust demand for recreational vehicles (RVs) and new EV offerings.

Overseas, Kia delivered 647,128 vehicles, up modestly at 1.4 percent, but with standout growth in North America (+2.3 percent), Asia-Pacific, and Central and South America.

Europe proved a mixed bag: while the new EV3 is finding buyers, total volume slipped as Kia phased out several models and paused production at its Slovakia plant to prepare for the next wave of EVs. In India, sales slowed ahead of a government Goods and Services Tax (GST) adjustment, though Kia expects a rebound in Q4 following the rollout of the redesigned Seltos SUV.

Electrified Surge

Kia’s electrified portfolio continues to expand rapidly. The brand sold 204,000 hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric vehicles (xEVs) in Q3—a 32.3 percent leap year over year. Electrified models now make up 26.4 percent of Kia’s total global sales, up from 21 percent in 2024.

Hybrids led the charge with 118,000 units sold (+40.9%), buoyed by models like the Sportage and Sorento HEVs. Battery-electric vehicles climbed 30 percent to 70,000 units, while plug-in hybrids dipped slightly to 17,000 units, down 2.6 percent.

The Road Ahead

Looking forward, Kia says it’s bracing for more global trade turbulence but remains confident in its electrified roadmap. The company plans to expand its hybrid lineup and accelerate EV launches, with a full stable of electric models slated to arrive by 2027.

In Korea, Kia will build on RV and hybrid momentum and enter new territory with its first pickup truck, the Tasman. The EV5 and PV5 are next on deck, joining the brand’s growing all-electric family.

In the U.S., Kia aims to balance hybrid flexibility with EV expansion, leveraging its adaptive manufacturing systems to respond quickly to policy shifts. Europe will see fresh arrivals including the EV4, EV5, and PV5, while India’s lineup will grow around the Syros and a next-gen Seltos.

Kia’s Q3 numbers tell a clear story: electrification is working. The brand is selling more hybrids and EVs than ever before, commanding higher prices and stronger market share. But as tariffs tighten margins and incentives eat into profits, Kia faces the same challenge every automaker does in the EV transition—finding a balance between volume, value, and volatility.

Source: KIA