Tag Archives: SUV

News

BYD Tang SUV Is Coming to Europe

Leave a comment

The European electric SUV battlefield is about to get even more crowded, and BYD appears determined to arrive with one of its biggest weapons yet.

The Chinese automotive giant plans to launch its all-electric Great Tang SUV in Europe before the end of 2026 or in early 2027, according to Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice president and the architect of much of the company’s global expansion strategy. If the domestic response in China is any indication, European brands may soon find themselves facing another formidable challenger from the world’s largest EV manufacturer.

And this isn’t just another electric crossover.

The Great Tang is a full-size, seven-seat SUV positioned squarely in one of the most lucrative segments of the market. In China, the model has become an instant success story, collecting more than 150,000 orders since its debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April. According to Li, 100,000 of those reservations arrived within the first two weeks of pre-sales alone—numbers that would make even the most established global automakers envious.

For BYD, the timing couldn’t be better.

The company has spent the past several years establishing itself in Europe with smaller battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The arrival of the Great Tang would add a larger, family-oriented flagship to its lineup, broadening its appeal beyond budget-conscious EV buyers and placing it directly in the territory traditionally occupied by brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Kia, and Volvo.

At roughly $35,500 in its home market, the Great Tang represents exactly the kind of value proposition that has helped Chinese manufacturers gain traction globally. European pricing will almost certainly be higher once tariffs, taxes, and localization costs are factored in, but the formula remains familiar: generous equipment, advanced technology, and aggressive pricing.

More importantly, BYD appears to have the hardware to back up the sales pitch.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank point to the company’s Blade Battery technology and fast-charging capabilities as key advantages over competitors in China. Those technologies have become central to BYD’s rise from battery supplier to automotive powerhouse, helping the company challenge rivals not only on price but increasingly on engineering credibility.

The Great Tang’s success also reflects a broader shift occurring across the global automotive industry. Chinese manufacturers are no longer content to dominate their domestic market. As competition intensifies at home and profit margins tighten, companies like BYD are accelerating their push into overseas markets—particularly Europe, where demand for affordable electric vehicles remains strong.

The strategy appears to be working.

BYD accounted for approximately 15 percent of Europe’s electric vehicle sales and nearly 10 percent of total Chinese-brand vehicle sales in the region during April. At the same time, many European manufacturers continue to struggle in China, where domestic brands have rapidly improved quality, technology, and brand perception.

To support its ambitions, BYD is investing heavily in Europe. Its new Hungarian factory is increasing production of both vehicles and components, while the company continues evaluating a second manufacturing site somewhere on the continent. The automaker is also expanding its European research and development operations, with future work expected to include autonomous-driving systems and advanced data-processing technologies.

In other words, BYD isn’t approaching Europe as an export market anymore. It’s building the foundations of a long-term industrial presence.

Whether the Great Tang can replicate its Chinese success remains to be seen. European buyers can be notoriously loyal to established brands, particularly in the premium SUV segment. But the market has already shown a growing willingness to consider alternatives when the technology, range, and price are compelling enough.

If BYD delivers the same combination of practicality, charging performance, and value that fueled the Great Tang’s explosive debut in China, Europe’s traditional SUV players may soon discover that their newest rival isn’t coming from Stuttgart, Gothenburg, or Seoul.

It’s coming from Shenzhen.

Source: Autocar

NEW CARS

Acura’s Hybrid Future Takes Shape with New SUV Prototype

Honda isn’t backing away from hybrids—in fact, it’s doubling down. And Acura is about to reap the benefits.

At a global business briefing in Japan, Honda pulled the wraps off a next-generation Acura Hybrid SUV Prototype, offering the clearest look yet at the premium brand’s electrified future. The concept previews one of 15 new Acura and Honda hybrid models scheduled to arrive globally by 2030, with North America set to be the primary battleground.

The reveal comes at a pivotal moment. While many automakers have spent the last few years racing toward fully electric lineups, Honda is placing a sizable bet on advanced hybrids as a bridge between today’s market realities and tomorrow’s EV ambitions.

According to Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe, the company is accelerating its hybrid rollout by shifting additional development and production resources toward electrified models. The strategy reflects Honda’s belief that hybrids will remain a crucial tool in reducing emissions while offering customers a practical alternative to full battery-electric vehicles.

For Acura buyers, the most significant news is what’s happening beneath the sheetmetal. The luxury division will begin launching its first models built around Honda’s all-new hybrid architecture within the next two years. At the heart of the program is a heavily evolved version of Honda’s acclaimed two-motor hybrid system, one that promises meaningful improvements in both efficiency and performance.

Honda says the next-generation setup expands the operating range where the gasoline engine works at peak efficiency while improving the overall effectiveness of the hybrid drive unit. The company is targeting more than a 10-percent improvement in fuel economy across its upcoming hybrid lineup, all while reducing system costs by 30 percent.

That may sound like corporate accounting, but the engineering upgrades could translate into something enthusiasts actually care about: better driving dynamics. Honda says a newly developed electric all-wheel-drive system will deliver more precise and responsive motor control, potentially giving future Acura models sharper handling and improved traction without sacrificing efficiency.

The prototype itself remains heavily disguised in mystery, but its proportions suggest a midsize crossover aimed squarely at the heart of Acura’s lineup. More importantly, it hints at a future where Acura’s performance credentials won’t be sacrificed at the altar of electrification.

Honda also used the presentation to provide an update on its next-generation advanced driver-assistance technology. Expected to debut in 2028, the system is designed to assist with acceleration, steering, and other driving functions throughout an entire journey, from highway cruising to navigating city streets. Using navigation inputs, the technology will be capable of supporting drivers across a complete route rather than in isolated scenarios.

The company’s goal is to pair this more sophisticated ADAS technology with its next wave of hybrid vehicles, creating a combination that delivers both driver engagement and reduced workload behind the wheel.

For now, the Acura Hybrid SUV Prototype serves as a reminder that Honda sees hybrids not as a temporary stopgap, but as a core part of its future product strategy. And if the company can successfully combine greater efficiency, improved performance, and smarter technology, Acura’s next generation of hybrids could be more than just environmentally conscious—they could actually be desirable.

In today’s automotive landscape, that might be the harder achievement.

Source: Acura

News

Volvo’s AI-Powered EX60 Can Read the Road Like a Human

For years, automakers have promised cars that could “understand” the world around them. Mostly, that has meant lane-keeping systems that ping-pong between road markings or parking sensors that scream at trash cans. But Volvo and Google may have just shown a glimpse of something genuinely different—and, for once, it doesn’t sound like marketing fluff.

At Google I/O, Volvo used its upcoming EX60 electric SUV as the stage for what the company calls a world-first integration between Google Gemini and a vehicle’s external cameras. In plain English: Volvo is teaching its cars to actually see.

Not just detect. Understand.

That distinction matters.

With the driver’s permission, Gemini can interpret the world from the car’s point of view in real time. Parking signs, lane markings, landmarks, restaurants—suddenly the car isn’t simply recognizing objects, it’s contextualizing them. Think less “advanced cruise control” and more “rolling AI co-pilot.”

And honestly? Parking might be the killer app.

Anyone who has circled a downtown block trying to decipher a parking sign that looks like a legal contract written in hieroglyphics will immediately understand the appeal. Volvo says the system can read and interpret restrictions, permit rules, charging regulations, and time limits as you approach a space. Instead of gambling on whether your car will still be there after lunch, the EX60 could simply tell you whether the spot is valid.

That sounds mundane until you realize how useful it could become.

The bigger story, though, is what this says about where in-car tech is headed. Volvo’s latest demonstration suggests the next frontier won’t be screens, horsepower, or even autonomy—it’ll be contextual awareness. Cars that understand what’s happening around them and respond naturally.

Volvo says the technology relies on Gemini’s multimodal AI capabilities paired with the EX60’s neural-processing hardware and software-defined architecture. Translation: the EX60 has enough computing muscle to process visual data in real time without feeling like a science-fair experiment bolted onto the dashboard.

And Volvo isn’t stopping there.

The Swedish automaker also announced that Google Maps’ new Immersive Navigation system is headed first to the EX60, along with the larger EX90 and ES90 EVs. The feature overlays a more detailed 3D visualization of the road ahead, complete with rendered buildings, tunnels, intersections, and overpasses designed to make dense urban driving less confusing.

If you’ve ever missed a turn because your navigation screen looked like a 2009 smartphone app dropped into a sea of skyscrapers, you’ll understand why this matters.

The system also upgrades voice guidance to sound more human and less robotic GPS relic. Instead of “Turn left in 500 feet,” the car might say, “Go past this light and take the next left after the library.” It’s a small change, but one that aligns navigation with how humans actually give directions.

Of course, the automotive industry has a habit of overpromising futuristic AI experiences that end up feeling half-baked. But Volvo and Google have something many rivals don’t: a long-standing software partnership that already underpins some of the best infotainment systems in the business.

That gives this announcement more credibility than the usual CES vaporware.

The EX60 itself is shaping up to be one of Volvo’s most important vehicles yet—a midsize electric SUV that will likely sit at the heart of the brand’s lineup. Now it also appears poised to become a rolling laboratory for the next generation of AI-assisted driving.

Not self-driving. Not autonomous. Just smarter.

And for once, that may be exactly what drivers actually want.

Source: Volvo