Sep 15, 2026 · Auto & Mobility Daily Digest
Auto and mobility headlines compiled for September 15, 2026, with summaries, links, and commentary.
I. Markets & Policy
1. Thailand finance chief: fully imported EVs could face about 30% excise tax (Policy / Southeast Asia)
Summary:
Bloomberg reported on September 15 that Thai Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, speaking on Bloomberg Television, for the first time sketched a potential rate of around 30% excise tax on fully imported electric vehicles. Asked whether the levy could land near 31%–32%, he said it “should be around” the 30% level. The government is finalizing details with the auto industry and expects a decision as soon as this month. The move aims to push automakers from pure import-and-sell models toward local production; officials had already outlined a three-tier framework—highest for pure imports, mid-tier for importers with assembly or investment plans, and lowest for locally built vehicles with local content—versus a current roughly 10% excise on fully imported EVs.
Links:
- Bloomberg — Thailand Mulls 30% Tax on Imported EVs to Defend Industry
- Bloomberg Tax — Thailand Could Tax EV Imports Around 30%, Finance Chief Says
Commentary:
Southeast Asia’s EV hub is swapping tariff walls for factories—brands that only flood Thailand with CBUs will see cost sheets rewrite fast.
2. Reuters: GAC–FAW LOI signals pressure on Toyota’s dual China JVs (M&A / China)
Summary:
In a September 15 analysis, Reuters said Guangzhou Automobile Group’s letter of intent to acquire part of FAW’s stake in an unnamed vehicle-manufacturing JV linked to an overseas-listed company—widely reported by Chinese state media as FAW Toyota—could push closer integration of Toyota’s long-standing “north–south” China partnerships. Citing China Passenger Car Association data, the report said Toyota’s two China JVs together held about 7% of passenger-vehicle sales in the first eight months of 2026, behind BYD, Geely and Volkswagen. FAW Toyota’s dealer count fell from a 2022 peak of about 773 stores to about 651, while GAC Toyota dropped from about 693 to about 620. S&P Global Ratings said the same day that weak demand, overcapacity and the EV shift point to a broader restructuring wave over the next two to three years.
Links:
- Reuters — Toyota revamp hints of wider industry shake-up in China
- Caixin — Two Major State-Owned Carmakers Kick Off Consolidation
Commentary:
The JV era rewarded sprawling dealer nets; the involution era rewards cutting overlap—efficiency alone will not fix whether young buyers still want the product.
II. Autonomous Driving & Mobility
3. Waymo, GO and Nihon Kotsu target Japan’s first fully driverless commercial taxi in Tokyo in 2027 (AV / Japan)
Summary:
Reuters and The Verge reported on September 15 that Alphabet’s Waymo, Japanese taxi-app operator GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu aim to launch Japan’s first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in Tokyo in 2027. The partners plan to start with a small fleet and later expand to about 100 vehicles across key Tokyo neighbourhoods, subject to regulatory approvals and ongoing validation. Once approved and validated, the unmanned service would be bookable via both the GO and Waymo apps; Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said it would be “an unmanned service for the public” from day one. Waymo has collected Tokyo road data since 2025 with human-driven Jaguar I-PACE vehicles—its first public-road operations outside the United States—while Nissan separately works with Wayve and Uber on robotaxis.
Links:
- Reuters — Waymo, Japanese partners target driverless taxi service in Tokyo in 2027
- The Verge — Waymo says it will launch in Japan in 2027
Commentary:
Waymo just upgraded from “U.S. city count” to “dated Asia unmanned commercial launch”—driver-short Tokyo is the licensing proving ground that matters next.
III. Commercial Vehicles & IAA Transportation
4. European-homologated Tesla Semi shown in Hanover; depot chargers on sale in five countries, still no EU price (Commercial / Europe)
Summary:
EVTrader reported on September 15 that Tesla publicly showed the European-homologated Semi for the first time on the IAA Transportation press day, with ride-alongs during the September 15–20 show. The EU truck uses camera-monitor systems instead of glass mirrors; the published spec remains up to about 550 km range at 40 tonnes GCW, up to about 800 kW charge acceptance, deliveries from 2027, and Nevada production. The substantive news was Semi Charging for Business opening in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK: fleets can buy Megacharger hardware rated up to about 1.2 MW or 120 kW Basechargers for their own depots, with a two-unit minimum. There is still no public European Megacharger network, no European list price and no order configurator.
Links:
Commentary:
You still cannot order the truck, but you can buy the plugs—Europe’s Semi case for now is fixed-route depot fleets, not open cross-border long haul.
5. BYD: first European heavy truck next year, long-term plan to build everything it sells locally (Commercial / Europe)
Summary:
Automotive World reported on September 15 that BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li said at IAA the company plans to launch its first heavy-duty truck in Europe next year and, longer term, “produce everything we sell in Europe here locally,” becoming “a European company” once production is local. The commercial lineup spanning roughly 3.5–44 tonnes—including the ETT 44 flagship—is packaged with financing, solar-linked charging and service under a “Total Cost of Mobility” pitch. Hungary’s Szeged passenger-car plant (mass production targeted around 2027) is seen as the likeliest production base, while a Turkey plant hinges on “Made in Europe” local-content rules. Incumbents such as Traton have urged EU truck tariffs; Li framed any such duties as “short-term pressure” until local output ramps.
Links:
Commentary:
After passenger-EV tariffs, BYD is pre-empting truck duties with a localization timetable—Brussels’ next protectionist round is already priced into the investment map.
IV. Batteries, Charging & Products
6. China clears CATL stake purchase in Geely-linked Chongqing Yaoning battery firm (Battery / China)
Summary:
Bloomberg and ChinaEVHome reported on September 15 that China’s State Administration for Market Regulation unconditionally approved CATL’s acquisition of an equity stake in Chongqing Yaoning New Energy Technology, with Zeekr Automobile (Shanghai) listed among the parties. Yaoning originated as a Geely Technology–Farasis joint venture and later came under Geely control after Farasis exited. The plant represents about RMB 8.5 billion of investment, with about 30 GWh long-term planned capacity and an 18 GWh first phase under construction, originally slated for trial production around December 2026 and full production in Q1 2027. CATL’s share of China power-battery installations was about 44.7% in January–August 2026; amid automakers’ push for in-house cells and second sources, the deal is read as locking customer-proximate capacity via equity.
Links:
- Bloomberg — CATL Gets China Approval for Battery Deal in Consolidation Push
- ChinaEVHome — CATL Cleared to Acquire Geely-Linked Battery Plant Planned for 30 GWh
Commentary:
Battery competition is shifting from “build another greenfield” to “absorb capacity already under construction”—antitrust clearance is another supply-chain lock-in license for the leader.
7. NYC picks it’s electric for nearly 700 curbside Level 2 plugs across five boroughs (Charging / U.S.)
Summary:
Electrek reported on September 15 that New York City selected Brooklyn-based it’s electric to supply hardware for its permanent curbside EV charging network, aiming for nearly 700 Level 2 charging points across all five boroughs over three years—about 600 new points on top of roughly 88 pilot plugs, with chargers manufactured in Queens. Each PlugNYC site will have at least two posts and four plugs; Maverick will handle engineering and construction, and SWTCH Energy will provide the software platform. Sites target dense street-parking neighbourhoods with many TLC and rideshare drivers, supporting the city’s Green Rides goal that 100% of Uber and Lyft trips be zero-emission or wheelchair-accessible by 2030. Existing curbside chargers are occupied more than about 70% of the time, approaching 99% at some locations; the company also announced a Halogen Ventures-led round taking total funding to about $15 million.
Links:
Commentary:
In a driveway-scarce city, electrification stalls at the curb—making chargers municipal infrastructure matters more for rideshare conversion than another highway megastation.
8. GM debuts new truck UI: CarPlay and Android Auto coexist with native controls in split view (Product / U.S.)
Summary:
CNBC and The Verge reported on September 15 that General Motors will introduce a new in-vehicle user interface first on the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty pickups, then expand across more of the portfolio. A key change is that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto no longer take over the entire screen; instead they appear in a large “window-in-window” card alongside native apps such as trailering, vehicle status and Super Cruise, reducing toggling between phone projection and truck controls. Super Cruise visualization also gets a major upgrade, showing surrounding objects such as other vehicles and pedestrians on the cluster. The move follows GM’s earlier retreat from phone mirroring on EVs that upset some buyers, and prioritizes experience fixes on high-volume trucks.
Links:
- CNBC — 2027 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra to debut GM's new software experience
- The Verge — GM updates its trucks’ native software to coexist with CarPlay
Commentary:
GM is not fully capitulating to phone mirroring—it is letting phone and native UI sit side by side, a more persuasive climb-down on cash-cow trucks than ideology on EVs.
9. Geely Galaxy Battleship 700 opens pre-sale at RMB 199,800–389,800 (Product / China)
Summary:
Sina Auto and other Chinese outlets reported on September 15 that Geely opened pre-orders for the Galaxy Battleship 700, its first AI all-terrain hardcore SUV, at a pre-sale range of RMB 199,800–389,800. The model is built on a native new-energy off-road architecture and is said to carry Geely’s “AI new-energy off-road technology” package unveiled on August 28—including the GTA architecture, Raytheon EM-T AI hybrid AWD, an AI all-terrain digital chassis and a full-domain safety stack. Positioning aims to combine genuine off-road capability with family long-distance and camping comfort, breaking the old either/or between tool-like hardcore SUVs and urban luxury crossovers.
Links:
Commentary:
Even the off-road niche now sells “AI + hybrid” stories—stretching toward RMB 400,000 shows Chinese brands turning hardcore SUVs into lifestyle products.
10. Kia shows PV7 electric van at IAA public days: Long Range Cargo WLTP beyond about 460 km (Commercial / Europe)
Summary:
WhichEV reported on September 15 that Kia is displaying the larger PV7 electric van at IAA Transportation in Hanover (public days September 15–20), offered in Cargo and Passenger forms with up to about nine seats globally and a Korea/Europe launch targeted for the second half of 2027. Buyers can choose about 71.5 kWh or 96.2 kWh NCM packs; the Long Range Cargo version is quoted at more than about 460 km WLTP (about 286 miles). An 800 V system is intended to support a roughly 25-minute 10–80% charge on a 350 kW DC charger. Compact Cargo payload reaches about 1,200 kg; Long Cargo volume is up to about 6.1 m³ (about 8.0 m³ with high roof), and Kia for the first time offers dual charge-port layouts. A larger PV9 is scheduled around 2029.
Links:
Commentary:
The LCV fight has moved beyond “city-legal” to “payload, fast charge and conversions”—Kia’s PBV platform treats the van as an extensible business OS.
Today's Summary
- Policy: Thailand floated an around-30% excise signal on fully imported EVs, heating Southeast Asia’s localization race.
- Mobility: Waymo put a 2027 Tokyo fully unmanned commercial taxi date on the calendar, moving robotaxi export into a dated phase.
- Commercial vehicles: In IAA week, Tesla started selling European depot chargers while BYD pledged local heavy-truck production under tariff risk.
- Supply chain and products: CATL cleared a Geely-linked battery integration; NYC curbside charging and GM’s truck UI patched urban and software gaps.
Daily Framing:
Today in the auto/mobility cycle was a “go-to-market localization standoff day”—from Tokyo’s unmanned-taxi timetable to Thailand’s import tax and China–Europe truck plant pledges, the contest shifted from booth specs to who can leave factories, permits and plugs on the ground.
This digest is compiled from real-time search results and is for reference only.