Oct 13, 2026 · Auto & Mobility Daily Digest
Today's auto and mobility briefing for October 13, 2026, with summaries, links, and commentary.
I. Policy and markets
1. China's finance and tax authorities will cut the NEV VAT export rebate from 13% to 9% on April 1, 2027 (Policy / China)
Summary:
Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration Announcement 2026 No. 29, issued on October 12, lowers the value-added-tax export rebate for new-energy vehicles from 13% to 9% starting April 1, 2027. The rate follows the export date on the customs declaration. Products subject to consumption tax keep the consumption-tax refund or exemption. 21st Century Business Herald reported on October 13, citing Red Star Capital Bureau, that the list covers 67 product categories, including cars, SUVs, and commercial vehicles. China Passenger Car Association secretary-general Cui Dongshu told Red Star that the long buffer makes this a structural adjustment, not a full withdrawal of export support. Four percentage points will raise export costs and press low-margin models, while export growth still rests on the supply chain rather than the rebate. A company source cited in the report said a vehicle with an offshore price of 150,000 yuan would lose 6,000 yuan of rebate. Analyst Liu Hao said the lithium-battery export rebate already fell from 9% to 6% on April 1, 2026, and is due to be cancelled on January 1, 2027.
Links:
- State Taxation Administration policy library — Ministry of Finance and STA Announcement 2026 No. 29
- 21st Century Business Herald — NEV VAT export rebate to be cut to 9%
Commentary:
The notice sets the rate after April 1, 2027; until then it remains 13%, and any rush to export during the window is a market inference, not a published quota.
2. Cox revises U.S. third-quarter EV sales to 262,649, still up from the prior quarter and down 39.5% year on year (Market / United States)
Summary:
Cox Automotive's Kelley Blue Book third-quarter EV sales commentary carries an editor's note that a figure was corrected. The estimate table dated October 13 puts U.S. EV sales at 262,649 in the third quarter, down 39.5% from a year earlier and up 6.1% from the second quarter, the highest quarterly volume in a year. EVs were about 6.4% of new-vehicle sales, up from 5.8% in the second quarter. Sales for the first nine months were 725,888, down 30.3%. Tesla sold 144,094, down 19.7%, and still accounted for more than half. Toyota sold 12,904, up 328%; Rivian sold 19,239, up 45.7%; Subaru sold 4,566, up 31.5%. Cox's Stephanie Valdez Streaty said the market is finding its footing, that the next stage depends on products and prices, and that gasoline above $4 a gallon is helping.
Links:
- Cox Automotive — Q3 2026 U.S. EV sales commentary
- Kelley Blue Book — Q3 EV sales estimates as of October 13, 2026
Commentary:
The 262,649 figure is the October 13 revision; a quarter-on-quarter gain does not offset the drop from the third-quarter 2025 rush before incentives expired.
II. Electric vehicles and automakers
3. BYD launches the Great Han EV from 235,900 yuan, with 1,008 km of CLTC range in rear-wheel drive (New model / China)
Summary:
Kuaikeji reported on October 13 that BYD's Dynasty flagship sedan, the Great Han EV, went on sale that evening in three versions priced from 235,900 to 275,900 yuan: the 1,008 km rear-drive Premium at 235,900, the rear-drive Flagship at 249,900, and the 880 km all-wheel-drive Flagship at 275,900. That is below the earlier pre-sale range of 249,900 to 299,900 yuan, and existing owners get a further 10,000 yuan trade-in subsidy. Every version uses an approximately 102.3 kWh second-generation Blade battery. The rear-drive single motor is rated at 370 kW, with 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, 1,008 km of CLTC range, and 11.5 kWh per 100 km. The all-wheel-drive version combines 570 kW, reaches 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, has a top speed of 270 km/h, and is rated at 880 km. A charge from 10% to 70% takes about five minutes, and from 10% to 97% about nine minutes. Electrek added the same day that every car has a roof LiDAR and God's Eye B.
Links:
- Sina Finance — BYD Great Han goes on sale from 235,900 yuan with 1,008 km of range
- Electrek — BYD launches a luxury Han EV with more than 1,000 km of range from about $35,000
Commentary:
The 1,008 km figure is a CLTC rating, and the five- and nine-minute charges are the manufacturer's flash-charging claims, not an independent road test.
4. BMW Group deliveries fall 6.3% to 551,072 in the third quarter, while 34.7% of European deliveries are fully electric (Market / Europe and China)
Summary:
BMW Group said in a press release on October 13 that it delivered 551,072 vehicles worldwide in the third quarter, down 6.3%, and 1,707,799 in the first nine months, down 4.9%. China deliveries were 114,355 in the quarter, down 24.8%, and 376,128 year to date, down 21.8%. The BMW brand's China sales were down 21.2% for the first nine months. Europe delivered 235,628 in the quarter, up 2.7%, and the United States 106,741, up 2.5%. Fully electric deliveries were 110,257 worldwide in the quarter, up 7.2%, but the nine-month BEV total of 314,552 was still down 2.7%. In Europe, third-quarter BEV deliveries were 81,941, up 37.5%, or 34.7% of regional deliveries. The company said the new iX3 has more than 100,000 orders in Europe within a year, and that the China version starts reaching customers in November. The figures are provisional.
Links:
Commentary:
The "one in three" fully electric share covers European deliveries in the third quarter only, not the global business or the full year.
5. Stellantis: third-quarter consolidated shipments fall 1% to 1.286 million, with Europe up 10% and North America down 12% (Market / Europe and North America)
Summary:
Stellantis published estimated third-quarter consolidated shipments on October 13: 1.286 million units, against 1.300 million a year earlier, down 1%. Enlarged Europe was 588,000, up 54,000 or 10%. North America was 357,000, down 47,000 or 12%, mainly because of planned summer shutdowns. Jeep Grand Cherokee and Compass each fell by about 25,000, partly offset by a gain of about 17,000 for Ram. Middle East and Africa was 75,000, down 21%, led by a drop of about 21,000 in Türkiye. Within the European gain, Smart Car platform nameplates contributed about 26,000, and Leapmotor-branded shipments rose by about 34,000 to 44,000. The company said the figures are unaudited and may be adjusted. The consolidated total includes Leapmotor International, which is 51% owned by Stellantis.
Links:
Commentary:
The 1.286 million figure is shipments to dealers and customers, not retail sales, and the 10% European gain already includes Leapmotor.
6. Paris Motor Show: Stellantis says Europe has too much capacity but will not close plants, and plans roughly €15,000 EVs with Leapmotor (Automakers / Europe)
Summary:
Euronews reported on October 13 that chief executive Antonio Filosa told the Paris Automotive Summit, held with the Paris Motor Show, that Europe has excess capacity but that the company does not want to close plants, and that it intends to share factories with partners including Leapmotor and Dongfeng. He said more European battery plants will be needed and urged a quick agreement on the revision of EU CO2 rules. The FaSTLAne 2030 plan invests €60 billion, with 40% going to shared platforms, powertrains, and technology. Reuters, via TimesLIVE the same day, reported that chief technology officer Ned Curic said on Monday at the show that the city-car platform being developed with Leapmotor at Mirafiori in Turin has started. At least two models priced around €15,000 are planned for 2028 at Pomigliano in Italy, including the Citroën 2CV concept unveiled on Monday.
Links:
- Euronews — Filosa: excess European capacity, partnerships instead of closures
- TimesLIVE / Reuters — Stellantis to build small EVs with Leapmotor
Commentary:
The €15,000 price and the 2028 timing are planning figures, and the 2CV is still a concept, not a car already in production.
III. Autonomous driving
7. Baidu Apollo Go sets a public community trial in Hong Kong's Tung Chung for October 21 to November 3 (Autonomous driving / Hong Kong)
Summary:
Dimsum Daily reported on October 13 that the Transport Department lodged a paper with the Islands District Council the same day supporting Baidu's Apollo Go in Hong Kong's first community public trial of autonomous cars in Tung Chung. Councillors get a preview on October 20. Rides for Islands District residents run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day from October 21 through November 3, 14 days in all. The loop starts at Yat Tung Estate Car Park No. 1, runs via Chung Yan Road, Yu Tung Road, and Yi Tung Road to the Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung Hotel, and returns to the same car park. It is about 5.1 kilometres and about 15 minutes, with no intermediate drop-offs. Six hundred tickets are available, each vehicle carries at most two passengers, and up to 1,200 people can be hosted. Councillors receive 540 of the tickets to share with residents. A backup operator stays on board. Riders must be at least eight years old or 1.35 metres tall. The report said members of the Autonomous Vehicle Applications Facilitation Working Group inspected the cars and rode them on October 10 and found the run orderly.
Links:
Commentary:
This is a 14-day ticketed community loop with an operator in the car, not an open commercial driverless ride-hailing service.
8. Waymo responds to a Tampa incident: a vehicle briefly entered a temporary one-way street, and no one was hurt (Autonomous driving / United States)
Summary:
WUSF reported on October 13 that after a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on October 4, University of Tampa student Matthew Reardon and friends took a Waymo back toward campus. He said the car refused to turn for about 30 minutes, then turned into oncoming traffic after they called support, and stopped without a collision. The passengers got out, walked about 40 minutes, and finished the trip by Uber. Waymo told WUSF on Tuesday that a vehicle briefly entered a temporary one-way street in Tampa, that the team then corrected it, and that the company is investigating so it can improve. Reardon said he might ride again, but not in a large crowd. The report also recalled a separate incident in Scottsdale early last year, when a passenger was stuck in a car circling a parking lot.
Links:
Commentary:
What is new on October 13 is Waymo's public statement; the ride itself was on October 4, and no injury count has been reported.
IV. Charging and vehicle-grid integration
9. Tesla extends Powershare home backup to the Model 3 and Model Y in the United States, without feeding the grid (Charging / United States)
Summary:
electrive reported on October 13 that Tesla has extended Powershare Home Backup, previously limited to the Cybertruck, to the Model 3 and Model Y in the United States, so the traction battery can supply a home during an outage. For a household using 30 kWh a day, Tesla estimates that Premium and Performance versions can cover more than two days, and Standard versions up to about two days, depending on charge and use. Compatibility is guaranteed only for vehicles ordered in the United States and Puerto Rico on or after October 1, 2026; earlier cars depend on hardware. The setup needs a Powerwall 3 and a compatible Wall Connector, supplies up to 11.5 kW continuously, and must be activated through Tesla support. These two models cannot currently send power back to the public grid. Support for Powerwall 2 is planned, with no date. Tesla has not said whether other markets will get the feature.
Links:
Commentary:
This is backup power for a home outage, and it requires a Powerwall 3; it is not an open vehicle-to-grid sales product.
10. Mercedes launches a bidirectional package for private customers in Germany, with the first 500 wallboxes at €1,990 (Charging / Germany)
Summary:
electrive reported on October 13 that Mercedes-Benz and The Mobility House launched MB.CHARGE Home Pro Intelligent, letting customers send electricity from the vehicle battery back to the public grid. In Germany it starts with the electric GLC and the new C-Class, with later over-the-air extensions planned for the VLE, GLA, EQS, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, and GLB. The ChargeLine Bidi wallbox is an 11 kW DC unit for 400-volt and 800-volt cars and uses ISO 15118-20. A smart meter is required. Through the end of March 2027, the first 500 customers can buy the wallbox for €1,990 instead of €2,990. Every hour the car is connected is paid, whether it is charging, discharging, or idle, and early customers also get a €250 charging credit. Mercedes says someone connected for an average of 12 hours a day can currently expect more than €500 a year. On that example, the introductory price pays back in about four years, and the regular price in about six.
Links:
Commentary:
The figure above €500 is a worked example that assumes 12 hours of connection a day, not a guaranteed payout for every owner.
11. Paren: U.S. public fast-charging ports pass 80,000, and Tesla's non-member average rises to 56.9 cents per kWh (Charging / United States)
Summary:
Electrek reported on October 13 on Paren's third-quarter 2026 U.S. fast-charging report. Operators added 4,106 fast-charging ports at 664 stations from July through September, bringing the national total to 80,964 ports at 14,614 locations. The second quarter had added 4,618 ports. Tesla added 1,287 ports, plus 124 through Supercharger for Business. IONNA added 378 and Walmart 344. Of the new ports, 73% were rated at least 250 kW. Outside Tesla's network, ports of 400 kW or more were 35% of additions, compared with 10% a year earlier. Paren tracked 50.4 million fast-charging sessions in the quarter, up 26% year on year, and July set a monthly record at 17.6 million. The national average fast-charging price was 54 cents per kWh, up 2.7% year on year, which Paren attributes to Tesla. Tesla's average non-member Supercharger price rose 15% to 56.9 cents, and the member price rose 9% to 39.6 cents. Non-Tesla networks stayed near 53.3 cents for a fifth straight quarter. Urban markets received 90% of the new stations; rural markets received 68 of the 664.
Links:
Commentary:
The 80,000 ports and the 56.9-cent average are third-quarter network statistics, not a live price on October 13.
12. Seattle opens applications for up to 200 curbside Level 2 chargers by 2030 (Charging / United States)
Summary:
The Seattle Department of Transportation wrote on its site on October 13 that it will work with Seattle City Light, using the voter-approved transportation levy, to install up to 200 public curbside Level 2 charging stations by 2030, starting with neighborhoods that have the fewest chargers and the greatest need. A 2023-2024 pilot installed chargers at 31 locations. Applications stay open through fall 2027, and installation runs on a rolling basis from fall 2027 through 2030. The department said about one in four newly registered vehicles in the greater Seattle area are EVs, and that Level 2 charging adds about 12 to 30 miles of range per hour. Chargers in Burien, SeaTac, Shoreline, and Tukwila, inside City Light's service area but outside Seattle, will use a separate transportation-electrification budget and are not part of the 200 levy-funded Seattle sites.
Links:
Commentary:
Two hundred is a ceiling through 2030. What opened today is the application for sites, not construction of 200 chargers.
Today's Summary
- Policy and markets: The NEV VAT export rebate falls from 13% to 9% on April 1, 2027, while the consumption-tax rebate stays. Revised U.S. third-quarter EV sales are 262,649, up 6.1% from the prior quarter, down 39.5% year on year, and 6.4% of new-vehicle sales.
- Automakers: BYD's Great Han EV starts at 235,900 yuan with 1,008 km of CLTC range in rear-wheel drive. BMW's global third-quarter deliveries fell 6.3%, China fell 24.8%, and 34.7% of European deliveries were fully electric. Stellantis shipments fell 1%, with Europe up 10% and North America down 12%, and the company is planning small EVs around €15,000 for 2028.
- Autonomous driving: Baidu Apollo Go will run an operator-on-board community trial in Hong Kong's Tung Chung from October 21 to November 3. Waymo confirmed that a vehicle briefly entered a temporary one-way street in Tampa on October 4, with no injuries reported.
- Charging: Tesla extended Model 3 and Model Y home backup in the United States without sending power to the grid. Mercedes opened bidirectional charging for private customers in Germany. U.S. public fast-charging ports reached 80,964, Tesla's non-member average was 56.9 cents per kWh, and Seattle opened applications for up to 200 curbside sites.
Daily Framing:
October 13 was a day of delayed rebate cuts and two-way charging: China scheduled the NEV export-rebate cut for April 2027, U.S. EV sales rose from the prior quarter even after a revision, and Mercedes and Tesla connected vehicle batteries to the grid and to home backup.
This digest is compiled from real-time search results and is for reference only. Date: October 13, 2026 (Tuesday)