Just one year ago, when BMW presented the iX3 in Munich, the company made it clear it wasn't ready to offer the more affordable LFP chemistry across Western markets, as it wasn't prepared to compromise on charging speed, robustness in various climates, or range for its premium consumers.

According to the latest Schmidt Automotive Research Q3 European New Passenger Car Market Study, published November 2026, European manufacturers see their domestic share of the regional market dip to a historically low level: 62% in Q3.

Just two years after the issues Volvo Cars suffered with the EX90 and the SPA2 architecture rollout, which also accommodates the Polestar 3, and repeatedly promising this time with the SPA3 architecture, which has been designed from the ground up to accommodate BEVs only such as the EX60, things are running to plan and will be different this time around; only a trickle of EX60s has entered the European market so far.

Just two years after the issues Volvo Cars suffered with the EX90 and the SPA2 architecture rollout, which also accommodates the Polestar 3, and repeatedly promising this time with the SPA3 architecture, which has been designed from the ground up to accommodate BEVs only such as the EX60, things are running to plan and will be different this time around; only a trickle of EX60s has entered the European market so far.

Volvo Cars snatches Klaus Zellmer from under the noses of Volkswagen Group at a crucial time for both Volvo Cars as well as the Germans

According to Schmidt Automotive Research data, Chinese manufacturers accounted for more than 10% of the Western European new passenger car market cumulatively, with 820,000 units registered in the first two-thirds of 2026.