In today's issue:

The Paris show opens Monday with 20 Chinese brands. Europe's cheap answer, Citroën's 2CV, is a concept with a production car targeted for 2028.

Kia Expects the EV3 to Become Its Best-Selling U.S. EV: Kia product planner Young Kim told InsideEVs the EV3 should top Kia's U.S. EV sales, without saying when; the EV9 leads today with 12,429 sales this year and the EV6 is down about 45% to 6,264. Nissan has sold only 2,318 of the new Leaf this year, and GM has called the new Bolt a limited run into 2027; InsideEVs says U.S. EV3 volume will likely land below the 70,000 to 80,000 a year Kia projected in 2024. #market

Polestar Nearly Sells Out Its U.S. Stock Before the 2027 Ban: CEO Michael Lohscheller told Reuters on Oct. 8 that Polestar is close to selling its remaining model-year 2026 cars in the U.S. before a Commerce Department Connected Vehicle rule blocks 2027 models over majority owner Geely, per Road & Track. U.S. sales of the Polestar 3 and 4 were about 2,160 in the third quarter against 966 a year earlier, but global sales fell 8% and the company cut its full-year volume growth guidance in September; Road & Track counts about 150 unsold 2026 models in Cars.com and Autotrader listings. #analyst

Rimac Pitches Its Hypercar Batteries to AI Data Centers: Rimac Technology and Ecoblox, an AI compute infrastructure company, will build modular data centers backed by Rimac's UNI battery modules for longer continuous backup power, per Autoblog. The first unit is due at Rimac's campus in Zagreb in November 2026 as a live demonstration. #analyst

Lancia's Gamma Revives the HF Integrale Name on a 370-HP Electric Crossover: The Gamma debuts at the Paris show Monday, and its top HF Integrale trim pairs two motors with all-wheel drive for about 370 hp and up to 675 km (419 miles) of estimated range, a figure Carscoops does not tie to a test cycle, per Carscoops. Carscoops says it is the first production Lancia to use the name since the 1990s, and Autoblog says it is built in Melfi, Italy, on Stellantis's STLA Medium platform.

Callaway's One-Off Turbo Mercedes 190E Heads to Auction With No Reserve: The 1984 190E is a Callaway prototype with a turbocharged 2.3-liter four, a five-speed manual and parts from BBS, Bilstein and Recaro, listed on Bring a Trailer after a claimed $100,000 restoration, per Carscoops. The listing does not give a horsepower figure.

Chevy Adds $300 to Every 2027 Corvette: The Stingray now starts at $73,795 with destination, up from $73,495 in June, and the ZR1X is $227,695, per Motor1.

Nio Completes 1.19 Million Battery Swaps in a Week: Nio's roughly 4,100 swap stations did 1,192,221 swaps from Oct. 1 to 7, with a daily average nearly 22% above last year, per Electrek.

Alfa Romeo's Cuorerosso Concept Is a Four-Door V6 as U.S. Sales Fall 65%: The Paris concept is a four-door, four-seat performance car built around the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 from the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and Alfa calls it a "multi-energy" manifesto for hybrid, plug-in or electric power, per Motor1. Alfa's U.S. sales fell 65% in the third quarter to 569 cars from 1,614, and the Tonale leaves North America after 2026, per Autoblog.

This Week in Car Podcasts: An $18,000 Headlight and Who Is Allowed to Fix a Modern Car: Car Curious, our sister car-podcast platform, recaps 300 episodes across 196 shows, including a mechanic on The Car Doctor describing an $18,000 dealer quote to replace a two-year-old Genesis headlight assembly, and ten shows on the Jaguar Type 01's four range figures.

Mercedes Widens S-Class Brake Hose Recall to 30,078 Cars: The expansion under NHTSA 26V638 covers S-Class models built from Feb. 2, 2021 to Nov. 28, 2024, where a leaking front brake hose can drain one of two brake circuits with no warning before a red fluid message, per autoevolution and Autoblog. Dealers will replace both front hoses at no charge, and Mercedes had blamed climate in the earlier 25V116 recall before reports from outside the U.S. undercut that.

Yesterday's picks

GM's U.S. Lead Over Toyota Is Down to Fewer Than 130,000 Vehicles: GM sold 670,974 vehicles in Q3, down 5.5%, and Toyota sold 633,223, up 0.6%, a gap of about 37,750, as we reported Oct. 2, per Automotive News and Toyota's release.

China and the EU Reach a "Shared Understanding" on Hybrid Exports: China says it reached an understanding with the EU that "opens the prospect" of cutting Chinese hybrid and plug-in hybrid exports to Europe by more than half, measured against projected growth over four years, per Automotive News Europe and Politico. It reverses Thursday's report that China had rejected Brussels's request for voluntary curbs, and it follows the tariff-rate quota plan reported Oct. 7. What is agreed is the framework; no tariff or quota figures have been published, only a pledge to keep talking.

FTC Drops Asbury Case but Proposes a Dealer Pricing Settlement With Greenway: The FTC dismissed its complaint against Asbury Automotive Group on Oct. 5, per CBT News, but proposed a settlement with Greenway Automotive, alleging that more than 92% of Greenway Kia customers were charged an average of $3,354 above advertised prices, per Automotive News. The FTC says it remains committed to dealer price transparency, and advertised prices must include required fees and add-ons.

Worth a listen

One episode from Car Curious, our sister car-podcast platform, picked out of everything the shows published in the last day.

Is America Ready for a Car like the 2026 Honda Prelude? (America on the Road, also at drivingtoday.com): Matt DeLorenzo's road-test lineup starts with the Honda Prelude hybrid coupe, which the hosts say has no CVT and simulates eight gears, before they debate whether plug-in hybrids and EVs deliver enough real-world value over gas cars.

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