In today's issue:
Nissan and Chery signed a non-binding MOU to study contract manufacturing at Sunderland, the most striking sign yet of Chinese brands buying their way into European plants rather than building their own
The 2027 Bronco Filson pairs a Raptor V6 with quilted leather and starts in the mid-$70,000s
Kia's EV-only Georgia plant just rolled out its first hybrid, marking a straight reversal of the original build mandate
CAPACITY FOR RENT
Nissan and Chery International UK signed a non-binding MOU to study contract manufacturing of Chery passenger vehicles at the Sunderland plant, per Nissan's own press release and confirmed by the Financial Times and Reuters.
Nissan had already announced plans to cut its Sunderland operations to a single production line, leaving substantial spare capacity, per Electrive.
Chery could begin UK production as early as 2027, per Carscoops; Sunderland would remain fully owned by Nissan, which acts as contract assembler.
This is the second Nissan-to-Chery capacity handoff: Nissan sold its South African factories to Chery in January 2026, per Paul Tan.
For UK workers, the deal preserves jobs at a plant whose future was thrown into serious doubt by Nissan's restructuring; for Chery, it sidesteps EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs by manufacturing inside the bloc.
The FT called the Sunderland plant's future "thrown into doubt" by Nissan's restructuring, and now a Chinese brand is the most credible answer to that doubt. Chery could turn Nissan's retreat into a European manufacturing beachhead, without spending a euro on a greenfield site.
Also worth knowing
Tesla Expands Robotaxi to All of Austin, but Still Has Only ~20 Cars: Tesla's unsupervised Robotaxi geofence now covers the entire Austin metropolitan area, more than doubling the operating zone overnight, per Electrek. The fleet serving that massive area is approximately 20 active vehicles, per Business Insider, and Tesla declined to say whether more cars would be added. Elon Musk promised Robotaxi coverage for 50% of the US population by end-2025; it is now mid-2026 and the footprint is one city. #analyst
Kia's EV-Only Georgia Plant Just Rolled Out Its First Hybrid: The 2027 Kia Sportage Hybrid is the first hybrid model produced at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Savannah, a facility originally designed exclusively for EVs, per MotorTrend and Carscoops. Building the Sportage Hybrid domestically insulates Kia from import tariffs at precisely the moment its hybrid volume is surging: Hyundai's U.S. hybrid sales jumped 90% year-over-year in May 2026, while its EV sales rose just 10%, per Autoblog. #analyst
Chrysler Gets a Two-Front Revival: Rebadged Fiat Grizzlies and a Glimpsed Airflow: Stellantis plans to sell the newly revealed Fiat Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback in the US under Chrysler names, the Arrow and Arrow Cross, targeting a sub-$30,000 price point, per Carscoops and Automotive News. Separately, a Chrysler Airflow SUV estimated around $40,000 surfaced undisguised in a Stellantis powertrain video, with Car and Driver noting the production design is quite a departure from the smoother, more streamlined 2022 concept. A brand running on a single minivan is suddenly previewing three models, though none are on sale yet. #analyst
EVs Cost 42% More to Insure Than Gas Cars, but the Gap Is Narrowing: A new Insurify analysis found EVs carry a 42% insurance premium over equivalent gas vehicles, per CBT News, though newer models are closing the gap; InsideEVs puts the spread for recent model years at 18%. EV owners still net $567 to $1,007 per year in fuel savings at current gas prices, per CBT, but the insurance drag erodes a meaningful portion of that advantage for buyers in high-rate markets. #market
Reveals & culture
2027 Ford Bronco Filson: Raptor Power in a Quilted-Leather Cabin Starting Mid-$70,000s: The Bronco Filson pairs the Bronco Raptor's 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with a standard Sasquatch package and a cabin lined in Filson's signature waxed canvas and quilted leather, per MotorTrend and Automotive News. Pricing starts in the mid-$70,000 range and it arrives in showrooms early 2027, per Automotive News, putting it squarely against the Lexus GX and Land Rover Defender in the premium off-roader segment Ford previously conceded to rivals. #enthusiast
Clark Gable's 1935 Duesenberg Heads to RM Sotheby's Monterey With an $8 Million Estimate: Gable's Model JN Convertible Coupe by Rollston and Bohman & Schwartz, part of the Sam and Emily Mann Collection, is expected to fetch up to $8 million when it crosses the block in August, per Robb Report. The car's two-owner coachbuilt history and Hollywood provenance make it one of the headliners of the Monterey season.
Recalls & legal action
419,035 Jeep Grand Cherokees Recalled Over Side Airbags That May Not Deploy: FCA US is recalling certain 2022-2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2023-2025 Grand Cherokee L models, up to 419,035 vehicles, over a defect that can prevent side airbags from deploying properly in a crash, per Pickup Truck Talk. Remedy details have not been publicly confirmed; owners should check NHTSA's database for notification timing.
Quick links
UK Posts Best May Car Sales Since 2019: SMMT data showed 160,662 new registrations in May 2026, up 7.1% year-over-year and the strongest May since before the pandemic, per Car Dealer Magazine; the result contrasts with US light-vehicle sales still running 5% below prior-year levels, per Automotive News.
Used EVs Are Now Only About $20/Month More Than Used Gas Cars: The pricing gap between used EVs and equivalent used gas vehicles has compressed to roughly $20 per month on average, per The Autopian, a steep drop from the premium that existed just two years ago as EV depreciation accelerates.
Vehicles and Many Auto Parts Exempt From Trump's Latest Tariff Proposal: Vehicles, auto parts, steel, aluminum, and USMCA-compliant products would be exempt from new Section 301 tariffs the Trump administration proposed for roughly 60 countries, per Automotive News. The carve-out preserves existing auto trade flows while the broader tariff structure is still being negotiated.
Robotaxis Don't Cut Traffic Any More Than Ride-Hailing, Study Finds: A new study found autonomous vehicles produce no measurable congestion reduction beyond what conventional ride-hailing already delivers, challenging a core promise used to justify public support for AV deployment, per Ars Technica.
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