BYD, General Motors & Toyota: This Week's Top EV News
30 March
BYD has enlisted former James Bond actor Daniel Craig to champion the DENZA Z9GT ahead of its European launch in April.
Executive Vice President of BYD, Stella Li, explains: "Daniel Craig represents a powerful combination of strength, sophistication and authenticity. Those qualities resonate deeply with what DENZA stands for."
The move is part of DENZA's strategy to establish itself in the UK market, with the luxury brand planning to begin selling vehicles in Britain in 2026.
In conversation with Auto Express, Li said the Z9GT could be "ten times better than any competition" as the brand positions itself against established European luxury manufacturers including BMW and Mercedes.
1 April
General Motors (GM) is temporarily halting production at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant called Factory ZERO, where it manufactures EVs.
Kevin Kelly, Senior Director of Corporate News Relations at GM, told Crain’s Detroit Business: “Factory ZERO will temporarily adjust production to align EV production with market demand.”
The news comes as GM recorded a US$6bn charge to close some EV related investments in January 2026.
30 March
Major carmakers are scrapping EVs en masse. The list of manufacturers who have revised plans, altered timelines or scrapped EVs has continued to grow through 2026.
Those who went all-in on EVs in the early 2020s have faced a range of challenges, including regulatory changes, environmental rollbacks, competition from China, US tariffs and lower than anticipated sales.
Ford, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Sony Honda, Kia, Lamborghini are some of the manufacturers who have written off plans for EVs amid huge financial write-downs.
31 March
Daimler Truck, Volvo Group and Toyota Motor Corporation have signed an agreement to cooperate in producing fuel cell systems for commercial heavy-duty vehicles.
The new agreement sees Toyota, known for its fuel cell Mirai car, partner with Daimler and Volvo’s joint venture, cellcentric.
This comes as Toyota reports a comparatively strong financial year, despite its competition struggling with lower than anticipated EV demand, tariffs and geopolitical turmoil.
2 April
Kia has announced a new SUV EV, designed to be more affordable, coming to the US at the end of 2026.
The EV industry in the US faces numerous challenges with the combined effects of tax credits expiring, tariffs on components and imported vehicles as well regulatory uncertainty and lower than expected sales.
In this environment, Kia is offering potential customers an incentive to switch by lowering the entry cost to EVs.
Company portals
Executives
Kevin Kelly
Senior Director, Corporate News Relations
Stella Li
Executive Vice President