Behind the wheel newsletter

From the marketing desk

Welcome to the second edition of our fresh new look newsletter for the month of July. It would seem you really took to the layout and content as we welcomed 11,427 new subscribers to the fold after the June release. We hope you’re already seeing the merits, but if you know of anyone else who could profit from a subscription, tell them to sign up.

We promised you last month that we would bring you totally up to speed with the ins and outs of Transaction Analysis. Well, we’ve pulled the need-to-know info together and it’s all now online and right at your fingertips. See it in action and start benefitting today.

We’ve also updated our Retail and Specifications pages. They’re more visually appealing, the information more pointed, and there’s a new and intuitive UX. Now it’s even easier to find the vital information you need in double quick time. See what’s changed.

As always, that’s not all folks. Read on to discover how you can get ahead and stay ahead in your industry sector.

Yours in motoring,

Matt Carter-Johnson
Head of Marketing

JATO in the news

July was a busy month, but if we had to pick one article to highlight, it would be the one authored by Tom Seymour at AM ONLINE, about the ascent of Chinese brands in the European automotive markets.

It highlighted the major European OEMs losing market share to Chinese brands, with Tesla seeing the second steepest decline. It also spoke about the rise of BYD, which has been particularly aggressive in its pricing strategy, registering 70,500 units in H1 2025, a year-on-year increase of 311%. In June alone, BYD registered 15,565 units, entering the top-selling 25 brands and outselling Suzuki, Mini and Jeep.

There is a myriad of other very useful data in the shape of charts and graphs, so we would strongly encourage you to have a read.

MOTORTRADER.com also picked up on the news story. Their article ended with the bombshell that Tesla has lost its place in the group rankings to SAIC Motor, owner of MG, which outsold Tesla for the first time. It sure makes for interesting reading, so get your eyes on it now

Deep dive data

In a recent press release, the spotlight was firmly fixed on the meteoric rise of Chinese car brands into the European market. In fact, they have outsold Mercedes in June and Ford in H1 of this year. In another shock, Tesla is on a severe downward spiral.

As a brief snapshot, Chinese brands surged among the top 25 most-registered in June and H1 2025 across Europe-28.

BYD now sits in 10th position for June 2025. 132% higher than June-24.
BYD now sits in 12th position for H1. 143% higher than H1-24.
Xpeng now sits in 24th position for June 2025. 328% higher than June-24.
Xpeng now sits in 25th position for H1. 273% higher than H1-24.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For decades, Germany, France and Japan had the European automotive market sown up when it came to being the top 10 most-registered cars a year. Not anymore!

If you’re keen to know more about why this is happening and who it is happening to, check out our press release.

OEM news

July was a particularly busy month for our Head of Automotive, Dean Miles, who jetted around Japan meeting with customers from the top automotive manufacturers in the country.

For him it was a fantastic opportunity to hear how teams are using JATO’s platform in innovative ways, from building BI tools to exploring trends, pricing, and customer insights. The feedback was honest and focused on data coverage and the future of insights.

Dean was also especially excited to see JATO deeply embedded in decision-making, with our data driving strategic planning alongside internal and third-party sources. These conversations are vital as we continue evolving our support across 51+ countries.

If you're a customer keen to share your experience or learn what's new, Dean would love to connect. Whether you're exploring new use cases or just curious, reach out – because listening to our customers is what propels us forward.

Advisory news

This month, JATO Advisory restructured to boost global impact, launching a new model in July with four dedicated divisions tailored to client needs.

Three regional teams focused on Europe, the Americas, and Asia, each with deep local expertise and market understanding and one cross-functional unit that supports special projects and provides tailored advisory services to Chinese OEMs and other strategic partners.

This transformation shows our commitment to providing faster, more specialised insights that help clients navigate the evolving automotive landscape more effectively.

We also continued to share our perspective on key industry trends through two new thought leadership articles, “Rising Car Prices: A Deep Dive into the European Market” that explores one of the most pressing issues in today’s automotive landscape: the price migration phenomenon.Get the insight.

The other is an interesting read titled, “Global BEV Transition: Same Destination, Different Speeds”, that examines how the transition to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is progressing at different speeds across regions. See why the transition.

Retail news

Following the successful UK launch of VINView Pro, we're actively preparing expanding this powerful used car data solution into select European markets by end 2025. Designed to reveal a vehicle’s exact build spec from its VIN or registration, VINView Pro supports more confident pricing, listing, and sourcing decisions – especially for marketplaces, dealers, and digital retail platforms.

Our new API suite is now live and available for customer trials. This borderless API framework gives access to global vehicle data – including specifications, options, incentives, and comparisons – all from a single integration point. New or existing customers can request a trial via our website or speak to their account manager to get started.

We’re also preparing to launch a new and improved Developer Portal experience – making it even easier to explore our APIs, understand what’s possible, and integrate faster.

Finally, Sales Link now includes access to VINView Pro, allowing dealers to retrieve vehicle build specs and generate AI-written used car descriptions in seconds – enhancing listings, saving time, and helping vehicles stand out online.

Leasing and fleet news

It’s showtime! Our Fleet team will soon be on the road, attending a host of automotive shows. We’ll be at Fleet LATAM in Mexico City from 23-25 September, where Jesper Rolink, our Head of Global Sales for Leasing will be sharing the latest data insights that will help your business thrive in an ever-competitive landscape.

Can’t make it to that, our team will also be attending Fleet Europe, taking place in Luxembourg on 22 and 23 October. We’ve been granted a speaking slot there, so make sure that you mark that time in your calendar when visiting the show.

Of course, our Leasing team will also be hitting the road to one of the not to be missed events on the European automotive calendar, Lease Europe which will be taking place from 9-10 October in Cascais, Portugal. They’ll be armed with give aways so come and get yours when you see us there.

Overview of local markets

As an established global company operating across 51+ countries, it stands to reason that there will be a lot happening in all the geographies that we have a presence in. That ongoing activity has brought about the aggregation of a lot of meaningful and actionable data that will be beneficial for you and your business. We’ve been busy putting together an overview of the regions we operate across, so read on to see what has been happening across Europe, Asia Pacific, and The Americas in the month of June.

Europe

The new car market across Europe overall saw a slight decline of 1.9% during H1 of 2025 (to 5.58 million vehicles), with the increasing adoption of battery-electric, hybrid-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles signaling a decisive shift away from traditional petrol and diesel cars. The EU is now second only to China in global EV adoption. A total of 869,271 new BEVs were registered in the EU during the first half of the year, taking a 15.6% market share and representing a substantial increase from the 12.5% share in the first half of last year. Three of the four largest markets within the EU — Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands — were key drivers of this growth, reporting gains of 35.1%, 19.5% and 6.1%, respectively. The French market, conversely, saw a 6.4% decline in BEV registrations, partly due to subsidy cuts. Spain, however, saw incredible gains of 83% to June 2025 over the same period in 2024.

Hybrids (HEVs) continued to rise and cement its status as the popular halfway choice to full electric vehicles, registrations at 1,942,762 units and accounts for a significant 34.8% of the total EU market share.

PHEVs also continued the upward trend of alternative fuel consumer take-ups with 469,410 units registered in the first half of 2025. This surge was predominantly driven by substantial increases in Germany, at 55.1%, Spain at 82.5% and Italy at 56.3%. As a result, PHEVs now command an 8.4% of total car registrations in the EU, up from 6.9% in June 2024 year-to-date.

In stark contrast, petrol and diesel car registrations continued their sharp decline. By the end of June 2025, petrol car registrations had fallen by 21.2%, with all major markets experiencing decreases. France saw the steepest drop at 33.7%. Similarly, the diesel car market contracted by 28.1%, leaving it with a 9.4% share of total EU car registrations in June 2025 year-to-date.

Subaru is considering a European return for the BRZ sports coupe in its third generation – and it could be electric. The company recently suggested it is part of a wider debate on how to return to the European sports car segment in a bid to cater to the strong enthusiast customer base.

In the first half of 2025, Škoda Auto delivered 509,400 vehicles to customers worldwide, representing year-on-year growth of 13.6%. The strong sales are also reflected in the company’s financial results: revenue rose to EUR 15.070 bn (up 10.4%), and operating profit reached EUR 1.285 bn (increase of 11.8%). The return on sales remained robust at 8.5% (8.4%). Škoda also reached a historic milestone by becoming the third best-selling car brand in Europe (EU-27 plus the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland). On the European market, Škoda delivered 409,100 vehicles to customers, significantly outperforming the overall market. Strong demand for electric and plug-in-hybrid models played a key role in this success.

Asia Pacific

Škoda Auto also significantly strengthened its presence in Asia, delivering 33,300 vehicles to customers in India. This achievement set a new record for the brand in its 25th year on the subcontinent, marking year-on-year growth of 107.7%. In Vietnam, sales began of the first locally produced Škoda model – the Kushaq SUV.

Automotive and mobility companies in Asia Pacific are developing advanced digital vehicle platforms and features to stay competitive amid rapid electrification and changing consumer expectations, according to a new research report published by Information Services Group.

The 2025 ISG Provider Lens® Automotive and Mobility Services and Solutions report for Asia Pacific finds that the market for electric and hybrid vehicles in the region continues to grow, driven in part by government support, urbanization and environmental concerns. Interest in and development of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is also accelerating, led by rapid developments in China and Southeast Asia. These trends, along with rising demand for connected cars with new digital capabilities, are driving innovation throughout the region’s industry.

"Asia Pacific is a key region in the development of new vehicle platforms and features," said Michael Gale, partner and regional leader, ISG Asia Pacific. "As regulatory and market pressures grow and change, manufacturers continue to advance both their products and their methodologies."

India's Tata Motors will buy Iveco in a deal valued at EUR 3.8 billion (USD 4.36 billion), the companies said this month, after the Italian truckmaker separately agreed to sell its defense business to Leonardo. Tata will launch an all-cash tender offer on Iveco's shares, subject to the defense business sale, at EUR 14.1 per share. Exor, the investment company of Italy's Agnelli family, has agreed to hand its 27% controlling stake in Iveco to Tata.

The combined group would have a significant global presence, with sales of over 540,000 units per year and revenues of around EUR 22 billion.

Nissan Motor recently confirmed that it will stop production at its Civac plant in Mexico by March next year, ostensibly due to its restructuring plans globally.

The Americas

According to local reports, Toyota will introduce a new entry-level EV model, transitioning another popular three-row crossover from combustion to electric, and adding two new electric crossovers to its U.S. lineup, even as other automakers are abandoning their electric vehicle plans in the face of removed federal supports for the vehicles.

As with many automakers, the 2024 election and subsequent changes to state-level emissions regulations as well as EV subsidies have upended Toyota’s future product strategies and thrown several planned changes into limbo.

Mazda sales in the U.S. are up nearly 4% for the first half of the year, topping 210,000 sales and outpacing the industry. Despite focus on growth, the Japanese automaker has shelved its plan to close 2025 with sales of 450,000 vehicles, citing uncertainty around tariffs.

Mazda currently builds just one of its vehicles in the U.S. —  the CX-50 crossover — and told dealers it could sustain only one year of 25% tariffs before the company was forced to raise sticker prices. Since then, the White House said in mid-July it reached a trade deal with Japan that lowers those tariffs to 15%.

The Volkswagen Group had previously set its sights on bringing the Cupra brand to the U.S. market by the end of the decade. However, the plan announced in 2024 is no longer in place, as the Spanish automaker has "strategically decided to postpone" its entry into the market until after 2030, citing "ongoing challenges within the automotive industry and in light of evolving market dynamics."