Behind the wheel newsletter

From the marketing desk

Welcome to the next edition of Behind the Wheel packed with news, views and data.

The biggest news was the launch of our new vehicle data integration system, JATO as a Service (JaaS). Designed as a borderless API to meet the demands of modern automotive ecosystems, the platform combines advanced API technology with our industry-leading data to provide a seamless integrated experience between your digital platforms and our data. See why it’s a game changer.

After IAA Mobility, we reported on technological advances in the automotive industry, including the growing role of AI. In this article we explore its increasing use in developing autonomous vehicles and how it’s transforming the automotive world. Happy reading.

Lastly, we had a fruitful time at LA AutoMobility, where visitors enjoyed a free coffee on us and a chat about how our data can make their business more competitive.

Yours in motoring,

Mark Talmage-Rostron
Content & Design Manager

JATO in the news

Chinese automotive brands are taking global markets by storm, and none more so than strategic European areas where the status quo is being shattered. Putting this topic under the spotlight, the JATO team have created a series of reports. It must have piqued the interest of Automotive News Europe, who picked it up.

But it’s not just all about the Chinese with Citroën raising production of its C3 city car, producing an additional 40,000 units annually in Kragujevac, Serbia, bringing output of the urban vehicle and its C3 Aircross SUV sister version to 300,000. Bloomberg UK picked up the story and as always, JATO was behind most of the data in the article.

OEM news

JATO's ModelMix registration volumes data is trusted by automotive manufacturers and suppliers worldwide as the industry standard for market intelligence. Now, we're making this essential dataset accessible to anyone in your organisation, on any device.

ModelMix Navigator provides the same comprehensive volume-weighted sales data by model, version and trim across more than 40 markets globally, via an intuitive online tool built around customisable dashboards. Work on your laptop at your desk, pull up a chart on your tablet during a presentation, or check the latest figures on your mobile phone in a meeting.

Your analysts still handle the advanced detailed analysis work. ModelMix Navigator makes your existing volumes data available to everyone, putting actionable insights in the hands of sales teams, product planners, and decision-makers throughout your business. Unlike traditional data delivery tools that require technical expertise, Navigator's smart device compatibility means more stakeholders can self-serve the intelligence they need, when they need it.Contact your account manager to arrange a demonstration.

Advisory news

Our Advisory team have been hard at work investigating how the influx of Chinese brands into Austria and Switzerland are influencing buyer behaviour compared to Germany. One of the most hotly contested areas is Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).

European carmakers have warned about Chinese BEVs disrupting an industry worth 7% of EU GDP. In Austria, Chinese BEVs hit roughly 11% BEV market share by July 2025. Switzerland has run lower, around 8% by summer of 2025, but it's still notable. Both figures sit well above Germany where Chinese OEM’s share of BEV market sits at just over 5%. Read all about it.

Retail news

In November we've started drawing up plans to take our recent product, VINView Pro, to wider markets in Europe and beyond. In case you didn't know, VINView Pro uses over 1,000 individual data points to allow users to unlock precise VIN level build sheet data, matched to JATO specification data. Watch this space and the press as it is going to be big.

Leasing and fleet news

Leasing recently participated in the Brazilian Leasing Association (ABLA) conference in São Paulo, Brazil. Our own Jesper Rolink joined a panel discussion alongside Rafael Teixeira, CEO of Norauto Rentacar, to explore key challenges and strategies for rental companies.

Topics included building strong pricing foundations for small and medium businesses, managing risks such as financing costs and resale value, and finding ways to stay competitive without sacrificing profitability. Look out for our upcoming LinkedIn posts that dig deeper into how data, market intelligence, and analytical tools are transforming pricing strategies.

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 this month.

Europe

Tesla registrations in several key European markets plummeted in November compared to the same time last year, as the EV maker continues to struggle to stem market share losses despite rolling out new versions of its biggest-selling Model Y vehicle.

The brand did sell more cars in Norway and Italy than anywhere else in November last year, partly offsetting losses elsewhere. However, registrations continued to fall in several other markets.

Monthly registrations were down 58% in France, at 1,593 vehicles sold, by 59% to 1,466 cars in Sweden, by 49% to 534 cars in Denmark, by 44% in the Netherlands to 1,627, by 47% in Portugal to 425, and by 9% in Spain to 1,523.

As Chinese EV manufacturers continue to take a foothold in the EU region, the more established brands like the US giant will need to adapt to make their vehicles more affordable as well as desirable.

The German chancellor, Freidrich Merz, has urged the EU to soften the 2035 cutoff date for the sale of combustion-engine cars. The chancellor subsequently sent a letter to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, urging Brussels to keep technological options open for carmakers.

According to reports, Merz has previously said he would do all he could to ensure the 2035 deadline was softened. He has now argued it is vital that hybrid cars are allowed to still be made after 2035 and has asked for a series of exemptions in his letter, including the right to continue to produce plug-in hybrids and battery hybrids.

Following the German chancellor’s correspondence to Brussels, the EU’s transport commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, has said that the European Commission will propose to revise the union’s planned 2035 ban on new combustion engine cars to include the role of e-fuels.

In a published interview with a German national business newspaper, Tzitzikostas said the European Commission would be “open to all technologies” when reviewing existing legislation on CO2 emission limits for vehicle fleets.

The proposed changes include counting emissions saved through the use of sustainable products like green steel in car manufacturing towards the fleet CO2 emissions limits, and allowing new registrations of hybrid cars after 2035. Tzitzikostas said Merz’s letter had been received “very positively” in Brussels.

Asia Pacific

In contrast to the company’s European performance in 2025, Tesla's China-made electric vehicle sales rose 9.9% in November from a year earlier. Sales of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles made at Tesla's Shanghai factory, including exports to Europe and other markets, were up 41.0% from October, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed on Tuesday.

The sales jump came as the EV specialist introduced a longer-range rear-wheel-drive variant of its best-selling Model Y in China last month, following the earlier launches of a longer-range Model 3 version and the six-seat Model Y L in the market.

The annual rise in November was the steepest in 14 months.

EV newcomer Xiaomi has rapidly emerged as a Tesla challenger in China with the SU7 sedan and YU7 SUV, having exceeded its sales target of 350,000 vehicles for this year.

Tesla's biggest Chinese rival, BYD, saw overseas shipments soar to a record high of over 130,000 vehicles last month. It has continued to outsell Tesla in Europe in recent months.

Geely, Leapmotor and others continue to hit new sales records, although BYD despite its resurgence in Europe had reported a drop in global sales for a third straight month in November.

At least three Chinese EV brands rewrote their monthly sales records in November, as consumers rushed to dealers before tax breaks and cash subsidies are phased out from January 1. Analysts and dealers, however, expect a sharp fall in deliveries at the beginning of the new year as buying interest dries up.

One of the fastest-selling EV makers this year, Leapmotor, delivered 70,327 vehicles in November, hitting an all-time high for the seventh consecutive month. The sales narrowly beat October’s tally of 70,289 units.

Voyah, a unit of state-owned Dongfeng Motor, completed its fourth straight month of record deliveries, with sales increasing 16.2% from a month earlier to 20,005 vehicles.

Zeekr, a premium marque owned by China’s second-largest automotive group Geely Auto, reported record deliveries for a second month, selling 63,902 vehicles in November, up 3.7% from October. Its parent Geely, which makes both petrol and electric cars, delivered 310,428 vehicles, hitting a monthly record for the third consecutive month.

Until the end of the year, Chinese buyers replacing existing cars with EVs are eligible for a trade-in bonus of CNY 20,000, while those buying petrol-powered cars are entitled to a CNY 15,000 yuan. The central government is likely to announce soon whether the trade-in subsidies will be renewed in January.

The Americas

Volkswagen Group’s supervisory board has postponed the approval of its multibillion-euro investment package, German newspaper Bild reported, citing several sources from within the manufacturer. The delay casts a shadow over planning for new models and capital expenditure across its nearly 100 global plants.

Projects such as a potential Audi factory in the US will be difficult to realise because the capital is not available, Bild reported. Higher costs, weak demand, a costly shift to electric cars, tariffs, and competition from China are hurting the automaker’s finances.

Tariffs are costing the automaker millions of euros every week. The group’s Audi and Porsche brands have been hit hard by Donald Trump’s tariffs because they have no production base in the country and the postponement jeopardizes projects because without clear financial commitments, suppliers cannot plan, development programs will stall and factory retooling efforts will be delayed, Bild quoted a source familiar with the matter as saying.

General Motors has directed several thousand of its suppliers to remove their supply chains of parts from China, according to reports, reflecting automakers’ growing frustration over geopolitical disruptions to their operations.

GM executives have reportedly been telling suppliers they should find alternatives to China for their raw materials and parts, with the goal of eventually moving their supply chains out of the country entirely. The automaker has set a 2027 deadline for some suppliers to dissolve their China sourcing ties, sources said.

More than a third of new-car buyers say tariffs impacted their purchase, according to J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index Study. Among those who said tariffs had an influence, 87% reported buying earlier and nearly 15% said they spent more, the study said.

Those shopping the mass-market segment who were affected by tariffs tended to rate their satisfaction with the process about 30 points lower than those who weren’t, said Stewart Stropp, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. For those in the premium segment, it was about 20 points lower.