The MotorClaw Brief — August 21, 2026
Schaeffler and CATL deepened their electrification partnership with a BMS co-development MoU, while the EPA issued an emergency fuel waiver effective September 1. Geespace secured China's second commercial satellite IoT permit, Ashok Leyland signed for an Ambala driver training institute, and Lucid named its first Dutch retail partner. SERES and Chery reported half-year results, and BYD, Genesis, Volvo, Kia, Skoda, and Cummins all advanced product plans.
Schaeffler and CATL deepened their electrification partnership with a BMS co-development MoU, while the EPA issued an emergency fuel waiver effective September 1. Geespace secured China's second commercial satellite IoT permit, Ashok Leyland signed for an Ambala driver training institute, and Lucid named its first Dutch retail partner. SERES and Chery reported half-year results, and BYD, Genesis, Volvo, Kia, Skoda, and Cummins all advanced product plans.
Schaeffler and CATL sign BMS and PowerBox development MoU
German supplier Schaeffler and Chinese battery maker CATL signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop automotive Battery Management Systems and 'X-in-1' Integrated PowerBox solutions for European automakers. The agreement follows a secured customer project, as the companies said in a joint announcement Thursday. Schaeffler contributes hardware and software development, system integration, functional safety, testing and localized series production in Europe. CATL brings cell production technology, battery system development, and high-volume industrialization. Both companies frame the collaboration as a long-term partnership to strengthen their competitiveness in Europe. The deal targets growing demand for highly integrated e-mobility solutions across the region.
Read the full story →EPA issues emergency fuel waiver effective September 1
The Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the Department of Energy, issued a temporary emergency fuel waiver under the Clean Air Act that takes effect September 1, 2026. The waiver allows E10 gasoline to be sold at a higher Reid Vapor Pressure, effectively ending the summer-blend requirement early. The agency expects the move to increase domestic gasoline supply by hundreds of thousands of barrels per day and lower pump prices. The notice was issued in advance so industry can transition fuel distribution systems. The waiver suspends state-level controls in Texas, Arizona, and California that extend beyond September 15 for up to 20 days.
Read the full story →Geespace wins two-year commercial satellite IoT permit
China's industry regulator, the MIIT, posted a notice Thursday clearing Geespace, the aerospace unit of Geely Holding, to run a two-year pilot of commercial satellite Internet-of-Things services using its Geely Future Mobility Constellation. The regulator listed transport, fisheries, energy and water among intended uses. Geespace becomes the second private firm in the national trial framework, after Beijing Guodian Gaoke. The network's opening phase is complete at 64 satellites in low orbit roughly 600 km up. Geely says the system handles around 340 million connection requests daily for 20 million users. Cars are the main customer, with over 20,000 terminals shipped into production vehicles.
Read the full story →Ashok Leyland and Haryana partner on Ambala training institute
Ashok Leyland signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Haryana to build an Institute of Driving Training & Research in Ambala. Transport Commissioner-cum-Secretary Shri Atul Dwivedi and Dharmendra Pal Singh, Head of Ashok Leyland's Driver Training Institute, signed the agreement Thursday. The institute spans approximately 13 acres and will provide practical and professional training for drivers of Heavy Motor Vehicles and Light Motor Vehicles. It will serve drivers and youth from Ambala and neighboring districts including Yamunanagar, Panchkula, Kurukshetra and Jind. Ashok Leyland operates 17 Driver Training Institutes across India; since 1995 these centers have trained more than 28 lakh drivers.
Read the full story →Lucid names Munsterhuis first Netherlands retail partner
Lucid Group announced Munsterhuis Autobedrijven as its first retail partner in the Netherlands. Munsterhuis will operate a dedicated Lucid sales location in Hengelo, with authorized aftersales and service operations at the same site. The partnership expands Lucid's footprint beyond the existing Lucid Studio and Service Center in Hilversum and makes the Lucid Air sedan and Lucid Gravity SUV accessible to more Dutch customers. Munsterhuis is a family-owned automotive group serving customers for more than six decades through vehicle sales, servicing, leasing, and insurance. The deal follows an announcement earlier this year with German retailer Wackenhut and continues Lucid's hybrid retail strategy in Europe.
Read the full story →SERES first-half revenue hits RMB 57.493 billion
SERES reported first-half revenue of RMB 57.493 billion and R&D investment of RMB 7.007 billion, a 34.8% year-on-year increase, in interim results announced on 19 August 2026. The luxury brand AITO delivered 10.2% more vehicles than in the same period last year, with the all-new AITO M9 and AITO M6 launched during the period. As of July 2026, cumulative share repurchases exceeded RMB 587 million, and directors and executives completed share purchases totaling RMB 148 million. Cumulative deliveries of the AITO M9 surpassed 300,000 units. Brand Finance's 2026 Automotive Industry 100 valued AITO at US$3.448 billion, placing it among the top 10 luxury automotive brands globally.
Read the full story →VinFast signs Federal Bank to fund dealer stock
VinFast has signed an understanding with Kerala-based Federal Bank to bankroll dealer inventory as the Vietnamese electric-car maker builds out its India network. The financing gives outlets working capital to keep cars on the floor as retail grows. Tapan Ghosh, who heads VinFast Asia, and Kumkum Jain, an additional senior vice-president at the bank, inked the deal. VinFast said it had just opened its 60th full sales-service-spares outlet in the country and still aims to hit 75 by the close of 2026. The company is also building factories and showrooms alongside separate deals on lending and charging, the announcement said.
Read the full story →Chery first-half profit slips on thinner currency gains
Chery reported first-half profit attributable to shareholders of 8.57 billion yuan (about $1.26 billion) in a Hong Kong filing Thursday, a fall of 11.7% from a year earlier. Turnover edged up 1.2% to 143.28 billion yuan, with a net margin of 6.3%. Gross profit climbed 25.1% to 23.04 billion yuan and gross margin widened to 16.1% from 13.0%, credited to higher-margin sales abroad. Other income and gains fell 27.1% on smaller currency gains, research spending rose 28.3% to 6.67 billion yuan, and administrative costs increased 24.1%. The balance sheet held 63.42 billion yuan in cash, up more than a third since the close of 2025.
Read the full story →BYD adds Sealion 7 Dynamic grade in India at Rs 41.90 lakh
BYD made the Dynamic the new entry point of its Sealion 7 electric SUV range in India, priced at Rs 41.90 lakh ex-showroom. That places the grade Rs 8 lakh below the Rs 49.90 lakh Premium it displaces at the bottom of the line-up. The Dynamic runs a 71.8kWh Blade pack feeding a single rear motor of 231hp, with a quoted 520km on the NEDC scale and a 0-100kph time of 7.3 seconds. The Premium and Performance carry a larger 82.56kWh battery, with ranges rated at 567km and 542km. The base car keeps LED lamps, a rotating 15.6-inch screen, a glass roof, 11 airbags and Level 2 driver aids.
Read the full story →Geely badges export hybrid SUV the Monjaro EM-i, launching in Egypt
Geely said Wednesday it had chosen Monjaro EM-i as the badge for its first hybrid D-segment SUV built for export, with rollout starting in Egypt at the end of the month. Outside China this is the Xingyue L, already on sale from Russia and the Middle East through to Australia and several Latin American countries. The EM-i variant adds a hybrid powertrain and electric four-wheel drive to what overseas buyers can order. At home, the Xingyue L passed a million cumulative sales on 25 July. Overseas shipments jumped more than two and a half times in the first half to 474,228 vehicles, while China sales fell 22.6% to 948,730.
Read the full story →Genesis unveils GV90 full-size electric flagship SUV
Genesis unveiled its first full-size flagship SUV, the GV90, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Aug. 19, 2026. The production model comes in two variants: the GV90 Neolun with hidden B-pillar coach doors and the standard GV90 with conventional swing doors. It rides on the new eMP platform and packs a 123.5-kilowatt-hour battery producing 657 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, with an estimated range of approximately 310 miles. Safety features include the world's first roof airbag and 12 airbags in total. A pop-up 23.6-inch OLED display rises to become a 24.6-inch screen when parked, and a 25-inch HUD replaces the instrument cluster.
Read the full story →Volvo to launch EX90 and ES90 in India on October 12
Volvo confirmed that both its EX90 SUV and ES90 saloon arrive in India on 12 October as its top electric models. The ES90 returns Volvo to the luxury-saloon segment it left when the S90 was withdrawn in mid-2025. Both ride on Volvo's SPA2 base with 800-volt electrics. Entry cars use a 92kWh pack and a single rear motor good for 333hp and 480Nm; a 106kWh option offers a Twin Motor at 456hp or a Twin Motor Performance at 680hp with 870Nm. Charging peaks at 350kW DC, enough for a 10-to-80 percent fill in 22 minutes. The EX90 seats seven, the ES90 five.
Read the full story →Cummins keeps single DEF injector for 2027 X15 and X10
Cummins will meet EPA model year 2027 heavy-duty emissions standards with its single-dose diesel exhaust fluid injector on the HELM X15 and X10 engines. The company calls the system the EPA27 Twin Module Aftertreatment, with twin SCR canisters that cut back pressure by 44%. A maintenance-free electric heater powered by a dedicated alternator sits in front of the SCR, with a second heater at the diesel particulate filter assembly. Cummins says the aftertreatment adds no weight over the previous model and keeps maintenance intervals unchanged. V-band clamps allow quick replacement of the diesel oxidation catalyst and DPF, with DPF filters engineered to last up to 800,000 miles.
Read the full story →Kia reveals India-built Sorento ahead of September 4 launch
Kia unveiled its India-market Sorento on Thursday and started building it the same day at its Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh. The three-row SUV will crown the brand's combustion range when it goes on sale 4 September, with bookings already taken. It arrives as Kia's first petrol-electric model in India and its first three-row SUV with a conventional engine; the hybrid's all-wheel drive is a segment first, and the car debuts a Kia AI assistant not seen on the Sorento elsewhere. Dimensions mirror the world-market car at 4,815mm on a 2,815mm wheelbase. Prices are due on 4 September, with heavy local content expected to keep the ticket around Rs 30 lakh to 35 lakh.
Read the full story →Skoda adds Sportline grade to Kylaq SUV from Rs 11.32 lakh
Skoda introduced a Sportline version of its Kylaq compact SUV in India, with the manual starting at Rs 11.32 lakh ex-showroom and the automatic at Rs 12.32 lakh. The grade slots in as the seventh in the range, keeping the 1.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol with either a six-speed manual or six-speed self-shifter. The change is one of dress rather than drive, with a Sportline accessory kit available for further customization. Lower in the range, the Classic and Classic+ pick up automatic climate control and a rear demister. Every Kylaq keeps six airbags and its five-star Bharat NCAP score, covered by Skoda's four-year Super Care plan.
Read the full story →Across the global automotive industry on Thursday 20 August 2026, companies announced 15 separate product launches, partnership agreements, regulatory actions, and financial results.
Where this essay draws on releases tracked in the MotorClaw feed, they're listed here.
- Schaeffler Group — Schaeffler and CATL sign MoU to co-develop battery management systems and integrated PowerBox solutions
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Office of Transportation and Air Quality) — EPA Issues Emergency Fuel Waiver to Expand Gasoline Supply and Lower Pump Prices
- Geely — Geely's Geespace wins a two-year permit to run commercial satellite IoT in China
- Ashok Leyland — Ashok Leyland and Haryana partner to build driver training and research institute in Ambala
- Lucid Motors — Lucid Names Munsterhuis Autobedrijven as First Retail Partner in the Netherlands
- SERES Group — SERES First-Half Revenue Hits RMB 57.493 Billion, AITO Deliveries Up 10.2%
- VinFast Auto — VinFast signs Federal Bank to fund dealer stock as it builds out its India network
- Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. — Chery's half-year profit slips even as export sales leap by half
- BYD — BYD slots a cheaper Sealion 7 Dynamic into India at Rs 41.90 lakh
- Geely — Geely badges its first export hybrid SUV the Monjaro EM-i, launching first in Egypt
- Hyundai — Genesis unveils GV90, its first full-size flagship electric SUV
- Volvo Cars — Volvo will launch its EX90 SUV and ES90 saloon in India on October 12
- Cummins Inc. — Cummins retains single DEF injector for 2027 X15 and X10 with twin SCR aftertreatment
- Kia — Kia shows the India-built Sorento before a September 4 launch, with a diesel and an AWD hybrid
- Škoda — Skoda adds a Sportline grade to its Kylaq SUV in India from Rs 11.32 lakh