Here’s a round‑up of the automotive aftermarket news for the week of 1‑8 Aug 2025:
Tariffs are bruising British suppliers, while Germany pleads for a transatlantic truce.
Tesla’s magic is fading; its sales are plunging and BYD is eating its lunch.
Yet there’s sunshine: BMW is topping premium EV charts, remanufacturing is booming, and Central and Eastern Europe now has its own policy megaphone.
EU‑US tariff tension: Germany’s VDA auto association urged the EU to enact the promised trade deal with the United States immediately, saying the still‑in‑place 27.5 % sectoral tariffs on cars and parts are hurting manufacturers and suppliers1. British parts maker Dowlais reported a £29 million cash outflow in H1 due to U.S. tariffs and is leaning on a planned $1.44 billion takeover by American Axle to regain its footing.2
Tesla stumbles in Europe: Tesla’s market share across the EU, U.K. and EFTA fell to 2.8 % in June, down from 3.4 % a year ago, as sales slumped 22.9 % YoY. July registrations plunged 86 % in Sweden, 52 % in Denmark, 62 % in the Netherlands, 58 % in Belgium, 5 % in Italy and 49 % in Portugal, while Norway and Spain bucked the trend with gains of 83 % and 27 %, respectively.3
Chinese EVs surge: BYD capitalised on Tesla’s woes. In July it sold 2 ,158 cars in Spain (eight times more than a year ago) and registered 3 ,184 vehicles in the UK, a four‑fold increase; German sales surged 390 %.4
BMW leads premium BEV sales: BMW registered 5 ,454 BEVs in Germany in July, beating Audi (3 ,093) and Mercedes (2 ,997). Year‑to‑date BMW Group sold 28 ,037 BEVs, with the iX1 being Germany’s best‑selling premium BEV (2 ,477 units). Tesla managed only about 10 ,000 BEVs in Germany, pushing BMW to the top spot for premium EVs.5
CEE voice strengthened: ACEA launched a Central and Eastern European Automotive Hub on 16 July to amplify the region’s influence in EU policy discussions. Central and Eastern Europe accounts for about a third of EU vehicle production and employs around two million people across the automotive value chain.6
Job cuts mount: Bosch will cut up to 1 ,100 jobs at its Reutlingen plant by 2029 due to uncompetitive electronic control unit production.7 Nissan is negotiating voluntary redundancies at its European regional office, aiming to trim 15 % of staff and cut global manufacturing plants from 17 to 10.8 Across 2024, Bosch, ZF, Continental and Schaeffler announced 54 ,000 job cuts, reflecting falling volumes and rising costs.9
Remanufacturing boom: TERREPOWER produced 17 million remanufactured units in 2024—out of 20 million total—preventing 160 k tonnes of CO₂ emissions. It is investing in near‑shoring and on‑shoring to improve supply resilience and now operates in 90 countries.10
New CEE hub & supply‑chain resilience: ACEA’s new hub aims to coordinate policy intelligence among Czech, Polish, Romanian and Slovak associations, ensuring local insights influence EU legislation.11
Battery & technology news: Solid‑state battery revenues could rise from $260 billion (2025) to $1.77 billion by 2031, thanks to EV demand and portable electronics.12 MAHLE, at IAA Mobility 2025, stressed technological neutrality and urged EU regulators to permit renewable fuels to protect jobs.13 Toyota and Honda warned that tighter U.S. import tariffs and a stronger yen would cut their Q1 profits despite strong hybrid demand.14
UK incentives & affordability: The U.K.’s electric car grant (ECG) offers up to £3,750 for EVs priced below £37,000 if manufacturers meet stringent sustainability criteria. Cars assembled in high‑carbon regions may only qualify for the lower £1,500 tier or not at all; the grant aims to bridge the price gap with petrol models and run until 2029.15
We need to keep an eye on these shifts; the coming weeks will tell whether Europe can harness innovation and policy to keep its aftermarket humming.
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