From the Chinese car surge to EV grants, 2025 has been game-changing

Well, that was another quiet year in the motor industry. From the Chinese brand invasion to contradictory electric car grants and road charges in the UK, massive new car launches and even bigger scoops, we’ve covered a lot of ground. 

The motor show made an interesting resurgence with a host of exciting star cars adorning the halls of Munich in September, while Ford jumping into bed with Renault for an R5-based new Fiesta wasn’t on anyone’s list of predictions a year ago.

But how healthy is the automotive industry as a whole? Looking back to our 2025 wish list we made an impassioned plea for ‘legacy’ brands to get creative, because it felt like they were sleepwalking into a scenario where the Chinese incomers were able to upset the status quo. These new entrants showed how quickly things can change, both in terms of consumer choice and speed of development. More and more, ‘traditional’ makers are leaning into the emotive legacy they have earned over decades to show why they’re still relevant and more appealing than tech-laden and very well priced newcomers. 

Overall, the landscape is even less predictable than it was a year ago. The European Union rolling back on its petrol car ban grabbed a lot of attention before Christmas, but 90 per cent of new cars still have to be electric by 2035, so it’s not really the huge concession it first appeared. And the EU’s plans also held the tantalising nugget of a new class of simpler, smaller, cheaper EVs that could transform urban mobility. That was something no one saw coming.

All this increases the pressure on the UK to think again about its timescales, and whether the current plan of no new petrol cars from 2030 – with a hybrid stay of execution until 2035 – is set in stone or will be revised. Especially now the Conservatives have said they will scrap the ZEV mandate completely if they win the next election. In an industry that thrives on certainty to make long-term and very expensive development decisions, it’s not exactly ideal. 

Whatever happens, we wish you a happy new year, safe in the knowledge that in the automotive world, Auto Express will be there revealing it, reporting on it, reviewing it and interpreting it, as well as fighting on behalf of drivers everywhere.

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