1. Deepal ditches its distributor — Changan takes the wheel itself
Deepal's going factory-backed. Importer Inchcape and parent company Changan have agreed to end the distribution partnership, with Changan running the brand itself from early next year. Look at the sales and you get it. Deepal has sold just 924 cars this year — fewer than any other Chinese brand that publishes its sales data. Tesla delivered 1,400 cars in a single week last month. If you already own one, you're not being left stranded. Changan says the brand "will continue to be sold and supported" and dealers operate as normal through the transition. Changan's not pulling back, either — it plans to launch its Nevo and Avatr brands here too.
Source: Drive
2. Chery's premium brand Exlantix is coming for Zeekr
Chery's upmarket Exlantix brand lands in Australia in mid-2027, aimed straight at Zeekr. First up are the ES GT station wagon and the ET two-row SUV. Both get a choice of fully electric or plug-in hybrid power — no petrol-only models for us. Three bigger SUV concepts, the EX7, EX8 and EX9, are also under consideration, though we're tipped to get two of the three. Exlantix says it will hand-pick what it imports rather than dumping the whole Chinese catalogue here, and reckons Chinese cost efficiency will keep pricing sharp. That ES GT is the one that matters. If it really does undercut Zeekr's 7GT, Zeekr will have a fight on its hands.
Source: carsales
3. Tesla wants to sell you a Cybercab by Christmas — regulators have questions
Tesla told its Q3 earnings call on Wednesday that it aims to put Cybercabs in customers' hands by the end of 2026. It's a two-seater with no steering wheel, pedals or mirrors, and paid rides have been running in Austin since early September. Here's the snag. US safety regulator NHTSA has opened an investigation into how Tesla determined the cars comply with federal safety standards — rules written decades ago for human-driven vehicles, which typically require manual controls. CEO Elon Musk says most Cybercabs will end up in Tesla's own ride-hailing fleet rather than private driveways, so "selling" them may mean something closer to owning a tiny taxi business.
Source: Reuters via Euronext Live
That's it for today. Back tomorrow morning — catch every Daily Drop, or browse the car gadgets while you're here.