Chengdu Auto Show Reflects Industry Shift from Price Wars to Value Competition

German Transport Minister Birger is advocating for rapid European Union approval of Tesla's driver-assistance system, Full Self-Driving. In a statement on the 6th, Birger said the move followed talks with Tesla last month on numerous technical details and liability issues, and Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk posted "thank you" in German on X on the 7th, welcoming the German government's support. As part of the talks, Germany agreed with Tesla that Full Self-Driving may exceed the speed limit by up to 10 percent, and Germany plans to support this approach in the European approval process, where speeding is one of the main points of contention. Meanwhile, traffic safety experts and some regulators argue that the speed offset function Tesla uses should be removed before approval in Europe. Birger also revealed that Tesla proposed changing the system's name to "Tesla Assist Driving" to address concerns that the name is somewhat misleading. Full Self-Driving has already been approved in parts of Europe including the Netherlands and Belgium, but several EU member states, including Sweden and France, have expressed concerns about exceeding speed limits, and an EU vote scheduled for October was postponed until at least December while some countries conduct additional testing.

German luxury sports carmaker Porsche said on the 7th that it will restructure its business on the assumption of declining sales. Under the restructuring plan, the company aims to lower its future break-even sales volume to under 200,000 vehicles, a level far below last year's total deliveries of 279,449. Porsche's global deliveries have already fallen by nearly 10% since its 2022 listing, hit by a sharp drop in demand in China and U.S. tariffs. At an investor briefing held at its development center in Weissach in southwestern Germany, CEO Michael Leiters argued that the company can turn itself around by focusing on high-end sports cars such as the 911, and said it aims to raise prices for the 10,000 vehicles in its highest annual sales price segment. With this strategy, Porsche has set a long-term target of a 15% group operating margin, and aims for 10-15% over the medium term, roughly within five years. However, its margin has plunged from the upper 10% range four years ago, when it listed, to 1.1% in 2025. Leiters said that under current conditions the company expects to achieve the lower end of its medium-term target, but explained that further improvement will require deeper business restructuring or a more favorable business environment. He said the company will strengthen its management base by cutting development and sales costs, in addition to existing workforce reduction measures and a plan to cut management positions by 40%, and indicated it will expand platform sharing with Audi, a fellow luxury carmaker under Volkswagen, to reduce costs. Following the announcement, the share price rose 3.2%.

German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz said on the 7th that, amid difficult conditions in the Chinese market, third-quarter sales in its core passenger car division fell 8% year on year, extending its declining trend. Third-quarter vehicle sales totaled 407,200 units, of which the Chinese market accounted for 86,800 units, down 31% year on year. High-end segment sales came to 53,900 units, down 21%, hit by the deteriorating market environment in China and ongoing model changes. In the United States, meanwhile, passenger car sales rose 6%, and in Europe they rose 5%. Group-wide battery electric vehicle sales, including passenger cars and vans, rose 52% to 78,100 units.

Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, speaking on progress in addressing problems in the automotive industry after Japanese investors expressed concern over the impact of the trade war, said that the Cabinet meeting on October 6, 2026, had acknowledged the resolution of the National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee, or EV Board, and that excise tax measures are being prepared to address the impact. He stated that details of the excise tax measures have now been prepared, with a conclusion expected within one to two weeks, and confirmed that the excise tax measures will be a key tool in addressing the problems facing the automotive industry. The use of excise tax measures to address this impact aims to support investors in the automotive industry who have invested and produced in Thailand and who are now affected by the trade war and by differences in customs duty rates among countries, in order to build confidence among businesses planning to invest in Thailand that the government is ready to ensure fair competition for all investors. Ekniti also addressed the case of Thailand's adjustment of the Visa Exemption measures under a new format, amid concerns that it could make it more difficult for foreign businesspeople who need to travel to Thailand for short-term negotiations or business contacts, and could risk negatively affecting the attraction of foreign direct investment, or FDI. He said the visa criteria adjustment was made to address security issues and to bring the rules more in line with international norms, and that he had already discussed the matter with Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and had instructed Thai embassies to facilitate businesspeople traveling to Thailand. He confirmed that this measure will definitely not be an obstacle to doing business, and that those coming to do business will use a Business Visa instead, but the process will be made easier.