Happy Monday! It’s April 13, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift — your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you’ll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.
In this morning’s edition, we’re looking at European buyers turning to EVs as gas prices rise, and Tesla getting regulatory approval on the continent for FSD. We’ll also look at Volkswagen and Audi’s faltering U.S. sales, and more Chinese brands looking to build cars in Europe.
1st Gear: Austrian buyers go electric in record numbers to save on gas as war on Iran rages on
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran (and Lebanon) has pushed gas prices ever higher since it began weeks ago. It’s been predicted this would make people move to EVs, but we’re already seeing those predictions borne out in Europe. First Austria, then perhaps the world. From Bloomberg:
Austrian electric vehicle registrations hit a record high last month, in another sign that fallout from the Iran war is pushing consumers to seek alternatives to combustion-engine cars.
March registrations rose almost a third to 8,206 from a year earlier, according to a statement on Monday from the country’s transportation ministry. That comes even after the Austrian government took steps to moderate fuel price increases at the pump.
Oil prices have surged more than 40% since the start of the Middle East conflict, steering drivers toward an improved range of EVs. The likes of BYD, Stellantis and Volkswagen have introduced battery-powered vehicles priced below €25,000, which charge faster and drive further than previous generations.
When fuel prices spiked in the aughts, people bought smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. A move towards EVs now makes sense, though cratering buying power could push people away from new cars and into used Nissan Leafs.
2nd Gear: Tesla FSD gets approval in Europe for the first time
Tesla is no longer a car company, according to CEO Elon Musk, but an AI and robotics firm that happens to sell cars. This would make it majorly inconvenient for Tesla if, say, no European markets allowed the company’s flagship software offering on their roads. Luckily for the brand, that’s no longer true — the Netherlands gave Tesla FSD its first European regulatory approval. From Automotive News:
Dutch regulators approved Tesla’s self-driving software with required human supervision for highways and city streets, marking the first regulatory approval for the technology in Europe.
The approval for the full self‑driving software, which is already available in the U.S., could help pave the way for acceptance by other European authorities.
The technology, which is called Full Self‑Driving Supervised, can steer, brake and accelerate a car. “Proper use of this driver assistance system makes a positive contribution to road safety,” the Dutch vehicle authority RDW said in a statement April 10, adding that it would also submit an application for the technology to be used throughout the EU.
Tesla is counting on self-driving software to boost vehicle sales, which have slowed in Europe due to its aging EV lineup and Musk’s political rhetoric that has alienated some consumers.
It’s interesting to see the Netherlands, a nation known for its car alternatives, getting interested in vehicle autonomy — itself a means of replacing non-car transport with private vehicles. Could this mean the end of the Dutch tradition of less-than-consensual bicycle sharing?
3rd Gear: Volkswagen and Audi suffer in U.S. sales
Volkswagen isn’t doing so hot in the United States, and hasn’t been for some time now. The last quarter of 2025 saw sales drop for the brand, as did the quarter before. And the two before that. Now, to kick off 2026, sales are falling further still. From Automotive News:
U.S. sales at Volkswagen of America and Audi of America dropped by double digits in the first quarter, marking a rocky start to 2026 after a challenging 2025 dominated by punishing tariffs.
VW sales fell 16 percent in the first quarter with only two nameplates, the Tiguan compact crossover and low-volume Golf R hatchback, posting increases. Audi deliveries fared even worse, plunging 30 percent.
Overall, VW deliveries totaled 73,803 in the quarter. VW sales have now declined four consecutive quarters.
I maintain that Volkswagen could turn this whole sales issue around if it would just follow my advice: Sell the ID Buzz for $21,000. Even I’d consider buying one at that price.
4th Gear: Yet another Chinese automaker eyes European production
Chinese automakers are looking to the European market for growth, and they’re not just looking to visit — they’re moving into European factories. The latest automaker to try the move is Chery, but the company isn’t looking to build its own plants. Instead, it wants to buy up unused production capacity in extant European plants. From Reuters:
Chery is looking to expand car production in Europe through partnerships with other automakers allowing it to use existing factories, top executives at the Chinese carmaker said at an event in Paris.
“The company is looking for other production capacities in Europe,” Lionel French Keogh, chief commercial officer for France for Chery Automobile (9973.HK), opens new tab , told Reuters on the sidelines of a launch event for the automaker’s Omoda and Jaecoo brands in France held late on Friday.
Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue told journalists the company prefers to use existing production capacity instead of investing heavily in a new assembly plant.
“These processes require time and dedication but mainly setting up the right local partnerships,” Yin said. “I really hope we will have news to share with you in the coming months.”
Chery may not come to mind for American and European buyers as readily as BYD, but that could change. You don’t have to be Toyota or Honda to still be Nissan — smaller in scale, sure, but by no means a niche player.
Reverse: Happy 413
Today marks 17 years since the launch of Homestuck, arguably the peak of the webcomic as a form of media — and of claiming mixed media counts as a webcomic. Are Flash animations still a comic? How about fully playable flash games? Is a Snapchat story a comic?
The Fuel Up
The downward swing in prices we saw last week continued over the weekend, but now the U.S. is apparently blockading the Strait of Hormuz all on its own. Maybe Calvin’s dad will still get his wish.
On The Radio: Wu-Tang Clan – ‘Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit’
I’m finally back in the greatest city in the world, New York City. Let’s go Mets baby. I was out in Los Angeles for most of last week and the week prior, and I really love LA in small bursts — after I run out of museums and excuses to go to Neptune’s Net, though, it gets old. I start to miss my bodega. It’s nice to be back, so let’s celebrate with the greatest people to come out of Staten Island.
