GENERAL NEWS
Global sales of electric cars surge in Q2
Despite a challenging backdrop for the global car market, sales of electric cars surged in the second quarter of this year. The energy crisis sparked by the war in the Middle East brought fuel price volatility back into sharp focus, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency( IEA).
“ Electric Car Markets in a Time of Uncertainty”— which builds on the extensive analysis in the IEA’ s Global EV Outlook 2026 published in May— examines the latest data on car markets through the first half of 2026. The report finds that global car sales fell by around 5 % year-on-year from January through to June as purchases declined in the world’ s two largest markets, China and the United States, amid economic pressures, higher fuel prices and changes in policy settings.
“ Global sales of electric cars fell in the first quarter of 2026, largely reflecting lower sales in these two markets. However, according to the report, they rebounded sharply in the second quarter( rising 35 % compared to the first three months of the year as secondquarter sales reached record levels in 50 countries). In Australia, Brazil, India, Korea and Viet Nam, all sizeable electric car markets, sales roughly doubled between March and June compared to the same period in 2025.
Image: Shutterstock. com.
Overall, more than 90 countries recorded yearon-year growth in electric car sales during the first half of 2026,” said the IEA.
“ As a result of this momentum, together with new and continued policy support in a number of markets( including Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia), electric car sales are now expected to reach 29 % of total car sales worldwide in 2026,” it added.
Road vehicles account for nearly half of global oil use, leaving the sector particularly exposed to fuel price volatility and supply disruptions. The sector is also a key driver of oil imports in several regions that typically purchase supplies from the Middle East. The report notes that policy and industry responses to the energy crisis, especially those related to EVs, have the potential to further accelerate changes in a global car industry that is already undergoing significant transformation.
According to the report, a weaker car market in China will weigh on global electric vehicle sales across 2026.
“ For the first time this decade, electric car sales are expected to stagnate in China compared to the previous year, even as over 60 % of total car sales are set to be electric( an all-time high). However, there is potential for global electric car sales to increase further. During the first six months of 2026, electric car exports from China almost matched the total for all of 2025. The report estimates that only around two-thirds of those electric cars have already been sold. Together with unsold exports from the previous months, this leaves more than one million available for sale in global markets,” continued the IEA.
China and other emerging economies are READ expected to account for around 60 % of global car demand over the next REPORT decade. n
www
. iea. org
Plan your visit now to EuroBLECH 2026
Don’ t miss the 28th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition, EuroBLECH 2026, from 20-23 October 2026 at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds in Hanover, Germany. Visitors can view thousands of exhibits and experience four days of intense product sourcing, networking, launches, demos and education.
Held every two years by RX, EuroBLECH is the world’ s leading exhibition for sheetmetalworking technology. It covers the entire supply chain in 15 different technology sectors across eight exhibition halls. EuroBLECH 2024 welcomed 1,317 exhibitors and 38,946 trade visitors from 114 countries, occupying a gross exhibition space of 160,000 square metres.
New features of this year’ s event include the InnovationZone | Advanced Manufacturing. Designed as a high-visibility feature at the heart of the exhibition, the new zone will bring together the technologies and solutions redefining modern manufacturing.
Other new features of EuroBLECH will include a Job Shop & Subcontractors Market
EuroBLECH 2024.
( a specialised space for fabrication centres and subcontracting manufacturers) and a guided tour for advanced machinery( for smart and sustainable production) among others.
Returning features will include the‘ NextGen Technology Stage’ and EuroBLECH Awards as well as a Careers Day to connect students, apprentices and young professionals with hiring companies. The EuroBLECH Awards are open to all confirmed exhibitors. The six categories cover the full sheet metalworking technology chain.
“ EuroBLECH’ s theme,‘ For a Stronger Future – Smart & Sustainable Production’, reflects the industry’ s ongoing transformation as it pursues greater efficiency, flexibility and resilience. From AI-enabled workflows and robotics to laser innovations and circular manufacturing, the 2026 edition will spotlight the technologies, tools and strategies shaping a stronger, more sustainable future for sheet metalworking worldwide. The event is evolving alongside the industry, addressing the demand for cutting-edge, sustainable and digitalised solutions,” explained RX.
ISMR is an international media partner at EuroBLECH and copies of its October issue will be distributed at all the show entrances, as well as at the press stand. Meet the ISMR team on its booth H92 in Hall 14. For further details of the event, read ISMR’ s EuroBLECH show preview in this issue on page 35. n
www. euroblech. com
REGISTER HERE
ISMR September 2026 | ismr. net | 7