China’s BYD (BYDDY) reported a 21% increase in sales of electric vehicles in the second quarter, bringing it closer to Tesla (TSLA) after the American competitor regained the title of top EV vendor globally in the first quarter.

Based on its monthly sales figures, Reuters calculated that BYD sold 426,039 EVs in the April-June quarter. This is around 12,000 fewer cars than Tesla had projected to deliver in the second quarter.

As it contends with fierce competition in China and poor demand owing to a dearth of reasonably priced new models, Tesla is projected to publish a 6% loss in vehicle sales for the April-June quarter on Tuesday. This will be the first time the American company is expected to show two consecutive quarters of declines.

If real numbers are worse than anticipated, the business may once more lose its lead in EV sales to BYD. Barclays is projecting the largest-ever dip in Tesla deliveries—11%—for the second quarter.

After years of explosive expansion that helped position it as the most valuable car company in the world, Tesla has encountered a roadblock. It issued a warning in January that 2024 would see “notably lower” deliveries growth as the effect of months-long price reductions would diminish.

According to a May report, the EV manufacturer has reduced production of its best-selling Model Y electric car by a double-digit percentage at its Shanghai plant since March in response to declining demand for its older models in China, which is its second-largest market after the US.

In contrast, the leading Chinese rival BYD continued to see moderate increase in its EV sales, while EV upstarts like Nio had exceptional growth in the most recent quarter. In the second quarter, NIO delivered 57,300 vehicles, more than doubling its previous high.

Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), stated that the primary causes of Chinese EV manufacturers’ robust sales in recent months have been price reductions and a growing change in consumer demand away from gasoline-powered vehicles and toward EVs and hybrids.

According to CPCA data, sales of new energy vehicles, such as plug-in hybrids and electric cars, accounted for 46.7% of all car sales in China in May, setting a new monthly record.

Even though heat waves affected consumers’ selections to buy, automakers Mahindra & Mahindra, the Indian branches of Toyota Motor Corp., and Kia Motor reported increased automobile sales in June. This increase was driven by the demand for sports utility vehicles (SUVs).

Indian automakers provide dealers with wholesale data, or vehicle sales, once a month. In India, the sales figures are regarded as a crucial measure of private consumption.

The auto industry makes up about 7% of the national economy. Mahindra’s total car sales climbed by 11.2%, missing brokerage Nomura’s 16% prediction and Jefferies’ 18% estimate, according to monthly statistics from automakers provided on Monday. Mahindra’s monthly sales growth has not increased this slowly since March.

Nomura said that the extreme heat in northern India has decreased customer traffic at dealerships and that a typical monsoon will probably result in a resurgence in rural passenger car sales. The growths of 40.1% and 9.8% for Toyota and Kia, respectively, are the highest since February.

For Toyota and Kia, Nomura and Jefferies do not offer monthly sales projections. Companies like Mahindra and Toyota, whose product lines are virtually exclusively comprised of utility vehicles, have benefited from a spike in domestic sales of more costly SUVs that occurred last year and has continued into 2024.

Later in the day, Maruti Suzuki, the market leader in the less expensive small-car segment, will release its June sales figures. Meanwhile, motorcycle manufacturer Bajaj Auto recorded a 5.1% increase in two-wheeler sales as a result of a resurgence in domestic demand in rural areas that outpaced sluggish exports. Although this exceeded Nomura’s prediction of a 1% fall, Jefferies’ prediction of 10% increase was not met.

Sales of rural two-wheelers have rebounded from a period of weakness that affected entry-level motorbikes like the Bajaj Platina through the fiscal year 2024. A 2023 estimate by motorcycle manufacturer Hero Motorcorp states that over half of India’s two-wheeler sales are in the rural areas.

June Y/Y change name sales total for the company (units) (%) Mahindra & Toyota 27,474 40.1 Kirloskar Motor 69,397 11.2 Mahindra 21,300 9.8 Kia Motor, 358,477 5.1 Mahindra, and 47,319 6.4 Mahindra Farm Equipment are among the brands.

The German carmaker has unveiled the RS Q8 Performance, its most potent SUV to date, one week after revealing its most potent model to date, the 912-hp RS E-Tron GT Performance. The 2025 model is now competitive with the car’s sporty cousin, the Lamborghini Urus, thanks to a significant power increase.

The Q8 update started last fall and includes the RS Q8 Performance. It has the same basic features as the normal RS Q8, including an eight-speed automatic transmission, Quattro all-wheel drive, and a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine. The RS Q8 Performance’s new exhaust system, which increases output from an already decent 591 horsepower and 590 foot pounds of torque to a whooping 631 horsepower and 627 foot pounds of torque, is what separates the two vehicles.

This increase in performance makes the model Audi’s most potent SUV as well as its most potent exclusively gas-powered automobile (including the R8 supercar of the second generation). Additionally, it now places the RS Q8 in the same ballpark as the Urus, whose non-hybrid variant yields 657 horsepower (but the new Raging Bull electric version boosts it to 789 horsepower).

Audi RS Q8 Performance in 2025

With all that extra power, Audi claims the RS Q8 Performance will be able to reach a top speed of 190 mph and accelerate from zero to sixty-two miles per hour in just 3.6 seconds. The car is also said by the manufacturer to be the fastest production SUV in the history of the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife, having completed a full lap in 7:36.69 seconds. This makes it an even more potent performance on the racetrack.

The full-size model, which was already the sportiest SUV in the brand’s lineup, has undergone the most understated changes. The most noticeable change is the redesigned front end, which sports a matte grey accent piece exclusive to this model and a three-dimensional honeycomb-style grille with a larger bezel. With Matrix LED headlights and OLED taillights—the latter of which has a few programmable light signatures—the lighting package has also been adjusted.

The 2025 RS Q8 Performance Interior

Interior differences are also not that great. The RS design option, available in red or grey, adds contrast stitching to the perforated leather seats, center console, and floor mats in the same color. Alcantara covers the shifter and steering wheel, however.

In Europe, the RS Q8 Performance will go on sale later this month. Later this year, the American version is anticipated to arrive. The European version will start at €155,700 (about $167,000), though pricing details still need to be confirmed.