The Hong Kong Telegraph - News from Hong Kong and China in seven languages, daily around the clock

Only two vehicles earn perfect child-seat scores for 2026

The family-car market is crowded with promises of space, safety and everyday versatility, yet a year-long assessment of child-seat compatibility has exposed how few new vehicles turn those promises into consistently effortless real-world use. Among 56 model-year 2025 and 2026 vehicles examined across SUVs, saloons, minivans, pick-up trucks, hybrids and electric cars, only the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS580 and the 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan achieved the highest grade in every category.

Ford Fathom turns affordable electric pickup into reality

Ford has attached a name, a price and a firmer timetable to the vehicle that could determine whether its second attempt at mass-market electric mobility succeeds. The Ford Fathom will be the first model built on the company’s Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, with pre-orders due to open in early 2027 and customer deliveries scheduled for the autumn of that year.

Chinese car brands reshape Australia’s automotive market

Australia’s new-car market has crossed a decisive threshold. Chinese manufacturers are no longer peripheral challengers attempting to win over a limited group of price-conscious motorists. They have become one of the principal forces shaping vehicle prices, equipment levels, electrification and consumer expectations across the country.

Lise Klaveness, the Norwegian thorn in Infantino's side

A rare woman in the top echelons of football, the head of Norway's federation Lise Klaveness has been a thorn in FIFA's side for years.

Electric cars enter their most decisive generation yet

The next wave of electric vehicles is no longer defined by one spectacular statistic. From sub-€20,000 city cars to long-range saloons, seven-seat family models and electric performance flagships, the market is developing the breadth required to challenge combustion cars on their own terms.

Europe’s electric car boom exposes a widening market divide

Europe’s battery-electric car market moved from steady expansion to genuine acceleration in the first half of 2026. Registrations rose far faster than the wider new-car market, and June pushed the technology beyond a quarter of all new cars sold. Yet the same figures reveal a continent divided between mature electric markets, rapidly scaling mass markets and countries where battery power remains a marginal choice.

Three Chinese carmakers enter the global automotive top 10

For decades, the upper reaches of the global motor industry changed slowly. Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford and the large European and Asian alliances traded places, but the basic hierarchy remained familiar. The first half of 2026 has broken that pattern. BYD, Geely and Chery all entered the world’s ten largest automotive groups by market share at the same time, turning what had once been described as a future threat into a present commercial reality.

Tibet conference in Nepal pushed online

An international academic conference on Tibet due to take place in Nepal this month has been pushed online, organisers said Saturday, calling it a "worrying development".

Nocturnal 'coffee frog' discovered in Costa Rica

A tiny greenish, noctural frog that thrives in coffee plantations has been discovered in the Costa Rica's central Pacific region, where it also faces risks from agrochemicals used in farming.

Defending champion Shelton storms to Montreal win

Ben Shelton threw down eight aces and produced three love games in the second set in dominating Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-2 on Friday in reaching the fourth round of the ATP Montreal Masters.