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Chery, the parent company of Omoda and Jaecoo, is aiming to crack the fearsome Japanese market, partnering with four Asian auto firms to form a new EV brand called Emta.

The Chinese company – which now has four SUV brands in the UK and could soon add the reborn Freelander as a fifth – will supply platforms and drive hardware for the Japan-focused brand.

Chery holds a share of 27.27% in the Singapore-based business, matching that of Chinese manufacturing group Jiangsu Yueda. Japanese vehicle parts maker Autobacs Seven and Chinese battery firm Gotion hold 18.18% apiece, while Japanese machinery firm Anest has the remaining 9.09%.

The first Emta model is a boxy, 3.4m-long city runaround built to Japan's kei car regulations. As yet unnamed, it will use Chery electric drive technology and a battery from Gotion to compete with local segment leaders including the Honda N-Box, Nissan Sakura, Daihatsu Tanto and Suzuki Hustler.

Precise technical details are unconfirmed, but the Emta kei car is likely to borrow components from Chery's smallest Chinese-market model, the QQ Ice Cream microcar, which has a 27bhp motor on the front axle and claims around 100 miles of range.

Meanwhile, Gotion will supply the batteries, Autobacs will handle the sales operation and Anest will manage quality. 

The cars will initially be built in China by Yueda, which produces Kia models for the Chinese market - and previously the radical HiPhi X crossover for Human Horizons.

Emta's founders have indicated that it could eventually build cars in Japan if its launch is successful.

The kei car will be followed by three more Emta models by 2029: a supermini, a small crossover and an MPV. 

There's no indication of any plans to expand the brand beyond Japan - and CarNewsChina reports that Chery will primarily be a shareholder in the business, rather than playing a leading role in operations and expansion.

Emta will follow Chinese giant BYD in attempting to shake up Japan's highly competitive kei car market, which accounts for a third of the country's car sales and has historically been occupied almost exclusively by local manufacturers.

The BYD Racco was revealed last year – and has been tipped for export to Europe if local regulations on small, affordable EVs make such an endeavour cost-effective. 

Peugeot is offering savings of up to nearly £10,000 across its line-up as it shuffles pricing for all cars, with some now qualifying for greater incentives and lower VED costs.

Following the launch of the new 308 hatchback and 408 crossover, Peugeot has adjusted pricing for the 208, 2008, 3008 and 5008 to bring its entry points down and make "the brand more accessible to a wider range of customers" in all segments.

The move affects all trim levels and powertrain types, including petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric models.

The most significant saving can be achieved on the e-3008 electric crossover, which with the 73kWh battery and 207bhp motor now costs £36,995 - down from £46,060 previously. 

But that chunky discount brings the crossover below the £37,000 threshold for the Electric Car Grant, for which it is now set to qualify, meaning a further £1500 off to take the final price to £35,495 - for a total reduction of 23%.

Meanwhile, there's another hefty discount of nearly £8000 available on the larger, seven-seat e-5008 with the same drivetrain, which now costs £40,595, down from £48,650.

The reductions mean that more Peugeot models now fall under the threshold for the Expensive Car Supplement (£40k for ICE cars and £50k for EVs), which adds £440 to the annual VED bill in years two to six, making for another overall saving of £2200 over six years. 

Elsewhere, there have been reductions of between £2000 and £3500 on the hybrid versions of the 208, 2008, 3008 and 5008 - and buyers can get up to £5000 and £6000 off certain versions of the e-208 and e-2008, respectively. 

Peugeot's managing director, Nicola Dobson, said: "These changes strengthen Peugeot’s position in the mainstream market by making our range more accessible than ever to both retail and fleet customers. 

"We’re broadening our appeal while continuing to offer the sophisticated design, high-quality interiors, engaging driving experience and innovative technology for which we are known."

Efficiency isn’t sexy. And the new electric Ferrari Luce is not efficient, at around 2.7kWh per mile based on its predicted range of 329 miles from the 122kWh battery. The trouble is the Luce looks efficient. 

We’re told the five-door EV has the lowest drag coefficient of any road-going Ferrari. That’s easy to believe studying that soap-bar slipperiness. 

However, as one automotive exec working in China commented, the car is unlikely to do well there because it looks like it would save you money. 

Perhaps Ferrari should have amended founder Enzo’s (supposed) saying: aerodynamics is for people who can’t build engines. 

Electric efficiency is for volume models. Excellent aero is (mostly) a design compromise to increase range without adding more cells. Or use a cheaper, less energy-dense chemistry. 

Luxury brands don’t need to compromise like that. Jam in the biggest, high-spec battery and ultra-fast charging, and you can demote aero efficiency in favour of the dramatic styling favoured by more traditional ICE aficionados: blocky SUVs or high-downforce supercars. 

Sportier brands like Ferrari have to worry about a car’s weight but battery energy density rates are climbing fast, bringing lighter packs. 

Mercedes-Benz was the first to realise that wind-cheating EV shapes used on the EQS limo and other top models didn’t resonate with enough high-end buyers. Better to standardise styling across ICE and EV models and let the fast pace of electric technology cover the shortfall in aero drag. 

Batteries are already sufficiently cheap and energy dense for Chinese brands to offer 5m-long electric SUVs with enough range to entice luxury buyers. Brand differentiators in China are moving to new frontiers such as automated driving. Excellence in range and charging is now a given. 

The Luce feels like it was designed in another era, when range was king and you had to differentiate this new, tech-forward propulsion technology. 

There are some market differences. A heavy EV in China can extend range as start-stop urban driving boosts energy recovery. Europeans are more likely to drive cross-country at speed for longer. A slippery shape will increase those distances without charging. It also suggests the EV tech under the body is still playing catch-up.

Seat will offer electric cars when production costs come down further but will not simply ‘de-content’ and rebadge Cupra EVs, because the sibling brands will have entirely separate line-ups going forward.

Seat recently ended a long drought of new model launches with facelifts for the Ibiza supermini and Arona crossover, the first substantial investments in its line-up since the launch of the fourth-generation Leon in 2020, and will follow up with new mild-hybrid engines for the duo next year. 

However, with the recent retirement of the Ateca and Tarraco SUVs, Seat is down to just three models, all petrol-powered, and has given little indication as to what the future holds, as the company diverts the bulk of resource and investment towards its fast-growing Cupra sibling.

Now, though, CEO Markus Haupt has given Autocar the first clues that the first all-new Seat models in years could be on the horizon, as the company continues to invest in the value-oriented marque.

Asked whether Seat still had a role to play in the context of Cupra’s plans to significantly expand its line-up and become a leading global premium brand, Haupt said: “We cannot imagine our company without Seat. Seat is the heritage of our company and has made history in Spain and other countries. 

“So it’s a very important message: we still are investing in the Seat brand. Next year we will have mild-hybrid versions of [the Ibiza and Arona], and both cars are still running at a very high rate.”

He pointed to the fact that the Ibiza was Spain’s best-selling car in February as testament to the brand’s ongoing popularity and said there was no immediate need to reconsider its viability in the short to medium term.

“When we face up to 2029 and 2030 and CO2 [emissions regulation] becomes harder than today, for sure there will come a point where we need to discuss what the future of this brand can be," he continued. 

"For that, we probably still need to work on the cost of electric car platforms, because today it would be very tough to have a Seat that is able to earn money with the costs we have. 

“Someday the discussion will pop up on what to do with Seat. But until then we have a clear strategy to keep betting on the models we have.”

Asked whether Seat will still be selling new cars in 2035, Haupt said “I hope so”, emphasising the brand’s different positioning from Cupra and the different role it plays globally as a provider of affordable, ICE-powered cars.

“The brand position is completely different, the customer base from both brands is different," he said, "and we cannot forget overseas markets, where electrification is still not as it is in Europe.

“So we are very happy. It’s part of the strategy of what we are doing now. It’s not just a causality. We still bet on both brands very strongly.”

Asked about the prospect of Seat selling a cheaper version of the Cupra Raval electric supermini, perhaps with a shorter range and less equipment, Haupt responded: “We would never do that, because I think we need to keep both brands differentiated. Raval will always be a Cupra, and just de-contenting Cupra cars and making Seats out of them is for sure not the right strategy for us.

“I think both brands deserve their own DNA and both brands have to find their own way. So for sure we will not see a Raval with a Seat logo.”

Haupt said all future Cupras will be bespoke, rather than warmed-up versions of Seats, like Cupra's Ateca and Leon were, as part of a push to strengthen the brand’s DNA and carve out a more distinct position in the market.

“If I look back, I think it was a clever move, and we used a good opportunity with the Leon, but also part of the strategy looking to the future is to have a completely different portfolio for both brands. 

“So I don't think we will repeat something like that. It was a good opportunity, and the proof of it is the Cupra Leon is working, and the Seat Leon is working. So we did a good job there, but now it's about keeping both brands truly on their DNA.”