#geely

#geely

For most, this stuff feels like some far-off future envisioned by tech bros and Wall Street guys, not something they'll ever really have to deal with day-to-day. But amid the last few months of news, including the headlines at CES 2026 and even some key features of the Volvo EX60's recent debut, it's clear that artificial intelligence is pretty much the name of the game right now.

Is the long freeze on Chinese automakers selling cars in the US finally starting to thaw? China is the largest auto market in the world and now the largest car exporter, too. But high tariffs and geopolitical tensions have kept Chinese automakers away from US customers. Many of those cars are ready for primetime and are fully competitive with current offerings in the United States.

It only took a brief drive in a Zeekr 7X to convince me: Chinese cars are now competitive and could be sold in the US tomorrow. The compact battery-electric crossover, a bestseller in Europe, is aimed directly at the Tesla Model Y with its five seats, two rows, impressive road grip, energetic performance, and smooth ride. Its price in China is around $32,000 - about $7,000 cheaper than Elon Musk's crossover.

Completed packs will then go into test vehicles. Solid-state batteries, which are widely considered to be the holy grail in the energy storage game, are nearing reality with every passing day. Now, Geely, Volvo's parent company, is accelerating the development of its solid-state cells, with the first completed packs expected to be fitted into working vehicles this year, as reported by China's 21 Finance.

It's a funny-looking acronym that is short for extended range electric vehicle. While shrouded in mystery to the average person, marketing managers and bigwig executives see EREVs as the future of driving. The recipe is simple. You take a dedicated EV platform and you add in a gas engine that purely acts as a generator to recharge the battery, not to drive the wheels. You get a familiar user experience, way less range anxiety, and hopefully even fewer emissions.

The Lynk & Co 900 is a plug-in hybrid SUV that combines electric and gasoline power, with impressive refinement and performance features, including a powerful 845 horsepower.