EV Battery Push: Egypt signed a deal with CATL to build an electric battery plant via BME, starting with 1 GWh capacity (heavy commercial focus) and targeting 5 GWh later, with EGP 2bn+ investment and 40% local content. EV Two-Wheeler Scale-Up: Ultraviolette announced its BIGGA factory in Hosur, aiming for 250,000 units annually (up to 500,000 later) to produce its Tesseract scooter and future models, creating ~2,000 jobs initially. Policy Pressure on Vehicle Costs: Sri Lanka’s CMTA urged Budget 2027 action to scrap a 15% vehicle depreciation rule, warning of up to Rs. 120bn revenue leakage and market distortion. Robotaxi Testing in Europe: Madrid’s DGT authorized Level 4 robotaxi tests with Avomo Cars, WeRide and Uber using 20 vehicles under the ES-AV framework, with specialist mapping/validation first. Safety & Enforcement: A traffic expert warned electric scooters remain highly vulnerable despite tighter rules, calling for enforcement and rider education. Infrastructure & Trade: Egypt’s Sisi met Modi at BRICS, targeting $12bn bilateral trade and more Indian investment in manufacturing and automotive. Market Headwinds: Japan’s automakers will revise factory schedules from FY2027 to improve work-life balance, affecting supplier delivery timing.