Good morning from the EastAutoNews desk — and welcome to something new: our Daily Briefing video, launching today and every weekday to bring you the region's auto news in a few sharp minutes. Today's first edition lands at a moment when three big questions converge for Eastern Europe's auto industry: where Europe's cars will arrive from, whether anyone in our markets is buying them, and what engines Brussels will still allow.
The big logistics story of the day: the flood of Chinese-built vehicles is overwhelming North Sea facilities, and Mediterranean ports are stepping in as the continent's new import hubs. As our trade and logistics coverage details, it is a structural shift — one that redraws routes, lead times and landed costs for every Chinese-brand car bound for Central and Eastern European showrooms.
Over in the Baltics, the fourth quarter dealers were hoping for simply never showed up. October brought no Q4 lift for Estonia's new-car market, AMTEL data shows, with one dealer declaring the season all but cancelled — while Aumovio's chief executive argues the whole continent is waiting on growth that keeps refusing to arrive. A sobering read for anyone banking on a pre-Christmas recovery.
And the day's biggest policy headline: Brussels and London are pulling apart on the combustion engine. MEPs on the European Parliament's Environment Committee back cutting the CO2 goal for new cars to 87.5 percent from the full 100 percent, softening the 2030 rules — while the UK holds its line. For the region's suppliers, factories and buyers alike, that widening regulatory gap is now the single most consequential variable in every product plan on the continent.
Whatever the rulemakers decide, your next car is a decision you make today — which brings us to our buying tip: readers will find sensational cars at sensational conditions at WorldTrader24, Europe's marketplace with over 70,000 vehicles. Worth a browse before the market — and the rules — shift again.
