The EU's temporary steel safeguard expired at end-June 2026 and a permanent TRQ took its place — duty-free volume nearly halved to about 18.35 Mt, the out-of-quota duty doubled to 50%, and a first-ever "melt and pour" origin rule. Using the official allocations, this piece breaks the quota down category by category and country by country: HRC alone claims about 5.2 million tonnes, Türkiye takes the largest share, Taiwan, China is squeezed hardest — and CBAM stacks a second barrier on top.

On December 28, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce announced that to implement relevant national requirements and ensure the completion of the 2025 automobile replacement and renewal work, the city has added 160 million yuan in subsidy funds to further unleash automobile consumption potential. Combined with the previously released 25 million yuan, the total subsidy amount for this round reaches 185 million yuan. The application channel officially opened at 11:00 on December 27. The subsidy follows the principles of "total amount control, first-come-first-served, and ending when funds are exhausted." The effective application period is from 11:00 on December 27, 2025, to 24:00 on January 10, 2026. If the 185 million yuan quota is claimed early, the application channel will close simultaneously.

According to the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce, to implement the relevant national requirements, solidly complete the concluding work of vehicle replacement and renewal in 2025, and further release automobile consumption potential, Chongqing has added another 160 million yuan in subsidy funds for vehicle replacement and renewal. Combined with the previously released 25 million yuan, the total subsidy application amount reached 185 million yuan. The application channel officially opened at 11:00 on December 27. It is understood that the subsidy application continues to follow the implementation principle of "total amount control, first-come-first-served, and closure upon exhaustion." The valid application period is from 11:00 on December 27, 2025, to 24:00 on January 10, 2026. If the 185 million yuan subsidy quota is fully applied for in advance, the application channel will close simultaneously.

The city of Zhengzhou will launch a 2025 “Smooth-Drive Renewal” green-car subsidy campaign, according to the municipal bureau of commerce. A total of RMB 560 million will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis until the cap is reached. Buyers of new-energy passenger cars priced between RMB 50 000 and 150 000 (exclusive) can apply for a RMB 3 000 subsidy; those buying vehicles priced at RMB 150 000 or above receive RMB 4 000.

[Chongqing: Additional 135 Million Yuan Budget Allocated for Vehicle and E-Bike Trade-In Subsidies in October 2025] The Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce issued the "Notice on Additional Funds for the Continued Implementation of the 2025 Vehicle and E-Bike Trade-In Subsidy Policy." It mentioned that an additional 135 million yuan in budget funds has been allocated for vehicle and e-bike trade-in subsidies in October 2025, specifically: 30 million yuan for vehicle retirement and renewal, 100 million yuan for vehicle replacement, and 5 million yuan for e-bike trade-ins. The budget quota follows the application principle of "total amount control, first-come-first-served, and exhaustion upon use." (Cailian Press) [SK On Signs ESS Battery Supply Agreement with US-Based Flatiron Energy] South Korea's SK On announced on September 4 that it has signed an agreement with US-based Flatiron Energy Development to supply LFP batteries for its energy storage systems (ESS). The agreement amount was not disclosed. SK On stated that it will supply up to 7.2 gigawatt-hours of ESS batteries from 2026 to 2030. SK On plans to convert part of its EV battery production lines at its Georgia factory in the US to ESS production lines, after which it will begin mass production of LFP batteries for ESS, with deliveries expected to start in H2 next year. (Cailian Press) [EVE's "Longquan II" All-Solid-State Battery Successfully Rolls Off Production Line, Targeting Humanoid Robots, Low-Altitude Aircraft, and AI] According to EVE, on September 2, EVE's Solid-State Battery Research Institute's Chengdu mass production base was officially inaugurated, and the "Longquan II" all-solid-state battery successfully rolled off the production line. The base, upon full operation, will have an annual capacity of nearly 500,000 battery cells. The base is constructed in two phases: Phase I will be completed in December 2025, with 60Ah battery manufacturing capability; Phase II is planned to achieve 100MWh annual capacity delivery by December 2026. The "Longquan II" launched this time is a 10Ah all-solid-state battery with an energy density of up to 300Wh/kg and a volumetric energy density of 700Wh/L, primarily targeting high-end equipment applications such as humanoid robots, low-altitude aircraft, and AI. (Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily) [Narada Power: All-Solid-State Battery Products Will Not Have a Significant Impact on 2025 Performance] Narada Power stated on an interactive platform that the company currently has R&D reserves for solid-state battery-related technologies and products, including all-solid-state and semi-solid-state. Among them, semi-solid-state products have won a bid for a 2.8GWh new-type electricity ESS project, primarily located in Shenzhen and Shanwei, which will effectively alleviate the power supply-demand imbalance in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This order marks the commercial application of the company's solid-state ESS battery technology. All-solid-state battery products can be used in scenarios such as drones, robots, and low-altitude aircraft. All-solid-state battery products will not have a significant impact on the 2025 financial performance. (Cailian Press) [CosMX Battery: The company's solid-state battery samples currently have good safety performance and cycle life] CosMX Battery stated on the interactive platform that in terms of solid-state batteries, the company is actively promoting related research. Through continuous R&D improvements, the company's solid-state battery samples now possess good safety performance and cycle life. (Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily) [Tesla's sales continue to decline in major European EV markets] Tesla's sales are continuously declining in almost all major European EV markets, leading to a significant loss of market share in countries with strong EV demand. The German Federal Motor Transport Authority announced on Wednesday that Tesla's registrations fell by 39% in August and plummeted by 56% in the first eight months of this year. The EV manufacturer led by Elon Musk also saw a sharp drop in sales in August in France, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Norway was an exception, with Tesla's registrations increasing by 21% in August and 26% since the beginning of the year. Tesla's global vehicle deliveries in H1 decreased by 13%, indicating that the company is heading towards a second consecutive year of declining deliveries. (Cailian Press) Related readings:

The US Fed will hold a payment innovation conference on October 21. SHFE tin prices maintained high-range consolidation [SMM Tin Morning Brief] Futures: The most-traded SHFE tin 2510 contract edged higher to 274,000 yuan/mt during the night session, then maintained a fluctuating trend, closing at 273,600 yuan/mt, up 0.21% from the previous trading day.