What a week! Rivian’s new R2 became its best-selling car in its very first full quarter, Europe bought more electric cars than petrol and diesel cars combined, and Ford finally told us what a loaded Fathom will cost. We also caught BYD’s first Ocean-series minivan testing in China, and found an electric airliner worth daydreaming about. Every upcoming car below is also tracked in our guide to upcoming electric cars.
Rivian’s R2 is already its best-sellerRecord quarter, revenue up 38%Earnings02 DATAEurope’s EVs outsold petrol and diesel combined710,580 EVs in Q3Data03 
Rivian’s van gets 30% more range and AWDDeliveries began in OctoberTrucks04 
Ford’s Fathom will reach the high $30,000sStill from $28,350Prices05 
BYD’s first Ocean minivan is testingDue by the end of 2026Spotted06 
Toyota’s EV sales more than doubledWhile China sales slumpData07 
Hyundai hints at the name IONIQ PA small EV built in IndiaDesign08 
The 2027 Kia EV9 gets quickerLand trim: 0 to 60 in 5.0 sPrices09 
One more thing: a 90-seat electric airlinerElysian E9X, aiming for 2034Wild cardRivian’s R2 is already its best-seller
Rivian reported its third quarter on October 29, and the headline is the R2. The smaller SUV, which started deliveries in June, outsold both the R1 and Rivian’s delivery van between July and September. That pushed deliveries to a record 19,248 and revenue to $2.155 billion. Rivian also posted a $176 million gross profit and nudged its 2026 forecast up to 67,000 to 70,000 deliveries. A second R2 shift has started at the Normal, Illinois plant. One curiosity: Cox Automotive’s outside estimates had the van ahead of the R2. Rivian’s own numbers say otherwise, and Rivian counts its own cars. Sources: Rivian, InsideEVs.
Europe’s EVs outsold petrol and diesel cars combined
For the second quarter in a row, the EU bought more battery-electric cars than petrol and diesel cars put together: 710,580 EVs against 655,540 combustion-only cars, according to Transport & Environment. Hybrids are still the biggest group, but they are now the only thing ahead of EVs. Thirteen EU countries set all-time EV records, and EVs were the best-selling powertrain in ten European markets. Sources: InsideEVs, Battery-Tech.
Rivian’s delivery van gets 30% more range and all-wheel drive
The other half of Rivian’s good news is commercial. Its electric van now comes with a bigger battery that adds about 30% more range, plus an all-wheel-drive version, and Rivian says deliveries of both began in early October. The van has been a quiet hit: Cox Automotive estimates it was the fourth best-selling EV in America last quarter. Sources: Rivian, InsideEVs.
Ford’s Fathom will stretch into the high $30,000s
On Ford’s earnings call, Andrew Frick, who runs Ford Blue and Model e, said higher Fathom trims will reach the “high $30,000 range.” The $28,350 base price stands, and Ford says it will explain the full trim lineup closer to launch. CEO Jim Farley also pointed to software as the big upsell, including an embedded Apple Maps suite. Preorders open early in 2027 and deliveries start late that year. Source: InsideEVs. Read our explainer on how the Fathom will power your house.
BYD’s first Ocean-series minivan is out testing
A boxy new BYD minivan has been caught on a car carrier and at one of BYD’s Flash Charging stations, wearing a big roof-mounted lidar. It is expected to be the first MPV in BYD’s Ocean series, and it looks nothing like the Ocean-V concept from April’s Beijing show, with its camping and movie modes. Reported dimensions put it at 5,145 mm long with a 3,045 mm wheelbase and seven seats. BYD says it should launch by the end of the year. The photo above is the concept; the spy shots belong to Autohome. Sources: Electrek, CnEVPost.
Toyota’s EV sales more than doubled as China sales slump
Toyota has sold 309,766 battery-electric cars worldwide this year, Lexus included, up 127% from the same nine months of 2025. EV sales have more than doubled in every month since February, as the updated bZ (the old bZ4X), the bZ Woodland and the electric C-HR reach showrooms. At the same time Toyota’s China sales are down 18.9% this year, the eighth monthly decline in a row, in a weak market Toyota partly blames on rising gasoline prices. Source: Electrek.
Hyundai hints that its next small EV will be called IONIQ P
Hyundai Motor India named the IONIQ P on its third-quarter earnings call, and it is expected to be the compact electric SUV developed under the code name HE1i. It will be built at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, and should debut around January. Autocar India expects it to share its platform with the little Inster pictured above, in standard and long-range versions. Hyundai has not officially confirmed the name or price. Sources: Autocar India, Electrek.
The 2027 Kia EV9 gets quicker without getting pricier
Kia’s three-row EV9 carries into 2027 with prices up $90 on most trims. The Land trim rises $1,090 but now includes the torque boost that used to cost extra, taking it to 516 lb-ft and 0 to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds. The Wind gets black 19-inch wheels and a new Wolf Gray paint. Range and charging are unchanged. Sources: Kia, InsideEVs.
One more thing: a 90-seat electric airliner
Not a car, but too good to skip! Dutch startup Elysian, working with researchers at TU Delft, is designing the E9X, a full-size airliner that carries its batteries in oversized wings and flies on eight electric propellers. It has flown a scaled demonstrator with Germany’s DLR, and KLM, Transavia and the lessor TrueNoord are studying how they would use it. Entry into service is targeted for 2034, so file this under the long-range future. Sources: Electrek, Elysian.
That is the week! Next up is the Altior reveal, then the LA Auto Show. Catch up on Monday’s roundup, and see everything that is on the way in our upcoming electric cars guide.
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Photos courtesy of Rivian, Ford, BYD, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia; airliner render courtesy of Elysian. The BYD photo shows the Ocean-V concept, not the test car. European figures are Transport & Environment’s registration counts. Reported and expected figures are marked as such. Sources are linked under each story.
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