European auto sales posted their strongest monthly gain in almost two years in March, as robust demand emerged for fully electric and hybrid models. The surge in demand follows the US-Iran conflict, which disrupted energy flows through the Hormuz chokepoint. As a result, petrol and diesel prices at the pump in Europe soared. Another issue is China flooding the continent with cheap EVs, undercutting already struggling domestic automakers.
Bloomberg cited new-vehicle registration data for last month showing an 11% rise to 1.58 million, as demand for EVs and hybrids continued to strengthen. EV deliveries jumped 42%, with growth across all major markets, including a 66% increase in German EV sales, driven by subsidies and more affordable models.
March's surge in demand offers relief for struggling European automakers facing a number of issues, including excess capacity, U.S. tariffs, and weak demand in the Chinese market.
Related:
The problem with Europe is that Brussels had the grand idea of allowing Chinese brands such as BYD and Geely to flood the continent with cheap EVs, undercutting rivals such as VW, Porsche, and Mercedes.
Data for the month also showed that BYD more than doubled its European sales in March to 37,580 vehicles and is preparing to start production at its new plant in Hungary later this quarter. This means China's market share in Europe is increasingly growing.
Tesla also participated in last month's surge, with March registrations up 84% to 52,600, leaving it just ahead of BYD year-to-date.
While it is quite obvious that the surge in Brent crude prices into triple-digit territory in March influenced consumer behavior, driving EV purchases because of the fuel shock that unfolded at petrol stations, we take a look at a UBS note showing that, over the past four decades, oil price shocks have typically remained elevated for five months following prior military events.
All of this suggests that, with elevated prices in Europe and elsewhere, EVs will regain consumer favor. Yet in the U.S., with federal subsidies eliminated, demand remains muted.
Tyler Durden Thu, 04/23/2026 - 07:20US officials are drafting what diplomats provocatively describe as a "naughty and nice" list ranking NATO allies based on their support for the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Fresh reporting in Politico describes the proposal, developed ahead of NATO chief Mark Rutte's visit to Washington this month, as placing member states into tiers while outlining consequences for those refusing to participate in military operations against Iran, according to European diplomats and a US defense official familiar with the discussions.
Source: NATOPolitico writes, "It's not clear which countries fit into which category or if Rutte knows about the effort. But the Romanians and Poles could end up being some of the biggest beneficiaries, since both remain in the president’s good graces and would welcome more U.S. troops."
The designations echo earlier remarks by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who said "model allies that step up … will receive our special favor," while those who do not "will face consequences."
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly has stated that countries hosting US troops "have not been there for us," and has warned - based on Trump's earlier Truth Social statements that "the United States will remember."
It should come as no surprise that Spain, alongside France and the United Kingdom, falls into the "naughty" category after rejecting or delaying requests for military support.
They have shut down airspace and bases where the US has long operated, in some instances, drawing Trump's rebuke.
In contrast, Poland and Romania stand to benefit after backing US operations and hosting US forces, with Warsaw covering much of the cost of troop deployments and Bucharest expanding base access. Bulgaria too has been seen as friendly, and really the NATO 'eastern flank' remains indispensable as Washington still tries to navigate the Russia-Ukraine war.
Baltic states are meanwhile treated as "model allies" due to consistently high defense spending aligned with US targets. The proposal allows Washington to redirect troop deployments, joint exercises, and arms sales toward these compliant states.
But as for the 'punishment' side - also after spiraling relations with Denmark over the Greenland issue - it's still anyone's guess what the US administration might ultimately do.
Tyler Durden Thu, 04/23/2026 - 06:55Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
Landlords in London and the south-east of the UK are openly advertising flats and rooms exclusively for Muslim tenants – a practice that directly breaches the Equality Act 2010. The listings, spotted on Facebook, Gumtree and Telegram, use phrases such as “only for Muslims”, “for two Muslim boys or two Muslim girls” and “Muslims preferred”.
One company, Roshan Properties, posted dozens of listings stating “prefer Muslim boy”, “one double room is available for Muslims” and “suitable for Punjabi boy”. Other ads appeal specifically to Punjabi and Gujarati speakers or people from Kerala and Haryana, while some job vacancies on the same platforms are restricted to men only. Gumtree listings include requests for “Hindus only” tenants, and at least one post specified: “The house should be alcohol and smoke free.”
All of these advertisements appear to break the law. Landlords and letting agents are not allowed to specify a preference for a particular religion or race when letting a property. The Equality Act prohibits discrimination based on religion or belief, race and other protected characteristics. Landlords who breach it can be taken to civil court by a prospective tenant.
🚨 A Telegraph investigation has uncovered rental listings in London stating that only Muslim tenants would be accepted@CamillaTominey and @MitchellDurdin explain what they found out ⤵️https://t.co/Nb7b41ELZJ pic.twitter.com/dhyPioZxni
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 22, 2026The practice is widespread. Properties are being advertised across boroughs including Ilford, Newham, Barking, Dagenham, East Ham, Redbridge, Walthamstow, Upton Park, Harrow and Newbury Park on Facebook pages such as “Renting room in London for Muslims” and “Muslim rents”.
Facebook removed at least one offending page after being alerted by the Telegraph investigation. One listing even appeared on an official estate agency website with the “Muslims preferred” reference quietly removed.
There is a narrow partial exception only if the landlord is renting out a room in their own home and sharing facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom with the tenant. Otherwise, these ads are completely illegal.
Imagine if landlords were advertising “White English only” properties.
The outrage would be instantaneous. Headlines screaming “racism”, “far-right”, “hate” would dominate every broadcast. Equality bodies would swarm in. MPs would demand inquiries. Yet here we have explicit religious and ethnic preferences being posted openly, and the response is… crickets from the usual guardians of tolerance. This is two-tier Britain laid bare.
This development does not happen in a vacuum. It arrives at the exact moment the UK government is obsessed with stamping out “anti-Muslim hostility” while turning a blind eye to parallel societies forming in plain sight.
Just weeks ago we highlighted that ALL members of the government’s own “anti-Muslim hostility” advisory group have troubling links to Islamist organisations. The state is effectively letting the fox write the rules for the henhouse.
In March the government urged schools to snitch on children and staff for any perceived “anti-Muslim hostility” in an Orwellian crackdown that treats questioning Islam as thoughtcrime.
Meanwhile, an explosive study out of Germany found that almost one in two Muslims under 40 holds Islamist attitudes – a fact the authorities would rather ignore while they police “Islamophobia” with ever greater zeal.
The pattern is unmistakable. Mass immigration without assimilation has created no-go cultural enclaves where open religious discrimination is normalised, yet the state’s enforcement arm only swings one way: against native Britons who dare to notice or complain. Landlords feel emboldened enough to post “Muslim only” ads because they know the real risk is not prosecution – it’s being labelled “Islamophobic” for enforcing colour-blind rules.
This is not tolerance. It is the slow surrender of equal rights under the law. Britain’s elites have imported a parallel legal and cultural system and are now bending the native one to accommodate it. The Equality Act, once sold as protection for everyone, is revealed as a one-way street.
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Tyler Durden Thu, 04/23/2026 - 06:30