Today’s motoring news is more about what businesses and buyers can actually use than splashy concept cars. The big theme is practicality: how the truck market gets to lower emissions without falling over financially, how plug-in hybrid badging is being cleaned up ahead of Euro 7, and how urban delivery fleets are being pitched a much smaller electric option.

SMMT warns the HGV transition is stalling

SMMT used the opening of the Commercial Vehicle Show to argue for a more technology-open route to decarbonising heavy goods vehicles. Its latest figures show zero-emission HGV uptake has slipped to 0.9% of the market so far in 2026, down from 1.4% in 2025, despite more than 40 zero-emission truck models already being on sale.

The trade body says the problem is not a lack of product. Instead, operators are being hit by steep upfront costs, slow depot and grid upgrades, high energy prices and a public charging network for electric HGVs that is still tiny. SMMT says the UK should avoid forcing a ZEV-only truck market too early and instead focus on a realistic path that keeps fleet renewal moving while still cutting CO2.

That matters beyond the haulage industry. Freight costs have a habit of turning up in shop prices, delivery bills and business overheads, so a truck transition that works on paper but not in practice will eventually hit consumers too.

Source: SMMT

Peugeot changes plug-in hybrid names ahead of Euro 7

Peugeot has started renaming some of its plug-in hybrid models to line up with the GTR21 homologation protocol that will sit under Euro 7 from late 2026. The key point is that this is a certification change, not a mechanical one.

In practice, the 3008 and 5008 plug-in hybrids now carry a 225hp rating, while the 408 plug-in hybrid is now listed at 240hp. Peugeot says performance, fuel consumption and emissions are unchanged, and that the new protocol does not affect registration certificate costs because those are based on combustion-engine power.

It is a small but useful reminder for buyers to read spec sheets carefully over the next 18 months. As brands adjust to Euro 7 naming and certification rules, badges and brochure power outputs may change even when the car underneath has not.

Source: Peugeot

Stellantis Pro One puts the spotlight on the Fiat Professional TRIS

At the CV Show, Stellantis Pro One is using its stand to push electrified light-commercial options and conversion-ready vans, but the eye-catching bit is the UK debut of the Fiat Professional TRIS. It is a three-wheeled electric vehicle aimed at last-mile delivery work, with a quoted 56-mile range and enough load space for two standard euro pallets.

This is not a replacement for a normal van, and it will not suit every operator. But for dense urban work, estate maintenance and low-speed local deliveries, a tiny electric load carrier could make more sense than sending a full-sized van into the job.

The wider message from Stellantis is that commercial EV adoption will not be one-size-fits-all. For smaller businesses especially, the next few years are likely to be about mixing conventional vans, electric vans and niche city-focused vehicles rather than making one giant leap.

Source: Vauxhall / Stellantis Pro One

It is a fairly quiet news day, but there is still a clear thread running through today’s briefing: the industry is still selling electrification as a practical problem to solve, not just a headline to chase. For drivers and businesses, that is probably the more useful conversation anyway.