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The initial positive sentiment around US-China trade talks faded as the oil market progressed through yesterday’s trading session, with ICE Brent settling almost 0.5% lower. Meanwhile, the market continues to digest the impact of US sanctions on Russian oil flows on Rosneft and Lukoil. And for now, a comfortable supply outlook continues to support the market.

However, one part of the oil market that continues to see strength is middle distillates. The ICE gasoil crack rallied above US$31/bbl, after trading around US$23/bbl mid-month. Meanwhile, the ICE gasoil Nov/Dec timespread surged to almost $20/t backwardation yesterday, though it’s given back some of those gains in early morning trading today.

The latest sanctions on Russia threaten diesel flows, as Russia exports around 1m b/d of diesel. So clearly, a significant amount of supply is at risk. Furthermore, there is also the risk that Indian refiners reduce run rates if they stop buying Russian oil. This would lead to lower middle distillate export volumes from India. In addition, the Ukrainian president has said that Ukraine will increase the scale of attacks on Russian refineries, posing further supply risks to the middle distillate market. There have been concerns about tightness in the middle distillate market for several months now, and the potential impact of these sanctions will do little to ease them.

Tokyo, October 28, 2025 – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems (MHI-MS), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, will exhibit at the “Japan Mobility Show 2025″(Note1) held at Tokyo Big Sight (Koto-ku, Tokyo) from October 30 to November 9. At East Hall 7, MHI-MS will present its autonomous parking robot, merging support system, and adverse weather automated-driving research environment demonstrating how these technologies and applications will help create a more comfortable and safer ‘mobility society’ in the near future.

■ Autonomous Parking Robot

This robot autonomously transports and parks vehicles on behalf of people. It is designed for use in finished vehicle automated transport(Note2) and automated valet parking(Note3).

Finished vehicle automated transport significantly improves working conditions for personnel engaged in vehicle transport, even in harsh environments such as severe weather or extreme heat. It also addresses logistics industry demands, including digital transformation (DX) and decarbonization.

Automated valet parking enables the robot to find and park vehicles in vacant spaces, effectively turning distant, underutilized parking spots into “close” ones. This reduces driver distraction caused by searching for parking spaces, thereby preventing accidents related to inattention. Moreover, by reducing vehicle circulation within parking facilities, it helps reduce CO₂ emissions, contributing to a society that is good for both people and the environment.

At the venue, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the future of mobility firsthand with the first public display of the actual autonomous parking robot.

■ Merging Support System

This system supports safe and smooth merging onto main highways, one of the most challenging scenarios in autonomous vehicle demonstration tests. The mechanism will be introduced through video presentations at the show.

■ Adverse Weather Automated-driving Research Environment

To ensure a safe and secure mobility society, this facility recreates harsh natural environments indoors, including rain, fog, snow, and glare, and combines these with various driving scenarios with high precision and repeatability. It allows efficient evaluation of the safety and reliability of advanced driver assistance systems and highly automated vehicles under any weather conditions, accelerating the social implementation of autonomous driving. The venue will feature videos of testing operations and exhibits explaining the facility.

MHI-MS and the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group leverage their expertise in traffic system development, plant construction, and manufacturing of diverse machinery to support efficient development and verification of automated mobility. This is achieved through advanced monitoring and communication technologies, sophisticated environmental control, digital twin technologies, and mechatronics, all contributing to shaping the future of mobility.

• 1 See the following website regarding the Japan Mobility Show 2025.
  https://www.japan-mobility-show.com/en/
• 2 Finished vehicle automated transport: Systems that autonomously move finished vehicles within automobile factories, dealerships, inspection centers, and motor pools. They operate 24/7, addressing driver shortages while ensuring safe and cost-effective transport.
• 3 Automated valet parking: After the driver stops at a designated boarding/disembarking area near the destination, the vehicle transport robot moves the vehicle to a vacant parking space. When retrieving the vehicle, the robot returns it to the designated area at the pre-specified time via a smartphone app. This eliminates the inconvenience of searching for parking and reduces the risk of door dings and collisions with adjacent vehicles.