Inside BMW’s urban iFactory: how the new i3 transforms Munich production

April 02, 2026

The start of production of the new BMW i3 this summer marks more than just the launch of another electric vehicle. It signals a fundamental transformation at BMW Group Plant Munich, one of the most unusual and strategically important car factories in Europe. As BMW invited the international press, we were able to visit the […]

New Volvo hydrogen truck coincides with Toyota–Daimler alliance

April 01, 2026

The unveiling on Wednesday of a new hydrogen-powered truck by Volvo Group marks a decisive moment for the future of long-haul transport. Presented alongside plans by Toyota Motor Corporation to join Daimler Truck and Volvo as equal shareholders in their fuel-cell joint venture Cellcentric, the move highlights a growing industrial push to bring hydrogen into […]

From Inchcape to Beherman: Roosen takes wheel at Benelux importer

April 01, 2026

Beherman Motors has appointed Michael Roosen as its new Chief Executive Officer, bringing in a seasoned automotive executive who is making the move from Inchcape Belux, where he was CEO from 2019  to 2024. Roosen is to lead the Benelux importer and distributor into its next growth phase. No coincidence, just as the company expands […]

Geely puts Volvo in charge to fix Lynk & Co’s troubled European execution

March 31, 2026

Volvo Cars will take responsibility for the commercial and brand operations of its sister-brand Lynk & Co in Europe, marking a decisive step in Geely Holding Group’s accelerating strategy to integrate its brands and scale more efficiently on the continent. The move, announced on March 30, gives Volvo Cars control over Lynk & Co’s European […]

Beherman named FUSO importer in Netherlands, completing Benelux push

March 30, 2026

The Belgian family-owned Beherman Group is entering a new phase in its long history, with its subsidiary Beherman Motors appointed as the official importer of Mitsubishi FUSO Truck and Bus Corporation vehicles in the Netherlands, expanding its territory to the entire Benelux. By taking over this role from Daimler Truck, the group not only grows […]

Dutch motorcycle tax fraud grows as imports rise, Belgium in focus

March 30, 2026

The Dutch motorcycle market is facing a growing fraud issue involving the country’s purchase tax system, with industry organisations warning that millions of euros in revenue may be lost each year through manipulation of import values. According to RAI Vereniging, large-scale fraud is taking place in the import of second-hand motorcycles, a problem first highlighted […]

BMW wants your old car back and turns it into its next one

March 27, 2026

The BMW Group is taking a decisive next step in its industrial transformation by announcing a new “Competence Centre Circularity” at its Wackersdorf site in Germany. The company plans to invest a mid-three-digit million euro amount in the project, which is scheduled to be fully operational by around 2029. Once completed, the facility will significantly […]

Europ Assistance barometer: EV skepticism or confusion?

March 27, 2026

A new Belgian snapshot from the Europ Assistance Mobility Barometer seems to confirm a familiar narrative: a majority of Belgians (62%) say they are not yet prepared to choose a fully electric car as their next vehicle. But beyond the headline figures, the survey reveals a more fundamental gap between perception and reality that continues […]

Geely lands core brand in Benelux to take on EU’s mass EV market

March 26, 2026

Chinese carmaker Geely Auto is bringing its core, mass-market brand to the Benelux, explicitly positioning it as the group’s volume player alongside its more upmarket sister brands. The launch, announced in Amsterdam, is not just about two new SUVs, but about how Geely intends to structure its presence in Europe: with Geely Auto targeting affordability […]

Sony-Honda Afeela scrapped: from CES showpiece to EV reality check

March 26, 2026

Just months after confidently outlining a 2026 market launch, Sony Honda Mobility has pulled the plug on the Afeela 1. What was supposed to be one of the most tech-forward electric sedans on the market has become the latest casualty of a rapidly changing EV landscape, one that is proving far less forgiving than expected. […]

Renault appoints Thomas Marneffe as new Sales Director for Belux

March 25, 2026

Renault has appointed Thomas Marneffe as the new Sales Director for the Renault brand in Belgium and Luxembourg (Belux), effective April 2026. He succeeds Jan Schmook, a long-standing Renault executive who retires after a career spanning more than four decades within the group, closing a chapter marked by continuity and deep institutional knowledge. Marneffe, 42, […]

The real driver of Europe’s EV shift: a €67 billion oil problem

March 25, 2026

The spike in interest in electric vehicles triggered by the Iran war and the resulting oil price surge is real. But treating it as just another short-lived ‘fuel panic effect’ risks missing the bigger shift underway. Europe spends around €67 billion a year importing oil just to keep its cars running. That structural dependency, rather […]

From sharing to selling: Lynk & Co 10+ super sedan reflects strategic pivot

March 24, 2026

Lynk & Co is pushing its electric ambitions into a new, more extreme territory. The new 10+, a high-performance sedan revealed in China this week, transforms the already striking Z10 into a near-supercar rival, delivering around 900 hp and a claimed 0-100 km/h sprint time of under 3 seconds. It is a halo car in […]

BYD targets Germany’s premium crown jewels with Denza’s EU debut

March 23, 2026

Chinese EV giant BYD will officially introduce its premium brand Denza to Europe on April 8 in Paris, using the unveiling of the Z9 GT as both a product launch and a strategic statement. While the Paris event marks the formal European debut, markets such as Belgium are expected to follow only later as part […]

BMW appoints seasoned finance executive Frank Scheffer as CFO Belux

March 23, 2026

BMW Group has appointed Frank Scheffer as its new Chief Financial Officer for BMW Group Belux, a move that may look like a routine management rotation but, in reality, highlights the growing strategic importance of the Belgian and Luxembourg markets within the German carmaker’s European operations. Scheffer, a German national, is no newcomer to the […]

Range gap: why European EVs outperform US rivals on the road

March 20, 2026

European-built electric vehicles are often outperforming their American counterparts in real-world range tests. It’s a trend highlighted not only by independent comparisons but also by findings from Consumer Reports, one of the United States’ most influential independent product-testing organizations. Drawing on controlled testing and large-scale owner data, the nonprofit has shown that several EVs fall […]

Driving the BYD Atto 3 Evo: familiar face, radical tech upgrade

March 20, 2026

BYD unveiled the Atto 3 Evo earlier this year, framing the car as more than a facelift, positioning it as a serious contender in Europe’s increasingly crowded €40,000 EV segment. As we noted at the time, the ‘Evo’ badge signalled more than an ‘evolution’, a deeper technical reset rather than a cosmetic refresh. Now, after […]

The all electric i3: how BMW will prove ‘Freude am Fahren’ is not dead

March 19, 2026

For BMW, the electric era comes down to one brutal question: can it prove to the world that an EV can still feel like a BMW and that “Freude am Fahren” is not dead? To make that point, BMW went straight to its core: reinventing the 3 Series, the car that defines everything the brand […]

Renault Bridger: why this super-compact SUV won’t come to Europe

March 17, 2026

With the unveiling of the Bridger concept under its new ‘futuREady’ strategy, Renault is not just presenting another compact SUV; it is quietly redrawing its global priorities. The small, rugged, and good-looking model is part of a broader wave of vehicles that are not designed for Europe at all, underlining how far the French carmaker […]

MIIT filing reveals more details of BYD’s 1,000-km Seal 08 flagship

March 16, 2026

Earlier, we reported on BYD’s ambitious plans for a new electric flagship sedan, the Seal 08, promising up to 1,000 km of range and the ability to add hundreds of kilometers of driving in just a few minutes of charging. New information from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) now provides a clearer […]

MG4X with semi-solid battery signals next step in EV battle (update)

March 16, 2026

MG has unveiled the MG4X in China, a compact electric SUV derived from the successful hatchback, as the brand begins rolling out semi-solid battery technology — a world first in a mass-market EV — though that new technology is not yet confirmed for Europe. Regulatory filings published by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology […]

Traxio: ‘Belgian cycling market gains momentum as Bike Brussels opens’

March 13, 2026

The Belgian cycling market is gaining speed again. According to new figures from sector federation Traxio Velo, 578,737 bicycles were sold in Belgium in 2025, an increase of 7.1% compared with the year before. With almost 580,000 bikes sold last year, the Belgian bicycle market now represents an industry worth roughly €1.2 to €1.5 billion […]

Škoda posts record results while Volkswagen Group struggles

March 13, 2026

Czech carmaker Škoda Auto has delivered the best financial results in its history, highlighting a growing contrast within the wider Volkswagen Group and underlining the brand’s resilience in a challenging European car market. The Czech manufacturer reported record revenue of €30.1 billion in 2025, up 8.3% from the previous year. Operating profit rose 8.6% to […]

Avatr’s 955-hp 06T: Huawei-powered EV estate heading for Europe

March 12, 2026

Chinese EV maker Avatr has revealed new technical details of the Avatr 06T, the estate version of its upcoming 06 sedan, confirming that the model will feature a tri-motor performance variant producing close to 1,000 horsepower. The announcement follows earlier reports positioning the car as a potential contender for Europe’s small but growing electric wagon […]

T&E: ‘EV affordability tipping point nears in Europe’ (update)

March 12, 2026

A new analysis from environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) suggests the European electric vehicle market may be approaching an affordability turning point, as prices show early signs of easing after several years of increases. According to the group’s latest EV progress report, the average list price of battery electric cars in Europe fell by […]

Dacia Striker signals Renault’s push to move its budget brand upmarket

March 11, 2026

The new Dacia Striker marks a significant step in Dacia’s transformation, as parent company Renault Group accelerates its plan to move the budget brand into larger, more profitable segments of the European market. Revealed as part of Dacia’s ‘futuREady’ roadmap to 2030, the Striker will be the largest vehicle the brand has ever offered. With a […]

BYD joins global rule-making body IATF as automotive power shifts east

March 11, 2026

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has joined the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), one of the automotive industry’s most influential but little-known global institutions, so far dominated by Western and Japanese carmakers. The move gives the fast-growing EV maker a seat at the table where manufacturing standards governing the global automotive supply chain are defined, […]

Geely joins megawatt charging race as it prepares Benelux launch

March 10, 2026

China’s EV charging race has entered a new phase after Geely demonstrated a new 1.5 MW ultra-fast charger capable of delivering megawatt-level charging to a production Zeekr 001. The technology itself was first announced with the upgraded Zeekr 001 in late 2025, but the latest demonstration highlights the charging infrastructure required to deliver such extreme […]

Will BYD’s megawatt charging make battery swapping obsolete?

March 09, 2026

Chinese EV giant BYD has stirred the electric mobility world with the unveiling of its new ‘flash charging’ technology, delivering up to 1.5 megawatts of power and allowing charging from roughly 10% to 70% in about five minutes, or charging times that approach those of refueling a gasoline car. The announcement has sparked a wave […]

VinFast unveils Rolls-Royce rival Lac Hong EV as EU ambitions cool

March 09, 2026

Vietnamese EV maker VinFast has unveiled two ultra-luxury electric vehicles — the Lac Hong 800S SUV and Lac Hong 900S sedan — at a time when the company is quietly scaling back its early ambitions in Europe. The new models, positioned at the top of a newly created Lac Hong luxury brand, mark a strategic […]

TomTom enters new phase as founder and CEO Goddijn steps aside

March 06, 2026

Dutch navigation pioneer TomTom is entering a new chapter as co-founder and long-time chief executive Harold Goddijn prepares to step down after more than two decades at the helm of the company. The move marks the end of an era for a firm that once symbolised Europe’s consumer tech ambitions but has since reinvented itself […]

Hyperloop dream hits another wall as Dutch pioneer Hardt goes bankrupt

March 06, 2026

The bankruptcy of Dutch startup Hardt Hyperloop marks the latest setback for a technology that once promised to revolutionize long-distance travel at speeds approaching 1,200 kilometres per hour. The company, which emerged from a student team at Delft University of Technology, had been working on a futuristic transport system in which passenger capsules would travel […]

BYD’s next EV leap: 1,000-km Seal 08 and charging in five minutes

March 06, 2026

China’s EV giant BYD used its Technology Day on March 5 in Shenzhen to unveil a new generation of battery and charging technology while presenting several new models across its expanding brand portfolio. The headline debut was the Seal 08, a new flagship sedan for the BYD brand that illustrates the company’s push toward 1,000-kilometer […]

Cupra refreshes Born electric hatchback as competition intensifies

March 05, 2026

Cupra has unveiled a refreshed version of its electric hatchback, the Born, introducing updated styling, improved interior materials, and enhanced technology. The Spanish performance brand under the Volkswagen umbrella seeks to keep its first battery-electric model competitive in an increasingly crowded European EV market. The update represents a mid-cycle refresh rather than a full new […]

€2.50 diesel on Italian highways puts Europe on alert for fuel price surge

March 05, 2026

A spike in global oil markets is pushing diesel prices higher across Europe, with Italian motorway pumps reaching €2.50 per litre and Belgian retailers warning the surge is putting pressure on fuel supply margins. A dramatic illustration of how geopolitical shocks are quickly reaching European drivers and transport companies. Consumer group Codacons reported that diesel […]

Stellantis confirms Leapmotor B10 production in Zaragoza

March 04, 2026

Stellantis has confirmed that electric vehicles from Chinese automaker Leapmotor will be produced at its Figueruelas plant near Zaragoza from the second half of 2026, marking a major step in the group’s strategy to strengthen its position in the global EV market. The announcement turns the Spanish plant into the first major Leapmotor production hub […]

BYD’s Great Tang shows China’s ambitions for megawatt charging EVs

March 04, 2026

Chinese carmaker BYD is preparing to unveil one of its most technologically ambitious vehicles to date. The new Great Tang, a full-size electric SUV positioned at the top of the company’s Dynasty lineup, combines luxury, performance, and experimental ultra-fast charging technology that could point to the next phase of electric mobility. The model is expected […]

T&E: ‘Made in Europe could cut EV battery cost gap by two-thirds’

March 03, 2026

According to a new study by Transport & Environment (T&E), EV battery cells produced in the EU currently cost about $41-$43 per kilowatt-hour more than those made in China. For a typical 60 kWh family EV, that implies a gross cell cost disadvantage of roughly €2,000-€2,500 per vehicle. Yet the same T&E report delivers a […]

2,000 hp of imagination: Xiaomi’s Vision GT will likely stay virtual

March 02, 2026

At the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Xiaomi pulled the covers off one of the most dramatic cars ever to wear its badge: the Vision GT, a low-slung electric super-GT with fighter-jet proportions, extreme aerodynamics, and power claims that brush against hypercar territory. It dominated headlines and social media feeds within hours. Yet for […]

From hay to hydrogen: Kawasaki’s robotic horse gets serious

February 27, 2026

At Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, Kawasaki Heavy Industries first rolled out a life-size robotic horse, a hydrogen-powered mechanical stallion with four articulated legs, a saddle, stirrups, and a head-up display. At that time, most observers filed it somewhere between anime fantasy and corporate fever dream. But it’s actually becoming a reality: Kawasaki is going to build […]

Income gap slows Belgium’s EV transition, Deloitte study finds

February 26, 2026

According to Deloitte’s latest Global Automotive Consumer Study, just 12 percent of Belgian consumers say a battery electric vehicle (BEV) would be their next car, up only marginally from 11 percent a year earlier. Behind that modest figure lies a stark income divide. Among households earning less than €27,000 per year, 59 percent prefer a […]

Stellantis posts dramatic €22.3bn loss in historic 2025 reset

February 26, 2026

Franco-Italian-American carmaker Stellantis Group has delivered one of the most dramatic earnings collapses in modern European automotive history. It reported a net loss of €22.3 billion for 2025 on revenues of €153.5 billion, confirming analyst expectations and placing the group among the largest annual loss-makers ever associated with a French corporate champion. The scale of […]

A10/B03X: Leapmotor’s first serious bid for Europe’s EV mass market

February 25, 2026

China’s Leapmotor has revealed the first official interior images of its new compact electric SUV, the A10, offering a clearer picture of the model that will spearhead the brand’s push into Europe’s affordable EV segment. The A10, to be marketed in Europe as the B03X in the second half of 2026, is positioned as a […]

BMW drops Level-3: reality check for EU autonomous-driving goals

February 24, 2026

According to the German leading car magazine, Automobilwoche, BMW is abandoning its Level-3 automated-driving ambitions for the 7 Series. The headline sounded like a retreat. In reality, it may be a recalibration and a revealing one. BMW will discontinue its ‘Personal Pilot L3’ system in the 7 Series as part of the upcoming model update […]

Lamborghini kills its Lanzador EV: can the roar survive the electric age?

February 24, 2026

Lamborghini unveiled the Lanzador concept in August 2023, billed as the brand’s gateway to an all-electric era. That step has now been shelved, in what appears to be a calculated bet that regulatory flexibility in Europe after 2035 may allow combustion engines to survive in hybrid form. The company has scrapped plans for a pure […]

Not dead yet: Renault–Geely’s Horse H12 gives ICE a second wind

February 23, 2026

Horse Powertrain, the Renault–Geely joint venture, has just given the internal combustion engine one of its strongest “not-dead-yet” headlines in years. Together with Spanish energy company Repsol, it unveiled the HORSE H12 Concept: a 1.2-litre hybrid-oriented gasoline engine and powertrain concept designed to run on 100% renewable gasoline and to cut fuel consumption by around […]

Zipse’s China bet: why BMW’s future rides on Merz’s mission

February 23, 2026

As German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepares this week for his first official visit to Beijing since taking office, the presence of leading industrial executives underscores the trip’s strategic significance. Among them is Oliver Zipse, chief executive of BMW Group, who has made clear in remarks reported by Reuters that engagement with China is indispensable for […]

MG shows how to win as a Chinese brand: one million sales in Europe

February 20, 2026

MG Motor has delivered its one-millionth vehicle to a European customer, a symbolic milestone that underlines one of the most remarkable comeback stories in the continent’s recent automotive history. Fourteen years after returning to the UK market, the former British sports car brand — now owned by China’s SAIC Motor — has become the most […]

Largest-ever-study confirms PHEVs burn up to five times more fuel than claimed

February 20, 2026

There is a systemic gap at the core of Europe’s plug-in hybrid policy, and it has now been measured at scale. Using real-world fuel consumption data from approximately 980,000 plug-in hybrid passenger cars collected under the EU’s official on-board fuel consumption monitoring (OBFCM) system, the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Fraunhofer ISI) has […]

BYD’s tiny Racco for Japan, a kei car with European consequences?

February 19, 2026

Chinese BYD has revealed the interior and key specifications of the Racco, a compact urban runabout tailored to Japan’s uniquely popular kei segment. But in a European context, it could become something much more significant: a test case for whether the EU is serious about enabling a new generation of genuinely affordable small EVs. Japan’s […]

Renault’s circular shift: new CEO signals industrial ambition

February 18, 2026

Renault Group’s circular-economy arm, The Future is NEUTRAL, is entering a new chapter just as the carmaker strengthens its industrial footprint in end-of-life vehicle recycling. With Grégoire de Franqueville set to take over as CEO on 1 March 2026, Renault is signalling that circularity is no longer a side strategy but a core industrial priority […]

How the Renault 5 became France’s EV champion in 2025

February 18, 2026

According to the US-based online media outlet on electric vehicles and renewable energy, CleanTechnica, the Renault 5 was France’s best-selling battery-electric vehicle both in December and across the full year, with 37,997 registrations in 2025.  That’s nearly double the 19,207 units of the Tesla Model Y, making it the clear market leader in France’s EV […]

Stellantis reintroduces diesel, choosing the path of least resistance?

February 16, 2026

Stellantis has announced the return of diesel to several European compact cars, including the Peugeot 308, Opel Astra, and DS 4. The technology will also remain central to the group’s light commercial vehicle portfolio. The move is presented as a matter of market realism. After years of forceful electrification messaging, the signal is unmistakable: consumer […]

Late but calculated: Toyota’s Highlander EV enters the electric arena

February 13, 2026

Toyota has unveiled the 2027 Toyota Highlander EV, aimed first at the US market and marking a significant moment for the Japanese automaker: one of its core global nameplates is transitioning from hybrid and combustion power to full battery electric. The move signals not a sudden ideological conversion to electric mobility, but a carefully calculated […]

Europe enters 2026 as stabilizer of a wobbling global EV market

February 13, 2026

Fresh registration data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), the UK-based market intelligence firm tracking the global EV, battery, and critical minerals supply chains, show worldwide EV registrations (battery-electric and plug-in hybrid combined) fell 3% year-on-year in January to just under 1.2 million units. The decline was driven by a sharp reversal in China and a […]

ChargePoint warns: from range anxiety to charger anxiety?

February 12, 2026

A new dataset from the US-based charging network operator ChargePoint suggests that the next constraint in the electric mobility transition may not be vehicle supply but rather charging capacity. As EV adoption accelerates, charging demand is beginning to outpace infrastructure expansion. Utilisation rates are rising faster than new chargers are being deployed. ChargePoint, one of […]

BYD Atto 3 Evo to raise stakes in Europe’s €40k EV battlefield

February 12, 2026

After presenting it in China, BYD is planning to launch the Atto 3 Evo in Europe in spring 2026. It won’t be a routine facelift as the ‘Evo’ badge – short for evolution – signals a deeper technical reset for one of the brand’s most important European models. The compact SUV moves to an 800-volt […]

Electra stakes its leadership claim in Belgium’s fast-charging market

February 10, 2026

Belgium’s network of fast chargers for electric cars is expanding rapidly, and one brand is increasingly common on supermarket car parks and along busy roads: Electra. After a year of strong growth in 2025, the European charging operator, which originated in France in 2021, says it has strengthened its position as Belgium’s leading ultra-fast charging […]

Ferrari sees the light, calling its first-born EV Luce

February 10, 2026

Ferrari’s decision to call its first fully electric production car Luce is more than a naming exercise. It is a statement of intent. Luce, Italian for ‘light’, deliberately evokes clarity, precision, and optimism rather than brute force or technological spectacle. For a brand whose mythology has long been built around sound, combustion, and mechanical drama, […]

BMW and PreZero advance circular car recycling, a nod to Febelauto

February 09, 2026

BMW Group has entered into a strategic partnership with circular-economy specialist PreZero to develop a scalable approach to vehicle recycling across Europe. The cooperation aims to turn end-of-life vehicles from a regulatory obligation into a structural source of high-quality secondary raw materials. For Belgium, where end-of-life vehicle management is centrally organised through Febelauto, the initiative highlights […]

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