Geely joins charging arms race and makes 4 minute top-ups reality

September 25, 2026

Geely Auto has unveiled a 2.25-megawatt smart-charging system that charges its electric cars from 10 to 70% in four minutes and 30 seconds. That is roughly thirty seconds quicker than BYD’s latest Flash Charging 2.0 platform, the previous benchmark.  The company officially announced the record-breaking charging system at its Safety Center in Ningbo. It’s not […]

Plasman closes and exposes the slow death of Volvo Ghent’s supply chain

September 25, 2026

Canadian bumper manufacturer Plasman is closing its Ghent factory, costing more than 300 jobs. The announcement follows an earlier decision by axle-parts supplier Benteler to shut its nearby site next spring. The local supply network that once sustained Volvo’s assembly line is now effectively gone. But how come? Remaining production evaporated Plasman throwing in the […]

Volkswagen cuts ICE production while demand for affordable EVs takes off

September 24, 2026

Volkswagen is adjusting production at several German plants as demand shifts faster than expected from combustion cars toward electric vehicles. Wolfsburg will build fewer ICE cars than initially planned, while EV production in Emden and Zwickau is increasing.  “Turning point” The reversal is striking. Not so long ago, Volkswagen struggled with underutilized EV factories and […]

One in eight cars sold in the EU is now Chinese thanks to PHEVs

September 24, 2026

Chinese carmakers grabbed a record share of the European car market last month. But their advance is increasingly driven by plug-in hybrid sales. As many as one in three PHEVs now carry a Chinese badge. Chinese brands accounted for almost 12% of European new-car sales in August, according to figures from German market researcher Dataforce. […]

Chinese brand Geely expands to 16 Belgian dealers in six months

September 23, 2026

Geely Auto Benelux is adding two new Belgian dealerships to its network. The expansion coincides with the arrival of the E2, a sub-€20,000 electric hatchback poised to give Western brands a run for their money in Europe. Nivelles and Genk In the six months after the Chinese brand – part of the holding with the […]

Why not lease your charger instead of buying it?

September 22, 2026

Electric cars come with a few side costs that make them rather unique. The charging post is one of them. A Dutch company now offers to lease the charger first instead of paying the upfront cost. Similar initiatives are emerging in other countries. Service model Charging is increasingly turning into a service model. Two parallel […]

Toyota plans 400,000 factory robots: is human workforce at risk?

September 22, 2026

Humanoid robots are reshaping the factory floor, especially in China. Toyota is joining the bandwagon, targeting 400,000 units to modernize its production infrastructure. Can the bots take over from humans? Toyota has told investors it may need 400,000 robots and roughly 1 trillion yen ($6.4 billion) a year from 2028 to upgrade its factories. The […]

Only minor Tesla self-driving accidents in Belgium, as fatal crashes reach peak in the U.S.

September 21, 2026

Flanders Minister of Mobility, Annick De Ridder (NV-A), has published the first safety data from three months of Tesla’s supervised self-driving system on Belgian roads. The encouraging results report only five minor incidents. At the same time, FSD had its deadliest month in the US.  Since June, owners of Teslas equipped with FSD are allowed […]

Belgian car parc turns a corner: more electrified vehicles than diesels on the road

September 18, 2026

For the first time, Belgium’s roads carry more electrified cars than diesel vehicles. For a country where most citizens once had diesel flowing through their veins, that is an important milestone.  Petrol remains dominant Official figures released by Statbel show that the combined electrified fleet in Belgium reached 1,512,874 units at the beginning of last […]

“Bright future for Ghent”: Volvo confirms production volume from a second brand

September 17, 2026

Volvo’s Gent factory is saved. During the Strategy 2026 call, the carmaker has confirmed that a second brand will roll off its production lines in the near future. No concrete names were unveiled, but a Geely-model seems most likely. No factory closures The employees at Volvo Car Gent can take a sigh of relief. During […]

Nissan kicks off the popular Kicks in Europe to battle the Chinese

September 17, 2026

It has sold 1.8 million units across 70 countries since it was launched ten years ago. Still, it never made it to European shores. Until now. Nissan will build the Kicks in the UK to fill the slot from the outgoing combustion-engined Juke. But it’s a different type of species. Manufactured at the Sunderland plant […]

Why are Belgians ditching caravans for campervans?

September 16, 2026

Belgian camper registrations have held surprisingly steady in 2026. The reason is not only a strive for adventure, but also electric cars struggling to tow caravans over long distances. One leisure vehicle is being traded for another. Belgian campers continue their stride in the sales charts. After the pandemic-driven frenzy of 2020-2022, many assumed the […]

Up to 200 km: Volvo’s new PHEV models get stellar electric range 

September 15, 2026

Volvo calls it a bridge to full electrification. But with a battery big enough to eclipse most rivals and a petrol engine kept firmly in reserve, Volvo’s new PHEVs look more like a remedy for a slower-than-hoped EV transition. Nevertheless, the figures are impressive. Volvo has launched plug-in hybrid versions of its XC60 and XC90 […]

IAA: European trucks crack 700 km range but Chinese steal the limelight

September 15, 2026

The IAA Transportation in Hannover shows how quickly electric trucks are shifting gears: beyond regional deliveries into long-haul and even heavy transport. European manufacturers are pushing range and payload, but Chinese – and one famous American – newcomers are turning the technological race into a commercial battle. Change in the making Electric trucks have been […]

Stellantis’ box of tricks: BOW concept marks a logistics pivot

September 15, 2026

Stellantis Pro One revealed the autonomous BOW delivery concept at the IAA Transportation in Hannover. This delivery pod offers a glimpse of a future where selling vans and services will be replaced by a complete logistics ecosystem. The BOW, or Box On Wheels, wasn’t a surpise unveiling. Stellantis Pro One already teased the innovative concept […]

Kia’s electric van offensive moves up a size with the PV7

September 15, 2026

Fleet buyers just got a serious alternative: the Kia PV7 offers more cargo space, longer range and faster charging than current midsize rivals. The longer version taps in on the success of the PV5, which has rapidly become Europe’s best-selling small electric van. Kia has unveiled the PV7 at IAA Transportation in Hannover. The XL […]

Trump wants to allow Chinese EVs to be built in U.S. but on one condition

September 15, 2026

President Donald Trump has said in a television interview that he is prepared to allow Chinese carmakers to build electric vehicles in the United States. Yet, the US auto industry is demanding precisely the opposite: a complete legislative ban on Chinese vehicles. Is President Trump backtracking on the hardlined opposition against Chinese cars? In an […]

From Volvo owner to Volvo Trucks rival: Geely brings Homtruck to Europe

September 14, 2026

Geely is using the IAA Transportation in Hannover to showcase its newest products in the commercial vehicle segment. After the Farizon SV and V7E, the Chinese company premieres its electric Homtruck. Geely is no stranger to those following mobility developments coming from China. It is the holding company which owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Zeekr, […]

Volvo facelifts its oldest EV: the Ghent-built EX40

September 14, 2026

Barely a week after confirming the car’s discontinuation in the U.S, Volvo has announced a facelift for the EX40, its oldest electric model. The modest update brings new styling, more power and a heat pump as standard. The EX40 began life in 2019 as the XC40 Recharge, making it one of the earliest mass-market electric […]

Ukrainian refinery strikes double Russian EV sales

September 11, 2026

Russians are increasingly looking for survival measures to keep their daily life going as the Ukrainian war lingers. One of them are electrified cars.  Russian battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales more than doubled between June and August this year, climbing to 26,543 units. This represents an increase of 118 per cent. The cause […]

Geely plans to chase BYD in Europe with 1.800 kW megawatt chargers

September 11, 2026

After BYD, Geely is joining the race to superfast charging. The company claims it is running test cars in China filling up in five minutes at 1.800 kW superchargers. Europe is also on the radar. Tesla once built an empire by selling electric cars accompanied by the charging stations that power them and that could […]

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross gets an entry-level battery straight from Renault’s shelf

September 11, 2026

After the Renault Scenic got an update, its Japanese twin model gets the same treatment, upgrading to two battery options, increasing range to 650 kilometers. Mitsubishi has updated the Eclipse Cross with two new battery choices, ditching the previous single 87 kWh pack for a more flexible two-tier lineup. Whereas Mitsubishi only offered the larger […]

The China Syndrome: Ford needs Beijing more than Trump grants it

September 10, 2026

The White House thinks Ford has gone soft on Beijing. But CEO Jim Farley believes that Chinese players are ahead of the game and that you need to join them cause you can’t beat them. The paradox keeps Ford in a tight space. US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy fired off a letter this week demanding […]

Nissan Pixo returns as Renault Twingo with a Japanese twist

September 10, 2026

The new Pixo will revive a badge that was ditched in 2013. Can Nissan make a mark with its Japanese version of the Renault Twingo E-Tech  in the booming affordable EV segment? To be clear: Nissan hasn’t unveiled the Pixo yet. But on World EV Day, the Japanese brand confirmed what everybody already suspected: the […]

Maserati in advanced talks with Chinese Huawei to build cars together

September 09, 2026

As the electric Folgore strategy has failed on the Italian trident brand, the car maker has reached out to the Chinese smart-car tech company Huawei and the manufacturer JAC to explore a collaboration. The question is what this could entail for the brand’s defined Italian luxury image, as well as its prospects on the US […]

Polestar Formula 2030: a pretty face for ugly numbers

September 08, 2026

The Swedish EV brand Polestar has unveiled a first glimpse of what the new 2 and 7 will look like. Is the timing of the design meant to mask the tough news that accompanied the latest publication of its balance sheet? Geely-owned Polestar has pulled back the curtain on the Formula 2030 design study at […]

ICCT: EVs cost 33% less to drive as battery prices tumble

September 07, 2026

According to a report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the financial case for battery cars has tipped into positive territory across much of Europe. At the heart of the transition sit lower battery prices. As the oil market is increasingly pressurized, the cost gap with combustion engines is projected to widen further. The […]

Tesla’s Cybercab finally goes public but may not be road-legal

September 07, 2026

Tesla’s Cybercab, the pinnacle of the company’s future, has been officially revealed and put to the test in the streets of Austin. Instantly, the first problem arose: Washington isn’t convinced it’s legal. Tesla has officially put its purpose-built Cybercab robotaxi into commercial service in Austin, Texas. The company kicks off a new chapter in its […]

Range Rover Electric: a V8 without the emissions

September 04, 2026

Range Rover’s first battery-powered car is a flagship model that promises V8 prowess without the emissions from gasoline. According to the brand, it is a Range Rover first and an electric second. But is that good enough to persuade the wealthy buyers who sidestepped the electric Mercedes G-Class? Maybe the real competitor here is exactly […]

D’Ieteren puts 344 jobs at risk as traditional car sales lose ground

September 04, 2026

D’Ieteren, Belgium’s largest car importer, has announced a major restructuring that could put up to 344 jobs at risk. The Volkswagen Group importer says the traditional model built around selling new cars no longer reflects market reality. The stock-quoted group wants to shift its focus further toward mobility services and longer-term customer relationships. D’Ieteren presented its […]

Polestar expands the 4 range with an SUV that’s really an estate

September 03, 2026

The eagerly anticipated Polestar 4 SUV adds a rear window to the original concept. The model loses one of its most distinguishing features in exchange for more practicality. Is this car the one Polestar should have launched from the start? Polestar has finally done the obvious thing. The original 4, which is still the brand’s […]

Tesla’s magic trick: more range from poorer rubber

September 02, 2026

Last week, Tesla updated its European configurator to show a WLTP range of 572 kilometers for the base rear-wheel-drive Model 3. Up from 534 kilometers, that’s an impressive gain. Especially because no new motor or cell chemistry swap was involved. Just new shoes from an Indonesian tire manufacturer that don’t bode well, based on initial customer […]

Finnish Suvia buys Belgium’s largest body repair chain AutoRepairGroup

September 01, 2026

Belgium’s biggest independent body repair network is changing ownership. After a period under the umbrella of a private equity firm, AutoRepairGroup has been acquired by its Finnish peer Suvia. It reads as an early sign of a consolidation wave that will ripple through the sector as electric vehicles are rewriting the playbook. AutoRepairGroup runs fourteen […]

BYD profits rise for first time in five quarters as overseas sales surge

August 31, 2026

After four straight quarters of decline, BYD has managed to reverse the trend. The world’s largest EV maker, which was struggling in an overheated home market, posted a second-quarter net profit of 8.2 billion yuan (roughly 1.05 billion euros). That is a 30 percent year-on-year jump and the first time profitability has risen since early […]

Mahle thinks drop-in range extenders can accelerate path toward cleaner trucks

August 26, 2026

Range anxiety is genuinely a more cumbersome problem in heavy haulage than in passenger cars. Stuttgart supplier Mahle thinks the answer is not bigger batteries but a compact generator where some of those batteries used to sit. The concept will be presented at the next IAA Transportation in Hannover, next month. In the truck sector, […]

Chinese brands hit record market share in Europe, targeting 30% by 2030

August 25, 2026

Chinese brands closed in at 11.2% of the European market in July, according to figures from Dataforce. They never reached a higher penetration since their expansion into the EU. It is nearly double the 5.6% they claimed in the same month last year, and it cements a trend that should worry anyone still thinking of […]

Opel’s next-generation Corsa is EV-only and comes in 2028

August 25, 2026

Opel is preparing a rival for the Renault 5 E-Tech and the Volkswagen ID.Polo. But don’t expect it anywhere soon. The new all-electric Corsa is suffering from delays and won’t arrive before 2028. Opel CEO Florian Huettl has unveiled further details about the upcoming Corsa. Even though parent company Stellantis has softened its stance on […]

Chinese-built Ioniq V might land in Europe, but not in Zeebrugge

August 25, 2026

When Hyundai unveiled the Ioniq V at the Beijing Auto Show four months ago, the assumption still was that there was no genuine plan to bring the futuristic-looking electric hatchback to Europe. But Hyundai’s CEO talks openly about exporting China-built cars westward, and the V might be good enough to get an international travel passport. […]

Emergency door handle triggers China’s largest recall action in history 

August 24, 2026

China just launched the largest coordinated vehicle recall in its history. More than 4.3 million cars from at least ten brands are heading back to the workshop because of the mechanical emergency release inside the cabin. Tesla is the biggest single name on the list. Illegal in 2027 The use of electrically actuated flush door […]

Genesis presents electric flagship GV90: not subtle, but slated for Europe

August 21, 2026

Genesis just pulled the wraps off its GV90 flagship SUV. A newcomer in the electric segment that is impossible to ignore. The setting, in San Francisco, might seem fitting for a 5.2-meter-long behemoth. But here’s the thing: it is heading toward Europe as the largest battery-electric vehicle you can buy. The GV90 is the production […]

Semi truck comes to Europe: can Tesla disrupt one more time?

August 21, 2026

The Tesla Semi is coming to Europe. Almost a decade after Elon Musk first showed his electric truck with its bullet-shaped cab, Tesla has confirmed it will sell the zero-emission heavy hauler on this side of the Atlantic. What does it bring that Windrose doesn’t already offer? On paper, the Tesla Semi offers the most […]

Horse powertrain bets on methanol for range-extended electric vehicles

August 19, 2026

The Renault-Geely powertrain joint venture Horse Powertrain has unveiled a methanol-only range extender system. While this might not be the best fit for Europe, methanol-based drivelines are a big thing in China. But are they CO2-friendly? The D20 Methanol driveline from Horse was presented at Auto China 2026. It pairs a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine […]

Hyundai Ioniq 3 dips below €30,000 to make Kia EV3 blush

August 18, 2026

Hyundai has opened Belgian order books for the Ioniq 3, pricing the compact electric hatchback at a competitive €29,995. It undercuts its Kia EV3 sibling by a wide margin. First deliveries are scheduled for October 2026. Hyundai’s Belgian importer, Astara Western Europe, has landed close enough to make the Ioniq 3 one of the most […]

UK considers halving 2030 EV target to 50%, but 2035 ban stays

August 17, 2026

The British government has launched a consultation round that could slash its 2030 electric vehicle sales target from 80 percent to as low as 50 percent. But the 2035 ban on new gasoline and diesel cars remains fixed. The British ZEV mandate has its own ladder to reach defined targets. The percentage of new car […]

Germany’s car industry hits 21-year job low after losing 42,300 workers

August 17, 2026

According to official government statistics, the German car industry is shedding jobs faster than any other sector. And the real employee realignment under the pressure of the current crisis still has to begin. Destatis, the Federal Statistical Office, analyzed that 691,500 people were employed in the German automotive industry at the end of June 2026. […]

Tesla ends Sweden’s 3-year strike by buying out every last striker

August 14, 2026

After 1,021 days, or almost three years, Sweden’s largest industrial union IF Metall is calling off its strike against Tesla. The reason is as appalling as it is bitter: the American EV maker bought out the remaining strikers one by one until there was nobody left to picket. The public fight started on October 27, […]

DAF sources Einride for Level 4 autonomy into its electric line-up

August 14, 2026

Einride has been running autonomous freight for years, but always on its own hardware. That changes now. The Swedish operator is partnering with DAF to integrate its Einride Driver software into the Dutch manufacturer’s electric truck production. It’s the first time Einride’s autonomous technology is climbing into somebody else’s cab rather than building its own. […]

Raleigh, Batavus and Sparta owner Accell declared bankrupt (update)

August 12, 2026

The Dutch companies of bicycle giant Accell Group, owner of brands including Batavus, Sparta, Koga, Babboe and Raleigh, have been declared bankrupt by the Amsterdam District Court. The decision comes less than a week after the group was granted a suspension of payments and marks a rapid escalation of its financial crisis. Court-appointed administrators Thijs […]

Science debunks the ‘drive your car till it dies’ climate myth

August 11, 2026

Scientists have run the numbers, and the result isn’t exactly a pat on the back for the internal combustion engine. A study published in Science shows that replacing a functioning gasoline car with an EV cuts lifetime carbon emissions by 58%. Even if that gasoline car is only a year old. Also, the old “drive […]

BYD officially launches Denza Z, its first sports car for Europe, at Goodwood

July 13, 2026

BYD has officially unveiled the European version of the Denza Z at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. CEO of BYD, Stella Li, and former F1 champion Jenson Button took the wraps off the sports car that intends to go head-to-head with the Porsche 911. Or rather, the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore. Because the driveline is fully […]

Don’t charge to 100% and Ionity will reimburse you

July 10, 2026

As the charging sector shifts its focus from infrastructure rollout to rethinking payment schedules, the latest pricing innovation comes from Ionity. Europe’s largest ultra-fast charging network will literally pay drivers to disconnect before their battery is full. The reason? Free up charging space. The new scheme, called ‘Fast Lane Reward’, gives you 5 kWh of […]

Level 4 autonomous driving Maserati gets Belgian highway permit

July 09, 2026

A fully autonomous driving Maserati Granturismo from AIdoptation has been granted permission to legally cruise the E313 and E314 at 120 km/h. At the same time, the person in the driver’s seat does something else entirely. This is the first time that Level 4 driving has been permitted on public roads anywhere in Europe.   […]

Ford recalls 42,000 Mach-E in the US but its trail starts in Europe

July 08, 2026

Ford has issued a recall of 42,784 Mustang Mach-E vehicles in the United States, but the story behind the defect began on our side of the Atlantic. The failure mode is not subtle, as the car can suddenly lose power. According to the filing, the problem is the pinion shaft, which can suffer bending fatigue […]

Polestar brings back the rear window on its 4 SUV

July 08, 2026

Polestar has released more details about the upcoming new version of the 4. Rumored to be a shooting brake, the model will be called SUV and will go on sale on September 2. In any case, it brings back the rear window, which was replaced by a camera on the original 4.  A rear window […]

Cambridge scientists find physical pressure can double battery lifespan

July 07, 2026

If you want to boost battery life, it seems only logical to look to the periodic table for a breakthrough. But maybe the solution is much simpler. Researchers at the University of Cambridge applied pressure and witnessed significant progress in cell lifespan. Better performance under pressure? It seems that batteries, too, benefit from the equation. The […]

Mercedes moves electric ‘Baby G’ production from Germany to Hungary

July 07, 2026

Mercedes-Benz builds its compact cars in Germany. But for the upcoming electric ‘Baby-G’, the brand has changed its plans and is looking eastward. According to Automobilwoche, the German Rastatt plant will not be awarded the contract. The smallest G ever will most likely be stamped by the Hungarian division and roll off the line at […]

Californian school buses saved the grid during heatwave 

July 06, 2026

A blistering heat dome in the eastern US has pushed the power system to the brink of a widespread emergency, raising the risk of a major blackout. But the vehicles that critics love to blame for grid strain managed to feed their stored power back into the grid via their V2G capability. A record number […]

Fiat bets big on the city with new small car strategy

July 03, 2026

At a dedicated event in Rome, Fiat CEO Olivier François unveiled what the company calls its “micromobility vision.” The lineup consists of a threesome running on batteries: the existing Topolino, the earlier announced three-wheeler Tris, and the new Multiplina Concept. In these retro-crazy times, the Italian brand is reinterpreting the classic Fiat 600 Multipla.  Highest […]

Tesla posts its best sales result ever, but BYD still in the lead

July 03, 2026

As Tesla has registered its strongest second quarter on record, the negative spiral initiated by Musk seems to have been countered. The American EV maker is back on track, but BYD still outsold it by roughly 77,000 fully electric vehicles on a global level. According to figures published this week, Tesla delivered 480,126 units in […]

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