BMW’s Vision Neue Klasse X concept leaked

March 18, 2024

In a few days, BMW will show the concept of its first SUV variant of the ‘Neue Klasse’, called Vision Neue Klasse X. Rumors have it that this iX3 successor will be the first car of BMW’s new EV class range to appear on the market by the end of next year, before the sedan […]

Nissan and Honda confirm cooperation, including on electric cars

March 18, 2024

Japanese car manufacturers Nissan and Honda have officially confirmed plans for a strategic partnership in electric cars and other areas. The manufacturers’ intention to work together was already leaked last week. Honda announces that both companies have signed a letter of intent “to strengthen environmental and electrification technologies as well as software development.” The competitors […]

Nissan and Honda join forces to battle Chinese competition

March 14, 2024

Nissan and Honda are preparing to reduce their production capacities in China significantly. The two  Japanese car manufacturers are finding it difficult to keep up with Chinese competitors in the race for electric cars. A solution could be to join forces and slash EV prices consequently. As Nikkei Asia reported, both manufacturers plan to reduce […]

VW Group to cut costs and launch 30 models in 2024

March 14, 2024

Volkswagen Group is launching a major product push this year to help offset a gloomy economic outlook and growing competition. At the same time, a major efficiency improvement has to cut costs impressively. On Wednesday, finance chief Arno Antlitz presented the automaker’s 2023 results, saying the “general economic situation remains challenging”. VW Group expects a […]

Stellantis CEO: ‘We must make our own, lighter batteries’

March 12, 2024

In an interview with the American car magazine Car and Driver, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says his group has to produce its own batteries. Meanwhile, he also stresses that EVs have to become lighter and batteries more efficient to maintain the expected range of an EV. The most expensive part of an EV is the […]

Audi reshuffles top management and accelerates F1 engagement

March 12, 2024

Audi has confirmed the expected reorganization of the Board of Management: CEO Gernot Döllner is also taking over Technical Development at the German carmaker with immediate effect. Audi’s Formula 1 Team accelerates its racing commitment and takes over the F1 Sauber team. Audi’s previous Board Member for Technical Development, Oliver Hoffmann, will now be responsible […]

Stellantis wants to take over Punch Powertrain

March 11, 2024

Car manufacturing group Stellantis wants to take over the Belgian, Sint-Truiden-based transmission specialist Punch Powertrain. Although both companies are already working together via joint ventures, the Belgian company wants to defend itself against this hostile takeover in court. Punch Powertrain plays an important role in Stellantis’s electrification process because it develops and produces the transmissions […]

Smallest Audi EV will be built in Ingolstadt, VW ID.3 not in Wolfsburg

March 11, 2024

Audi will produce its new entry-level electric model, announced around a year ago, at its headquarters in Ingolstadt. Gernot Döllner, Audi’s CEO, said as much at a staff meeting at the main plant. The new EV sits below the Q4 e-tron. Its much bigger brother, the Q6 e-tron, is already rolling off the production line […]

Rivian presents new mid-size platform for R2 and R3 models

March 08, 2024

US electric car manufacturer Rivian has unveiled a new mid-size platform for the new R2, its first next-generation model after the R1S and R1T. On the platform, an even smaller model will be available, the R3. Both models are thus based on a new platform and come with a choice of one, two, or three […]

BMW and Mercedes to join forces for HPC network in China

March 08, 2024

German premium car manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have formed a joint venture to construct EV fast chargers in China. The joint venture, Beijing Ion Qi New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., is based in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. The joint venture, in which Mercedes-Benz Group China and BMW Brilliance Automotive each hold a 50% stake, aims to […]

Toyota North America finds EPA electrification targets unrealistic

March 05, 2024

According to Toyota’s projections for the U.S. market, American consumers are expected to purchase significantly fewer EVs by 2030 than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) anticipates. Consequently, the automaker plans to procure emissions credits to meet U.S. regulations instead of allocating additional resources toward electric vehicle development, citing doubts about their marketability. The EPA announced […]

Volvo Cars’ EV share highest-ever in February

March 05, 2024

In February, Volvo Cars achieved its highest-ever share of electrified models in fully electric and plug-in hybrids and fully electric combined. This was mainly driven by the ramp-up of the company’s new fully electric small SUV, the EX30. Fully electric cars constituted 22% of all cars sold globally last month, while the combined sales of […]

50,000 people queuing for electric Renault 5

March 05, 2024

The French car manufacturer Renault is hoping it has a winner on its hands with the upcoming Renault 5 BEV. The company says it already has 50,000 orders on the waiting list just a few days after its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show. “We have a waiting list of 50,000 people,” Renault brand […]

BMW builds battery assembly plant in Thailand

March 05, 2024

BMW has started building its own production facility for fifth-generation high-voltage batteries in Thailand. The high-voltage battery assembly facility on the site in Rayong will prepare the plant there for the production of purely electric cars. According to the Munich-based company, local BEV production is set to begin in the second half of 2025. The […]

Is the future of Fisker threatened?

March 04, 2024

The electric car manufacturer Fisker warns in its latest annual report that it may be unable to continue operations. The current resources are not sufficient to cover the next twelve months. Such warnings occur from time to time and do not necessarily result in the insolvency of a company. In this way, Fisker’s management draws […]

Belux car market up 9.6% in February

March 04, 2024

In February, 43,723 cars were registered in Belgium and Luxembourg, 9.6% more than in February 2023. The rise can be attributed to more individual buyers, which is noticeable, given that there was no traditional motor show this year. The registrations for individual buyers increased by 12.9%, representing 41.7% of total registrations, while they were 37.6% […]

Aston Martin delays production of first EV

February 29, 2024

Aston Martin is postponing the market launch of its first electric car by one year, citing low customer demand. Instead of 2025, as previously planned, the first BEV from Aston Martin will not be launched until 2026. Aston Martin signed a supply agreement for electric drives with Lucid Motors last year in order to facilitate […]

Volvo Cars introduces ‘Accident Ahead Alert’

February 29, 2024

Volvo Cars’ connected safety technology can now alert drivers of accidents ahead. You’re driving down a winding country road. It’s impossible to see beyond the bends in front of you. Suddenly, your Volvo car alerts you: there’s been an accident ahead, just around the bend. “With our new ‘Accident Ahead Alert’, we introduce another pioneering […]

Italy looking to lure other carmakers besides Stellantis (update)

February 29, 2024

The Italian government has approached the booming Chinese car manufacturer BYD to build a car plant in the country and confirmed having contact with Tesla and other carmakers. The Meloni government wants to halt the monopoly of Stellantis in that field and has contacted several other manufacturers to come and produce in Italy. “Several carmakers […]

Renault CEO calls for ‘Airbus’ of EV manufacturers in Europe

February 28, 2024

European automakers could collaborate to share development and production costs, suggests Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo. At the considerably smaller Geneva International Motor Show, the Renault Group was one of the highlights, besides the Chinese manufacturers BYD and SAIC), presenting its all-important new electric R5. Europe’s automakers, facing a stiff challenge from Chinese automakers […]

Cadillac Lyriq EV starts selling in Europe (update)

February 27, 2024

After Swiss and Swedish customers had already the opportunity to order a Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV online in October, GM’s luxury brand will launch the car in France on the 23rd of March. Deliveries will begin in the first half of 2024. Germany and the UK are following a little bit later. After years of losses, […]

Stellantis will supply up to 500,000 cars to Ayvens by 2026

February 27, 2024

Ayvens, the result of the merger between ALD Automotive and Leaseplan, has concluded a framework agreement with Stellantis to purchase up to half a million vehicles by 2026. The deal with Ayvens includes several Stellantis brands and cars with different drives, including electric. First significant delivery volumes are expected to begin in the first half […]

Fiat previews electric Panda as one of five new concepts

February 26, 2024

Fiat has previewed the new electric Panda as one of five radically styled concepts that look ahead to a range of new affordable cars due on sale worldwide by the end of the decade. Fiat’s new concepts have been revealed on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show, from which the Italian brand will be […]

Volvo’s stake in Polestar will shrink from 48 to 18%

February 26, 2024

Volvo Cars will reduce its stake in Polestar to 18%. To this end, the Swedish firm aims to sell shares worth 9.5 billion crowns (± €850 million) to its shareholders. In other words, first and foremost, it is to the mother company, Geely. The transaction is scheduled to be finalized this spring. The fact that […]

Renault Scenic is Car of the Year 2O24

February 26, 2024

The new Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric has been proclaimed the Car of the Year 2024 in a ceremony that took place at the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS). The Renault Scenic E-Tech has achieved first place thanks to 329 points from 58 journalists and COTY members. For 22 jurors, this SUV was the best of […]

Mercedes gets cold feet about electrification timing

February 23, 2024

Mercedes-Benz is lagging behind its target for EV sales and seems to have axed its electric target for 2030. Instead of the 20% or more envisaged, battery-electric cars only accounted for 12% of total sales last year. Mercedes sold 240,668 BEVs in 2023. That’s a 73% growth and can be seen as very positive. Still, […]

BMW confronted with its own ‘dieselgate’?

February 22, 2024

The German Traffic Authority KBA (Kraftfahrt Bundesamt) has discovered that the emissions of toxic gases by some BMW diesel cars have been manipulated by illegal software. According to BMW, 33,000 X3 cars from 2014 or earlier are probably concerned in Germany alone; estimates for the EU are 100,000 to 150,000 in total. BMW says it […]

EU car registrations: EV surge slows down

February 22, 2024

According to the data of the European Car Manufacturers Association ACEA, the EU new car market in January 2024 rebounded from the slowdown experienced in December 2023, with year-on-year car registrations increasing by 12.1% to 851,690 units. Notably, the bloc’s major markets all saw significant growth, with Germany (+19.1%), Italy (+10.6%), France (+9.2%) and Spain […]

Dacia Spring 2024 is seriously updated

February 21, 2024

As already mentioned in our article on Renault’s growth, Dacia now launches a new edition of its Spring electric model. The compact electric car, which looks like a small city SUV, is facelifted inside and out. Along with its 2023 sales figures, the Renault Group announced that there will be a new edition of the […]

Alpine A290, to be launched in June, is tested in the cold

February 21, 2024

The sporty brother of the upcoming fully electric Renault 5 is undergoing its last test stages in arctic conditions. The launch of the first Alpine EV is foreseen for June 2024. “Our A290, the future compact B-segment electric sports car, is currently being tested in the extreme and demanding conditions of Sweden’s Lapland,” says Philippe […]

Ford and GM to consider partnerships to cut EV technology costs

February 19, 2024

The CEOs of U.S. automakers Ford and General Motors said last week they would consider partnerships to cut electric vehicle technology costs as Chinese rivals move into the U.S. and European markets. “If there are ways that we can partner with others, especially on technologies that are not consumer-facing, and be more efficient with R&D […]

T&E: ‘EU carmakers are failing to deliver affordable electric cars’

February 19, 2024

Just 17% of electric cars sold in Europe are compact vehicles in the cheaper B segment, compared to 37% of new combustion engines, a new analysis finds. Carmakers are slowing EV adoption by prioritizing sales of larger, more expensive electric cars, according to Transport & Environment (T&E), which conducted the research. According to the report, […]

Stellantis posts record profits but stays prudent

February 19, 2024

For the fiscal year 2023, car manufacturer Stellantis Group recorded a net profit of € 18.63 billion (+11%) compared to last year’s € 16.78 billion. Net revenues were € 189.54 billion, up from last year’s € 179.59 billion, with consolidated shipment volumes increasing 7%. The adjusted operating income increased 1% to € 24.34 billion from […]

Audi lures chief designer Frascella away from JLR

February 16, 2024

After appointing several top management positions, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner is also installing a new head of the design department. JLR’s current chief designer, Massimo Frascella, will replace Marc Lichte as Chief Designer on June 1st, although Lichte will remain with the Group. Frascella (52) has held senior positions at JLR since 2011, most recently […]

BMW chief designer posts pictures of canceled i8 successor

February 16, 2024

More than ten years ago, BMW shook the car world with its first i-cars, the i3 and the i8. In 2019, it showed a concept for a successor of the PHEV i8 sports car called Vision M Next. The canceled production version of this car, called I16, has now been revealed by BMW’s chief designer, […]

Renault CEO: ‘Deals with the Chinese would be beneficial for both sides’

February 15, 2024

Renault is doing well again these days. Its turnover has grown by 17,9% to €52.5 billion, with a net benefit of €2.3 billion. Its free cash flow has turned around €3 billion now and has grown by €905 million last year. More interestingly, the operational margin has increased to 7,9%, a record figure for the […]

Electric Ypsilon is the first new Lancia

February 15, 2024

On Wednesday, the revived Lancia brand launched its first car of the new era, a successor to the current Ypsilon that will be available as a pure electric car or (somewhat later) as a hybrid. It starts with a limited series of 1,906 cars (the founding date of Lancia) designed in collaboration with the famous […]

CEO Lancia: ‘We must avoid the pitfall of nostalgia’

February 14, 2024

Today, the resurrected Italian car brand Lancia launches the first car in its new product portfolio, the successor to the current Ypsilon. We presented the car in another article and talked to Lancia’s brand CEO, Luca Napolitano. Napolitano studied Business Administration in Rome and began his automotive career at Ford. In 2000, he started working […]

Stellantis to build EV drives in Hungary and switch to NACS

February 14, 2024

Stellantis will manufacture electric drives at its Hungarian plant in Szentgotthárd. The car manufacturing group will also use Tesla’s fast-charging system NACS in North America. The Stellantis Group will invest some 100 million euros in equipping its Hungarian factory accordingly. The first Electric Drive Modules made in Hungary will roll off the production line at […]

Toyota is cleaning up Daihatsu mess

February 14, 2024

On Tuesday, Toyota Motor Corp. said that the president of its small-car manufacturing unit, Daihatsu Motor Co., will step down over a safety testing scandal. The parent company will send new executives to take the lead in revamping the unit to bolster its governance. Masahiro Inoue, chief of Toyota’s operations in Latin America and the […]

Volvo CEO: ‘We don’t withdraw from Polestar entirely’

February 13, 2024

A few months ago, Volvo Cars announced that it would withdraw its interests in its sister company, Polestar. Today, Volvo confirms that it won’t be the major investor in Polestar anymore, but a total withdrawal seems out of the question. In an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan (59) declared: “We […]

Audi will build drive systems for small BEVs in Hungary

February 13, 2024

Audi has started preparations at its plant in Györ, Hungary, to produce the new generation of electric drives called MEBeco for the Volkswagen Group’s small electric cars announced in 2025. According to Audi Hungaria, the first systems for this have arrived, and the planning of the production lines is underway. Audi had already confirmed in […]

Electric Abarth 600e is most powerful Abarth ever

February 12, 2024

Abarth unveils the first picture of the pure electric New Abarth 600e as it undergoes its final tests while making its public debut. The New Abarth 600e – in its Scorpionissima launch edition – appeared for the first time in public last Thursday at the shooting of a new commercial in Milan, Italy. The new […]

Jaguar Land Rover delays timing of new EV launches

February 12, 2024

Regarding the roll-out of electric vehicles, JLR is stepping on the brakes or is at least recuperating energy. The carmaker also announced launching more plug-in hybrids, saying the demand for pure EVs has cooled down. The announcement is quite surprising as it comes when the company is seeing strong interest in the first electric Range […]

Volvo to build new ‘mobility innovation center’ in Torslanda

February 09, 2024

Volvo Cars is building a new center for mobility innovations in Torslanda near Gothenburg. With this facility, Volvo wants to take new technologies out of the laboratory environment and test them in a realistic way. Volvo describes the new center, ‘ Mobility Innovation Destination Torslanda’, as a tailor-made test field for automotive development near the […]

Audi boss reshuffles management and focuses on software

February 09, 2024

As the German magazine Automobilwoche reports, Audi will focus more on software in future vehicle development. Döllner wants to set up a ‘Software Defined Vehicle’ hub to focus on new vehicle concepts across the Group’s brands. Volkswagen and the much-criticized VW software subsidiary Cariad will also participate in the hub. That means other Group brands […]

New BMW i5 Touring officially presented

February 07, 2024

After announcing the Touring version at the new 5 Series sedan presentation and sending teaser images, BMW has officially revealed its estate version. Meanwhile, spy pictures had already leaked from a studio shoot. Now, BMW comes with the full story of the car. A flexible drive architecture allows model variants with gasoline and diesel engines, […]

Toyota invests $1.3 billion in the US for EV production and expects record profits

February 07, 2024

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will invest $1.3 billion in its Kentucky factory in the United States. The investment is part of the preparation to begin producing its first electric vehicles in the country in 2025. Meanwhile, the world’s number-one car manufacturer expects record net profit even as quality scandals bite. The new investment […]

Stellantis boss denies Renault merger rumours (update)

February 07, 2024

On Monday, Stellantis Chairman John Elkann dismissed speculation that the Italian-US-French group plans to merge with Renault. “‘No plans are being examined for Stellantis mergers with other manufacturers,’ Elkann said when asked about the rumors. On Tuesday, he also tried to appease the Italian government about Stellantis’ commitment to Italy. Renault, for its part, said […]

First Volvo EM90s rolling of production line in China (update)

February 07, 2024

This week the first fully electric Volvo EM90 minivans are rolling of the production lines at Geely’s Hangzhou Bay plant in China. Volvo launched its EM90 in November last year, a close brother to the Zeekr 009. It gets a 200-kW electric motor on the rear axle powered by a 116-kWh battery for 738 km […]

Hertz freezes mega-deal with Polestar

February 06, 2024

The car rental giant Hertz freezes its mega-deal with Polestar. After deciding to sell off one-third of its existing EV fleet (mostly Teslas) in January, the company now puts a temporary hold on the agreement to purchase 65 000 Polestar 2 vehicles. That’s another big blow for Geely’s daughter Polestar, which recently announced the dismissal […]

ElectricBrands files for insolvency and wants to reorganize completely

February 05, 2024

The German electric vehicle developer ElectricBrands has filed for insolvency under self-administration and aims to “completely reorganize the company”. The company, based in Eppertshausen, says it is about to launch its lightweight electric vehicles on the market. ElectricBrands states that it has filed an application for insolvency under self-administration with the Darmstadt Local Court and […]

Is the future of Audi Brussels threatened?

February 05, 2024

According to the specialized German magazine Automobilwoche, there’s a possibility that the Audi plant in Brussels will be closed. In a worldwide restructuring of the VW Group factories (including those of premium daughter Audi), no new car would be allocated anymore to Brussels. Hence, the closing of the factory after 2027. Automobilwoche states that Audi […]

Belux car market continues growth, diesel cars disappearing

February 02, 2024

The car market in Belgium and Luxembourg starts the same way it ended last year: in January 2024, 46,667 new cars were registered, which is 17.1% more than in the same month last year. These are deliveries of cars ordered last year, so it’s too early to see an influence of the ‘salon conditions’ almost […]

China was the world’s number one car exporter in 2023

February 01, 2024

Industry data show that in 2023, China became the world’s biggest car exporter for the first time, dethroning Japan with overseas solid sales of electric vehicles. Data from a Japanese trade organization, released Wednesday, showed the country’s car exports in 2023 rose 16% from a year earlier to 4,42 million vehicles, falling behind China, which […]

ICCT: ‘Gap between official and real-world consumption of cars widens again’

February 01, 2024

A new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) indicates that the gap between real-world and official CO2 emission and fuel consumption values of new combustion engine cars increased from 8% to 14% between 2018 and 2022. The average gap, or divergence, between the official and real-world fuel consumption and CO2 emission values […]

Polestar cuts 15% of personnel, Volvo stops funding (update)

February 01, 2024

Worldwide, the Chinese Geely daughter Polestar will cut 450 jobs or 15% of its current workforce. Lower demand for its cars and a very competitive environment (Chinese manufacturers, Tesla lowering its prices regularly) forced the EV manufacturer to react. Meanwhile, Geely’s sister Volvo Cars, with 48% a critical Polestar shareholder, will stop funding Polestar and […]

Peugeot to offer extended guarantee for new e-3008

January 31, 2024

Confident in the quality of its products, Peugeot offers customers of the new e-3008 ‘Peugeot Allure Care’”, a program that guarantees peace of mind by covering the electric motor, charger, powertrain, and the main electrical and mechanical components for up to 8 years/160 000 km. At the second E-Lion Day, the Stellantis daughter also promised […]

BMW adds new e-variants to its portfolio

January 31, 2024

The fully electric BMW i5 sedan and BMW iX2 SUV Coupé will each be available with an additional drive system variant from March 2024. The drive system offerings for the BMW X2 and BMW XM have also been expanded. New features in the area of digital services will also be introduced in spring 2024. These […]

Isuzu strongly invests in e-trucks

January 31, 2024

Various sources reveal that Isuzu Motors will invest nearly two billion dollars into electric trucks and batteries. News reached us over an order with LG worth one trillion won. There is also talk of a new EV pickup truck from Thailand. The Korean battery specialist LG Energy Solution will supply Isuzu Motors with cylindrical cells […]