BMW extends contract of CEO Oliver Zipse (update)

September 28, 2023

BMW Group has extended the contract with CEO Oliver Zipse at his supervisory board meeting ahead of schedule by another two years until summer 2026. What will happen after that remains to be seen, but there is already speculation about potential successors. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BMW AG, said: “Oliver Zipse […]

EU members vote for softened Euro 7 emission standards

September 28, 2023

Last Monday, the 27 EU member states substantially softened the Commission’s proposition for new Euro 7 emissions regulations by 2025. Led by France and Italy (amongst others), the member states feared that this would cost the EU car industry too much and even retard investments in electrification. The member states are hereby responding to the […]

Nissan: only fully electric cars for Europe

September 28, 2023

Nissan’s plan to launch only electric cars and hybrids in Europe from 2023 lasted only a short time. From now on, the Japanese want to introduce only pure electric vehicles so that the last hybrid will be sold by 2030. According to the new plan, Nissan wants to sell only fully electric cars in Europe […]

Flanders (re-)installs premium for EV purchase (update)

September 27, 2023

The Flemish government has (re-)installed a premium of €5 000 to purchase a new battery electric vehicle (BEV). For a second-hand one, there’s a subsidy of €3 000. There’s a significant restriction, however: the purchasing price of the BEV has to be less than €40 000, severely reducing the choice of electric cars on offer. […]

BMW gets green light for Bavarian battery plant

September 26, 2023

Almost 2 800 residents of the Lower Bavarian municipality of Straßkirchen were called upon in a referendum to vote on BMW’s planned battery assembly in the village. The result was a clearer ‘yes’ than previously thought. A clear majority of Straßkirchen residents voted in favor of building the new BMW Group facility. With over 75% […]

BMW to rename portfolio with the venue of ‘New Class’

September 26, 2023

The electric cars based on the ‘Neue Klasse’ or ‘New Class’ from BMW are to usher in nothing less than a new era, as the board of management has recently emphasized. According to a media report, this upheaval is also likely to be accompanied by a new nomenclature for the model series and drive variants […]

First VinFast cars arrive in Europe end of 2023

September 25, 2023

The Vietnamese electric car manufacturer VinFast has now set the fourth quarter of 2023 as the target for the start of deliveries in Europe.  The introduction has been postponed several times. At the same time, VinFast presented its first official business figures after it went IPO in August. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the […]

Jaguar also opts for NACS charging standard in North America

September 25, 2023

All new Jaguars sold in North America from 2025 will come with the North American Charging Standard (NACS). I-Pace drivers will receive an adapter to use the supercharger network. Jaguar is looking to become an all-electric brand starting in 2025. In the US, Canada, and Mexico, its new electric cars will come with the North […]

BMW temporarily stops sales of gasoline motorbikes in North America

September 22, 2023

BMW Motorrad has issued a (temporary) sales ban on all its motorbikes with combustion engines throughout North America. This applies not only to new bikes but also to used ones at dealers. Only the electric model CE 04 is currently released for sale in the US and Canada. BMW emphasized that the sales stop is […]

UK to postpone ICE exit, car industry reacts dismissive

September 21, 2023

The Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak (Conservatives), is attempting to water down the UK policy to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles in 2030. The British car industry doesn’t seem happy at all with this policy change. “To give us more time to prepare, I’m announcing that we’re going to ease the […]

EU project ‘GIANTS’ to develop LEVs

September 20, 2023

A 3,5-year EU project, GIANTS (Green Intelligent Affordable New Transport Solutions), aims to develop technology solutions that will enable the production of affordable LEVs or light electric vehicles (categorized L5, L6, and L7) for urban transport worldwide. Two major car manufacturers are also involved. How can the millions of tuk-tuks in the world’s cities be […]

EU new car registrations: BEVs exceed 20% for the first time

September 20, 2023

In August 2023, the EU car market expanded by 21%, reaching 787 626 registered units, marking the thirteenth consecutive month of growth, according to the figures of the Association of European Car Manufacturers (ACEA). The market share of battery–electric cars exceeded 20% for the first time (up from 11,6% in August last year). Despite August […]

Porsche EV breaks altitude record

September 19, 2023

At the top of Hongtu Daban in Tibet, a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo EV conquered a new record for the greatest altitude change by an electric car: 5 573,979 meters. The Porsche Taycan has secured a new Guinness World Record after completing an extreme 2 783-kilometer journey that saw it go from the lowest natural […]

VW partner Gotion High-Tech launches battery production in Germany

September 19, 2023

Gotion High-Tech, a Chinese battery cell manufacturer and Volkswagen partner, now also builds its battery packs in Göttingen. The first battery products are to be delivered to customers in October. “Our Göttingen factory’s production line is highly automated, with an overall automation level of nearly 70% and close to 80% in the module assembly stage,” […]

Volkswagen to stop EV production in Dresden

September 19, 2023

Volkswagen reportedly wants to stop vehicle production in Dresden after more than 20 years. The site is to be retained, and the 300 or so employees will be given other tasks, among others, in the area of innovative production and testing. VW is building the ID.3 in the so-called ‘Gläserne Manufaktur’ or Transparent Factory. According […]

T&E: ‘Producing affordable EVs can be profitable by 2025’

September 18, 2023

Carmakers can sell small electric cars made in Europe for € 25 000 while making a profit, new research from Transport & Environment (T&E) shows. Falling production costs and battery prices would make mass-market B-segment vehicles feasible to electrify by 2025, according to the study by Transport & Environment (T&E) based on analysis by the […]

XPeng also launches an electric van, the X9

September 18, 2023

Xpeng will be the next Chinese manufacturer to launch an electric van on the domestic market from the end of this year. It will bear the model designation Xpeng X9 and will go on sale later this year. The first undisguised pictures and technical key data have now emerged from the Chinese Ministry of Industry […]

Jaguar plans a three-model BEV line-up for 2026

September 01, 2023

Further details about Jaguar’s new start as an electric brand from 2025 start to trickle down. According to a portal report, the three models Jaguar plans, based on the new electric platform JEA (in an early stage named Panthera), will be a four-seater GT, a luxury SUV, and a large sedan. The usually well-informed British […]

Renault’s Ampere going IPO next spring?

August 31, 2023

Renault CEO Luca de Meo has given more details about when the electric car business will split from the rest of the company and its planned Initial Public offering (IPO). The split will take place on 1 November 2023. From then on, Ampere will be separated from the Renault Group, but the ownership structure will […]

EU car market continues to grow

August 31, 2023

In July 2023, the EU car market continued its growth trajectory, expanding by 15,2%, the twelfth consecutive month of growth, according to the European Car Manufacturers Association ACEA data. New car registrations reached 851 156 units as the market recovers from last year’s component shortages. Most markets posted solid growth, including the four largest: France […]

EU climate policy: ‘Incentivizing EVs is not enough’

August 30, 2023

More and more experts warn that European countries struggle to persuade people to switch from ICE cars to EVs. Europe sells ten times more electric cars today than it did six years ago (source: IEA), but its fleet is cleaning up too slowly to meet the agreed climate goals. “What we have learned is that […]

Fisker launched in Benelux and Switzerland

August 29, 2023

The California-based electric car manufacturer Fisker has announced that it has launched in three new European markets: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The company has already launched in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, as well as in Canada and the United States. Deliveries of the first car, the Ocean SUV, […]

ABB CEO: ‘It’s time to move to electric vehicles’

August 29, 2023

In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the CEO of the Swedish/Swiss technology group ABB, Björn Rosengren, says that the time has definitely come to buy an electric car. The development of charging infrastructure is gaining momentum, so the biggest hurdle is disappearing. “Due to Covid-19, I’ve been unable to travel to […]

Xpeng and Didi go for base of Chinese EV market

August 29, 2023

Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng signed a strategic partnership with shared mobility provider Didi. The deal includes the development of a new small electric car brand (project name Mona) and an investment by Xpeng in Didi. Xpeng wants to launch a new EV brand in 2024. It is currently being developed under the project name […]

After 150.000 cars produced delivery starts of beefed-up Polestar 2

August 24, 2023

Volvo’s fully electric sister-brand Polestar has reached a ‘production milestone’ as it calls it, with the 150 000th car leaving the factory. The Polestar 2 is the brand’s first volume car, and now it has started to deliver the beefed-up 2024 version of it. Prices start at €51 200. Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, comments: “The […]

GM wants ‘more simplicity’ to lower costs

August 22, 2023

During GM’s second-quarter earnings call in July, CEO Mary Barra reportedly said the company is launching a new strategy called “Winning with Simplicity”. It’s meant to lower design and engineering costs and reduce complexity in vehicle orders and manufacturing. GM is aiming to cut trim levels in half to create “fewer part numbers to simplify […]

Mercedes to upgrade its EQE and EQS

August 22, 2023

German premium car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz will reportedly upgrade its EQE and EQS electric models to an 800-volt electrical system from 2025 onward, allowing charging capacities over 200 kW. According to media reports, the switch to 800-volt system voltage is part of a larger upgrade of the EVA2 platform, which will then be called EVA2M. EVA2 […]

Bentley revives iconic Blower as ‘ultimate electric urban vehicle’

August 21, 2023

Luxury car manufacturer Bentley, part of the VW Group, is reviving its iconic 1929 4 1/2-litre Supercharged ‘Blower’ model as an electric car. In cooperation with The Little Car Company, Bentley has developed a road-legal replica of the combustion classic that has been shrunk to 85% of the size of the original model and now […]

Rimac Nevera sets new EV record on Nürburgring

August 21, 2023

The team at Croatian car builder Rimac Automobili continues to showcase why its all-electric Nevera hypercar is the fastest production EV on the planet. It has just achieved the latest lap record at the world-renowned Nürburgring track. Since 2009, Rimac Automobili has continued to develop and deliver some of the most exciting and technologically advanced electric hypercars in […]

Retailer Decathlon offers ‘automatic’ e-bike with Belgian tech

August 18, 2023

Sports retailer group Decathlon presented an e-bike with variable transmission on Thursday. The automatic shifting has been developed by E2 Drives in Wavre, in the Brabant Wallon province. The heart of the LD920 e-bike is a newly developed all-in-one solution for the bike drive, which was developed for three years with the Belgian start-up E2 […]

Joachim Sas to lead luxury brands import for Louyet Group

August 17, 2023

Joachim Sas will lead the import of luxury brands like Automobili Pininfarina, McLaren, and Rolls-Royce as COO for the Belux market. Until last month, Jochim Sas was General Manager for Mini at BMW Group Belux, where he left to pursue other career opportunities and was succeeded by Gabriel Goffoy, returning to BMW after his job […]

Hyundai Motor buys GM plant in India

August 17, 2023

Hyundai Motor India said on Wednesday that it had signed an Asset Purchase Agreement (APA) to purchase a factory from US car manufacturer General Motors in the western state of Maharashtra. The South Korean car manufacturing group’s acquisition of the Talegaon plant in Maharashtra will lay the foundation to increase annual production capacity in India. […]

Kia EV9 gets smaller brother EV5

August 17, 2023

The KIA EV5 will normally be revealed at China’s AutoChengdu on August 25, but as usual, the very first official pictures of the production version are already leaked via the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), picked up by CarNewsChina. Pictures of the final version show that the newcomer is very similar to the […]

Volvo Cars sells more cars and much more EVs

August 16, 2023

Volvo Cars reported global sales of 54 165 cars in July, up 21% compared with the same month last year. This was the eleventh consecutive month of growth year-over-year. In the same period, fully electric car sales grew 248% to 5 504 units, just over 10% of the total, while plug-in hybrids increased 65% to […]

‘Fremantle Highway’ fire not caused by EVs

August 16, 2023

After the fire on the car cargo ship ‘Fremantle Highway’ off the Dutch coast, many popular media hastily identified an electric car as the cause. Now it turns out that this is untrue. Many publications used the fire accident to highlight the (real) difficulties of extinguishing a fire on an EV. Still, they immediately concluded […]

Fisker gives more details on Ronin supercar (update)

August 15, 2023

Today, the Californian electric carmaker Fisker released additional details on its Fisker Ronin Super GT. This all-electric convertible was showcased for the first time at the company’s product vision day a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, the company had to lower its production targets for 2023 again. “The Fisker Ronin is for people who love to […]

Four out of ten Dutch citizens against owning a car

August 14, 2023

More than four out of ten Dutch citizens think their country has to eliminate the idea that everyone has to own a car. Energy provider Zonneplan did a panel survey of 2002 Dutch inhabitants about their views on car possession. The most popular argument against car possession is the high environmental impact of the car […]

Cadillac unveils Escalade IQ, an electric version of its big SUV

August 11, 2023

Cadillac has unveiled the Escalade IQ, an all-electric ‘full-size SUV’, scheduled for production in the summer of 2024. Based on General Motors’ Ultium platform, the Cadillac Escalade IQ gets an enormous battery. The Escalade IQ, which will debut with the 2025 model year, has up to 559 kW of all-wheel drive with two engines. That’s […]

New Chinese brand Omoda targets Benelux to conquer Europe (update)

August 11, 2023

Omoda is the name of a new Chinese brand, part of the Chinese car manufacturer Chery Automobile. The brand will first be introduced in Belgium and Luxembourg at the beginning of 2024. The first car introduced is the Omoda 5, a fully electric SUV. Omoda will also start offices in Brussels and Amsterdam, with teams […]

BMW i7 Protection is first armored BEV

August 09, 2023

The BMW i7 Protection is the world’s first-ever protection berline with an all-electric drive system. It is driven by two powerful electric motors and meets all the requirements of class VR9 protection without any limitations. The new BMW i7 Protection integrated security concept was factored into developing the new BMW 7 Series range. It centers […]

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC plans factory in Germany

August 09, 2023

The Taiwanese chipmaker giant TSMC plans to construct a semiconductor plant in the eastern German city of Dresden. After its board meeting on Tuesday, the company announced that a total investment sum of € 10 billion will be involved. The plant will be built jointly with Bosch, Infineon, and NXP, each of which will hold […]

BMW launches its ‘Chinese’ i5 and secures round battery cells supply

August 09, 2023

The German premium manufacturer BMW has presented a particular version of its 5 Series Sedan and the all-electric i5 for the Chinese market. The China offshoots get a longer wheelbase, more space in the rear, and specific design and equipment features. The 5 Series Sedan and the i5 for the Chinese market are produced at […]

Octopus EV unveils second-hand salary sacrifice scheme in the UK

August 08, 2023

Octopus Electric Vehicles, part of Octopus Energy Group, has launched a second-hand leasing offering for electric cars. “We’re making the switch to electric driving the cheapest it has ever been,” says the press release. Octopus’ ‘Nearly New’ salary sacrifice offer makes EVs more accessible to the mass market by reducing costs. Drivers can access popular […]

Arval: ‘Five most ordered company cars are electrified’

August 08, 2023

Arval, one of the more prominent multi-brand leasing companies in Belgium, has published data about the most ordered company cars for the first half of this year. According to the Arval Mobility Observatory, the five most ordered company cars are electrified. In Belgium, Arval manages some 100 000 lease contracts for individuals, independents, and companies. […]

Second sub-€25.000 EV from Stellantis will be new Fiat Panda

August 07, 2023

Car manufacturing group Stellantis has announced that it plans to launch a second EV next year, costing less than € 25 000 in the standard version. The first to be announced was the Citroën ëC3, which should arrive on the market in the Spring of next year. The second lower-priced EV from Stellantis will be […]

Fisker presents three new EVs

August 07, 2023

At an event in Huntington Beach, California, Fisker presented its future electric cars that will be on the market by 2026. The models include the Pear compact SUV, the Ronin five-seater sports car, and a pickup named Alaska. Also present a special off-road version of the Ocean, the Force E. “Fisker isn’t standing still,” said […]

VAB road assistance confronted with more breakdowns on EVs

August 04, 2023

The Flemish VAB Mobility Club is also one of Belgium’s largest road assistance providers. While it integrates BEVs in its rolling infrastructure, the road assistants see themselves confronted with more breakdowns on BEVs than the average with vehicles with internal combustion engines. The reasons, however, are not what people would normally expect with electric vehicles, […]

BMW R&D Chief: ‘Energy transition with the consumer, not against him’

August 03, 2023

The German car manufacturer BMW Group sees in the evolution of the car market a confirmation of its credo: an open technology with ample room for BEVs but also attention to other solutions, even (at least for a certain period) internal combustion engines. Frank Weber, BMW’s Head of R&D, said in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: […]

BMW Group partners in using Quantum science for faster breakthroughs

August 03, 2023

Airbus, BMW Group, and Quantinuum, leaders in mobility and quantum technologies, have developed a hybrid quantum-classical workflow to speed up future research using Quantum Computers to simulate quantum systems, focusing on the chemical reactions of catalysts in fuel cells. In a new technical paper, ‘Applicability of Quantum Computing to Oxygen Reduction Reaction Simulations‘, the three […]

MD ALD/LeasePlan Belgium: ‘Our world will be completely different in ten years’

August 02, 2023

In May of this year, vehicle lease company ALD Automotive announced that it had successfully acquired 100% of LeasePlan, one of the world’s leading fleet management and mobility companies. More than enough reasons for us to talk with Johan Portier, the new Country Managing Director of ALD Automotive/LeasePlan in Belgium. This transformative acquisition represented a […]

Tesla under investigation for loss of steering control

August 02, 2023

U.S. safety regulators, amongst them the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), announced an investigation into 280 000 new Tesla Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossovers after receiving a dozen complaints about steering failures from 2023 Model Y and Model 3 owners, the news agency Reuters reports. According to the NTSA, one issue has […]

Car sales in the Belux continue to grow

August 02, 2023

For the 12th consecutive month, the manufacturer and importer association Febiac noticed a significant increase in car sales in Belgium and Luxembourg: 34 669 cars were newly registered in July, 32,5% more than in July last year. The cumulative result since January 2023 is 299 144 registered cars, the best since 2020. Company cars represented […]

Mazda withdraws the MX-30 from the US market

August 01, 2023

Mazda is discontinuing sales of its only all-electric model in the US. The Mazda MX-30 will not receive a new model year. Instead, the Japanese company is going all-in on hybrids for electrification in North America. The automaker in a short statement: “Mazda will discontinue MX-30 EV for the US market following the 2023 model […]

Is there a new Saab coming?

August 01, 2023

The spirit of Saab might prevail, finally. An unknown investor has probably purchased the NEVS Emily GT project; hope is glimmering for the ill-fabled manufacturer. There is now a slight chance that a purely electric Saab sedan will occupy the streets again. The mismanagement of owner General Motors and the horrendous fumbling of potential overtakers […]

VW gives more details about the ‘China deal’ with XPeng and others

July 31, 2023

After announcing the electric car cooperation between VW and Audi with the Chinese manufacturers Xpeng and SAIC, Group CEO Oliver Blume gave more details. He spoke about the opportunities for the VW brand with the Xpeng cooperation and what Audi plans to do with the SAIC technology. VW’s own PPE and SPP platforms are not […]

Gabriel Goffoy returns to BMW Group Belux to head Mini

July 31, 2023

The Belgian manufacturers association Febiac has lost its communication director (again). Gabriel Goffoy, who came over from BMW Belux to succeed Joost Kaesemans in September 2021, is returning to its old barn to become General Manager of Mini Belux. Goffoy started his career at BMW in 2003 and introduced Mini (the newly created brand under […]

China exports 800 000 NEVs in first half of 2023

July 28, 2023

China exported 2,34 million vehicles in the first half of the year, up 73% from last year, according to data released Thursday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Exports of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the first half of the year amounted to 800 000 units, up 105% year-on-year, accounting for 34% of all […]

Renault Zoe bows out in March 2024

July 27, 2023

Renault will cease production of its Zoe electric car on 30 March 2024. It was already clear that there would be no new Zoe generation, but now the date has been set for the end of production at the Flins plant. The electric Renault pioneer is making room for a new generation of Renault electric […]

Brussels university creates faster and more efficient charging tech

July 27, 2023

The Belgian VUB University (Brussels) is developing a charging technology “to make electric driving more pleasant and efficient”. Researchers at EPOWERS, a research group that works at the VUB MOBI research center, have developed a technology that significantly extends the range of electric vehicles (up to 1 000 km) with a limited number of recharges. […]

VW takes almost 5% in Xpeng and signs technology agreement

July 27, 2023

The Volkswagen brand has concluded a technological framework agreement for long-term cooperation with the Chinese electric car start-up Xpeng. The Wolfsburg-based company is also taking a stake of about 5% in Xpeng, and the Audi deal with SAIC was also confirmed by the Group. With the new collaboration with Xpeng, Volkswagen wants to further advance […]