September 29, 2025
China will require exporters of pure electric cars to obtain government licences as of next year. This will lend Beijing full authority over which models leave its borders and which companies are allowed to compete abroad. The decision aims at controlling the ongoing price wars. However, from a diplomatic perspective, it provides Jinping’s administration with […]
September 29, 2025
Smart has officially launched pre-sales in China for its first plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the #5 EHD (Electric Hybrid Drive). It marks a significant shift for a brand once committed to being BEV-only. Prices start at 189,900 yuan (some €24,000), and deliveries are expected before year’s end. The Smart #5 EHD had already been listed in […]
September 25, 2025
The Yangwang U8 has been lavishly heralded for its outstanding off-roading capabilities, with its wading potential almost comparable to that of a sailing vessel. One customer thought the flooded streets during Super Typhoon Ragasa would prove an appropriate demonstration. However, he has now been accused of damaging stores and houses in the process. An adventurous […]
September 24, 2025
The Zeekr 001, which we first drove in 2023, was never a weakling to begin with, but now it’s had another dose of steroids. In China, the updated version for 2026 is presented with a power boost from 400 kW (544 hp EU specs) to 680 kW (912 hp) for the two-motor version. This makes […]
September 23, 2025
China is intensifying its efforts in the electric car market. The country has unveiled a new strategy that pairs ambitious domestic sales targets with a sharper focus on exports. The new ambitions coincide with a significant increase in sales from Chinese brands in Europe, where their sales have more than doubled in the past year. […]
September 23, 2025
Porsche is dramatically scaling back its push into electric cars, shelving key models and extending the life of gasoline and hybrid vehicles. The sudden reversal comes after a profit warning and has unsettled investors. One of Germany’s most celebrated luxury brands is in turmoil and intends to fight back by looking to its roots. The […]
September 22, 2025
BYD’s latest version of its luxury sports car, the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, has set a new record as the world’s fastest production car, clocking a top speed of 496.22 km per hour (308.34 mph) at the ATP test facility, an independent automotive proving ground in Papenburg, Germany. Many passenger planes lift the nose for takeoff […]
September 18, 2025
Two Xpeng AeroHT eVTOLs collided at an air show in Changchun, China, according to various Chinese and American media reports. At least one passenger was taken to the hospital with injuries, but these are not believed to be life-threatening. The cause of the accident is still unclear. There have been relatively few incidents involving eVTOLs, […]
September 17, 2025
China is poised to ban retractable car door handles by 2027, following a series of fatal crashes that have exposed the dangers of a feature once hailed as a marker of futuristic design. Flush-mounted handles, popularized by Tesla and copied by numerous electric vehicle makers, are designed to sit flat against the car body until […]
September 17, 2025
Volkswagen Group’s premium Audi brand is fighting back in the world’s largest car market with a range of new, more extended versions of its models under the joint SAIC-AUDI (styled in all capitals) brand. And the first of the line-up for mass production, the E5 Sportback is hot: 10,153 orders within 30 minutes of launch […]
September 16, 2025
In Graz, Austria, the first European-assembled models of the Chinese Xpeng G6 and G9 have rolled off the production line. The factory will initially assemble the two SUV models, but additional Xpeng vehicles are in the planning for the future. For Xpeng, which started selling in Norway in 2021 and has since expanded to over […]
September 12, 2025
After announcing it at the end of August, Chinese Dreame Technology has unveiled the first render images of the electric supercar it wants to build to challenge other supercars like Bugatti. And you might even see ‘some resemblance’ to the actual Bugatti Chiron, successor to the Veyron. Dreame has ambitions to build this car even […]
September 11, 2025
Chinese luxury carmaker Hongqi has announced that its latest electric SUV, the EHS5, will come to Europe as part of an ambitious plan to launch 15 new electric and hybrid models by 2028. The brand, known in China as the ‘Red Flag’, hopes the car will help it break into a crowded market dominated by […]
September 11, 2025
Chinese state-owned automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) has officially entered the European market with the launch of its first global model, the Aion V electric SUV. The debut took place at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, where the company presented five models. The Aion V had previously been unveiled at the Paris Motor Show […]
September 10, 2025
At the IAA Mobility show in Munich, we can see an avalanche of Chinese carmakers expanding their European offer and/or preparing themselves to expand into the European market. On the other hand, we saw the leading German brands pull out all the stops in their efforts to counter the ‘Chinese invasion’. There are a lot […]
September 10, 2025
Following the Deepal S07, the Chinese car manufacturer Changan is now also introducing the smaller electric SUV Deepal S05 in Europe. The European Deepal S05, which was just unveiled at the IAA trade show in Munich, will start at a list price of €38,990 in Germany. The Deepal S07 was introduced in Europe in March […]
September 10, 2025
Some analysts say IAA Munich looks more like a Shanghai auto show extension these days, as Chinese brands are all competing for European customers’ favor. The Seres-Huawei joint venture adds some more heat by unleashing three Aito-rebranded crossovers on the Old Continent. Contrary to the low-budget Seres 3 we know in Belgium today, Aito is […]
September 09, 2025
Leapmotor, the Chinese manufacturer distributed internationally by Stellantis, has unveiled its latest European model at the IAA Mobility in Munich. The Leapmotor B05 is a compact electric hatchback, based on the same platform as the B10 SUV. It’s not only aimed at European customers, but will also be produced in Spain. The Leapmotor B05 will […]
September 08, 2025
Horse Powertrain, the Renault-Geely joint venture founded in 2023-2024 to develop next-generation low-emission powertrains, has presented a new ultra-compact range extender system at IAA Mobility 2025, the Horse C15. Why does it matter? REEVs (Range-Extended EVs) offer a pragmatic middle ground between battery-only and hybrid drives, with a gasoline engine used as a generator only […]
September 04, 2025
It definitely sounds Chinese in Western ears: Xpeng. Still, it’s steadily making a name for itself, with G9 SUV, G6 SUV, and P7 sedan in over 20 European countries, with aggressive expansion plans aiming to enter 60 global markets by the end of 2025. We drove two of them on German roads, the refreshed midsize […]
September 04, 2025
Volvo is preparing to launch what could become its most important EV yet. The EX60, a midsize electric SUV set to debut January 21st, 2026, in Stockholm, will deliver the most extended range of any Volvo to date and go head-to-head with the Tesla Model Y, Porsche Macan EV, and Mercedes-Benz GLC with EG Technology […]
September 02, 2025
According to a recent report from energy thin tank Ember, China has installed 256 gigawatts of additional solar capacity in the first half of this year – more than two-thirds of the global total and more than double the amount installed in the first half of 2024. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Chinese […]
September 01, 2025
Chinese electric vehicle maker Leapmotor has selected Stellantis’ assembly plant in Zaragoza to establish its first European manufacturing base. While the car group’s Tychy plant had already produced some vehicles from Leapmotor, Poland has politically fallen out of favour and seems to have lost its assembly slot to Spain. The rumors were growing over Leapmotor’s […]
September 01, 2025
The Jetta brand, VW’s brand for China and part of Volkswagen’s joint venture with FAW, wants to launch five new models by 2028, including four New Energy Vehicles. The first model is expected to launch in 2026, reportedly for a price equivalent to less than €12,000. In China, Jetta is no longer the Golf-format sedan […]
September 01, 2025
BYD, the world’s biggest maker of electric vehicles, is selling record numbers of cars but has reported its first fall in profits in more than two years. The toll of a fierce price war in China’s car industry turns BYD’s strategy into a balancing act. The Shenzhen-based carmaker sold almost 2.2 million vehicles in the […]
August 28, 2025
Volvo Cars’ new XC70 plug-in hybrid SUV will not be limited to China after all. The automaker has confirmed that the long-range model, originally unveiled with a focus on the Chinese market, will also be offered in Europe, expanding its role within the brand’s global electrification strategy. The XC70 revives one of the most familiar […]
August 27, 2025
BYD’s overclocked electric hypercar has set a top speed record in Germany. The 3,000-hp YangWang U9 Track Edition, which was leaked only a few weeks ago, reached a top speed of 472 km/h at the ATP test track in Papenburg. And even faster seemed possible, were it not for some stability issues. The electric performance […]
August 27, 2025
China’s BYD has started exporting electric cars from its Thai factory to Europe. In anticipation of the start of its production site in Hungary, the Chinese EV maker uses this bypass to skip its 17.4% excess tariffs. As products imported from Thailand into the EU are exempt from import levies, the new route is expected […]
August 26, 2025
A new online survey by the market research access panel, PanelWizzard, with 1,010 drivers, shows that one in three Dutch people prefers driving a Chinese car over an American car like Tesla or Ford to date. “Chinese brands are on the rise in Europe. We see that in our showrooms as well, and to be […]
August 26, 2025
Chinese premium EV maker Nio has revealed the new price of the third-generation flagship SUV ES8 (sold as the EL8 in Europe), the biggest electric SUV on the market, and while the car is bigger and supposed to be better on the new 900-volt platform, the price is cut by 101,800 yuan (€12,155) or 25% […]
August 25, 2025
A few weeks ago, General Motors unveiled the brand-new Buick Electra Orbit Concept globally, “a new design exploration that fuses Buick heritage with futuristic EV technology”. The automaker unveiled the Buick Electra Orbit Concept in early August in Shanghai, where the concept prototype was conceived and developed by GM China’s Advanced Design Center to inspire […]
August 25, 2025
Hyundai and sister brand Kia have forged an unprecedented alliance with South Korea’s three largest battery producers in a bid to strengthen electric vehicle safety and restore the nation’s competitive edge against China’s growing dominance. At Hyundai’s Namyang R&D Center, both automakers signed a memorandum of understanding with LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK […]
August 22, 2025
Windrose Technology, the Chinese electric truck developer headquartered in Antwerp, might face insolvency. One of its senior executives publicly accused the company of failing to pay employees, while staging misleading announcements. Windrose’s Director of Customer Success and Operations, Kyle Maki, wrote on LinkedIn that the company is now 90 days behind on payroll and has […]
August 22, 2025
Chinese electric cars tend to be sold at half the price in their homeland than in Europe. If a company like China EV Marketplace announces it is launching a new door-to-door service for European customers, enabling them to purchase road-legal EVs directly from China, and handling most of the annoying stuff for you, is it […]
August 20, 2025
Tesla is reversing one of its most controversial design decisions. Two years after stripping the Model 3 of its traditional steering column stalks in the Highland refresh, the automaker is now reintroducing the turn signal lever—at least in China. The decision is not about giving customers options, but instead admitting a design flaw due to […]
August 19, 2025
Farizon’s SuperVan, or SV, is getting two new model variants. The mid-sized van is now able to accommodate up to seven passengers in the Taxi configuration, or up to six people in the Combi spec, which still retains a functional cargo space of up to 5 m³. Both variants were introduced in Hong Kong and […]
August 18, 2025
Geely Group’s Livan Automotive has pulled the covers off its latest entry in China’s booming micro-EV segment. It bears a name that is all too familiar to the Belgian public: the Livan Smurf, named after the beloved comic characters from Peyo, is a compact, four-seat hatchback priced to compete directly with bestsellers like the Wuling […]
August 18, 2025
Volkswagen and its Chinese partner Xpeng have been developing a joint E/E architecture, set to be integrated into the Wolfsburg-based carmaker’s EV platforms CMP and MEB. Now, both companies have decided to extend the partnership to include plug-in hybrids and internal combustion engine models. These will be plug-in hybrid and ICE models sold exclusively in […]
August 12, 2025
The head of German carmaker Mercedes-Benz has highlighted the challenges facing the company in an interview with the German business newspaper Handelsblatt. CEO Ola Källenius, also the current President of ACEA, warns of a European car market collapse if the ban on ICE vehicles in 2035 is implemented. Källenius proposes to drop an actual date […]
August 12, 2025
BYD’s latest model in the Fang Cheng Bao range, which produces rugged-looking SUVs, has started production in China. The Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 is the second-largest model in the range and sports a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It may also come to Europe under the Denza umbrella. The Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 takes over the same […]
August 12, 2025
Global lithium markets are surging after the world’s largest battery manufacturer, China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), suspended operations at one of the country’s biggest mines. The shutdown followed after the Beijing administration blocked the mine’s permit to curb industrial overcapacity. The Jianxiawo mine is no small working field. It accounts for an estimated 5-6% of […]
August 11, 2025
BYD’s luxury performance brand Yangwang is preparing to unleash one of the most powerful electric cars ever built. New regulatory filings in China reveal a Track Edition of its U9 supercar boasting more than 3,000 hp. Lotus Evija and Rimac Nevera: beware! China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) regularly discloses models ahead of […]
August 11, 2025
As part of its 2024 joint venture with BAIC, Beijing Hyundai will launch the EO in September, its first EV developed specifically for China. The production model of the electric SUV, formerly known as the Elexio, will be called the EO and is scheduled to hit the Chinese market in September 2025. Beijing Hyundai reportedly […]
August 07, 2025
Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng has set a new internal sales record with the launch of its new-generation P7 saloon, drawing more than 10,000 pre-orders just 6 minutes and 37 seconds after bookings opened. The response marks the fastest uptake for any Xpeng model to date. It highlights Xpeng as a new force to be […]
August 06, 2025
Polestar’s presence in China, once considered a crucial pillar of its global electric vehicle ambitions, is rapidly eroding. The Swedish-Chinese brand has seen its retail footprint in the country shrink to a single store in Shanghai, while online sales have been suspended and test drives are only available by phone appointment. For many observers, this […]
July 29, 2025
Global sales of electric cars are picking up speed again, driven by strong growth in China and renewed momentum in Europe, according to a new analysis by consulting firm PwC. In the first half of the year, more than 5.9 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered worldwide, a 37% increase compared to the same […]
July 22, 2025
The all-new MG4, the Chinese brand’s new budget electric hatchback, will debut a new type of battery technology that bridges the gap between current technology and the highly anticipated solid-state batteries. However, the numbers of the MG4’s ‘semi-solid’ state batteries aren’t as impressive as you might think. MG promised last year that it would debut […]
July 15, 2025
According to Chinese media, BMW has signed a deal with leading Chinese autonomous-driving technology company Momenta for its Neue Klasse smart driving systems (ADAS). Momenta will provide localized L2/L3 smart driving software, including city and highway navigation systems trained on Chinese roads with specific infrastructure. It’s not uncommon for a Western carmaker to work with a […]
July 14, 2025
Volkswagen and SAIC close their joint plant in Nanjing, China. Production has already come to a standstill. In Nanjing, the partners had mainly built combustion models such as the VW Passat and Skoda Superb. Production is now moving to a nearby plant. There had already been rumors last year about the closure of the plant […]
July 14, 2025
MG has started producing the second-generation MG4 electric hatchback in SAIC’s Nanjing factory. The new MG4 falls in line with the design of the Cyberster and is a collaboration with tech expert Oppo, which supplies the in-car infotainment system. The MG4 will launch in China in August and will likely come to European shores as […]
July 10, 2025
Chinese top EV maker BYD has announced that its cars, equipped with God’s Eye ADAS systems, will be able to park themselves completely autonomously without the need for a driver. BYD is so confident that it says it will pay for any damages the car may cause, including hitting other vehicles. On the Chinese Weibo […]
July 03, 2025
Polestar is staking its European future on a new production strategy that focuses on local manufacturing for regional markets. The Swedish electric performance brand, owned by China’s Geely, confirmed this week that its upcoming Polestar 7 will roll off the lines at Volvo Cars’ under-construction factory in Košice, Slovakia. The 7 marks the premium brand’s […]
July 03, 2025
The American research organization BloombergNEF (BNEF), widely regarded as an authority in global analyses across various domains, including electric mobility and clean energy, expects EV sales to surge this year like never before, with a 25% increase to 22 million vehicles. Nearly two-thirds of those 22 million will be sold in China, 17% in Europe—a […]
July 02, 2025
The French-speaking liberal party MR wants to relaunch mining in Belgium. They advocate rebuilding a full value chain, from mine to recycling. After all, the energy transition is driving up demand for metals, and Europe needs to reduce its dependence on China in particular, according to the party’s study center. “If we have an idea […]
June 30, 2025
Leapmotor has launched its latest model in China: the B01 electric saloon. The 4.77-meter-long EV has a CLTC range of up to 650 km, is available with LiDAR-assisted semi-autonomous driving technology, and can be purchased in China for 105,800 RMB, or just under €12,600. Leapmotor is one of the more successful Chinese new-energy vehicle (NEV) […]
June 27, 2025
It was announced as China’s latest Tesla Y-killer, and it lives up to the expectations, creating a virtual ‘stampede’ within minutes of its official launch on Thursday. Xiaomi claims to have received over 200,000 confirmed orders in three minutes for its newest YU7 electric SUV, a vehicle that resembles a Ferrari Purosangue and nearly outperforms […]
June 26, 2025
The financial analysis platform TradingPedia analyzed global sales of electrified vehicles worldwide in 2024 by examining new car registration data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). The fact that China is by far the leading country in EV sales is confirmed here. According to TradingPedia research, China led […]
June 25, 2025
BYD is leveling up the game for electric buses once again. After presenting the B12 at Busworld Europe 2023 in Brussels, the first model with a Blade Battery integrated into the chassis, the Chinese manufacturer has now unveiled the B13.b at the UITP Summit in Hamburg. This low-entry 13-meter electric intercity bus surpasses the B12 […]
June 25, 2025
Firefly, Chinese premium EV maker NIO’s sub-brand, launches its own ‘BaaS’ offer in China, allowing customers to buy an EV and rent the battery instead of purchasing it. This ‘Battery-as-a-Service’, already offered by NIO and its other brand, Onvo, reduces the initial purchase price by more than 30%. The starting price of its – for […]
June 24, 2025
Since Monday, June 23rd, the Flemish public transport company De Lijn has officially put its first electric buses, manufactured by the Chinese company BYD, into service. These are the first of 92 e-buses ordered. At Jacob Autocars, which is part of Hansea, one of the largest private bus companies in Belgium that also provides transport […]
