The new Volvo boss will be current Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer

September 21, 2026

Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer, who has led the Volkswagen Group subsidiary to record profits while expanding its full-electric lineup, will succeed Hakan Samuelsson as chief executive officer and president at Volvo Cars. The appointment aims to bring proven leadership in electrification and profitability as Volvo navigates intense competition in premium electric vehicles and prepares to […]

“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 […]

Already 100,000 BMW iX3 orders in Europe alone

September 17, 2026

A year after the premiere of the new BMW iX3, the company has announced that 100,000 customers in Europe alone have ordered the vehicle. BMW said this is the best first-year start any of its models have ever experienced. The company also said there is strong interest in the electric car in other markets such […]

Li Auto: European debut at Paris Motor Show 2026

September 16, 2026

Chinese manufacturer Li Auto has confirmed its presence at this year’s Paris Motor Show in October. It will show the European version of its electric Li i6 SUV, and detail its further plans for the brand. There seems to be no end to the number of Chinese manufacturers wanting to expand to Europe. Next in […]

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 […]

Belgian and EU airport expansions undermine climate targets

September 15, 2026

Most of Europe’s biggest airports plan to expand to accommodate more passengers in the coming years. Transport & Environment (T&E), a European NGO focused on sustainable transportation, assessed the expansion plans and traffic forecasts of twenty of Europe’s largest airports in ten countries against a Paris Agreement-compliant 1,7°C carbon budget. And guess what? By 2050, […]

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 […]

Renault Trafic wins van 2027 crown, but can EV vans pay off?

September 15, 2026

Renault’s new Trafic Van E-Tech electric has been named International Van of the Year 2027, even before the first customer vehicles hit the road. The 26-member jury voted unanimously for Renault’s new mid-sized electric van at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover. The award is Renault’s sixth IVOTY title, but the more interesting question is […]

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 […]

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, […]

Leapmotor B03X ready for Europe with 382 km range and €24,900 price

September 14, 2026

Two months after opening the Belgian order books for the B03X, Leapmotor has released the full European specification of its compact electric crossover. The €24,900 starting price remains unchanged, but the final range figures, equipment details and unusually practical interior now give a clearer picture of how Stellantis’ Chinese partner intends to attack Europe’s crowded […]

Renault learns ‘China speed’ just as China starts hitting the brakes

September 14, 2026

Renault will not follow Chinese rivals into ever-shorter vehicle development cycles. CEO François Provost says around two years is effectively the lower limit for an all-new platform and its first model if the French group wants to preserve proper testing, validation and quality. That is a striking line for a company that has spent the […]

Green Hell, new rules: BMW’s anniversary M models face electric age

September 14, 2026

BMW M is preparing a conspicuously old-school birthday present for the Nürburgring. To mark the German circuit’s centenary in 2027, it is launching six M cars and three M motorcycles in a ‘100 Jahre Nürburgring’ edition, all finished in historical Nürburgring Green and dressed with Nordschleife references. The timing is almost more interesting than the […]

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 […]

BMW industrialises hydrogen iX5 while Europe stops buying H₂ cars

September 13, 2026

BMW is moving its hydrogen program another step closer to series production. The next-generation iX5 Hydrogen is undergoing real-world testing while prototype assembly, supplier industrialization, and production preparations are running in parallel. Technically, BMW is increasingly demonstrating that a hydrogen passenger car can work. The harder question in 2026 is whether enough customers will still […]

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 […]

From scrap to spare parts: Belgian Didier bets on reuse

September 10, 2026

The days when an end-of-life car disappeared into a scrapyard are increasingly numbered. Belgian vehicle recycling already recovers 98% of a scrapped car’s weight, but the next challenge is more ambitious: keeping complete parts in use rather than reducing everything to raw materials. West-Flemish dismantler Autohandel Didier, founded in 1993 by Didier Vanwijnsberghe, illustrates how […]

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 […]

VW ID. Buzz Cargo LWB: higher load volume and range

September 09, 2026

Volkswagen is preparing to launch a long-wheelbase version of its ID. Buzz Cargo. The LWB passenger version is already available, but now the van-version follows suit. At a brand event in Berlin, Volkswagen has unveiled a long wheelbase version of its electric ID. Buzz Cargo van. The longer wheelbase will bring several improvements for professional […]

Europe’s largest CO2 capture plant inaugurated in the Netherlands

September 09, 2026

The Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara inaugurated Europe’s largest CO2 capture plant on Monday in Sluiskil (the Netherlands), near the Belgian border.  The aim is to capture up to 800,000 tons of CO2 from its ammonia production every year, or about 0.5 percent of the Netherlands’ total annual emissions, and store it permanently.  The plant completes […]

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 […]

Renault hires Nissan veteran Diernaz as new global marketing chief

September 09, 2026

Renault has appointed former Nissan and General Motors executive Jean-Pierre Diernaz as its new global marketing chief. At first sight, it looks like another management reshuffle. But Diernaz’s long Nissan history and the fact that he will report directly to Fabrice Cambolive give the appointment a broader significance. Diernaz becomes Vice-President Renault Brand Global Marketing […]

VW swaps cabriolets for air defence to save German factory

September 08, 2026

Volkswagen is preparing one of the most striking industrial conversions of Germany’s post-war era. Its Osnabrück plant, best known today for the T-Roc Cabriolet, is set to stop building cars in summer 2027 and gradually become a competence center for security and defense systems. VW has agreed key terms with the state of Lower Saxony […]

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 […]

ICE connects Antwerp, Leuven and Brussels Airport directly with Cologne

September 08, 2026

Antwerp, Leuven, and Brussels Airport are now connected to Germany – specifically Cologne – by high-speed train. This is the first-ever high-speed train service between Antwerp and Germany. Deutsche Bahn is operating its newest ICE neo trains on this route, which can accommodate over 400 passengers and reach speeds of up to 300 km/h. Thanks […]

New €17,900 Dacia Spring brings EV costs into Sandero territory

September 08, 2026

Dacia has officially unveiled the second-generation Spring, and the biggest change is not its tougher design or slightly longer range. Europe’s cheapest electric car is no longer a low-cost Chinese import. The new Spring will be built at Renault Group’s Novo Mesto plant in Slovenia, with an expected starting price in Europe of €17,900. Belgian […]

Audi prices new A2 e-tron aggressively from €38,450

September 07, 2026

A month after revealing the technology behind its new A2 e-tron, Audi has answered perhaps the more important question: what will its new electric entry model actually cost? In Belgium, prices start at €38,450, while the version offering the headline 646-kilometer WLTP range comes in at €48,550. That puts the A2 e-tron in an interesting […]

JLR reported to cut 4.000 jobs as part of its recovery plan

September 07, 2026

JLR is expected to announce it will cut 4.000 jobs. Although the figure has not been officially confirmed, the company behind Land Rover and Jaguar has stated it has informed employees about a voluntary redundancy program. Things have not been going smoothly for JLR, the UK’s largest car manufacturer, which employs around 30.000 people in […]

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 […]

Supersonic is back, the business case isn’t – yet

September 04, 2026

Travelers, aircraft manufacturers, aviation enthusiasts, and those nostalgic for the Concorde are dreaming aloud of a comeback for supersonic flight. Now that regulations in the U.S. are being amended to lift the absolute ban on supersonic flight over the country, nothing seems to stand in the way of a return of commercial flights at speeds […]

Bob campaign sees drink-driving rate fall for fifth year running

September 04, 2026

According to the federal police, the latest Bob campaign conducted in Belgium during the summer has once again presented encouraging results, with ‘only’ 1.36% of drivers testing positive for alcohol. When the first campaign was launched in 1995 – 31 years ago – that figure was still 6.4%. The message is certainly getting through, then […]

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 […]

This robot dog ‘poops’ your parcel, while selling you ads

September 03, 2026

America’s Robot.com is proud to present R-dog, the new delivery robot with a friendly face and WALL-E-like eyes, a red cap, and an approachable design. It can wiggle its furry tail and then ‘poop’ your package onto your porch. The R-dog has four articulated legs with wheels at the ends, so it can roll efficiently […]

Leapmotor leaves China’s EV start-up pack behind and EU takes notice

September 03, 2026

Leapmotor has surpassed the 100,000-car monthly delivery threshold for the second month in a row, underscoring just how quickly the Chinese EV maker is moving from start-up status to a global volume player. The company delivered a record 103,129 vehicles in August, 80.7% more than a year earlier and slightly above July’s 101,267 units. That makes […]

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 […]

Belgium is Europe’s commuting champion for time, not distance

September 02, 2026

Belgian employees spend more than one hour a day traveling to and from work, making Belgium once again Europe’s commuting champion. But the explanation is not simply that Belgians live farther from their jobs. In fact, Dutch employees often cover even greater distances. Belgium’s problem is that those kilometers take unusually long to cover. According […]

Stellantis reshuffles its Enlarged Europe Organization

September 01, 2026

Stellantis announces (again) new appointments within its Enlarged Europe Organization, effective September 1, as it continues executing its Fastlane 2030 strategic plan. Reporting to Emanuele Cappellano, COO Enlarged Europe, are now Arnaud Belloni, who has been appointed CEO of the FIAT, Abarth, and Lancia brands and chief marketing officer for Europe; Xavier Chardon, who has […]

Renault upgrades Scenic E-Tech

September 01, 2026

Renault is upgrading the Scenic E-Tech electric with new features and services to enhance comfort, connectivity, and electric performance. With the 162 kW/220 hp motor, the Scenic E-Tech electric is now available with a choice of two new batteries offering greater range and shorter charging times at DC fast-charging points. The 89 kWh NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) long-range […]

BMW delays agency sales again: if it works for MINI, why wait until 2028?

September 01, 2026

BMW is reportedly postponing the introduction of its agency sales model in Germany until mid-2028, more than two years later than originally planned. That seems strange, as BMW continues to insist that the same model is working successfully at MINI. The explanation may be that MINI demonstrated both the potential and the complexity of taking […]

BYD turns tiny Racco into weapon for Europe’s €20,000 EV fight

August 31, 2026

When BYD unveiled its tiny Racco for Japan earlier this year, it looked like a very specific answer to the peculiar rules of the Japanese kei-car market. Six months later, it is becoming clear that some of its technology could also shape BYD’s next generation of small, affordable EVs for Europe. According to reports from […]

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 […]

Renault’s new Trafic enters EV van battle: 450 km is only the start.

August 31, 2026

Renault will use the IAA Transportation show in Hanover to take the next commercial step with its completely new Trafic Van E-Tech electric. The van itself is no longer a secret: the definitive production version was shown at Solutrans last November. What appears to be new on September 14 is the opening of the order […]

Lotus’s electric revolution is over, now comes the rescue plan

August 28, 2026

Lotus is growing again, but its latest half-year results also confirm how radically the British sports-car brand has had to rewrite its future. Deliveries rose 39% in the first half of 2026, yet Europe went backward, losses remain heavy, and the parent company, Geely, has had to inject another $128 million. The all-electric revolution is over. […]

Vias: ‘Cars get safer, bicycles don’t: half of seriously injured are cyclists’

August 27, 2026

In 2024, 13,581 traffic casualties in Belgium were hospitalized following a traffic accident. Of these casualties, 3,232 people suffered serious injuries.  That is 7% fewer than in 2023, and 17% fewer than in 2016, while total hospitalizations fell by 17%. The figures come from a new report published by Vias, the Belgian road safety institute. The […]

Xiaomi shifts into gear for 2027 assault on Europe’s premium car elite

August 27, 2026

Xiaomi has taken another concrete step towards becoming a global carmaker. The tech giant, often referred to as the ‘Chinese Apple’, has launched a dedicated international website and overseas social-media channels for Xiaomi Auto. The site is explicitly stating that its cars are “officially coming to Europe in 2027”. More tellingly, the site already includes […]

Hyundai goes all-out: 41 European launches in global product blitz

August 26, 2026

Hyundai is preparing the biggest product offensive in its history, with more than 100 launches and model updates planned worldwide by 2030, including 41 for Europe alone. But behind the headline lies a more interesting strategy: the Korean group no longer wants to bet on a single drivetrain everywhere. North America will lean on hybrids, […]

VW workers fear up to 140,000 job losses

August 26, 2026

Before the summer, VW Group CEO Oliver Blume warned of an additional 50,000 redundancies worldwide, bringing the total to 100,000 once the group’s restructuring is complete. The workers’ representatives fear an additional 40,000 job losses on top of these 100,000, bringing the total number of VW Group employees back from 660,000 to about 520,000 worldwide. […]

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 […]

Suzuki plans to offer an electric Kei car in Europe

August 25, 2026

Suzuki is planning to introduce an electric Kei Car called Vision e-Sky in Europe as early as next year. The micro vehicle is set to debut in its home market of Japan this autumn, with plans to launch in European countries, including the UK, a few months later. According to Nikkei Asia, citing people familiar […]

Renault upgrades its hit R5 before rivals can catch it

August 25, 2026

Renault is already giving its electric R5 a surprisingly substantial technical update less than two years after launch. The headline figure is a longer 430-kilometer range, opening at the bottom of the range. Renault is introducing LFP battery technology in the R5 for the first time, making its cheapest version more powerful and finally giving […]

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 […]

Waymo unleashes its Swedish-Chinese Zeekr robotaxi in San Francisco

August 21, 2026

If you hail a Waymo in San Francisco today, there is a growing chance that a Chinese-built, Swedish-designed Zeekr will turn up instead of the familiar Jaguar I-Pace. Waymo has now opened its new Ojai robotaxi to regular paying customers after California regulators cleared the vehicle for commercial driverless rides. The rollout marks a major […]

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