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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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. […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
August 21, 2026
Genesis just pulled the wraps off its GV90 flagship SUV. A newcomer in the electric segment that is impossible to ignore. The setting, in San Francisco, might seem fitting for a 5.2-meter-long behemoth. But here’s the thing: it is heading toward Europe as the largest battery-electric vehicle you can buy. The GV90 is the production […]
August 21, 2026
The Tesla Semi is coming to Europe. Almost a decade after Elon Musk first showed his electric truck with its bullet-shaped cab, Tesla has confirmed it will sell the zero-emission heavy hauler on this side of the Atlantic. What does it bring that Windrose doesn’t already offer? On paper, the Tesla Semi offers the most […]
August 19, 2026
Legally speaking, the door had been open for some time for the British company Virgin Trains to become a competitor to the high-speed rail operator Eurostar. But with approval from the British rail regulator ORR for rail access on High Speed 1 (HS1) – or between St. Pancras and the entrance to the Channel Tunnel […]
August 19, 2026
Another setback for hydrogen advocates in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges: The American company Plug Power is permanently scrapping its plans to build a hydrogen plant on the former Opel site in the Port of Antwerp. Last week it was reported that Fluxys is having difficulty finding customers for its hydrogen pipeline network. Due to this […]
August 19, 2026
Geely has put a firm date on the Benelux launch of its compact E2 electric hatchback. The Chinese bestseller will arrive at official dealers in Belgium and the Netherlands on September 11 and 12, sharpening the European rollout announced earlier this month. The launch date was shared by Geely’s director of sales & network Benelux, […]
August 18, 2026
Europe has tightened the rules governing what happens to a car throughout its life. Since 13 August, the new European Vehicle Circularity Regulation has been in force, requiring manufacturers not only to recycle vehicles but also to design them for easier dismantling and reuse, and to feed recovered materials back into new cars. Belgium starts […]
August 18, 2026
Belgium requires virtually every driver diagnosed with diabetes to obtain a medically restricted license, while neighboring countries increasingly focus only on those whose condition or treatment creates a real driving risk. Yet according to the Belgian road safety institute Vias, one in five people with diabetes is driving without the required adapted license. That discrepancy […]
August 18, 2026
Geely founder Li Shufu is stepping back from the listed carmaker as it accelerates in Europe, handing the chairmanship to An Conghui and the CEO role to Gan Jiayue while remaining chairman of parent Zhejiang Geely Holding. It coincides with a major change in Geely’s international strategy. The group no longer wants to rely mainly […]
August 17, 2026
The new 48-kilometer hydrogen pipeline that Belgian gas network operator Fluxys is constructing between the industrial clusters of the ports of Antwerp (Kallo) and Ghent (Zelzate) is facing a difficult period. According to the business newspapers De Tijd and L’Echo, no binding contracts have yet been signed with any customers. The pipeline network is intended […]
August 17, 2026
The British government has launched a consultation round that could slash its 2030 electric vehicle sales target from 80 percent to as low as 50 percent. But the 2035 ban on new gasoline and diesel cars remains fixed. The British ZEV mandate has its own ladder to reach defined targets. The percentage of new car […]
August 17, 2026
Europe’s major oil companies have more than doubled their profits in the latest quarter of 2026, reigniting the debate over whether governments should tax part of those gains while simultaneously spending public money to shield motorists from high fuel prices. According to an analysis by the environmental lobby group Transport & Environment, eight major oil […]
August 17, 2026
Pony.ai and Uber plan to expand their robotaxi operations in Europe, targeting a fleet of more than 2,000 autonomous vehicles. The partners aim to launch services in four additional European cities alongside Zagreb. Pony.ai and Uber began their partnership in May 2025. In spring 2026, they launched their first commercial robotaxi service in Europe, in […]
August 17, 2026
According to official government statistics, the German car industry is shedding jobs faster than any other sector. And the real employee realignment under the pressure of the current crisis still has to begin. Destatis, the Federal Statistical Office, analyzed that 691,500 people were employed in the German automotive industry at the end of June 2026. […]
August 17, 2026
NIO has opened the first of its fifth-generation battery-swap stations in China, finally giving the compact Firefly access to the company’s swapping network. It is an important step for NIO’s technology, but one European Firefly owners should not get too excited about. In Belgium and the Netherlands, swapping is unlikely to become part of the […]
August 14, 2026
Volkswagen is finally turning the ID. Buzz into a factory-built electric camper. At the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf later this month, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will unveil the ID. California Cruise. It’s a concept that previews not merely one model but a new family of battery-electric California campers planned for gradual introduction toward 2028. In a way, […]
August 14, 2026
Einride has been running autonomous freight for years, but always on its own hardware. That changes now. The Swedish operator is partnering with DAF to integrate its Einride Driver software into the Dutch manufacturer’s electric truck production. It’s the first time Einride’s autonomous technology is climbing into somebody else’s cab rather than building its own. […]
August 13, 2026
Porsche has apparently left Volkswagen Group’s EU CO₂ emissions pool and will instead pool its new-car registrations with Chinese EV manufacturer Xpeng in 2026 and 2027. The arrangement could generate regulatory credits for Xpeng as its European sales grow. According to documents from the European Commission, Porsche withdrew from its parent company Volkswagen’s emissions pool […]
August 12, 2026
Renault is testing a new way of stopping drunk drivers before they even move: putting a finger on a sensor could be enough to determine whether someone has had too much to drink. The idea sounds futuristic, but it is not entirely new. Car makers and researchers have been experimenting with alternatives to the traditional […]
August 12, 2026
The Dutch companies of bicycle giant Accell Group, owner of brands including Batavus, Sparta, Koga, Babboe and Raleigh, have been declared bankrupt by the Amsterdam District Court. The decision comes less than a week after the group was granted a suspension of payments and marks a rapid escalation of its financial crisis. Court-appointed administrators Thijs […]
August 11, 2026
SAIC-Volkswagen has filed for approval of the ID. Era 5X compact SUV in China. It is Volkswagen’s first model based on the Compact Main Platform and the first fully electric vehicle in the China-specific ID. Era series. It also sits in one of Europe’s core SUV segments and will come to Europe, followed by other […]
August 11, 2026
Scientists have run the numbers, and the result isn’t exactly a pat on the back for the internal combustion engine. A study published in Science shows that replacing a functioning gasoline car with an EV cuts lifetime carbon emissions by 58%. Even if that gasoline car is only a year old. Also, the old “drive […]
August 11, 2026
BYD has officially revealed the Fang Cheng Bao Ti9, a giant six-seat plug-in hybrid SUV. It features two 200 kW electric motors, a 66.5 kWh battery, and one particularly intriguing figure for Europe: its maximum authorized mass is 3,495 kg, just five kilograms below the 3.5-ton limit for a standard Category B driving license. For […]
August 10, 2026
Zero Motorcycles is offering newly licensed European riders up to €500 to choose electric, as the American manufacturer tries to expand its customer base, just as competition in electric motorcycles starts getting more serious. Under its 2026 Rider Training Incentive, anyone buying a Zero within three months of obtaining an A1, A2, or full A […]
August 10, 2026
The Belgian Interfederal Screening Committee, a body tasked with ensuring that major investments by foreign, non-European organizations do not lead to geopolitical surprises, has decided to block the acquisition of the Ostend-based helicopter operator Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen (NHV) by a Chinese investor. These concerns relate to “risks to national security, Belgium’s strategic interests, and possible […]
August 10, 2026
Last week, the Mazda Motor Corporation announced its first-quarter financial and sales results, reporting global sales of 304,000 vehicles during the period 1 April to 30 June 2026, up 1% year-on-year. As the Japanese fiscal year starts on 1 April, we’re talking Q2 here for the current year. For Q2 of this year, Mazda reported […]
August 10, 2026
BMW is starting production of the new i3 this month with a claim that is less spectacular than range, acceleration, or charging speed, but potentially more important for the future of the car industry. Its Neue Klasse electronics architecture cuts around 600 meters of wiring and concentrates much of the car’s computing power in just […]
August 07, 2026
Daimler Truck is preparing a major expansion of its North American manufacturing footprint. The German truck maker will build a new factory in the United States for vocational and long-haul trucks, with construction due to start late this year and production scheduled for 2029. The location has not yet been decided, with Daimler Truck North […]
August 06, 2026
Wayve, a British artificial intelligence start-up, specializing in autonomous driving and a partner of the Uber platform, has been granted Private Hire Vehicle licenses by Transport for London (TfL). This is an important step toward launching autonomous rides on the Uber platform in the British capital. The permits are for several Wayve’s autonomous, all-electric Ford […]
August 06, 2026
Kia has barely entered Europe’s commercial-vehicle market, yet its first electric van is already outselling models from manufacturers with decades of experience. According to figures quoted by Kia UK, the PV5 accounted for 37% of Europe’s battery-electric small-van segment and ranked first in 12 countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom. Electric C-segment only The […]
August 06, 2026
Starting this autumn, young drivers in France will no longer be allowed to drive powerful cars. France is banning young drivers from operating a vehicle “with engine power exceeding a specified threshold.” This ban applies to any car a novice driver operates, including borrowed or rented vehicles. The trigger is a series of serious accidents involving young […]
August 05, 2026
Audi has removed most of the camouflage from the upcoming A2 e-tron, but the bigger news is beneath the skin. The manufacturer has released its first detailed technical dossier on the compact EV, confirming that the 140 kW version with an optional efficiency package consumes just 12.8 kWh per 100 kilometers according to preliminary WLTP […]
August 05, 2026
Renault Group has returned to profit in the first half of 2026, helped by rapidly rising electric car sales and a richer product mix. However, the figures also reveal how thin the margins on building cars remain. Mobilize Financial Services, the group’s captive finance arm, generated almost as much operating profit as Renault’s entire automotive […]
August 05, 2026
Belgium may be home to Antwerp, one of Europe’s largest refining and diesel-trading hubs, but that does not give Belgian motorists access to cheaper fuel. Diesel produced in Antwerp is traded at international north-western European prices, which are determined by global supply, refinery availability, transport costs, and geopolitical tensions. That global market is now flashing […]
August 04, 2026
A team of students from Eindhoven University of Technology has unveiled a solar-powered mobile clinic designed to bring medical care to remote regions where roads are poor and electricity supplies unreliable. Called ‘Stella Juva’, the vehicle is presented by Solar Team Eindhoven as the world’s first solar-powered ambulance, although it functions more like a self-sufficient […]
August 04, 2026
Leapmotor is preparing to launch the A05 in China on August 10, a compact electric hatchback that will be sold internationally as the B03. With dimensions close to the Geely E2, two LFP batteries, and a potential European price near €20,000, it could become one of the sharpest value propositions in Europe’s affordable EV market. […]
August 04, 2026
The British multinational oil and gas company Shell is selling its European onshore renewable energy operations, such as wind and solar farms, to the French group TotalEnergies. The deal involves a portfolio of 4 gigawatts, of which 500 megawatts are currently operational. Under CEO Wael Sawan, Shell has taken a more critical look at renewable […]
August 04, 2026
Four months after Hyundai unveiled the Ioniq 3 at Milan Design Week, the compact electric ‘Aero Hatch’ now has its first European price list. Dutch customers can order it from €27,995, with showroom arrival expected at the end of September. Belgium will follow, but Hyundai Belux says only that local prices will be announced “after […]
August 03, 2026
Several sources and media outlets have reported that the planned 2026 production of the Ferrari Luce (± 500 units) is already sold out two months after its May launch. According to the Financial Times, the €550,000 model reportedly attracted particularly strong interest in China and among technology entrepreneurs in places such as Silicon Valley. Ferrari’s […]
August 03, 2026
Only two months after VinFast invited European journalists to explore its integrated industrial empire in Vietnam, with a range of electric cars, buses, and scooters, another part of that ecosystem has landed in Europe. Green SM, the electric taxi company controlled by VinFast founder Phạm Nhật Vượng, began operating in Copenhagen on July 30 with […]
July 31, 2026
The prolonged heat is leading to low water levels in rivers. This year has been marked not only by low water levels, but also by their remaining below the minimum navigable level for an extended period. This, in turn, is developing into a combined transport, industrial, agricultural, and water-management crisis. The immediate problem is that […]
July 31, 2026
Electric car sales recovered strongly in the second quarter of 2026, with Europe emerging as the fastest-growing major market. However, Belgium’s figures reveal a more nuanced picture. The country remains one of Europe’s leaders in battery-electric market share, but growth is slowing, and adoption remains heavily dependent on company cars. The latest figures come from […]
July 30, 2026
Stellantis returned to profit in the first half of 2026 as higher volumes and an improvement in North America lifted revenue, but its margins and cash generation still lag behind most European rivals. Second-quarter revenue increased by 13% to €43.5 billion, while shipments rose by 10%. Stellantis posted a net profit of €293 million, compared […]
July 30, 2026
Mercedes-Benz presented the all-new GLA in Warsaw. The compact SUV has a range of up to 657 kilometers and charges at up to 320 kW (not all versions). The electric car can be ordered immediately at prices starting from €48,599. In Belgium, orders are taken as of tomorrow; pricing starts at €49,005. The manufacturer will […]
