VW plans another 50,000 job cuts, four German plants at risk

September 04, 2026

After a months-long deadlock, Volkswagen’s supervisory board has reached a unanimous agreement on a restructuring plan for the group. On top of the previously announced 50.000 job cuts, the plan phases out an additional 50.000 jobs, and 4 German plants are set to close. With the agreement on VW CEO Oliver Blume’s ‘Future Plan 2030 ’, […]

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 […]

Heylen buys Audi Brussels site for major 3,000-job redevelopment

September 01, 2026

Heylen Warehouses, the real estate arm of the family-owned industrial holding company led by the Kempen-based entrepreneur Wim Heylen, has purchased the former Audi site in the Brussels municipality of Forrest/Vorst. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. The site covers approximately 55 hectares and has been vacant for a year and a […]

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 […]

Finnish Suvia buys Belgium’s largest body repair chain AutoRepairGroup

September 01, 2026

Belgium’s biggest independent body repair network is changing ownership. After a period under the umbrella of a private equity firm, AutoRepairGroup has been acquired by its Finnish peer Suvia. It reads as an early sign of a consolidation wave that will ripple through the sector as electric vehicles are rewriting the playbook. AutoRepairGroup runs fourteen […]

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 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 […]

VW’s smallest EV will be named ID. Up

August 31, 2026

Volkswagen’s planned electric small car for 2027, with a projected base price of around €20,000, will be called ID. Up, not ID.1, according to a Spanish media report. The publication writes that VW has already finalized the model’s name as ID. Up. The specifications of the new ID. Up are expected to largely match those […]

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. […]

BMW sold 2 million BEVs and 3.5 million electrified vehicles

August 27, 2026

BMW’s Neue Klasse is apparently providing strong momentum for fully electric vehicle sales.  Two million BEVs have been handed over to customers since sales of the very first BMW i3 launched in late 2013. Including plug-in hybrids, BMW has delivered around 3.5 million electrified vehicles to customers worldwide since 2013. In the first half of […]

Honda won’t build a new US factory without USMCA agreement

August 27, 2026

The consequences of the upcoming trade war between the US and Canada are already showing. A senior Honda executive said the Japanese automaker might not build an eighth assembly plant in North America unless a key trade deal (USMCA) is extended. The Trump administration is currently negotiating with Canada and Mexico over the fate of […]

Geely is developing a 1,000-volt architecture for shorter charging times

August 27, 2026

Geely is developing a new 1,000-volt architecture for electric cars to further reduce charging times. The Chinese group has already installed charging points with peak outputs of up to 1,500 kW. Its latest charging tests show just how quickly its current models can recharge. In its current electric vehicles, Geely is increasingly adopting 800-volt technology. […]

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 […]

Canada-US trade deal has faltered; tariff threats swing back and forth (update)

August 26, 2026

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he will raise US tariffs on all Canadian-made cars, trucks, and auto parts to 50%, effective Jan. 1, after talks with Canada collapsed over the weekend. The deal on the table would have cut the tariff on Canadian light-duty vehicles from 25% to 15%, and the metals tariff […]

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 […]

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 […]

Global electric truck and bus sales nearly doubled in 2025

August 24, 2026

According to a study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), electric trucks and buses reached half a million units and a market share of nearly 14%, largely driven by China’s expansion in the truck segment. Electric trucks and buses crossed the half-million-unit mark globally in 2025, with sales nearly doubling (+86%) for the […]

Genesis presents electric flagship GV90: not subtle, but slated for Europe

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 […]

Semi truck comes to Europe: can Tesla disrupt one more time?

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 […]

BMW shows details of the electric M3 Concept

August 21, 2026

BMW showed its ‘beast’, the M3 Concept based on the Neue Klasse platform, for the first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now, BMW showed it for the first time in the U.S. at the Monterey Car Week, with a lot more pics and details. Officially, the M Concept Neue Klasse aims to […]

Ghent loses its Volvo plant boss but gains an ally at the top

August 20, 2026

Volvo Car Gent has to start looking for a new plant director less than a year after Magnus Nilsson took charge. But his departure may be better news for the Belgian factory than it first appears. From September 1, Nilsson becomes Volvo Cars’ Chief Manufacturing Officer and joins the Executive Management Team, just as Ghent […]

Einride orders 500 Tesla Semi trucks through partnership deal with Tesla

August 20, 2026

Einride, a provider specializing in electric and autonomous freight transport, wants to expand its electric fleet in the US with 500 Tesla Semi trucks. The battery-powered trucks are to be used, among other things, for Amazon’s logistics operations. Einride has announced a partnership with Tesla to prepare for the “world’s largest Tesla Semi deployment.” The […]

Plug Power exit pushes Antwerp closer to hydrogen import-hub role

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 […]

BMW prepares Leipzig plant for Neue Klasse production

August 19, 2026

BMW has used a five-and-a-half-week production break at its Leipzig plant to carry out extensive upgrades ahead of Neue Klasse production. To that end, BMW replaced 240 lift tables and installed 160 new robots. BMW has yet to reveal which models it will produce there. As early as June, BMW announced plans to prepare its […]

Horse powertrain bets on methanol for range-extended electric vehicles

August 19, 2026

The Renault-Geely powertrain joint venture Horse Powertrain has unveiled a methanol-only range extender system. While this might not be the best fit for Europe, methanol-based drivelines are a big thing in China. But are they CO2-friendly? The D20 Methanol driveline from Horse was presented at Auto China 2026. It pairs a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine […]

Europe wants circular cars, Belgium already has 98% recycling system

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 […]

Mercedes C with internal combustion engines gets updated

August 18, 2026

Shortly after the European market launch of the electric C‑Class, the ICE model family (codename W206), sedan and estate, receive a comprehensive technical upgrade and a sharper silhouette with an expressive light signature. With a sharper presence, enhanced comfort, and a broad choice of electrified high-tech petrol and gasoline engines, as well as plug-in hybrid models, […]

New Geely chairman An Conghui’s EU push could reshape Volvo Ghent

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 […]

France introduces an incentive scheme for used EVs

August 17, 2026

In France, the purchase and leasing of used electric vehicles will receive financial support starting in September. Overall, the measure is not particularly generous: currently, only about 337 euros per vehicle are available through the so-called CEE system. In contrast, healthcare workers can expect significantly more when purchasing a used EV. The scheme is funded […]

Germany’s car industry hits 21-year job low after losing 42,300 workers

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. […]

First Ferrari Luce auctioned for $40 million

August 17, 2026

Sports car manufacturer Ferrari’s first all-electric vehicle once again defied earlier criticism by selling for $40 million (±€35 million), making it the most expensive new car ever sold at auction. The Sotheby’s charity auction of the ‘Tailor-Made’ Luce with chassis number 000 (or, in fact, ZFF21BUA8T0338000 in full reading) at Monterey Car Week broke the […]

Upcoming Jaguar Type 01 shows its inside

August 14, 2026

After showing the dramatic exterior of the prototype of its first new car in the Type 00 series, Jaguar now lifts the veil on its equally surprising interior. We will learn how the car will look in its production form from the outside on 6 October, when it premieres in New York. Most dramatic inside […]

Tesla ends Sweden’s 3-year strike by buying out every last striker

August 14, 2026

After 1,021 days, or almost three years, Sweden’s largest industrial union IF Metall is calling off its strike against Tesla. The reason is as appalling as it is bitter: the American EV maker bought out the remaining strikers one by one until there was nobody left to picket. The public fight started on October 27, […]

DAF sources Einride for Level 4 autonomy into its electric line-up

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. […]

Chevrolet exits Chinese market, but production will stay

August 14, 2026

General Motors has confirmed that the Chevrolet brand will stop selling new cars in the Chinese market. Meanwhile, GM is clarifying that the brand will continue production within the country but will shift its strategic focus toward exporting vehicles to international markets outside of the United States. The move caps a brutal sales slide for the […]

Porsche to form EU CO₂ pool with… Xpeng

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 […]

German car buyers finally switch to electric, also second-hand

August 12, 2026

Growing numbers of German drivers are switching to electric cars, with the used vehicle market now also seeing a surge in uptake, according to new data from the German insurer HUK Coburg published on Tuesday. Among all private customers who switched their HUK-insured car in the second quarter, nearly 12% or one in eight moved […]

Raleigh, Batavus and Sparta owner Accell declared bankrupt (update)

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 […]

Renault looks beyond retro as it starts reinventing its success models

August 12, 2026

In an interview with the English car magazine Autocar, Renault brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive said the French manufacturer’s first objective is to add some “purely new models” to its existing line-up. While the Renault boss didn’t rule out more retro-inspired models, Cambolive insisted Renault won’t fill its line-up with them, instead saying any such model […]

SAIC-VW’s ID. Era 5X is also bound for Europe; others will follow

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 […]

Mitsubishi turns engine factory into humanoid robot plant

August 10, 2026

Mitsubishi Motors is preparing to enter the humanoid robot race on an unusually ambitious scale. Together with University of Tokyo spin-off Highlanders, the Japanese carmaker plans to develop and mass-produce humanoid robots at its Kyoto plant, with production targeted for early 2027 and capacity eventually reaching up to 1,000 units a month. The project goes […]

Porsche SE holding company posts loss

August 10, 2026

Porsche SE, the holding company controlled by the Porsche and Piëch families, swung to a €2.2 billion loss in the first half of 2026 due to huge writedowns on its stakes in Volkswagen and sports carmaker Porsche. The Stuttgart-based company had posted a profit of €300 million in the same period last year. Porsche SE […]

Belgium blocks Chinese acquisition of helicopter operator NHV

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 […]

Mazda is steadily growing thanks to Europe and North America

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 […]

Rhine drought threatens Germany’s truck-free Sundays (update)

August 10, 2026

Four German federal states are temporarily lifting the driving ban that has kept trucks off the highways on Sundays and public holidays since 1956. The measure came into effect this weekend and is intended to provide an alternative to waterborne transport, given the extremely low water levels of the Rhine. The states of Rhineland-Palatinate, North […]

Belgium’s automotive world moves under one roof in Diegem (update)

August 06, 2026

Belgium’s leading automotive organizations are preparing to move into a common headquarters in Diegem. FEBIAC says its twenty employees will transfer to the new House of Mobility from October 1, with the official inauguration scheduled for November 26. The federation of vehicle manufacturers and importers is driving the project, which will unite manufacturers, leasing companies, […]

BMW starts i3 production, keeps presales under wraps

August 06, 2026

BMW has started series production of the new electric i3 at its historic Munich plant, describing the launch as a steep ramp-up driven by strong demand. The electric sports saloon is the second production model of the Neue Klasse after the iX3 and the first to be built in Germany. Customer deliveries are due to […]

Belgium and Netherlands double down on cross-border power links

August 05, 2026

On Tuesday, August 4, the Brabo III high-voltage line in the Port of Antwerp was officially opened, with the Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) and Dutch Minister Rob Jetten in attendance. Elia and TenneT have inaugurated the Brabo project – an upgrade to the electricity interconnection between Belgium and the Netherlands – in […]

Renault’s EV boom lifts revenue, but finance rivals car profits

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 […]

Antwerp is a diesel hub, but Belgian drivers still pay soaring global price

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 […]

Belux registrations down 7.4% in July, BEVs have the highest market share

August 04, 2026

According to data from the sector federation Febiac and the federal public service Mobility and Transport, 29,274 new cars were registered in July, 7.4% fewer than in July 2025. After 7 months in 2026, 266,209 new cars were registered, and that’s a decline of 2.4% compared to last year. As the professional car market is […]

Shell pulls back from green energy, TotalEnergies picks up the pieces

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 […]

XPeng releases the G9L SUV targeting the global market

August 03, 2026

Xpeng began teasing the G9L SUV in China on Monday, deepening its bet on the large SUV market after the GX flagship. The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker calls the G9L a “global 5-seater tech flagship”, making it another SUV aimed at the global market after the GX and the Mona L03. Xpeng said the […]

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