April 21, 2026
Hyundai has unveiled the Ioniq 3, a compact electric hatchback positioned between the smaller Inster and the larger Ioniq 5. The Korean manufacturer calls it an ‘Aero Hatch’, with a look inspired by an older sports hatch. It is also the first Hyundai model with an all-new interior approach. Hyundai already announced the arrival of […]
April 20, 2026
Bosch is in crisis and is posting losses for the first time in years. The exorbitant costs of the planned job cuts and the impact of taxes are particularly burdensome. The billions in costs for job cuts, U.S. tariffs, and a high tax burden pushed the technology group Bosch deep into the red last year. […]
April 20, 2026
Because several major rolling stock projects are progressing more slowly than expected, French train manufacturer Alstom has withdrawn its financial targets. Investors reacted negatively to the poor results and punished Alstom severely: on Friday, the stock took a heavy hit, falling by as much as 27,15%. Profound operational changes on the horizon Last week, Alstom […]
April 20, 2026
Germany’s Bundestag has established the legal framework for a new electric vehicle subsidy aimed at low- and middle-income households. While applications are not yet open, the scheme will apply retroactively to EVs registered since the start of the year. The foundation for the new incentive scheme is Germany’s ‘Act on Promoting Climate-Neutral Mobility’, which the […]
April 20, 2026
The next generation of BYD’s best-known compact SUV is preparing for launch in China. Important, as the Yuan Plus is sold in Europe under the Atto 3 moniker. The upgrades are substantial: a larger body, a rear-wheel-drive platform, second-generation Blade battery technology, and flash charging that delivers a near-full charge in under 10 minutes. Commercialization […]
April 17, 2026
A group of 31 European NGOs, including Oxfam, WWF, CAN Europe, and T&E, has called on the EU to tax excess oil profits to support Europeans in the crisis. In a letter, the NGOs, which represent more than 40 million citizens across more than 2,000 member organizations, call for funds to be targeted to shield […]
April 17, 2026
Stellantis gathered the 2,000 workers at its Poissy plant, just west of Paris, yesterday to deliver the news that few found surprising: the site will stop producing cars by the end of 2028. It marks the end of nearly eight decades of vehicle manufacturing in the French capital region. Meanwhile, the group is seeking new […]
April 17, 2026
BMW Group delivered 87,458 BEVs globally in the first quarter of 2026. This represents a 20.1% drop compared to the same period last year. The main reason is the declining sales in China and the US. The order intake for electric vehicles in Europe looks significantly better, thanks to the new iX3. BMW’s battery-electric vehicle […]
April 17, 2026
The Regional Environmental Permit Commission (Gewestelijke OmgevingsVergunningsCommissie, GOVC) has issued favorable opinions – although conditional – for the permits for the Ventilus high-voltage line. It is the final step before the decision by Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns (CD&V). Ventilus is the high-voltage line that Elia, Belgium’s high-voltage grid operator, plans to lay through West Flanders […]
April 16, 2026
The 1,000th electric bus is entering service in Flanders’ public transport system. “A milestone in the transition to greener transport,” is how it’s described. Of those 1,000 e-buses, more than 700 are operated by private bus companies contracted by De Lijn. De Lijn itself currently has nearly 300 e-buses on the road. However, the public […]
April 16, 2026
Ford is closing the chapter on its “startup inside a carmaker” approach to electrification. The Detroit automaker announced that Doug Field, the former Tesla and Apple executive hired in 2021 to lead its EV transformation, will leave the company voluntarily next month. The move is embedded in Ford’s decision to dissolve its standalone EV and […]
April 16, 2026
Volkswagen has officially pulled the wraps off the ID.3 Neo at a world premiere in Hamburg, with pre-sales already kicking off across most European markets. The model – which we reported on in March when the name first surfaced – turns out to be considerably more than a mid-cycle refresh. It’s a fundamentally updated car, […]
April 15, 2026
The Volkswagen Group delivered around 200,000 battery-electric vehicles in the first quarter of 2026, down eight per cent year-on-year. Strong double-digit growth in Europe was not enough to compensate for sharp declines in China and the United States. In the first quarter of 2026, the Volkswagen Group recorded a notable decline in global battery-electric vehicle […]
April 15, 2026
Jacques Vandermeiren (63), the CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, is stepping down after nearly ten years of service. He had been CEO since 2017 and would normally have remained in office until the end of 2029. The Dutchman Rob Smeets, currently COO, will temporarily take over the leadership. Next week, the port authority will start negotiations […]
April 15, 2026
Renault plans to reduce its global engineering workforce by up to 20% over the next two years, without forced layoffs. It’s a move that underscores the profound transformation underway in the automotive industry, as European carmakers scramble to keep pace with faster, cheaper Chinese car development. The French group is targeting a reduction of around […]
April 15, 2026
The VW Group continues to suffer from weak international sales (-4%), particularly in China and the United States, the German carmaker said in Wolfsburg on Monday. BEV deliveries were down 8% year on year. Globally, this pushed the number of deliveries across the VW Group in the time period between January and March down to […]
April 14, 2026
When most people think of hybrid powertrains, they think Toyota. And when people think of Chinese brands, they think of fully electric drivelines. But if it depends on Geely, the parent company of Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, and many more, those reflexes are becoming increasingly outdated. That’s because the sprawling Chinese group has been quietly building […]
April 13, 2026
On Sunday, Belgium reached its Overshoot Day. This means that if all countries in the world followed the Belgian consumption pattern, all the natural resources the planet could supply in one year would already be used up. We would then need 3.6 Earths. Every year, Global Footprint Network calculates Earth Overshoot Day: the date on which humanity […]
April 13, 2026
At its 2026 CEO Investor Day last week, Kia Corporation laid out an ambitious long-term roadmap built around electrification, software-defined vehicles, and new mobility services. While the strategy is global in scope, Europe stands out as a key pillar, with clear volume targets, a rapidly rising EV mix, and a product offensive tailored specifically to […]
April 13, 2026
Last Friday, car manufacturing group Stellantis announced another cut in its engineering crew at the Opel Research & Development center in Rüsselsheim. This means that only 1,000 R&D jobs remain near Opel’s general headquarters in Germany. In other countries, however, Stellantis plans to hire new engineering talent, including some 2,000 in the U.S. and 700 […]
April 13, 2026
Last Friday, the Dutch vehicle approval authority, RDW, dropped a bombshell: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) has been granted type approval for use on public roads in the Netherlands. Tesla says the rollout via over-the-air updates will begin within days, making the Dutch customers the first Europeans to access automated driving at a level that hasn’t […]
April 13, 2026
Volkswagen plans to launch new electric models from its core VW brand in the U.S. only toward the end of the decade, keeping the focus on the ID.4 and ID. Buzz in the meantime. VW U.S. chief Kjell Gruner also sees no market potential for the upcoming compact ID. Every1 in the U.S., despite its […]
April 10, 2026
At the Volkswagen Group, four electric compact cars are ready for launch. The Cupra Raval, the first production model of an upcoming compact electric car family, is now in the spotlight. It will be joined by the ID. Polo and ID. Cross, and by the Skoda Epiq. The Raval is the sporty-looking option of the […]
April 10, 2026
Two years ago, Elon Musk told investors that building affordable electric cars for human drivers was, in his words, “pointless” and “silly.” Instead, his company would focus on the automated Cybercab and the profit model behind it. But Musk’s decision firmness isn’t his greatest quality. Reuters has reported that Tesla is backing off on that […]
April 09, 2026
The BMW Group is adopting a new, innovative hydrogen tank technology for the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, symbolizing the manufacturer’s technology-neutral approach and offering five different drive systems in one single model. The new arrangement and size of the tanks enable a higher range of up to 750 km. The new ‘BMW Hydrogen Flat Storage’ system […]
April 09, 2026
At the VW Brand Night in China, the German car manufacturer has pulled the wraps off the ID. Aura T6. This mid-size electric SUV is built on an entirely new, China-specific architecture. Say goodbye to MEB and meet CEA: the platform co-developed with XPeng. When unveiled, the T6 was still tightly wrapped in camouflage film, […]
April 09, 2026
BMW Group is partnering with Rimac Technology to equip the updated all-electric BMW i7 with Gen6 cylindrical battery cells, targeting higher energy density, increased range, and faster charging. Production of the new high-voltage battery system will take place in Croatia ahead of the i7’s debut at Auto China 2026. At the core of the new […]
April 09, 2026
The quiet closure of the Genk site of OPmobility, part of a French automotive supplier known formerly as Plastic Omium, marks more than the loss of some 50 jobs in Limburg, Belgium. It is a small but telling signal of how Europe’s automotive supply chain is recalibrating its bets on hydrogen mobility – years after […]
April 08, 2026
The Californian Monarch Tractor, a pioneer in self-driving and ‘smart’ electric tractors, is in dire straits. The company lays off almost all of its staff, puts its research site up for rent, and auctions off its assets. The Flemish taxpayer and a number of wealthy Belgian industrial families (Colruyt, Toye, Adriaenssen-de Spoelberch, Thermote) risk losing out. […]
April 08, 2026
Renault Group pays tribute to its former Chairman and CEO, who passed away on November 6, 2025, by naming the Le Mans site (France), the Group’s chassis center of excellence, after him. Meanwhile, the group opens a new chapter in its electric journey by bringing together all of its charging activities and related services under […]
April 08, 2026
Two years after the bankruptcy of bus manufacturer Van Hool, three out of four employees are back at work. This is according to figures released by Flemish Minister of Employment Zuhal Demir. According to the N-VA minister, the figures show that targeted guidance, outplacement, and training through VDAB, a Flemish government agency that matches labor […]
April 07, 2026
Registrations tripled in France, nearly doubled in Norway. After the worst year in recent memory, Tesla’s sales numbers are moving in the right direction again. The question is whether a cheaper Model Y and surpassing a stumbling BYD again are enough to call this a recovery. A year ago, Tesla was bleeding. Exactly one year […]
April 07, 2026
Jean-Dominique Senard, the discreet architect behind Renault’s post-Ghosn recovery, is preparing to close his chapter at the French carmaker. The chairman of Renault Group has indicated he will not seek a new mandate when his term expires in spring 2027, when he will be 74, paving the way for a carefully managed transition at the […]
April 06, 2026
Subaru pulled the wraps off its largest and most powerful electric vehicle yet at the 2026 New York Auto Show. The Getaway is a seven-seat SUV that blends family needs with the brand’s trademark all-terrain credentials. It’s a strictly North-American affair that, despite the adversary context for electric mobility in the region, relies entirely on […]
April 03, 2026
The latest Economic and Market Report for full-year 2025 from ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, paints a cautiously optimistic picture on the surface, but a deeper reading reveals a more unsettling reality for Europe’s automotive sector. While the headline figures point to stabilizing macroeconomic conditions and modest market growth, the underlying data highlights structural […]
April 02, 2026
Auto manufacturing group Stellantis has to recall 700,000 vehicles worldwide due to a fire risk. Models built between 2023 and 2026 have components from the fuel and electrical systems that are too close together, posing a potential fire hazard. In Belgium, 22,000 vehicles are concerned. Stellantis is facing yet another reliability concern with its vehicles. […]
April 02, 2026
The European Commission wants to limit high energy costs for heavy industry by lowering the price European companies pay to Brussels for their CO2 emissions. It would give entrepreneurs more financial breathing room in times of high energy prices and geopolitical unrest. A growing number of countries, including Poland and Italy, have been pushing for […]
April 02, 2026
At the New York International Auto Show, the World Car Awards for 2026 have been revealed. It was the 22nd time that a car obtained the title of World Car of the Year, and this year it was the new BMW iX3, the first of the ‘Neue Klasse’, that won. The World Car Awards are […]
April 02, 2026
According to data from the federal public service Mobility and the sector federation Febiac, 43,733 new cars were registered in Belgium and Luxembourg, an increase of 8.8% compared to last year. In the first three months (YTD), 113,805 new cars were sold, a 5.9% decrease from the same period last year. Most noticeable in March: […]
April 02, 2026
The start of production of the new BMW i3 this summer marks more than just the launch of another electric vehicle. It signals a fundamental transformation at BMW Group Plant Munich, one of the most unusual and strategically important car factories in Europe. As BMW invited the international press, we were able to visit the […]
April 01, 2026
Volvo Cars is drawing closer to sister brand Polestar and its Chinese parent, Geely, through a pair of moves that signal the end of the Swedish carmaker’s long-running independence. Volvo has long benefitted from an exclusive position within the Geely group, lending the brand a strong independence to safeguard its Swedish roots. But that privilege […]
April 01, 2026
With retro design very popular these days and new EU regulations promoting small European EVs, the time may have come for a modern version of the iconic Citroën 2CV. Rumors have it that Citroën wants to surprise everybody at the next Paris Motor Show in October with an entirely new 2CV Concept. Citroen’s new CEO, […]
April 01, 2026
The unveiling on Wednesday of a new hydrogen-powered truck by Volvo Group marks a decisive moment for the future of long-haul transport. Presented alongside plans by Toyota Motor Corporation to join Daimler Truck and Volvo as equal shareholders in their fuel-cell joint venture Cellcentric, the move highlights a growing industrial push to bring hydrogen into […]
April 01, 2026
Alpine announces today the appointment of Massimo Fumarola as Vice President Strategy & Product Performance, effective on 1st April 2026. He will join the Alpine Management Committee and report directly to Philippe Krief, the brand’s Chief Executive Officer. Sovany Ang, who previously held this position, is taking on other responsibilities within Renault Group. 30 years […]
March 31, 2026
BYD is fighting a downward trend in its home market. And the best remedy to counter such a dip is a fresh product. Enter the Song Ultra EV, a car that aims to set a benchmark for what a mid-size electric SUV can deliver for the money. Buyers didn’t fail to notice. The Ultra is […]
March 30, 2026
Pieter De Crem (CD&V) was appointed chairman of high-voltage group Elia in February. This is stated in the company’s annual report. He succeeds Geert Versnick, who passed away last November. De Crem has been a member of the board of directors of the high-voltage group since 2021. He has also been appointed chairman of Elia […]
March 30, 2026
Last week, we reported that a gigantic white hydrogen bubble had been found, presumably extending across the subsurface beneath France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium. There would be an estimated 34 million tons of soil, equivalent to 14 years of Belgium’s electricity consumption. Natural hydrogen fields are rare but highly useful to the industry. Scientists suspect […]
March 30, 2026
BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, reported a 19% decline in net profit for 2025. It’s the company’s first such drop in four years. The results reveal the growing cost of competing in China’s saturated EV market. BYD is hastily looking beyond its home borders to counter the downward trend. The numbers in brief […]
March 30, 2026
The Chinese car manufacturer Geely is restructuring its European development activities by consolidating operations in Sweden and Germany under the new Geely Technology Europe unit. The move is intended to strengthen the region’s role within the group’s global development network. The move comes at the same time as the arrival of Geely-branded cars in Europe. […]
March 27, 2026
The BMW Group is taking a decisive next step in its industrial transformation by announcing a new “Competence Centre Circularity” at its Wackersdorf site in Germany. The company plans to invest a mid-three-digit million euro amount in the project, which is scheduled to be fully operational by around 2029. Once completed, the facility will significantly […]
March 27, 2026
Cupra has quietly updated the Tavascan and added a new entry-level battery variant. A much larger instrument cluster and a revised steering wheel also join the facelift, but the sleek coupe-SUV silhouette remains firmly intact. The Tavascan serves as Cupra’s flagship model, but it has been struggling to find inroads at customers’ driveways. With a […]
March 27, 2026
With the Transit City, Ford Pro has chosen a strategy as surprising as it is logical: an electric van that draws its cost structure from a Chinese joint venture and its credibility from decades of Transit heritage. In a segment that is slowly but irreversibly going electric, Ford is betting on a combination no pure […]
March 27, 2026
Weeks before the official launch, pictures have leaked on the internet of the new ID.Polo, Volkswagen’s highly anticipated €25,000 EV model. Even the more powerful GTI was unveiled at what appeared to be an internal presentation in Wolfsburg. The interior and the back of the car remain undisclosed. The pictures reveal what the camouflaged versions […]
March 26, 2026
Czech carmaker Skoda, part of the Volkswagen Group, will officially exit China by mid-year, underscoring the challenges foreign brands face amid fierce competition in the world’s largest auto market. Struggling to keep pace with China’s rapid shift toward electric vehicles (EVs), Skoda will withdraw from the market by mid-2026, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing the company. Before […]
March 25, 2026
Last year’s rumours have been officially confirmed. Longtime designer at Jaguar Land Rover, Gerry McGovern, is stepping down. One of the most powerful creative voices in the British car industry is heading out on his own, launching a design consultancy. JLR has confirmed that McGovern will formally leave the company at the end of March […]
March 25, 2026
In Pontpierre, near Metz, in northeastern France, hydrogen has been tapped in its natural form. Drilling to a depth of more than 3,600 meters has now confirmed the presence of a significant amount. The white hydrogen bubble was discovered three years ago, but has only now been tapped. The hydrogen bubble is said to extend into […]
March 25, 2026
The Volkswagen Group plans to recall several electric models based on the MEB platform. According to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA or Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), this affects 74,579 units globally of the ID. 3, ID. 4, ID. 5, and ID. Buzz, and ID. Buzz Cargo series, as well as 19,452 Cupra Born vehicles. The issue […]
March 25, 2026
In January-February 2026, year-to-date (YTD), new EU car registrations fell by 1.2% compared to the same period last year, easing the challenging start to the year witnessed in January (-3.9%). In February alone, sales rose by 1.4%. The battery-electric car market share reached 18.8% YTD, highlighting the continued potential for further growth. These are data […]
March 24, 2026
The electric vehicle recycling chain faces a problem that rarely makes headlines: safely breaking a complex, high-voltage electric drivetrain apart before any actual recycling can begin. Luxembourg-based start-up R3 Robotics, formerly known as Circu Li-ion, has just made that problem its entire identity. The company announced a formal rebranding alongside a €20 million fundraising. But […]
March 24, 2026
The numbers are in, and they make for uncomfortable reading if you’re sitting in Seoul, Detroit, or Brussels. Last year, Chinese battery manufacturers controlled 70.4% of the global EV battery market, up 20% from the year before. Basically, all car-producing nations outside of China are losing the battle for battery independence. Gradually, the fears are […]
