March 07, 2023
More than two-thirds (68%) of lithium-ion battery production planned for Europe is at risk of being delayed, scaled down, or canceled, a new analysis of Transport & Environment (T&E) shows. Tesla in Berlin, Northvolt in northern Germany, and Italvolt near Turin are among the projects that stand to lose the greatest volumes of their slated […]
March 02, 2023
The ten biggest leasing companies in Europe, managing today a fleet of 12 million vehicles, are ‘overcharging’ electric cars systematically on average by 57% or €233 per month, and €8 370 over 36 months, compared to a similar vehicle on gasoline. They claim lower resale values based on uncertainty on battery degradation, among others. Still, […]
February 24, 2023
Vincent Cobée, the current CEO of the Citroën brand, part of the Stellantis Group, will be replaced by Thierry Koskas as of March 1st. Cobée, recently cited in our articles, “has decided to pursue personal projects outside the company”, as it always sounds in official press releases. “In the light of the growing challenges related […]
February 22, 2023
According to the figures of the European Car Manufacturers Association ACEA, in January, the European Union passenger car market grew by 11,3% to 760 041 units, starting the new year on a positive note. However, one must consider that this was mainly due to an unusually modest comparison base in 2022 when the lowest January […]
February 21, 2023
In an interview with the British car magazine Autocar, Dacia Vice-President for Sales, Marketing, and Operations Xavier Martinet says that a much greater emphasis needs to be put on weight efficiency when designing (EV) cars. “If we’re serious about collectively reducing emissions, then excessive weight should not be acceptable.” Martinet made his statement when he […]
February 15, 2023
It is now officially confirmed that Ford Motor Company is again planning to cut thousands of jobs. Some 3 800 across Europe before 2025, but the biggest part of it will be in Germany (2 300) and the UK (1 300). The proving grounds in Belgian Lommel also seem to be threatened. The American number […]
February 10, 2023
Porsche’s new electric flagship should be launched in 2027 and will be a seven-seater, off-road-capable luxury crossover. Porsche previously announced that it is working on an electric SUV positioned above the familiar models. Now, the first technical data have surfaced. According to information from the British magazine Autocar, the SUV will be more than five […]
January 23, 2023
The 100th-anniversary edition of the Brussels Motor Show (BMS) welcomed some 270 000 public visitors in nine days. That’s considerably less than in the heydays before the pandemic, but it still makes it the most popular indoor event in Belgium. The organizers hoped that 300-350 000 people would have found their way to the halls […]
January 19, 2023
After leaving the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) last year, Stellantis has just announced they will stop all European lobbying efforts. CEO Carlos Tavares made the decision as a way to be more proactive than reactive in terms of future mobility strategies. “We no longer have lobbyists. We do not negotiate anymore,” Tavares says. “We […]
January 11, 2023
In 2022, the high-luxury daughter of BMW, Rolls-Royce, sold 6021 cars. Never before has the illustrious company sold so many cars: 8% more than the previous record year, and that was 2021. Bentley sold more than 15 000 cars, also a record. So the Ukrainian war, the energy prices, etc., don’t affect the buying habits […]
January 10, 2023
When one follows the car market and the manufacturers’ policies, one of the ever-recurring words is ‘premium’. There’s almost no manufacturer anymore that doesn’t want to be –be it partly – premium, at the same time neglecting a (big) part of its former sales base. It’s becoming very crowdy in this premium part of the […]
January 09, 2023
In an interview with the German specialized magazine Automobilwoche at the Computer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares warns the industry that many European middle-class customers will buy Chinese in the future. “The price difference between European and Chinese cars is considerable,” he says. “If we do nothing about this, consumers […]
January 03, 2023
Despite an excellent December month (+20,6% compared to last year), the Belgian car market regressed by 4,4% compared to 2021. This was due to significant deficits in sales in the first seven months, which couldn’t be compensated by the progress in the last five months. As the Belgian market stays dominated by company cars, BMW […]
December 29, 2022
You won’t be stared at for its modern but not unique looks when driving by, as this family hatchback – MG’s latest EV washing ashore in Europe – could be one in a thousand. Unless you chose that ‘Fizzy Orange’ color. Driving the basic version for the first time on Belgian roads, this MG4 proves […]
December 29, 2022
The era of the original Smart two-seater has gone. In came the new Smart, a completely different approach and the fruit of a collaboration between Mercedes and Geely. The new #1 is also a completely electric car, like the latest ‘old’ Smarts, but every other similarity halts here. The newcomer is a crossover that tries […]
December 22, 2022
Toyota has announced a €77 million investment for producing fifth-generation hybrid powertrains at its Poland and UK plants. The powertrain will be built in the UK and Turkey and used for the first time in the new Corolla. Seven production lines will be upgraded at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland (TMMP) and Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK […]
November 25, 2022
Truck transport is massively polluting, and the emissions from transporting retail goods spike 94% during Black Friday week. However, there is a ready-made solution in the form of zero-emission trucks, the European environmental lobbying group Transport and Environment (T&E) says. Black Friday is notorious for peak consumerism and waste. Trucking retail goods is a dirty […]
November 12, 2022
Lately, almost all manufacturers are talking about becoming more premium in their future plans, abandoning the lower A- and B-segments. One should expect from a premium/luxury player like BMW the same. But this has been recently denied by the big boss himself, Oliver Zipse, talking at an event hosted by car supplier Bosch. A few […]
November 08, 2022
It’s getting colorful but complicated. We already know grey hydrogen, the least environmentally friendly form, as it still generates CO2 when produced from gas, and blue hydrogen, where the CO2 is captured and stored. There is ‘green’ hydrogen, generated mainly by electrolysis using renewable electricity from solar or wind energy. But why not consider ‘turquoise’ […]
October 25, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the Paris Motor Show ‘Mondial de l’Auto’ last week. But in the wake of the difficulties almost all motor shows are experiencing post-pandemic, the Mondial seems to have lost its global character. As a result, only 400 000 visitors showed up, while the previous edition attracted more than a million. […]
October 20, 2022
On Wednesday, the BMW Group announced a $1,7 billion investment in its US operations, including $1 billion to prepare for the production of electric vehicles at the company’s existing US manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly facility nearby Woodruff. By 2030, BMW Group will build […]
October 19, 2022
After turning the Qashqai into an electric car with a permanently running generator on gasoline, Nissan did the same trick with another success number, the X-Trail. But this time, with more muscle and 4WD, adding a second 94 kW motor on the rear axle. We got the chance to try out what Nissan likes to […]
September 19, 2022
If it were up to the Open Vld, car inspection as we know it today would be dropped, and periodic vehicle inspections would be put in the hands of garage owners instead of the current (regional) government-regulated monopoly of technical centers. This was one of the propositions adopted at the annual party congress of the […]
September 06, 2022
The board of the VW Group approved Porsche AG’s IPO when the capital market’s evolution is not disturbed too much. The Board of Surveillance of the Group has also agreed. The actual Initial Public Offering is scheduled for the end of the year; from the end of September on will be given by the intention […]
August 30, 2022
A Greenpeace East Asia research report shows that 93% of Toyota’s manufacturing facilities are at high risk from the consequences of climate change. Honda and Nissan also occupy positions high up in the ranking; Volkswagen and Renault are in the lower parts of the operations risk comparison. This conclusion is based on an analysis of […]
August 22, 2022
Since July, Swedish-Chinese Lynk & Co has raised its monthly subscription price for the the 01 SUV PHEV from €500 to €550 (VAT incl.) or a full 10% for all new contracts. For existing subscribers, the raise will be effective only from September 1st, 2022, as a kind of ‘gesture’. In an email to all […]
August 09, 2022
From 16 August, vehicle inspection centers in Flanders must resume their normal activities and stop accepting customers by appointment only. This is what Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) has decided. The minister is also demanding an audit of the operation and customer satisfaction of the facilities after the complaints piled up in […]
August 08, 2022
The bi-annual Paris Motor Show, the ‘Mondial de l’Automobile’, will take place from 17 to 23 October this year at the usual spot in Paris (Porte de Versailles). One may notice the shortened period, and the organizers hope to attract half a million visitors in these seven days, also because the after-sales show Equipauto will […]
August 05, 2022
Toyota Motor Corporation kept its profit outlook for the current year, while investors expected an upgrade. However, the immediate result was a share price fall of 3%, as the stock market always wants higher results. Toyota’s top managers point at the ‘many uncertainties ahead’. “We are not confident enough to raise guidance,” they say, as […]
July 26, 2022
After the stock market’s closing, Volkswagen announced a complete surprise on Friday evening. CEO Herbert Diess is leaving the company at the end of August. On 1 September, Porsche boss Oliver Blume will take over and lead both companies in parallel. The market reacted negatively on Monday, questions arise everywhere if the new CEO will […]
July 25, 2022
Together with the fully electric Ariya, Nissan let us take a taste in Sweden of the new Qashqai e-Power, a totally different kind of hybrid. Not the HEV we’re used to knowing from pioneers like Toyota, not a plug-in hybrid you can charge at home, but an electric car with a nearly permanently running generator […]
July 15, 2022
When Nissan, one of the pioneers of electric driving with the Leaf, says that the new Ariya is the stepping stone to a whole new range of EVs, we are all ears. Driving it on Swedish roads around Stockholm, it reveals itself as a better version – roomier, sharper, quieter, more efficient, and even more […]
July 14, 2022
A bill currently under study in the North Carolina legislature would allocate $50 000 to get rid of free public EV chargers unless free gas pumps are built alongside. That’s what a Car&Driver magazine contributor has noticed in its state and neighborhood, District 52 of that same US state. “Politicians have to run on some […]
June 21, 2022
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) commented on the latest EU plans, part of the ‘Fit for 55’ climate package. Regarding the regulations for private/non-public charging infrastructure, the Commission has to be more ambitious. Of course, ACEA welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to review the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) as part of the […]
May 13, 2022
Wednesday, a new president for the board was elected at the Autoworld museum in Brussels. Ex-Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, now still a member of the European Parliament, has accepted to succeed to another well-known Open-Vld politician, Herman De Croo, who has been heading the museum for 36 years. The entire Autoworld team is very grateful […]
May 01, 2022
When you’re invited as one of the few to test drive a pre-production model of a brand’s new flagship, it’s an offer you can’t refuse. Especially when it comes from one of Japan’s smaller but still independent carmakers, Mazda. Its CX-60 PHEV might look familiar from the outside, but it houses a lot of ‘Mazda […]
April 26, 2022
Already wanted in Japan (where he fled jurisdiction in December 2019) and searched for by Interpol, former Alliance President Carlos Ghosn is now also persecuted in France. French justice wants to investigate alleged misuse of public goods, money laundering, and corruption. The now 68-year-old car tycoon fell from grace in 2018 when he was at […]
April 20, 2022
French carmaker Renault announced it would unveil its hydrogen concept car on May 19th at the ChangeNOW summit to be hosted between the Grand Palais Ephémère and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, expecting 400 delegations from 120 countries. It looks like Renault is carefully following the hydrogen path for the passenger car of Toyota, Hyundai, […]
April 14, 2022
Like many manufacturers, Porsche is working on a bidirectional V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) charging system. This means the vehicle can store electricity in its battery, but it can also feed power back into the grid at peak times to balance the grid. The question is whether this system offers a structural solution, or is it just a […]
April 14, 2022
The Mercedes Vision EQXX prototype for the electric sedan of the future has recently proven its 1 000 km + range in real driving conditions. After a 1 008 km long drive from the research center in Sindelfingen (Stuttgart) to Cassis (French riviera), the car had some 140 km range left. Driving from Germany to […]
April 12, 2022
As the number of electric vehicles (EVs) is growing, the need for clear charging rules is rising too. For example, in Arnhem (north of Holland), a court has condemned an EV owner to finally pay the fine he got in 2020 for occupying a charging point for too long. The EV owner had refused to […]
March 23, 2022
As one of the first journalists in Europe, we were able to drive the first Subaru EV, the Solterra, on a closed test circuit in Aldenhoven, near Aachen (Germany). This spring, the Solterra arrives on the market together with the Toyota bZ4x, its twin brother. But to say that Solterra is a mere copy of […]
March 10, 2022
Generally, BMW is very cautious about admitting hydrogen could become a viable alternative for the electric passenger car. But meanwhile, it proves at its test center in Arjeplog, Sweden, on the Arctic Circle, that its iX5 Hydrogen is better suited for extreme winter conditions than any BEV. No range loss and refueled in 3-4 minutes […]
March 03, 2022
The US car manufacturer Ford has announced that it will split its automotive business into two separate companies. Electric vehicles will in future be developed and built by ‘Ford Model e’, the combustion cars by ‘Ford Blue’. In addition, Ford’s European boss Stuart Rowley will get an extra job in the course of this restructuring. […]
March 01, 2022
For the first time in the Car of the Year (COTY) history, a Korean car has been chosen, and he’s purely electrically driven too. Also noticeable: from the 7 finalists, 6 were fully electric, and the seventh (Peugeot 308) is already available as a PHEV and will normally come as an EV too. After a […]
February 23, 2022
Germany has joined France in opposition to banning all ICE cars (with an internal combustion engine) in Europe by 2035. On Monday, the German Transport Minister, Volker Wissing (FDP), has pleaded to study synthetic fuels as an alternative to use in ICE cars. The European Transport and Infrastructure Ministers and other representatives were united at […]
February 21, 2022
According to undisclosed sources talking to financial press agency Bloomberg, there’s a possibility that American car manufacturer Ford is thinking of separating its electric division from the rest of the company producing ICE cars. Competitors specializing in manufacturing electric vehicles like Tesla and (soon) Rivian are big hits on the stock market. Lately, even well-known […]
February 04, 2022
BMW Group CEO, Oliver Zipse, is joining Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares to warn about the “premature and thoughtless banning” of ICE cars. In a meeting with German politicians in Bavaria, he emphasized that ICE cars dominate sales in Europe and Germany despite the growth of electrified vehicles. Not so long ago, Zipse’s colleague at Stellantis, […]
January 19, 2022
In an interview with four European media, the CEO of Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, gave his thoughts on Europe’s campaign to phase out the internal combustion engine by 2035. The 63-year-old company director believes that switching to more expensive EVs without a progressive transition could create a social fracture. One year after the fusion of French […]
January 11, 2022
Nowadays, it is challenging for consumers to decide which propulsion method or fuel is the best. Brandstofwijzer.be is DATS 24’s attempt to guide the consumer through the choice options. “What should I buy?” It has become a quasi-rhetorical question by now because even a technically skilled automotive journalist with broad market knowledge cannot give conclusive […]
January 03, 2022
2022 will be the year the German premium car manufacturer BMW really engages itself in electric mobility. With the partly iconic i3 and the i8 PHEV sports car, the Munich firm was a pioneer, but it hesitated a few years before it went for it due to lack of success. Now seems to be the […]
December 28, 2021
During the first eleven months of this year, BMW registered 37 184 cars, while the second, Volkswagen, managed 32 688 cars. It’s improbable that VW will catch up during the sole month of December, so BMW, a German premium brand, is the best-seller in Belgium and Luxembourg for the first time. As the market has […]
December 23, 2021
Of the German premium brands, Mercedes is the first to put a fully electric limousine on the market. The EQS is the top model of Mercedes’ electric branch EQ. It also harbors the S in its name, from S-Class or, in German, Sonder Klasse, extraordinary classy, so to say. Does it live up to this […]
December 21, 2021
The Federal and Flemish Governments want to accelerate the electrification of the Belgian car fleet. The phasing out of the tax deduction for company cars with combustion engines will significantly increase the number of electric vehicles in the Belgian fleet over the next few years. To charge these vehicles quickly, Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia […]
December 16, 2021
After nine months of formation and debate, the new to form Dutch government (still to be accepted in the Parliament) has presented its major guidelines. One of them is the introduction of a kind of road pricing, taxing the use of the car, not its possession. The system is to be fully operational in… 2030. […]
December 16, 2021
The development of the BMW i7 is entering its final phase with a test program under extreme road and weather conditions. The electric motors, all-wheel drive, and high-voltage battery prove their performance and reliability under maximum loads. The car is currently tested in the world’s extreme weather regions. Currently, it’s primarily hot-region testing that takes […]
December 10, 2021
BMW’s CEO and Chairman of the Board, Oliver Zipse, has been confirmed for a second term as president of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). That’s no surprise, as the federation’s president is elected by its members annually for a year-long term, which can be renewed once. He is facing a challenging next year, with […]
December 08, 2021
In a recent worldwide survey conducted by the Cetelem Observatory on the popularity of SUVs, it emerges that sales are expected to continue growing. Out of the 11 000 web respondents from 17 different countries, only 33% consider that SUVs pollute more, and 29% of them say their next purchase will be an SUV. For […]
December 02, 2021
After already being indicted in France, Peugeot, and Citroën, members of the Stellantis Group, have opened a jurisdictional inquiry against them in Germany. After almost all the German manufacturers and suppliers like Bosch and Continental, the German court now turns to foreign carmakers in the wake of dieselgate. The latter is a software fraud with […]
November 29, 2021
After consultation of its members, the Belgian car manufacturers and importers federation Febiac has decided to cancel the coming Brussels Motor Show (14 till 23 January 2022) given the rising concerns about the corona pandemic. “We anticipate on the fact that the alarming sanitary situation and the probable introduction of more restrictive measures won’t allow […]
