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 […]
November 16, 2021
Toyota Vice-President Shigeru Hayakawa takes up the cudgels for hybrid cars. According to Toyota, hybrid cars – HEV and PHEV – will still play a crucial role in reducing emissions in worldwide transport. Hayakawa is, therefore, pointing at South-East Asia and Africa, where he sees a vital role for hybrids. He states that countries with […]
November 03, 2021
The possible plan of the Flemish government to force all new cars sold by 2027 to be electric is provoking many reactions. Although we’re still talking about propositions, these reactions are numerous and vehement. Because of the COP26 climate gathering in Glasgow, the Flemish government is brooding on possible green measures to have something to […]
November 02, 2021
In its frantic search to have something to show at the COP26 climate gathering in Glasgow, the Flemish government is thinking of an obligation to buy electric cars by 2027. Second-hand ICE cars would then be forbidden to be sold by 2030. Inside the Flemish government, there is an ongoing search to see what trophies […]
October 19, 2021
Dacia has just launched the Spring, the cheapest pure electric car on the market. For just over 17 000 euros, you can buy an EV with a range of 225 km. Initially intended for use in shared car platforms, the car is also available on the consumer market. The Dacia Spring is already existing and […]
September 27, 2021
More than two-thirds of the Belgian car buyers consider purchasing an environmentally friendly car within two years. That’s the result of a study held by the ING Belgium bank at the end of the European mobility week. More than half (57%) of the 1 200 Belgians interrogated think that politicians have to consider the electrification […]
September 17, 2021
The Brussels Motor Show (BMS) in January 2022 will take place. VW Group importer D’Ieteren is still dropping out, but the Stellantis group has decided to participate. Organizer Febiac hast just announced that there will be a 2022 edition. For a while now, motor shows have been having problems seeing everyone on their exhibit platforms. […]
September 17, 2021
MG is a Chinese brand that can launch the right product at the right time, as today the brand is bringing out a semi-premium SUV at a starting price of €40 000. MG is one of the new players in the Belgian and, by extension, European car market. The manufacturer is of Chinese origin and […]
September 13, 2021
Between Tuesday the 5th of September and Sunday the 12th, the German IAA Motor Show in Munich took place. It not only changed location, but it also intended to be ‘another show’. Was this the ‘motor show 2.0’ everyone is looking for? It’s no coincidence that the IAA now has an add-on. From now on, […]
September 09, 2021
At the IAA Mobility, Porsche presented its purely electric customer motorsport vision with the Mission R concept. The concept car is intended to be more than just a design study, and a rolling chassis is already being tested. Porsche already showed a Mission E concept in 2015, launched in 2019 as the Taycan, the first […]
September 07, 2021
212 km, or about the distance between Brussels and Ostend, both ways. That is the number of kilometers of traffic jams in Belgium yesterday morning. Between 30 August and 3 September, congestion on Flemish motorways was even 14% higher than in the same week in 2019. It is the first time since the start of […]
August 06, 2021
Hyundai launches the Ioniq 5 on the Belgian market today. The basic version of this striking and fully electric SUV is for sale from €45 999 onward, and even this version gets a battery with a capacity of 58 kWh, which gives an autonomy of over 400 km. Moreover, with the 800 V technology, the […]
August 05, 2021
The biggest problem with PHEV cars is the charging discipline of the user. BMW wants to do something about that. In the UK, it is rewarding its PHEV customers for each electric mile driven. BMW has launched its program ‘BMW Points’ in the UK, rewarding PHEV customers for the electric miles they’ve driven with their […]
July 22, 2021
Volkswagen AG delivered more than twice as many electric cars (BEVs) in the first half of 2021 as in the same period last year (+165,2%). The Group sold 170 939 battery-electric cars worldwide by the end of June, 110 991 of them in Q2 of this year alone. In addition, the Group delivered a total […]
July 15, 2021
The dieselgate saga continues: Volkswagen has been condemned in the Netherlands to pay indemnities to 150 000 owners of VW products. Last week, there was a similar verdict in Italy. The consumer organization Stichting Car Claim has been vindicated by the Amsterdam Court. Car Claim sued Volkswagen, software supplier Bosch, VW-importer Pon, and the VW […]
June 23, 2021
Oliver Zipse, CEO of the BMW Group, is defending his strategy to sell only half of its cars with all-electric drive in 2030. Compared to what competitors (like Audi) are putting forward, BMW’s strategy has been categorized as ‘unambitious”. In an interview with the German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Zipse comments: “If a manufacturer no longer […]
June 18, 2021
Mazda has revealed its new technology and product strategy up to the year 2030. Between 2022 and 2025, the Japanese automaker plans three purely electric models, five plug-in hybrids, and five hybrid models with Toyota technology, based on the ‘Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture. Last year, Mazda introduced its first electric car, the MX-30. In 2025, […]
June 14, 2021
The Swedish car manufacturer Volvo, part of the Chinese Geely Group, will not be present at the 2022 Brussels Motor Show (BMS). Volvo was one of the pioneers in giving motor shows the cold-shoulder. Meanwhile, Febiac CEO Andreas Cremer has confirmed that there will be a 2022 edition of BMS. The Belgian Alain Visser, now […]
June 08, 2021
A mobility expert from the Brussels University VUB pleads for zones in the cities where no SUVs are allowed. The reactions to the proposal are very mitigated. Most of them consider it unfeasible. Mobility expert Eva Van Eeno (VUB) thinks it’s time for action. According to sector federation, Febiac, 48% of the newly registered vehicles […]
June 01, 2021
Charging electric vehicles will be a major challenge in the coming years as fiscal policy measures in particular will increase the sales and thus the use of 100% electric vehicles. Intelligent use of the limited charging infrastructure, but above all a clear understanding of the costs that a charging session will generate, is imperative. Charging […]
May 28, 2021
After the decision of a Dutch court that oil company Shell has to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% in 2030 (compared to 2019), the fossil fuel companies feel threatened from all sides. Where political decision-makers are failing, justice is taken over. Inside the companies, there is also questioning about the course to follow. Action […]
May 25, 2021
The Dutch province of Utrecht plans to build up to ten hydrogen filling stations by 2025 and to put a total of 1 800 hydrogen-powered Hyzon Motors vehicles into services. The initiative is part of the province’s agreement and overall strategy for infrastructure cooperation supported by the Hyzon Zero Carbon Alliance. EnergyCollective Utrecht Businesses (ECUB), […]
May 20, 2021
The agreement on a new taxation system for company cars provokes a lot of reactions. They come from all kinds of sources, inside and outside the sector. We listed and commented on some of them. Of course, the most fundamental criticism is that the company car’s ‘greening’ will not change much for the underlying problems. […]
May 18, 2021
Today, Skoda launches its first large electric car, the Enyaq iV. It’s no surprise that Skoda delivers this important product with a spacious SUV body that is perfectly comparable in proportions to the Kodiaq, Skoda’s largest SUV model with classic internal combustion engines. The Enyaq iV is built on a completely different platform than its […]
May 11, 2021
At its formation, the so-called Vivaldi coalition forming the Belgian federal government had big plans to ‘green’ the company cars. As of 2026, the fiscally attractive regime for company cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE) would be banned. Now, difficulties and differences arise about the implementation of these measures. For the second time already, […]
May 10, 2021
Last year, Car Pass received mileage readings for the first time from vehicles imported into Belgium from abroad. This revealed that fraud in an adjusted odometer was involved in 2,4% of the imported cars. This is to be compared with the 0,2% registered with non-imported cars. On average, 55 000 km less than the actual […]
April 27, 2021
A few months ago, Hyundai amazed the world with its Ioniq 5. Hyundai has become one of the car manufacturers that features the most current engine technologies without making much noise. And with the Belgian Luc Donckerwolke, the group attracted one of the most influential design gurus. In about 30 years, the Hyundai group has […]
April 23, 2021
For the first time since its existence (starting in 1954), there will be no Tokyo Motor Show in the fall of 2021. The Japanese car manufacturers association JAMA has announced the decision due to the new outbreak of the coronavirus registered in Japan recently. “We decided to annul this year’s Tokyo Motor Show,” announced Akio […]
April 09, 2021
The car industry supplier Punch Powertrain in Sint-Truiden (east of Belgium) is having serious problems again. After 138 people leaving the company last year, another 245 jobs are at stake. The news was issued by the regional newspaper Het Belang van Limburg on Thursday and confirmed to Belga news agency by the metal union ACV […]
March 30, 2021
Ford of Europe’s electrification program will make long-time icon Mondeo disappear at the beginning of next year. The Galaxy and S-Max MPVs will stay in production. Of course, the fact that Ford needs production capacity in its Valencia plant for new electrified engines is not the main reason for Mondeo’s demise. The so-called D-segment sedan […]
March 22, 2021
In June last year, we talked to you about the advent of a new pure electric car from Ford, the Mustang Mach E. Meanwhile, Ford has launched a sportier GT version of this car (to better cope with the Mustang aura?), and the ‘normal’ Mustang Mach E has arrived in the showrooms. We were able […]
March 02, 2021
The Car of the Year 2021 is the new Toyota Yaris. For the second time, Toyota’s bestseller, produced in the north of France (Valenciennes), is elected the most interesting new car in Europe for 2021. A 59-member jury, composed of automotive journalists from 22 European countries, selected the winner from seven models that had made […]
February 23, 2021
2020 has been an ‘annus horribilis’ for Renault. It lost € 8 billion last year and the yearly turnover shrunk by 21,7% to € 43,5 billion. Nevertheless, CEO Luca de Meo sees the light at the end of the tunnel but can’t say exactly yet when this light will shine fully. After Carlos Ghosn’s demise […]
February 18, 2021
The new CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Thierry Bolloré (ex-Renault), has just revealed a new global strategy for the Indian-owned British carmaker. JLR wants to ‘reimagine’ itself as an all-electric luxury brand from 2025 and strives to become a net-zero carbon business from 2039. Meanwhile, it has also announced to cut 2 000 jobs worldwide. […]
February 16, 2021
In 2012, Opel launched its small SUV, Mokka. In eight years, it sold more than a million of them. The new Mokka lost its X (no 4WD anymore) bit got an e instead, for purely electric. We had the opportunity to drive it. In 2018, an ailing Opel was bought from GM by PSA, and […]
