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 […]
February 12, 2021
Car manufacturer federation Febiac, the federation of car rental companies Renta, and the car sector federation Traxio join forces to create Mobia, a mobility platform that will develop, communicate, defend common views, and provide services to members of the three founding organizations. Mobia doesn’t mean that the three federations will merge; it’s an umbrella structure […]
February 10, 2021
The Dutch charge point locator MultiTankcard and MoveMove not only offer insight into the location of the charge points through their app, but they also indicate the price of recharge so that the consumer can choose the cheapest solution. But shouldn’t we evolve to a system where the price per kWh is shown on the […]
February 08, 2021
The launch of the all-new Volkswagen ID.3, fully electric and based on the dedicated MEB-platform, didn’t run like VW had hoped. Finally, it has appeared on the market, and the first figures suggest that it will be an instant success. We drove the Golf of the next decades. The ID.3 has already caused a lot […]
January 11, 2021
The coming year will see a small avalanche of new Chinese brands on European markets, a lot of them producing electric vehicles. Aiways is one of them, and with a little delay due to corona, the first product, a full-electric SUV called U5, has finally landed. We give you a first impression. The U5 is […]
December 31, 2020
Until now, the major obstacle for the electric car was its price. That may change in 2021. A lot of brands are coming with new, fully electric vehicles at more affordable prices, starting around € 20 000. This should give the EV market a serious boost. Of course, there will be other problems to tackle. […]
December 28, 2020
Finally, there is a deal between the EU and the UK. But behind the sigh of relief, there are also the first analyses that the differences will be minor. The difference won’t be that big, especially not for the UK. Many economic analysts note that the UK will suffer much more than the EU, simply […]
December 22, 2020
The big motor shows of the past have been suffering lately, and the corona pandemic may sound the death knell for them. These shows’ virtual counterparts are popping up everywhere, surfing on the new habits of the corona-struck, confined consumer. To be clear, the pandemic has just been accelerating an already engaged movement of waning […]
December 21, 2020
At a news conference on Thursday last week, Akio Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota’s founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, and now President and CEO of the company, said Japan would run out of electricity in the summer if all cars were running on electric power. The infrastructure needed to support a 100 percent EV fleet would cost […]
December 16, 2020
The energy transition is inevitable. The sooner manufacturers are adapting themselves to it, the better for them. Nevertheless, manufacturers of real luxury cars seem to have many problems to adapt themselves, Porsche being a notable exception. For many of those traditionally-thinking companies, the energy transition won’t be a piece of cake. By the look of […]
December 03, 2020
For a while already, there’s an ongoing rumble at the Volkswagen top. Group CEO Herbert Diess has already been deprived of his Volkswagen responsibility, now his plans for further restructuring of the group are colliding head-on with many other board members. The head of electric development, Thomas Ulbrich, has decided to leave. The slumbering conflict […]
November 10, 2020
In his 2016 election campaign, President Trump made big statements about reviving and restructuring the American car industry. We try to give a short analysis of what happened and what didn’t. In fact, it was President Obama who saved the American car industry back in 2009 after the financial crisis. With big state loans and […]
November 04, 2020
Many car manufacturers are trying online sales. Apart from certain brands, like Tesla, this hasn’t been a big success yet. But the venue of several new brands and the corona pandemic may see this change. For the moment, internet sales are booming. The question is, will it stay like that when things are getting normal […]
November 04, 2020
In March of this year, Belgian car designer Luc Donckerwolke seemed to be leaving Hyundai through the back door. Today, he’s coming back as Chief Creative Officer (CCO), a new prominent position apparently created for him. Donckerwolke resumes his career as Executive Vice president, but his office will now be located at the Hyundai Motor […]
October 27, 2020
The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) has become the most popular sort of vehicle in the world. Nevertheless, the criticism is increasing as well: too big, too heavy, too polluting, too intimidating, too… What to think about this split? Until now, the market stays predominantly insensitive to these critics. The SUV represented one fifth (20,9%) of […]
October 23, 2020
According to the Swiss bank UBS, the expected battery cost will drop under the ‘magic’ barrier of $100 per kWh by 2022. This will trigger a faster switch to electric vehicles than previously expected. Undoubtedly it will also cause a relentless fight for the production of the heart of an electric car, the battery. Matthias […]
October 20, 2020
As November approaches, many car users think of changing their tires from summer to winter tires. In contrast to the US, where all-season tires are top-rated, the European customer was no fan yet. This seems to be changing due to the warm winters and the increasing quality of the newest all-season propositions. “Many people choose […]
October 15, 2020
Several players in the dealer service and maintenance sector for cars sound the alarm bell. The electrification of the European car park will cost many jobs in the sector because the maintenance of an electric motor is far less complex. The Dutch organization of dealers and repair shops Bovag confirms: “The maintenance needs of an […]
October 13, 2020
With the announcement that the 99th Brussels Motor Show won’t take place in January 2021, one of the last successful shows won’t be there next year. Is there still a place for a traditional motor show in our rapidly changing society? Ten years ago, the hierarchy was still obvious: there was Geneva. Every year, there […]
September 23, 2020
Car analysts all over the world agree that in the future, there will be fewer manufacturers and products because of the increasing costs. Considering the number of different brands, they’re less sure. Creating and repositioning brands has become one of the most important pass-times of the marketeers. An example? Rumors have it that Maserati will […]
September 21, 2020
Last week, the plans of the Vivaldi coalition for a Belgian federal government leaked: one of the items that caused turmoil was the obligation to electrification for new company cars, starting in 2026. Of course, the reactions on this plan went in all directions. We try to list all criticisms and give an overview. The […]
September 18, 2020
With the proposal out of the political world to make all company cars EVs as of 2026, many reactions have been registered. One of them was about practical experiences in the matter from the last two years. “A totally green, electric company car park in 2026? I like to hear it, but it seems unrealistic […]
September 10, 2020
On Wednesday, car importer Hyundai Belux has announced that it will not be present at the 2021 Brussels Motor Show in January. Organizer Febiac is still confident that everything will work out well, but the uncertainty around the show causes nervousness throughout the whole Belgian car scene. Hyundai Belux is not the first importer that […]
September 01, 2020
For Japanese carmakers, the mature European market is surely not the most important. As it is also very competitive and difficult because of stringent regulations, more and more Japanese brands are thinking of abandoning the fight in Europe. A while ago, the Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi announced that it is freezing its investments in Europe […]
August 28, 2020
The corona crisis has led to reconsidering R&D investments throughout the car industry. Some weeks ago we saw suppliers trying to cut costs everywhere, including R&D; today we zoom in on the fate of Renault’s Technocentre. Technocentre Renault in the Paris banlieue (Yvelines) is the biggest R&D center in France. It employs some 10 500 […]
August 27, 2020
The communication specialists of several car manufacturers are bringing out the big guns. Their CEOs have to sell new electric cars directly. Lately, we saw Olivier François (President Fiat Brand Global) testing the new 500 La Prima on Youtube. Last week, VW Group CEO, Herbert Diess, was talking about his two-week holiday in Italy while […]
August 25, 2020
You have a few Rolls-Royces or Bentleys in your garage, and, of course, a series of other more plebeian motors. What can you do to stand out from the crowd? You can buy an (old) electric Rolls-Royce or Bentley. Too posh or old style? Try a fully electric Jaguar XK 120 instead. Lunaz is the […]
August 24, 2020
Whenever you look at the plans of car manufacturers, there’s not much talk about or space for future small cars (A- or B-segment). Manufacturers explain that stringent emission rules make them too expensive. Couldn’t it be that they don’t want to sell them anymore because they don’t make enough money per unit? If you talk […]
August 18, 2020
Hyundai just made a successful record attempt at the German Lausitzring. This time the circuit wasn’t used to set a speed record, the Korean manufacturer wanted to see how far the Kona Electric could drive with one battery charge. The 1 000 kilometer mark was broken easily. Kona Electric The participating cars were three Konas […]
August 18, 2020
The luxury car segment in Belgium hasn’t suffered severely from the corona crisis. The market of real luxury cars only decreased by 3,2%, while the total car market shrunk by 26,6%. When we say luxury market, we think of brands like Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Bentley, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, McLaren, and Rolls-Royce. This choice is a […]
August 17, 2020
From 2022 onward, the Flemish energy regulator (VREG) wants to calculate the distribution costs of electricity on the basis of capacity and no longer on consumption. Peak consumers will pay more, and it might even price the electric car out of the market. According to Maarten Matiënko, spokesman for VAB, electric driving might become more […]
August 13, 2020
Worldwide, water shortage or (sometimes) flooding are growing concerns. Also, in the financial world, such concerns are ventilated. But apparently, not everybody is already conscious of the big problem that is looming ahead. “Investors underestimate the risk of water shortage and its impact on the financial portfolios in the years to come.” This is the […]
July 30, 2020
Luca de Meo is officially the new CEO of Renault since the 1st of July. He has started his new job with a bang. After taking the chief designer of Seat, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, with him (announced last Monday), he has now lured PSA star designer Gilles Vidal into stepping over to Renault. Gilles Vidal Gilles […]
July 17, 2020
In Germany, you can drive a Renault Zoë free of charge. How is this possible? Two reasons: manufacturers need electric cars to lower their average fleet consumption, and many governments subsidize heavily after the corona crisis. Autohaus König, a large German car dealer with different outlets, proposes an electric Renault Zoë for two-year leasing at… […]
July 14, 2020
The giant fusion deal between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the PSA Group risks turning turtle. Analysts still think that it can work, but they are questioning the 50/50 deal. An equilibration even less justified since FCA has a state-certified loan of €6,5 billion. The deal is also in a critical phase because of the […]
July 09, 2020
“Daimler can do better. And we will do it.” That was the message of CEO Ola Källenius on Wednesday at the general assembly of the group. An essential part of accomplishing this will be the green conversion Daimler is going to accelerate in the coming years. Dumping CO2 will be one of the key measures. […]
June 25, 2020
The British car industry is at the edge of the abyss. Squeezed between Brexit, Covid-19, and the electric transition, it is really fighting for its survival. The lonely bright star at the firmament remains Nissan Sunderland, but for how long still? Like in all other countries, the closure of the showrooms during several months, and […]
June 18, 2020
In his speech for the (virtual) general assembly of the Belgian federation of car and bicycle importers, Febiac president Philippe Dehennin pointed at the many challenges the car sector is confronted with. He proposes a ‘green deal’ to create a system of intelligent mobility in the country as soon as possible. “The future will be […]
June 17, 2020
The Japanese car manufacturer has a quite different approach to electrification than most of its (usually far bigger) competitors. We already gave information about this in the recent past. Today, we had the opportunity, as one of the first in Europe, to drive their first fully electric car, the MX-30. Mazda stands for an original […]
June 16, 2020
According to a report in the Netherlands (EV rapport 2020), electric vehicles are far more dangerous in everyday traffic. The possibility for someone to get hurt is three times as high with an electric car, the report claims. Unfortunately for the authors, further reading leads to a lot of question marks and very few answers… […]
June 10, 2020
There’s a possibility that the VW Group CEO Herbert Diess will be gently led to the exit. On Monday, Volkswagen announced that COO Ralf Brandstätter (51) will take over as CEO of the Volkswagen brand, starting the 1st of July. Diess will “therefore receive greater leeway for his tasks as Group CEO,” a press release […]
May 19, 2020
The discussion in France is ongoing. The French car manufacturer Renault is in bad shape for the moment, and one of its biggest shareholders, the French State, is considering the options to save this national monument, including a (re)nationalization. At the moment, Renault is suffering so much from the corona crisis and its economic consequences […]
May 12, 2020
The corona crisis has led to significant economic fall-out. Many companies are looking to governments and public authorities to save them. In principle, those authorities want to comply, but not at any price. They don’t want to be simple milch cows anymore. On Monday, for example, the French Minister for Economy, Bruno le Maire, has […]
March 16, 2020
Europe has launched its ‘Green Deal’ recently, and also in the States, there is a proposition for ‘a green new deal’ on behalf of the Democrats. Both deals have a big number of points in common, but they also have important limits, some say. Both plans want CO2-neutrality in 2050, the change to renewable energy, […]
March 11, 2020
According to Brussels Mobility Minister, Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), the free-floating car-sharing sector is failing to work because parking is too cheap in the capital. This simplistic remark pushes Brussels deputy, Clémentine Barzin (MR), to call out the government to offer positive solutions and stop with punitive measures. While it was seen as the […]
March 04, 2020
Almost ten years go, BMW was a pioneer in electromobility with two models, the i3 and i8. After years of silence, the first car of the new EV era will be launched in 2021. It’s a 3 Series-sized sedan aiming directly at competitors like a Tesla Model 3 or a Polestar 2. The small i3 […]
March 02, 2020
The 60 members of the Car of the Year jury, coming from 23 European countries, have elected the new Peugeot 208 as The Car of the Year 2020. It won the title with a considerable lead on the Tesla Model 3 (2nd), and the Porsche Taycan (3rd), two full-electric cars that took too many points […]
March 02, 2020
160 exhibitors are already breaking up their costly Geneve exhibition stands. The Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) has been canceled this year. The loss for the organizers is estimated at 30 million Swiss Francs; all the exhibitors have to pay their costs themselves. For a long time, the GIMS organizers insisted on the fact that […]
February 26, 2020
The president of Nissan Europe, Gianluca de Ficchy, has evoked the possibility that Nissan could leave Europe because of a no-deal Brexit. A key player in this story is Nissan’s Sunderland plant in north-western England. “If Great Britain is not capable of closing a free trade agreement with the EU after Brexit, there will be […]
