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 16, 2021
According to a new calculation method used by Dutch health authorities, wood-burning stoves are responsible for about one-quarter of fine particle emissions in the Netherlands. That is far more than the figures around 10% communicated before. The new figures show that the burning of wood is an important source of pollution (23%) while traffic, industry, […]
February 16, 2021
D’Ieteren, Belgium’s largest car importer representing all Volkswagen Group brands, counts on installing 5 600 EV charging points in 2021 at private homes and companies. That’s more than 100 chargers a week. In 2020, the number of installed chargers went from 435 the year before to 1 805. The chargers are delivered under the EDI […]
February 15, 2021
All small Nissan vans for Europe will be built in the Renault factory in Maubeuge, France. That was announced last week by the Alliance. Nissan will not provide a successor to the existing e-NV200 in Europe. That model will be replaced along with the existing NV250 (based on the current Renault Kangoo) by the successor […]
February 15, 2021
Elia, the Belgian transmission system operator for high-voltage electricity, and its Danish counterpart, Energinet, have created a working group to analyze the feasibility of the planned 600-km-long underwater connection between the two countries. Minister for Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen), announced plans to create an undersea electricity link and get access to the green […]
February 12, 2021
Volkswagen has announced that it is expanding its collaboration with technology company Microsoft. The deal allows the German car manufacturer to integrate Microsoft’s cloud technology. Both firms’ software branches will join forces to create a common platform called Automated Driving Platform (ADP). In the end, this should severely speed up and facilitate the development of […]
February 11, 2021
Audi has launched the top of the line of its e-tron EV range. The e-tron GT and the even more sporty RS version are two versions of an Audi Gran Turismo sedan. Underneath, it has a lot in common with the Porsche Taycan, but there are quite some differences too. The e-tron GT shares the […]
February 11, 2021
Carmakers, environmentalists, and consumer groups call on the EU to set ambitious targets per country to deploy electric vehicle charging points. In a joint letter today, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Transport & Environment (T&E), and the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) asked the EU climate, transport, industry, and energy commissioners to use this year’s […]
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 10, 2021
It’s outlandish. It can boldly go where no car has ever gone before. It’s a redefinition of mobility. Meet the Tiger X1, Hyundai’s concept vehicle that shows us the future today. Plans to start building prototypes could start as soon as 2023. Like most car brands, Korean car manufacturer Hyundai is reinventing itself as a […]
February 10, 2021
After a historic loss in the oil business, the French giant Total decided to rename the company into ‘TotalEnergies’. The new name should reflect its transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy sources. According to Total’s CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, oil products will become less important, while liquefied gas and other renewable energy sources will […]
February 09, 2021
French car manufacturer Renault recently presented its plan for the coming years named ‘Renaulution‘. Renault showed pictures of a new version of its Renault 5 icon, completely electric, as a symbol of this ‘revolution’. Apparently, there is a chance that another icon will also be revived, the R4. Both cars will be electric but positioned […]
February 09, 2021
The Swiss federal administration has decided to procure only purely electric vehicles from this year onward. This was stipulated in a directive issued by Federal Councillor Viola Amherd, who is responsible for procurement. The directive includes battery-electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles, both purely electrically driven and methanol driven vehicles. However, the regulation only applies […]
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 […]
February 08, 2021
The e-Fixxter is a purely electrically powered camper. The basis is a van supplied by the Stellantis group, and the conversion with the camping equipment is done by VDL Bus from Venlo in the Netherlands. The e-Fixxter is sold by the specialist company Camperfixx, and under the skin, it is a van that can be […]
February 08, 2021
Energy provider Luminus is taking over its competitor Essent Belgium, both companies announced last week. Thanks to the transaction, Luminus becomes the second player (after Engie Electrabel, with a 40% market share) on the Belgian energy market with a market share that increases up to one-quarter (from 18 to 24%). Essent, which used to sit […]
February 08, 2021
According to several sources, BMW is adjusting its product plans for electric cars to come. According to German media, some electric limousines are planned, but only one more EV offshoot of the well-known SUV models. Meanwhile, the German magazine Automobilwoche signals that the electric i1 has fallen off the priority list. Such a compact electric […]
February 05, 2021
Swedish car manufacturer, Volvo Cars, reported its best-ever second half in 2020, with 151 billion crowns revenues (+4,9%) from nearly 400 000 cars sold (+7,4%). After the difficult first few months of the pandemic, China and the US helped Volvo recover during the second half of the year. By 2021, the company expects a promising […]
February 05, 2021
Ford wants to surpass General Motors as the bigger investor in electric cars and autonomous drive. Dearborn’s carmaker has announced that it will invest $22 billion by 2025 on electrifying the vehicle line-up. That’s double the investment compared to the previous one, which was set at $11,5 billion. Ford’s new CEO, Jim Farley, called it […]
February 04, 2021
German car and truck group Daimler has announced its intention to split its industrial business to create two independent companies. The spin-off Daimler Truck should go public and independent by the end of 2021, while Daimler’s premium car business should return to its best-known brand name of Mercedes-Benz. Daimler Truck will concentrate on its path […]
February 02, 2021
Car sales continued to decline on the Belgian market in January. Last January, 27,2% fewer passenger cars were sold than in the same month a year earlier. The Belgian market is also doing worse than our neighboring countries. The combination of the corona pandemic and the Brussels Motor Show’s cancellation is at the root of […]
February 01, 2021
New Zealand has revealed its plans to lead the island country to carbon neutrality by 2050. The country wants fewer milch cows, fewer cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE), and more electric vehicles. It will stop importing ICE cars in 2032. Today New Zealand has some 6,11 million cows grazing on its pastures. These […]
February 01, 2021
Almost one out of ten Dutch adults expects to buy an e-bike within a year. That would mean that 1,2 million e-bikes will be sold in 2021 in the Netherlands, reports research agency Multiscope. According to the study conducted among thousands of Dutch people aged 18 and over, people mainly want to buy an e-bike […]
February 01, 2021
According to some media in Germany, BMW is speeding up the production start of the all-electric i4 from the year’s end to August or September. In China, meanwhile, BMW has significantly reduced the price of its iX3 electric SUV. The i4 is being built in Munich. Preparations for the production of this all-electric Gran Coupé […]
January 29, 2021
A new animal feed additive reduces methane emissions of milch cows significantly. The emissions decrease by 27 to 40%, depending on the cow’s diet and the amount of methane inhibitor they get. These are the conclusions of a study by Wageningen Livestock Research on the Dairy Campus in Leeuwarden (the Netherlands). Methane is very harmful […]
January 29, 2021
According to a German analyst Schmidt Automotive Research report, one in eight new cars registered in Western Europe was already electrified in 2020. “2020 lived up to its claim of being the first genuine year where EVs moved from the slow hanging fruit lane to the mainstream,” says the report. With Western Europe, the analyst […]
January 28, 2021
Coolblue, the well-known Dutch online supplier of electronics and household appliances, expands its services and now offers green electricity and gas in the Netherlands. The plan fits in with its ambitious goal to become the first energy supplier to help consumers save energy by suggesting energy-saving appliances and offering discounts. Apart from electronic appliances, Coolblue […]
January 28, 2021
French car manufacturer Renault has announced that the current (third) generation of Twingo will be the last. Small cars with combustion engines aren’t profitable anymore. The answer to the mobility problems caused has to be brought by Renault’s new Mobilize department. “Renault will leave the A-segment,” says CEO Luca de Meo. “It has become complicated […]
January 28, 2021
Arval, the automotive leasing company, has seen the number of EV company cars in Belgium more than double over the last year. According to the company’s data, registrations of battery-electric vehicles have increased by 93% between 2019 and 2020, while plug-in hybrids grew by 122%. Arval wishes to further push that trend and has made […]
January 27, 2021
Volkswagen has asked ZF to deliver a new braking system for all EV models based on the electric MEB platform. Until now, the ID.3 and ID.4 electric cars on the platform are already in production. The system also manages the important recovery of braking energy. The German supplier is mostly known for its gear systems, […]
January 27, 2021
Through its FCA Italy subsidiary, Stellantis has signed a full set of agreements to create a joint venture with Engie EPS, the industrial player within the Engie Group. The new entity aims at becoming champion in e-mobility, offering services ranging from residential and public charging infrastructure to charging subscription and V2G (vehicle-to-grid) technologies. Engie and […]
January 27, 2021
Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), is happy to announce that the problem of the non-functioning average speed checks, a matter that keeps dragging since 2018, is finally ‘solved’. The 212 ‘idling ones’ will be operational, at least partially for some hours a day to prevent a ‘tsunami of fines’ that would be […]
January 27, 2021
The European Commission has approved a second project under EU state aid rules to support research and innovation in the battery value chain. The project, called ‘European Battery Innovation’, counts as an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). Participating member states are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and […]
January 26, 2021
In the never-ending story of Dieselgate, there are some new developments (again). A judge in the Spanish capital Madrid has ordered that Volkswagen has to pay €3 000 compensation to each duped customer. Volkswagen has announced it will appeal. Meanwhile, the judicial process against former CEO Martin Winterkorn has been postponed to April of this […]
January 26, 2021
The Belgian Professional Association of Insurance Companies, Assuralia, will launch a newly developed database in February to combat automotive insurance fraud. It will gather data on reported damage claims and accidents and sound the alarm if a name, a number plate, or a vehicle appears a suspicious number of times. According to the Association, insurance […]
January 26, 2021
The new Vietnamese car manufacturer VinFast has shown its first three electric models. The VF31, VF32, and VF33 are all SUVs, respectively, in the C, D, and E segments. The manufacturer gave some initial technical specifications. He wants to accept first orders in Vietnam in May and hopes to be present in Europe at the […]
January 25, 2021
The continued existence of Nissan’s British production site has been regularly questioned in recent months due to Brexit. Today, the Japanese manufacturer announces that the assembly plant will be preserved and that there will be an expansion in battery production. This announcement is good news for the 6 000 employees currently working at the Nissan […]
January 25, 2021
Audi is planning an end date for the combustion engines of its A4 and A6 models. The same will apparently occur for the A8. Even in plug-in hybrids, Audi no longer wants to invest heavily. These decisions are part of the exit plan from the internal combustion engine drawn up under Audi CEO Markus Duesmann. […]
January 22, 2021
European truck makers estimate that around 200 000 zero-emission trucks will have to be in operation by 2030 to meet the CO2 targets for heavy-duty trucks. Based on new data from the European Manufacturers Association ACEA, this would require a staggering 100-fold increase in the space of under ten years. A new study by the […]
January 22, 2021
Automotive supplier Robert Bosch will cut 400 of 863 jobs at its windshield wiper production facility in Tienen (Belgium). According to the management, the production of windshield wipers is not profitable anymore. The company earlier needed some restructuring, and now the management intends to dismiss 400 people, of which 158 employees and 242 workers. “The […]
January 22, 2021
In contrast with other manufacturers, the VW Group will have to pay a fine of approximately €140 million for exceeding the average CO2 emission rate established for the group in 2020 by 0,5 grams. The pandemic and problems with the ID.3 launch have caused retardation resulting in the fine. According to VW, the fine will […]
January 21, 2021
According to Deloitte’s 2021 Global Automotive Consumer Study, one out of three Belgians is planning to opt for an electric car for his next car purchase. Almost all of them (91%) say the pandemic didn’t change their initial idea of what type of car it would be. In the US, the classic ICE (gasoline) car […]
January 21, 2021
During the presentation of its new strategic plan, Groupe Renault announced that Alpine would go fully electric and develop an EV sportscar together with Lotus. Both will work on a shared EV platform that the French will use for the A110’s replacement. At the same time, the legendary, Geely-owned sportscar manufacturer aims at launching a […]
January 21, 2021
The Flemish Minister for Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen), wants to install an underwater electricity connection between Belgium and Denmark, the Belga press agency announced on Wednesday. Energy provider Elia and environmental organization Greenpeace are in favor of the idea. According to Elia, it will provide our energy-intensive economy with a lot of renewable […]
January 21, 2021
On the 4th of February, the new compact EV of Mercedes-Benz, the EQA, will go on sale all over Europe. EQA is a derivative of the recently renovated GLA and will be built in Germany and China. In Belgium, the car will be sold with a €52 756 price tag (€43 800 VAT excluded). “Mercedes […]
January 20, 2021
With his first press conference in a very austere setting, Carlos Tavares, the newly appointed CEO of the Stellantis PSA/FCA merger, outlined the great lines of what will be Stellantis. Stellantis will be formed by no less than 14 brands, all classified ‘iconic’ by the CEO. “Thanks to the fusion, the brands that lacked investments […]
January 20, 2021
Porsche is launching an additional version of its first all-electric travel sedan, the Taycan. It is a two-wheel-drive base version that offers the greatest autonomy due to its more limited engine power. The latest rear-wheel-drive Porsche Taycan completes the existing range of the Taycan Turbo, Taycan Turbo S, and Taycan 4S and will retail starting […]
January 20, 2021
With the slogan ‘BMW Group goes Phygital’, the Belgian BMW importer organizes a flexible digital and physical commercial offensive. In compensation for the postponement of the annual Brussels Motor Show, many importers have searched for alternative solutions. January is traditionally the month that the whole of Belgium is thinking automotive, with the annual motor show […]
January 19, 2021
With a drop of -23,7%, passenger car registrations in the EU27 saw the biggest drop in car demand ever. 3 086 439 fewer new cars were sold, with a total of 9,9 million. December (-3,3%) couldn’t buck the trend to a positive one, except for a handful of countries. There the breakthrough of the electric […]
January 18, 2021
SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation), the biggest car manufacturer in China, and Alibaba, the ‘Chinese Amazon’ are launching a new EV car brand called ‘IM’. The latter stands for ‘Intelligence in Motion’ but also Zhiji Motor in Chinese. Their joint venture, Zhiji Motor, presented two models, a sedan and an SUV. Internet giant Alibaba delivers […]
January 15, 2021
BMW is canceling its monthly subscription program ‘BMW Access’ by the end of January in the USA. Officially because the Nashville, Tennessee, project was always meant as a pilot with BMW now looking into future possibilities, ‘developing the next iteration’. The latter was confirmed by a US BMW spokesperson to The Verge. Remarkable, just as […]
January 14, 2021
On Thursday, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo announced a new strategic plan, called Renaulution. The aim is to shift the group’s strategy from volume to value. The plan is structured in three phases: resurrection (up to 2023), renovation (up to 2025), and revolution (from 2025 onward). The Group sets itself also new financial objectives. […]
January 14, 2021
Stellantis, the recently approved fusion between FCA and PSA, has been welcomed positively. Now the real work starts. Is the new group going to ignore the huge Chinese market? What about synergies? What about financial welfare? Questions to ask, answers to find. The international dimension of the fusion is obvious. It’s clear why PSA (strong […]
January 13, 2021
On Tuesday, French Groupe Renault (Renault, Dacia, Lada, Renault Samsung Motors & Alpine) announced having sold 800 000 fewer cars in 2020 than the previous year, which equals a 21,3% sales drop. On the other hand, sales of EVs and its newly launched range of hybrids and plug-in hybrids allowed Groupe Renault to fall under […]
January 13, 2021
Alain Visser, CEO of Lynk & Co, preaches the revolution. He doesn’t want to sell cars anymore, he wants to lend them monthly, and he wants his clients to share them. In this second part of the interview, he explains how it works. Visser has no high opinion of the current car business. Over the […]
January 13, 2021
Many cars sold worldwide over the past decade were white, and even today, the number of white cars in traffic is impressive. But why? Is it a question of fashion? Or is it a technology-related trend? Let’s try to find some explanations. According to figures from BASF, the largest chemical multinational globally, last year, the […]
January 12, 2021
The Belgian Alain Visser is Lynk & Co’s CEO, the Chinese Geely daughter who intends to change things on the car market. Many new and sometimes controversial ideas come from or are stimulated by the CEO — no better reason for having a chat with him. We’ve known Alain Visser for a long time. Already […]
January 12, 2021
The Belgian VAB Group and the Dutch family company Koopman Logistics join forces to offer various Flemish players attractive automotive solutions. The new site will be in Genk, is 100 000 m2 in size, and will employ 100 people. The new structure will be called VAB Koopman Automotive Solutions. Growth For years, VAB has been […]
January 12, 2021
VDL Group will build 102 electric Citea buses for the city of Oslo (Norway’s capital). It’s VDL’s largest order of e-buses ever. The buses will be manufactured in Roeselare and should be operational in Oslo as of January 2022. Norway’s capital has the ambition to become completely emission-free by 2028. The city already has 40 […]
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 […]
