January 13, 2025
German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz saw a slight dip in global sales and a big one in electric vehicle demand in 2024. The decline is primarily attributed to weaker demand in key regions like China, the automaker’s largest single market, and a sharp slump in European battery-electric vehicle sales. As for 2025, the car manufacturer hardly […]
January 13, 2025
One of the most miniature cars at the Brussels Motor Show, somewhat lost in the vast exposition hall occupied by Belgium’s most significant car importer, D’Ieteren, is a world premiere: the Swiss Microlino Spider. Still a concept, this roofless version, with open side panels and no doors, is meant to recall the simplicity and functionality […]
January 13, 2025
The Brussels Motor Show (BMS) saw a blitz start regarding visitors this weekend. Almost 80,000 visitors assembled in the Brussels Expo exhibition halls at the Heysel on Saturday and Sunday. It is already clear that the disappearance of the Geneva Motor Show has a positive effect on the Brussels Motor Show. Last Friday was press […]
January 10, 2025
2024 was the hottest year on record, and this has now been officially confirmed. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirms that 2024 was the hottest year on record worldwide and the first calendar year in which the average global temperature exceeded pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5°C. The hottest day on record was also […]
January 10, 2025
The Belgian railroad company NMBS/SNCB’s train punctuality reached 89.7% last year, an improvement of 2.2% compared to 2023 when it had fallen to its lowest level in five years. This puts punctuality back on the course agreed with the federal government. But at just under 46,000, the number of canceled trains remains high. 9 out […]
January 10, 2025
With the Geneva Motor Show disappearing, the jury of the European Car of the Year (COTY) has once again decided to announce the winner at the Brussels Motor Show, as it did in 2023. This year, there were not seven but eight finalist cars to choose from by the 60 jury members, all European car […]
January 10, 2025
Beleaguered Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt has received a critical endorsement from its shareholders to continue operations in its home country. A vote in favor underscores shareholder confidence from important partners like Volkswagen as the battery supplier tries to restructure and seeks additional funding to keep its business afloat. Northvolt, once a beacon of Europe’s aspirations […]
January 10, 2025
Chinese-Swedish EV maker Polestar reported an uptick in fourth-quarter sales and order intake for 2024, signaling a potential turnaround amid a turbulent year. However, despite tripling its lineup, the company sold fewer vehicles over the full year than in 2023. For the final quarter of 2024 – in many countries, a strong sales rally before […]
January 10, 2025
Traxio, the Belgian Federation of the automotive service sector and Mobility organization, has a new—old-hand—president: Henri de Hemptinne (66). He is former vice president of Traxio and president of GDA, the subdivision representing Belgian car dealers. Henri de Hemptine succeeds Didier Perwez, who held the chairmanship for the last six years. With Henri de Hemptine, […]
January 10, 2025
At the Brussels Motor Show, Japanese independent car manufacturer Mazda reintroduces its 6 Sedan on the European market with electric drive only. The car has a sedan look but offers a large tailgate. It is rear-wheel-driven and will initially be provided in a standard and a longer-range version. The car has been co-developed with Chinese […]
January 09, 2025
The Lufthansa Group plans to hire some 10,000 new employees this year. Three hundred sixty people are involved at the subsidiary Brussels Airlines. Last year, the entire Lufthansa Group recruited 13,000 people. All these new hires clearly signal that the group, the largest in Europe and fourth largest in the world by revenue, has shaken […]
January 09, 2025
In 2024, the number of company cars fell for the second year. The share of employees with a company car dropped slightly, to 14% or one in seven. The decline occurred in all regions and sectors but was most pronounced among young people (up to 30 years old). Also, the fleet’s greening continued. These are […]
January 09, 2025
Over 2,000 driver’s licenses have been revoked in West Flanders in the past seven months for using mobile phones while driving. “A strict approach remains necessary to implement a change in mentality and make our roads safer,” says Crown prosecutor Filiep Jodts of the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office. That is also why the West […]
January 09, 2025
Zeekr, the Swedish-Chinese sister brand of Volvo under the Geely umbrella, first appeared in April 2021 with the 001 shooting brake. Now, it is ready to show the world a second one: a ‘touring’ version called 007 GT, based on the 007 electric sedan that only sells in China for now. To avoid any confusion […]
January 09, 2025
According to the Belgian Mobility Dashboard (BMD) calculations, the economic cost of traffic congestion in 2024 reached 5.3 billion euros, or 5% more than in the previous year. In 2024, that time loss per motorist averaged 6 minutes and 35 seconds per day or over 40 hours throughout the year, up 1% compared to 2023. […]
January 09, 2025
We recently gave you an overview of the December registrations in the Belux and the success of the EVs; today, we received the entire market overview for 2024. The most popular new car in 2024 was the BMW X1, and the best seller on the second-hand market is still the Volkswagen Golf. Here’s a quick […]
January 08, 2025
Honda took center stage at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with the debut of its groundbreaking 0 Series electric vehicles, the 0 SUV and 0 Saloon, set to hit production in 2026. Alongside these futuristic prototypes, Honda announced its first proprietary vehicle operating system, ASIMO OS, named after its legendary humanoid robot. The announcements […]
January 08, 2025
The market share of Lineas, Europe’s largest private rail freight operator, has fallen below 50%. However, it is still higher than the European average. This is according to a report by the Belgian rail regulator. The report refers to 2023. According to the Rail Transport and Airport Operations Regulatory Service, Lineas’ market share then fell […]
January 08, 2025
The new motorcycle market performed well last year. In 2024, the number of new motorcycles continued to increase to 28,330 units, an increase of + 11.7% (2,971 units) compared to 2023 and even +14.8% (3,647) more than in 2022. This makes 2024 the best of the past 15 years. The most popular brand was Honda […]
January 08, 2025
Sony’s first foray into the auto industry, the Afeela 1 electric saloon developed with Honda, will launch in mid-2026 for a steep price tag of $102,900. A slightly more affordable ‘Origin’ version will follow in 2027 for $89,900. Pre-orders have already been opened, but only in California. After a prototype in 2020 with the Vision-S […]
January 08, 2025
Total Volvo sales across all drive types rose by 8% in 2024, from 708,716 to 763,389 vehicles, an all-time record. This is primarily due to the positive development (+33%) in electrified vehicles – with BEVs growing more strongly than plug-in hybrids. By contrast, sales of mild hybrids/combustion engines fell by 7% to 410,602 vehicles. If […]
January 08, 2025
Czech Škoda Auto, Volkswagen’s daughter and one of the first to follow the group’s advanced EV strategy is introducing the new Enyaq family, what it calls “one of Europe’s most successful all-electric model series.” Both the Škoda Enyaq and the Škoda Enyaq Coupé now feature the brand’s new Modern Solid design language and offer enhanced […]
January 08, 2025
For the first time in Belgium, the truck kilometer charge has brought in more than a billion euros. This is according to statistics for 2024 published by Viapass, the public body that coordinates and monitors road pricing in Belgium. Tolls brought in 658 million euros in Flanders, 347.1 million in Wallonia, and 10.8 million in […]
January 08, 2025
In its latest update of the ‘Chinese military companies’ list, the US Department of Defense (DoD) mentions the Chinese battery giant CATL for the first time, along with Tencent, another Chinese giant in gaming and communications. CATL is the world’s biggest EV battery maker, with nearly 37% market share. It is way ahead of the […]
January 08, 2025
As the 2025 EU emissions targets draw closer, automakers hastily form alliances and pool carbon credits to evade potentially billions in fines. Electric vehicle pioneers like Tesla and Polestar are taking advantage of their zero-emission lineups by selling surplus credits to manufacturers. Hesitating carmakers are allowed to join until the beginning of February. Under the […]
January 08, 2025
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, BMW shows the close-to-production version of the new BMW iDrive, its future display and operating concept that will be introduced across all new BMW models from the end of 2025. The software underpinning it all is the new BMW Operating System X, the intelligence hub behind […]
January 07, 2025
In 2024, 127,922 new EVs were registered in Belgium and Luxembourg, which is 37.3% more than the year before and a new record. Individual buyers more than doubled their EV purchase: +104.7%. On the second-hand market, however, an oversupply of EVs results in residual values that are too low. Filip Rylant, spokesperson of sector federation […]
January 07, 2025
Chinese carmaker BYD is expanding its Seal model range with a new, affordable saloon, the Seal 05 DM-i. Contrary to the other Seal models, it is not available as a fully electric model: at launch, two plug-in hybrid drivetrains will be available with a starting price of under €12,000. BYD has been the world’s largest […]
January 07, 2025
Between 2017 and 2024, the modal share of the car in Wallonia dropped from 83% to 71.4%, although the car remains the most popular means of travel there, as just under three-quarters of trips were made by car. This is according to figures from the FPS Mobility and the Walloon statistics office Iweps. Attempts to […]
January 07, 2025
Leapmotor, the Chinese electric vehicle start-up partially backed by Stellantis, is gearing up to launch its newest family member in the B-series. After unveiling the B10 SUV at the Paris Motor Show, the brand is preparing the B01 sedan for launch in mid-2025. The brand has also unveiled a longer-range version of the C16, an […]
January 07, 2025
Bosch eBike Systems has presented its latest novelty, the Battery Lock, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Battery Lock is a unique digital system that ensures that the eBike battery can no longer be used if stolen, making it worthless to thieves. Gregor Dasbach, Head of Digital Business at Bosch eBike Systems: […]
January 07, 2025
You’ll probably not have to use it very often unless you have the habit of being chased by a police car: jump over a 3.5 cm high spike strip at 120 km per hour. But we must admit, it’s a marketing stunt that stands out for BYD’s Yangwang U9 electric sportscar to demonstrate its DiSus […]
January 07, 2025
Car manufacturers Volkswagen and Xpeng are extending their partnership. In addition to offering a joint platform for electric cars, they now want to “jointly build one of the largest super-fast charging networks in China.” The two parties have now signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), giving each other access to their respective charging networks. According […]
January 06, 2025
Between November 2022 and January 2023, about 600 e-buses were registered in France eligible for an ecological bonus. However, more than half of those buses did not exist: fraudsters used loopholes in the state registration system to scam subsidies for hundreds of fake e-buses. According to Le Monde, up to 10 million euros in public […]
January 06, 2025
D’Ieteren Automotive, Belgium’s largest car importer of all Volkswagen brands, with branches in energy services, is merging its charging business (EDI) and solar production and battery storage solutions (Go Solar) into one single unit, “D’Ieteren Energy.” The group is also active in other mobility sectors related to cycling (Lucien, Joule), shared mobility (Poppy, TaxisVerts), and […]
January 06, 2025
In a groundbreaking yet polarizing move, New York City introduced a $9 congestion toll for vehicles entering southern Manhattan during peak hours last Sunday. It’s the first US city to implement such a policy, modeled after examples of cities worldwide. Having been postponed for half a year, the toll is sending ripples all over the […]
January 06, 2025
In 2023, 5,485 motorists, vans, and trucks in Belgium were fined for not respecting sufficient distance from the vehicle in front. Tailgating, however, is a dangerous and antisocial phenomenon. Mobility organization VAB recently surveyed its members about the biggest annoyances they experience in traffic. The top three irritations included people not using turn signals (1), […]
January 06, 2025
The UK automotive industry achieved a record-breaking year for fully electric vehicle sales in 2024. However, electric cars accounted for just 19.6% of total new car sales despite the milestone, falling short of the government-mandated target of 22%, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). While the sales figure of 328,000 units […]
January 06, 2025
According to the latest annual ‘Most Searched Cars report‘ from Australian insurer Compare the Market AU, Toyota is the most sought-after brand on the internet. Tesla slowly closes in on the number one spot, narrowing the gap to Toyota, while BMW stays in third position. Toyota was the most searched car brand in 64 nations, […]
January 06, 2025
In the Brussels Capital Region, network operator Sibelga is converting streetlights into charging stations for EVs. BRUZZ and L’Echo/De Tijd, among others, report this. Such solutions should reduce the impact of charging points on public spaces. Some 40 such charging points are already operational, located in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, the City of Brussels, and Uccle. Another ten […]
January 03, 2025
Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) wants to allow super trucks on Flemish highways within two years. The approval for the longer and heavier vehicles, or LHVs as these trucks that are up to 25,25 meters long and weigh up to 60 tons are officially called, will come on condition that a few strict […]
January 03, 2025
Chinese Chery Automotive is expanding its dealerships for its Omoda and Jaecoo brands in Belgium to Wallonia by signing up Stellantis dealer Groupe Ricco, which has footholds in Arlon, Libramont, Marche, and Rochefort and now also adding Groupe GSL. The latter covers the region of Nivelles and Charleroi. However, Chery has swallowed its EV ambitions […]
January 03, 2025
In the Netherlands, car sales slightly increased (+3.1%) in 2024 thanks to a final sprint. In France, the market is receding, and sales of electric cars are stagnating, in stark contrast to hybrid ones. Denmark continues its progress toward electrification, and Norway remains the absolute champion for electric cars worldwide. The Netherlands In 2024, 381,227 […]
January 03, 2025
According to newspapers L’Echo and De Tijd, last year, for the first time since 2016, less renewable energy was produced than in the previous year. Because nuclear energy was scaled back and gas-fired power stations operated minimally, total power production in Belgium fell to the lowest level in six years. 2024 was also a year […]
January 03, 2025
Last year, used car registrations increased by 5.6% (to 727,650 units) – 38,480 more than last year, 84,981 more than in 2022, and the highest number since 2015. Expectations are that the second-hand car market will remain high in the coming years. The number of new cars fell in 2024, but the decline was only […]
January 03, 2025
The world’s number one EV carmaker, Elon Musk’s Tesla, delivered 1,789,226 cars in 2024. That is 1% less than the 1,808,581 in 2023, and it is the first time that Tesla’s growth has stalled in a decade. In 2023, growth was still 38% compared to 2022. That’s a huge difference. On the other hand, Chinese […]
January 03, 2025
According to Febiac and the federal government service Mobility & Transport data, 23,437 new cars were registered in Belgium and Luxembourg in December. That’s 8,9% less than last year. The cumulated registrations for 2024 resulted in 448,277 cars, and that’s 6.0% less than in 2023, when 476,675 units were registered. Other noticeable facts: the ratio […]
January 03, 2025
By temporarily switching off wind turbines and solar panels, approximately three terawatt hours of green energy was lost last year, three times as much as a year earlier. The Dutch Energy Generation platform (Energieopwek) calculated this in its annual overview for 2024. The lost sustainable power amounts to about 2.5 percent of the country’s total […]
December 31, 2024
From January 1st, drivers in Flanders will lose their driver’s licenses when caught using their cell phones while driving. The measure was already in force in some parts of Flanders – East and West Flanders, Limburg, and the Halle-Vilvoorde region – but it now applies throughout the Flemish part of the country. “Given the many […]
December 31, 2024
8,4 million. That is the number of traffic offenses committed by motorists on Belgian roads in 2023. So reports Sudpresse newspapers, based on figures from the FPS Finance. Most of those violations were speeding violations (6,8 million). In most cases, these were not major speeding offenses but involved driving between 0 and 10 km too […]
December 31, 2024
The Dodge Charger Daytona EV will try to live up to its name as the ‘World’s first and only electric muscle car’ as it hits new markets outside North America. Dodge’s new electric Charger is officially headed overseas, aiming for a more significant global market share. In March, Dodge finally took the sheets off the […]
December 31, 2024
In 2026, the most important federations and associations in the Belgian automotive and mobility sector will move to a building in Diegem, on the Flemish outskirts of Brussels, under a single roof. The building, offering more than 7,000 square meters of space, was acquired by the importer federation Febiac (bought from building contractor Ghelamco). All […]
December 30, 2024
Japanese business tycoon and former chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation Osamu Suzuki died at 94, the company announced on Friday. He had been president, chairman, or chief executive of Suzuki Motor Corporation since 1978. Suzuki died on Christmas day due to malignant lymphoma, according to a statement from the company. In February 2021, the company […]
December 30, 2024
Belgium’s air quality in 2024 was comparable to that in 2023. Nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter concentrations decreased slightly, and there were fewer ozone days in 2024. In the long term, air quality has improved significantly. However, achieving the WHO health advice values in all Belgian areas is still far out of reach. According to […]
December 30, 2024
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair expects to put 29 new Boeing 737 aircraft into service next year. That 3-billion-dollar investment should create 2,000 new jobs in Europe. Ryanair’s ambition is to increase passenger numbers to 300 million over the next ten years. Its fleet would increase from nearly 600 to 800 aircraft over that period. The […]
December 30, 2024
Mirai (未来 or 未來) is a Japanese given name. It means ‘future,’ but in the case of Toyota’s pioneering fuel cell (FCEV) passenger car on hydrogen, a gloomy one as global sales plunged to a record low of 134 units in November and only 1,702 since January 2024, of which 661 in Japan. That’s a […]
December 30, 2024
Fewer and fewer Belgian citizens are getting their driver’s licenses. Last year, about 120,000 people got their driver’s license, 9 percent less than in 2000. In Brussels, there is even a decrease of almost 27 percent. The average age at which someone obtains his driver’s license has also increased by several months: from 21 years […]
December 30, 2024
If you could put a price on how much valuable time you lose in traffic, every Dublin driver would be €6,351 poorer each year, the most of 25 European capitals. And that is only during rush hour. Paris ranked second, losing €5,064 worth of traffic time. Brussels trails closely behind, where rush hour traffic costs […]
December 27, 2024
Leapmotor plans to make waves at the 101st Brussels Motor Show in January 2025 by unveiling its latest innovation: the C10 REEV (Range Extender Electric Vehicle). This marks the first introduction of Leapmotor’s REEV technology in Europe as the company seeks to expand its presence in the growing EV and hybrid markets. Leapmotor enlarges its […]
December 27, 2024
China is firmly on track to sell more ‘electric’ cars—that is, EVs and plug-in hybrids—than pure traditional gas cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) in 2025, reaching its 50% electric target a decade before the deadline the government had set by 2035. According to The Financial Times (FT) analysis, so-called New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sales […]
