February 19, 2024
With a market share of more than 70%, still according to the estimates of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, the French-Italian-American automaker comes out on top with 30,000 orders in the social leasing contracts in France. Renault got just over 10,000 orders, according to CEO Luca de Meo. That the difference in terms of sales between […]
February 19, 2024
Just 17% of electric cars sold in Europe are compact vehicles in the cheaper B segment, compared to 37% of new combustion engines, a new analysis finds. Carmakers are slowing EV adoption by prioritizing sales of larger, more expensive electric cars, according to Transport & Environment (T&E), which conducted the research. According to the report, […]
February 19, 2024
In a remarkable video posted on Weibo, Chinese premium EV maker NIO has demonstrated a feature of its flagship sedan ET9’s SkyRide chassis system that will please customers in the High North. Like a Husky awakening in the snow in the morning, the car is shaking all the snow off its body during winter testing, […]
February 19, 2024
For the fiscal year 2023, car manufacturer Stellantis Group recorded a net profit of € 18.63 billion (+11%) compared to last year’s € 16.78 billion. Net revenues were € 189.54 billion, up from last year’s € 179.59 billion, with consolidated shipment volumes increasing 7%. The adjusted operating income increased 1% to € 24.34 billion from […]
February 16, 2024
Automotive Cells Company (ACC), the joint venture by Stellantis, TotalEnergies’ Saft, and Mercedes-Benz, has announced that its shareholders secured a €4.4 billion debt raising, increasing the funding for the construction of four new production facilities at three gigafactories for lithium-ion battery cell production in France, Germany, and Italy. Future production sites include one factory in […]
February 16, 2024
Scout Motors, Volkswagen’s rugged American EV brand, has broken ground on its brand-new production facility in South Carolina. Production of the off-road capable pickup truck and SUV is targeted to begin by the end of 2026, with a market launch soon after. But the models will already be revealed this summer. Scout Motors is the […]
February 16, 2024
After appointing several top management positions, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner is also installing a new head of the design department. JLR’s current chief designer, Massimo Frascella, will replace Marc Lichte as Chief Designer on June 1st, although Lichte will remain with the Group. Frascella (52) has held senior positions at JLR since 2011, most recently […]
February 16, 2024
NMBS/SNCB has presented the first of 130 autonomously accessible M7 double-decker carriages at train builder Alstom in Bruges. The Belgian railway company wants passengers with reduced mobility, including wheelchair users, to be able to travel independently by train from the purchase of their ticket to their destination. “Besides safe and comfortable transport, accessibility is also […]
February 16, 2024
Since this Wednesday, February 14th, the Uber application has been available in three large Walloon cities: Liège, Namur, and Mons. Ten years after its establishment in Flanders and Brussels, the American company of independent drivers is expanding its services in the south of the country. However, the service only allows you to book ‘traditional’ taxis. […]
February 16, 2024
More than ten years ago, BMW shook the car world with its first i-cars, the i3 and the i8. In 2019, it showed a concept for a successor of the PHEV i8 sports car called Vision M Next. The canceled production version of this car, called I16, has now been revealed by BMW’s chief designer, […]
February 16, 2024
Officially, VDL Nedcar’s contract with BMW ends on March 1st, 2024. Still, the curtain drops definitively this Friday with the last MINI, a silver-grey cabrio, rolling off the production line in Born (Netherlands). On Thursday, the main assembly line came to a halt; on Friday, on three smaller lines, the finishing touch on the last […]
February 15, 2024
Renault is doing well again these days. Its turnover has grown by 17,9% to €52.5 billion, with a net benefit of €2.3 billion. Its free cash flow has turned around €3 billion now and has grown by €905 million last year. More interestingly, the operational margin has increased to 7,9%, a record figure for the […]
February 15, 2024
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) latest ‘Vehicles on European Roads’ report, there were 252 million cars on European roads in 2022, a 1% increase from the previous year. But despite battery-electric sales reaching ‘all-time highs’ in 2022, only 1.2% of cars on EU roads are battery-electric. Only six countries had a share […]
February 15, 2024
According to research by the Dutch mobility organization ANWB and its German sister club ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club), some safety jackets on the Dutch market are unsafe. They hardly reflect any light. And although the jackets are not mandatory in the Netherlands, both organizations sound the alarm. ADAC experts purchased 14 different safety vests online […]
February 15, 2024
Official figures in the UK from the Environment Department (Defra) show that the increase in wood burners in homes and the use of biomass in industry has offset cuts in pollution from cars. Statistics reveal that polluting particulate matter (PM), a variety of small and toxic substances that can enter the bloodstream and severely impact […]
February 15, 2024
Scarbo Vintage, a California-based manufacturer who likes to revive classic designs, has unveiled the Rover. It takes inspiration from the classic Land Rover Defender but takes pretty much everything else to the extreme, including its 1,000 hp electric drivetrain… and its price tag. While Scarbo Vintage may not ring a bell for most, it has […]
February 15, 2024
After successful testing in three departments – Rhône, les Hauts-de-Seine, and l’Eure-et-Loir – France is generalizing the numeric or digital driving license to replace the paper version nationwide. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has announced that motorists must apply for this digital driving license. Pierre Chasseray, general delegate and spokesperson for the motorist’s association ’40 millions […]
February 15, 2024
On Wednesday, the revived Lancia brand launched its first car of the new era, a successor to the current Ypsilon that will be available as a pure electric car or (somewhat later) as a hybrid. It starts with a limited series of 1,906 cars (the founding date of Lancia) designed in collaboration with the famous […]
February 15, 2024
German automotive supplier has finally announced it will slash 7,150 jobs in its car division, of which around 5,400 jobs are in the administrative areas and a further 1,750 in research and development. That reduces roughly 3.6 percent of the German supplier’s global workforce. In November, Continental said there would be job cuts in 2024, […]
February 14, 2024
Today, the resurrected Italian car brand Lancia launches the first car in its new product portfolio, the successor to the current Ypsilon. We presented the car in another article and talked to Lancia’s brand CEO, Luca Napolitano. Napolitano studied Business Administration in Rome and began his automotive career at Ford. In 2000, he started working […]
February 14, 2024
The Dutch police have a new weapon against high-speed and high-power electric bicycles. They recently introduced a roadside testing platform to check the speed of mopeds, scooters, and other electric vehicles, such as electric bicycles, speed pedelecs, and fat bikes. The roller test benches also check whether these vehicles comply with the applicable legislation. The […]
February 14, 2024
American carmaker Chrysler has presented a new concept that shows a glimpse into the brand’s electric future, however far it may be. Unlike the Airflow concept of 2022, the Chrysler Halcyon EV Concept demonstrates technologies that don’t exist. The Chrysler Halcyon EV Concept features a lithium-sulfur battery, inductive charging that could give it unlimited range […]
February 14, 2024
The emblematic modernist headquarters of car importer D’Ieteren in Rue du Mail in Ixelles has been included on the Brussels list of monuments. This was announced by the office of the regional Secretary of State for Spatial Planning and Heritage, Ans Persoons (Vooruit). The procedure to protect various parts of the building was launched in […]
February 14, 2024
Stellantis will manufacture electric drives at its Hungarian plant in Szentgotthárd. The car manufacturing group will also use Tesla’s fast-charging system NACS in North America. The Stellantis Group will invest some 100 million euros in equipping its Hungarian factory accordingly. The first Electric Drive Modules made in Hungary will roll off the production line at […]
February 14, 2024
On Tuesday, Toyota Motor Corp. said that the president of its small-car manufacturing unit, Daihatsu Motor Co., will step down over a safety testing scandal. The parent company will send new executives to take the lead in revamping the unit to bolster its governance. Masahiro Inoue, chief of Toyota’s operations in Latin America and the […]
February 13, 2024
It isn’t a car, and it isn’t a moped on four wheels. Still, it can reach a top speed of 90 km/hour, and you need a driver’s license B for it in Belgium. Officially, it is a fully electric lightweight quadricycle (L7e) that looks like the direct reincarnation of the ultimate bubble car of the […]
February 13, 2024
BMW Motorrad will use a more sustainable fuel from German expert Nordoel in the World Superbike championship. With a claimed 40% reduction of CO2 emissions during the production phase, the methanol-based fuel aims to reduce the carbon impact without compromising performance. BMW is not voluntarily starting to use a more sustainable type of fuel: the […]
February 13, 2024
Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) resolutely opts for more structural measures to address the capacity problems at the technical inspection centers. The most remarkable measure is the extension of the periodicity for passenger cars (vehicle category M11). New vehicles were subject to a yearly inspection from the day they turned four years […]
February 13, 2024
On the first day, the Flemish government’s e-counter opened to apply for a premium for a new or second-hand zero-emission vehicle; 1,423 applications were submitted in the first three hours. Most applications are about new cars. Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) responds satisfactorily. Of the more than 1 400 […]
February 13, 2024
In France, the social leasing plan, a state measure to give less fortunate people access to an EV for 100 euros a month, has already run out of budget. The scheme is discontinued after more than 50,000 validated orders in six weeks, or almost double what was initially planned. The Elysée Palace announced that the […]
February 13, 2024
A leak reveals that the future EV8 will be equipped with an impressive 113,2 kWh battery giving it up to 800 km of range. Two electric motors will give it an all-wheel-drive and 450 kW (603 hp). The leak comes from Kia’s Union New Car Production Schedule and it shows a glimpse of the future […]
February 13, 2024
A few months ago, Volvo Cars announced that it would withdraw its interests in its sister company, Polestar. Today, Volvo confirms that it won’t be the major investor in Polestar anymore, but a total withdrawal seems out of the question. In an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan (59) declared: “We […]
February 13, 2024
Audi has started preparations at its plant in Györ, Hungary, to produce the new generation of electric drives called MEBeco for the Volkswagen Group’s small electric cars announced in 2025. According to Audi Hungaria, the first systems for this have arrived, and the planning of the production lines is underway. Audi had already confirmed in […]
February 12, 2024
The share of employees with a ‘mobility budget’ has doubled again in 2023, from 0.2% in 2022 to 0.4% in 2023. This means that one in 250 employees now has a mobility budget. With the federal mobility budget, employees exchange their (right to a) company car for a budget to manage their mobility sustainably. “It […]
February 12, 2024
While support for hydrogen trucks is still building, the market for hydrogen passenger vehicles simply doesn’t seem to be there. Shell has decided to close all of its seven California-based hydrogen stations for light-duty vehicles due to “supply complications and other external market factors”. The support for hydrogen-powered passenger cars seems to be dropping. Even […]
February 12, 2024
The Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB is developing a new fare range. Consequently, some current tickets with a fixed price – for seniors or youngsters – will no longer be available. Senior organizations fear that train travel will become too expensive for seniors in the future. Today, people over 65 pay a fixed price: 8.30 euros […]
February 12, 2024
On Friday, the Flemish government finally agreed to adjust the premium for electric cars: the bonus can only be applied for 2024 and not for three years, as previously announced. Whether the aid will continue after 2024 will be up to the new government, as elections are due in June 2024. The premiums remain the […]
February 12, 2024
Autobahn GmbH, the German federal agency that plans, finances, builds, maintains, and manages the network of highways in the country, has finalized a tender for 1,000 new fast charging points at 200 so-called ‘unmanaged’ rest areas. These will have to be upgraded to the grid to support high-power charge points (HPC) first, as most today […]
February 12, 2024
Abarth unveils the first picture of the pure electric New Abarth 600e as it undergoes its final tests while making its public debut. The New Abarth 600e – in its Scorpionissima launch edition – appeared for the first time in public last Thursday at the shooting of a new commercial in Milan, Italy. The new […]
February 12, 2024
Regarding the roll-out of electric vehicles, JLR is stepping on the brakes or is at least recuperating energy. The carmaker also announced launching more plug-in hybrids, saying the demand for pure EVs has cooled down. The announcement is quite surprising as it comes when the company is seeing strong interest in the first electric Range […]
February 12, 2024
The European Council confirmed on Friday an agreement with the EU Parliament on a 90% CO2 emission reduction by 2040 for heavy-duty vehicles and a 100% reduction for buses by 2035. It came after a last-minute debate within Germany’s coalition over the proposal, with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), the smallest party in the three-party […]
February 12, 2024
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has used an electric heavy truck from Swiss boutique manufacturer Designwerk to clear snow for the first time. Thanks to the 1,000 kWh battery capacity, the truck was able to complete a full day’s plowing work with ease. Designwerk is a small, Swiss-based manufacturer of custom electric trucks. It’s partially […]
February 09, 2024
Hyundai’s IMA platform, detailed last year as a successor to its current E-GMP architecture, will spawn two electric pickup trucks aimed at the US market. A trademark application for the names of these two new vehicles also gives insight into their size and place in the model range. The IMA platform, first announced in 2022 […]
February 09, 2024
Starting December 15th, Dutch Railways NS plans to run 1,600 more weekly trains than the current timetable. The aim is to better and more often connect various regions of the Netherlands, both during the day and at earlier and later times. It is the most significant change for NS in years. The number of intercity […]
February 09, 2024
Volvo Cars is building a new center for mobility innovations in Torslanda near Gothenburg. With this facility, Volvo wants to take new technologies out of the laboratory environment and test them in a realistic way. Volvo describes the new center, ‘ Mobility Innovation Destination Torslanda’, as a tailor-made test field for automotive development near the […]
February 09, 2024
The Belgian producer of digital display solutions, Q-lite, will install up to 500 digital bus stop displays for De Lijn throughout Flanders. That is what both companies announced on Thursday. These new digital information screens will replace the old stop devices that have reached the end of their lifespan. Q-lite will produce and install the […]
February 09, 2024
Dutch beer giant Heineken has engaged Swedish Einride, a specialized transport company in electric and remote-controlled trucks, to start delivering daily to its German distribution center in Duisburg from its brewery in Den Bosch, the Netherlands, by electric Mercedes eActros 300 trucks. These trucks will cover some 540 km each daily, driven by a human […]
February 09, 2024
As the German magazine Automobilwoche reports, Audi will focus more on software in future vehicle development. Döllner wants to set up a ‘Software Defined Vehicle’ hub to focus on new vehicle concepts across the Group’s brands. Volkswagen and the much-criticized VW software subsidiary Cariad will also participate in the hub. That means other Group brands […]
February 08, 2024
Nikola and Daimler Truck have inaugurated new hydrogen refueling stations in the US and Europe. While Nikola can start to move past its mobile fueling units, Daimler Truck is aiming to change the game with cheaper and more efficient subcooled liquid hydrogen stations. Nikola, the American zero-emission truck manufacturer, has opened its first HYLA hydrogen […]
February 08, 2024
Fossil fuel energy production took a record dive in the EU last year. An energy think tank Ember report unveils that the continent’s energy mix was greener than ever. But a rolling thunder is perturbing these clear skies, as a disastrous 2023 for Europe’s offshore wind leader, Ørsted, sharply contrasts with the record profits from […]
February 08, 2024
The European Investment Bank will grant Belgian Umicore an eight-year loan of 350 million euros for research. The money is intended for the technological development, innovation, and recycling of batteries for e-cars. In 2022, Umicore invested 316 million euros, or 7,6% of its revenues, in research and development. Umicore’s battery materials technologies, innovation roadmap, and […]
February 08, 2024
Ford is updating its popular crossover. The new Puma gets different design touches here and there, but its onboard technology receives a significant upgrade. Not only does the Puma get new screens, but it also gains 5G connectivity and many active safety enhancements. Between the lines of this news, Ford announced that an all-new electric […]
February 08, 2024
In Hannuit, in the Belgian province of Liège, on the border with Flanders, there will be a park with more than 3,800 solar panels. That solar panel park managed by Infrabel will provide solar energy to the Leuven-Liège high-speed railroad line. The project has a price tag of about 2 million euros, 90% of which […]
February 08, 2024
CAKE, the nifty Swedish maker of premium lightweight, electric motorcycles and mopeds, has unexpectedly filed for bankruptcy on February 1st. The lawyer’s office, Fylgia, says attorney Jakob Callmander was appointed as the bankruptcy administrator, and tender documents are being prepared for the sale of the business. Its Swedish compatriot Polestar, Volvo’s electric sister brand, launched […]
February 07, 2024
After announcing the Touring version at the new 5 Series sedan presentation and sending teaser images, BMW has officially revealed its estate version. Meanwhile, spy pictures had already leaked from a studio shoot. Now, BMW comes with the full story of the car. A flexible drive architecture allows model variants with gasoline and diesel engines, […]
February 07, 2024
More than 30 organizations have signed the ‘Inclusive Car-sharing’ Green Deal in Brussels, a charter to expand car sharing as a sustainable mobility alternative by giving access to it to as many Brussels residents as possible, regardless of their specific needs. This is an initiative of Brussels Environment and Mobility Ministers Alain Aaron (Ecolo) and […]
February 07, 2024
According to the plans presented on Tuesday, the European Commission wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels. “There’s no other way,” says Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action. “The longer the EU waits to take difficult measures, the harder and more expensive it […]
February 07, 2024
Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will invest $1.3 billion in its Kentucky factory in the United States. The investment is part of the preparation to begin producing its first electric vehicles in the country in 2025. Meanwhile, the world’s number-one car manufacturer expects record net profit even as quality scandals bite. The new investment […]
February 07, 2024
Porsche has given its electric flagship, the Taycan, an ‘extensive update’ with more power, more range, faster acceleration, and faster charging with greater stability. It will arrive at dealerships in Spring 2024. Although the next generation looks pretty much like the first one, Porsche says it sharpened the design and more strongly differentiated the Turbo […]
February 07, 2024
Most drivers (98.4%) tested for alcohol during the last winter campaign blew negative. That was the best result since the so-called ‘Bob’ campaigns began in 1995. For comparison, ten years ago, in 2013-2014, 3.2% of drivers were still positive, or twice as many as this year. This winter’s Bob campaign started on Friday, December 1st, […]
