November 25, 2022
The anniversary edition of the Brussels Motor Show (BMS), taking place from 14 to January 22nd, 2023, is not to be considered the 100th edition of the ‘old school’ motor show but the first of a new kind. The aim is clear: inform the visitor/customer about the energy transition and its (electric) influence on mobility. […]
November 25, 2022
On Thursday, Renault Trucks and Coca-Cola’s Belgian-Luxembourg branch Europacific Partners (CCEP) presented to the press the four first fully electric delivery trucks of a total fleet of thirty, which is to be commissioned in the next twelve months. The trucks with a range of 180 km to 400 km are charged overnight at Coca-Cola’s depot […]
November 24, 2022
Abarth has launched its first electric car with the Abarth 500e, which follows the recipe of its combustion brothers by giving the Fiat 500e more power and a sporty look. The brand has also solicited its community to develop some features, with members getting priority in the pre-order process in return for their efforts. Abarth […]
November 24, 2022
Japanese carmaker Mazda has revised its sales targets for EVs by 2030. The previously announced share of 25% has been raised to between 25% and 40%. In addition, the company is planning an investment of 10,3 billion euros in its electrification strategy, possibly including a factory for battery production. As one of the members of […]
November 24, 2022
An old icon of ‘Belgianism’, the 127-year-old Royal Touring Club of Belgium is being sold to insurance company AG (75%) and Belgian’s biggest bank company BNP Paribas Fortis (25%). How much money is involved in the transaction is not specified. However, it allows Touring to continue road assistance and other activities in a world where […]
November 23, 2022
The Brussels government will allocate an additional 125 million euros to Mobility next year, increasing the budget to 1,448 billion euros in the 2023 budget. This amounts to 20% of the Brussels Region’s budgetary funds. “The government is taking its responsibility on mobility challenges, the climate change, and health crisis, and more generally on the […]
November 23, 2022
Chinese premium electric carmaker NIO is opening up its offer in Europe with a purchase option and battery renting. It is a complement to meet European clients’ wishes to the monthly car subscription it started in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, the first countries the brand was launched after Norway. Prices start at €51 […]
November 23, 2022
Persistent rumors exist that the VW brand is about to replan its product strategy for further electric models fundamentally. According to some reports, more electric cars based on the MEB platform will be launched on the market. This means that MEB will have to be modernized, with an investment of billions. Last week, we mentioned […]
November 23, 2022
Ford has unveiled the passenger version of its E-Transit Custom, which gets the E-Tourneo Custom nameplate. The electric people carrier has up to eight seats, an electric range of 370 km, and offers more comfort and technology than before. PHEV and diesel versions are also available. Like the E-Transit Custom, the E-Tourneo Custom gets a […]
November 22, 2022
Belgian retail giant Colruyt Group will have its own truck fleet running on electricity or hydrogen by 2030 and forces all its suppliers to deliver using zero-emission transport by 2035. CEO Jef Colruyt announced the latter at the opening of the group’s fourth DATS 24 hydrogen station near its distribution center in Ollignies. According to […]
November 21, 2022
In October 2022, new passenger car registrations continued their upward trend (+12,2%) in the European Union, with 745 855 units sold. However, this result remained nearly 290 000 units below the October 2019 pre-pandemic levels. When we look at the first nine months, car registrations in the EU fell by 9,9%, but there was a […]
November 21, 2022
Smart’s second new-gen model has been revealed as the #3, another compact electric SUV, but a larger one than the #1, which was launched earlier this year. The model was spotted in a new batch of regulatory filings from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which also revealed a few key specifications. The […]
November 18, 2022
The Belgian version of the points-based driver’s license is about to see the light of day. So report several newspapers, including De Morgen and La Libre Belgique, which saw the draft by three competent ministers. The primary measure in the draft, which comes after more than 30 years in limbo in the federal parliament, is […]
November 18, 2022
Carlos Brito, the former CEO of Belgian beer giant AB InBev will become CEO of Carglass parent Belron. Belgian group D’Ieteren, which owns just over half of Belron, announced this on Wednesday. Quite a lot of analysts think that Brito has also been hired to prepare an IPO of the very successful glass provider Belron […]
November 17, 2022
Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer Thierry Bolloré has today announced his resignation from the company for personal reasons, leaving on 31st December 2022. Taking over from today as Interim CEO will be Adrian Mardell. “I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together at Jaguar Land Rover over the last two years, Thierry […]
November 16, 2022
According to a recent study by Brussels University’s research center Mobi, the typical Belgian EV driver is a 47-year-old, technology-loving male. He’s highly educated and lives in a free-standing house. The Belgian charging station manufacturer Powerdale commissioned the study. VUB’s research center Mobi analyzed the data of 489 drivers with a hybrid or fully electric […]
November 16, 2022
The biggest car manufacturer in the world, Japanese Toyota, persists in its ‘self-charging’ hybrid technology approach and launches the fifth generation of the hybrid icon, the Prius. The car has its worldwide premiere today in Japan and at the Los Angeles Motor Show. The European introduction will be on the 5th of December. The car […]
November 16, 2022
Within a few weeks, the European Commission will review the truck’s CO2 standards, and lobbying groups of the industry and the environmental NGOs are bringing the heavy cannons to bear for the last influencers’ battle. So does Transport & Environment, publishing a study proving e-fuels can’t compete with battery electric trucks even in the most […]
November 15, 2022
Twenty-four hours. That’s all Hyundai needed to sell out its limited run of 2 500 Ioniq 6 First Editions in Europe. The sleek-styled addition to the Ioniq range is deemed a big success for the brand, despite its non-conventional looks. The First Edition of the Ioniq 6 preludes the official sales of the model, which […]
November 15, 2022
Volkswagen seems to be on track with the electrification of its vehicle fleet. One year earlier than planned, the company delivered 500 000 vehicles from the ID. family worldwide – despite the strained supply situation and the teething troubles with the ID.3 in the beginning. “Delivery of half a million ID.s confirms that the Volkswagen […]
November 14, 2022
BMW has started series production of the iX1 electric SUV at the plant in Regensburg. Meanwhile, new details about the electric car platform New Class have been revealed by BMW development board member Frank Weber. At the same time, BMW will apparently continue to have electric cars produced in England for the Mini brand and […]
November 14, 2022
Last week, the Commission proposed reducing air pollution from new motor vehicles sold in the EU. The aim is to meet the European Green Deal’s zero-pollution ambition while keeping vehicles affordable for consumers and promoting Europe’s competitiveness. The proposal tackles emissions from tailpipes as well as from brakes and tires. The latter will also apply […]
November 14, 2022
MyWay, the second-hand car sales chain of Belgian Volkswagen brand importer D’Ieteren Automotive, extends its offer beyond the ‘house brands’ Audi, Seat, Škoda, and Volkswagen and goes fully ‘multi-brand’. Some 3 000 ‘certified’ cars are available in 200 dealerships and on the MyWay website. This year the group also launched ‘My Way Buy’, a service […]
November 10, 2022
Yesterday, Volvo Cars unveiled the EX90 in Stockholm. The revamped e-SUV and XC 90 successor is exclusively electric and boasts numerous new features. Visually, on the other hand, it could pass as a facelift of the familiar model. Those who fancy a somewhat bolder or more innovative design have to look for its technical brother […]
November 10, 2022
According to the independent think tank Influencemap, Japanese carmaker Toyota is in the shady company of the big oil and gas firms regarding a negative climate policy. Its score (-42) is the same as Russian energy giant Gazprom. The worst company in the world putting profit over the planet is Chevron. Toyota, which was listed […]
November 09, 2022
The new Swedish government has scrapped EV and PHEV bonuses quasi overnight, excluding all cars bought after November 8th, 2022. “The cost of owning and driving a climate bonus car is starting to be comparable to the cost of owning and driving a petrol or diesel car. Therefore, the climate bonus is abolished,” the government’s site […]
November 09, 2022
A new name and considerably more range. Those two novelties sum up the facelift for the Audi e-tron and its more dynamic coupé-like version, the Sportback. The updated model is easily recognizable by its new nose, featuring a more prominent grille and a led strip between the headlights. At the back, the badge has been […]
November 09, 2022
Wallonia might consider for its regional low-emission zone (LEZ) postponing the ban on Euro 0 and Euro I cars for two years until 2025, Minister for Environment Céline Tellier (Écolo) has said on the news channel LN24. “In crisis times, it would be unthinkable to force people to buy a new car,” she added. The […]
November 08, 2022
It’s getting colorful but complicated. We already know grey hydrogen, the least environmentally friendly form, as it still generates CO2 when produced from gas, and blue hydrogen, where the CO2 is captured and stored. There is ‘green’ hydrogen, generated mainly by electrolysis using renewable electricity from solar or wind energy. But why not consider ‘turquoise’ […]
November 08, 2022
Ahead of its initial targets, Renault Group opens the third chapter of its Renaulution plan: revolution. Renault Group aims at becoming a Next Gen automotive company built on 5 focused businesses addressing all the new value chains: electric vehicles, software, new mobility services, and circular economy, in addition to ICE and hybrid vehicles. At the same time, […]
November 08, 2022
According to Israelian battery start-up Storedot, the automotive industry should brace for the interim solution of semi-solid batteries in the medium term. While all eyes are set on a rapid introduction of solid-state technology, the company warns that mass production for that type of battery is still a decade away. Solid-state batteries are highly anticipated […]
November 08, 2022
The Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen (Germany) has rounded the cape of 100.000th Taycan rolling off production lines on Tuesday, 8 November. The ‘jubilee car’ is a Neptune blue Taycan 4S for a customer in the UK. And since production started in 2019, all these Taycans are built ‘CO2 neutral’, the company claims. A hundred thousand […]
November 07, 2022
Transport economists of Antwerp University have succeeded for the first time in calculating the direct and social costs of traffic congestion. They developed a new tool and applied it on a 15-km-long traffic jam on the E19 highway in Antwerp. The result of their analysis was stunning: the cost amounted to more than 200 000 […]
November 04, 2022
The second-hand car market is suffering, Belgian automotive services sector federation Traxio warns. For nine consecutive months, sales figures declined: -8,8% compared to 2021 and even -21,9% compared to September 2020, when sales were booming immediately after the first corona lockdown. In October, 53 192 second-hand cars were registered, 5 165 fewer than in October […]
November 04, 2022
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman announced on Thursday the launch of Ceer, a new electric car brand to be designed, developed, and built locally with the help of Foxconn and using some components licensed by BMW. According to the state news agency SPA, the first cars to be built- a range of sedans […]
November 04, 2022
BMW Group has communicated a 23% increase in its net benefit for Q3 of 2022. While sales won’t reach record heights again, the financial figures are very good. It gives the group enough confidence to realize a successful transformation into the new, ‘electric’ era. “In an uneven economic environment, the BMW Group once again delivered […]
November 03, 2022
In the Belux market, 30 541cars were registered last month, a 21,6% increase compared to October 2021. However, the high figures from before the pandemic aren’t back yet. In Europe, BEVs are confirming hybrid cars are still growing for the first three quarters of the year; PHEVs are starting to lose terrain. Thanks to this […]
November 03, 2022
Europe is warming up twice as fast as the rest of the world. Between 1991 and 2021, temperatures in Europe increased by 0,5°C per decade. These figures are reported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The ‘State of the Climate in Europe’ report was drawn up together with Copernicus, the EU’s climate research service, and […]
November 03, 2022
Zeekr, Geely’s premium brand, has launched its second model in China, the 009. It’s a luxury MPV with a dual-motor drive system providing 400 kW of peak motor power and 686 Nm of torque and the first to be fed by CATL’s new Qilin Battery. This 140 kWh battery pack boosts the van’s range to […]
November 03, 2022
General Motors has confirmed its return to Europe with electric cars. This can be deduced from the announcement that Jaclyn McQuaid has been appointed President and CEO of GM Europe. So far, the carmaker has revealed little about its new plans except that they involve a non-traditional approach to mobility centered around electric vehicles. McQuaid […]
November 02, 2022
On November 1st, the German car-sharing company Miles Mobility officially acquired Volkswagen Group’s all-electric car-sharing service WeShare. Until recently, WeShare operated as a service of Urban Mobility International GmbH, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. At the same time, Miles has ordered more than 10 000 electric vehicles from Audi, Seat, Cupra, and VW. The ordered […]
November 02, 2022
The world’s biggest battery manufacturer, Chinese CATL, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vietnamese VinFast to expand global collaboration in areas like battery technology but also include a complete integrated EV skateboard chassis. And that is an interesting evolution. The CATL Integrated Intelligent Chassis (CIIC) places cells directly into an electric vehicle’s frame […]
November 02, 2022
The new generation E-Class planned for 2023 will be the last new model from Mercedes-Benz on an internal combustion engine (ICE) platform. All subsequent new model series in the future will be based on architectures that the Stuttgart-based company is developing specifically for electric vehicles. Mercedes’ new Modular Architecture platform (MMA) could become the base […]
October 28, 2022
Thursday evening, the negotiators of the European Parliament and the Member States have reached an agreement to have all new cars and vans sold beyond 2035 to be zero-emission. It’s the ultimate step to have the ban on gasoline and diesel cars, including (plugin-) hybrids, written in stone before final ratification. “This extremely far-reaching decision […]
October 28, 2022
After 100 days in charge of the VW brand, Thomas Schäfer has shed some light on future plans. He announced that the deadline for an all-electric line-up in Europe has been advanced to 2033 and that a 25 000 euros electric car is in the making. However, the brand must also rationalize its production strategy. […]
October 27, 2022
It looks like a reincarnation of the Smart Fortwo with its 2,5 length. Still, it is a genuine Italian-made fully battery-electric city car with a range of 150 km and an innovative battery-swapping system in a drawer-like system behind the rear license plate: the XEV YOYO. And it will be available in Belgium through VJB […]
October 27, 2022
The rumors have been circulating for years, and now Audi has made it official. A picture of its first Formula 1 car shows that the premium carmaker from Ingolstadt will officially participate in the racing series as of 2026. Audi is partnering with Sauber, currently running its F1 program with Alfa Romeo. While Audi will […]
October 27, 2022
Ford Europe is planning to accelerate the switch to electric vehicles in Europe. On Wednesday afternoon, reports in German and UK media were already hinting at it. Ford Europe Model e boss Martin Sander announced with a Twitter message that production of the internal combustion Fiesta small car in Cologne will end one year earlier […]
October 27, 2022
Swedish truck builder Volvo Trucks started series production of the fully electric range of its popular heavy trucks, the Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX, in the Tuve factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is prepping its Ghent (Belgium) factory to follow next year. Ghent will play a significant role in the group’s electrification, including […]
October 26, 2022
Toyota, the world’s number one car manufacturer, has announced a second EV in the bZ (beyond Zero) sub-brand, an all-electric sedan called the bZ3, developed in collaboration between Toyota, BYD, and FAW Toyota. It will be offered exclusively in China for the time being. In addition, according to some media reports, there are indications that […]
October 26, 2022
The BMW Group has presented plans on how to expand the capacities for EV component production. At the same time, CEO Oliver Zipse declares that, in the future, “hydrogen, not electric, will be the hippest thing to drive”. However, the Munich-based premium manufacturer doesn’t want to put all its eggs in one basket. “To say […]
October 25, 2022
Allier, in the center of France, awaits one of the most promising mining fields for lithium in Europe. Primarily because of its strategic position and size. The industrial minerals group Imerys announced Monday that it will start mining this lithium deposit by 2027. The site in Allier will be “one of the largest” in Europe […]
October 25, 2022
As the third quarter of 2022 finally ended with a positive sales figure in Belgium and Luxembourg, the importer association Febiac dares to be prudently optimistic again. The months of August and September ended with positive sales figures compared to last year, and this was the first time in more than a year. Also, in […]
October 25, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the Paris Motor Show ‘Mondial de l’Auto’ last week. But in the wake of the difficulties almost all motor shows are experiencing post-pandemic, the Mondial seems to have lost its global character. As a result, only 400 000 visitors showed up, while the previous edition attracted more than a million. […]
October 25, 2022
Last week Chinese premium electric carmaker NIO has delivered in the Netherlands its first ET7 sedan with the new subscription model for Europe. Like Lynk & Co does with its 01 PHEV, this fully electric EV with a 100 kWh battery can be ‘subscribed to’ on a flexible monthly basis. Eventually, NIO wanted to offer […]
October 24, 2022
The new Euro 7 ruling for tailpipe emissions is reportedly not going to be as drastic as feared. It seems that the European Commission is giving some leeway to carmakers who strongly lobbied against stringent measures. The new ruling will most likely eclipse the current standards for gasoline-powered vehicles under Euro 6. According to the […]
October 21, 2022
On Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted the new ‘Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation’, abbreviated as AFIR, which set forth minimum requirements for charging infrastructure and hydrogen refueling all over Europe. In the new AFIR regulations, every member state is required to build charging stations for EVs at least every 60 kilometers on highways. For hydrogen stations, […]
October 21, 2022
Have the tables turned for Tesla’s product planning? While Elon Musk, during a webcast beginning this year, claimed that a $25 000 car wasn’t on the agenda, he now stated that a small architecture is in the making at roughly half the cost of the Model 3 and Y. The potential for this baby Tesla […]
October 21, 2022
The Chinese manufacturer BYD has finally launched its attack on the European market. After starting in Norway two years ago, BYD now wants to deliver its vehicles to Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The markets in Austria, France, and Great Britain are still to follow in 2022. To do so, it will […]
October 20, 2022
The D’Ieteren Group, best known as a car importer and of Carglass, continues to expand its national network of bicycle shops that it started under the Lucien brand name in May of this year. With the acquisition of Waterloo-based ReCycle, D’Ieteren is now also focusing on the fast-growing used-bike market. The acquisition of ReCycle is […]
