May 20, 2026
The French charging point operator (CPO) Electra is the first major player in Belgium to tie public charging costs to time-of-use logic. This means that off-peak rates will be offered that are lower than the average Belgian household electricity tariff. This scheme provides a new windfall for environments where charging is constrained by practical caveats, […]
May 20, 2026
Following the Volkswagen ID. Polo and the Cupra Raval, the Volkswagen Group is introducing the Skoda Epiq as the third model in its new family of electric small cars. Prices are set to start at €26,290 in Belgium, but most likely only more expensive models will be available initially, starting with a ‘First Edition’. The […]
May 20, 2026
According to new data from the International Council on Clean Transportation ICCT, zero- and low-emission architectures accounted for a quarter of all global light-duty vehicle sales in 2025. While established markets show significant variation, emerging economies — particularly in Southeast Asia — are rapidly accelerating the e-mobility transition. The global electrification of light-duty vehicles, combining […]
May 19, 2026
Germany has launched applications for its new electrified vehicle subsidy program. Backed by a €3 billion budget, the scheme aims to support around 800,000 battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and range extenders by 2029 through income-based grants of up to €6,000. Germany has officially opened applications for its new electric vehicle subsidy scheme after the program […]
May 19, 2026
The Antwerp-based ZAS Hospital Group is advocating a ban on shared e-scooters between midnight and 8 a.m., according to Gazet van Antwerpen. With this proposal, emergency services aim to halt the rise in accidents involving this mode of transportation. However well-intentioned it may be – and understandable given the frustration of emergency room doctors who […]
May 19, 2026
Ford plans to introduce five entirely new passenger car models by the end of 2029, all manufactured in Europe for the European market. These include a fully electric compact car, a small electric SUV, and three models available with various powertrain options. Ford has provided further details about its European plans: before the end of […]
May 19, 2026
Volkswagen is bringing the GTI into the electric era while drawing heavily on the badge’s heritage. A red stripe, tartan trim, and GTI mode meet 166 kW, an adaptive chassis, and a front-axle differential lock. The manufacturer will open pre-sales for the ID. Polo GTI in autumn at prices starting just below €39,000 in Germany. […]
May 18, 2026
If the European Commission has its way, there will be a single ticket for anyone wishing to travel by train across Europe. The measure, described as “a game-changer for rail travel” by European Commissioner for Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, is intended to make cross-border travel on the continent easier. For international train travel, passengers […]
May 18, 2026
Revealed at the 2026 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the Vision BMW Alpina is a design study that heralds a new chapter for a brand, now entirely under the BMW flag, defined by sophistication and the mastery of both performance and comfort. “Alpina has always represented a very specific idea of performance and refinement, where speed […]
May 18, 2026
For the past several years, discussions surrounding driverless, cab-less electric freight have been heavily dominated by a single European player: Sweden’s Einride. Now, a well-funded Californian challenger emerges. Humble proposes an alternative to Einride’s established ‘Pod’ architecture. Its arrival launches a new phase of competition in autonomous port and yard logistics. San Francisco-based start-up Humble […]
May 13, 2026
Following the regulatory approval in the Netherlands, Tesla is officially allowed to expand its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) to Belgian roads. However, as regulatory barriers across Europe are being lowered, the automaker is simultaneously overhauling the pricing model for its assisted-driving package. The Netherlands has triggered the regulatory domino effect under EU law, and it is […]
May 13, 2026
Following the Savane 4×4 Concept last year, Renault is unveiling a new variation of the Renault 4 Electric at the 2026 Roland-Garros French Open: Renault 4 JP4x4 Concept. A fresh take on the Plein Air and JP4 versions of the original Renault 4, ‘Renault 4 JP4x4 Concept’ is a modern beach car, an adventure-seeking leisure […]
May 13, 2026
Belgium will raise the maximum tax-free reimbursement that employers can pay workers for charging their electric company cars at home for the third consecutive quarter, highlighting how the country’s deeply entrenched company car system is rapidly adapting to electrification. From July 1, employers using Belgium’s official flat-rate system may reimburse employees up to €0.3222 per […]
May 12, 2026
The drastic reform of the car inspection procedure in Flanders, planned by Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder, goes in the opposite direction to the new regulatory plans of the European Union, says GOCA, the sector federation currently responsible for the technical and safety inspection. “We have a growing impression that a more ideological viewpoint […]
May 12, 2026
After building artificial lagoons, universities, hospitals, shopping malls, and entire private cities across Vietnam, Vingroup is now attempting something even more ambitious: exporting Vietnamese-built electric buses to Europe. Just a short drive from the monumental Vinhomes developments outside Hanoi, VinFast’s sprawling industrial complex in Hải Phòng reveals another side of the conglomerate’s ambitions. Next to […]
May 11, 2026
Last year, the car dealer group Van Mossel became the biggest car seller in Belgium. The group overtook importer D’Ieteren, which had been the most important car seller in this country for years. According to data from dealer data analyst Aumacon, requested by De Tijd, Van Mossel recorded 32,500 new-car registrations in 2025, while D’ieteren […]
May 11, 2026
Porsche has decided to wind down three non-core divisions, resulting in the loss of over 500 jobs. The closures are part of a sweeping strategic reversal that is stripping Porsche of the electromobility ventures it spent years building. The way forward seems to be the backview mirror for the German sports car maker. Germany’s most […]
May 11, 2026
Vietnam does not usually come to mind when discussing global industrial powerhouses. Yet on the eastern outskirts of Hanoi, an empire has emerged that increasingly shapes how modern Vietnam lives, moves, studies, shops, and dreams. VinFast, the new EV brand with a whole lineup of cars and its own electric buses, is now trying to […]
May 08, 2026
While its subsidiary Volvo is struggling with overcapacity, and the Ghent factory needs relevance through the production of Chinese models, the Spanish outlet La Tribuna de Automocion reports that the mother company Geely is in talks to buy a part of Ford’s plant in Spain. Chinese brands are boosting their manufacturing ambitions in Europe to […]
May 08, 2026
A BMW i5 M60 xDrive sedan assembled at Plant Dingolfing is the BMW Group’s two-millionth all-electric vehicle. The anniversary vehicle is going to a customer in Spain. Meanwhile, Group CEO Oliver Zipse revealed that there are already more than 50,000 pre-orders for the iX3 ‘Neue Klasse’. Plant Dingolfing began series production of all-electric automobiles in […]
May 07, 2026
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary wants to ban alcohol in airports in the morning, before regular restaurant and bar opening hours. The Irish low-cost airline reportedly has to divert a flight almost daily due to the behavior of some passengers. In addition to the morning ban on alcohol before 10 a.m., he also advocates limiting each […]
May 07, 2026
The half-millionth fully-electric passenger vehicle was registered in Belgium earlier this week. To celebrate this milestone, advocacy group EV Belgium held a small ceremony, handing over the keys to a new Polestar. It also reflected the positive market developments that enabled accelerated growth in EV adoption in Belgium. Three years ago, in early 2023, the […]
May 07, 2026
California is closing a years-old legal loophole that made driverless cars effectively untouchable by traffic police. Starting this summer, autonomous vehicle manufacturers can be fined directly for moving violations committed by their vehicles. The question is: aren’t robotaxis built to behave under all conditions? For years, driverless cars in California operated in a gray zone. […]
May 06, 2026
The Ghent-based software builder for charging stations, Optimile, has found a new breath. To expand its operations at a European level, the company has been fully acquired by the German fuel card giant DKV Mobility. The takeover fits into a broader scenario, as the latter has been buying similar companies over the past few years […]
May 06, 2026
For two decades, the story of Amazon was about what it sold. From now on, the story is about how it moves its own and others’ goods, and for whom. Companies like DHL, FedEx, and UPS have a new, very serious concern. Amazon pulled back a curtain that few in the logistics industry wanted to […]
May 06, 2026
Emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, remain very high. The International Environment Agency (IEA) reported this on Monday during an international meeting in Paris, where its annual Global Methane Tracker report was presented. In 2025, record production from the fossil fuel sector (oil, coal, gas) was responsible for 35% of […]
May 06, 2026
The man who turned Ferrari into a cultural icon wants to do the same for German rail. His weapon: €3.6 billion, 26 Siemens Velaro trains, and a proven Italian playbook that cut ticket prices by 40 percent. Germany has a train problem. In 2025, Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance network posted its worst punctuality record in history: […]
May 05, 2026
The Belgian government wants to regain full control over energy policy and has secured a purchase option on Engie’s Belgian nuclear operations. Although the decision, a historic shift following the nuclear phase-out under the Verhofstadt 1 government, is generally welcomed, criticism is also growing. The costs remain a major question mark – even Prime Minister […]
May 04, 2026
The trade deal between the US and the EU, which was agreed just last summer, is already showing cracks. President Trump signals a return to the tariff playbook and proposes imposing a 25% duty on European cars and trucks. But this time the trigger is geopolitical as much as economic. Donald Trump’s tariff menace has […]
May 04, 2026
The fact that the Belgian federal government has set up a ‘task force’ to consider the future of Belgium’s only surviving large car assembly plant in Ghent, operated by Volvo, has set off several alarm bells. Despite the soothing words of Flemish Minister-President Mathias Diependaele, concerns are rising. The different rumors are also fed by […]
April 30, 2026
Volkswagen is finally entering the compact EV segment with the ID. Polo, a name steeped in tradition. It is positioning the new model as an entry point into its electric lineup, priced just under €25,000. Next year, the even smaller ID. Up (name not confirmed yet) should become available at ± €20,000. The Polo first […]
April 29, 2026
The Belgian Chamber’s Mobility Committee has unanimously approved a resolution by Vooruit to allow free bike use on trains. Whether this will ever actually happen, however, remains to be seen. A resolution is not legally binding. For the resolution to take effect, the government would need to amend the management contract with NMBS/SNCB. In an […]
April 29, 2026
BYD, the Shenzhen-based carmaker, reported a 55% year-on-year fall in net profit for the first quarter, confirming analyst expectations and underscoring the pressure created by an ongoing price war in China’s hypercompetitive electric vehicle market. Revenues also declined, even as sales volumes remain robust, highlighting a widening gap between growth and profitability. The sharp drop […]
April 29, 2026
The wave of updates for the MEB-based electric vehicles from the Volkswagen Group continues. Audi has now unveiled its comprehensively revised Q4 e-tron, featuring technology and design changes, some of which are Audi-specific innovations. Deliveries are expected to begin this summer. The Audi Q4 e-tron is transitioning from the MEB electric platform to the upgraded […]
April 29, 2026
Once upon a time, the Land Rover Freelander was the best-selling four-wheel-drive vehicle in Europe. It held that title for five consecutive years. Now, nearly three decades after its 1997 debut, the name returns, reborn as an independent electric brand built in China but coming to Europe. Together with Chery Jaguar Land Rover and Chinese […]
April 29, 2026
One week after unveiling its Naxtra sodium-ion battery for electric vehicles, CATL has signed the largest sodium-ion battery order in history: 60 GWh for grid-scale energy storage over three years. The technology has crossed the line from lab breakthrough to industrial product. The ink on CATL’s Tech Day announcements was barely dry. The world’s largest […]
April 28, 2026
Flemish Minister of the Environment, Jo Brouns (CD&V), has granted grid operator Elia an environmental permit for the long-awaited Ventilus project, he announced on Monday. The wind energy sector and environmental organizations are relieved; action groups and companies along the route are disappointed. “Minister Brouns is completely disregarding 3,000 objections,” opponents say. New high-voltage line Ventilus […]
April 28, 2026
Last year, 68 drivers at the Flemish public transportation company De Lijn were caught using alcohol or drugs. This marks another increase compared to previous years, when 62 and 57 drivers were caught during preventive checks, respectively. According to Flemish Member of Parliament and CD&V faction leader Peter Van Rompuy, who requested the figures, the […]
April 28, 2026
For the first time, fully electric cars have become the largest group within Belgium’s company car fleet—and the shift is happening significantly faster than in neighboring countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and France. New data from the National Social Security Office (RSZ) show that electric vehicles accounted for 37.2% of all salary cars in […]
April 24, 2026
According to data from the Association of European Car Manufacturers (ACEA), new EU car registrations increased by 4% in Q1 2026, driven largely by March’s strong performance (+12.5%). The market was supported by robust consumer activity, bolstered by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries. Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the […]
April 23, 2026
On the eve of the Beijing Auto Show, CATL held its annual Tech Day and unveiled four new battery systems at the same time. An innovation stretch that reached from a record-breaking LFP cell for mass-market EVs to a sodium-ion battery heading for production later this year. The salvo is a direct response to BYD’s […]
April 23, 2026
After first announcing the #2 for 2026 and even showing photos of camouflaged prototypes, Smart has now unveiled the concept version of its Fortwo successor. The Concept #2 blends the original Fortwo shape with the brand’s modern design cues, and will spawn a production version in Paris in October. Since its renaissance under the Geely […]
April 22, 2026
After twelve years and a journey that started with drivers swapping cars mid-race because a single battery couldn’t last, the 975 RSE is Porsche’s answer to everyone who ever doubted that electric motorsport could be truly, viscerally fast. There is a detail buried in the history of Formula E that tells you everything about how […]
April 22, 2026
By the end of 2026, BlaBlaCar will cease its operations as a bus carrier in France. This will result in the loss of 40 jobs of the company’s total workforce of 800 employees. BlaBlaCar, which also serves various destinations in Belgium, will, however, continue to sell bus tickets for independent bus companies. Highly competitive market […]
April 22, 2026
Europe’s rail renaissance will never reach its full potential unless passengers are able to book connecting and international trains in a few clicks. That’s the conclusion of new research by T&E (Transport & Environment), which finds that on almost half of the EU’s busiest international air routes, booking the same journey by train is difficult […]
April 22, 2026
On the eve of the world’s largest motor show, Europe’s biggest carmaker pulled the covers off three electric vehicles spread across the widest possible price spectrum. That is either a master plan or a sign of desperation,… possibly both. At the Group’s Media Night in Beijing, the Volkswagen brand presented three cars on stage that […]
April 22, 2026
At the end of a one-week visit to India, François Provost, CEO of Renault Group, presented ‘futuREady India’, an Indian rollout of the Group’s futuREady strategic plan unveiled last March. Renault Group is launching ‘futuREady India’, the local rollout of its new strategic plan to drive growth both locally and globally, while strengthening engineering and […]
April 21, 2026
Belgium has finalized an action plan to remove dangerous e-scooters from the market more quickly and prevent them from entering the market in the first place. As part of this effort, 75,000 euros will be allocated this year for technical testing, and a safety label for e-scooters will be introduced in January. With this action […]
April 16, 2026
Ford is closing the chapter on its “startup inside a carmaker” approach to electrification. The Detroit automaker announced that Doug Field, the former Tesla and Apple executive hired in 2021 to lead its EV transformation, will leave the company voluntarily next month. The move is embedded in Ford’s decision to dissolve its standalone EV and […]
April 16, 2026
The Belgian market for new motorcycles concludes the first quarter with distinctly positive momentum. With 6,990 registrations compared to 5,694 in 2025 (+22.8%), the sector records its best start to the season since 2021. In March 2026 alone, 3,169 motorcycles were registered. That is +10.2% compared to March 2025 and +5.5% above the average for […]
April 16, 2026
Private lease is gaining traction in Belgium, but from a very low base. According to figures published by Renta, the Belgian federation of vehicle rental and leasing companies, the number of private lease contracts reached 16,074 vehicles by the end of March 2026, up 22% year-on-year from 13,201 a year earlier. While the growth is […]
April 15, 2026
Jacques Vandermeiren (63), the CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, is stepping down after nearly ten years of service. He had been CEO since 2017 and would normally have remained in office until the end of 2029. The Dutchman Rob Smeets, currently COO, will temporarily take over the leadership. Next week, the port authority will start negotiations […]
April 15, 2026
Just on the day Lufthansa is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its first flight, an event Chancellor Merz is set to attend, the airline is once again hit by a strike – the fifth major strike at Lufthansa this year. After hundreds of flights were canceled due to a pilots’ strike on Monday and Tuesday, […]
April 15, 2026
According to the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), the latest demands of the European car industry for weaker climate targets could result in an extra €74bn of oil imports, “just as interest in buying EVs reaches new peaks”.That’s according to T&E analysis of a leaked position paper issued by the Association of European Car Manufacturers […]
April 15, 2026
Rising fuel prices linked to tensions around Iran are beginning to ripple through Europe’s car market, and Belgium offers one of the clearest early signals. New data show that second-hand electric vehicles are gaining traction at an accelerating pace, even as the broader used-car market remains under pressure. In March, registrations of fully electric used […]
April 14, 2026
The Belgian entrepreneur Jasper Deprez wants to bring solar energy from space to Earth with his start-up TerraSpark. The reason was a personal and unpleasant experience. During the Great Spanish Blackout of 2025, Deprez, who lives near Barcelona, was without power for almost a week, and by his own account, it was hell, especially as a […]
April 13, 2026
Electric Mobility Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the French company Engie, has won the contract to install 1,650 charging stations in Walloon municipalities. Since each charging station has two charging points, this totals 3,300 charging points, representing an increase of nearly 44% over the current charging infrastructure in the southern part of the country. Catch-up effort […]
April 13, 2026
Last Friday, the Dutch vehicle approval authority, RDW, dropped a bombshell: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) has been granted type approval for use on public roads in the Netherlands. Tesla says the rollout via over-the-air updates will begin within days, making the Dutch customers the first Europeans to access automated driving at a level that hasn’t […]
April 10, 2026
Two years ago, Elon Musk told investors that building affordable electric cars for human drivers was, in his words, “pointless” and “silly.” Instead, his company would focus on the automated Cybercab and the profit model behind it. But Musk’s decision firmness isn’t his greatest quality. Reuters has reported that Tesla is backing off on that […]
