T&E: ‘EV affordability tipping point nears in Europe’ (update)

March 12, 2026

A new analysis from environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) suggests the European electric vehicle market may be approaching an affordability turning point, as prices show early signs of easing after several years of increases. According to the group’s latest EV progress report, the average list price of battery electric cars in Europe fell by […]

Dacia Striker signals Renault’s push to move its budget brand upmarket

March 11, 2026

The new Dacia Striker marks a significant step in Dacia’s transformation, as parent company Renault Group accelerates its plan to move the budget brand into larger, more profitable segments of the European market. Revealed as part of Dacia’s ‘futuREady’ roadmap to 2030, the Striker will be the largest vehicle the brand has ever offered. With a […]

BYD joins global rule-making body IATF as automotive power shifts east

March 11, 2026

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has joined the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), one of the automotive industry’s most influential but little-known global institutions, so far dominated by Western and Japanese carmakers. The move gives the fast-growing EV maker a seat at the table where manufacturing standards governing the global automotive supply chain are defined, […]

Geely joins megawatt charging race as it prepares Benelux launch

March 10, 2026

China’s EV charging race has entered a new phase after Geely demonstrated a new 1.5 MW ultra-fast charger capable of delivering megawatt-level charging to a production Zeekr 001. The technology itself was first announced with the upgraded Zeekr 001 in late 2025, but the latest demonstration highlights the charging infrastructure required to deliver such extreme […]

Will BYD’s megawatt charging make battery swapping obsolete?

March 09, 2026

Chinese EV giant BYD has stirred the electric mobility world with the unveiling of its new ‘flash charging’ technology, delivering up to 1.5 megawatts of power and allowing charging from roughly 10% to 70% in about five minutes, or charging times that approach those of refueling a gasoline car. The announcement has sparked a wave […]

VinFast unveils Rolls-Royce rival Lac Hong EV as EU ambitions cool

March 09, 2026

Vietnamese EV maker VinFast has unveiled two ultra-luxury electric vehicles — the Lac Hong 800S SUV and Lac Hong 900S sedan — at a time when the company is quietly scaling back its early ambitions in Europe. The new models, positioned at the top of a newly created Lac Hong luxury brand, mark a strategic […]

TomTom enters new phase as founder and CEO Goddijn steps aside

March 06, 2026

Dutch navigation pioneer TomTom is entering a new chapter as co-founder and long-time chief executive Harold Goddijn prepares to step down after more than two decades at the helm of the company. The move marks the end of an era for a firm that once symbolised Europe’s consumer tech ambitions but has since reinvented itself […]

Hyperloop dream hits another wall as Dutch pioneer Hardt goes bankrupt

March 06, 2026

The bankruptcy of Dutch startup Hardt Hyperloop marks the latest setback for a technology that once promised to revolutionize long-distance travel at speeds approaching 1,200 kilometres per hour. The company, which emerged from a student team at Delft University of Technology, had been working on a futuristic transport system in which passenger capsules would travel […]

BYD’s next EV leap: 1,000-km Seal 08 and charging in five minutes

March 06, 2026

China’s EV giant BYD used its Technology Day on March 5 in Shenzhen to unveil a new generation of battery and charging technology while presenting several new models across its expanding brand portfolio. The headline debut was the Seal 08, a new flagship sedan for the BYD brand that illustrates the company’s push toward 1,000-kilometer […]

Cupra refreshes Born electric hatchback as competition intensifies

March 05, 2026

Cupra has unveiled a refreshed version of its electric hatchback, the Born, introducing updated styling, improved interior materials, and enhanced technology. The Spanish performance brand under the Volkswagen umbrella seeks to keep its first battery-electric model competitive in an increasingly crowded European EV market. The update represents a mid-cycle refresh rather than a full new […]

€2.50 diesel on Italian highways puts Europe on alert for fuel price surge

March 05, 2026

A spike in global oil markets is pushing diesel prices higher across Europe, with Italian motorway pumps reaching €2.50 per litre and Belgian retailers warning the surge is putting pressure on fuel supply margins. A dramatic illustration of how geopolitical shocks are quickly reaching European drivers and transport companies. Consumer group Codacons reported that diesel […]

Stellantis confirms Leapmotor B10 production in Zaragoza

March 04, 2026

Stellantis has confirmed that electric vehicles from Chinese automaker Leapmotor will be produced at its Figueruelas plant near Zaragoza from the second half of 2026, marking a major step in the group’s strategy to strengthen its position in the global EV market. The announcement turns the Spanish plant into the first major Leapmotor production hub […]

BYD’s Great Tang shows China’s ambitions for megawatt charging EVs

March 04, 2026

Chinese carmaker BYD is preparing to unveil one of its most technologically ambitious vehicles to date. The new Great Tang, a full-size electric SUV positioned at the top of the company’s Dynasty lineup, combines luxury, performance, and experimental ultra-fast charging technology that could point to the next phase of electric mobility. The model is expected […]

T&E: ‘Made in Europe could cut EV battery cost gap by two-thirds’

March 03, 2026

According to a new study by Transport & Environment (T&E), EV battery cells produced in the EU currently cost about $41-$43 per kilowatt-hour more than those made in China. For a typical 60 kWh family EV, that implies a gross cell cost disadvantage of roughly €2,000-€2,500 per vehicle. Yet the same T&E report delivers a […]

2,000 hp of imagination: Xiaomi’s Vision GT will likely stay virtual

March 02, 2026

At the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Xiaomi pulled the covers off one of the most dramatic cars ever to wear its badge: the Vision GT, a low-slung electric super-GT with fighter-jet proportions, extreme aerodynamics, and power claims that brush against hypercar territory. It dominated headlines and social media feeds within hours. Yet for […]

From hay to hydrogen: Kawasaki’s robotic horse gets serious

February 27, 2026

At Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, Kawasaki Heavy Industries first rolled out a life-size robotic horse, a hydrogen-powered mechanical stallion with four articulated legs, a saddle, stirrups, and a head-up display. At that time, most observers filed it somewhere between anime fantasy and corporate fever dream. But it’s actually becoming a reality: Kawasaki is going to build […]

Income gap slows Belgium’s EV transition, Deloitte study finds

February 26, 2026

According to Deloitte’s latest Global Automotive Consumer Study, just 12 percent of Belgian consumers say a battery electric vehicle (BEV) would be their next car, up only marginally from 11 percent a year earlier. Behind that modest figure lies a stark income divide. Among households earning less than €27,000 per year, 59 percent prefer a […]

Stellantis posts dramatic €22.3bn loss in historic 2025 reset

February 26, 2026

Franco-Italian-American carmaker Stellantis Group has delivered one of the most dramatic earnings collapses in modern European automotive history. It reported a net loss of €22.3 billion for 2025 on revenues of €153.5 billion, confirming analyst expectations and placing the group among the largest annual loss-makers ever associated with a French corporate champion. The scale of […]

A10/B03X: Leapmotor’s first serious bid for Europe’s EV mass market

February 25, 2026

China’s Leapmotor has revealed the first official interior images of its new compact electric SUV, the A10, offering a clearer picture of the model that will spearhead the brand’s push into Europe’s affordable EV segment. The A10, to be marketed in Europe as the B03X in the second half of 2026, is positioned as a […]

BMW drops Level-3: reality check for EU autonomous-driving goals

February 24, 2026

According to the German leading car magazine, Automobilwoche, BMW is abandoning its Level-3 automated-driving ambitions for the 7 Series. The headline sounded like a retreat. In reality, it may be a recalibration and a revealing one. BMW will discontinue its ‘Personal Pilot L3’ system in the 7 Series as part of the upcoming model update […]

Lamborghini kills its Lanzador EV: can the roar survive the electric age?

February 24, 2026

Lamborghini unveiled the Lanzador concept in August 2023, billed as the brand’s gateway to an all-electric era. That step has now been shelved, in what appears to be a calculated bet that regulatory flexibility in Europe after 2035 may allow combustion engines to survive in hybrid form. The company has scrapped plans for a pure […]

Not dead yet: Renault–Geely’s Horse H12 gives ICE a second wind

February 23, 2026

Horse Powertrain, the Renault–Geely joint venture, has just given the internal combustion engine one of its strongest “not-dead-yet” headlines in years. Together with Spanish energy company Repsol, it unveiled the HORSE H12 Concept: a 1.2-litre hybrid-oriented gasoline engine and powertrain concept designed to run on 100% renewable gasoline and to cut fuel consumption by around […]

Zipse’s China bet: why BMW’s future rides on Merz’s mission

February 23, 2026

As German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepares this week for his first official visit to Beijing since taking office, the presence of leading industrial executives underscores the trip’s strategic significance. Among them is Oliver Zipse, chief executive of BMW Group, who has made clear in remarks reported by Reuters that engagement with China is indispensable for […]

MG shows how to win as a Chinese brand: one million sales in Europe

February 20, 2026

MG Motor has delivered its one-millionth vehicle to a European customer, a symbolic milestone that underlines one of the most remarkable comeback stories in the continent’s recent automotive history. Fourteen years after returning to the UK market, the former British sports car brand — now owned by China’s SAIC Motor — has become the most […]

Largest-ever-study confirms PHEVs burn up to five times more fuel than claimed

February 20, 2026

There is a systemic gap at the core of Europe’s plug-in hybrid policy, and it has now been measured at scale. Using real-world fuel consumption data from approximately 980,000 plug-in hybrid passenger cars collected under the EU’s official on-board fuel consumption monitoring (OBFCM) system, the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Fraunhofer ISI) has […]

BYD’s tiny Racco for Japan, a kei car with European consequences?

February 19, 2026

Chinese BYD has revealed the interior and key specifications of the Racco, a compact urban runabout tailored to Japan’s uniquely popular kei segment. But in a European context, it could become something much more significant: a test case for whether the EU is serious about enabling a new generation of genuinely affordable small EVs. Japan’s […]

Renault’s circular shift: new CEO signals industrial ambition

February 18, 2026

Renault Group’s circular-economy arm, The Future is NEUTRAL, is entering a new chapter just as the carmaker strengthens its industrial footprint in end-of-life vehicle recycling. With Grégoire de Franqueville set to take over as CEO on 1 March 2026, Renault is signalling that circularity is no longer a side strategy but a core industrial priority […]

How the Renault 5 became France’s EV champion in 2025

February 18, 2026

According to the US-based online media outlet on electric vehicles and renewable energy, CleanTechnica, the Renault 5 was France’s best-selling battery-electric vehicle both in December and across the full year, with 37,997 registrations in 2025.  That’s nearly double the 19,207 units of the Tesla Model Y, making it the clear market leader in France’s EV […]

Stellantis reintroduces diesel, choosing the path of least resistance?

February 16, 2026

Stellantis has announced the return of diesel to several European compact cars, including the Peugeot 308, Opel Astra, and DS 4. The technology will also remain central to the group’s light commercial vehicle portfolio. The move is presented as a matter of market realism. After years of forceful electrification messaging, the signal is unmistakable: consumer […]

Late but calculated: Toyota’s Highlander EV enters the electric arena

February 13, 2026

Toyota has unveiled the 2027 Toyota Highlander EV, aimed first at the US market and marking a significant moment for the Japanese automaker: one of its core global nameplates is transitioning from hybrid and combustion power to full battery electric. The move signals not a sudden ideological conversion to electric mobility, but a carefully calculated […]

Europe enters 2026 as stabilizer of a wobbling global EV market

February 13, 2026

Fresh registration data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), the UK-based market intelligence firm tracking the global EV, battery, and critical minerals supply chains, show worldwide EV registrations (battery-electric and plug-in hybrid combined) fell 3% year-on-year in January to just under 1.2 million units. The decline was driven by a sharp reversal in China and a […]

ChargePoint warns: from range anxiety to charger anxiety?

February 12, 2026

A new dataset from the US-based charging network operator ChargePoint suggests that the next constraint in the electric mobility transition may not be vehicle supply but rather charging capacity. As EV adoption accelerates, charging demand is beginning to outpace infrastructure expansion. Utilisation rates are rising faster than new chargers are being deployed. ChargePoint, one of […]

BYD Atto 3 Evo to raise stakes in Europe’s €40k EV battlefield

February 12, 2026

After presenting it in China, BYD is planning to launch the Atto 3 Evo in Europe in spring 2026. It won’t be a routine facelift as the ‘Evo’ badge – short for evolution – signals a deeper technical reset for one of the brand’s most important European models. The compact SUV moves to an 800-volt […]

Electra stakes its leadership claim in Belgium’s fast-charging market

February 10, 2026

Belgium’s network of fast chargers for electric cars is expanding rapidly, and one brand is increasingly common on supermarket car parks and along busy roads: Electra. After a year of strong growth in 2025, the European charging operator, which originated in France in 2021, says it has strengthened its position as Belgium’s leading ultra-fast charging […]

Ferrari sees the light, calling its first-born EV Luce

February 10, 2026

Ferrari’s decision to call its first fully electric production car Luce is more than a naming exercise. It is a statement of intent. Luce, Italian for ‘light’, deliberately evokes clarity, precision, and optimism rather than brute force or technological spectacle. For a brand whose mythology has long been built around sound, combustion, and mechanical drama, […]

BMW and PreZero advance circular car recycling, a nod to Febelauto

February 09, 2026

BMW Group has entered into a strategic partnership with circular-economy specialist PreZero to develop a scalable approach to vehicle recycling across Europe. The cooperation aims to turn end-of-life vehicles from a regulatory obligation into a structural source of high-quality secondary raw materials. For Belgium, where end-of-life vehicle management is centrally organised through Febelauto, the initiative highlights […]

Made in Europe label: VW and Stellantis push to redesign EV rules

February 06, 2026

Europe’s two largest carmakers, Volkswagen and Stellantis, are no longer asking Brussels for protection against growing Chinese competition. They are pushing for a structural rewrite of how Europe’s environmental rules interact with industrial competitiveness. In a joint opinion piece published in Les Echos and Il Sole 24 Ore, two leading business dailies in France and […]

GX EREV SUV: a Range Rover lookalike and XPeng’s next bet for Europe?

February 06, 2026

XPeng has lifted the veil in China on its most ambitious SUV yet: the XPeng GX, a large flagship crossover widely expected to reach Europe from 2027 as the brand expands its presence in the large premium SUV segment. Positioned at the top of XPeng’s lineup, the GX is designed from the ground up around […]

From rivals to roommates? Ford and Geely eye shared factories in Europe

February 05, 2026

Ford Motor and China’s Geely Group are said to be in early talks about sharing European manufacturing capacity, allowing Geely to assemble vehicles at under-utilized Ford plants in Europe, rather than on a full joint venture or merger of operations. While neither company has confirmed details publicly, several media outlets, including Reuters, have reported negotiations, […]

With the 06T, Chinese Avatr eyes Europe’s appetite for electric estates

February 05, 2026

Avatr, a still largely unknown Chinese EV brand in Europe and part of the Changan group, has sent a clear signal that it is no longer designing cars solely for its domestic market. On February 5, the brand released official images of the Avatr 06T, a low, sleek station wagon that immediately stands out in […]

Waymo’s €16-Billion question for Europe: are robotaxis finally inevitable?

February 04, 2026

For Europe, robotaxis still mostly exist as pilots, policy papers, and cautious political debate. In the United States and China, they already carry paying passengers at scale. That contrast is what gives Waymo’s decision to raise a fresh 16 billion dollars at a valuation above 120 billion its real significance. The funding round is not […]

Fastned’s new 6% bond: attractive yield, but a long road to profitability

February 04, 2026

Fast-charging operator Fastned has opened a new chapter in its long-running retail bond programme. The Amsterdam-based company launches a new five-year bond issue, aiming to raise up to €100 million to finance further network expansion and refinance existing debt. The new bonds, issued under Fastned’s existing bond programme, carry a fixed annual interest rate of […]

Porsche starts electric Cayenne production as 718 EVs face doubts

February 04, 2026

Porsche has officially begun production of the all-electric Cayenne, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s electrification strategy at a moment when its future electric sports cars appear increasingly uncertain. While the Cayenne Electric is moving from concept to reality, persistent reports suggest Porsche may be reconsidering—if not outright abandoning—plans for electric versions of the […]

Big Oil, big plug: why Q8 is teaching us how to drive electric

February 03, 2026

When Q8 Belgium reassures electric car drivers that it is normal to miss the reliability of a combustion-engine car, something has clearly shifted. In a recent Instagram reel, the fuel retailer opens with the line “Missing your petrol car?” before offering practical advice on how to improve real-world EV range and charge more efficiently. At […]

ACEA report: new EVs, old reality: Europe’s roads still stuck in the past

February 02, 2026

The European car parc is changing far more slowly than the political debate around electrification might suggest. That is the central message of the latest ‘Vehicles on European Roads‘ report published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). While sales headlines often focus on record EV registrations or sudden dips in demand, the report instead […]

Fast charging without guilt? CATL touts 1.8-million-km batteries

February 02, 2026

Chinese battery heavyweight CATL believes it has found a new way to take the edge off one of the electric car’s biggest anxieties: how long will my expensive EV battery last? In a short video released in January 2026, the world’s largest battery maker claims its latest 5C battery can withstand repeated ultra-fast charging while […]

China mandates automatic emergency braking, four years after Europe

January 29, 2026

China has issued its first mandatory national standard for automatic emergency braking (AEB), making the system compulsory for all new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles from 2028 onwards. The move introduces a formal nationwide safety baseline in the world’s largest car market, but comes several years after comparable requirements were already enforced in Europe. […]

Tesla kills off Model S and X for robots after near -50% profit slump

January 29, 2026

A near-50% profit slump in 2025 forces Elon Musk to redraw the company’s future. He is using the end of Tesla’s two original flagships to underline a decisive strategic shift: away from low-volume luxury cars and toward autonomy, artificial intelligence, and humanoid robotics. Tesla’s decision to discontinue the Model S and Model X comes at […]

A new challenger in Hilux pickup territory: Chery’s Rely R08 EV?

January 28, 2026

Chinese carmaker Chery has unveiled the Rely R08 EV, its first fully electric pickup truck under its wholly owned brand, marking a notable step into a segment that remains small but strategically important in Europe. A segment traditionally ruled by the Toyota Hilux, alongside models such as the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, and Volkswagen Amarok. Launched […]

Ford’s F-Line E: late to electric trucks, but finally on the road

January 27, 2026

With the introduction of the F-Line E, Ford marks its long-awaited entry into Europe’s electric heavy-truck market. The F-Line E, first unveiled to the public at the Solutrans commercial vehicle show in Lyon in late 2025, is positioned as a regional and urban workhorse rather than a long-haul flagship. Scheduled for rollout in 2026, it […]

China-built world’s largest car carrier reshapes Hyundai’s export future

January 26, 2026

Guangzhou Shipyard International has launched the world’s largest car carrier to date, capable of transporting 10,800 vehicles. The LNG dual-fuel vessel is surpassing the previous generation of 9,000–9,500-car ships that only recently seemed enormous, and it’s intended for South Korean Hyundai. On the surface, it is a story about scale and engineering. Underneath, it is […]

Geely moves solid-state batteries out of the lab, not yet into showrooms

January 26, 2026

Geely, the Chinese group behind brands such as Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, and Zeekr, just announced that it will complete its first in-house all-solid-state battery pack in 2026 and start testing it in cars. It reignites one of the electric car industry’s most persistent promises: a battery that charges faster, goes further, and is safer than […]

Flanders is charging fast but city dwellers will need three times more

January 23, 2026

RetailSonar, a Ghent-based location-intelligence firm best known for advising retailers where to place physical sites, has turned its modelling tools on a new kind of storefront: the public EV charging station. After two years of analysis supported by Flemish and European innovation funding, the firm concludes that the region’s public charging network will need to […]

SC01: obscure Chinese electric sports car takes Italian road to Europe

January 22, 2026

A new ‘Italian-built’ and fully electric sports car is set to come to life. The SC01, a lightweight, two-seat electric sports car developed by a little-known Chinese start-up, is now preparing for a limited European launch and intends to do so by assembling the car in Italy. Production will be deliberately limited to around 1,000 […]

EX60 marks a turning point for Volvo’s electric strategy and for Ghent

January 22, 2026

With the world premiere of the Volvo EX60 in Sweden — its longest-range and fastest-charging model to date — Volvo Cars has launched far more than a new electric SUV. It marks a strategic turning point for the brand. The EX60 is designed as the cornerstone of Volvo’s next phase: a high-volume, fully electric model […]

Zeekr 8X: a plug-in hybrid starting to look like the wrong answer

January 21, 2026

Swedish-Chinese EV brand Zeekr filed regulatory documents in China for the new 8X, a large plug-in hybrid SUV with up to 300 km WLTP range, marking a strategic pivot for a brand that built its identity in Europe almost exclusively around full battery-electric vehicles. Yet, at a time when European policy, Belgian taxation, and an […]

Belron IPO plans put D’Ieteren’s crown jewel back in the spotlight

January 19, 2026

According to the Financial Times, automotive glass repair group Belron has started preparatory talks for a potential stock market flotation, possibly as early as late 2026. While no formal decision has been taken, the move would mark a major moment for the most valuable industrial asset of its majority shareholder, Belgium’s major car importer, D’Ieteren Group. […]

Premium under pressure but BMW Motorrad maintains its lead

January 19, 2026

BMW Motorrad has reaffirmed its position at the pinnacle of the premium motorcycle segment. With 202,563 motorcycles delivered worldwide in 2025, the Bavarian manufacturer surpassed the 200,000-unit mark for the fourth consecutive year. This underlines the strength of its brand and product strategy at a time when the wider two-wheeler market is showing signs of […]

Fastned’s positive Q4 results highlight a shift in Europe’s EV charging war

January 16, 2026

Fastned’s latest quarterly update underlines how quickly Europe’s fast-charging market is maturing. The Dutch operator closed Q4 2025 with €38.1 million in charging-related revenue, up 44 percent year on year, delivering nearly 55 GWh across more than two million sessions at 406 stations across nine countries. On the surface, the figures signal continued momentum in […]

Lucid to arrive in Belgium: late to the party, but betting on its efficiency

January 15, 2026

While the Brussels Motor Show underlines how rapidly Europe’s car market is electrifying, one premium EV brand remains conspicuously absent from the exhibition halls: Lucid Motors. Yet behind the scenes, the American luxury electric carmaker is quietly preparing for its long-awaited entry into the Belgian market. After almost two years of delay, it’s working to […]

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