Suzuki buys space-tested battery tech to join solid-state race

March 09, 2026

As the race for solid-state battery technology heats up, Suzuki has gained access to two decades of development. The Japanese carmaker has acquired Kanadevia Corporation’s solid-state battery division. Their technology has already been tested aboard the International Space Station. Suzuki is a latecomer to the electric vehicle field but is stepping up its efforts. It […]

Lotus’ first range-extender gears up for official launch in Eletre X

March 06, 2026

Lotus has unveiled further details of its first-ever plug-in hybrid platform. The technology makes its Chinese market debut in the Lotus For me (a rebranded Eletre built specifically for the local market) and will arrive in Europe later this year as the Eletre X. European customer deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter. The X […]

From prototype to production line: Aptera’s solar EV is getting real

March 05, 2026

California-based startup Aptera Motors has completed the first vehicle built on its validation assembly line in Carlsbad. This brings the solar electric vehicle maker closer to right-sized production to meet its long-awaited first customer deliveries. Aptera now builds its vehicles in the way real car manufacturers do. Previously, every unit coming out of the Carlsbad […]

Elon Musk versus IG Metall union in Tesla Grünheide: 1-0

March 05, 2026

The works council elections at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Grünheide have delivered another blow to IG Metall. The independent list “Giga United” secured an outright majority. Union fighter Elon Musk, who ran a campaign against IG Metall, surfaces as the winner. The voting results leave little room for interpretation. Of the 37 seats on the new […]

Volvo’s EX60 off to a flying start as orders outpace expectations

March 05, 2026

Volvo has placed big bets on the EX60 before anyone has even driven one kilometer with it. The all-electric successor to the XC60 (its best-selling model ever) was always going to face intense scrutiny if buyers stayed away. Early evidence suggests the opposite is happening. During its first weeks on the market, the EX60 punched […]

VW’s two-track battery strategy: scaling lithium-Ion, betting on solid-state

March 03, 2026

It’s a delicate industrial balancing act. While car groups like Stellantis are reversing on their battery efforts, Volkswagen is simultaneously pouring capital into scaling up today’s lithium-ion battery assembly lines at Škoda, while pushing for solid-state. Despite the current headwinds, battery technology is still forging ahead. Years of clinical promise in the solid-state field seem […]

Volkswagen’s electric milestone: 2 million sales

March 03, 2026

Volkswagen’s two-millionth electric vehicle marks a turning point for Europe’s most storied automaker. However, the number is mostly a reminder that the real race has only just begun. There is a certain quiet satisfaction to be found in Lower Saxony these days. While upstart brands dominate headlines with brash promises and record-breaking charging times, Volkswagen […]

Fifth facelift for the world’s best-selling micro EV

February 27, 2026

SAIC-GM-Wuling has unveiled the fifth generation of its iconic Hongguang Mini EV, the lilliputian electric car that has sold more than 1.8 million units since its 2020 debut. The update brings retro-inspired styling cues and a clear signal that the tiny EV’s remarkable run is far from over. The numbers are staggering. The Hongguang Mini […]

The world’s first Porsche Club exclusively for electric drivers

February 27, 2026

Among the 700-plus Porsche Clubs worldwide, not a single one was dedicated to battery-electric models. Until now. A group of Italian Taycan and Macan owners decided to change that. The Registro Italiano E-motion is now officially the first Porsche Club on the planet to welcome only drivers of fully electric sports cars. The club grew […]

Stuck in eternal turnaround: Aston Martin cuts fifth of its workforce

February 26, 2026

Aston Martin is living up to its reputation of ‘The English Patient’, and remains stuck in what seems an eternal struggle to crawl from loss to profit despite several capital injections of the past few years. Its latest financial results prompt the British luxury carmaker to cut up to 20 percent of its roughly 3,000-strong […]

Volvo adds a cheaper base model to fix sliding sales of EX30 

February 26, 2026

Volvo announced a new entry-level variant of its smallest EV, the EX30. It is expected to start in the low 30,000 euro range in select European markets, well below the current Belgian starting price of 38,990 euros for the 200 kW Single Motor variant. It will be positioned as the cheapest Volvo in the lineup, […]

Hydrogen sales rebound in Asia but FCEV passenger cars dream fades

February 24, 2026

It has become fashionable in European automotive circles to speak of hydrogen in the past tense. The mood darkened further last week as Cummins confirmed it is halting electrolyser production at its Belgian plant, cutting 100 jobs. Coming after Stellantis paused its light-fuel-cell commercial vehicle plans, it feels like another nail in a very expensive […]

Tesla facing a legal flood on accident cases with automated driving?

February 23, 2026

It has been a bruising month for the world’s most scrutinized carmaker, Tesla. As 2026 unfolds, the gap between Elon Musk’s expansive promises and the rigid realities of American courtrooms and dealership lots is widening. From a confirmed million-dollar verdict in Florida to a chaotic pricing strategy for the Cybertruck, the electric vehicle giant is […]

Norway of the Nile: how Ethiopia’s 2024 ICE ban is paying off

February 23, 2026

Two years ago, when Ethiopia announced an immediate ban on the import of internal combustion engines, everybody reacted with a mixture of skepticism and indifference. It was viewed as a bold, perhaps desperate, fiscal maneuver by a nation grappling with fuel shortages and a hard-currency deficit. But the gamble on electric driving seems to pay […]

Audi RS 5 gains plug-in power but faces heavyweight wrestling in corners

February 20, 2026

Audi has officially ended the era of pure internal combustion for its mid-sized performance cars. The new RS 5 arrives as a plug-in hybrid that attempts to find a middle ground between the downsized Mercedes-AMG C 63 and the combustion-only BMW M3. It’s horses that matter most in this segment. The decision to pair the […]

Tiguan’s creator elevated to lead design for entire Volkswagen Group

February 20, 2026

The Volkswagen Group has initiated a changing of the guard in its most visible department. Andreas Mindt, currently the design chief for the Volkswagen passenger car brand, has been appointed Head of Group Design. He succeeds Michael Mauer, who is leaving the company as part of a planned generational transition. In his new role, Mindt […]

Polestar readies largest model offensive, but hybrids remain taboo

February 19, 2026

While competitors backtrack on electrification goals, Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller draws a hard line in the sand: the future remains electric, and there is no Plan B. Furthermore, the existing plan receives a big boost: an impressive expansion, with four new models over the next three years. Currently, the auto industry is defined by U-turns, […]

Project Arrow reloaded: Canada unveils two homegrown EV visions

February 17, 2026

APMA, Canada’s only carmaker, has unveiled two ambitious electric vehicle concepts in Toronto. They present further proof that the country can design and build next-generation cars on its own. The new models are called Vector and Borealis, and could see the light of day around the end of the decade. At the 2026 Canadian International […]

Audi’s China-only E7X SUV shows it colors in winter tests

February 16, 2026

Audi’s plan to reinvent itself in China is further unfolding. Its new 670-horsepower E7X electric SUV has been spotted during winter testing, months after regulatory filings first revealed the model’s core specifications. When Audi chose to create a China-only brand written in capital letters rather than crowned by its familiar four rings, it was a […]

China redifines rules: no more button-free interiors or yoke steering

February 16, 2026

China’s car industry is facing a regulatory reset. After the fire-prone battery standards and the ban on retractable door handles, a new draft for safety rules published by the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) signals two remarkable backsteps: no more yoke-style steering wheels and no more screen-dominated dashboards. Could this ripple through […]

Waymo scales up its driverless cars with cheaper hardware

February 13, 2026

Waymo has begun operating its latest autonomous driving system on public roads without safety drivers. In the long contest to commercialise robotaxis, the company moves one step ahead of its rivals. With a cheaper hardware stack, a planned 50,000-vehicle supply deal with Hyundai, and ambitions to exceed one million paid rides per week, this subsidiary […]

Toyota beats Volkswagen for the first time in Chinese BEV sales

February 13, 2026

Toyota has overtaken Volkswagen in battery-electric car sales in China. A symbolic passing of the crown in the world’s largest car market that underlines the growing pressure on Europe’s biggest automaker. The reversal comes as Volkswagen has slipped to third place overall in China, ceding ground to domestic rivals and exposing the limits of its […]

Cupra Tavascan is first EV under EU-China minimum price deal

February 13, 2026

The European Commission has exempted Volkswagen’s Cupra brand from additional tariffs on its China-built Tavascan. Cupra is the first automaker to secure approval under the EU’s price floor mechanism for Chinese-made battery electric vehicles. In detail, the decision removes a 20.7 percent anti-subsidy duty that had been applied on top of the bloc’s standard 10 […]

Europe-built or no deal: Vooruit party targets Belgian company car

February 12, 2026

The company car is becoming the new bull’s eye in left-wing circles. After Groen’s train-for-car proposal, Belgium’s governing socialist party, Vooruit, wants to restrict tax breaks for company cars to vehicles largely produced in Europe. Protection or posturing? Interesting twist: including their batteries. But above all, these parties would rather abolish the system that has […]

Solid-state moves out of shadows as QuantumScape starts production

February 11, 2026

Solid-state batteries are becoming less of a hype and more of a reality. One of the main actors in the pioneering technology, QuantumScape, launched its battery pilot line. A milestone in setting up and scaling production is widely regarded as the biggest hurdle for this heralded technology. The promise is finally becoming a product. And […]

Hungarian-built BYD Atto 2 aims to start a price fight

February 10, 2026

BYD intends to localize production of its compact electric SUV, the Atto 2, in Hungary. This should reduce its retail price by several thousand euros compared to the lots built in China, avoiding import fines. However, the Hungarian site itself is facing regulatory scrutiny from Brussels over alleged state subsidies. BYD is betting that European […]

ACC the pulls plug on EU’s battery ambitions in German and Italian plants

February 09, 2026

The European dream of a battery production powerhouse lies in smithereens after Automotive Cells Company (ACC), the joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz, and TotalEnergies, confirmed it is abandoning two of its flagship factory projects in Italy and Germany. What was once hailed as the continent’s ‘Airbus of batteries’ now hinges on a single plant in […]

Forget NMC and LFP? China launches first production sodium-Ion EV

February 09, 2026

China’s Changan Automobile and battery giant CATL have unveiled what they claim is the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle powered by sodium-ion batteries. It’s a major step for a technology that has long been seen as a lower-cost, safer alternative to lithium-based systems. The car, a variant of Changan’s Nevo A06 sedan, contains a 45 […]

After 265,000 km in 18 months, this Xiaomi SU7 battery refuses to die

February 06, 2026

A Chinese man’s daily driving habit has unexpectedly turned into a peculiar experiment in electric vehicle durability. So put away your established assumptions about battery lifespan under scrutiny. Mr. Feng, the proud owner of a Xiaomi SU7 Pro, has driven over 265,000 kilometers in just 18 months, and his car’s battery still retains 94.5% of […]

Volvo’s losses deepen, more cuts are coming

February 06, 2026

Volvo Cars has reported one of the most bruising financial years in its modern history. The company has suffered a collapse in earnings, a stinging share price crash, and mounting doubts about its electric future. Navigating a worsening global auto market has been particularly difficult, according to its CEO, but the failing EX90 also took […]

Battery bottlenecks push Peugeot’s EV deliveries back eight months

February 06, 2026

Stellantis, the mother company to Peugeot, is facing severe production setbacks on several of its electric vehicle models after one of its key battery factories failed to scale up output. The crisis centers on Automotive Cells Company (ACC), the much-celebrated European venture from the group’s cooperation with Mercedes and Total. Cell production struggles have left […]

New MG4 Urban: low on price, high on tech

February 04, 2026

MG has unveiled the MG4 Urban EV in the UK. The model shares its name with the current MG4 but introduces a completely new approach and replaces its base version. With a softer design and lower prices, it’s designed to woo customers considering entry-level battery-powered car models, yet it packs remarkable tech underneath. Although the […]

BYD to bet heavily on export markets as domestic sales slide by 30%

February 04, 2026

The Chinese electric carmaker BYD, until recently the world’s top EV seller, is facing a sharp downturn in domestic demand as government support dries up and price battles rage across the country’s once-booming green car sector. A 30% drop in sales in the first month of the year has sent the company scrambling to maintain […]

T&E: ‘Under revised 2035 goal electric car share will drop to 85%’

February 03, 2026

A new analysis by Transport & Environment of the European Commission’s proposed revision to the 2035 CO₂ rules warns that the target rollback will reduce EV sales, boost fossil fuel use and emissions, and send a damaging signal to investors at a time when China is gaining ground in the battery car market. The European […]

After turbulent start Windrose pushes ahead with Antwerp factory

January 30, 2026

Antwerp’s industry gets an electric jolt. Windrose, a little-known Chinese electric truck startup with outsized ambitions, has chosen the Belgian port city as the site of its first European factory. With promises of thousands of vehicles, hundreds of jobs, and a streamlined supply chain linking China, Belgium, and France, the decision marks a breakthrough after […]

Lucid Air wins winter test, but suffers greatest battery drop

January 30, 2026

Lucid Motors finished highest in Norway’s flagship winter range test organised by the national automobile association NAF. Once again, after claiming the summer test last year. However, in record-low temperatures, even the longest-running model fell dramatically short of its official range. The Lucid Air Grand Touring covered just over 519 kilometres before it was forced […]

At the top end of the ultra-luxury car market, China still speaks Western

January 27, 2026

In the battle for China’s car market, the high ground remains occupied. While Western carmakers have been steadily losing share in the broader landscape — overtaken in many segments by aggressive, fast-rising domestic rivals — their dominance at the very top of the market is proving stubbornly resilient. New data on 2025’s best-selling ultra-luxury vehicles […]

ICCT: ‘EU carmakers catch up on CO₂ targets thanks to EV surge’

January 27, 2026

Carmakers across Europe have been granted breathing room to meet their CO2 targets. Some of the industry’s biggest names—most notably Volkswagen—were spared from facing hefty fines. The acceleration of EV sales last year, now at almost 20% of registrations, helped buy them some extra time. According to a report by the ICCT (International Council on […]

GM ditches electric Bolt early to make room for ICE models 

January 26, 2026

The geopolitical changes seem to be ending the lifecycle of the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt prematurely. With the dismissal of EV incentives, the SUV will be discontinued in 2027 and replaced by two internal combustion engine models that GM currently builds in China. The electric crossover Bolt has just begun arriving at U.S. dealerships, but its […]

Facelifted Volkswagen ID.4 will be called ID.Tiguan

January 23, 2026

According to Germany’s largest union, the ID. 4’s update will also affect its name. In the wake of the earlier announced return of the well-known family names, it will be labeled ID. Tiguan. It must help its recent electric sales surge in Europe and turn it into a more durable recovery. At a higher management […]

Smart promotes Germany’s chief Ufer to lead Europe and fix lagging sales

January 20, 2026

Smart has named Germany head Wolfgang Ufer as its next Europe chief. Ufer is a long-serving insider who has now been tasked with stabilizing a brand under pressure from tariffs, falling registrations, and an increasingly crowded electric vehicle market. Smart said Ufer will take over leadership of its European operations in March. He succeeds Dirk […]

Germany revives EV subsidy to boost private demand

January 20, 2026

Germany is bringing back purchase incentives for electric vehicles. The country seeks to reboot private demand after a sharp market slowdown, giving its domestic auto sector some breathing room. Germany’s federal government has outlined a new subsidy program that will offer buyers between 1,500 euros and 6,000 euros toward the purchase of electric and certain plug-in […]

Porsche’s China engine is misfiring, and sales are paying the price

January 19, 2026

Porsche closed 2025 with its steepest global sales decline since the financial crisis era. The main scapegoat? Another year of falling deliveries in China. The slide erased gains elsewhere and forces the sports car brand to seriously rethink how it competes in the world’s largest auto market. Porsche delivered 279,449 vehicles worldwide last year, down […]

EU Commission considers extending EV tariffs to Chinese hybrids

January 19, 2026

The European Union is weighing whether hybrid vehicles from China should face the same penalties as battery electric models made in the region. Just as Brussels and Beijing are attempting to steady their relationship with price floors, the debate has been reopened. Chinese brands are heavily mediatized for their competitive electric cars, but hybrids account […]

Nissan’s new NX8 for China bets on two horses: EV and EREV

January 16, 2026

Nissan’s newest SUV, developed and launched first in China, signals a clear break from the product playbook that has defined the brand’s global lineup for the past decade. The NX8, a car from the Dongfeng Nissan subsidiary, is a reminder that much of Nissan’s zero-emission innovation is now emerging from its Chinese joint venture rather than […]

Tesla ends one-time FSD purchases over low adoption

January 15, 2026

Tesla is closing the door on a long-standing sales tactic for its most controversial software feature, Full Self-Driving (FSD). Starting next month, buyers will no longer be able to purchase it outright, but will need to chose a monthly subscription. CEO Elon Musk, who pitched FSD as one of the company’s major income assets, confirmed […]

Renault courts premium buyers with new Filante crossover flagship

January 14, 2026

Renault has lifted the curtain on its new Filante crossover with an unmistakable message. The French carmaker is no longer satisfied with its role as a producer of sensible, mid-market vehicles. Instead, it is placing a costly bet on wealthier customers. But its ambition has no place on European roads. The Filante is Renault’s largest […]

Mercedes EV sales slide deepens as BMW widens the gap

January 13, 2026

Mercedes-Benz entered the new year under growing pressure to demonstrate that its electric strategy remains on track. Latest figures show the German premium carmaker lost more ground to BMW in battery-electric vehicle sales last year. Chased hot on the heels by the competition, demand has weakened in key regions. A spark of hope comes from […]

Price floors instead of tariffs: EU’s risky bet on Chinese EVs

January 13, 2026

The European Union has opened a narrow path for Chinese electric vehicle makers to sidestep punitive import duties. Detailed guidance shows how minimum prices could substitute for tariffs that have caused trade tensions between the two blocs since 2024. But why does Brussels want to hand over its extra income from punitive tariffs to the […]

Kia debuts its affordable EV2 electric car in Brussels

January 12, 2026

Kia kicks off the new year with the unveiling of the EV2, its affordable electric car designed to drive adoption among the broadest audience. At the Brussels Motor Show, the world premiere was a key driver of its international appeal. Unveiled to the public in Brussels during the press day last Friday, the Kia EV2 […]

810 km on a charge: Volvo’s all-new EX60 aims to crush range anxiety

January 09, 2026

Volvo Cars is raising the stakes in the crowded compact electric SUV market with its upcoming EX60. The battery-powered successor to its bestselling XC60 will travel farther and charge faster than any electric Volvo before. The EX60, set for full disclosure on January 21, is positioned as a critical model for Volvo as it tries […]

Longer range lifts Volkswagen electric Transporter’s appeal for fleets

January 09, 2026

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has refreshed its electric Transporter and Caravelle with a larger usable battery, faster charging, and an all-wheel-drive option. This should align the vans better with the needs of fleet buyers who demand electric light commercial vehicles to move beyond city-only duties. A lack of incentives and demanding use cases are hampering the […]

Norwegian car sales are now (as good as) fully electric

January 06, 2026

Norway closed out 2025 with a milestone: nearly 100% of electric car registrations. The country has officially reached its long-standing target: a new car fleet free of tailpipe emissions. Simultaneously, the share of electric cars on Norwegian roads now overshadows that of diesel cars. Norway’s new-car market shattered records in 2025, both in total sales […]

CES 2026: Lucid and Uber unveil their global robotaxi 

January 06, 2026

Lucid and Uber make a high-profile entrance into the robotaxi race with the unveiling of a six-seat version based on the Gravity SUV. Its upmarket positioning pits it against the driverless S-Class, which Mercedes launched in the Emirates. Still, the Gravity will kick-start its services in San Francisco, challenging Waymo, before its global rollout. The […]

San Francisco blackout freezes self-driving Waymo fleet

December 23, 2025

A widespread power outage in San Francisco over the weekend halted dozens of driverless Waymo vehicles at busy intersections. The utility failure was turned into a stress test for autonomous ride services, re-opening the debate about how prepared the technology is for large-scale urban disruptions. Tesla’s Elon Musk was quick to respond to how unaffected […]

Elon Musk triumphs and is granted his much-disputed pay package

December 22, 2025

Is it a victory for perseverance or high-profile influence? After two court rejections, Elon Musk has finally won his long-disputed pay-check of $56 billion (€47 billion), which was confirmed to him seven years ago by his majority shareholders. The Delaware Supreme Court has reinstated one of the highest awards for a CEO in automotive history, […]

Tesla residual values sink Dutch single-brand leasing firm MisterGreen

December 22, 2025

The Dutch leasing company MisterGreen, which built its entire business around Tesla vehicles, is winding down. Betting everything on one car manufacturer is a risk. The decline in car values has eroded the company’s financial health. MisterGreen is set to close after failing to survive a sharp drop in the value of its Tesla fleet, […]

Longtime design chief Gorden Wagener to leave Mercedes

December 22, 2025

Mercedes-Benz is preparing for a design reset after nearly three decades under one of its most influential creative leaders. Gorden Wagener, the company’s chief design officer and a key figure in shaping modern Mercedes styling, will leave the automaker early next year. Reportedly, internal friction was growing, even though Wagener decided for himself to bite […]

Solid-state batteries are moving steadily from lab to production line

December 19, 2025

The promise of solid-state batteries is not waning, even as electric-vehicle adoption faces more headwinds now that the EU has revised its 2035 ban. In both China and the US, progress is tangible, as evidenced by the latest results from companies like QuantumScape and WeLion. Hongqi, a car manufacturer, has committed to bringing the technology […]

China’s new safety rules force global rethink of flush door handles

December 18, 2025

China is moving one step closer to a full ban on automatic flush door handles, which have become a commodity on so many electric cars. Following a series of fatal incidents, in which rescuers were unable to access burning vehicles, Beijing has launched a public consultation on a new set of safety rules. These would […]

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