June 08, 2026
China wants its electric cars to become slimmer and more efficient after years in which bigger batteries, longer range claims, and SUV-style comfort features have made passenger cars larger and heavier. According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the average passenger car in China weighed 1,704 kg in 2024, roughly one-third more than in 2012. Some […]
June 05, 2026
Nissan and Chery have officially confirmed they are negotiating a potential contract manufacturing agreement for Chery passenger vehicles at Nissan’s Sunderland, UK, plant. Nissan had previously announced plans to reduce its own production at the factory to a single production line. As early as April, an unconfirmed report by the Financial Times claimed that Nissan […]
June 05, 2026
Lotus once promised to go fully electric by 2028. That plan is dead. To spearhead the new direction, the brand is releasing the Eletre X, a range-extender version of its SUV that was originally meant to be electric-only. “The EV penetration rate was not as good as we expected”, said Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng to […]
June 04, 2026
BMW Group is reportedly reconsidering plans to electrify Mini’s Oxford plant amid looming trade barriers and rising costs, casting doubt over a medium-term modernization of the site. In 2023, the BMW Group announced plans to produce two new all-electric Mini models at its Oxford plant from 2026, with a full transition to battery-electric vehicles by […]
June 04, 2026
The world’s largest battery maker has publicly backed lithium-air technology as its long-term strategic direction. Not solid-state (though that is next up, too). Not sodium-ion (that is already going into mass production this year). The battery company that correctly predicted and pushed those transitions now says the real endgame is a battery that uses atmospheric […]
June 03, 2026
Despite earlier denials of the rumors, TikTok’s parent company is preparing to launch a car in its home country, China. It will be a crossover targeting the youthful audience typically active on social media platforms. The car itself will be manufactured by Seres, the Chinese automaker that’s also behind Huawei’s Aito brand. Five months ago, […]
June 02, 2026
It’s the main question hovering over the use of ADAS technology and automated driving: if the systems fail and cause an accident, who’s paying the bill? Most disclaimers say that the use must be supervised and that the driver is always responsible. Not BYD. Still, there remain some ‘buts’. At its Intelligence Strategy Launch Event […]
June 01, 2026
American ride-hailing operator Waymo has brought its most ambitious vehicle yet into rotation: the purpose-built Ojai (pronounced: oh-hi), its sixth-generation robotaxi made in China. Rides are currently free, but not for long. All of Waymo’s previous autonomous vehicles were regular consumer cars converted into robotaxis: a Chrysler Pacifica minivan, the Volvo XC90, and then a […]
May 30, 2026
BMW’s presence at Auto China 2026 combines a production milestone with a product reset. As the company celebrates its seven-millionth vehicle, it is also using Beijing for the world premiere of the long-wheelbase BMW iX3 and BMW i3. It’s the first Neue Klasse models developed specifically “in China, for China and with China”. The broader […]
May 29, 2026
The Chinese car manufacturer Li Auto is coming to Europe to launch its i6 medium SUV in the second quarter of the year. The Mega electric minivan will become available in right-hand drive markets by year-end. By doing so, Li Auto is attempting to counter fierce domestic competition by expanding its overseas footprint, a move […]
May 29, 2026
Is Japan’s tightly guarded kei car market ready for a shake-up? There’s a new kid on Tokyo’s block, as the fresh brand EMTA has announced its intention to get its slice of the nation’s famous small and affordable cars. There’s a very deliberate attempt not to look Chinese, but the reality – of course – […]
May 28, 2026
The Polestar 6 is near ready. The design is finalized, and the development work is mostly concluded. All Polestar needs to do is start production, so it seems. However, don’t expect to see it on the road any time soon. Until market conditions improve, the starting lights remain firmly red. Granted, the 6 isn’t Polestar’s […]
May 27, 2026
BYD is bringing plug-in hybrid technology to the B-segment, a class that until now has been bypassed or abandoned by car makers. The Dolphin G DM-i aims squarely at Europe’s B-segment. Not only is this the first model BYD has developed specifically for overseas markets, but it is also the only PHEV currently on sale […]
May 26, 2026
Chinese tech company and EV maker Xpeng has achieved a domestic first: a robotaxi built entirely with in-house technologies has entered series production. But rolling a vehicle off a production line might well be the easy part. The real test starts in the second half of 2026. Xpeng has officially rolled off the assembly line […]
May 25, 2026
In the wake of his first Investor Day as CEO, Antonio Filosa already presents two cornerstone deals of his strategic turnaround plan: one plans to build Voyah models at the French Citroën factory in Rennes, the other opens the door to a Jeep for the US, developed and built together with Land Rover. Stellantis needs […]
May 21, 2026
New research in the magazine Nature Communications identifies what climate scientists call a “cascading positive tipping point” in certain EV markets. Europe and China are now past a decisive threshold. Their shift away from combustion-engined cars has become self-propelling. A research team at the University of Exeter has published what may be one of the […]
May 20, 2026
Xiaomi has upset the Germans once again in their own backyard. The Xiaomi YU7 GT, which is set to be officially announced tomorrow, has broken the SUV record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. With its 7:34.931 lap time, it left the Audi RS Q8 and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Coupé in the dust. After setting […]
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 18, 2026
Faced with contracting market share and overcapacity, Stellantis is reconfiguring its global strategy by leaning heavily on its historic Chinese partner, Dongfeng. The two automotive groups have announced a strategic agreement to produce new electrified vehicles in China for export. It shows how Western legacy automakers are increasingly relying on Chinese manufacturing efficiencies. When Peugeot-Citroën […]
May 12, 2026
Battery cell maker Morrow has filed for bankruptcy. The collapse of another promising cell manufacturer exposes how Europe talks about industrial sovereignty but refuses to guarantee the conditions for it. Green mobility group Transport & Environment takes notice and warns that the continent could lose 34 companies the size of Northvolt if political action remains […]
May 11, 2026
The German Stellantis brand Opel has now officially confirmed the joint development of a new electric SUV with Leapmotor. The new model will use key components from Leapmotor and is set to roll off the production line at the Spanish plant in Zaragoza alongside the Opel Corsa from 2028. From the second half of this […]
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
Last Friday, Stellantis and Leapmotor announced they are exploring expanding their strategic partnership through a series of initiatives to build on the early success of their collaboration. Meanwhile, Stellantis’ German brand, Opel, has now officially confirmed the joint development of a new electric SUV with Leapmotor. We’ll report on that in detail in a separate […]
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 04, 2026
Europe’s fastest-growing Chinese EV brand is planning a second, higher-priced label for 2027. Like BYD has Denza, Leapmotor wants its own luxury brand. More out of a necessity than a technical ambition. But can a budget brand pull it off? Leapmotor, the Stellantis-backed Chinese EV maker that last year posted its first annual profit, is […]
May 01, 2026
Huawei has unveiled its XPixel technology, which can turn a car’s front lamps into a full-color cinema projector. Chinese cars are increasingly becoming houses on wheels. While the drive-in movie theatre is a well-known romantic feature from American pop culture, it is now China that is trying to revive the concept by upgrading the technology. […]
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
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
Chinese robot vacuum maker-turned-car-manufacturer Dreame has leveled up its Next 01 electric hypercar. The Jet Edition does as the name suggests, and adds rocket boosters to propel the Bugatti-lookalike to 100 km/h in less than a second. Or is it just a dream, and will it go the way of the similarly equipped Tesla Roadster? […]
April 28, 2026
At the Beijing Auto Show, BYD unveiled its Sealion 08, which has a good chance of arriving in Europe. The specs of its flagship SUV are a sample of where the technological evolution of the car manufacturer and battery maker stands today: 643 hp, 900 km of range, and nine-minute charging. But the story behind […]
April 27, 2026
Nissan took the stage at Auto China 2026 in Beijing to unveil two NEV SUVs: the Urban SUV PHEV and the Terrano PHEV Concept. The latter brings back the nameplate first used in 1999 for the large-terrain SUV, also known as the Pathfinder. Good news for fans: Nissan is promising a production version within one […]
April 27, 2026
It looks like a concept car, but the Ioniq V, unveiled at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, is definitely a production model. It looks like the lovechild of a Toyota Prius and a Tesla Cybertruck, but don’t let its appearance hide the real message: with its new subbrand Ioniq, Hyundai wants to start from scratch […]
April 27, 2026
After unveiling the first iteration of the Z sports car last year, Denza has picked Auto China in Beijing to show its open-top convertible sibling. The Denza Z will be an all-electric supercar available in three configurations: Standard, Convertible, and Track. The full launch will be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Denza […]
April 27, 2026
The BMW Group’s exhibition stand at Auto China 2026 is dedicated entirely to the ‘Neue Klasse’. In Beijing, the new BMW iX3 Long Wheelbase, the new BMW i3 Long Wheelbase, and the new BMW 7 Series featuring Neue Klasse technologies are celebrating their world premieres. “With the introduction of the new BMW iX3 for China, […]
April 27, 2026
At the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, Dongfeng’s two French joint ventures put four concept vehicles on the floor in a coordinated push that looks like more than a design exercise. Production starts in 2027, on Chinese platforms, in China, but export is on the agenda. Are these the successors to the famed Peugeot 508 and […]
April 24, 2026
As oil prices push fleet operators to despair, Windrose has slashed the price of its long-haul electric truck from €250,000 to €198,000. This basically puts it in the range of classic diesel trucks. Clearly, Chinese manufacturers are trying to disrupt the transportation industry, just as they did in the passenger car category. Is it schadenfreude […]
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 23, 2026
Chinese automaker Seres can apparently do more than install toilets in cars. It has joined the Ionchi fast-charging joint venture in China as an equal partner alongside BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz. Each of the three companies will hold a 33.3% stake in the venture going forward. With Seres, a major local player joins Ionchi. The […]
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 21, 2026
Chinese battery manufacturer Sunwoda has revealed a new LFP pack on par with the best BYD has to offer and nudges ahead of CATL in the fast-charging arms race. Nine minutes is all it takes. But the real question is what that number actually means, and whether the infrastructure to use it exists anywhere outside […]
April 20, 2026
Chinese Seres and Huawei, the two owners of the sub-brand Aito, have patented an in-car toilet to “satisfy users’ toilet needs on long journeys, while camping or while staying in the car”. The voice-activated toilet is hidden under the passenger’s seat… and it actually appears to be quite cleverly designed. Seres is one of the […]
April 20, 2026
The next generation of BYD’s best-known compact SUV is preparing for launch in China. Important, as the Yuan Plus is sold in Europe under the Atto 3 moniker. The upgrades are substantial: a larger body, a rear-wheel-drive platform, second-generation Blade battery technology, and flash charging that delivers a near-full charge in under 10 minutes. Commercialization […]
April 17, 2026
Stellantis gathered the 2,000 workers at its Poissy plant, just west of Paris, yesterday to deliver the news that few found surprising: the site will stop producing cars by the end of 2028. It marks the end of nearly eight decades of vehicle manufacturing in the French capital region. Meanwhile, the group is seeking new […]
April 16, 2026
Little known to most European — and certainly Belgian — car buyers, Chinese carmaker GAC Group has officially launched its AION UT electric hatchback in Europe, marking a significant step in its long-planned entry into what it calls the “world’s most demanding automotive market.” Designed in Milan and assembled at Magna Steyr’s plant in Graz, […]
April 15, 2026
The VW Group continues to suffer from weak international sales (-4%), particularly in China and the United States, the German carmaker said in Wolfsburg on Monday. BEV deliveries were down 8% year on year. Globally, this pushed the number of deliveries across the VW Group in the time period between January and March down to […]
April 14, 2026
When most people think of hybrid powertrains, they think Toyota. And when people think of Chinese brands, they think of fully electric drivelines. But if it depends on Geely, the parent company of Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, and many more, those reflexes are becoming increasingly outdated. That’s because the sprawling Chinese group has been quietly building […]
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 […]
April 09, 2026
At the VW Brand Night in China, the German car manufacturer has pulled the wraps off the ID. Aura T6. This mid-size electric SUV is built on an entirely new, China-specific architecture. Say goodbye to MEB and meet CEA: the platform co-developed with XPeng. When unveiled, the T6 was still tightly wrapped in camouflage film, […]
April 09, 2026
With BYD’s Vice-President Stella Li taking the stage in Paris on Wednesday to launch Denza in Europe, the setting was as strategic as the product itself. China’s largest carmaker did not opt for a conventional auto show or conference hall, but rented the iconic Palais Garnier, one of Europe’s most emblematic temples of culture and […]
April 07, 2026
Registrations tripled in France, nearly doubled in Norway. After the worst year in recent memory, Tesla’s sales numbers are moving in the right direction again. The question is whether a cheaper Model Y and surpassing a stumbling BYD again are enough to call this a recovery. A year ago, Tesla was bleeding. Exactly one year […]
April 03, 2026
The latest Economic and Market Report for full-year 2025 from ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, paints a cautiously optimistic picture on the surface, but a deeper reading reveals a more unsettling reality for Europe’s automotive sector. While the headline figures point to stabilizing macroeconomic conditions and modest market growth, the underlying data highlights structural […]
April 01, 2026
Volvo Cars is drawing closer to sister brand Polestar and its Chinese parent, Geely, through a pair of moves that signal the end of the Swedish carmaker’s long-running independence. Volvo has long benefitted from an exclusive position within the Geely group, lending the brand a strong independence to safeguard its Swedish roots. But that privilege […]
March 31, 2026
BYD is fighting a downward trend in its home market. And the best remedy to counter such a dip is a fresh product. Enter the Song Ultra EV, a car that aims to set a benchmark for what a mid-size electric SUV can deliver for the money. Buyers didn’t fail to notice. The Ultra is […]
March 31, 2026
Volvo Cars will take responsibility for the commercial and brand operations of its sister-brand Lynk & Co in Europe, marking a decisive step in Geely Holding Group’s accelerating strategy to integrate its brands and scale more efficiently on the continent. The move, announced on March 30, gives Volvo Cars control over Lynk & Co’s European […]
March 30, 2026
BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, reported a 19% decline in net profit for 2025. It’s the company’s first such drop in four years. The results reveal the growing cost of competing in China’s saturated EV market. BYD is hastily looking beyond its home borders to counter the downward trend. The numbers in brief […]
March 30, 2026
The Chinese car manufacturer Geely is restructuring its European development activities by consolidating operations in Sweden and Germany under the new Geely Technology Europe unit. The move is intended to strengthen the region’s role within the group’s global development network. The move comes at the same time as the arrival of Geely-branded cars in Europe. […]
March 27, 2026
Cupra has quietly updated the Tavascan and added a new entry-level battery variant. A much larger instrument cluster and a revised steering wheel also join the facelift, but the sleek coupe-SUV silhouette remains firmly intact. The Tavascan serves as Cupra’s flagship model, but it has been struggling to find inroads at customers’ driveways. With a […]
March 27, 2026
With the Transit City, Ford Pro has chosen a strategy as surprising as it is logical: an electric van that draws its cost structure from a Chinese joint venture and its credibility from decades of Transit heritage. In a segment that is slowly but irreversibly going electric, Ford is betting on a combination no pure […]
