July 23, 2026
Ford and Geely Auto plan to form a manufacturing joint venture at Ford’s Valencia, Spain, plant, combining scale and factory utilization, to build Ford and Geely’s next-generation multi-energy vehicles. Under the proposed ownership structure, Ford will own 66% of the new entity and Geely Auto 34%. The partnership secures the future of the Valencia plant, […]
July 23, 2026
BYD’s premium Denza brand has revealed the cabin of the new Z9S, a 1,194 hp electric sports saloon positioned against the Porsche Taycan, Lucid Air, and Audi e-tron GT. Closely related to the Denza Z9GT, now available to order in Belgium from €101,000 as a plug-in hybrid and €115,000 as an EV, the Z9S is […]
July 22, 2026
Cumulative sales of Geely Auto’s popular small EV, the Xingyuan, have surpassed 800,000 units less than 2 years after the model was launched. Geely sub-brand Geely Galaxy announced the milestone on Thursday. The model is already available in multiple overseas markets, where it has been renamed the Geely EX2. The Xingyuan was the best-selling vehicle […]
July 22, 2026
Geely has unveiled what it calls the world’s first 16-in-1 intelligent electric drive, promising lower weight, reduced energy losses, and tighter control of almost every major electric powertrain function. The updated Lynk & Co 02 will be the first production model to use the technology, although a European launch has not yet been confirmed. In […]
July 21, 2026
Volvo Cars commits to the future of its Ghent factory, the Swedish car manufacturer’s headquarters announced on Wednesday. The company has reached an agreement with the Belgian federal and Flemish governments for support and financing measures totaling up to €119 million. The arrangements are documented in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The package aims to […]
July 15, 2026
BYD is simplifying its overseas brand structure as international markets become a central source of growth rather than an export sideline. The Chinese group will combine its Dynasty and Ocean ranges under the BYD name abroad, merge Denza’s and Fang Cheng Bao’s overseas operations, and keep ultra-luxury brand Yangwang independent. The reshuffle creates a clearer […]
July 14, 2026
The Belgian company John Cockerill Hydrogen has unveiled its first hydrogen electrolyzer designed and manufactured entirely in France. The unveiling took place in Belfort at McPhy’s industrial site, which John Cockerill Hydrogen acquired last year, along with some of its staff and patents. The 30-metric-ton unit enables the production of decarbonized hydrogen from water. Push […]
July 13, 2026
BYD has officially unveiled the European version of the Denza Z at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. CEO of BYD, Stella Li, and former F1 champion Jenson Button took the wraps off the sports car that intends to go head-to-head with the Porsche 911. Or rather, the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore. Because the driveline is fully […]
July 09, 2026
BYD has reached another symbolic milestone in its rapid rise as the world’s largest new energy vehicle manufacturer. On July 8, the Chinese carmaker announced that its 17 millionth NEV had rolled off the production line. The milestone car was the new Seal 08, the flagship sedan of BYD’s Ocean range, launched only days earlier […]
July 08, 2026
Renault CEO François Provost has put one of the European car industry’s most sensitive questions on the table: can small electric cars be profitable, or will Europe’s volume manufacturers be pushed out of their home market by Chinese competition? In an interview with Les Echos, the LVMH-owned French business daily widely read in political and […]
July 07, 2026
Leapmotor has opened the European order books for the B03X, the compact electric crossover it hopes will turn the Chinese brand from a niche newcomer into a serious contender in Europe’s volume EV market. At €24,900, the B03X will compete for the same buyers as Stellantis’ own Fiat Grande Panda Electric, Citroën ë-C3 Aircross, and […]
July 06, 2026
From January 1, 2027, China will abolish the annual vehicle tax exemption for plug-in hybrids, range-extender vehicles, and several classes of electrified commercial vehicles. BEV passenger cars, however, will remain tax-exempt as they are not subject to China’s displacement-based vehicle tax. As reported by CnEVPost, China’s Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration, and the […]
July 06, 2026
BloombergNEF expects global electric-car sales to set another record in 2026, even as the United States moves sharply in the opposite direction. Its new Electric Vehicle Outlook forecasts 23.3 million passenger EV sales worldwide this year, 11% more than in 2025, giving plug-in cars a 27% share of the global new-car market. The headline is […]
July 03, 2026
As Tesla has registered its strongest second quarter on record, the negative spiral initiated by Musk seems to have been countered. The American EV maker is back on track, but BYD still outsold it by roughly 77,000 fully electric vehicles on a global level. According to figures published this week, Tesla delivered 480,126 units in […]
June 30, 2026
Stellantis is betting on Chinese Dongfeng to get Jeep back on track in Europe. In addition to greenlighting the import of the American Recon, the lineup will be completed in 2028 with a Chinese-built plug-in hybrid SUV. But Brussels is already drafting tariffs on the exact type of vehicle this partnership produces. Jeep’s European portfolio […]
June 30, 2026
XPeng will unveil its new Mona L03 in Beijing on 2 July, but China is only the first stop. Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng has said the fastback SUV will travel to Europe shortly afterward for its global launch and the start of an official sales rollout. This makes the L03 far more than a […]
June 26, 2026
Polestar has been officially denied to sell cars in the United States as of 2027. After the brand withdrew from China due to low adoption, the luxury EV maker now also risks losing the world’s second-largest car market. The company will focus largely on Europe. But that is still the backyard of German premium. Polestar […]
June 26, 2026
China wants its vast electric-car fleet to become more than a transport revolution. Under its newly unveiled 15th five-year energy plan, Beijing aims to have EVs play a role in balancing a power system increasingly dominated by wind and solar. The plan, covering 2026 to 2030, targets a 50% share for non-fossil sources in electricity […]
June 24, 2026
Geely will introduce the E2 in Belgium after the summer, bringing one of China’s biggest recent EV successes to the crowded European small-car market. The compact five-door is intended to make Geely a player at the accessible end of the electric market, starting around €20,000, but final Belgian prices and several core technical details remain […]
June 23, 2026
At Silo’s Brussels, the former brewery complex beside the Willebroek Canal, Mazda Motor Belux last week gathered journalists, dealers, fleet managers, and other stakeholders for its Mazda Experience Days, putting the spotlight on the CX-6e that made its world debut at the Brussels Motor Show in January. The occasion was as much about strategy as […]
June 22, 2026
Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson has made an explicit offer to his Chinese parent company. In an interview with Automobilwoche, Samuelsson said it would be “positive and possible” for Geely’s sibling brands to produce vehicles at Volvo’s European factories, including the Ghent, Belgium, plant. Samuelsson’s offer is a direct invitation for Geely Auto (the brand, […]
June 22, 2026
According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, the European Commission has finalized a proposal for punitive tariffs on plug-in hybrids made in China. These bread-and-butter models could face a similar fate to their counterparts with full-electric drivelines. However, the percentages would be lower. Europe set out to punish Chinese electric cars. Instead, it created a market for […]
June 22, 2026
At the Beijing Motor Show, Smart unveiled the concept that matters most to its renaissance under new German-Chinese ownership: the #2. Will the successor make an impact just as quirky, revolutionary, and safe as the legendary original, or has modern reality overruled the formula? We find out in Rome, where the concept version hit European […]
June 19, 2026
At the annual general meeting, VW CEO Oliver Blume didn’t shy away from blunt words. Though the group is on track shedding 50,000 workforce, he stated that the “business model is no longer working today.” Volkswagen is struggling hard with the modern-day reality of car building, to the point that the question no longer is […]
June 18, 2026
BYD has officially released the Great Tang in China. This is not the successor of the Tang, but a more luxurious model positioned higher in the hierarchy. Its size and technology give it the allure of a limo in an SUV, though its price tells a different story. The BYD Great Tang doesn’t arrive empty-handed […]
June 17, 2026
To fool the camera detection systems on their Teslas while driving in automated mode, Chinese customers turn to fake plastic doll heads. Screwed onto the ceiling of their cars, they successfully trick the system into thinking the driver is alert. It’s not the first time the aftermarket has tried to outsmart the safety systems of […]
June 17, 2026
Global electric vehicle registrations reached around 1.8 million in May, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence data reported by Reuters. That was only 3% more than in May last year, bringing the first five months of 2026 to a modest 0.9% increase. On paper, that looks like a clear slowdown after years of double-digit growth. In […]
June 16, 2026
China aims to achieve a 40% market share for electric heavy trucks by 2030. That’s almost half of the national fleet sales in less than five years from now. And if the country’s new energy cars and vans, or renewable energy policy, are anything to go by, the People’s Republic does not do half measures […]
June 16, 2026
MG has unveiled the new MG 07 in China, a sleek, electrified fastback that gives a first indication of how the brand may further expand beyond SUVs and hatchbacks. The model has not been confirmed for Europe, but its timing is interesting. In Belgium and Luxembourg, MG is preparing to take over its own distribution […]
June 15, 2026
Solid-state batteries are often presented as the next great leap for electric cars, promising more range, faster charging, better safety, and perhaps lower costs. But Robin Zeng Yuqun, founder and chairman of CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, has given that optimism a reality check. And when such an authority speaks, it’s worth listening. […]
June 12, 2026
According to CarNewsChina, Dongfeng will start mass-producing its next-generation battery in the second half of this year and immediately start integrating it into vehicles. That would make it the first brand to offer solid-state at scale and could open opportunities for Peugeot, with whom the brand has strengthened its ties. But as with many battery […]
June 11, 2026
China’s rapid shift to electric and other new-energy vehicles reduced urban air pollution enough to prevent an estimated 262,000 premature deaths, according to a new peer-reviewed study published in Nature Health. The study’s researchers, published in May, compared actual pollution levels to a counterfactual scenario in which every vehicle on the road still ran on […]
June 09, 2026
The Pentagon has put some of China’s best-known technology and mobility companies on its Section 1260H list of “Chinese military companies”, adding a new geopolitical layer to the global expansion of Chinese car brands. The updated list includes Alibaba, Baidu, BYD, Nio, and battery maker CALB, alongside firms active in lidar, robotics, solar energy, semiconductors, […]
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 […]
