Genesis presents electric flagship GV90: not subtle, but slated for Europe

August 21, 2026

Genesis just pulled the wraps off its GV90 flagship SUV. A newcomer in the electric segment that is impossible to ignore. The setting, in San Francisco, might seem fitting for a 5.2-meter-long behemoth. But here’s the thing: it is heading toward Europe as the largest battery-electric vehicle you can buy. The GV90 is the production […]

Semi truck comes to Europe: can Tesla disrupt one more time?

August 21, 2026

The Tesla Semi is coming to Europe. Almost a decade after Elon Musk first showed his electric truck with its bullet-shaped cab, Tesla has confirmed it will sell the zero-emission heavy hauler on this side of the Atlantic. What does it bring that Windrose doesn’t already offer? On paper, the Tesla Semi offers the most […]

Virgin Trains gets green light for 20 daily Channel Tunnel services

August 19, 2026

Legally speaking, the door had been open for some time for the British company Virgin Trains to become a competitor to the high-speed rail operator Eurostar. But with approval from the British rail regulator ORR for rail access on High Speed 1 (HS1) – or between St. Pancras and the entrance to the Channel Tunnel […]

Plug Power exit pushes Antwerp closer to hydrogen import-hub role

August 19, 2026

Another setback for hydrogen advocates in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges: The American company Plug Power is permanently scrapping its plans to build a hydrogen plant on the former Opel site in the Port of Antwerp. Last week it was reported that Fluxys is having difficulty finding customers for its hydrogen pipeline network. Due to this […]

Geely launches E2 in Benelux, arriving September 11th (update)

August 19, 2026

Geely has put a firm date on the Benelux launch of its compact E2 electric hatchback. The Chinese bestseller will arrive at official dealers in Belgium and the Netherlands on September 11 and 12, sharpening the European rollout announced earlier this month. The launch date was shared by Geely’s director of sales & network Benelux, […]

Europe wants circular cars, Belgium already has 98% recycling system

August 18, 2026

Europe has tightened the rules governing what happens to a car throughout its life. Since 13 August, the new European Vehicle Circularity Regulation has been in force, requiring manufacturers not only to recycle vehicles but also to design them for easier dismantling and reuse, and to feed recovered materials back into new cars. Belgium starts […]

Diabetes behind the wheel: is Belgium’s licence law stuck in the past?

August 18, 2026

Belgium requires virtually every driver diagnosed with diabetes to obtain a medically restricted license, while neighboring countries increasingly focus only on those whose condition or treatment creates a real driving risk. Yet according to the Belgian road safety institute Vias, one in five people with diabetes is driving without the required adapted license. That discrepancy […]

New Geely chairman An Conghui’s EU push could reshape Volvo Ghent

August 18, 2026

Geely founder Li Shufu is stepping back from the listed carmaker as it accelerates in Europe, handing the chairmanship to An Conghui and the CEO role to Gan Jiayue while remaining chairman of parent Zhejiang Geely Holding. It coincides with a major change in Geely’s international strategy. The group no longer wants to rely mainly […]

Belgium builds hydrogen highway, but customers don’t bite

August 17, 2026

The new 48-kilometer hydrogen pipeline that Belgian gas network operator Fluxys is constructing between the industrial clusters of the ports of Antwerp (Kallo) and Ghent (Zelzate) is facing a difficult period. According to the business newspapers De Tijd and L’Echo, no binding contracts have yet been signed with any customers. The pipeline network is intended […]

UK considers halving 2030 EV target to 50%, but 2035 ban stays

August 17, 2026

The British government has launched a consultation round that could slash its 2030 electric vehicle sales target from 80 percent to as low as 50 percent. But the 2035 ban on new gasoline and diesel cars remains fixed. The British ZEV mandate has its own ladder to reach defined targets. The percentage of new car […]

Oil majors double profits as Europe debates taxing the windfall

August 17, 2026

Europe’s major oil companies have more than doubled their profits in the latest quarter of 2026, reigniting the debate over whether governments should tax part of those gains while simultaneously spending public money to shield motorists from high fuel prices. According to an analysis by the environmental lobby group Transport & Environment, eight major oil […]

Pony.ai and Uber plan over 2,000 robotaxis in Europe

August 17, 2026

Pony.ai and Uber plan to expand their robotaxi operations in Europe, targeting a fleet of more than 2,000 autonomous vehicles. The partners aim to launch services in four additional European cities alongside Zagreb. Pony.ai and Uber began their partnership in May 2025. In spring 2026, they launched their first commercial robotaxi service in Europe, in […]

Germany’s car industry hits 21-year job low after losing 42,300 workers

August 17, 2026

According to official government statistics, the German car industry is shedding jobs faster than any other sector. And the real employee realignment under the pressure of the current crisis still has to begin. Destatis, the Federal Statistical Office, analyzed that 691,500 people were employed in the German automotive industry at the end of June 2026. […]

NIO’s new swap station welcomes Firefly, but Europe is left out

August 17, 2026

NIO has opened the first of its fifth-generation battery-swap stations in China, finally giving the compact Firefly access to the company’s swapping network. It is an important step for NIO’s technology, but one European Firefly owners should not get too excited about. In Belgium and the Netherlands, swapping is unlikely to become part of the […]

VW revives ID. California: has its electric camper finally lost enough weight?

August 14, 2026

Volkswagen is finally turning the ID. Buzz into a factory-built electric camper. At the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf later this month, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will unveil the ID. California Cruise. It’s a concept that previews not merely one model but a new family of battery-electric California campers planned for gradual introduction toward 2028. In a way, […]

DAF sources Einride for Level 4 autonomy into its electric line-up

August 14, 2026

Einride has been running autonomous freight for years, but always on its own hardware. That changes now. The Swedish operator is partnering with DAF to integrate its Einride Driver software into the Dutch manufacturer’s electric truck production. It’s the first time Einride’s autonomous technology is climbing into somebody else’s cab rather than building its own. […]

Porsche to form EU CO₂ pool with… Xpeng

August 13, 2026

Porsche has apparently left Volkswagen Group’s EU CO₂ emissions pool and will instead pool its new-car registrations with Chinese EV manufacturer Xpeng in 2026 and 2027. The arrangement could generate regulatory credits for Xpeng as its European sales grow. According to documents from the European Commission, Porsche withdrew from its parent company Volkswagen’s emissions pool […]

Too drunk to drive? Renault wants your finger to tell

August 12, 2026

Renault is testing a new way of stopping drunk drivers before they even move: putting a finger on a sensor could be enough to determine whether someone has had too much to drink. The idea sounds futuristic, but it is not entirely new. Car makers and researchers have been experimenting with alternatives to the traditional […]

Raleigh, Batavus and Sparta owner Accell declared bankrupt (update)

August 12, 2026

The Dutch companies of bicycle giant Accell Group, owner of brands including Batavus, Sparta, Koga, Babboe and Raleigh, have been declared bankrupt by the Amsterdam District Court. The decision comes less than a week after the group was granted a suspension of payments and marks a rapid escalation of its financial crisis. Court-appointed administrators Thijs […]

SAIC-VW’s ID. Era 5X is also bound for Europe; others will follow

August 11, 2026

SAIC-Volkswagen has filed for approval of the ID. Era 5X compact SUV in China. It is Volkswagen’s first model based on the Compact Main Platform and the first fully electric vehicle in the China-specific ID. Era series. It also sits in one of Europe’s core SUV segments and will come to Europe, followed by other […]

Science debunks the ‘drive your car till it dies’ climate myth

August 11, 2026

Scientists have run the numbers, and the result isn’t exactly a pat on the back for the internal combustion engine. A study published in Science shows that replacing a functioning gasoline car with an EV cuts lifetime carbon emissions by 58%. Even if that gasoline car is only a year old. Also, the old “drive […]

BYD’s giant Ti9 PHEV stops 5 kg short of EU’s B-license limit

August 11, 2026

BYD has officially revealed the Fang Cheng Bao Ti9, a giant six-seat plug-in hybrid SUV. It features two 200 kW electric motors, a 66.5 kWh battery, and one particularly intriguing figure for Europe: its maximum authorized mass is 3,495 kg, just five kilograms below the 3.5-ton limit for a standard Category B driving license. For […]

Zero pays new riders as Europe’s electric motorcycle battle heats up

August 10, 2026

Zero Motorcycles is offering newly licensed European riders up to €500 to choose electric, as the American manufacturer tries to expand its customer base, just as competition in electric motorcycles starts getting more serious. Under its 2026 Rider Training Incentive, anyone buying a Zero within three months of obtaining an A1, A2, or full A […]

Belgium blocks Chinese acquisition of helicopter operator NHV

August 10, 2026

The Belgian Interfederal Screening Committee, a body tasked with ensuring that major investments by foreign, non-European organizations do not lead to geopolitical surprises, has decided to block the acquisition of the Ostend-based helicopter operator Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen (NHV) by a Chinese investor. These concerns relate to “risks to national security, Belgium’s strategic interests, and possible […]

Mazda is steadily growing thanks to Europe and North America

August 10, 2026

Last week, the Mazda Motor Corporation announced its first-quarter financial and sales results, reporting global sales of 304,000 vehicles during the period 1 April to 30 June 2026, up 1% year-on-year. As the Japanese fiscal year starts on 1 April, we’re talking Q2 here for the current year. For Q2 of this year, Mazda reported […]

BMW’s new i3 cuts 600 meters of wiring with four central brains

August 10, 2026

BMW is starting production of the new i3 this month with a claim that is less spectacular than range, acceleration, or charging speed, but potentially more important for the future of the car industry. Its Neue Klasse electronics architecture cuts around 600 meters of wiring and concentrates much of the car’s computing power in just […]

Daimler Truck adds US factory as tariffs reshape production

August 07, 2026

Daimler Truck is preparing a major expansion of its North American manufacturing footprint. The German truck maker will build a new factory in the United States for vocational and long-haul trucks, with construction due to start late this year and production scheduled for 2029. The location has not yet been decided, with Daimler Truck North […]

London clears Wayve and Uber for supervised robotaxi rides

August 06, 2026

Wayve, a British artificial intelligence start-up, specializing in autonomous driving and a partner of the Uber platform, has been granted Private Hire Vehicle licenses by Transport for London (TfL). This is an important step toward launching autonomous rides on the Uber platform in the British capital. The permits are for several Wayve’s autonomous, all-electric Ford […]

Kia’s first van grabs 37% of Europe’s small electric market

August 06, 2026

Kia has barely entered Europe’s commercial-vehicle market, yet its first electric van is already outselling models from manufacturers with decades of experience. According to figures quoted by Kia UK, the PV5 accounted for 37% of Europe’s battery-electric small-van segment and ranked first in 12 countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom. Electric C-segment only The […]

France targets powerful cars for novice drivers, Belgium may follow

August 06, 2026

Starting this autumn, young drivers in France will no longer be allowed to drive powerful cars. France is banning young drivers from operating a vehicle “with engine power exceeding a specified threshold.” This ban applies to any car a novice driver operates, including borrowed or rented vehicles. The trigger is a series of serious accidents involving young […]

New Audi A2 e-tron turns efficiency into its main weapon

August 05, 2026

Audi has removed most of the camouflage from the upcoming A2 e-tron, but the bigger news is beneath the skin. The manufacturer has released its first detailed technical dossier on the compact EV, confirming that the 140 kW version with an optional efficiency package consumes just 12.8 kWh per 100 kilometers according to preliminary WLTP […]

Renault’s EV boom lifts revenue, but finance rivals car profits

August 05, 2026

Renault Group has returned to profit in the first half of 2026, helped by rapidly rising electric car sales and a richer product mix. However, the figures also reveal how thin the margins on building cars remain. Mobilize Financial Services, the group’s captive finance arm, generated almost as much operating profit as Renault’s entire automotive […]

Antwerp is a diesel hub, but Belgian drivers still pay soaring global price

August 05, 2026

Belgium may be home to Antwerp, one of Europe’s largest refining and diesel-trading hubs, but that does not give Belgian motorists access to cheaper fuel. Diesel produced in Antwerp is traded at international north-western European prices, which are determined by global supply, refinery availability, transport costs, and geopolitical tensions. That global market is now flashing […]

TU Eindhoven students build solar mobile clinic for remote regions

August 04, 2026

A team of students from Eindhoven University of Technology has unveiled a solar-powered mobile clinic designed to bring medical care to remote regions where roads are poor and electricity supplies unreliable. Called ‘Stella Juva’, the vehicle is presented by Solar Team Eindhoven as the world’s first solar-powered ambulance, although it functions more like a self-sufficient […]

Leapmotor B03 could become Stellantis’ €20,000 Chinese price weapon

August 04, 2026

Leapmotor is preparing to launch the A05 in China on August 10, a compact electric hatchback that will be sold internationally as the B03. With dimensions close to the Geely E2, two LFP batteries, and a potential European price near €20,000, it could become one of the sharpest value propositions in Europe’s affordable EV market. […]

Shell pulls back from green energy, TotalEnergies picks up the pieces

August 04, 2026

The British multinational oil and gas company Shell is selling its European onshore renewable energy operations, such as wind and solar farms, to the French group TotalEnergies. The deal involves a portfolio of 4 gigawatts, of which 500 megawatts are currently operational. Under CEO Wael Sawan, Shell has taken a more critical look at renewable […]

Hyundai opens Dutch order books for Ioniq 3 from €27,995

August 04, 2026

Four months after Hyundai unveiled the Ioniq 3 at Milan Design Week, the compact electric ‘Aero Hatch’ now has its first European price list. Dutch customers can order it from €27,995, with showroom arrival expected at the end of September. Belgium will follow, but Hyundai Belux says only that local prices will be announced “after […]

Ferrari Luce more popular than expected?

August 03, 2026

Several sources and media outlets have reported that the planned 2026 production of the Ferrari Luce (± 500 units) is already sold out two months after its May launch. According to the Financial Times, the €550,000 model reportedly attracted particularly strong interest in China and among technology entrepreneurs in places such as Silicon Valley. Ferrari’s […]

VinFast’s fourth chapter: Europe test lab for its electric taxi empire

August 03, 2026

Only two months after VinFast invited European journalists to explore its integrated industrial empire in Vietnam, with a range of electric cars, buses, and scooters, another part of that ecosystem has landed in Europe. Green SM, the electric taxi company controlled by VinFast founder Phạm Nhật Vượng, began operating in Copenhagen on July 30 with […]

Europe’s shrinking rivers threaten fuel supplies, industry, and food prices

July 31, 2026

The prolonged heat is leading to low water levels in rivers. This year has been marked not only by low water levels, but also by their remaining below the minimum navigable level for an extended period. This, in turn, is developing into a combined transport, industrial, agricultural, and water-management crisis. The immediate problem is that […]

IAE: Europe’s EV market accelerates, Belgium starts to level off

July 31, 2026

Electric car sales recovered strongly in the second quarter of 2026, with Europe emerging as the fastest-growing major market. However, Belgium’s figures reveal a more nuanced picture. The country remains one of Europe’s leaders in battery-electric market share, but growth is slowing, and adoption remains heavily dependent on company cars. The latest figures come from […]

Stellantis rebounds in Q2, but still trails European rivals on profit

July 30, 2026

Stellantis returned to profit in the first half of 2026 as higher volumes and an improvement in North America lifted revenue, but its margins and cash generation still lag behind most European rivals. Second-quarter revenue increased by 13% to €43.5 billion, while shipments rose by 10%. Stellantis posted a net profit of €293 million, compared […]

New Mercedes GLA unveiled: up to 657 km of range

July 30, 2026

Mercedes-Benz presented the all-new GLA in Warsaw. The compact SUV has a range of up to 657 kilometers and charges at up to 320 kW (not all versions). The electric car can be ordered immediately at prices starting from €48,599. In Belgium, orders are taken as of tomorrow; pricing starts at €49,005. The manufacturer will […]

BMW’s European strength cannot offset China-driven profit collapse

July 30, 2026

BMW Group is stepping up cost reductions and organizational reforms after a sharp deterioration in profitability during the first half of 2026. The German premium carmaker insists that demand remains healthy in Europe and that its Neue Klasse electric offensive is gaining momentum. Still, weaker sales and pricing in China, tariffs, and rising depreciation are […]

European van market barely grows as electric sales surge

July 29, 2026

Europe’s commercial vehicle market returned to growth in the first half of 2026, but the recovery was uneven. According to ACEA, new van registrations in the EU rose by only 1.9% to 742,759 units, while truck registrations increased by 9.8% to 171,933 and buses and coaches by 22.7% to 22,590. The stronger figures in trucks […]

Audi launches its largest SUV ever, the Q9

July 29, 2026

Twenty years after Audi introduced its first SUV, the German luxury brand is launching its largest utility vehicle ever, the Q9. The official launch took place on Tuesday in New York, indicating that the model is also key to helping reverse its U.S. fortunes. The Q9 is significantly larger than the redesigned Q7 and also […]

Van Ypersele blasts climate inaction after 2,000 heat deaths

July 29, 2026

Climate change has long since ceased to be an abstract threat, and yet politicians hardly ever mention it. More than thirty years after the first alarm bells were raised, the political establishment still shrugs off the extreme temperatures. “Two thousand people are dead, yet not even a minute of silence was observed,” said Jean-Pascal van Ypersele […]

Zeekr launches 9X in Belgium, but China keeps the ‘wildest’ versions

July 29, 2026

Zeekr has confirmed the European and Belgian launch of the 9X, a 5.24-meter luxury SUV that marks a major change of direction for the Geely-owned brand. Until now, Zeekr has presented itself in Europe as an electric-only premium brand. Its new flagship is a plug-in hybrid combining a 55.1 kWh battery, two electric motors, and […]

Climate debate falls silent despite heat and raging wildfires

July 27, 2026

Climate change is no longer an abstract threat but a harsh reality. Forest fires are raging so fiercely in Spain, France, and other European countries that some have declared a state of emergency. Meanwhile, roughly 300,000 to 360,000 people have been evacuated across France and Spain due to wildfires.  In Belgium, the June 27 heatwave […]

Volkswagen Q2 profit down 33%, CEO sounds the alarm bell (again)

July 27, 2026

Volkswagen’s second-quarter net profit fell 32.9% from a year earlier to €1.54 billion, it said on Friday, as Europe’s largest carmaker continued to grapple with weak demand in China. The company’s net profit was down from €2.29 billion in the second quarter of 2025, when earnings had already fallen 36% from a year earlier. Group-wide […]

Lynk & Co targets Europe’s premium estates with 523-hp 07 GT

July 27, 2026

Lynk & Co has launched the 07 GT in China, a high-performance plug-in hybrid wagon with up to 523 hp and a claimed electric range of 200 km. More importantly for European buyers, the Geely-owned brand has confirmed that the model is planned for Europe in 2027. The 07 GT measures 4.85 meters in length, […]

Tesla’s European FSD rollout hits French resistance over safety risks

July 27, 2026

France has publicly opposed the approval of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Supervised system in its current form, complicating the company’s attempt to secure EU-wide recognition for its most advanced driver-assistance software. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the technology offers progress, but the remaining safety risks remain too significant. His comments mark the first open rejection […]

Eurostat figures show Belgium performs poorly on renewable energy

July 24, 2026

Figures from the European statistical office Eurostat show that renewable energy accounted for more than a quarter (26.2%) of final energy consumption in the European Union in 2025. A year earlier, that figure was 25.2%, and the EU binding target for 2030 is 42.5%, with an ambition to reach 45%. Eurostat calculated that the EU share […]

BMW develops the ‘brains’ for humanoid factory robots

July 24, 2026

BMW is developing its own software platform for future humanoid factory workers. At its Landshut component plant, the carmaker is developing a modular software stack that connects production data, artificial intelligence, and robots from different suppliers. Rather than building a BMW-branded rival to Tesla’s Optimus or XPeng’s IRON, it wants to control how humanoid robots […]

Ford and Geely Auto to produce next-generation multi-energy vehicles in Spain

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, […]

Renault revenue grows, with Belux still a global top-ten market

July 23, 2026

Renault Group entered the second half of 2026 with revenue still growing, even as worldwide vehicle sales came under pressure. Its latest financial update showed first-quarter revenue rising by 7.3% to €12.53 billion, while newly published figures reveal that global sales slipped by 0.4% in the first half. Against that mixed backdrop, Belgium and Luxembourg […]

EU car registrations up 5.7% in first half-year; EVs grow to a 20.7% market share

July 23, 2026

According to data from the European Car Manufacturers Association (ACEA), new EU car registrations rose 5.7% year-to-date, with a strong June performance (+13.6%) contributing to a positive first half of 2026. This came against a backdrop of persistent geopolitical headwinds weighing on the outlook. The market continued to benefit from robust consumer demand for a […]

Range Rover adds all-electric GT as fifth model in luxury line-up

July 23, 2026

Range Rover is adding an all-electric grand tourer to its line-up, creating a fifth model alongside the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Velar, and Evoque. The new Range Rover GT is being positioned as the most road-focused and car-like model in the brand’s history and is expected to reach European markets during 2027. More streamlined […]

European transportation network not ready for increasing climate extremes

July 22, 2026

Last June, Western Europe was hit by the most widespread heat wave on record, and several countries in Southern Europe are currently still grappling with persistent, intense heat and wildfires. UNECE, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, then called on countries in Europe, North America, and Central Asia to urgently make their transportation infrastructure […]

Renault cuts more Nissan ties as Spanish parts deal end

July 22, 2026

Renault will stop sourcing components and spare parts from Nissan’s plants in Ávila and Cantabria at the end of 2026, adding another chapter to the gradual unwinding of the once tightly integrated Franco-Japanese alliance. Nissan confirmed that Renault had decided not to renew the commercial arrangements with the two Spanish sites. The impact will be […]

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