ACEA: ‘EU lacks robust industrial strategy’

December 14, 2023

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) warns the European authorities of a Chinese dominance of the EV supply chain and the US government incentives for domestic automakers. According to ACEA, the EU electric vehicle industry risks losing ground even more without a robust EU This content has been archived. Log in or Subscribe to a […]

ACEA president calls for ‘Kei cars’ in Europe

December 06, 2023

The current (and re-elected) president of the European Car Manufacturers Association (ACEA), Luca de Meo, has called for European ‘Kei Cars’ as one of the solutions to boost electric car sales and solve acute urban mobility problems. De Meo did so in his speech at the ACEA headquarters in BrusselThis content has been archived. Log […]

Fisker is having problems delivering its electric Ocean SUV

December 05, 2023

The electric car manufacturer Fisker is lowering its production forecast for 2023 once again. After last lowering its forecast to between 13 000 and 17 000 vehicles produced in 2023 as a whole, Fisker now only expects to produce just over 10 000 units. The reason given for this is the decision toThis content has […]

T&E: ‘Europe’s car industry is still doing too little, too late’

October 04, 2023

In a striking opinion piece, William Todts, Executive Director of the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), points at the mess the German car industry has made these recent decades and the efforts from the European Union to tackle the problem. “Earlier this month, Ursula von der Leyen sent sThis content has been archived. Log in […]

UK to postpone ICE exit, car industry reacts dismissive

September 21, 2023

The Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak (Conservatives), is attempting to water down the UK policy to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles in 2030. The British car industry doesn’t seem happy at all with this policy change. “To give us more time to prepare, I’m announcing that we’re going toThis content has […]

Mobia’s Mobility Day shows vital need to better inform general public

September 20, 2023

At the second Mobility Stakeholders Day of the Belgian mobility federation Mobia on Tuesday in Brussels, guest speaker professor Dave Sinardet made those ‘stakeholders’ face the facts that there is a considerable gap to be bridged between the sector and the general public when it comes to the importThis content has been archived. Log in […]

EU blows hot and cold in anti-subsidy investigation Chinese EVs

September 15, 2023

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s statement on Wednesday that the EU is to launch an investigation into China’s state support for makers of electric vehicles was brushed away by the Chinese government as ‘naked protectionist behavior.’ One that von der Leyen’s home car industry fears wiThis content has been archived. Log in or […]

Four out of ten Dutch citizens against owning a car

August 14, 2023

More than four out of ten Dutch citizens think their country has to eliminate the idea that everyone has to own a car. Energy provider Zonneplan did a panel survey of 2002 Dutch inhabitants about their views on car possession. The most popular argument against car possession is the high environmeThis content has been archived. […]

BMW R&D Chief: ‘Energy transition with the consumer, not against him’

August 03, 2023

The German car manufacturer BMW Group sees in the evolution of the car market a confirmation of its credo: an open technology with ample room for BEVs but also attention to other solutions, even (at least for a certain period) internal combustion engines. Frank Weber, BMW’s Head of R&D, said This content has been archived. […]

Is there a new Saab coming?

August 01, 2023

The spirit of Saab might prevail, finally. An unknown investor has probably purchased the NEVS Emily GT project; hope is glimmering for the ill-fabled manufacturer. There is now a slight chance that a purely electric Saab sedan will occupy the streets again. The mismanagement of owner General MotorThis content has been archived. Log in or […]

Tata to build battery ‘gigafactory’ in the UK

July 20, 2023

The Tata Group will build its first battery cell factory outside India in the UK. The British government has now officially confirmed what had already become apparent. At the beginning of February, it became known that Tata Motors was looking for a location for its European battery cell factory iThis content has been archived. Log […]

T&E: ‘Smaller cars can reduce demand for critical metals’

July 18, 2023

Cutting battery sizes, improving chemistries, and reducing private car journeys can cut the expected consumption of critical materials in BEVs by 36-49% by 2050, says the NGO Transport & Environment based on a new analysis of a study ordered and conducted by the green group. Demand for batterThis content has been archived. Log in or […]

Driving another Chinese-Swedish premium EV: Zeekr 001

July 13, 2023

Eventually, it was to become Lynk & Co’s first fully electric model. Still, after reconsideration, it was labeled ‘too good’ to resist the temptation to put it on the market as a new premium brand: the Zeekr 001. Not to be expected this year in Belgium, but ready for Sweden and the Netherlands, This content […]

Dacia means business, also with EVs. We drove the Spring ‘Extreme’

July 12, 2023

‘Dacia goes extreme’ is the new slogan of Renault’s daughter Dacia. ‘Extreme’ is, in fact, the new top-of-line version for all Dacias, but the Spring gets a second, more powerful variant with it. We drove it on Belgian roads. Until now, the Dacia Spring, the cheapest EV on the Belgian market, hadThis content has been […]

Pussyfooting with Maxus’ electric ‘VIP shuttle’ MIFA9

June 27, 2023

With its 5,27-meter length and full two meters width, the Chinese Maxus’ MIFA9 is quite a giant-looking full electric people mover for seven or eight persons. A challenge to test drive on narrow roads in the hinterland of Namur. But that proved surprisingly pleasant: a rather pussyfooting elephant, This content has been archived. Log in […]

Driving the Opel Astra Electric: is it really that efficient?

June 22, 2023

After a long wait, Opel has finally finished the development of its Astra Electric, which means we got to drive it. Thanks to its new Nidec electric motor, the compact hatchback promises, quite frankly, astonishing efficiency figures. Or is it too good to be true? In the battle between the techniThis content has been archived. […]

Will there be another ‘car show’ in Brussels in 2024?

June 14, 2023

402 Automotive, a Dutch organizer of car shows and events, seems to want to fill the gap the cancellation of the Brussels Motor Show 2024 organized by sector federation Febiac has left. The Dutch event specialist wants to replace the Brussels Motor Show (BMS) with an ‘innovative car show’ with a This content has been […]

Driving the NIO ET7, China’s challenger to EQS and i7

May 09, 2023

When picking up the NIO ET7 in Amsterdam for a week-long test drive, it was apparent right from the first moment we stepped into the 5,1-meter sleek sedan this is not your average Chinese low-budget electric car. This one is conceived to be a luxurious ‘second living room’ on wheels, playing in the This content […]

In-house developed e-motor gives Volvo XC40 and C40 a 34% range boost

May 05, 2023

In the second year of the C40 Recharge’s existence, Volvo created a brand-new, compact e-motor for it… and we saw that it was good. Developed in-house in Sweden, it makes its entry in the new rear-wheel drive 2024 versions of the XC40 and C40 Recharge, both manufactured in Ghent, Belgium. NewmobilThis content has been archived. […]

Touring monitor confirms Belgians having cold feet to switch to EVs

April 13, 2023

A lot of Belgians still have cold feet when it comes to switching to an electric car, especially in the case of private cars. One in three is plainly negative toward EVs, and only one in four is willing to consider buying one in the next five years. Moreover, higher purchase prices and soaring energThis […]

Taking the new electric Aiways U6 Coupé-SUV to the road

April 11, 2023

To see it actually appear on European roads, we’ll have to wait until summer, but a limited number of international journalists got the opportunity to test some pre-production models of the new Chinese Aiways U6 on Portuguese roads. Newmobility.news took the challenge, and the U6 didn’t disappoint. This content has been archived. Log in or […]

EU Commission bows to Germany

March 27, 2023

The EU Commission and the German government have agreed on a compromise on how new cars with combustion engines can be registered after 2035 as long as they run on climate-neutral fuel. The original regulation on the phasing out of internal combustion engines is not to be touched again, and the exceThis content has been […]

Average German’s appetite for gasoline car churns up again

March 27, 2023

German Targobank’s yearly Car Study, a survey conducted by survey institute Forsa, shows that the average German is again increasingly falling back on gasoline cars rather than an electric one when considering buying a new car. The tendency is quite apparent: 30% would prioritize it, compared to 22%This content has been archived. Log in or […]

T&E: ‘two-thirds of planned European battery production is at risk’

March 07, 2023

More than two-thirds (68%) of lithium-ion battery production planned for Europe is at risk of being delayed, scaled down, or canceled, a new analysis of Transport & Environment (T&E) shows. Tesla in Berlin, Northvolt in northern Germany, and Italvolt near Turin are among the projects that stThis content has been archived. Log in or Subscribe […]

T&E: leasing companies overcharge EVs by up to €8.370 in 36 months

March 02, 2023

The ten biggest leasing companies in Europe, managing today a fleet of 12 million vehicles, are ‘overcharging’ electric cars systematically on average by 57% or €233 per month, and €8 370 over 36 months, compared to a similar vehicle on gasoline. They claim lower resale values based on uncerThis content has been archived. Log in […]

Thierry Koskas is the new CEO of Citroën

February 24, 2023

Vincent Cobée, the current CEO of the Citroën brand, part of the Stellantis Group, will be replaced by Thierry Koskas as of March 1st. Cobée, recently cited in our articles, “has decided to pursue personal projects outside the company”, as it always sounds in official press releases. “In the lThis content has been archived. Log […]

European car sales 11,3% up in January

February 22, 2023

According to the figures of the European Car Manufacturers Association ACEA, in January, the European Union passenger car market grew by 11,3% to 760 041 units, starting the new year on a positive note. However, one must consider that this was mainly due to an unusually modest comparison base in This content has been archived. […]

Dacia VP: ‘Excessive weight is not acceptable’

February 21, 2023

In an interview with the British car magazine Autocar, Dacia Vice-President for Sales, Marketing, and Operations Xavier Martinet says that a much greater emphasis needs to be put on weight efficiency when designing (EV) cars. “If we’re serious about collectively reducing emissions, then excessive weThis content has been archived. Log in or Subscribe to a […]

Ford to cut another 3 800 jobs in Europe (Update)

February 15, 2023

It is now officially confirmed that Ford Motor Company is again planning to cut thousands of jobs. Some 3 800 across Europe before 2025, but the biggest part of it will be in Germany (2 300) and the UK (1 300). The proving grounds in Belgian Lommel also seem to be threatened. The American number […]

Porsche plans super-EV for high-luxury segment

February 10, 2023

Porsche’s new electric flagship should be launched in 2027 and will be a seven-seater, off-road-capable luxury crossover. Porsche previously announced that it is working on an electric SUV positioned above the familiar models. Now, the first technical data have surfaced. According to informatioThis content has been archived. Log in or Subscribe to a level that […]

With 270.000 visitors Brussels Motor Show secures its survival

January 23, 2023

The 100th-anniversary edition of the Brussels Motor Show (BMS) welcomed some 270 000 public visitors in nine days. That’s considerably less than in the heydays before the pandemic, but it still makes it the most popular indoor event in Belgium. The organizers hoped that 300-350 000 people would hThis content has been archived. Log in […]

CEO Stellantis: ‘We can no longer wait for governments to take decisions’

January 19, 2023

After leaving the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) last year, Stellantis has just announced they will stop all European lobbying efforts. CEO Carlos Tavares made the decision as a way to be more proactive than reactive in terms of future mobility strategies. “We no longerThis content has been archived. Log in or Subscribe to a […]

Rolls-Royce and Co: newly preferred toys for the super rich (update)

January 11, 2023

In 2022, the high-luxury daughter of BMW, Rolls-Royce, sold 6021 cars. Never before has the illustrious company sold so many cars: 8% more than the previous record year, and that was 2021. Bentley sold more than 15 000 cars, also a record. So the Ukrainian war, the energy prices, etc., don’t affeThis content has been […]

Everybody ‘premium’? How the ‘generalists’ are losing their clients

January 10, 2023

When one follows the car market and the manufacturers’ policies, one of the ever-recurring words is ‘premium’. There’s almost no manufacturer anymore that doesn’t want to be –be it partly – premium, at the same time neglecting a (big) part of its former sales base. It’s becoming very crowdy in tThis content has been archived. […]

Stellantis CEO Tavares warns: ‘Middle-class consumers will buy Chinese’

January 09, 2023

In an interview with the German specialized magazine Automobilwoche at the Computer Electronics Show  (CES) in Las Vegas, Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares warns the industry that many European middle-class customers will buy Chinese in the future. “The price difference between European and ChineseThis content has been archived. Log in or Subscribe to a level that […]

Belgian car sales -4,4% in 2022, BMW number one again

January 03, 2023

Despite an excellent December month (+20,6% compared to last year), the Belgian car market regressed by 4,4% compared to 2021. This was due to significant deficits in sales in the first seven months, which couldn’t be compensated by the progress in the last five months. As the Belgian market stays dThis content has been archived. […]

Driving the Chinese MG4: bang for your buck

December 29, 2022

You won’t be stared at for its modern but not unique looks when driving by, as this family hatchback – MG’s latest EV washing ashore in Europe – could be one in a thousand. Unless you chose that ‘Fizzy Orange’ color. Driving the basic version for the first time on Belgian roads, this MG4 proves […]

And now for something completely different: we drove the Smart #1

December 29, 2022

The era of the original Smart two-seater has gone. In came the new Smart, a completely different approach and the fruit of a collaboration between Mercedes and Geely. The new #1 is also a completely electric car, like the latest ‘old’ Smarts, but every other similarity halts here. The newcomer isThis content has been archived. […]

Toyota produces 5th generation hybrid powertrain in Europe

December 22, 2022

Toyota has announced a €77 million investment for producing fifth-generation hybrid powertrains at its Poland and UK plants. The powertrain will be built in the UK and Turkey and used for the first time in the new Corolla. Seven production lines will be upgraded at Toyota Motor Manufacturing PoThis content has been archived. Log in […]

T&E: ‘Truck emissions spike 94% during Black Friday week’

November 25, 2022

Truck transport is massively polluting, and the emissions from transporting retail goods spike 94% during Black Friday week. However, there is a ready-made solution in the form of zero-emission trucks, the European environmental lobbying group Transport and Environment (T&E) says. Black FridaThis content has been archived. Log in or Subscribe to a level that has […]