D’Ieteren puts 344 jobs at risk as traditional car sales lose ground

September 04, 2026

D’Ieteren, Belgium’s largest car importer, has announced a major restructuring that could put up to 344 jobs at risk. The Volkswagen Group importer says the traditional model built around selling new cars no longer reflects market reality. The stock-quoted group wants to shift its focus further toward mobility services and longer-term customer relationships. D’Ieteren presented its […]

Leapmotor leaves China’s EV start-up pack behind and EU takes notice

September 03, 2026

Leapmotor has surpassed the 100,000-car monthly delivery threshold for the second month in a row, underscoring just how quickly the Chinese EV maker is moving from start-up status to a global volume player. The company delivered a record 103,129 vehicles in August, 80.7% more than a year earlier and slightly above July’s 101,267 units. That makes […]

EV batteries age better than feared, 500,000 tests show

September 03, 2026

A massive analysis of more than 500,000 EV battery tests suggests that most electric cars retain at least 90% of their original battery capacity after 150,000 kilometers. But the averages hide large differences between individual cars – precisely why Belgium is already adding battery-health data to the Car-Pass and why calls for an independent battery […]

Polestar expands the 4 range with an SUV that’s really an estate

September 03, 2026

The eagerly anticipated Polestar 4 SUV adds a rear window to the original concept. The model loses one of its most distinguishing features in exchange for more practicality. Is this car the one Polestar should have launched from the start? Polestar has finally done the obvious thing. The original 4, which is still the brand’s […]

Belgian speed pedelec gets two motors and 200-km range

September 02, 2026

Belgian speed-pedelec start-up Specter has started production of its second-generation Specter 2, promising up to 200 kilometers of range and two-wheel drive. But the real achievement may be less spectacular than those headline figures: Specter has found a way to make much of the technology of its €10,000-plus first generation considerably more affordable, while bringing frame […]

Belgium is Europe’s commuting champion for time, not distance

September 02, 2026

Belgian employees spend more than one hour a day traveling to and from work, making Belgium once again Europe’s commuting champion. But the explanation is not simply that Belgians live farther from their jobs. In fact, Dutch employees often cover even greater distances. Belgium’s problem is that those kilometers take unusually long to cover. According […]

Febiac: Belgian car market recovers as EVs grab record 46% share

September 02, 2026

The Belgian new-car market continued to claw back its poor start to 2026 in August. Registrations rose by 8.3% year-on-year to 28,295 cars, while fully electric models took a record 46.2% of the market. Yet the headline growth needs some perspective: August had one more working day than last year, and volumes remain well below […]

Kia steps up in size with PV7 electric van at IAA

September 01, 2026

Kia is due to expand its range of fully electric vans and people carriers with the PV7. That will be the larger brother of the existing PV5. The South Korean brand has announced the new van will be unveiled at the IAA Transportation show in Hannover on September 14th. The first teaser images of the […]

Heylen buys Audi Brussels site for major 3,000-job redevelopment

September 01, 2026

Heylen Warehouses, the real estate arm of the family-owned industrial holding company led by the Kempen-based entrepreneur Wim Heylen, has purchased the former Audi site in the Brussels municipality of Forrest/Vorst. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. The site covers approximately 55 hectares and has been vacant for a year and a […]

BMW delays agency sales again: if it works for MINI, why wait until 2028?

September 01, 2026

BMW is reportedly postponing the introduction of its agency sales model in Germany until mid-2028, more than two years later than originally planned. That seems strange, as BMW continues to insist that the same model is working successfully at MINI. The explanation may be that MINI demonstrated both the potential and the complexity of taking […]

New Nissan Leaf is the best EV on the market, according to AutoExpress

August 31, 2026

The British car magazine AutoExpress has ranked all 161 EVs currently available on the UK market, and the somewhat surprising (or not?) winner is the new Nissan Leaf. The magazine presented its road testers with a complete list of every UK market electric car available to buy and asked them to rank each model on […]

BYD turns tiny Racco into weapon for Europe’s €20,000 EV fight

August 31, 2026

When BYD unveiled its tiny Racco for Japan earlier this year, it looked like a very specific answer to the peculiar rules of the Japanese kei-car market. Six months later, it is becoming clear that some of its technology could also shape BYD’s next generation of small, affordable EVs for Europe. According to reports from […]

Silent threat? Vias says some EVs are still too hard to hear

August 28, 2026

A recent study by the Belgian road safety institute Vias shows that electric vehicles are more frequently involved in accidents with vulnerable road users. They are involved in 42% of injury-causing accidents involving electric cars, compared with 27% for all car types. Vias analyzed whether the lower noise levels of electric and hybrid vehicles could affect the […]

BMW sold 2 million BEVs and 3.5 million electrified vehicles

August 27, 2026

BMW’s Neue Klasse is apparently providing strong momentum for fully electric vehicle sales.  Two million BEVs have been handed over to customers since sales of the very first BMW i3 launched in late 2013. Including plug-in hybrids, BMW has delivered around 3.5 million electrified vehicles to customers worldwide since 2013. In the first half of […]

LIZY bets €300 million on giving used EVs a second life

August 27, 2026

Belgian scale-up LIZY, a D’Ieteren subsidiary, has secured more than €300 million to expand its second-hand leasing model in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. But the bigger story is what happens to the first mass wave of electric company cars when their initial lease contracts end. The package is mainly debt: about €290 million from […]

Xiaomi shifts into gear for 2027 assault on Europe’s premium car elite

August 27, 2026

Xiaomi has taken another concrete step towards becoming a global carmaker. The tech giant, often referred to as the ‘Chinese Apple’, has launched a dedicated international website and overseas social-media channels for Xiaomi Auto. The site is explicitly stating that its cars are “officially coming to Europe in 2027”. More tellingly, the site already includes […]

Belgium’s mobility budget: one in four bites, three in four pay mortgage

August 26, 2026

Although large employers will be required to offer a mobility budget starting in 2027, Belgian companies do not expect a mass switch. The mobility budget may well be presented as an alternative to the company car, but employers do not believe that employees will adopt it en masse. According to a study by SD Worx among […]

D’Ieteren: ‘Second-hand EVs retain 95.9% battery capacity on average’

August 26, 2026

More than 2,500 battery analyses performed by D’Ieteren Automotive’s second-hand car divisions, My Way and Audi Approved, prove that modern EV batteries retain their battery capacity remarkably well.  The average State of Health (SoH) was 95.9% for the entire EV car population measured. The analyses were executed in collaboration with MOBA, an expert in battery […]

Hyundai goes all-out: 41 European launches in global product blitz

August 26, 2026

Hyundai is preparing the biggest product offensive in its history, with more than 100 launches and model updates planned worldwide by 2030, including 41 for Europe alone. But behind the headline lies a more interesting strategy: the Korean group no longer wants to bet on a single drivetrain everywhere. North America will lean on hybrids, […]

VW workers fear up to 140,000 job losses

August 26, 2026

Before the summer, VW Group CEO Oliver Blume warned of an additional 50,000 redundancies worldwide, bringing the total to 100,000 once the group’s restructuring is complete. The workers’ representatives fear an additional 40,000 job losses on top of these 100,000, bringing the total number of VW Group employees back from 660,000 to about 520,000 worldwide. […]

Suzuki plans to offer an electric Kei car in Europe

August 25, 2026

Suzuki is planning to introduce an electric Kei Car called Vision e-Sky in Europe as early as next year. The micro vehicle is set to debut in its home market of Japan this autumn, with plans to launch in European countries, including the UK, a few months later. According to Nikkei Asia, citing people familiar […]

Chinese-built Ioniq V might land in Europe, but not in Zeebrugge

August 25, 2026

When Hyundai unveiled the Ioniq V at the Beijing Auto Show four months ago, the assumption still was that there was no genuine plan to bring the futuristic-looking electric hatchback to Europe. But Hyundai’s CEO talks openly about exporting China-built cars westward, and the V might be good enough to get an international travel passport. […]

Emergency door handle triggers China’s largest recall action in history 

August 24, 2026

China just launched the largest coordinated vehicle recall in its history. More than 4.3 million cars from at least ten brands are heading back to the workshop because of the mechanical emergency release inside the cabin. Tesla is the biggest single name on the list. Illegal in 2027 The use of electrically actuated flush door […]

MG’s €13,500 fastback explodes in China, but Europe is complicated

August 24, 2026

Two months after MG unveiled its new 07 fastback in China, the car has turned into an instant hit. SAIC’s British-born brand says it secured more than 10,000 firm orders in just one minute and 57 seconds after opening the books. Total pre-orders climbed from 45,000 on launch day to 59,000 the next day. MG […]

Genk launches city-wide platform to trade neighbors’ solar power

August 24, 2026

The city of Genk (Belgium) will be among the first to establish an energy community in which residents, associations, and companies can buy and sell locally generated renewable electricity. Genk calls the initiative “a Belgian first for a public authority,” but municipalities including Ganshoren and Ixelles have already launched similar initiatives. For the Genk project, the […]

NMN launches TCO Calculator: what will your next car really cost? (update)

August 22, 2026

Buying a car is no longer simply a matter of comparing sticker prices. An electric car may cost more to buy but less to run, a hybrid can save fuel without requiring a charger, and a cheap used car may lose little value but require more maintenance. Taxes can alter the picture again, especially in […]

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 […]

BMW shows details of the electric M3 Concept

August 21, 2026

BMW showed its ‘beast’, the M3 Concept based on the Neue Klasse platform, for the first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now, BMW showed it for the first time in the U.S. at the Monterey Car Week, with a lot more pics and details. Officially, the M Concept Neue Klasse aims to […]

Ghent loses its Volvo plant boss but gains an ally at the top

August 20, 2026

Volvo Car Gent has to start looking for a new plant director less than a year after Magnus Nilsson took charge. But his departure may be better news for the Belgian factory than it first appears. From September 1, Nilsson becomes Volvo Cars’ Chief Manufacturing Officer and joins the Executive Management Team, just as Ghent […]

Belgium’s EV lobby wants social leasing, but who should foot the bill?

August 20, 2026

Belgium’s EV sector is urging the federal government to launch a social-leasing scheme for electric cars from 2027, with both new and used EVs eligible. Sector federation EV Belgium says lower-income households that depend on a car for work should have access to affordable financing, allowing them to benefit from lower running costs rather than […]

Belgium’s technical car checks split three ways, ruffling feathers south

August 19, 2026

From September 1, Flanders will take a radically different approach to technical vehicle inspections from that of Brussels in Wallonia. Ordinary passenger cars will only have to be checked every two years, regardless of age or mileage. The move brings Flanders closer to the European minimum and countries such as Germany and France. Still, it […]

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 […]

Hyundai Ioniq 3 dips below €30,000 to make Kia EV3 blush

August 18, 2026

Hyundai has opened Belgian order books for the Ioniq 3, pricing the compact electric hatchback at a competitive €29,995. It undercuts its Kia EV3 sibling by a wide margin. First deliveries are scheduled for October 2026. Hyundai’s Belgian importer, Astara Western Europe, has landed close enough to make the Ioniq 3 one of the most […]

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 […]

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. […]

China filing unmasks Smart #2 nine weeks before Paris premiere

August 07, 2026

Just over nine weeks before its official premiere at the Paris Motor Show, the new Smart #2 has been exposed by Chinese regulatory filings. The virtually undisguised production car appears six weeks after Smart Europe CEO Wolfgang Ufer told Newmobility.news that it would initially be built in China, but European production will definitely be discussed. […]

Dutch study ‘revives’ Belgian case for €100-a-month social EV leasing

August 07, 2026

A Dutch study arguing that governments should subsidize electric lease cars for low-income, car-dependent households rather than cut fuel taxes for everyone could also feed the debate in Belgium. Vooruit and opposition party Ecolo have both proposed versions of French-style social leasing, with EVs available for roughly €100 to €150 per month, but the idea […]

Belgium’s automotive world moves under one roof in Diegem (update)

August 06, 2026

Belgium’s leading automotive organizations are preparing to move into a common headquarters in Diegem. FEBIAC says its twenty employees will transfer to the new House of Mobility from October 1, with the official inauguration scheduled for November 26. The federation of vehicle manufacturers and importers is driving the project, which will unite manufacturers, leasing companies, […]

BMW starts i3 production, keeps presales under wraps

August 06, 2026

BMW has started series production of the new electric i3 at its historic Munich plant, describing the launch as a steep ramp-up driven by strong demand. The electric sports saloon is the second production model of the Neue Klasse after the iX3 and the first to be built in Germany. Customer deliveries are due to […]

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 […]

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 […]

Belux registrations down 7.4% in July, BEVs have the highest market share

August 04, 2026

According to data from the sector federation Febiac and the federal public service Mobility and Transport, 29,274 new cars were registered in July, 7.4% fewer than in July 2025. After 7 months in 2026, 266,209 new cars were registered, and that’s a decline of 2.4% compared to last year. As the professional car market is […]

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. […]

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 […]

Will the next Mazda MX-5 be fully electric?

July 31, 2026

There’s been endless speculation about the future of the Mazda MX-5 (also known as the Miata). As this (fourth) generation ages, Mazda needs a new one to replace it, and there have been many rumors about what will power the next generation. And while no specific powertrains have yet been confirmed for the next-gen Miata, […]

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 […]

Porsche to cut another 5,000 jobs but sees light at the end of the tunnel

July 30, 2026

In the first half of the year, Porsche’s net profit rose 34% to €1.35 billion, despite selling fewer cars than before. Nevertheless, Porsche is responding to declining sales figures and margins with a ‘Future Package’. By 2035, a further 5,000 jobs will be cut at the Zuffenhausen and Weissach sites, along with compensation reductions for […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

Modern electric cars retain most of their battery capacity after high mileage

July 23, 2026

A study by the Swedish used-EV retailer Carla confirms other studies and says that modern electric cars retain most of their battery capacity even after high mileage. Based on almost 10,000 battery tests, the analysis also highlights differences between models, battery chemistries, and suppliers. The ranking forms part of Carla’s Electric Vehicle Battery Study 2026. […]

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 […]

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