Flanders allows Tesla’s FSD Supervised on public roads

May 13, 2026

Following the regulatory approval in the Netherlands, Tesla is officially allowed to expand its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) to Belgian roads. However, as regulatory barriers across Europe are being lowered, the automaker is simultaneously overhauling the pricing model for its assisted-driving package. The Netherlands has triggered the regulatory domino effect under EU law, and it is […]

Renault adds a ‘beach adventurer’ to its R4 Electric portfolio

May 13, 2026

Following the Savane 4×4 Concept last year, Renault is unveiling a new variation of the Renault 4 Electric at the 2026 Roland-Garros French Open: Renault 4 JP4x4 Concept. A fresh take on the Plein Air and JP4 versions of the original Renault 4, ‘Renault 4 JP4x4 Concept’ is a modern beach car, an adventure-seeking leisure […]

Belgium increases tax-free EV charging allowance for third straight quarter

May 13, 2026

Belgium will raise the maximum tax-free reimbursement that employers can pay workers for charging their electric company cars at home for the third consecutive quarter, highlighting how the country’s deeply entrenched company car system is rapidly adapting to electrification. From July 1, employers using Belgium’s official flat-rate system may reimburse employees up to €0.3222 per […]

GOCA: ‘Minister’s plan on car inspection collides with future EU regulations’

May 12, 2026

The drastic reform of the car inspection procedure in Flanders, planned by Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder, goes in the opposite direction to the new regulatory plans of the European Union, says GOCA, the sector federation currently responsible for the technical and safety inspection. “We have a growing impression that a more ideological viewpoint […]

The VinFast trilogy (2): Vietnam’s electric bus gamble rolls toward Europe

May 12, 2026

After building artificial lagoons, universities, hospitals, shopping malls, and entire private cities across Vietnam, Vingroup is now attempting something even more ambitious: exporting Vietnamese-built electric buses to Europe. Just a short drive from the monumental Vinhomes developments outside Hanoi, VinFast’s sprawling industrial complex in Hải Phòng reveals another side of the conglomerate’s ambitions. Next to […]

Van Mossel is largest car sales group in Belgium

May 11, 2026

Last year, the car dealer group Van Mossel became the biggest car seller in Belgium. The group overtook importer D’Ieteren, which had been the most important car seller in this country for years. According to data from dealer data analyst Aumacon, requested by De Tijd, Van Mossel recorded 32,500 new-car registrations in 2025, while D’ieteren […]

EV retreat: Porsche shuts down battery, e-bike and software subsidiaries 

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 […]

The VinFast trilogy (1): building a private imperium in communist Vietnam

May 11, 2026

Vietnam does not usually come to mind when discussing global industrial powerhouses. Yet on the eastern outskirts of Hanoi, an empire has emerged that increasingly shapes how modern Vietnam lives, moves, studies, shops, and dreams. VinFast, the new EV brand with a whole lineup of cars and its own electric buses, is now trying to […]

Is Geely choosing Valencia over Ghent for European production?

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 […]

BMW Group produces its two-millionth BEV, iX3 demand soars

May 08, 2026

A BMW i5 M60 xDrive sedan assembled at Plant Dingolfing is the BMW Group’s two-millionth all-electric vehicle. The anniversary vehicle is going to a customer in Spain. Meanwhile, Group CEO Oliver Zipse revealed that there are already more than 50,000 pre-orders for the iX3 ‘Neue Klasse’. Plant Dingolfing began series production of all-electric automobiles in […]

Alcohol in the morning at airports? Ryanair wants a ban

May 07, 2026

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary wants to ban alcohol in airports in the morning, before regular restaurant and bar opening hours. The Irish low-cost airline reportedly has to divert a flight almost daily due to the behavior of some passengers. In addition to the morning ban on alcohol before 10 a.m., he also advocates limiting each […]

Belgium hits milestone 500,000th electric car, just three years after 100,000

May 07, 2026

The half-millionth fully-electric passenger vehicle was registered in Belgium earlier this week. To celebrate this milestone, advocacy group EV Belgium held a small ceremony, handing over the keys to a new Polestar. It also reflected the positive market developments that enabled accelerated growth in EV adoption in Belgium. Three years ago, in early 2023, the […]

No driver, no excuse: robotaxis no longer escape fines

May 07, 2026

California is closing a years-old legal loophole that made driverless cars effectively untouchable by traffic police. Starting this summer, autonomous vehicle manufacturers can be fined directly for moving violations committed by their vehicles. The question is: aren’t robotaxis built to behave under all conditions?  For years, driverless cars in California operated in a gray zone. […]

Ghent startup Optimile finds its next gear as DKV Mobility takes over 

May 06, 2026

The Ghent-based software builder for charging stations, Optimile, has found a new breath. To expand its operations at a European level, the company has been fully acquired by the German fuel card giant DKV Mobility. The takeover fits into a broader scenario, as the latter has been buying similar companies over the past few years […]

Amazon becomes a full-fledged logistics company

May 06, 2026

For two decades, the story of Amazon was about what it sold. From now on, the story is about how it moves its own and others’ goods, and for whom. Companies like DHL, FedEx, and UPS have a new, very serious concern. Amazon pulled back a curtain that few in the logistics industry wanted to […]

IEA warns: ‘Methane remains at very high levels’

May 06, 2026

Emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, remain very high. The International Environment Agency (IEA) reported this on Monday during an international meeting in Paris, where its annual Global Methane Tracker report was presented. In 2025, record production from the fossil fuel sector (oil, coal, gas) was responsible for 35% of […]

Ex-Ferrari boss di Montezemolo wants to fix German high-speed rail

May 06, 2026

The man who turned Ferrari into a cultural icon wants to do the same for German rail. His weapon: €3.6 billion, 26 Siemens Velaro trains, and a proven Italian playbook that cut ticket prices by 40 percent. Germany has a train problem. In 2025, Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance network posted its worst punctuality record in history: […]

Historic turnaround: Belgium plans to nationalize old nuclear power plants

May 05, 2026

The Belgian government wants to regain full control over energy policy and has secured a purchase option on Engie’s Belgian nuclear operations. Although the decision, a historic shift following the nuclear phase-out under the Verhofstadt 1 government, is generally welcomed, criticism is also growing. The costs remain a major question mark – even Prime Minister […]

European auto industry back in the firing line as Trump reignites 25% tariff threat

May 04, 2026

The trade deal between the US and the EU, which was agreed just last summer, is already showing cracks. President Trump signals a return to the tariff playbook and proposes imposing a 25% duty on European cars and trucks. But this time the trigger is geopolitical as much as economic. Donald Trump’s tariff menace has […]

Is Volvo Ghent’s future at stake? (Update)

May 04, 2026

The fact that the Belgian federal government has set up a ‘task force’ to consider the future of Belgium’s only surviving large car assembly plant in Ghent, operated by Volvo, has set off several alarm bells. Despite the soothing words of Flemish Minister-President Mathias Diependaele, concerns are rising. The different rumors are also fed by […]

Volkswagen’s ID. Polo officially launched, pricing starts at €24,990

April 30, 2026

Volkswagen is finally entering the compact EV segment with the ID. Polo, a name steeped in tradition. It is positioning the new model as an entry point into its electric lineup, priced just under €25,000. Next year, the even smaller ID. Up (name not confirmed yet) should become available at ± €20,000. The Polo first […]

Free bikes on Belgian trains? A popular idea facing hard realities

April 29, 2026

The Belgian Chamber’s Mobility Committee has unanimously approved a resolution by Vooruit to allow free bike use on trains. Whether this will ever actually happen, however, remains to be seen. A resolution is not legally binding. For the resolution to take effect, the government would need to amend the management contract with NMBS/SNCB. In an […]

BYD profit slump highlights global EV pivot as China price war intensifies

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 […]

Audi updates Q4 e-tron and stops A1 and Q2 production

April 29, 2026

The wave of updates for the MEB-based electric vehicles from the Volkswagen Group continues. Audi has now unveiled its comprehensively revised Q4 e-tron, featuring technology and design changes, some of which are Audi-specific innovations. Deliveries are expected to begin this summer. The Audi Q4 e-tron is transitioning from the MEB electric platform to the upgraded […]

Freelander is reborn as an electric 4×4 built in China (update)

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 […]

CATL turns sodium-ion into a grid reality with a 60 GWh landmark deal

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 […]

Much-discussed Ventilus project gets environmental permit

April 28, 2026

Flemish Minister of the Environment, Jo Brouns (CD&V), has granted grid operator Elia an environmental permit for the long-awaited Ventilus project, he announced on Monday. The wind energy sector and environmental organizations are relieved; action groups and companies along the route are disappointed. “Minister Brouns is completely disregarding 3,000 objections,” opponents say. New high-voltage line Ventilus […]

Alcohol and drugs remain a persistent problem for De Lijn drivers

April 28, 2026

Last year, 68 drivers at the Flemish public transportation company De Lijn were caught using alcohol or drugs. This marks another increase compared to previous years, when 62 and 57 drivers were caught during preventive checks, respectively. According to Flemish Member of Parliament and CD&V faction leader Peter Van Rompuy, who requested the figures, the […]

Belgium’s company car fleet turns electric faster than anywhere else

April 28, 2026

For the first time, fully electric cars have become the largest group within Belgium’s company car fleet—and the shift is happening significantly faster than in neighboring countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and France. New data from the National Social Security Office (RSZ) show that electric vehicles accounted for 37.2% of all salary cars in […]

EU car registrations up 12.5% in March; BEVs sign for almost one-fifth

April 24, 2026

According to data from the Association of European Car Manufacturers (ACEA), new EU car registrations increased by 4% in Q1 2026, driven largely by March’s strong performance (+12.5%). The market was supported by robust consumer activity, bolstered by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries. Hybrid-electric vehicles lead as the […]

Who’s the leader? CATL fires four new game-changing batteries at once

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 […]

Smart Concept #2: the Fortwo is back!

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 […]

Porsche’s new Formula E car aims for Formula 1 appeal

April 22, 2026

After twelve years and a journey that started with drivers swapping cars mid-race because a single battery couldn’t last, the 975 RSE is Porsche’s answer to everyone who ever doubted that electric motorsport could be truly, viscerally fast. There is a detail buried in the history of Formula E that tells you everything about how […]

BlaBlaCar is shutting down its bus division in France

April 22, 2026

By the end of 2026, BlaBlaCar will cease its operations as a bus carrier in France. This will result in the loss of 40 jobs of the company’s total workforce of 800 employees. BlaBlaCar, which also serves various destinations in Belgium, will, however, continue to sell bus tickets for independent bus companies. Highly competitive market […]

T&E: ‘Flawed booking systems prevent traveling by rail’

April 22, 2026

Europe’s rail renaissance will never reach its full potential unless passengers are able to book connecting and international trains in a few clicks. That’s the conclusion of new research by T&E (Transport & Environment), which finds that on almost half of the EU’s busiest international air routes, booking the same journey by train is difficult […]

Volkswagen arrives in Beijing with three concepts to fence off Chinese dominance

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 […]

Renault Group unveils ‘futuREady India’

April 22, 2026

At the end of a one-week visit to India, François Provost, CEO of Renault Group, presented ‘futuREady India’, an Indian rollout of the Group’s futuREady strategic plan unveiled last March. Renault Group is launching ‘futuREady India’, the local rollout of its new strategic plan to drive growth both locally and globally, while strengthening engineering and […]

Belgium introduces safety label for e-scooters

April 21, 2026

Belgium has finalized an action plan to remove dangerous e-scooters from the market more quickly and prevent them from entering the market in the first place. As part of this effort, 75,000 euros will be allocated this year for technical testing, and a safety label for e-scooters will be introduced in January. With this action […]

Ford ends its Silicon Valley experiment and breaks with its EV guru

April 16, 2026

Ford is closing the chapter on its “startup inside a carmaker” approach to electrification. The Detroit automaker announced that Doug Field, the former Tesla and Apple executive hired in 2021 to lead its EV transformation, will leave the company voluntarily next month. The move is embedded in Ford’s decision to dissolve its standalone EV and […]

Traxio: ‘Motorcycle sector records its best season start since 2021’

April 16, 2026

The Belgian market for new motorcycles concludes the first quarter with distinctly positive momentum. With 6,990 registrations compared to 5,694 in 2025 (+22.8%), the sector records its best start to the season since 2021. In March 2026 alone, 3,169 motorcycles were registered. That is +10.2% compared to March 2025 and +5.5% above the average for […]

Private lease rises in Belgium, but ownership myth remains (Renta)

April 16, 2026

Private lease is gaining traction in Belgium, but from a very low base. According to figures published by Renta, the Belgian federation of vehicle rental and leasing companies, the number of private lease contracts reached 16,074 vehicles by the end of March 2026, up 22% year-on-year from 13,201 a year earlier. While the growth is […]

Port of Antwerp-Bruges CEO Jacques Vandermeiren steps down

April 15, 2026

Jacques Vandermeiren (63), the CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, is stepping down after nearly ten years of service. He had been CEO since 2017 and would normally have remained in office until the end of 2029. The Dutchman Rob Smeets, currently COO, will temporarily take over the leadership. Next week, the port authority will start negotiations […]

Another strike casts shadow over Lufthansa’s 100th anniversary

April 15, 2026

Just on the day Lufthansa is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its first flight, an event Chancellor Merz is set to attend, the airline is once again hit by a strike – the fifth major strike at Lufthansa this year. After hundreds of flights were canceled due to a pilots’ strike on Monday and Tuesday, […]

T&E: Car industry demands could cost the EU €74 billion extra

April 15, 2026

According to the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), the latest demands of the European car industry for weaker climate targets could result in an extra €74bn of oil imports, “just as interest in buying EVs reaches new peaks”.That’s according to T&E analysis of a leaked position paper issued by the Association of European Car Manufacturers […]

Oil price spike fuels rush on used EVs, with Belgium as bellwether

April 15, 2026

Rising fuel prices linked to tensions around Iran are beginning to ripple through Europe’s car market, and Belgium offers one of the clearest early signals. New data show that second-hand electric vehicles are gaining traction at an accelerating pace, even as the broader used-car market remains under pressure. In March, registrations of fully electric used […]

Belgian start-up TerraSpark wants to catch solar energy from space

April 14, 2026

The Belgian entrepreneur Jasper Deprez wants to bring solar energy from space to Earth with his start-up TerraSpark. The reason was a personal and unpleasant experience. During the Great Spanish Blackout of 2025, Deprez, who lives near Barcelona, ​​was without power for almost a week, and by his own account, it was hell, especially as a […]

Engie to install 3,300 additional charging points in Wallonia

April 13, 2026

Electric Mobility Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the French company Engie, has won the contract to install 1,650 charging stations in Walloon municipalities. Since each charging station has two charging points, this totals 3,300 charging points, representing an increase of nearly 44% over the current charging infrastructure in the southern part of the country. Catch-up effort […]

Tesla’s FSD lands in Europe via the Netherlands: eyes open, hands ready

April 13, 2026

Last Friday, the Dutch vehicle approval authority, RDW, dropped a bombshell: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) has been granted type approval for use on public roads in the Netherlands. Tesla says the rollout via over-the-air updates will begin within days, making the Dutch customers the first Europeans to access automated driving at a level that hasn’t […]

Tesla quietly circles back to the entry model it publicly killed

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 […]

Volkswagen reveals its first EV with lidar and XPeng software

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, […]

Updated BMW i7 will use Gen6 batteries from Rimac

April 09, 2026

BMW Group is partnering with Rimac Technology to equip the updated all-electric BMW i7 with Gen6 cylindrical battery cells, targeting higher energy density, increased range, and faster charging. Production of the new high-voltage battery system will take place in Croatia ahead of the i7’s debut at Auto China 2026. At the core of the new […]

Ayvens aims to unlock trust in used EVs with battery health certificates

April 08, 2026

Ayvens Carmarket is introducing battery health certificates for used electric vehicles across Europe. This move may seem incremental at first glance, but it could mark a turning point in how the second-hand EV market operates. The initiative comes from Ayvens, one of the world’s largest mobility and leasing companies. Formed in 2023 through the merger […]

Toyota’s new RAV4 reinforces cautious path toward full electrification

April 08, 2026

Toyota has unveiled the sixth-generation RAV4. Toyota Motor Corporation is not just renewing one of its best-selling models; it is reaffirming a BEV-cautious strategy that continues to set it apart from much of the industry. Since its launch in 1994, the RAV4 has grown into one of the world’s most successful SUVs, with more than […]

Tesla makes a comeback in European sales charts

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 […]

Noll Go: the Swedish e-bike that wants to reinvent the wheel (again)

April 07, 2026

Swedish start-up Nuxon Mobility is turning heads with the Noll Go, a spokeless, hubless e-bike with tires you can never puncture. It sounds like a prop from a Star Wars movie. Except it actually rides. Some concepts take your breath away. Others do that right up until you realize they’ll never leave the show floor. […]

Brussels LEZ: new fines starting June 7

April 07, 2026

Is the Brussels saga surrounding the Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) finally coming to an end? The Brussels government has finally set a schedule for the new LEZ fines system. If the technical obstacles are resolved, the imposition of LEZ fines should begin on June 7. Euro 5 diesel vehicles and Euro 2 gasoline vehicles, which in […]

Renault’s quiet architect plans exit as turnaround enters next phase

April 07, 2026

Jean-Dominique Senard, the discreet architect behind Renault’s post-Ghosn recovery, is preparing to close his chapter at the French carmaker. The chairman of Renault Group has indicated he will not seek a new mandate when his term expires in spring 2027, when he will be 74, paving the way for a carefully managed transition at the […]

EVs are quietly gaining ground on Belgium’s used car market

April 06, 2026

After a sluggish start to the year, Belgium’s second-hand car market bounced back in March. The Brussels Motor Show is partly to thank. But the real story is what’s happening under the hood: an aging fleet, a cautious private buyer, and an electric share that is slowly, steadily climbing. The first quarter of 2026 was […]

ACEA report: growth returns, but Europe’s car industry loses its edge

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 […]

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