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 […]

Electra opens Belgium’s first 1000 kW ‘flash charging’ station

April 02, 2026

Electra, one of Belgium’s leading fast-charging operators, has opened Belgium’s first 1000 kW station in Malle. The chargers themselves have a capacity of 1000 kW, but ‘only’ 600 kW is available per car. Although that’s still enough to recharge them in the time it takes to have a coffee and bathroom break on the road. […]

Stellantis faces a massive recall… again

April 02, 2026

Auto manufacturing group Stellantis has to recall 700,000 vehicles worldwide due to a fire risk. Models built between 2023 and 2026 have components from the fuel and electrical systems that are too close together, posing a potential fire hazard. In Belgium, 22,000 vehicles are concerned. Stellantis is facing yet another reliability concern with its vehicles. […]

Belux car sales up 8.8% in March, almost 54% of them electrified

April 02, 2026

According to data from the federal public service Mobility and the sector federation Febiac, 43,733 new cars were registered in Belgium and Luxembourg, an increase of 8.8% compared to last year. In the first three months (YTD), 113,805 new cars were sold, a 5.9% decrease from the same period last year. Most noticeable in March: […]

Inside BMW’s urban iFactory: how the new i3 transforms Munich production

April 02, 2026

The start of production of the new BMW i3 this summer marks more than just the launch of another electric vehicle. It signals a fundamental transformation at BMW Group Plant Munich, one of the most unusual and strategically important car factories in Europe. As BMW invited the international press, we were able to visit the […]

Is the new Citroën 2CV finally coming?

April 01, 2026

With retro design very popular these days and new EU regulations promoting small European EVs, the time may have come for a modern version of the iconic Citroën 2CV. Rumors have it that Citroën wants to surprise everybody at the next Paris Motor Show in October with an entirely new 2CV Concept. Citroen’s new CEO, […]

From Inchcape to Beherman: Roosen takes wheel at Benelux importer

April 01, 2026

Beherman Motors has appointed Michael Roosen as its new Chief Executive Officer, bringing in a seasoned automotive executive who is making the move from Inchcape Belux, where he was CEO from 2019  to 2024. Roosen is to lead the Benelux importer and distributor into its next growth phase. No coincidence, just as the company expands […]

Geely puts Volvo in charge to fix Lynk & Co’s troubled European execution

March 31, 2026

Volvo Cars will take responsibility for the commercial and brand operations of its sister-brand Lynk & Co in Europe, marking a decisive step in Geely Holding Group’s accelerating strategy to integrate its brands and scale more efficiently on the continent. The move, announced on March 30, gives Volvo Cars control over Lynk & Co’s European […]

Flemish Mobility Minister pushes through with car inspection reforms

March 30, 2026

Despite criticism from all sides, Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) is pushing through her plans to reorganize the car inspection. The Minister wants to change and simplify the system because, in her eyes, it’s ‘gold-plated’ and asks too much of the common Flemish car owner. The most important changes are the abolition of […]

Still no LEZ fines in Brussels: what drivers need to know from April 1

March 30, 2026

It appears that, as of April 1, you are still safe for the time being from the automatic €350 fine for drivers entering the Brussels Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) in a Euro 5 diesel or Euro 2 gasoline vehicle. Even though your vehicle is officially banned, no fines will be issued for the vehicles in question […]

Ford’s new Transit City uses a chapter from China’s playbook

March 27, 2026

With the Transit City, Ford Pro has chosen a strategy as surprising as it is logical: an electric van that draws its cost structure from a Chinese joint venture and its credibility from decades of Transit heritage. In a segment that is slowly but irreversibly going electric, Ford is betting on a combination no pure […]

VW ID.Polo’s real face revealed in online leak (update)

March 27, 2026

Weeks before the official launch, pictures have leaked on the internet of the new ID.Polo, Volkswagen’s highly anticipated €25,000 EV model. Even the more powerful GTI was unveiled at what appeared to be an internal presentation in Wolfsburg. The interior and the back of the car remain undisclosed. The pictures reveal what the camouflaged versions […]

Europ Assistance barometer: EV skepticism or confusion?

March 27, 2026

A new Belgian snapshot from the Europ Assistance Mobility Barometer seems to confirm a familiar narrative: a majority of Belgians (62%) say they are not yet prepared to choose a fully electric car as their next vehicle. But beyond the headline figures, the survey reveals a more fundamental gap between perception and reality that continues […]

ENGIE to roll out 835 public chargers across Brussels Region

March 26, 2026

Energy provider ENGIE Vianeo has been awarded a contract to install 835 charging stations for the Brussels-Capital Region. The charging stations must be installed within 2 years. The locations, spread across the Brussels-Capital Region, were determined in collaboration with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Brussels Environment. They are located based on “heat maps” that […]

Geely lands core brand in Benelux to take on EU’s mass EV market

March 26, 2026

Chinese carmaker Geely Auto is bringing its core, mass-market brand to the Benelux, explicitly positioning it as the group’s volume player alongside its more upmarket sister brands. The launch, announced in Amsterdam, is not just about two new SUVs, but about how Geely intends to structure its presence in Europe: with Geely Auto targeting affordability […]

From Defender to departure: design chief Gerry McGovern exits JLR

March 25, 2026

Last year’s rumours have been officially confirmed. Longtime designer at Jaguar Land Rover, Gerry McGovern, is stepping down. One of the most powerful creative voices in the British car industry is heading out on his own, launching a design consultancy. JLR has confirmed that McGovern will formally leave the company at the end of March […]

French-Belgian border hides 34-million-ton white hydrogen treasure

March 25, 2026

In Pontpierre, near Metz, in northeastern France, hydrogen has been tapped in its natural form. Drilling to a depth of more than 3,600 meters has now confirmed the presence of a significant amount. The white hydrogen bubble was discovered three years ago, but has only now been tapped. The hydrogen bubble is said to extend into […]

VW Group plans recall of around 100,000 BEVs

March 25, 2026

The Volkswagen Group plans to recall several electric models based on the MEB platform. According to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA or Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), this affects 74,579 units globally of the ID. 3, ID. 4, ID. 5, and ID. Buzz, and ID. Buzz Cargo series, as well as 19,452 Cupra Born vehicles. The issue […]

The real driver of Europe’s EV shift: a €67 billion oil problem

March 25, 2026

The spike in interest in electric vehicles triggered by the Iran war and the resulting oil price surge is real. But treating it as just another short-lived ‘fuel panic effect’ risks missing the bigger shift underway. Europe spends around €67 billion a year importing oil just to keep its cars running. That structural dependency, rather […]

EU car registrations in February up 1.4%, BEV share 18.8% YTD

March 25, 2026

In January-February 2026, year-to-date (YTD), new EU car registrations fell by 1.2% compared to the same period last year, easing the challenging start to the year witnessed in January (-3.9%). In February alone, sales rose by 1.4%. The battery-electric car market share reached 18.8% YTD, highlighting the continued potential for further growth. These are data […]

China’s battery grip tightens: 70% of the global market and rising

March 24, 2026

The numbers are in, and they make for uncomfortable reading if you’re sitting in Seoul, Detroit, or Brussels. Last year, Chinese battery manufacturers controlled 70.4% of the global EV battery market, up 20% from the year before. Basically, all car-producing nations outside of China are losing the battle for battery independence. Gradually, the fears are […]

For the first time, China exports more cars to Europe than it imports

March 23, 2026

The numbers tell a story that would have seemed impossible a decade ago. In 2025, for the first time on record, the value of cars and auto parts shipped from China into the European Union exceeded what the EU exported to China in return. For the global automotive industry, this represents a symbolic and economic […]

BYD targets Germany’s premium crown jewels with Denza’s EU debut

March 23, 2026

Chinese EV giant BYD will officially introduce its premium brand Denza to Europe on April 8 in Paris, using the unveiling of the Z9 GT as both a product launch and a strategic statement. While the Paris event marks the formal European debut, markets such as Belgium are expected to follow only later as part […]

Dutch GoVolta starts Amsterdam-Berlin with revamped Belgian trains

March 20, 2026

The new Dutch international train company, GoVolta, has started operating direct daytime trains from Amsterdam to Berlin and Hamburg. The trains run three times a week. A return ticket from Amsterdam to Berlin costs an average of €30, and the journey is made using 13 trains from the Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB, which are around […]

Driving the BYD Atto 3 Evo: familiar face, radical tech upgrade

March 20, 2026

BYD unveiled the Atto 3 Evo earlier this year, framing the car as more than a facelift, positioning it as a serious contender in Europe’s increasingly crowded €40,000 EV segment. As we noted at the time, the ‘Evo’ badge signalled more than an ‘evolution’, a deeper technical reset rather than a cosmetic refresh. Now, after […]

BMW i4 gets phased out, Rolls-Royce slows down electrification plans

March 20, 2026

That the new BMW i3 is replacing the ‘old’ i4 comes as no surprise. Shortly after the design premiere of the electric 3 Series BMW, reports are emerging of the i4’s impending end of production; only the exact timing remains unclear. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce is stepping back from its plan to go all-electric by 2030, as […]

The all electric i3: how BMW will prove ‘Freude am Fahren’ is not dead

March 19, 2026

For BMW, the electric era comes down to one brutal question: can it prove to the world that an EV can still feel like a BMW and that “Freude am Fahren” is not dead? To make that point, BMW went straight to its core: reinventing the 3 Series, the car that defines everything the brand […]

Factor One, the Bugatti on two wheels

March 19, 2026

A lot of (mostly premium) car manufacturers did a little sidestep and already have their own bike or a small portfolio of pedal-driven two-wheelers. But when Bugatti launches one, it has to be a little special. Hence, Factor One. Bugatti has partnered with Factor Bikes, a high-performance bicycle manufacturer and engineering-first brand, “in a groundbreaking […]

For €26,690, the Kia EV2 is cheaper than expected 

March 18, 2026

At a time when the electric car market is straining under unmet promises, Kia is pushing the price boundary with the EV2. At €26,690 for the base version, it is not the cheapest EV on the market, but for an electric SUV, it’s priced lower than expected. Ordinary households can afford this, at least if […]

Second-gen DS N°7 goes electric and hybrid

March 18, 2026

DS Automobiles has unveiled the second generation of its SUV 7, now called N°7. It takes after the N°8 unveiled last year, both in terms of styling and technology. But unlike its coupé-like sibling, the DS N°7 retains the option of an electric or hybrid drivetrain. For the first time in the brand’s history, DS […]

The Audi A2 is back and this time it’s electric!

March 18, 2026

Audi has officially confirmed the A2 e-tron. The fully electric successor to the cult model is set for its world premiere in fall 2026. The announcement was made at the brand’s Annual Media Conference in Ingolstadt. A second surprise was that Audi reported a 10% profit rise, bucking the broader industry trend of heavy losses. […]

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