Europe

PARIS — Renault will reveal the Megane-e full-electric compact car and a prototype version of the Renault 5 retro-themed EV at the Munich auto show in September. The Megane-e will be one of the most critical new models to be launched under CEO Luca de Meo since he took over in July 2020. It has

TURIN – Chinese electric-vehicle startup Aiways says the coronavirus pandemic has forced it to largely abandon plans to market cars directly to consumers in Europe, and instead will largely rely on traditional distributors and dealers. Under Aiways’ original plan to enter the European and U.S. markets, revealed to Automotive News Europe at the Shanghai auto show

The rapid transition to electrification has presented a challenge for marketers: How do you reposition decades of brand equity built on traditional automotive values for a new greener, cleaner world? Volkswagen’s “Voltswagen” controversy showed that it’s a delicate task.   Stellantis tackled the subject on Thursday, presenting slogans, or mission statements, that sum up each

BERLIN — BMW has agreed to a settlement proposed by the European Commission to end an antitrust investigation, while Volkswagen Group said it is considering whether to take legal action over the matter. The European Commission said on Thursday that the three major German automakers breached EU antitrust rules by restricting competition in emission cleaning

BERLIN — Germany’s largest consumer protection group filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Daimler that it said would make it easier for Mercedes-Benz owners to gain redress over a diesel-emissions scandal. The lawsuit, filed by the VZBV at a regional court in Stuttgart, seeks to set a precedent that would enable owners of Mercedes GLC

BERLIN — Volkswagen has launched over the air (OTA) software updates for its ID3 full-electric hatchback as it seeks to match the upgrade capabilities of its rival, EV giant Tesla. Starting this month, owners who are part of the “First Movers Club” of early ID3 adopters will receive the latest software version, ID.Software2.3. VW said

PARIS — Renault Group has named Josep Maria Recasens, a longtime executive at Volkswagen’s Spanish brand Seat, as senior vice president, head of strategy and business development. Recasens, most recently chief strategy officer and general secretary at Seat, started on Friday in his new post. He replaces Laurent Rossi, who was appointed head of Renault’s

Volvo’s goal to sell 800,000 vehicles globally by 2020 was derailed by the pandemic, but the automaker’s rapid recovery over the last 12 months has put the target within reach again. “Right now we are on a run rate of 770,000,” Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson told Automotive News Europe. “I think we will finish 2021

BERLIN — Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler will unveil a new business group comprising the AMG, Maybach and G-Class subbrands at the Munich auto show in September. The move will streamline marketing costs and is part of Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius’ plan to boost productivity and profitability, with a focus on high-margin sales. AMG boss Philipp Schiemer

Bentley has recorded the fourth-fastest time during the 99th running of the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb near Manitou Springs, Colorado, using a blend of 98RON Renewable racing biofuel, a low-carbon, high-octane fuel that produces 85 percent less greenhouse gas than regular gasoline, the automaker said in a statement. The result was achieved using the

Porsche is planning a global recall of its Taycan electric car to fix a software issue that can cause a sudden loss of power, according to people familiar with the matter. The move follows reports of cars switching to emergency mode in the U.S. that prompted an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

PARIS — Renault said full-electric and electrified vehicles will account for 90 percent of the brand’s sales in Europe by 2030, ramping up its ambitions in a fast-growing sector where Volkswagen Group has stolen a march on its rivals. CEO Luca de Meo said the automaker plans 10 new electric models by 2025, and new,

TURIN – Jeep will discontinue sales of two-door versions of the Wrangler large SUV in Europe by 2022, a company spokesman confirmed, as the Stellantis brand seeks to lower its fleet CO2 emissions through plug-in hybrid models. The shorter wheelbase of the two-door Wrangler, which uses a 2.0 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine, does not allow

Skoda will launch “at least” three full-electric cars that will be smaller and cheaper than its Enyaq compact SUV by 2030, the brand’s CEO Thomas Schaefer said. The roll-out of more electric models will mean that by 2030, between 50 percent and 70 percent of the brand’s cars sold in Europe will be pure electric

BERLIN — Volkswagen brand will stop selling combustion engines cars in Europe by 2035 as it shifts to full-electric vehicles, but later in the U.S. and China, its sales chief, Klaus Zellmer, told a German newspaper. “In Europe, we will exit the business with internal combustion vehicles between 2033 and 2035, in the United States

PARIS — An electric car battery plant planned by China’s Envision AESC in northern France will create at least new 1,000 positions, a French politician said. Two sources close to the matter said this week that Renault had picked Envision to make batteries for its future electric vehicles, including the upcoming Renault 5. Xavier Bertrand,

LONDON — British automotive production more than halved in May compared with the same month in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, as a global shortage of semi-conductors and other components continued to weigh on car plants. The output of 54,962 cars was down 53 percent from May 2019 although it was 10 times the figure

Auto transport company Gefco has been put up for sale by owners Stellantis and Russian Railways in a deal expected to be worth more than 2 billion euros ($2.39 billion), people close to the matter said. The owners are working with JP Morgan and Rothschild on the divestiture, they said, adding potential buyers have already

BEIJING — WeRide, a China-based autonomous-driving startup, said on Wednesday that it would deepen development with Nissan on autonomous technology for the China market as it raised further funding on top of $310 million it received in January. The latest move gave the company a $3.3 billion valuation. WeRide is currently testing its autonomous robotaxis

TOKYO — Nissan’s financial performance in April and May was better than expected, Makoto Uchida, the automaker’s CEO, said at its annual general meeting. The announcement to shareholders came after the automaker’s forecast last month that its sales would break even for the fiscal year that began on April 1. “But we already see signs

STOCKHOLM — Volvo Cars plans a joint venture with Swedish battery maker Northvolt to develop sustainable batteries for its electric cars and set up a gigafactory for production. The companies aim to set up a research and development center in Sweden to begin operations in 2022 and start a gigafactory in Europe with a potential

FRANKFURT — Porsche is setting up a joint venture with Customcells to produce high-performance batteries that will significantly reduce charging times, the automaker said. The partnership with Customcells, a company in southern Germany specializing in lithium-ion cells, will aim to produce car batteries with higher energy density than prototypes used in Porsche’s current electric cars,

Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius said the automaker is planning to develop the “agency” selling model in a number of European countries, as part of a larger plan to streamline and digitalize the sales and distribution process.   In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Kallenius said the model, in which the automaker sets the transaction price and

Stellantis has launched its Spoticar used car service in the UK as it pushes back against the growing popularity of online-based sellers such as Cazoo and Cinch. The UK is the 10th European market launch for Spoticar after the brand started in France in May 2019. Former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brands such as Fiat will

BMW will preview the shape and key design elements of the next-generation 7 Series in a concept vehicle to be displayed at the Munich auto show in September, a company source told Automotive News Europe. The concept will be the first BMW Group vehicle to be based on the Neue Klasse, or New Class, architecture,

Volvo Cars said Wednesday will explore the development of fossil-free steel for it vehicles and components with Swedish steel maker SSAB as part of it push to become at climate neutral company by 2040. Of the total CO2 emissions from the material and production of the components going into Volvo’s cars, about 35 percent comes

Jaguar Land Rover will begin testing a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle prototype later this year based on the Land Rover Defender, the company said. The vehicle will be developed using technology and input from partners including engine specialist AVL and Marelli Automotive Systems. The concept will be partially funded by a 8.7 million pound

TOKYO — An American father and son pleaded guilty in Tokyo on Monday to charges that they illegally helped former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan hidden in a box aboard a private jet in December 2019. U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter replied no when the judge asked them

Beatrice Foucher has been CEO of DS Automobiles since January 2020. Under her watch, the Stellantis premium brand has launched two key models, the DS 9 large sedan and the DS 4 compact hatchback. The DS 9 will be built in China and sold in both Asian markets and Europe, where as a halo model

BERLIN — Daimler head Ola Kallenius defended plug-in-hybrid cars from critics who say the vehicles’ environmental friendliness is overstated. Green activist groups say plug-in hybrids, which combine an electric drivetrain with a combustion engine, are mostly driven in non-electric mode, sometimes making their CO2 emissions higher than combustion engine cars because their greater weight makes