Europe

PARIS — Renault is ending its common purchasing agreements with alliance partners Nissan and Mitsubishi with a view to having a more agile structure that can make decisions more quickly. The move is aimed at better adapting to automotive markets that are becoming more regional due to differences in regulations, such as over electrification and

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen will suspend production of VW ID3 and Cupra Born battery-electric cars at its Zwickau and Dresden plants in Germany in the first two weeks of October due to weaker demand. Due to the current market situation, production will be reduced during the autumn holidays in Saxony from Oct. 2 to Oct. 13

MUNICH — Buyers of Renault’s new Scenic E-Tech electric SUV won’t be able to order a sliding sunroof. But they can get what Renault says is a better option: The Solarbay sunroof, which automatically dims different segments using electrical impulses to excite particles embedded in the glass. The technology is available on the Scenic E-Tech,

LONDON — Nissan has unveiled a European-focused small sporty electric hatchback concept ahead of the launch of the new Micra EV, which is expected in 2025. The Concept 20-23 was designed at Nissan’s European studio in Paddington, London, and commemorates the studio’s 20th anniversary. The new, battery-electric Micra is being engineered by Renault as a

The executives chosen as 2023 Automotive News Europe Eurostars set themselves apart by exceeding expectations in a year marked by continuing supply issues, high energy prices and logistics difficulties, even as demand remained strong. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management at Robert Bosch, is the 2023 Eurostar winner for Supplier CEO. For his full

China’s biggest and most ambitious automakers were some of the most visible stars of the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich but HiPhi, a startup that is already shaking up the premium EV segment in its home market, took a very different approach. HiPhi showed just one model, the Z four-door grand touring fastback, available in

BRUSSELS — The European Union is set to demand that cars running on e-fuels must be 100 percent carbon neutral if they are to be sold beyond 2035, a draft document showed, after Germany demanded e-fuel cars be exempted from the phase-out of new polluting vehicles. All new cars sold in the EU from 2035

Germany expressed its support for the European Union’s anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles while making it clear that the burden of proof will be “very high” if the investigation is to lead to concrete action. “It’s very natural that if we are embracing the key elements of free trade, we all have to play

BRUSSELS — EU countries largely agreed on a compromise proposal presented by Spain for weaker Euro 7 emissions limits, diplomatic sources said on Friday. The proposal is a watered down version of the initial European Commission pitch to tighten emissions limits for non-CO2 pollutants such carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide from brakes and tires. Eight

German supplier ZF Group has been able to keep up production of axles at its Tuscaloosa, Alabama, factory in the two days since UAW workers began striking there, allowing nearby production of key Mercedes-Benz models to continue. “We are still running and in fact stable,” ZF spokesperson Tony Sapienza wrote in an email on Friday,

The executives chosen as 2023 Automotive News Europe Eurostars set themselves apart by exceeding expectations in a year marked by continuing supply issues, high energy prices and logistics difficulties, even as demand remained strong. Joerg Lamparter, member of the board of management for operations and digital solutions at Mercedes-Benz Group, is the 2023 Eurostar winner for

The announcement by the British government that it would delay a ban on new gasoline and diesel cars and vans to 2035 from 2030 brought swift pushback from automakers, who have invested billions of pounds to build EVs in the U.K. on the assumption that they could not sell combustion cars after 2030. Automakers with

The executives chosen as 2023 Automotive News Europe Eurostars set themselves apart by exceeding expectations in a year marked by continuing supply issues, high energy prices and logistics difficulties, even as demand remained strong. Mark Zhou, executive vice president, chairman of product committee at Nio, is the 2023 Eurostar winner for Customer and User Experience. For

LONDON –  Britain will push back a ban on new gasoline and diesel cars and vans to 2035 from 2030, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, as he set out what he called a “new approach” to tackling climate change. “We’re going to ease the transition to electric vehicles. You’ll still be able to buy petrol

LONDON — Britain is considering delaying its ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars until 2035, five years later than currently planned, the BBC reported citing unnamed sources. The current 2030 target was introduced in November 2020 as a central part of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans for a “green revolution.” As

BERLIN — Volkswagen’s works council is demanding more information on a cost-cutting and efficiency drive being drawn up for the automaker’s core VW passenger car brand, saying employees needed more transparency from management on its plans. VW Group said in June that the VW brand was planning to make 10 billion euros ($10.7 billion) of

MADRID — The European Union could become as dependent on China for lithium ion batteries and fuel cells by 2030 as it was on Russia for energy before the war in Ukraine unless it takes strong measures, a paper prepared for EU leaders said. The document, obtained by Reuters, will be the basis of discussions

LONDON — A clutch of European and U.S. delivery company startups is racing to serve the growing market for offering zero-emission, electric last-mile deliveries in cities to retailers and consumers before giant shippers do the same. The likes of Germany’s Liefergrun, the U.K.’s Zedify and Packfleet, and New York-based DutchX are tapping into retailers’ need

Even before the European Union targeted imports of cheap Chinese electric vehicles, China’s automakers faced another big challenge: winning over consumers who don’t know or necessarily trust their brands. At the heart of their strategy is the traditional dealership model that European carmakers have been exiting in favor of direct sales. BYD, Xpeng, Great Wall

An electric car that sells for 25,000 euros (about $26,700) or less can be built profitably in Europe by 2025, according to a study by the environmental group Transport & Environment.  The affordability of electric vehicles has been a key topic in recent years, especially as Chinese automakers start to make inroads in Europe with

Europe’s investigation of cheap electric vehicles from China is appreciated, a little late and will not be enough on its own to reverse the region’s fortunes, according to Roberto Vavassori, the president of Italy’s automotive industry association. The car sector is in trouble in part because the European Union is trying to regulate its way

MUNICH — BMW will design cars based on its Neue Klasse electric platform specifically for the Chinese market, CEO Oliver Zipse said. BMW unveiled the Vision Neue Klasse concept previewing its next generation of long range, fast-charging EVs at the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich this month. Chinese designers at BMW are already developing

SHANGHAI — The European Commission began investigating on Wednesday whether to set punitive tariffs to protect its producers from imports of cheaper Chinese electric vehicles that it says benefit from state subsidies. Here are the big questions about the move, which led to a slide in shares of Chinese EV makers on Thursday: Why export

BERLIN — Imports of Chinese vehicles and parts to Germany jumped 75 percent in the first half of the year while trade the other way slumped, showing the mounting pressure on Europe’s biggest auto production hub. Several Chinese brands entered the German market this year, the German Economic Institute (IW) said in a report seen

DETROIT — German supplier Mahle says it has developed a new technology for electric vehicle motors that can operate at high power and maximum efficiency without the need for magnets and the rare earth elements they require. Mahle’s motor technology kit, which the company calls a “perfect motor,” combines its Superior Continuous Torque electric motor

BRUSSELS – Volkswagen Group’s attempt to avoid being penalized twice for the same offence in relation to the diesel scandal will depend on whether the wrongdoing is identical or just similar, Europe’s top court said. An Italian court will have the final say based on the reference provided by the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of

BERLIN — German Economy Minister Robert Habeck welcomed the European Union’s anti-subsidy probe against Chinese-made electric cars. The European Commission has launched an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect EU producers against cheaper Chinese electric vehicle imports that it says are benefiting from state subsidies. “This is about unfair competition, it’s not

BMW has abandoned charging customers subscription fees for heated seats in an early indication there will be limits for manufacturers to reap new revenue from software-based services. The automaker will go back to offering heated seats and wheels as optional equipment, rather than outfitting its vehicles with the hardware and charging consumers later, Pieter Nota,

MUNICH — When it comes to in-car digital displays, BMW thinks more is not necessarily better. While automakers carpet vehicle dashboards with jumbo displays, the German luxury automaker is steering toward a less-distracting digital experience in its future electric vehicles. “Your car is your last private space,” said Stephan Durach, BMW Group senior vice president

Silicon Valley battery startup Lyten said that it raised $200 million in new funding as it looks to scale up manufacturing of lithium sulfur EV batteries, lightweight composites and sensors. The latest funding, led by venture capital firm Prime Movers Lab, takes the total equity investment in Lyten to more than $410 million. The company