Europe

SANTA CLARA, California — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said it will release new software this year to help customers working on advanced computer chips for cars take advantage of its newest technologies more quickly. TSMC is the world’s biggest contract manufacturer of semiconductors. Many of the automotive industry’s biggest chip suppliers such as NXP Semiconductor

Robert Bosch plans to acquire a California microchip maker and invest around $1.5 billion in it to help meet growing demand for silicon carbide chips in electric vehicles, the world’s largest parts supplier said Wednesday. It will be Bosch’s first U.S. chip plant. The move comes as the Biden administration tries to foster more microchip

On June 13 and 14 in Paris, the annual Automotive News Europe Congress will host a series of top-level presentations, speakers and panel discussions on the theme of Making Sustainability Profitable. Speakers will include experts and executives from Renault Group, Toyota, Stellantis, Polestar, Ford, Hyundai and more. Join us in Paris to be part of the

Skoda is accelerating its EV transition with an all-electric station wagon and three new battery-electric SUVs. The four all-new EVs and two updated Enyaq models will expand the brand’s BEV range to six vehicles, Skoda said. The Volkswagen Group-owned brand said it will have invested a total of 5.6 billion euros in e-mobility by 2027.

Cupra aims to sell 70,000 units a year worldwide of the Tavascan coupe-styled midsize SUV, the Volkswagen Group brand’s second full-electric model. The Tavascan, which will be built in China and exported to Europe, is underpinned by VW Group’s MEB full-electric platform and is a sibling model to the VW ID5 and Skoda Enyaq Coupe

Renault detailed the new software architecture of its future vehicles which it said will be on par by 2026 with that of electric-vehicle industry leader Tesla. The French company, like most automakers, has been living for months under the threat of regular and drastic price cuts from its U.S.-based competitor. In France, the list price

On June 13 and 14 in Paris, the annual Automotive News Europe Congress will host a series of top-level presentations, speakers and panel discussions on the theme of Making Sustainability Profitable. Speakers will include experts and executives from Renault Group, Toyota, Stellantis, Polestar, Ford, Hyundai and more. Join us in Paris to be part of the

Mercedes-Benz posted better-than-expected preliminary earnings in the first quarter as the automaker’s push further upmarket helped it overcome higher raw-material costs. Mercedes delivered an adjusted return on sales of 14.8 percent on healthy net pricing and robust demand for its vans and luxury cars, the automaker said in a statement on Thursday. First-quarter group earnings

Lexus will take on Mercedes’ V-Class luxury vans in Europe with the LM minivan, which is aimed at high-end chauffeurs. The second-generation LM was revealed at the Shanghai auto show this week. The European version – the first time the LM will be sold in the region — will go on sale in autumn with

SHANGHAI — The Shanghai auto show was eye-opening for the sheer number of Chinese brands seeking to satisfy local buyers’ cravings for new high-tech models. Keen pricing, driven by cut-throat competition and a maturing local battery supply chain, means the consumer is currently king, which is giving brands a financial headache. Not every new model

TOKYO – For Toyota, raking in big profits from electric vehicles is as easy as 1, 2, 3. That’s the vision from new CEO Koji Sato, who outlined a three-step strategy to “significantly enhanced” productivity and profitability by 2030 through Toyota’s coming line of electric vehicles. “It will be a different concept from what we’ve

Polestar will take over part of Saab’s former car plant in Sweden to extend its R&D operations in Europe. The EV maker will conduct powertrain development for the Polestar 5, a Tesla Model S rival, and the Polestar 6 roadster at a 15,000-square-meter building in Trollhattan, Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche reported. Polestar will

On June 13 and 14 in Paris, the annual Automotive News Europe Congress will host a series of top-level presentations, speakers and panel discussions on the theme of Making Sustainability Profitable. Speakers will include experts and executives from Renault Group, Toyota, Polestar, Ford, Hyundai and more. Join us in Paris to be part of the discussion

SHANGHAI — Chinese Internet users berated BMW on Thursday, accusing it of discrimination at the Shanghai auto show amid claims workers at its Mini booth favored foreign over domestic visitors during an ice cream giveaway promotion. Mini apologized for the incident in question, saying in a statement on its official Weibo account that it was

Renault Group reported better-than-expected sales in the first quarter on robust demand for new models such as the Austral sport utility vehicle and improving supply of key auto parts such as semiconductors. Group revenue rose 29.9 percent to 11.5 billion euros ($12.6 billion), the French carmaker said Thursday, above analyst estimates of €11.3 billion. Renault

Stellantis has appointed Natalie Knight, an executive at a Dutch food retailer, as chief financial officer, replacing Richard Palmer, who helped lead the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group that created the French-Italian-American automotive group. Palmer, a 20-year veteran of Fiat Chrysler, where he was CFO before the merger, will leave Stellantis on

Honda is further leaning into an EV future by committing to a goal of phasing out gasoline cars by 2027 and offering only battery electric vehicles for the China market by 2035. The know-how gained in China will underpin the automaker’s global electrification strategy, senior managing executive officer Shinji Aoyama said at the Shanghai auto

Premium EV brand Zeekr, from Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, is another Chinese car brand expanding into Europe. Its 001 sedan and Zeekr X SUV will arrive in Sweden and the Netherlands from the fourth-quarter, with more countries to follow, according to a company statement Tuesday. Zeekr has recruited 24-year Lexus veteran Spiros Fotinos to spearhead

Porsche posted a record sales increase of 18 percent in the first quarter, boosted by China sales, the company said in a statement. The automaker delivered 21,365 cars in China, its largest single market, representing 21 percent growth over the previous year. The result there, which is the biggest among regions, was driven by the

Smart will launch the #3, a coupe-style compact full-electric crossover, in Europe early next year, joining the #1 as part of the brand’s revamped lineup under joint Mercedes-Geely control. Like the #1, a small crossover SUV, the #3 uses Geely’s SEA architecture. It was revealed on Monday during the Shanghai auto show, and will be

Stellantis is leaning toward expanding production of its popular Peugeot e-208 full-electric small hatchback in Spain despite pressure from the French government to add output in France, according to people familiar with the situation. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire wants Stellantis to make the compact model locally and has been discussing the matter with

BERLIN — Tesla’s latest price reductions in Europe were made possible because of a scaling up and improvement in its production capacity, the company said. Tesla cut prices in European markets including Germany and France on Friday, with all versions of the Model 3, Model S, and Model X selling for lower prices as well

Nissan is developing growth plans in areas such as software and electric vehicles independent of Renault as the automakers work to finalize terms of a sharply limited alliance, said seven people with knowledge of the matter. Nissan is seeking a partner outside the auto industry to develop software that connects vehicles to cloud-based services, two

China’s rising automakers will go head-to-head in their home market with Europe’s top brands at this year’s Shanghai auto show, which once more becomes a major event in the auto calendar after being upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Germany’s Volkswagen Group is sending CEO Oliver Blume, along with the head of its VW brand, Thomas

MILAN — Maserati will debut the Grecale Folgore, the battery-electric version of the Grecale midsize SUV, at the Shanghai auto show on Tuesday. The Grecale Folgore will be Maserati’s second all-electric model after the GranTurismo Folgore large coupe that was unveiled in October ahead of the car arriving in dealerships at the end of this

SHANGHAI — China’s Zeekr brand has hired a former Lexus executive to helm its operations in Europe, as the electric vehicle maker owned by Geely plans to enter the market later this year. Spiros Fotinos, who spent 24 years with Toyota Motor and led the brand management of Lexus globally, joined Zeekr in September as

MILAN — Stellantis shareholders on Thursday approved the compensation package for the automaker’s top management, including for CEO Carlos Tavares, after rejecting it last year. In a consultative-only vote, around 80 percent of Stellantis shareholders voted in favor of the 2022 executive remuneration report for senior managers at the annual meeting of the world’s third

BERLIN — Volkswagen called for the implementation of new EU emissions standards to be pushed to at least autumn of 2026, slightly over a year later than planned, with the aim of all new cars meeting the standards by autumn 2027. VW could meet this timeline provided the law comes into force in mid-2024, giving

Mercedes-Benz Group sales rose moderately in the first quarter of this year, boosted by electric vehicles and its most expensive cars. Global vehicle sales increased 3 percent to 503,500 vehicles, with Europe posting the strongest growth at 8 percent, Mercedes said in a statement on Wednesday. Sales of full-electric cars were the main growth driver,

Polestar will debut its first coupe-styled crossover at the Shanghai auto show this month. In Europe, the Polestar 4 premium midsize crossover will join a segment led by the Tesla Model Y. Last year the Audi E-tron, Q4 E-tron and BMW iX3 were also among the segment’s top 10-sellers, according to figures from market researcher