Europe

Volkswagen Group is set to finalize plans this year to turn its mass-market Seat nameplate into a micro mobility platform as it continues to ready its sporty offshoot Cupra for a U.S. launch. The transformation of the unit, which makes the Leon hatchback and Ibiza compact car, will expand a range of electric scooters and

Cupra, Volkswagen Group’s sporty EV-focused brand, is starting market testing for a possible expansion to the U.S., Seat and Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths said. The potential move is part of a push to add new markets for Cupra, which was once a performance-oriented sub brand of VW’s Spanish brand Seat but now has its own

BRESCIA, Italy – Smart dealers say they are happy with the brand’s change to a direct-sales agency model, which the joint Mercedes-Geely brand initiated last year by negotiating new contracts ahead of the launch of the #1 full-electric small SUV. “We are happy about the commission structure we are getting for the #1; our only

Germany reached an agreement with the European Union on a landmark regulation that requires new cars to be carbon neutral by 2035, resolving a dispute that threatened to undermine the bloc’s ambitious blueprint to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement, which will allow some combustion engines beyond 2035, was quickly condemned by opponents. The bloc

MOSCOW — As the exodus of Western automakers narrows options for Russian consumers, Chinese automakers are filling the gap, forcing Russians to overcome their reluctance to embrace Chinese brands and accept higher prices. Chinese brands such as Haval, Chery and Geely now account for almost 40 percent of Russia’s new-car sales, data from analytical agency

Germany’s transport minister on Friday said he was optimistic a dispute between Berlin and Brussels over the future of combustion engine cars running on e-fuels was close to resolution, though some questions still needed clarifying. Berlin has been in talks with the European Commission over the past weeks about allowing registrations of cars running on

Dacia and MG were big winners in France, where inflation is steering private car buyers toward less expensive models. The Dacia Sandero was the top-seller last month in France’s private market, which grew 19 percent, helping the overall market increase by 9.4 percent. The Sandero small hatchback was joined in the ranking of France’s top

Volkswagen Group is hearing extremely high interest from investors for a stock market listing of its battery unit PowerCo, the chairman of the automaker’s largest shareholder Porsche SE said. “We are hearing from Volkswagen that interest is extremely high on the subject of PowerCo. That should be a positive case,” Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said

Renault Group is inviting investment banks to pitch for a role on the planned initial public offering of its Ampere electric-vehicle business, according to people familiar with the matter. The French carmaker has been sending out requests for proposals to potential IPO underwriters in recent days, the people said, asking not to be identified because

Nio is “very confident” of meeting its target of doubling sales to 250,000 electric vehicles this year, Chief Financial Officer Steven Feng said, prompting the Chinese automaker’s shares to surge in Hong Kong. “We are very confident to achieve our sales target in 2023,” Feng said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Wednesday. That

BRUSSELS — Italy has warned the European Commission that it will only support a solution to unblock the EU’s planned phase-out of combustion-engine cars by 2035 if it allows the sale of cars running on biofuels to continue after that date. The European Union is racing to save its main policy for cutting car CO2

MILAN — Italian-Japanese auto parts maker Marelli has reached an agreement with unions to cut 400 jobs in Italy voluntarily, amid rising costs of raw materials and falling sales due to supply chain problems. “On redundancies a framework agreement was reached that rules out forced layoffs,” Italian unions said in a joint statement after striking

BERLIN — Mercedes-Benz must pay compensation for unauthorized so-called defeat devices in diesel cars if the buyer suffers damages, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled. It is up to German courts to decide whether the software in question qualifies as a defeat device and whether its use is justified, the court said in a

Mercedes-Benz will invest billions of euros to modernize its plants in China, Germany and Hungary over the coming years, Automobilwoche, a sister publication of Automotive News Europe, reported, citing Jörg Burzer, the automaker’s production chief. “We are investing a three-digit million amount per plant for the run up,” Burzer told AMW in an interview, adding

LONDON/DETROIT — For many electric vehicles, there is no way to repair or assess even slightly damaged battery packs after accidents, forcing insurance companies to write off cars with few miles — leading to higher premiums and undercutting gains from going electric. And now those battery packs are piling up in scrapyards in some countries,

Stellantis will spend more than 200 million euros ($213.3 million) to manufacture four Fiat models in Algeria, the automaker said on Sunday. “The 500 Hybrid will be the first Fiat to be built here followed rapidly by the Doblo and, in a few years, a brand-new model – now still in the hands of our

MILAN — Ferrari has unveiled the Roma Spider, the first of four new models to be launched this year. The 2+2 car is Ferrari‘s first softtop front-engine roadster since the 1969 365 GTS4. It is powered by a 3.9-liter turbocharged V-8 engine with 612-hp (620 cv) derived from the Roma coupe. Top speed is more

BEIJING –  Volkswagen is offering 3.7 billion yuan ($537 million) in cash subsidies for car purchases in China, joining more than 40 brands in slashing prices ahead of a change in emissions rules in the world’s largest auto market. The joint venture between China’s SAIC Motor and VW is offering 15,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan

Jaguar Land Rover has appointed the company’s head of UK operations, Rawdon Glover, to oversee the revamped Jaguar brand. Glover’s title will be “Brand Managing Director, Jaguar,” JLR said in a statement. His promotion comes as Jaguar prepares to become an all-electric brand in 2025 and position itself higher in the market with a new

The U.K. is poised to unveil plans to boost green manufacturing, as it seeks to lure investment in a new battery plant from Jaguar Land Rover parent Tata Group. The government’s “Advanced Manufacturing Plan” will form part of the U.K. response to U.S. President Joe Biden’s $369 billion package of green subsidies and tax credits,

TOKYO – Mazda has appointed Masahiro Moro, a long-time veteran of its critical North American operations, to be the automaker’s next CEO as the company navigates a tricky transition to electrification. Moro, who was chairman of Mazda Motor of America before becoming head of the company’s administrative division in 2021, will take the post in

Audi will launch an entry level full-electric car below the Q4 E-Tron compact SUV, as the brand prepares to launch 20 new models by 2025 to match product pushes by rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz. CEO Markus Duesmann announced the EV at Audi’s annual news conference on Thursday. Duesmann declined to provide details of the vehicle

Lithia Motors Inc., as part of its aggressive dealership acquisition strategy, has succeeded in its bid to enter the United Kingdom with the purchase of Jardine Motors Group, CEO Bryan DeBoer confirmed to Automotive News.DeBoer said the deal, which closed Wednesday, was “more affordable than what we typically find … in the United States,” but

Lithia Motors is on the cusp of buying Jardine Motors Group in the UK, according to a report from Sky News. Sky News, citing a source, reported the price to be around £300 million to £400 million ($361.6 million to $482.1 million). Lithia didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. In

BERLIN — BMW is forecasting an 8 to 10 percent margin for its automotive segment in 2023 and said it plans to keep prices at a stable level, after years of dealing with rising costs by passing them onto customers. The premium carmaker said its transition to full-electric vehicles was moving faster than planned and

Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan criticized Germany, Italy and other European countries that are seeking to weaken the EU’s plan to ban the sale of new vehicles powered by fossil fuels. The European Parliament “confirmed this agreement on 14 February. Member States were supposed to do the same in early March,” Rowan posted Tuesday on

BERLIN — Volkswagen Group will invest 180 billion euros ($193 billion) in the next five years into areas including battery cell production, digitalization in China and expanding its presence in North America. More than two-thirds of the five-year investment budget is allocated toward electric vehicles and software, up from 56 percent in the previous five-year

Volkswagen Group plans to build its first North American battery cell manufacturing plant in Canada as the automaker establishes a regional supply chain to build electric vehicles. VW and its in-house battery subsidiary PowerCo on Monday announced the investment in the southwestern Ontario city of St. Thomas midway between Toronto and Windsor. Financial details were

Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume summoned top managers to a hip Berlin hangout in late January to strategize on how Lamborghini, Bentley, Skoda and Seat would pitch an initial public offering to investors. The exercises were ordered by Blume after Porsche’s successful listing last year. The meeting had advisers from McKinsey & Co. and Wall

The European Union is offering Germany a declaration that would explain a possible role for so-called e-fuels after a combustion-engine ban takes effect after 2035, setting the stage to end a dispute that stalled the regulation earlier this month. The commission, the EU’s executive arm, so far has not specified a deadline for when it