Europe

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. Thierry Koskas, chief sales and marketing officer at Stellantis, is the 2023 Eurostar winner for Sales and Marketing. For his full profile,

LONDON — BMW will invest 600 million pounds ($750 million) at its U.K. plant in Oxford to take its Mini brand all-electric by 2030, a fresh boost for Britain’s car industry after years of Brexit-related uncertainty. Starting in 2026, the automaker will make two electric models at the English plant: the three-door version of the

Volvo Cars is restructuring its U.S. and Canadian operations as part of an $88 million global effort to tighten spending, drive efficiencies and update its work force for an all-electric future. Volvo Car USA and Canada President Michael Cottone said the initiative, code-named CORE+, is “all-encompassing.” “There’s not any area of the business that is

MUNICH — The IAA Mobility show here that kicked off on Monday showcased a range of important new cars, giving fans of auto shows hope that the format might revive in Europe.  Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Renault, Seat, Volkswagen — as well as the Chinese newcomer Avatr — were among those unveiling new cars, while

Lancia plans to open 20 new dealerships in France next year, when the Stellantis brand launches the new Ypsilon small car and expands outside of its home market, Italy. For the past several years the brand has sold only one model, the current Ypsilon, in a single country. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has grouped Lancia

SHANGHAI – As Shanghai sweltered in a heatwave in June, the car factory where Mike Chen works switched production to night shifts and dialed down the air-conditioning. For Chen, toiling through the early hours in his sweat-soaked uniform, it was the latest slap in the face after cuts in bonuses and overtime slashed his monthly

PARIS — Peugeot’s next-generation 3008 compact SUV, perhaps the Stellantis brand’s most important launch in years, will have fastback styling and a radical new dashboard with a single widescreen in front of the driver. Peugeot released photos of the 3008, which will be launched as a full-electric model first with internal-combustion versions to follow, on

MILAN — Stellantis will build more battery-making plants on top of the six facilities it already plans in Europe and North America. The additional capacity will support growing production of EV vehicles, said Stellantis’ head of global propulsion systems, Micky Bly. “We have committed to delivering six gigafactories around the world, and more to come,”

The new Lotus Emeya is “one of the fastest electric GT cars in the world,” the automaker said during its unveiling Thursday. The large sedan is the second full-electric Lotus after the Eletre SUV to be launched as part of its so-called lifestyle range. The sedan will build the car alongside the Eletre at parent

TOKYO — James Kuffner, the American computer whiz who has led Toyota’s software subsidiary since 2018, will resign as chief executive at Woven by Toyota and hand the wheel to an automated driving veteran as the Japanese automaker readies the launch of a key operating system for cars. In announcing a wide-ranging organizational overhaul on

FRANKFURT — German new-car sales rose 37 percent in August to 273,417, boosted by demand for EVs, which jumped 171 percent. Electric vehicle registrations were helped by the impending end of incentives for business buyers on Sept. 1. Tesla had offered additional discounts for company cars registered by that date. Smart, Jeep, MG and Suzuki

PARIS — Stellantis says that tests found that 24 of its engine families in Europe are compatible with e-fuels without modifications to the powertrain. The e-fuels, which can be created synthetically using captured carbon dioxide and renewable energy such as solar or wind power, have been proposed as a zero-emissions solution for internal-combustion engines. This

MUNICH — Cupra unveiled the DarkRebel concept at a Volkswagen Group event in on the eve of the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich. While it is likely that the design features will find their way into future Cupra models, the brand has not ruled out production of the DarkRebel. “If we can dream it, we

SAN FRANCISCO — Qualcomm will supply chips to power in-car infotainment systems in Mercedes-Benz and BMW vehicles. The chipmaker will supply BMW with chips that will help power voice commands inside the car, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. It also said it will supply chips for the next version of the Mercedes

Magna International is in talks to produce vehicles for Chinese brands in Europe as they expand in the region. The supplier’s Magna Steyr contract manufacturing facility in Graz, Austria has some spare output capacity, according to Magna Europe President Uwe Geissinger. “Whether we make them in Graz or a new facility depends on how the

MUNICH — Renault has launched its first full-electric compact SUV with the Scenic E-Tech, offering more than 620 km (385 miles) of range with two battery and two motor choices. The Scenic E-Tech, making its debut at the 2023 Munich auto show, will reach the market at the start of next year. It will give

MUNICH — Volkswagen brand will launch a performance version of its upcoming small battery-electric car using its GTI badge. VW previewed the high-powered small EV with the ID GTI concept. The car was unveiled on Sunday ahead of the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich, which takes place from Sept. 5 to 14. “We are

MILAN — Stellantis will launch the reorganization of its European dealer network next week, starting with four specific markets before extending it further across Europe in 2024, the automaker said in a statement. As part of its efforts to cut costs and support investments for electrification, the world’s third-largest automaker had announced it was ending

LONDON — Chinese battery maker Gotion High Tech is buying a 25 percent stake in Slovak battery maker InoBat and will provide supply chain and technology support as the startup scales up production of electric vehicle batteries, the companies said. The companies did not disclose terms for the investment or what it means for InoBat’s

The design of the BMW’s first Neue Klasse all-electric car is futuristic enough to “look like we skipped a model generation,” said the automaker’s design chief, Adrian van Hooydonk. BMW is previewing the EV with the Vision Neue Klasse concept at the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich from Sept 5-10. The concept has a

Mini has launched two new full-electric models as it moves closer to becoming an all-EV brand by 2030. The Mini Cooper E/SE small hatchback and Mini Countryman compact SUV were unveiled on Friday. Both models will be seen in public for the first time at the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich from Sept. 5

Europe’s most important auto show will provide insight into how successfully the region’s established automakers can fight off a growing threat from Chinese rivals such as BYD and U.S. upstart Tesla. The battleground is clear: electromobility, autonomous driving, fast-charging batteries with long ranges and user-friendly software features. These will be the key themes of the

A Tesla plan to purchase hard-to-get construction materials is being investigated by U.S. prosecutors, who are looking at whether the project was an appropriate use of company funds, Bloomberg reported. Federal prosecutors also are looking into Tesla performance claims after Reuters reported the EV maker exaggerated the potential driving distance of its vehicles, The Wall

Volkswagen has swapped out dials and switches for touchscreen controls in the interior of its new Passat midsize car. Now in its ninth generation, the Passat will be sold in Europe only as a station wagon, with the sedan version dropped. Buyers are switching from midsize sedans to SUVs and crossovers but wagons are still

MILAN — Alfa Romeo has revealed the 33 Stradale, a limited-edition “halo” sports car inspired by the 1967 33 Stradale that was derived from the Tipo 33 sports-racing model. The 33 Stradale was unveiled Wednesday at an event at the Stellantis brand’s museum in the Milan suburb of Arese. Alfa Romeo will build 33 examples of

BYD remains confident of selling 3 million cars this year despite economic challenges and an intense price war in the world’s second-biggest economy, founder and Chairman Wang Chuanfu told analysts at a briefing, according to people who were present at the event. China’s best-selling auto brand also signaled solid profits will continue in the second

China’s biggest-selling auto brand withstood a raging price war that engulfed the country this year, with BYD posting second-quarter profit that surged 145 percent. Net income more than doubled to 6.8 billion yuan ($930 million) after the company sold a record number of plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles during the three months ended in

TOKYO — Toyota on Tuesday said it has suspended operations at all of its assembly plants in Japan due to a production system malfunction, bringing domestic output to a standstill at the world’s biggest-selling automaker. The glitch is preventing Toyota from ordering components and its cause is under investigation, though it is “likely not due

After the U.K., Germany is the second European market where Ford can sell cars with a “Level 2+” semi-autonomous driving function, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel. The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has given the go-ahead for Ford to offer its Blue Cruise technology, Ford said in a

General Motors has received a permit from local authorities to test its Level 4 autonomous vehicles in Shanghai.  It is the first time that GM has been approved to test highly automated vehicles on China’s public roads of designated test zones, GM’s China unit said on Thursday.  The testing will initially last for one year.