Europe

Germany’s economy ministry wants to end subsidies for plug-in hybrid cars earlier than planned at the end of this year and cut a cash bonus for electric vehicles by a third starting in 2023, according to a person familiar with the plans. The move is part of attempts to gear subsidies more toward climate protection

TURIN — Stellantis has halted production at its van factory in Russia because it has run out of parts, the head of the automaker’s European light-commercial vehicle unit, Eric Laforge, told Automotive News Europe. Stellantis said earlier that it was suspending imports and exports of vehicles from Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine in February. The group

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron of France and his far-right challenger, Marine Le Pen, called the pay package of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares “shocking,” as executive pay becomes a hot topic in a tight presidential race focusing on economic issues. Just nine days ahead of a runoff that will determine who will lead the European

A self-driving version of the Volkswagen ID Buzz navigated real traffic conditions in Germany for the first time as Europe’s biggest automaker takes its autonomous-driving technology to public roads amid a push to lead on software. VW Group CEO Herbert Diess sat in the back seat of an ID Buzz prototype fitted with autonomous-driving tech

Porsche deliveries fell during the first quarter after outbreaks of coronavirus in China shut dealerships and a number of vehicles were lost at sea when a cargo ship caught fire and sank. The Volkswagen Group brand’s shipments dropped 5 percent to 68,426 vehicles globally during the first three months of the year after significant declines

FRANKFORT, Kentucky, USA — Envision AESC of Japan is staking a claim on the expanding American electric vehicle market with a $2 billion investment in a massive new battery cell and module plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The plant will supply Mercedes-Benz‘s newly launched EV production line in Vance, Alabama, 300 miles (483 km) away.

South Korean battery makers could raise prices by 30 percent to 40 percent to offset high commodity costs and they are in talks with electric vehicle makers over new long-term contracts, according to SNE Research. “We had a meeting with Korean cell makers recently that led us to adjust the outlook for prices of electric-car

As electric vehicle sales take off, the number of those EVs on the road is growing faster than the number of public charging points to support them. That’s one of the high-level conclusions from an in-depth study on the state of public charging infrastructure done by research organization Bloomberg New Energy Finance The number of

SHANGHAI — China auto sales plunged 12 percent in March as the country’s curbs to rein in COVID-19 outbreaks took their toll, while Tesla was among automakers feeling the pain of limits on production. Sales in the world’s biggest car market fell to 2.23 million vehicles in March, the first decline in three months and

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings is acquiring Tekfor Group in a deal valued at more than $135 million as the U.S. automotive supplier expands its electrification portfolio. American Axle’s purchase of the Hausach, Germany-based company, announced Monday, comes with 2,100 employees across eight plants in Europe and America. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals

Jaguar Land Rover has hired Thomas Mueller, a former Volkswagen Group executive and autonomous driving specialist, to lead the automaker’s product engineering. Mueller replaces Nick Rogers, who left JLR at the end of the year after 37 years at the company. Prior to joining JLR on April 1, Mueller was head of advanced driver assistance

PARIS — Stellantis said it has sold its remaining 25 percent stake in the auto transport company Gefco to CMA CGM, a French shipping company. The remaining 75 percent of Gefco was owned by Russian Railways (RZD). CMA CGM said Friday that it had purchased “nearly 100 percent” of Gefco’s capital. The purchase price was not

Bugatti has notified U.S. safety regulators that it is recalling a single 2018 Chiron model to inspect screws that fasten the front frame. Loose support could compromise the structural protection of the 1,500-horsepower vehicle and increase the risk of injury in a crash, the manufacturer told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall is

DeLorean Motor said it plans to unveil its new electric DeLorean on Aug. 18 at the Awards Ramp at the Pebble Beach Concours d ‘Elegance. The company this week released a teaser image of the concept car, showing back taillight and left shoulder of the vehicle. The prototype will be revealed three days before moving

BERLIN — Mercedes-Benz opened a new 200-million-euro ($217 million) software center in Sindelfingen, its latest investment in boosting in-house software capabilities as it works to bring its own MB.OS operating system onto the market by 2024, the automaker said on Friday in a statement. Around 750 of the 3,000 new hires the automaker plans to

Mitsubishi Motors said it had stopped production at a Russian plant in Kaluga that it owns with Stellantis until further notice, joining other major carmakers that have halted operations in Russia. “Due to the logistical difficulties, vehicle exports and parts supply to Russia have been suspended since March,” Mitsubishi said in a statement on Friday.

Smart has revealed its first new car under joint Mercedes-Geely ownership, the full-electric #1, a small crossover with a range of 440 km (270 miles) and the ability to recharge from 10 to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes. The #1, at 4270 mm long, is the largest Smart yet, marking a step up

TURIN — Lancia is preparing to expand sales outside Italy by appointing country managers, CEO Luca Napolitano said this week. The Stellantis brand will return to Europe-wide sales in 2024, starting with Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Other European countries could follow shortly after. Sales in overseas markets such as Japan, South Africa or

Porsche has joined a group of investors making a $260 million equity bet on a startup that aims to harness wind power to make a gasoline substitute. Porsche is investing $75 million for a 12.5 percent stake in electricity-based fuel developer HIF Global, the company said Wednesday in a statement. HIF is building a plant

Tesla’s factory shutdown has stretched out to at least 12 days, much-needed semiconductors are piling up at manufacturers amid a shortage of truck drivers, and bankers are camping in their offices as Shanghai’s COVID-19 lockdown disrupts businesses in China’s financial hub. Cases are at a record in the city, now the epicenter of China’s worst

BERLIN — Germany’s Sono Motors has signed up a new partner for its partly solar-powered cars and is sticking to its goal of commercial production in 2023, after abandoning talks with the electric carmaking arm of indebted Chinese property developer Evergrande. Sono said on Tuesday it will produce its first vehicles in Finland with supplier

BERLIN — Germany’s Sono Motors has signed up a new partner for its partly solar-powered cars and is sticking to its goal of commercial production in 2023, after abandoning talks with the electric carmaking arm of indebted Chinese property developer Evergrande. Sono said on Tuesday it will produce its first vehicles in Finland with supplier

TURIN – Alfa Romeo‘s next flagship model will be a full-electric SUV larger than the current midsize Stelvio and will be launched in 2026 or 2027, CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato told journalists. Speaking last week during a visit to Stellantis’ Pomigliano factory in southern Italy, which builds the Tonale compact SUV, Imparato said the new flagship

Swedish electric-car maker Polestar has inked a deal with rental giant Hertz to supply up to 65,000 battery-powered vehicles. The five-year global deal should represent more than $3 billion of potential revenue for the EV startup, a source told Automotive News. While car rental companies typically demand significant discounts from automakers, Hertz is said to

Toyota reaffirmed its commitment to the UK after a newspaper reported it may halt making cars in the country because of government plans to shift more rapidly to fully electric vehicles. The Japanese automaker said it’s ready to sell only zero-emission cars and reiterated its view that hybrids have a role to play in the

Toyota may stop manufacturing in the UK because of a government policy that mandates a rapid switch to full-electric vehicles, The Times newspaper reported. The company told Transport Secretary Grant Shapps about its concerns for the plan’s transition phase, which bans new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2030. Toyota’s UK arm makes the Corolla

German automakers lost about 150,000 vehicles from their March production plans because of supply shortages stemming from the war in Ukraine, according to an LMC Automotive estimate. The German operations of Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have been among the manufacturers most heavily impacted by the war, which has sent shock waves through the European supply

Skoda will reveal a new design language called Modern Solid as part of a new positioning that executives say will be the brand’s biggest strategy shift since the Czech automaker became part of Volkswagen Group more than 20 years ago. Skoda sales and marketing chief Martin Jahn said the brand is redefining its positioning and

BERLIN — Former Porsche executive Klaus Zellmer will be the next CEO of Skoda, press reports said. Zellmer, who is currently VW brand’s sales chief, will take up the role on July 1, according to the reports. Zellmer became VW brand’s head of sales and marketing in 2020 after a 23-year career at Porsche including

Panasonic will invest 600 billion yen ($4.9 billion) in automotive batteries, supply chain software and other areas the company sees as core to its growth. The supplier will invest 400 billion yen in growth segments including electric-vehicle cells, and another 200 billion yen in technology such as hydrogen devices over three years through fiscal 2024,