Europe

Volkswagen brand CEO Ralf Brandstaetter will take charge of the VW Group’s China operations and Skoda boss Thomas Schaefer will move to Brandstaetter’s role at VW, according to German press reports. Brandstaetter, 53, will move to Beijing for the new role, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Wednesday. He will be promoted to VW’s management board,

Intel will keep most of the money it raises next year when it sells a stake in its Mobileye self-driving-vehicle components unit in a planned initial public offering, targeting some of those funds to build more Intel chip plants, CEO Pat Gelsinger said. The IPO will allow Mobileye to grow more easily as global automakers

HAMBURG — Volkswagen Group is still exploring a possible initial public offering of its luxury brand Porsche as a way to fund its costly shift towards software and electric vehicles, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Speculation about a Porsche listing, which could be a record-breaking IPO, has surfaced over the year, but

MILAN — Stellantis plans to generate around 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) in additional annual revenues by 2026 and around 20 billion euros ($23 billion) by 2030 from software-enabled product offerings and subscriptions. Presenting its long-term software strategy on Tuesday, the automaker said it expected to have 34 million connected vehicles on the streets by

BERLIN — The dispute between Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess and the company’s powerful works council seems to have been resolved, a source close to the matter said, potentially ending the latest leadership tussle at the automaker. After protracted negotiations, a solution has been found under which 63-year-old Diess is likely to keep his job,

Toyota will be “ready” to reduce by 100 percent the carbon dioxide emissions from its new cars sold in western Europe by 2035, but will not commit to completely phasing out internal combustion engines by that date. The automaker is leaving the door open to selling non-zero-emissions cars. Those vehicles’ emissions would be offset by

Mercedes-Benz has named Mathias Geisen as head of its van operations, replacing Marcus Breitschwerdt on Jan. 1. Breitschwerdt will become head of Mercedes-Benz brand and corporate heritage including the Mercedes-Benz Museum, and all business activities in the classic area, the automaker said in a news release. Geisen, 43, is currently head of corporate strategy for

BEIJING — Toyota is planning to launch an all-electric sedan in China late next year, having turned to local partner BYD for key technology to finally make an affordable yet roomy vehicle, four sources told Reuters. Two of the four people with knowledge of the matter described the car as an electric holy grail for

BMW has teased its new i7 full-electric sedan with pictures of the car undergoing winter testing in Arjeplog, northern Sweden. When it launches next year, the i7 will be a rival to the Mercedes EQS, Tesla Model S and vehicles from newcomers such Lucid. The sedan will be the battery-electric version of BMW’s new-generation 7-series,

BRUSSELS – Toyota is preparing a new Europe-specific vehicle platform that will accommodate full-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full-electric powertrains, depending on market conditions and customer preference.  The architecture will combine elements of Toyota’s global compact platform (GA-C) and the EV-only e-TNGA platform. E3 stands for for emotion, engagement and energy, Toyota Europe says. Toyota needs

HAMBURG — A decision on the future of Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess, previously expected by the end of the week, could be delayed further, three sources close to negotiations told Reuters on Friday, and discussions may drag into next week. Whether a decision would be made ahead of an annual supervisory board meeting on

Polestar plans to develop its own architecture for upcoming vehicles. The Volvo-affiliated automaker on Thursday also released a revealing teaser image of its much-anticipated Polestar 3 crossover, set to debut in 2022. The company said the Polestar 3 will include lidar, electronics and software that would enable “autonomous highway piloting” to customers “around mid-decade.” “From

BERLIN — Daimler’s supervisory board signed off an investment plan worth over 60 billion euros ($67.88 billion) for the Mercedes-Benz passenger car and vans businesses between 2022 and 2026. The company aims to be at the forefront of electric vehicle production and software, Daimler said in a statement on Thursday. Existing plans announced in October

FLINS, France – Renault is replacing auto production at this once-bustling factory outside Paris with a range of recycling and reconditioning activities that could generate an extra 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) a year by 2030. “These activities will generate 200 million (euros) in turnover from 2025,” Renault Group CEO Luca De Meo told reporters

DETROIT — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said external pressure on automakers to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles potentially threatens jobs and vehicle quality as producers struggle to manage the higher costs of building EVs. Governments and investors want car manufacturers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, but the costs are “beyond the

Renault expects the supply of semiconductors to remain difficult until at least mid-2022, complicating the automaker’s turnaround that includes overhauling its factory base. Renault is prioritizing output of higher-margin cars and commercial vehicles as demand remains strong, according to CEO Luca de Meo. “Renault has been forced in some cases to send someone to Asia

HAMBURG — Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess, currently under heavy fire from unions over strategy, struck an upbeat tone at a recent manager meeting on talks over the company’s five-year investment plan, including the future of its Wolfsburg plant. According to a copy of his speech from a meeting over the last week, seen by

TURIN — Stellantis is working with its European dealers on a shake-up that industry experts say is unmatched in its size and scope. The automaker wants to transition a network estimated to exceed 15,000 franchise points to a so-called “retailer model.” The move gives Stellantis more control over how its vehicles are sold and lowers

TOKYO — Nissan is teasing a full-electric pickup truck as part of its next-generation product plan, in a possible riposte to off-road offerings being pitched by everyone from Ford to Tesla. The Surf-Out concept is a funky, outdoorsy activity vehicle with what looks like an open cabin-back for easy access to the pickup bed. The

TOKYO – Nissan will invest 2 trillion yen ($17.65 billion) in the next five years to accelerate an electrified vehicle push with 23 new entries worldwide by the end of the decade, along with the breakthrough development of solid-state batteries. Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida outlined the targets on Monday while unveiling the Japanese automaker’s new

PARIS — Valeo, Continental, Velodyne, Luminar and a host of other companies are preparing for huge growth in demand for lidar sensors, which are seen as a building block for safe, accurate self-driving cars.  The market is expected to surge starting around 2025, said Geoffrey Bouquot, chief technology officer of Valeo, which this month introduced

Tesla will forgo 1.14 billion euros ($1.3 billion) of state aid for the factory it’s building in Germany because it has decided to try to produce a new type of battery cell at scale in Texas first, a person familiar with the matter said.  The electric-vehicle maker has been working on so-called 4680 battery cells

The Volkswagen Group has hired two prominent battery specialists from Apple and BMW as it looks to boost its expertise in next-generation cell technologies. Soonho Ahn, former head of global battery developments at Apple, started as chief technical officer at VW Group’s battery division this month, according to his LinkedIn profile. Joerg Hoffmann, the former

Chinese premium EV maker Nio has denied that it plans to establish a factory in Europe as the company moves to expand its vehicle sales in the region beyond Norway. Reports said Nio is planning a production base in Poland after a recruitment advert appeared on LinkedIn seeking an “EU plant operation manager.” The ad

BERLIN — Audi plans to build its recently launched Q4 e-tron full-electric SUV at its plant in Brussels. Production could start there as early as next November, Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche reported. Audi is adding overflow Q4 e-tron production in Brussels due to high demand for the SUV, company sources said. The Q4

BERLIN — Audi’s joint venture to build electric vehicles in China with state-owned FAW Group is behind schedule due to a delay in approval by the relevant authorities, Audi said. Building work would be initiated as soon as possible, the automaker’s spokesperson said on Monday, without giving a start date for either the construction of

BERLIN — Stellantis has signed a preliminary deal with lithium developer Vulcan Energy Resources for the supply of climate-friendly lithium from Germany, the automaker said on Monday. Stellantis is the latest automaker to sign a deal with the German-Australian start-up to lock down supplies of the battery metal ahead of an expected surge in global

Infineon Technologies Chief Operating Officer Jochen Hanebeck will become CEO of the semiconductor maker on April 1, 2022, succeeding Reinhard Ploss, who has led the company since 2012. The succession plan was approved last week by Infineon’s supervisory board, who gave Hanebeck a five-year contract, until March 31, 2027. Infineon said in a news release

PARIS — Citroen and two major French companies plan to introduce an urban mobility system based on an electric, autonomous “skateboard” platform that can be combined with various “pods,” including a mobile gym, a luxury lounge and a public-private shuttle. The partnership, Urban Collective, also includes the hotel operator Accor, which has more than 40

PARIS — Renault is considering cutting back on the real estate it occupies in the Paris region by 50 percent by 2025, a move that could save at least 60 million euros ($51.22 million). The property shift, affecting both offices it rents and owns, would affect white collar workers at the company in the Ile-de-France,